Tonsils and Adenoids Surgery

Emily has been snoring like an old man for over a year and she would be a lot of times really grumpy in the morning. Well we finally came to the conclusion that her grumpiness might be because she is not getting the rest she needs. And just this past month her tonsils were very red and her throat hurt her a lot. So we decided to take immediate action and get her tonsils and adenoids out as soon as we could. Here is Emily right before surgery (3/31), all smiles. She obviously had no clue I think what it would feel like after she woke up. She knew they were going to cut something out of her throat and that she would be sleeping when they did but the pain and grogginess she felt was difficult.

She woke up tossing and turning and moaning with cries in between. So they gave her Demerol and pain medicine and she fell asleep again and slept for 30 minutes or so. 

When she woke up the second time she was feeling a little better and more awake.She even gave me a slight smile. :) She was very brave and didn't cry anymore. Her recovery this week hasn't been too bad either.  She is a pretty tough girl. When they drew her blood she didn't even flinch or whine at all. Madisen and Avery kept telling her how brave she was. Avery still says every once in awhile, "Emily is the bravest person in our family!"

And she most likely is. 

And there has been no more snoring at our house since! Yahoo! 

Last Day of School

Madisen's last week of school before the summer, I got to go hang out with her and her class at the park. All the kids made Tye-Dye shirts and had pizza. With the move from Texas and all, I never got first grade pictures done for her. I know I have taken several pictures this year, but I wanted to take a few of her on her last day of 1st grade.... 

This is one thing Madisen loves to do. She loves the Monkey Bars, and is so proud of herself when she makes it all the way across. 

Playing Shark and Life Gaurd

Eating Pizza next to Rykel

Madisen's friend, Elnara 

Madisen's friend, Lydia from the ward

Madisen's teacher, Mrs. Turpin

Since moving from Texas to Idaho we have had many changes. Madisen's been to 3 schools, been home schooled by me for 2 months. The curriculum they teach here is a lot different than what she was used to. The schools seem a lot harder here with more required of them, than in Texas. Ryan and I have been thinking lately about holding her back, so it might not be her last day of 1st grade as we thought. She might get a second shot at it. It's not necessary that she isn't smart enough for second grade- her teacher thinks she is. As do we. 

Yet, her teacher said she is behind in some thing. It's more that her ability to communicate, ask questions, get involved, participation, her lack of understanding instructions and working independently, her maturity level and her confidence in her ability to do the things assigned to her is just not there. It is not something she has developed for her age. Ryan and I were both extremely shy growing up and we were both late bloomers, so it should have been no surprise that we get a child (or 3) that are the exact same way.  It doesn't help that on top of all that, she is extremely small for her age. She is one of the shortest and skinniest in her grade besides Elnara and Ryker, the other two kids she hangs out with most. haha. How ironic huh? 

Madisen hates when people call her,"tiny","little", and "small". Just last week a lady came up to me in front of Madisen and said, she is so cute and tiny. You should have SEEN the look on Madisen's face. She was so upset. I had to excuse myself from this lady and take Madisen to the side and have a talk with her. 

You may be wondering why? Well, this has been a problem since Madisen was 2. Everyone telling her she is "shy" she is "small". It's taken it's toll. So a few months back I told her when people/kids say that about her, she needs to tell them with a stern voice, "No, I'm not. I am big."

So as I was talking with Madisen I decided to take a new approach to this issue. I told her that yes, she is small and skinny and tiny and little, BUT so are a lot of people and a lot of kids. Everyone grows at different times. I told her she has more Adult teeth than most of the kids in her class. She grew those first. Other kids still have more baby teeth. Everyone is different. And being small is actually awesome! You can crawl under things, do things that bigger kids can't do. I told her that she will be tall and skinny and she will love it. That being small is not a bad thing at all. In fact, it's great! I told her that I am a small mom compared to other moms, but yet I am bigger than some other moms too. But it doesn't matter. That's the way Heavenly Father made me and the way he made you. And I think you are  perfect. Perfect just the way you are! So if someone says, your small, say, "Thank you! It's great!"

After that talk she seemed better and showed a little more confidence, or so I hoped. 

 Madisen also, gets mothered a lot by other kids in her class that look down at her as the "baby" of the class. I hate it. It drives me crazy! Yet, I know those kids don't see what they are doing or even understand it. They really think they are "helping" her. But it's hindering her and it's not their fault, it's just what it is. 

 It's just frustrating for me as a mom. As moms, we all go through different things with our kids, but this problem sure makes me feel like I am a bad mom. That I am doing something wrong to create a child that has such low confidence and self-esteem. Do I not praise her enough? Do I get on her case too hard? Do I make her feel bad about herself? No, I don't think so. I think it's just who she is. I don't always understand her but I love her just the same. 

 I have taken every approach I know how. 

I am just tired. 

I need to get on my knees more, and whine less.

I need to stop fighting the urge to put her in every activity known to man (kid), and succumb to her time and willingness to want to join.

Being a parent is hard. 

I am now done venting. 

Your welcome.

I am of Worth....and so are you!

Last weekend I drove up to Oklahoma City with two friends from my ward and we met up with my best friend, Kimberly who lives 15 minutes from Oklahoma City to go to Time Out for Women! I have never been before and had such a great time.

Hillary Weeks preformed several times and did amazing! I love her voice and I had no idea she had such a great sense of humor too. She had us all laughing so much. It was so fun sitting by Kimberly and talking, laughing and joking around like old times. Whenever we get to see each and hang out I always feel like myself again. She helps me remember who I am and let's me bring it out!

The speakers were awesome! I enjoyed everyone of them. Especially the last speaker, an older woman by the name of Mary Ellen Edmunds. She was hilarious!  And the spirit was so strong when she was speaking and I felt it so strongly that the flood gates opened and I couldn't stop crying!

She talked about how Satan and his followers try to HIDE our identities and keep us from knowing who we really are. We need to remember who we are; We are daughters of God and we are of worth. Of great worth.

I have struggled with this my whole life. I am always beating myself up and I often forget who I am. I struggled as a teenager tremendously in some aspects. I think many wouldn't believe that and many have even said that I was very outgoing and friendly, and can't believe I struggled with confidence or self-worth...but deep down I never felt good enough. I got made fun of for my looks countless times and to this day I still find myself  "hiding" from the world, afraid to get hurt. Satan has tried to HIDE me and my identity for years, and I have been working hard on this lately to not let him.

So I felt this talk was especially for me and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I am of Worth. And I need to remember that always!

Me and Kimberly...isn't she gorgeous?!

Jessica, Janna, Me, Kimberly

Hillary Weeks performing one of her many popular songs.

After the conference we walked downtown Oklahoma City to find a place to eat. We went to Coach's, which was a great place overlooking a baseball game. It was pretty cool and the food was so good. You can see the baseball field behind us.

Thanks girls for a great time!  I am so glad we did this!

Boyfriend blues... and ramblings of a mother.

Apparently, Madisen has a boyfriend.

She declared it so yesterday.

Ummm. What?!  

I was stunned.


Still am.

I didn't even know she knew what a "boyfriend" was?

Either I was being naive to the fact that she knew these things, or I just thought she was indeed naive and didn't know any of these things. (did that even make sense?)

Guess I was naive.

This is how it all went down...

Madisen and Avery were playing together in the living room when I over heard her from the bedroom say, "Avery, you don't even know...."

I walked over and opened the bedroom door a little more to hear her continue to say, "...I have a boyfriend. His name is Trenton C. And he is cute. We even traded Dinosaur cards."

First of all, those that know Madisen well, know she can be very timid. She has been labeled "shy" ever since she was one. She is a afraid to try new things, turns bright red when the spotlight is on her and cries easily when others, especially her sisters get hurt. She is very sensitive and naive...or so I thought, till now. She probably knows more than I give her credit for. 



I wasn't that into boys growing up. I never had a boyfriend until my Junior year of High School. (And I was not considered nearly as shy as she is.) Glad too. They, "boyfriends", really weren't all they were cracked up to be.


So can you understand now, WHY I am stunned by this revelation, that SHE has a boyfriend??




Speaking about being shy, it made me think of another subject. For years Madisen has been asked, "ARE you shy?" OR, they just presume it, "You ARE shy."

Which by the way, I HATE. I hate when people in the store, total strangers, say that to her. They don't know her. They barely met her, 5 seconds ago! Don't presume to label my child when you don't even know her! (I am really passionate about this subject can't you tell?)

It just makes her conform that much more to it, when told it. She is being label "shy" therefore she tells herself, "I am shy"  and acts "shy". 

So to correct this, every time someone tells her that she is "shy" I (politely) correct them by saying, "No, she is not shy. She is friendly and talkative and funny." (Mother bear comes out to protect her cub).

I just don't want her labeling herself anymore as being "shy", just because someone else tells her she is. She can be anything she wants to be, darn it! :)

And that subject makes me think of another closely related subject, (I should probably just write another blog post or make this into essay form...a, b, c...etc.) when talking to other people about your kids whether on the phone or in person while your child is in ear shot of the conversation you should NEVER talk negatively about them or put them in a negative light. It's not healthy.

For example, I overheard a mother one time on her cell phone talking about her child in a very negative way, stating many bad behaviors the child had done, even to the point of using swear words, and calling her daughter names that I would need soap to wash my mouth out with. And the sad part was, her daughter was right there in front of her! How sad. Imagine what that little girl felt and how it probably crushed her spirit and embarrassed her. My heart went out to her. 

I am grateful that my own mom taught me this very important lesson early on when Madisen was younger. As I, too, made the same mistake of doing just that, right in front of her. I said out of anger, "Ugh! Madi is being such a little brat today!"

Oops. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me. And I am embarrassed that it did that day, but I have learned the importance of this, not only for my kids but for me. It makes children feel bad, worthless and they come to not trust you as a parent over time. 

But one of the best things you can do is say POSITIVE things about them in front of others. As I have done this from time to time, I literally have seen my girls' heads rise in pride, and their self esteem just sky-rockets! We, as mothers have such power! Let's use it for good.


And please don't tell my child that she IS shy. :) But I will allow you to tell her anything positive. :)

OK...so back to my first point of this post...(I know, I am rambling, but I did warn you about it in the title.)

Madisen has a "boyfriend". 

Obviously as a kindergarten-er this doesn't mean the same thing as it would to a 17 year old girl. But I am just not ready for this stage yet and it's here knocking at my door. I thought I would have years to prepare for this knock. 5 years is just not enough time. Especially when I still vividly remember the day we were finally able to bring this bundle of joy home from the hospital, on Mother's Day.

Now 5 years and 10 months later (give or take a few days), she is trading dinosaurs cards with her "boyfriend".  

Pretty soon they will be painting dinosaur characters with hearts around it on each other's cheeks...what's a mother to do? 

Boo-hoo.

  

.

Perseverance.

(This post touches on some sensitive issues, deep personal feelings and experiences, and my beliefs. I don't often open up and share things like this because I don't want to make people feel awkward or think ill of me. But then I realized, it's MY blog. MY space to write anything I want. And if they don't like it, then that's fine. They can go somewhere else and not have to read it. Sometimes it takes me a lot longer than most to learn these things. ;)

Perseverance.


Something I need to work on.


Something I want to be better at.


Something I want to be stronger in.




This coming Sunday Ryan and I have been asked to give talks in the Spanish sacrament meeting, which to be honest, I was not too thrilled, as I just gave a talk a month ago in our sacrament meeting.  There is only one ward here in Hunt county which consist of many small towns and cities within a 30 mile radius of Greenville. Well a small part of the ward members are Spanish speaking members so they have their own sacrament meeting the same time we do, just down the hall. Since Ryan speaks Spanish they will have an interpreter for me. The topic that was chosen for us to speak on, "Perseverance". 

"Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don’t give up even when others say, “It can’t be done.”' James E. Faust

It has made me think about the last few month since moving here to Texas. It's been hard, yet, I am learning more about myself and trying to be a better mother, friend, wife and person. I am trying to work on my short comings and weaknesses to make them stronger. But to be honest, it's been hard to change what I haven't acknowledge or pushed down. I have already share some of these feelings with two good friends of mine. I thought it might be good for me to share it on the blog too, because we, as women, moms, humans, all struggle with demons in our lives and to know that you or I -is not alone in this fight is very encouraging and hopeful.

It's been hard adjusting to Texas and this new ward. It feels like we have been picked up by a space ship, dropped from space and have landed in a completely new world! And no amount of preparation prepared me for the impact.


I have been struggling a lot lately with loneliness and homesickness. So much so, that lately I feel like I am turning into a sloth. I feel incredibly tired and everything is in s-l-o-w motion. I feel at times I simply want to give up and just sleep the next few years away until we can move back to Idaho-our home. But I KNOW that's not what I really want to do or should do. I KNOW I need to live life to the fullness no matter what my circumstances are (which really, they aren't THAT bad. I know it may sound like I am in the depths of despair! But I am not.). 


I have had little to no desire to cook, clean sometimes, do activities with the kids, craft, scrap book, call friends, blog, exercise...nothing. I am tired all the time and take a nap almost everyday. I just have no energy or motivation but yet I feel irritable and anxious a lot, which I hate feeling that way. I get little sparks of energy or enthusiasm throughout the day, but it only last 
an hour or so and I am back in "bed" hiding from the world.


Well, I guess I wasn't "hiding" well enough! ;) Because I had one friend call me out on it in an email....


"...I figured something was wrong, I kept checking your blog every day and nothing was popping up. . . i knew something was up!!"


Uh, oh! Caught. haha.


Thought I could just hide and bury my struggles and eventually they would just go away on their own... Right?


So I had to acknowledged that I needed help. I needed advice. I needed validation. I needed an honest opinion. I needed sympathy. I needed a friend. To vent. To cry. I just needed all these things. And by opening up (although, I was at first completely terrified to do so) I was able to release some of my worries and struggles and get all these things without feeling too embarrassed or ashamed. And THAT felt great.


I have had TWO conflicting emotions...


1.- I feel so blessed. I literally count my blessing everyday.


-Ryan has a job. Not only that, but he has one that he enjoys. He loves to help people and it is a good living too. (There are so many without jobs and many don't like their jobs).
-We have health insurance(so many people don't).
-We have no major health concerns with Ryan or I or our children....at this time anyway.  (Again, so many people are struggling with a serious illnesses or health problems that make life really difficult for them and their family).
-One of the greatest blessings in our lives is being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Having that knowledge and testimony that the church is true and living by the covenants we have made in the temple has blessed our family tremendously as many of you can testify as well.
-Another one of our greatest blessings in our lives is our family and dear friends. We have some of the best relationships in the world and don't take that for granted.
-I can stay home with my children and raise them which I have always felt is so important.
-We have been able to pay off a lot of debt.
-Ryan sees and deals with patients all day that have no family, no insurance, sometimes homeless and are on the verge of dying! How sad and humbling that is to me. Makes me want to take them all in and feed them!


Through all the good and blessings we have why is it then that I STILL feel ...
2. -depressed, lonely, trapped and sad?


Well, as I have been preparing my talk on Perseverance, boy have I had a eye-opening experience that leads me to thinking I am not persevering like the Lord wants me to do.


"Perseverance is a POSITIVE, ACTIVE characteristic. It is not idle, and doing just enough to get by(as I have let myself do over the past few months), hoping and waiting for good things to happen." 

While reading through a variety of talks I came across this paragraph by a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin, in 1987:

"Genius is only the power of making continuous efforts. The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it; so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience would have achieved success? A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed a hopeless failure may turn into a glorious success."


Wow. That is powerful. Something I needed to hear and something I want to work on. I have always thought I was one that didn't give up when things got tough. I have always known I am a daughter of God and have a special purpose on this earth, as all of us do, but this made me think even deeper about the meaning of perseverance. Could I persevere through something like what Job went through-losing everything? Or how about Nephi or Joseph Smith? Or the pioneers that crossed the plains? Or even well known people like Florence Nightingale, Abe Lincoln, Beethoven, Hellen Keller and countless others who persevered through some of the most difficult trials.


Of course, it's unlikey that most of us will have to face such trials and heartache as these well known figures had to do. But if we did, would we persevere or give up?


Here's another quote I liked:

 "Perseverance means to continue in a given course until we have reached a goal or objective, regardless of obstacles, opposition, and other counter-influences. What is our course, what is our goal, and what are the obstacles and opposition that would hinder or divert us?

Our course as members of the Church should be in agreement with the principles and ordinances of the gospel. Our goal should be to fill the measure of our creation as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father—that is, to reach exaltation and eternal life. The obstacles and opposition we meet are the temptations and enticements of Satan that are designed to frustrate the Lord’s work and glory: “To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39)."

I got another email from this friend after I told her a little bit of how I was feeling and struggling with, she said (and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing this), "Try to find out what you need to learn from this situation. . . maybe Heavenly Father wants you to become closer to him instead of always having a physical friend/family there."


Ah-ha! That's exactly right. 


I have prayed throughout my life that Heavenly Father will help me become the person I need to be and the person he needs me to be to further His work. Being here in Texas can either make me stronger as I learn to rely on Him more or give into the "temptations and enticements of Satan", who is always lurking around waiting to see if we will invite him in. He knows our weaknesses and makes it difficult for us to find our way. There's a saying/quote that I couldn't find but goes something like, When the door is opened the light enters, not the other way around. (anyone know it?)

We are going to be tested in this life. That's one of the main reasons why we are here on this earth. We knew it was going to be hard yet, we chose to come down, to get a body and it is how we persevere through it all that will determine what we have gained in the next life.
My friend also reminded me, "...It seems I am like that the most when my life is going really well. . .which I found odd, so I really searched myself and decided that it was Satan trying to ruin a good thing.  He is always trying to make us feel down. He tries to make us feel like we have to live up to everyone else's standards, that our self worth is based on how much we get done in a day..."


I am so grateful for wise friends! ;)


I am so grateful for prophets that lead us and guide us.


I am most grateful for a loving Savior that holds out his hand infinitely and shows me the light and way to go. And gives me opportunities to learn and grow as I have prayed to do. And contrary to belief, I am grateful for being asked, again, to talk in sacrament meeting:) . 

Some Happenings...

Yesterday, I got to drive down to Utah with my parents to wish my Grandma Newman a Happy 76th Birthday!  She is a beautiful woman and has accomplished so much in her 76 years of life. She has had 7 kids; she has 30 grandkids, and 35 great-grandchildren!  My Grandma has been very sick and hasn't been doing too well these days and I know that this was my last time visiting her. We found out a few weeks ago she has cancer in her stomach and upper shoulder area. The doctors don't give her much longer and it was hard to see her in that state of mind and condition yesterday. I know this is the last time I will get to see her. She can't really hold her head up anymore and is so weak that she can barely lift her arms.  She will be greatly missed when she passes but I hope she can be relieved of her suffering soon and return back home. She will be able to see and play with Ethan and that makes me more envious than I should probably admit but I am glad she will be able to be with him since I can't. My Grandma and Grandpa Newman and Grandma's sister, Jane.

August 31st was our 8th wedding anniversary, and our best friend Dan surprised us with a suite at the Black Swan Hotel. (Thanks Dan!) For those that haven't ever had a themed room should definitely reserve a room at one. It was so fun! We stayed in the Pirate room and pretended we were pirates all night. "ARRGH!"  OK... not really. So, yeah. Not a lot to say about this. ;)

In two days I am running the Pocatello MARATHON!!! 

26.2 miles. 

Ouch.

It's all MENTAL... 

I can do it. No sweat, right? Or something like that??

Burn and Run

I only wish it was that easy, to stand on a scale all day and see the pounds just shed off! Wouldn't that be nice? Unfortunately getting good results takes hard work. I love the feeling I get when I have accomplished something hard. Someone made the comment that it's really not about the number on the scale but more about body fat, and inches. Which is totally true! I completely agree with that. But I also just want to get down to where I was when I felt my best. So I am going to keep burning those calories out of me.

Training for this half marathon has been so empowering. It feels great when I get done with a long run...well, besides the sore knees, bad back, and blistered feet ;). Last Friday, Emily and I did our 10 mile run and I have never ran that far ever. We are trying to set a goal to stay around 10 minutes a mile. Some miles we do about 9 minutes, other miles are more like 12 minutes as we climb up hills. This morning we ran 3 miles and did it in 28 minutes... I am hoping we can keep that pace through the whole race on Saturday. I am also hoping I (as in, ME ) survives it. hehe.

Wish us luck!

Hospital Stay

We had a little bit of a scare the other night.... Not two hours after posting that last post, about Emily, Emily was having a hard time breathing and we thought her air way was constricted. Since my husband is in the Physician Assistant Program and doing his rotations right now, he noticed that Emily had something called, Stridor. We called our neighbors and they came over to watch our kids and help give Emily a priesthood blessing. Then we went to the doctor's office and did some chest x-rays on her and they emitted her into the hospital for the night to monitor her. Emily was given some steroids to help with the inflammation of her trachea tube and they did some respiratory treatments with her. I stayed with her overnight and after the treatments, I noticed a HUGE difference right away in her breathing! She was released from the hospital yesterday morning and is doing a lot better and is completely off her oxygen!

So Emily gave us a little bit of a scare but she is doing fine now. Now that Madi is in preschool we think she brought some sort of virus home and Emily caught it. I thought we were being pretty cautious about keeping Emily away as much as possible and washing our hands a lot, but I guess we need to be even more cautious! Yet, I know that even if we are extremely cautious sometimes Emily will catch whatever it is anyway. It's scary how one moment everything is going fine and the next it's not. Makes me so grateful that Ryan is practicing medicine and caught it in time before it could have completely closed her airway. And that he was and is worthy to give a priesthood blessing to anyone who needs it, especially our kids. I am so grateful for the gospel!

My dad, Jared with Emily. She is still on her oxygen.
Emily off her oxygen
I know they say not to put babies on their stomach, but all my girls have always preferred their stomach to their backs. So when I can watch Emily sleep I will sometimes let her lay on her stomach. These pictures were all taken the same day, Emily fell asleep on the floor, Madi on the couch and Avery in her bed.

Madi "spills the juice"

On Tuesday I went grocery shopping and bought some V8 VEGETABLE juice and I can honestly say, I have never bought nor tried the stuff before. Prior to Tuesday, I have been buying the V8 Berry V-Fusion for several weeks, which is a mixture of fruits and vegetables. Pretty good stuff. In fact, I like it so much I recommend it to those of you needing more fruits and vegetables in your diet.

So, in my zest to eat better, I have been buying V8 Berry V-Fusion but I had a dollar off coupon, (I will have to talk about coupons on another day) for the V8 VEGETABLE juice. I figured they would taste pretty similar and since I liked the V8 Berry drink, I bought the V8 vegetable juice using my sweet, dollar off coupon! Pretty clever, eh?

Well, for lunch the next day I gave both girls cups of this thick orange-red stuff with their sandwiches. I went about my business cleaning up the kitchen and doing the last of the dishes while quietly watching them to see their reaction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Madi take a drink and immediately thought, “Yessssss!” (like Kip, from Napoleon Dynamite). I was feeling like a pretty good mom at this point, (which is rare) feeding my kids’ good healthy food.

However, a few minutes later as I was busy making my own sandwich, Madi starts whispering, almost chanting to herself. At first, I didn't know what she was saying; as it was so soft, but as I listened closer this is what I heard:

“Oh no. I am not going to drink THAT anymore.... no..... I just can't drink THAT....anymore...Oh no…"

My first thought was, that is so funny! But why is she saying that? I am sure it tastes good. Should I ask her why she is saying that or just ignore it and tell her to drink her juice anyway?

She continued to whisper these chants to herself. After about a minute or so of quietly listening to her obvious unexpected agony over this V8 drink; that just kept getting more and more intense with each chant, almost as if she was doomed for sudden despair. "I'm not going to drink THAT....Oh no."

I tried acting like everything was fine, because at that moment I notice Avery picking up her cup to take a drink. But before I get to rejoice in my sneaky pursuit to give my girls, “juice” I am robbed, because as fast as she tastes it, she puts it down even faster. She then slides her cup across the table to get IT as far away from her as possible, like IT was some contagious disease. Oh and that look! The look on her face said it all. Pure disgust.

My initial thought, It can't really be THAT bad? …..Can it?

I decided to ask Madi.

"Madi, do you like your juice?”

To which she replied, “No. I don’t want that kind of juice. It’s yucky.”

Right away, almost as if I was a prosecutor trying to convince a jury of a crime, or maybe it was just the Newman side of me coming out, I tried persuading and challenging Madi that no, this is really good juice. I used every angle in my argument; it’s good for your body. It has antioxidants. It’s healthy. It gives you one serving of vegetables a day…blah, blah, blah….

Seriously. Like I could really persuade a four year old to drink something using arguments about the great benefits of vegetables??

So I tried another approach.

“Look. Mommy, is going drink some of this yummy juice too!” (Happy Face)

I went over and opened the cupboard and grabbed myself a BIG cup to prove…well, I don’t know, that I was going to drink A LOT? I proceeded to pour myself a whole cup full of “THAT” juice. Because of course as moms, we know everything that is good for us (Heavy sarcasm). How bad could it be? I looked over at Madi and Avery to make sure they were watching their “brave” (yeah, right. That’s why I made them try it first!) mom, before I plunged into the thick, slimy, orange-red substance.

Those that know me, know that I have thrown up a couple hundred times, during each pregnancy. I HATE throwing up. Who does, really?? Yet, after drinking “THAT” I wish…no, I was dying to throw it back up! (Why is it when you don’t want to throw up- you do, and when you want to, you can’t?)

I am sure my face resembled that of Avery’s. Pure Disgust. It was Yucky, just as Madi said.

I tried to not show my sudden agony though and casually tried spitting into the sink when I thought no one was watching. I felt so bad for wanting and making my kids drink “THAT” that I immediately threw it out and replaced it with apple juice.

To sum it up best, like the priest on Nacho, “this is the worst lunch [drink] I ever had.”

Weight Loss Goal

I got "premission" to exercise from my doctor two weeks ago. So I am really trying to get this weight off and just feel healthier all around. With Madisen and Avery the weight seemed to come off pretty quickly within a few days/weeks actually. I know, I know.... I am one of "those" girls. Well NOT anymore!! haha. This third pregnancy really got me. I think while being pregnant with Emily and Ethan I thought, "I can eat anything! Nothing will stick to me because there are two babies! It will ALL go to them." Well, I assure you that everything I ate STUCK to ME, not them. As you know the twins were only a little over two pounds together. Where did the rest of the 25 pounds go, you ask??

On my BUM.

See? Even the scale is "screaming" for Help...

I thought if I shared my weight goal to the whole world! (or at least to my peeps on my blog) it would be easier for me, (not saying you have to!) to lose this weight and get healthier. So now don't be bringing over any cupcakes, cakes, pies and especially cookies, cuz it won't be appreciated! Ok.... it will. But please don't. ;) I am making the commitment...tomorrow, or maybe Monday? haha!!! (No, really. I am serious about this. No jokes.) I need to follow through, this time. I want to do my body some good! WHOO-HOOO! So who's with me?!!! Anyone?

Hello?

.......ok. ;)

I am making this goal to lose this weight by November. I figure 4 months is a good enough time frame, to lose weight and get healthier. I know, I am being generous with myself. But if I try and do it in 1 or 2 months, I will probably fail. I just love chocolate chip cookies too much, ok?! :)

If anyone wants to do it with me, let me know!

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act

I was watching the Oprah Show today and she had a mother that lost her daughter to a online predator. The girl was 13 and was raped by a man who later went to jail, but before that happened this little girl was so depressed she killed herself. Oprah also had on her show, a young woman that had been kidnapped at the age of 13 and became a sex slave for four days by a guy she met online. If you didn't see this show and want to read about it you can go to Oprah.com. I have always been concerned about protecting kids online especially after hearing about so many kids falling prey to these monsters. One of the scariest things to me is when I see kids alone in their rooms with a computer or in a secluded area of the home with a computer online. It is even scary to me that parents give young kids cell phones with internet access. We are all entilted to our own opinion about this, but I really am passionate about protecting kids from the dangers of online predators and pornography.

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090220-tows-adam-walsh-act/2

If you would like to help with this please go to this site on Oprah (sorry I still haven't figured out how to do a link on my blog!), print off this letter, find your senator/congressman/woman address in your area, sign, and send it off. I sent it to both senators and house representative and it only took me 5 minutes!

Please protected our children!!!