Randomness

I haven't fallen off the bandwagon, just fallen asleep.  I've been in a funk, and I'm trying to pull myself out of it...So for posterity's sake, here's a bunch of randomness and catching up:

Wednesday, Feb. 1st, my parents came up to celebrate my birthday...while we were waiting to meet them for some errands, I (on a whim) decided to go to the park.  Even though my kids refused to bring their coats, we all had a very nice time freezing and playing and laughing and running and swinging and giggling and freezing.  Yes, freezing.

Thursday, Feb 2nd, I had a very full and enjoyable day.  Ryan and I hit the gym (he did his own thing while I busted out the guns with my friends Karen & Cindy, doing Jillian's shred.), then we hurried home and got ready for the day.  I picked up Tanner from school, headed back to the gym to work and taught a gazillion 24 preschoolers about Groundhog Day (it was friend/sibling day, so we had extra kiddos), and lost my voice.  Ryan's parents came to celebrate with us, and we had a very nice visit, complete with cake, cake, and more cake.  When they left, we changed into our swim suits, headed BACK to the gym (for the third time, in case you lost track) and swam, swam, swam.  Every once in a while it's nice to just play in the water and wear yourself out.  After an hour of THAT family fun, we hurried home to fix the kids dinner, get cleaned up AGAIN, and made sure the boys were all asleep so we could pick up the sitter and leave at 7pm.  Lucky for us (and the sitter) they STAYED asleep, while Ryan and I enjoyed a prime rib dinner (courtesy of our stake presidency) at the district scout awards banquet.

Friday, Feb 3rd - I'm sure it was a nice day, but I honestly don't remember much of it.  It's all a blur.
***edited to add:  My dear friend, Stevie came to visit me!!!  And brought the CUTEST card over.  And her little guy got to play with my little guys.  It was so nice to just TALK.  It's been much too long!!  I also did my workout and took Tanner to his workout...and I skyped with my little sister for a hour at it was HILARIOUS!!!  Love it!!!

Today, Saturday, Feb 4th was certainly full to the brim.  Not only did I skip my spinning class, but I ate WAY more than I should have, and it's interesting that my body was protesting against all the sugar and calories...I know I wasn't bored (I was quite productive today!) so I must eat to procrastinate 'things'.

Today I (brace yourself): made breakfast, did the dishes, went to Home Depot with the kids to make the free craft (Heart Box), returned dvd's to the library, found treasures at the D.I., did 3 loads of laundry, made lunch, did dishes, facebooked, and fixed my fall wreath that was oh, so sad.  I'll post pictures later. Because I had the glue-gun out, I decided to fix my shoes.  And Taylors, and Kortlens.  I'm officially a member of the Poulsen Family, because I patched my shoes with an old sock and hot glue.  Thank you to my inspiring and thrifty father-in-law!!!  And to my grandmother, for her super-duty-circa 1970's glue gun complete with counter-top laminate glue sticks.  They totally made the project work.  New pair of Keens:  $110.00.  Inherited Glue-gun:  priceless.

Then I started cleaning my bathroom and scrubbed so hard on the black grout, that I actually REMOVED the silicone sealant on it and FINALLY got most of the black off...well, half of it...and bleached the heck out of it, while wiping down the walls and cleaning the toilet and everything else that goes along with cleaning a bathroom.  (I clean my bathroom weekly, but the mold trapped in the sealant has gotten horrid in the last 5 years...I'd had enough of it today!).  Somewhere in here the boys ate lunch...and Kortlen took a nap.

I had promised the boys they could paint their heart box, so we did that, had a snack, cleaned the living room (pulling out furniture and vacuuming under/around, which is really not a big deal, since I do it once a month), the boys' bedroom (putting everything in it's place, including the 'too-small clothing pile' that was taking over the top of the dresser), and the kitchen.  We had to have some time-out moments in there, but for the most part, everyone helped and everyone did a good job. It was a treat to have Ryan home for dinner...and I hope it becomes a more regular thing around here.  We made dinner, ate it, and got bathed and the boys into bed...

...ALL before 7:15pm.

Yes, I'm quite proud of my accomplishments today.  It's not every day I can say that I did a-z and managed not to lose my head...or take another human's head off.  LOL!

I just downloaded the pictures from my new camera, and should download the owner's manual for said camera, since I'm totally lost (shouldn't be, but am).  Finished up the designs I've been asked to put together for our swim team and the region's winter championship shirt.  Not to mention the team towel design and 25 year anniversary shirt I'm designing, too.  I'm loving this new 'graphic design' phase I've been thrown into.

Now, if only I can get 4 lesson plans done and 'turned in' before 11, I just might sleep like a baby tonight.
***Didn't get the lesson plans done, but I got the couch cushions washed and put back together, and those 3 loads of laundry folded...YAY!

Well Said

Go HERE if you've been wondering how I've been lately.  It's well said, and I probably could have written it myself if I wasn't drowning in it.  

Thanks for sharing, Kate.  :)  I haven't quite decided how to put my feelings into words, but Glennon words it pretty well.  In fact, I think she's been a fly on my wall the last two months.

Stuffing my face....grrrrr.

Why is it that after I do a grueling workout in which I sweat buckets and my face is a dark fuscia (how the heck do you spell that anyways?) red, that I immediately come home and stuff my face with a handful of Vanilla Wafers or cashews or a slice of toast that's hot out of the toaster lathered with butter and homemade strawberry jam?

I'm shooting myself in the foot.

Gaaaaaaah!

And water.  I drink it like crazy.  You wouldn't know it though.  While I love my Nalgene bottles, I'm trading them in for something with a straw.  It's bad enough that I sweat through the back of my shirt, but when it's wet in the front, too, it's a little unnerving.

Best workout music ever:  Jon Schmidt & Steven Sharp Nelson's New CD - "YouTube Hits Volume I".   Suggesting there might be a Volume II coming out soon?

While Aerosmith, Rihanna, Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers rock my spinning world, I found out that I really enjoyed the classics and amazing music Schmidt &Nelson's compositions provided me this morning.  It was amazing...my focus was awesome.  It may have helped that I bike with my glasses hanging off the neck of my shirt like a librarian, and that I couldn't see anybody staring at me and my sweatiness.  Is that even a word?  Probably not.  Anyways, if you want a way to shut out the world while exercising, just make sure you cannot see anything.  It helps immensely.

But it felt good to do my own spinning workout.  Amazing actually.  I think I'll make it a Friday morning tradition.

And while I'm thinking that over, I'll try to dismiss those cravings for ANY FOOD in my mouth the second I walk in the door.

Finally! {2012 Calender}

It's what, the 15th of January?  Yeah.  That's the middle.

and I finally got my 2012 Calender printed!!!

Thank you to Heather at Simply Fresh Designs....I'm hoping these pages will help me and my family remember the Monthly Primary themes, and be a great reminder of Choosing the Right.

and a huge thanks to Ryan for getting it printed at OfficeMax for me last night!

I have all my birthdays and known appointments and THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL penned in!  YAY!

If you want a link to Heather's Site, it's HERE.  She has some amazing talent!

What a {Headache}

While at work today, Tanner and another girl tripped over each other and she landed on him as he hit his head pretty hard on the concrete floor.  He's a pretty dramatic kid when he wants to be, so the nursery workers didn't think to come get me right away...after an hour of him complaining that his head hurt, they finally couldn't take it anymore, and so I took my screaming 6 year old home...poor kid!

On the way, I called our pediatrician's office to talk to a nurse to see what, if anything, I could do for the poor kid.  I could tell it was really hurting him...but had to leave a message.  Upon getting home and checking our little medicine box, the Tylenol we had was WAY expired, so I called Ryan at work to see if he'd grab some on his way home, however, he had already left.

As a last resort, I texted (interesting how that's a word, yet it's not a word so I added it to spellcheck's dictionary.) my good friend, who also happens to be our pediatrician's wife, and asked what she would do given the circumstances, and the fact that I was having a hard time keeping Tanner awake, and that he was throwing up...In my mind, I was trying to decide if he'd be fine until Ryan got home, or if I should drag all the kids into the ER.  Triage.  Which would be worse?  Instead of telling me what she would do, she called her husband.  Well, that works, too. 

I watched for signs of a concussion, but his eyes weren't dilated, and I figured he just had a really bad headache.

Then, as Ryan walked in the door, our pediatrician called to tell us to get to the ER; he phoned ahead and told them we were coming...so we scooped up Tanner and I very quickly drove to the ER.  The doctor's office called me back en route, to which I replied a 'thanks, but your doctor already personally called me, and we're on our way!' then hung up so I could whip through a green left-hand turn as his speech was REALLY starting to slur and not make sense...he was in and out and his face was super pale.  WHY is the Emergency Entrance on the back side of the hospital?!

Thankfully the check-in desk has lovely mauve puke buckets, just the right color to make you want to throw up.  LOL!  So while we waited an impressive 2 minutes, and I filled out paperwork, Tanner unloaded the remnants of his lunch.  Now I was REALLY feeling bad.  And a touch uptight.

The nurse immediately asked what happened, I spilled the above story, had to call my boss' boss to confirm a timeline of when the accident actually happened (1:30 pm? and here it was almost 3:30pm?) then they popped him a Zofran.

And he slept.  and woke.  and slept and woke.

And slept. and woke.  Then got checked out by the ER doctor (my visiting teacher's dad - small world!) and then waited. and waited. and waited.  For us to get a CT scan..

Tanner was very brave, and instead of taking an hour (like the guy after him...I heard it all since the door between our room and the CT room was VERY hollow) it took all of 2 minutes!  Way to go, CHAMP!

Then we waited.  and waited.  and waited for another hour to pass by, (along with all the crazies there this afternoon...boy, there were some doosies!) till I was showed the results of the  CT scan....super cool, by the way, and I wish I would have asked to take a picture of them...he would have LOVED to see what the inside of his head looked like!

Nothing to worry about, just a strong, thick-headed little boy who's going to have a massive headache for the next week or so.  *sigh of relief!!!*

I guess we're going to lay low and take it easy.  And invest in Tylenol.  And insurance.

__________

At some point while we were waiting, and Tanner was in and out, he sat up startled and started crying, "I don't want to live anywhere else, mommy!  I want to stay with you and daddy!"  Poor kid thought I was going to leave him at the hospital!


In the car on the way there, when I was telling him that the doctor would take a picture of his brain, he looked like I had told him they were going to cut into it!!!  I had to explain how they have a big machine that can see inside his head, but it doesn't hurt...he could just think I was taking a picture of his cute smile with my camera, yadda, yadda, yadda...and he fell asleep before I finished.

I'm so glad that he's okay!!!  While this little field trip was a headache, I gained some appreciation for my rambunctious and lively little boy.

Some Personal Reminders

It's been a miserably long week over here.  Lots of tears and just lots of lost hope...but I'm happy to say that I've been rejuvenated by a wonderful Stake Conference.  Particularly the Adult Session that Ryan and I were able to attend.  

A woman I admire very much, was the first speaker.  Sister Joy Sorensen.  Love her to pieces!!!  She spoke on Testimonies.  She stated that our testimonies should included these five basic principals:  That God Lives, and Jesus is our elder brother.  That Joseph Smith restored the gospel, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that we sustain our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.  Testimonies can begin in Primary...even young children can have these simple testimonies!

She invited us to read Joseph Smith's Testimony (link HERE).

A quote that I jotted down was a gentle reminder:

Our testimony of gospel truth should be reflected both in our words and in our deeds. And our testimonies are proclaimed and lived most powerfully in our own homes. Spouses, parents, and children should strive to overcome any hesitancy, reluctance, or embarrassment about bearing testimony. We should both create and look for opportunities to bear testimony of gospel truths—and live them.

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Sister Sorensen also shared these words with us, also from Elder Bednar:

Testimony is personal knowledge, based upon the witness of the Holy Ghost, that certain facts of eternal significance are true. The Holy Ghost is the messenger for the Father and the Son and the teacher of and guide to all truth (see John 14:26; 16:13). Thus, “by the power of the Holy Ghost [we] may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).

The knowledge and spiritual conviction we receive from the Holy Ghost are the result of revelation. Seeking for and obtaining these blessings require a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ (see Moroni 10:4). A personal testimony also brings responsibility and accountability.

Parents should be vigilant and spiritually attentive to spontaneously occurring opportunities to bear testimony to their children. Such occasions need not be programmed, scheduled, or scripted. In fact, the less regimented such testimony sharing is, the greater the likelihood for edification and lasting impact. “Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man” (D&C 84:85).

For example, a naturally occurring family conversation at dinner may be the perfect setting for a parent to recount and testify of specific blessings he or she received during the course of relatively routine activities that day. And a testimony need not always begin with the phrase “I bear you my testimony.” Our witness can be declared as simply as “I know I was blessed with inspiration at work today” or “The truth in this scripture always has been a powerful source of direction for me.” Similar opportunities to bear testimony also can arise while traveling together in a car or bus or in a multitude of other settings.

I loved her challenge for us to bear our testimonies "at all times".

__________

Next we heard from Brother Radford.  While I don't know this man personally, he shared a message that I needed to hear.  Desperately.

He started with the below story (you can read Elder Uchtdorf's talk by clicking on the story below).

A story is told that during the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged. When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.

Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: “You are my hands.”

{Love is the only appropriate way to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.}

He encouraged us to be unselfish in our teachings and learnings, "It's not about YOU"...as he gave us this council:

AS THE STUDENT (to get the most out of learning)
 - Be there an be attentive.  If we have no more to learn and are perfect, then by all means, enjoy the hallway time during class.
 - Turn off the technology.  Obviously.  Technology is a wonderful thing, but there's something to be said about holding the Scriptures in your hands and delicately and reverently turning their pages.
 - Prepare and be teachable and be humble.  Enter the classroom with an open mind and an open heart.
 - Listen with your ears, and listen with your heart.

AS THE TEACHER (I also applied this to being a teacher to my children)
 - Teach true and key doctrine.  It's futile to show how smart you are by give the most obscure references to prove a point.  Even Christ taught in simple terms.
 - Invite to action.  Invite the learner to make a change, or challenge them to do something as simple as applying the principle being taught.
 - Promise Blessings.  Promise that if they act on the teachings they received, that they will receive blessings!

__________

A member of our Stake Presidency, President Hatch, spoke on a topic that is dear to my heart, and just brought me such happiness.  He talked about gardening.  Yup!  Growing a garden.  I am by no means a good gardener, but do enjoy thing simple things that happen when a garden grows before your eyes.

{Gardening is a connection with the Earth and a connection with God.  It is WORK.  And there is something for every member of the family when growing a garden.  While growing a garden, it is simple to reinforce the principles of the gospel...}

 - From a small seed, great plants grow.
 - Seeds will grow differently in rocky/sandy/dry/overly wet soil.
 - How do we nurture a seed?  How can we compare that to the gospel?
 - Tasting of the fruits of your labors; something we work hard for and they taste delicious!
 - Law of the Harvest:  Sow what you reap (goals)
 - Becoming more self reliant!

{These are some of the blessings that come from planning, planting and working in a garden with our families.}

There is responsibility that can be given to EACH MEMBER, no matter their age!  We were also encouraged to share the work and the harvest with others.

I cannot wait to sow these seeds!  We can literally start planing our garden in 4 months in starter cups, then we'll transplant them and watch miracles happen!  Of course, with lots of hard work.  :)

__________

Our sweet Stake President, President Christensen, also shared a message that was "just for me".  He began by asking us WHY we remember the bad that people have done, instead of the good...and brought examples to light, of Zeezrom, Amuleck and Alma in the Book of Mormon.  They were hellions, at best, but they repented and brought many to the Gospel.  (Alma 15:4-14)

{When we fail to forgive, we are denying the Atonement of Christ!  It's as if we were to drink poison and then hope for 'them' to die!}

We I need to remember the good that people do, not the bad.

Think of Paul the Apostle, Alma the Younger.  Joseph of Egypt and his situation (Genesis 50:15).  Think of Nephi and his brothers!  Think of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and poor Jean Valjean who was a thief, but then changed his life to become a great man...

{Matthew Chapter 7:4-5} 

 4 And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thoubeholdest the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

 5 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and canst not behold a beam in thine own eye?

Pollyanna had a locket given to her by her late preacher father, and in it was a quote by Abraham Lincoln:  "If you look for the bad in a person, you will always find it."  She changed her entire town's outlook on life and each other by being the good, and helping them see the good in each other.

It's time we start doing that in our own little family.  :)

_________

After being spiritually fed a feast, we make a quick run to Kiwi Loco and got dessert - deal of the day was to guess the weight of your purchase and get it free...and wouldn't you know it?  I guessed the weight of Ryan's frozen yogurt spot on at 10.2 ounces, so our date cost only half as much!!!

__________

The boys did fairly well during the Sunday Session...but I didn't take notes, and didn't even jot anything down when I got home.  Too busy helping them to be reverent and then getting lunch in their tummies so we could all have a long awaited nap!

In hind sight, the things that stuck with me most about the Sunday Session, was our Stake President's talk on keeping an {Attitude of Gratitude}.  Simple.  And True.

President Hillam shared that his father with Lou Gherrigs Disease had lost his ability to speak, but on a recent drive, tapped him on the shoulder and very painfully and carefully said, "Some people will say, 'I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, therefore', and others will say, 'I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, however'."  Powerful.

My brother ROCKS!

Congratulations on such an awesome accomplishment!!!  

We are super excited to see and hear about 

the adventures you embark on!

(So sorry I didn't post this BACK IN DECEMBER when you finished school!!!)

Drama after drama with Wal*mart, my parents FINALLY got the announcements in the mail (three weeks LATE!).  Because they "got lost" the first time, and arrived THE DAY AFTER we ordered and picked up the second set, we're slightly leery of any Wal*Mart-ness.  *sigh*  Glad they're finally out, and my mom got the issue resolved with their customer service, which is actually not very customer service-like.  Whatev.  

P.S.  I think this handsome little brother of mine is available.  *wink*

This Year {2012}

"This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.”

-Howard W. Hunter

I Love this.  And I can love 2012, too.  It can be a wonderful year if I want it to be.

Ryan asked me what my resolutions were for this year, and I replied with a laundry list of things and then realized that if I work on ME, and try to be a better ME, then everything around me can be better, too, or at least appear to be.  So "be-gone" laundry list, and just BE BETTER, Deanna.