murphy's law

or should it be chapman's law?
i mean, who is murphy? and why does he get a law?

i was just reading up on murphy's law on wikipedia. man, i'm a wiki junkie. i pretty much think it's like an encyclopedia for dummies. so it's perfect for someone like me. anyway, wikipedia explains Murphy's law as:

anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

wow. has Murphy been eavesdropping into my life the last few weeks?

let me give you some scenarios...and then you tell me if it should be called chapman's law or not.

scenario #1: the birthday party

weeks of beautiful weather in may. lovin' the sunshine. a bubble bath birthday party (including kiddie pools, bubbles, and ducks ducks ducks) would be perfect! of course i have this lovely expectation of everyone sipping lemonade, having otter pops and splashing each other in the sun saying to themselves, "this is the best birthday party i have EVER been to."

think again, lady.

then the most bizarre 400% precipitation for june rolls in. what!? isn't it summer? of course, our hopes were brightened the day of the party as we woke up to blue skies and sunshine. my prayers had been answered! all day i cooked, baked, prepared, wrapped gifts, set up decorations... the party was to start at 3:00. i look outside at 2:00 as M was shivering setting up the kiddie pools (what a man i have). i could hear his voice in my head saying, "well, maybe we should have a plan B." my little yapper snapped back, "no. it won't rain. there IS NO plan B." 2:30 rolls around. meeeaaannnn clouds growled in the west. M comes inside, "those clouds are heading towards us." again, i snapped back, "the clouds don't ALWAYS come from the west!!........or do they?" the clock strikes 2:50. people start to arrive. and down pours the rain. luckily, E didn't notice the rain. she loved her gifts, her cake, spending time with her little friends and family, and of course, all the ducks.


5:00- the party ends. 5:15- the rain stops.

seriously.

scenario #2 the car
looking forward to an awesome birthday party back in october. missed it because of car troubles (you can read more about it here). quick re-cap of unfortunate events: our engine broke down on I-15...which led to us buying a new one...which led to us having our car serviced for like 3 weeks- or more like FOREVER- which led to us being car-less FOREVER...which led to us ultimately buying a new car (well, new to us, it's a 2007). you don't expect to have problems with your new car right? think again. on our way to a friends birthday party today (has anyone else noticed how these murphyisms all surround birthday parties? what does that mean?) we hear the most bizarre noise- it was like a semi was tailgating us so closely that it was hitting our bumper or something. then we felt a BOOM and we knew...the tire blew out. what? aren't these tires brand new? are we seriously on the shoulder of i-15 right now? how did we not just die? will E stop crying already? then i take E out of the car. what is that wetness on my leg? did she just pee on me? (she was wearing a swim-diaper...and while those are handy for the pools because they don't swell up...they are NOT handy in any other situation because...well...they don't absorb and swell up.). yikes.


agree with me about chapman's law yet?

scenario #3 the diet
M and i have been on this health/exercise craze. M has a friend who is interning with a nutrition/personal training company that is using him as a guinea pig. but M has to be a very obedient guinea pig so that his friend can really learn the ropes and his results can be accurate so that he can become credible as a trainer (whew, i think that was a run-on sentence). anyways. so we've been really, really good. really. no sugar in this house. whole wheat everything. light yogurt. and mayo. and cheese. and anything else that can be light. yes, we're serious here. well, tonight i just couldn't take it anymore. i blame it on all these wacky hormones floating around my weaning body. well, i saw those oreos...the ones that i never used that i bought for E's party a few weeks ago..and they were just calling out my name. "eat me, eat me. marci, you loooovveee my chocolatey goodness." and i thought to myself, "yes mr. o! i do love you. who cares about a skinny butt."

so i looked around to see if anyone was looking (aka M), and i grabbed the oreos ever so quietly and subtly (i was going to sneak them under my shirt and lock myself in my bedroom and pretend to be earnestly preparing my YW lesson for tomorrow. what? don't tell me you've never secretly eaten treats before). well, i wasn't so subtle. that huge sam's club bag of pistachios that i thought was such a good deal decided to lurch itself onto me (and of course it didn't have a clip on it) and it spilled. all. over. EVERYWHERE. and did i mention that it made a huge noise? and did i mention that M was like, "hey, what are YOU doing?" and did i mention that he saw the oreos? and then asked me what i was doing with them? and then i couldn't secretly eat in peace?

stupid murphy.

well. there are many other scenarios. but i'll just leave it at those three.

so what do you think?

* update *

i'd like to add a scenario #4 to my list:

scenario #4 sacrament meeting
yes, in the less-than-twelve-hours-ago that happened after i wrote this post, i have another murphysim to add to my list....one that just couldn't go undocumented.

we get a call- a meeting with the bishop before sacrament meeting.
we get another call- we're saying prayers in this sacrament meeting.
in my heart of hearts, i knew i was going to be released from my calling in the YW presidency. i was very sad about it. of course, we were running late...we got there 5 minutes before the meeting was to begin...but bishop insists on meeting with us. he was blunt and prompt: "thank you for your service sister chapman. you will now be released. the end." (ok, it was a little nicer than that, but that's how i remember it in my brain. we are so dispensable in the church, aren't we?)

so he shuffled us out of there reallly really fast. and he was conducting the meeting. it begins. tears start welling up in my eyes...inevitably. hello! i'm a girl!! and even though sometimes i complain about how time-consuming it is, or how i am nervous to teach a lesson, or yadda yadda yadda, having a calling makes us feel worthwhile...like we are contributing something. and hello! i love the girls! and the ladies i've served with have become such good friends! i love them. and will miss them. and will inevitably feel left out when they still meet for YW without me on Sundays and Wednesdays. sigh.

anyway, so after the world's shortest song, it was my turn to pray.
i say a pretty decent prayer...considering how distracting E was being.
i say amen.
i look to E.
she's pretty much freakin out now.
and.
WOOPPPPSSSSIEEESSSS.
there are STAIRS THERE.
yeah.
i fall.
you heard me.
I FELL.
i almost swear.
YOU HEARD ME.
what!? in sacrament meeting????

back to the falling part:
the four-inch heels that i thought looked so hot this morning were suddenly the stupidest things ever. i wanted to throw them out the door and i wanted to die. and everyone was looking at me. and please, can someone take the attention off of me for a second??

thank goodness, bishop starts talking again.

"we'd like to release the following sister from her calling: sister chapman as YW second counselor."

all the attention right back on me.
grrreat.

needless to say, i ran out of there as fast as i could. straight for the door. went outside. BAWLED MY EYES OUT. (i'm hormonal, remember?)

case in point: anything that can go wrong WILL GO WRONG.
the end.

(p.s. sorry i'm so dramatic :) ).

xoxo

some facts (which resemble opinions)

i'm excited to share some fun and interesting facts that have been floating around my little brain these last few weeks:

fact: we've reached 400% precipitation here in utah for the month of june.

fact: i couldn't be happier that we've broken 90 (accompanied by sunshine and blue skies, of course) the past two days in spite of that crazy precipitation statistic.

fact: even though i didn't make a father's day post, i do love my dad. he's awesome. and i do love M. he's the best daddy in the world to our E (man, i feel better now).

fact: i miss you, all of my friends. i miss hanging out with you. talking with you. watching our kids play. eating lunch. can i be so annoying and bold to invite myself to hang out with you?? i'm leaving in august and then i will be friendless. (i know, debbie downer/pity party). i love you all and am very free. every. single. day. :)

fact: amazon.com is very addicting. i got a giftcard from one of my students to spend there...and i've spent the last week heavily debating what to buy. i'm very indecisive...but just barely decided on a new swim suit...and a williams sonoma cookbook...i unfortunately already have buyer's remorse..and am thinking "ah, i should've gotten this or that or that other thing..." i'm not a very good shopper.

fact: we have a walker on our hands. everyone keeps warning me about it...but i'm lovin' it.

fact: eating healthy really does make you feel good. but that doesn't mean you don't want the unehalthy stuff anymore...ore less...or whatever. i crave frozen yogurt. and oreos. every. single. moment. of. every. single. day.

fact: E had her 1 year check-up today. she's a petite little thing! only 19.2 lbs!! what!? but just because she's petite doesn't mean she has little lungs...she screamed her guts out with those shots. yowsers.

fact: the movie he's just not that into you is by far the stupidest movie i've seen this year. or in the last 5 years. or ever in my whole life.

fact: the movie last chance harvey is runner up in worst ever to he's just not that into you.

fact: celebrating an ocassion is done best over an extended period of time. let me elaborate: we took 3 whole days to celebrate our anniversary. we saw two movies (star trek- surprisingly awesome...live long and prosper, and the proposal- also surprisingly hilarious...but i'm a sucker for sandra bullock), went to the roof (yuuummmmy), got frozen yogurt, churros, and snuggled. it was memorable. and lovely in every way.

fact: we also went to jump on it for the first time on our anniversary weekend. while it was very fun and gave me several flashbacks to my childhood days, it was pretty disastrous. M rolled his ankle and today it looks like huge grapefruit dyed blue. that's not even the disastrous part...every time i jumped too high, i peed my pants. seriously. no one told me a side-effect of labor would be that i can't control my peeing anymore. geesh.

fact: we eat edamame in our house at least twice a day. i love it, M loves it, and E tries to steal it all for herself.

fact: thanks to E, i now despise the car and try to think of any way to get out of anything that requires driving. her screaming could cause anyone to pull out their hair and their husband's hair simultaneously (not that that's happened or anything...). will there ever be relief?

fact: there are some weirdees who walk on the provo river trail. wow.

fact: weaning is very painful. while i'm ready, and am loving it for the most part (freedom!), i hate it. oh, the pain!

fact: my hair is very long. like it hasn't been this long since 10th grade. keep it long? cut it? you know i love your hair advice :)

fact: feeding E regular food is very messy. and fun. and messy. and it requires a lot of effort and thought. but it's fun. but did i mention that it's messy?

fact: being a stay-at-home mom is a lot harder than it looks. i'm so tired at the end of each day..even more than before. and i only have one kid!! still, sometimes i need a break. and sometimes i feel bad that i need a break...but that doesn't mean i don't need one. luckily, M lets me take one when i need one :)

fact: sometimes i want to throw the remote control at the t.v. so that the t.v. will break and i don't have to hear the announcers on espn EVER AGAIN. but only sometimes.

fact: i hate that jillian doesn't know what a loser wes is. can someone please tell her, already?

fact: while i hate public pools (think of all that pee....uck), we're having so much fun going to seven peaks. it's utah's beach! i try not to think about the pee water when E gulps down tons when the waves crash her in the face in the wave pool...

fact: i like to think that i am getting tanner by going to seven peaks as often as we do...but deep down, i know that i am just a slightly darker shade of white, resembling very closely my whiteness in the bleak month of january. sigh.

fact: i do a spin, sashe & kick before i get into bed every night. i wish i could be on So You Think You Can Dance (thanks ash for helping me get that off my chest. whew).

fact: i still laugh thinking about when Mary Murphy made her botox comment. she's HIL-ARIOUS.

fact: we move in exactly 2 months.

fact: i haven't packed a single box.

fact: i don't know when i will start packing.

fact: i don't want to pack.

fact: i hate packing.

fact: my heart is growing. really! it is! because i love M more than i did four years ago, and i love E more than i did yesterday..or even five minutes ago. love love love love love.

the end.

1-2-3-4...

give me more lovin' from the very start
piece me back together when i fall apart,
tell me things you never even tell your closest friends-
make me feel good when I hurt so bad- best that i've had
i'm so glad i've found you
love bein' around you

you make it easy, as easy as 1,2- 1,2,3,4
there's only 1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you (i love you) i love you
there's only 1 way 2 say those 3 words and that's what i'll do (i love you)
i love you.

-plain white t's

today, M and i have been married 4 years. count 'em:

1-2-3-4!

wow.
i just have to say this: i feel like i don't brag on M as much as i should.
because i should.
a lot.
he puts up with me.
crazy lady. spicy cuban. feisty woman.
e-v-e-r-y .. s-i-n-g-l-e .. d-a-y.
which let me tell you...is no small thing.

so i'd like to take a brag moment...
i wanna share with you the cutest little thing he did for me (to demonstrate his cuteness) on the last day of school a couple of weeks ago.

so it's really early. like 7 am early.
and i get in my car.
if you remember, i was emotional.
and a little stressed.
and did i mention i was emotional?

so back to the car...
i get in and notice...there's this little card on the steering wheel.
i pull it out and read it.
(insert some mushy stuff here).
he then tells me he had made me a cd with all the songs that reminded him of me. i turn on the car...that really cute song where the guy sings "they call her love, love, love, love, love" comes on...and i just lose it. tears stream down my face...other songs were that 1-2-3-4 song by plain white t's and chris brown's forever, which, let's be real, you can't NOT dance to that one...and many other cute songs. he then said in his note not to listen to number 8 till i was on my way home. i was so curious. but i loooovvvee surprises, so i obeyed. on my way home, i put on number 8, and it was: "school's out for summer." i cranked up the volume so loud on that one...even though i confess, i'm no classic rock fan . he told me that he and E were waiting to give me a big hug and rock out to number 8 on guitar hero when i got home.

cute, huh?
mega cute in my opinion.
made me feel like i was in high school again.
and that's how our love is.
how i love my thoughtful M.
he's been like that from day one.

(day one below)


(day one thousand four hundred sixty below (today...ok, well, a week ago, but you get the idea)):

our life together now is so much sweeter and better and crazier than i ever would have imagined it would be. we constantly are picking up messes, we often wonder how we're going to pay the bills, we have tons of inside jokes and quote movie lines and tv show lines constantly to each other, we talk about how cute E is a minimum of 10 times a day, we've become part of each other's families and understand each other a little better than we did before...and yet don't understand each other more than we did before, we hug often, we've made wonderful friends who we love to make memories with, we love yummy food, we sometimes get under each other's skin...like when he doesn't take the garbage out, and we love every minute of it because it's all done together.

happy anniversary, M.

4 years down, eternity to go.

gives me butterflies to think about it.

xoxo

project wean...

s.o.s., please, somebody help me...

i have so much to blog about, but i'm going to blog about this first.

project wean has begun...

but i need all you veteran wean-ers (ha ha) out there to give me some advice.

i've nursed E all along...she has had one bottle at lunch time which i pumped.

this last week, i pumped all feedings except the night-time feeding and added/mixed in 2-3 ounces of whole milk on each feeding.

my questions are these:

1. should i still be giving her a bottle at every feeding? (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Bedtime)

2. if yes, when do i stop that?

3. if no, do i get rid of one feeding per day or per week or??

4. how much milk should she be getting now?

5. what are some of your favorite foods to give your little weaned one?

oh man, i've been so overwhelmed with this weaning process. because:

a. it hurts

b. i'm torn..i'm so ready...but a teensy weensy bit sad about it too. she's really not a baby anymore. sigh.

c. i want to make sure that i am giving her what she needs...but not making her attached/forming bad habits so that at 2 years old i'm the one with the kid that has separation anxiety from her bottle.

ahhh, so it's obvious i need your help :)

just a note: both M and i have milk allergies. i'm lactose-intolerant, and M is allergic to the proteins. this has made me extra-cautious/slow in the weaning process. this is also why i am hesitant to just give her 8 ounces of whole milk and wean cold turkey....

wow. no one can prepare you for all these crazy details of parenting, huh? i guess on-the-job-training really is best :)

thank you in advance for all your help and wisdom. how i love you, my blogging bff's!

she had her cake...

and ate it too.

yes, i have a one-year old.

wh-wha-whhaaatt??

more details of today's festivities (and the rain that tried to ruin it all) to come shortly.

until then,

i'd just like to tell my sweet birthday girl...

it's hard to believe that it's already been a year that you came into our lives.

you are like a little bundle of dynamite...exploding with personality and excitement wherever you go! i love you more and more every day. happy birthday, my sweet ellie bear.

a prescription for a happy summer:

what time is it?

summer time!

it's our vacation.

what time is it?

party time!

that's right, say it loud.

what time is it?

the time of our lives.

anticipation

what time is it?

summer time!

school's out, scream and shout!

-HSM 2, as danced/sung by my kindergartners

doctor's orders: if you want to live a happy life, you must have a happy summer.
How, you ask? i have the perfect prescription for you. follow some, several, or all of the following steps.

1. don't sleep in. if you would've told me this when i was 16 i would have wanted to shoot you.but really, how can you make the best out of your summer days if you're sleeping them away??

2. since you're not sleeping in past 6:45 am, get out of bed. yes, eyes are heavy. yes body is achy. so. stretch. then, stretch again (you're probably really tight from all of that winter hibernation, including large amounts of sleep + food). go on a walk. or run. or bike ride. take in the brisk air. think, think, think. wonder to yourself, "how can i afford cute clothes without spending the big bucks?" or, "how do you wean a one-year-old?" or, "how long will it take me to get rock hard abs and a tight, firm buttox...hollywood style?" or, "why is jillian keeping that weirdo-feet-guy or wacky-wes-guitar man around?" or, "why can't i dance on SYTYCD?" or, "why am i the way i am?" (these are all the questions i ponder in the morning...basically, the point is to let your brain run free for an hour or so. feels great). after your run/jog/walk/bike-ride, think to yourself, "i'm awesome. i just woke up in the summer instead of sleeping in and burnt some serious calories. GO ME!" 

3. go check on and water your garden that you've so carefully tended to. if you haven't planted a garden, plant SOMETHING. it's weird because as a kid, gardening was a swear-word to me. it was SUCH A CHORE. now, it is soothing. relaxing. and rewarding. if you don't have any plants, go get a little pot and spend the two bucks for some mums or gardenias to go on your porch. they will brighten your day. we have a little community vegetable garden that we've headed up this year. it's been such a blast to pick out the plants, plant the plants, feed them, watch them grow... i'm really taking pride in it. little E loves it, too. well, she loves eating the dirt...and ripping the leaves off of our poor little pepper plants...we're working on that.


4. make breakfast. i am a believer that it is the most important meal of the day. i used to ALWAYS skip breakfast in high school. i think about that...and wonder, how in the world?? i can't function if i haven't eaten a good breakfast nowadays.

5. pick up. you'll feel better in a clean house. BUT: if you have a little monster like i do (who disassembles EVERY nice pile of laundry, throws out all the nicely folded towels out of the drawers, tosses out pots, pans & tupperwear all over the floor, and dumps out snacks in every crevice of our little place), don't get too stressed if its messy. let. it. go. it's summer, remember?

6. pick something fun to do to get out of the house. getting out of the house is crucial to summer happiness. here are some of our recent "get-out-of-the-house" options:

• Seven Peaks (ELLIE LOVES IT)

• A walk to the park

• A walk to see the ducks
• A get-together with friends (lunch, etc)
• Make lunch and take it up the canyon
• Fill up a kiddie pool- let your little monster go to town with bath toys, bouncy balls, etc. don't forget to sunblock-it-up, and to fill up the pool in the morning for warmest results. if you're feeling extra adventurous, let your monster go to town in his/her clothes.
  
  
• Play some tennis 
• Go on a weekend getaway...we went to Park City and had a blast taking E to the pool, going to the outlets, and M enjoyed the golfing. thanks Mom & Dad for making it possible :)
  
  
  
• Go to your neighborhood community theater- there are always shows and concerts going on...i went to one of my kindergartner's ballet recital...and it was SOOO cute. The Covey Center for Arts in Provo always has things going on.
• Go to a baseball game (it doesn't get more SUMMER-Y than that). The Salt Lake Bees have games going on all summer long...and buying tickets is super cheap if you buy ones to sit on the lawn in the outfield. they have really cute kid things going on during the games, too. i'm a baseball girl from childhood. i l.o.v.e it.
  

• Play a game. like life-size chess. little monsters love it.

• go to a birthday party. even if it's not for someone you know. summer birthday parties are da bessst.
• Hang out with family. talk about the nba playoffs (or listen to your dad, brothers and hubby discuss the playoffs). give each other pedi's. laugh. (the more laughter, the better....helps out with the rock-hard-abs department).
  
  
• On a rainy day or night, go to the movies. we recommend UP. i cried. but in a good way. l.o.v.e.d. it!
• Attend a graduation. it's the hip thing to do. don't know anyone graduating? who cares- they're going on left and right. find one and cheer a random soul on to their new-found success. feel the chills go up and down your spine as you hear the graduation song.
  
  
• Don't forget your camera to document your summer-funness.

7. somewhere in the mix of all these outings, you'll need to eat something. fruit kabobs are so cute and so de-lish. another summer thing we love to eat is regular-ol sandwiches, but put under the broiler for 2 minutes each side to give it a delicious toasty-ness. finally, bbq-ing chicken, burgers, corn, squash, and if you're lucky (or rollin' in the dough), steaks, is a perfect thing to do as the sun gets lower in the sky.

8. if you have a monster, put him/her to bed. enjoy the last bit of daylight monster-free.

9. have some alone time, or some couple time. rent a redbox. watch your favorite show (SYTYCD on weds-thurs, bachelorette on mon). talk. whatever suits.

10. if you're laying off the sugar because you're trying to be good and want to look good in that swim-suit, you can still have a variety of treats to end your day. sugar-free jello with whipped cream...berries & whipped cream...or one of our personal faves- buying the homemade popsicle thing-a-ma-bobs and filling them with crystal light. lemonade, fruit punch...for something extra yummy, throw some real fruit in the mix. oooo.

another delicious popsicle idea: buy your favorite naked juice and pour them in the popsicle thing-a-ma-bob. we love the mango one you can get at Sam's Club. WHAT. A. TREAT. and what a perfect way to end your day.

11. get ready for bed. if you want a the most enjoyable day tomorrow, get in bed by 11. say your prayers. read....whatever it is you like to read before you go to bed. think about what a wonderful day it was.

repeat steps 1-11 daily for optimal results.

xoxo,

dr. marci