Dyeing Pasta

I'm thrilled that I now have an outlet for my wanna be Martha side of my personality! Manic Mother is hosting a weekly monthly post link up for us to explore our creative sides. Martha Stewart has been inspiring me for many years. I even have a little shrine next to my computer with my Homekeeping bible, my Cooking School book and the current issue of Martha Stewart Living. I often look to the picture I cut out of a magazine and think...What Would Martha Do? My posts will contain photos, kids crafts, some recipes and other fun things that I find to do. Just this morning I was inspired to make something!

My shrine to Martha....

I found this craft project last summer at Tutus and Turtles. My kids are ready to start really learning their colors and to count...Mallory can already count to 10! I tried to make enough of them so that we could do many projects with it. Click on the photos to make them bigger.

bags of green, blue, red, orange and purple pasta

Alex likes to line his up....

many different shapes to choose from

sort them by color, or not....

Dyeing Pasta

What you need:

food coloring
dried pasta (any kind)
lots of rubbing alcohol
ziploc freezer bags (to prevent leakage)

Directions:

1. Place noodles in ziploc freezer bags. Place bags on a plate or cookie sheet in case of leaks.
2. Completely cover the noodles with rubbing alcohol
3. Mix in food coloring, 5-6 squirts in each
4. Let the noodles sit to absorb color, as little as 30 minutes or overnight. The longer it sits the deeper the color.
5. Once desired color is reached, drain liquid (do not rinse) and dry noodles on cookie sheets.

Noodles can be used for sorting colors and shapes and making crafts. Let your imagination soar!

Why Only 11 Questions?

How fun! A *tag* from one of my favorite new bloggers! Vivienne wanted me to answer some questions and I love when people show an interest in me what I'm thinking so here we go....

1. What is your current obsession? Cooking, Baking, Blogging about Cooking and Baking and Cold Brewing Iced Coffee. I have been trying lots of new recipes, I just joined The Daring Bakers and Daring Cooks and I'm following a bunch of foodies on Twitter. I'm also obsessed with looking for new awesome restaurants in Salt Lake City that I will never visit because we can't take our daughter out to eat anymore because she misbehaves and we end up spending half of our meal on the *naughty curb* outside of the restaurant.

2. Which item of clothing do you wear most often? My black fleece pants from Old Navy. I love these pants....they are so comfortable and they stand up to several days of wear without needing washed. My sister says that I look like a burglar when I wear them because I tend to pair it with my black v-neck t-shirt, or black fleece pullover. This will have to change because it is SPRING now and someone will call the NOPD or Brother Horton if I walk around the neighborhood like that.

3. What's for dinner? Tonight I will be preparing a new recipe called Sticky Coconut Chicken. I will be slipping the tender breasts into a lovely coconut milk marinade here shortly and I will be grilling them later. Here is the rest of my menu for the week.

4. What are you listening to? Complete silence! The children are nusseled all snug in the beds as visions of Ice Ceam dance in their heads!

5. Say something about the one who tagged you. Vivienne at The V Spot....is my people! She is beautiful, funny and smartassy. I love that she ended up with her high school sweetheart! If you don't read her blog...you should!

6. Favorite vacation spots? I have had the most fun at Disney World. Calvin and I spent our honeymoon there and we can't wait to take the kids. I have always loved my family's cabin in Northern Minnesota but I haven't been there in years. I loved Vegas with my hubby and I would do anything to be laying on a beach right now sipping Margarita's as long as I wasn't in Mexico.

7. What am I reading right now? I am reading Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster! Love it! Can't wait to read the next two. And I bought Twilight....

8. Four words to describe myself. Passionate, meticulous, funny, controling

9. Guilty pleasure? Buying expensive cheeses from the deli in SLC and enjoying them with a bottle of wine.

10. First spring thing to do? Pull Weeds!

11. What do I look forward to? I look forward to my kids getting a little bit older and being able to take them on vacations and experiencing things with them. I'm anxious to take them to Washington DC, New York City and to a beach. Being able to have an actual conversation with them and making sure they feel heard and understood and valued. A million firsts....

Now the game states I need to pass these questions on to others whose blogs I admire.

Bobbi at Bobbi in Lala Land
Jen at Harried Mom of Four
Monica at Moon Over Maize
Loukia at Loulou's Views

Winners and Cheesecake!

The winner of the Yo Gabba Gabba DVD is Jessica [Mommy]!

Congratulations Jessica!

Mrs. D was absolutely right! Scary Mark is one of the co-founders of DEVO!

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Do you like Cheesecake? I like it okay...I've never loved it until now! I recently joined The Daring Bakers so that I could work on my baking skills and because I love to eat! This month's challenge was a Cheesecake and it turned out so good that I wanted to share it with you. Well...not the actual cheesecake, but the recipe. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Click HERE to see my masterpiece!

Weekend Update: Spring has Sprung

This is going to be a new weekend feature to update our family and Calvin of what we have done all week. So...if the mundane details of our lives don't interest you....you have my permission to skip my weekend posts (i usually don't post on the weekends anyway) and return to our regularly scheduled programming on Mondays. I should tell you...this next week is going to be exciting! I will be announcing the winner of the DVD, Sego Lily will be announcing the 5 blogging finalists for their blogger contest (please let me be one of them) and it is time for another edition of the Connie Diaries!

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You may have seen in the news this week that Utah finally melted. Can I get a WOOT WOOT! We had been cooped up in the house for far too long and we were excited to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather so we went to the park THREE times and saw ALL of our friends.

Tuesday, we went to the park by our house and we met a super nice little boy named Garrett. He was also 3 yrs old and he was in love with Mallory. He played so nicely with the kids and was a joy to be around so I befriended his Mom. We had a lovely conversation and I thought things were going really well. I was really working it and thought she was liking me AND my mormon haircut and I suggested that we should exchange numbers so we could get the kids together to play and then....she abruptly ran to her minivan and left. I guess she really wasn't that into me....

Wednesday, we met Monica and her crew at another park and had a lovely time. We enjoyed some icey Starbucks Coffee drinks and chatted a little bit.

The kids had a great time playing and rolling down a hill and Mallory chased Alex everywhere. and then....I went down this slide and got stuck. This really helped to jump start my exercise routine and motivated me to eat a plate of vegetables.


Wednesday was also Earth Day so we celebrated by not turning on the air conditioner and we made these awesome Kabobs for dinner.

On Thursday, we met Shannon, Haylie, Sara and Sophie at the park by our house and I was hoping that Mom would be there so I could show her that I do have friends and people like me dammit but she wasn't there. We enjoyed Iced Coffee from McDonalds and I didn't get to talk to my friends much because Alex and Mallory were burned out from 3 park visits in a row and were crabby and some stupid boy growled at Mallory and pissed her off.

We also had a lot of fun playing in the backyard this week! The kids love to draw with the Sidewalk Chalk that Aunt Bobbi bought for them and Mallory was so cute....drawing little circles on the cement and then jumping in and out of them. Daddy taught her the word Hopscotch!

Alex just likes to jump!

He was a little miffed at sister about something but I was so thrilled that his outfit matched so well and I wasn't even trying....
Here is the tree in our backyard...the leaves are just starting to bud! I'm trying to document this tree because the leaves always sneak up on me.

We started our Recession Garden this week. We planted Mint, Chives and Large Leafed Italian Basil(seeds) in this metal container. This is going to be a summer project for me and the kids and they are very excited about it.

I am trying to encourage Alex to use the potty. So far he has wanted nothing to do with it so I decided to try bribing him. I told him that if he used the potty for TWO weeks...I would buy him another Thomas Train item. We spit in our hands and shook on it and then he spent the entire day pouring over one of the Thomas propaganda that comes with every single Thomas thing you buy. So far...he is only interested in figuring out what I am going to buy for him and hasn't started using the potty yet.

Today is Saturday and the cool, rainy weather has returned. Calvin and the kids are off at the pet store and I am enjoying some peace and quiet! Trying to decide if I should clean a bathroom or read a book.....

Have a great week!

March for Maddie!

I'll Never Forget...

I'll never forget....my son's 3rd birthday.

Alex loves trains and gets so excited when he sees The Front Runner while we drive down the highway. We decided the perfect way to celebrate would to ride this train. It was awesome! The look on his face when we pulled into the parking lot and the excitement in his eyes as the horn blew and we traveled down the tracks....I will never forget.

I will never forget....how much my sister loves my kids.

Bobbi doesn't see them very often since she lives in Texas but she never forgets a birthday or a holiday. She sends packages and cards and Mallory is the spitting image of her.

I will never forget...the way Alex loves my sister.

He is not a super affectionate kid. He doesn't give out hugs and kisses freely. When you get one from him you know it is a precious gift and you must cherish it. He freely loves on Bobbi. Both kids constantly call her on their play phones and put up their hand (talk to the hand) if I interrupt their very important phone call.


I will never forget....how much my kid loves Chewtah (Pizza).

Both of my children would eat it everyday for the rest of their lives. They like when we make it at home but they love to go to The Pie and slug down a mug of root beer and play the pinball machine.

I will never forget....how wonderful it felt to be NEAR my sister.

Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Matching Pajama Pants! There was a time, many years ago that Bobbi and I were roommates. Even though we sometimes didn't get along because I am a morning person and she is....not. I will always hold those memories in my heart. She is my best friend and I would do anything for her. My latest scheme is to rent a Uhaul, kidnap her and make her my sister wife. Calvin I'm Kidding....

I will never forget....the gaggle of Red Hat Society ladies on the train.

I know exactly what I will be doing on my 50th birthday...I will be joining the Red Hat Society and I will wear a fabulous red hatbra on my head. I have already purchased a bedazzler and I'm working out a design! Only 11 more years....HOLY SH*T! Only 11 years? Hold Me!




This is post is a part of MamaKat's weekly writing assignment. Go HERE to see the prompts for this week and join in!



Don't forget to enter my giveaway...it ends Monday!

The Gift You Are....

I will always look back on my pregnancy with Alex as being perfect. From the moment I found out I was expecting, I felt a peace and joy that I wasn't expecting. We had lost a pregnancy 7 months before and I was nervous but somehow I knew everything was going to work out.

When I was six weeks pregnant I lost my job. At the time...I thought it was the worst thing that could happen but soon realized it was a tremendous blessing. Being home...allowed me to enjoy each and every day of my pregnancy, plan and make a quilt for my beloved.

The day that we found out we were having a little boy was another fabulous day. I remember Calvin and his Mom holding my hands during the ultrasound and we all cried. And then we went to breakfast at The Village Inn and to Babies R Us to register. Another perfect day....

My Dad helped me paint Alex's room and soon after my Mom came from Dallas to attend my baby shower. I made candles and gave them to all of my friends and family for them to light when I went into labor. The thought of all of those flames burning for me as I brought my first born son into the world made me so happy.

I was born on my due date and my midwife told me that is a rare occurrence. So on April 16th when I started having contractions I thought Alex would arrive early. These off and on non-painful contractions went on for two days...then on the 19th I had them more frequently and once evening came they where coming much faster. I didn't want to miss my favorite show so I waited until after The Amazing Race was over to call my midwife and she said I could come in. We called my Mother-in-law and she met us at the hospital.

When we checked in around 10:30pm, I was only 2 CM dilated and I decided that I still wanted to try to have Alex without drugs but I was so tired from not sleeping well for the last two days and I was dehydrated so around midnight I got the epidural. I was thrilled because it looked like Alex would be born on his due date!

I should have taken this opportunity to get some sleep but we were all too excited! Finally at 2 AM, I fell asleep. The nurse checked me at 4 AM and I was 7 CM, then at 7 AM I was 9 CM...almost 10. I was told my midwife had just arrived and I could start pushing in 30 minutes! And this is where I freaked out! I started feeling sick to my stomach and had horrible heart burn. They gave me Zantac but I threw it up so they gave me a cracker. An hour later that came up too. Maybe I should have had TWO crackers.... I started pushing (which made me even sicker) at 8:30am and after almost 2 hours of pushing....at 10:04am my precious baby boy was born.

Alexander Calvin Weiss III
7 pounds 1 ounce
20 1/4 inches

He was perfect and so adorable and an hour later I was eating the best chicken fried steak ever (the maternity ward had it's own chef) and watching The Young and The Restless! Alex has been the most amazing joy of my life. He is so funny and devious and witty and frustrating. He adapted well to becoming a brother so quickly in his life and is Mallory's best friend. I look at those piercing blue eyes that mirror my own and I melt.

How can he be 3? He is still my baby boy....

Happy Birthday Alex!

Imagine a month of Sundays
Each one a cloudy day
Imagine the moment the sun came shining through
Imagine that ray of sunshine as you

Remember your darkest hour
With dawn still far away
Remember the way that you longed for morning’s light
And think of yourself as a candle in the night

Make believe this is the first day
Everything all brand new
Make believe that the sun is your own lucky star
And then understand the kind of gift you are

The gift you are
like the very first breath of spring
The gift you are
all the joy that love can bring
The gift you are
all of our dreams come true
The gift you are
the gift of you

Because I love to celebrate my children's' birthdays with giveaways...I am giving away the new Yo Gabba Gabba DVD New Friends tomorrow. So be sure to come back and enter to win!

8 Things

I was tagged for a fun Meme by Jen at Harried Mom of Four. I am a lover of lists so this is an assignment I am happy to complete!

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:
My Sister visiting on Friday from Texas
Girls Night Out with my Sister and Monica
Our trip to Denver in 2 weeks
Seeing David Copperfield in Denver
Eating at Gumbo's in Denver
SPRING!!
Planting our garden
Visiting Farmer's Markets


8 Things I Did Yesterday:
20 minute workout!
Prayed for Maddie's family
Cried A Lot
Scrubbed more diaper creme from carpet
Wrapped hurt knee
Bought a special present for Calvin's Birthday!
Did three loads of laundry
Watched The Biggest Loser

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
Knit
Run like the wind
Lose weight...
Decorate
Find my Sister a husband
Make more friends
Spend more time with my husband
Go to Paris


8 Shows I Watch:
Grey's Anatomy
Desperate Housewives
Private Practice
Brothers and Sisters
The Young and The Restless
The Housewives of (insert exciting city here)
Big Bang Theory
The Biggest Loser

Now I tag 4 people....

Bobbi at Bobbi in La La Land
Jen at Coconut Belly
Meg at Faith and Gasoline
Gracie at Gracie's World

ALSO...My Little Pony is still not born yet! In case you were wondering....

Time To Say Goodbye....

I will be planting purple tulips this fall....in Maddie's memory. So that I never forget....

Dear Aunt Bobbi....

Hi there...Mallory here. I have taken over the blog for the day to tell you about some correspondence I had with my Auntie Bobbi yesterday. I regularly email her from my personal email account (yes, my Daddy is a geek) and I'm thinking of joining Twitter so that I can be better connected to my peeps.


Dear Aunt Bobbi,

I got into a little bit of trouble today. I wanted a spa day so I could do something about these wrinkles that I have and I thought about how smooth my butt is and it's because Mommy puts this cream on it so I thought it would make a nice moisturizer. That probably wouldn't have been a big deal if I wouldn't have gotten it all over me and Alex and the stairs and my floor and the hallway and some of my clothes. Oh we also painted the dining room window with it too. That will teach Mommy to go take a potty break....

Anyway, I need your help because Mommy is threatening to NEVER shop at Gymboree for me again! She wants to buy my clothes from *shudder* WALMART! I can't wear Wal Mart clothes. What will the other toddlers think? How will I make friends and influence people? You can't let
her do this. You must talk some sense into her.

Thank You Aunt Bobbi....

I love you!

~Mallory

P.S. I am so excited to see you on Friday. Hurry!

This is the email I got back from my Auntie Bobbi...

I understand wanting to use moisturizer for your wrinkles, it's never too early to start. However, you should never waste a good product painting others and windows.

But with that being said, your mommy is being completely unreasonable! No child should have to wear clothes from Walmart, unless they're rednecks or white trash and you my dear are neither or those things.

So, I will have a talk with your mom and convince her that threatening to not shop at Gymboree anymore is a crime against baby fashion.
And I know your mom doesn't want Officer Olson from the fashion police all up in her business!

I love you too,

Aunt Bobbi

My dear Mommy would like you to know that after trying EVERYTHING under the sun to clean the diaper cream from the carpet....the only thing that worked was this cleaner that she just bought last week from a door to door sales woman. It is called Advanage. It is a miracle cleaner!

**Disclaimer**
The kids regularly wear clothing from Wal-Mart and Target but Mamma gets mad when the nice Gymbo outfits get messed up.

Easter 2009 aka Wanna See My Rack?

This shall be an Easter I will not soon forget. Calvin picked his brother up from the airport Friday night so that he could visit us for a long weekend. I flew him out for his birthday (Happy Birthday Robert!) but also so that he could watch the kids for a few hours so that Calvin and I could go to Salt Lake City to have a little date time. When will I learn that I can't have a plan anymore.....

Alex....has been escaping from his cage for a week now. I put him down for a *rest* but not a nap because naps are for babies, and about 30 minutes later he stealthily sneaks down the stairs and scares the hell out of me. After this development, Calvin decided that we needed to purchase a Big Boy Bed and it had to be done while Rob was here so that he could help him. So much for my date.....

Calvin has no concept of time. It might be a side effect of being an engineer....I don't know but the man decided to start building this thing late Saturday afternoon when we had dinner reservations at 5:15pm at Maddox Steak Emporium and then decided to finish it up at 7:30pm when we got home. The poor kids didn't get to bed until after 10 pm and I still had to play Easter Bunny! And guess who won't sleep in his new bed?

Baskets and Eggs were assembled and hidden and I fell into bed....exhausted!

baskets, labor of love...contents from Aunt Bobbi, Us and Grandparents Olson

Children awaken early....and this one, doesn't want to hunt for eggs. Are you kidding me? Once we tell her that they are filled with candy she changes her tune but because she is the baby and lazy as can be....she makes her Daddy carry her basket and she points to the eggs for him to retrieve for her.

Ever seen a Daddy wrapped around a finger?

How lovely...a card and a meal from Grandma and Grandpa....

What's wrong with this carrot?

We bought them each a digital camera to put in their baskets. Mallory will not allow anyone to explain how the dang thing works so now we have 53 pictures of her eye ball.

Alex is a natural! He loves his new toy!

And then we ate Rack of Lamb, Twice Baked Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus Salad. I was filled with joy as I made this meal because I knew that Martha was making the same thing for her guests. It was delicious! I will be posting about this meal on my food blog later. Poor Calvin...I kept asking him if he wanted to see my Rack and then I would whip out my lamb! LOL!

While cleaning up from dinner....we suddenly realized that the children were silent. You know what this means. TROUBLE! A short while before we had told the kids...No More Candy. They decided to take matters into their own hands and stole one of the baskets off from the counter and were devouring as much candy as they could before being discovered! Unfortunately, many of the eggs contained Hershey Kisses and Mallory isn't skilled at tin foil removal and ended up eating much tin. I'm sure it will all come out fine....

My Sister's horse still hasn't had My Little Pony yet....run over and place your bet to win a Starbucks Gift Card!

Best Day Ever! *UPDATED*

I woke up with a migraine yesterday and I don't know if the pain was the reason but I was feeling all sorry for myself and I was lonely. But the sun was shining and it was promising to be warm so that made me feel a little better.

Then around 10:30am I received a couple comments from Amy in Ohio on my Connie Diaries posts. I didn't read them right away because I was fixing a snack for the kids but when I finally did...my face flushed and my heart started to race!

She told me that JEN LANCASTER sent her.

For a moment, I was stunned. Jen Lancaster...my favorite author of all time? Why would she....oh wait. OH MY HECK! I raced to Jen's blog and well...you go see for yourself. I'll wait.

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So...I was all excited and I emailed my sister and everyone I know and told them to go look and it was like being on Oprah except better because I was still in my pajamas. I watched my statcounter all day and saw people from all over the world visiting my little blog. I gained some new friends and a few people commented and I didn't feel lonely anymore. It was a great day! Seriously, it was the most excitement this stay at home mom as had in a long time!

EDITED: Today's 80 picture at Jennsylvania shows a 80's wedding. Go look at the picture here. And then check out this picture from my first wedding. Bobbi was my lucky bridesmaid/flowergirl/gum smacker in the wedding.



Speaking of Oprah. Did you watch her show yesterday? She was supposedly revealing all the secrets of being a Mommy. There are secrets? The show was entertaining because most of the talk was about how horrific being a mother is. Even though I have a bad day here and there, for the most part I love being a Mom and being home with the kids. And I have to tell you that I don't think I would EVER pee in one of my kids diapers. I thought it was interesting that she had some Mommy Bloggers on but never mentioned that they were bloggers. Is that a dirty word when it is paired with MOMMY?

Please head over to my friend Monica's new blog and sign up to win a beautiful necklace! Today is the last day so hurry!

I am Mommy...Hear Me Cry!

My fellow Mommies.....I come to you today in the midst of a Mid Life Crisis. It would seem that the circumstances of the last few years are beginning to catch up with me and I have no choice but to seek professional help.

Giving birth to 2 adorable children in less than eleven months, being a stay at home mom whilst raising these children and the amount of wine, chocolate, coffee and french fries that is required to survive the last three years has taken it's toll on my poor wrinkled, flabby 38- year old body.

I hold it together most of the time but there are times when my husband walks in the door after a long day to find one kid screaming, one kid crying and me crumbled in the corner... rocking and whispering to myself *help is coming help is coming*.

On top of all of that, we have the issue of my health. It's not good people. I've been overweight for a long time and I know that this is my last chance to tackle this problem before I hit the big 4-0 and menopause sets in and everything starts to go down hill fast. I have this reoccurring dream....I am slim and fit and I'm running along a beautiful road with mountains all around me, the wind is blowing through my hair and I feel so free! I long to be fit and healthy...and to run!

It has come down to a couple of choices.....continue on this path of mass destruction and obtain a prescription for Xanax. Or take control of my life FINALLY and make some serious changes that will not only benefit me, but also my family.

One path lands me as a guest on Dr Phil, the other on Oprah.

I know from experience and watching The Biggest Loser that real success in losing weight and being healthy requires that you not only work hard through diet and exercise but that you work on the inside. I know that I want to be the best Wife and Mother I can be only way for me to do that is to have my head on straight.

My sister is a massage therapist in Dallas and she has taught me the benefits of massage and relaxation on a mother. Decreased anxiety (so I don't need Xanax), better sleep quality, more energy, increased concentration and less fatigue. All of these things are important in the life of a mother of two small children who spend all day fighting and crying and yanking on my pant leg.

Which brings me to the reason for this post....as part of my extreme makeover I am entering a contest to be the Sego Lily Mind Body Spa's official blogger. I want this chance to be an example of how Mothers need to take care of themselves so that they can better take care of their families. I strongly believe that regular spa treatments should be mandatory for all women but especially for those of us that stay at home day after day caring for small children.

Here are some of the items from Sego Lily's Spa Menu that I think would be beneficial.

Detoxifying Seaweed Wrap....for elimination of toxins.
Native American Body Balancer...healing synergy helps to purify and cleans the body.
Herbal Cellulite Treatment....reveals a firmer, more textured skin.
Soothing Soak...precious refuge from daily stressors.
Rocky Mountain Stone Massage...promotes sense of well-being, comfort and healing.
Signature Facial...care for your skin so that when the kids suck the life out of you it doesn't show on your face.
Indulgence Pedicure....who doesn't love pretty feet?
Bikini wax....feel more confident while wearing a swim suit.

If a mother is well rested, has ample energy and is experiencing the healing benefits of bodywork then she will in turn be able to do her job better and the children will ultimately reap the rewards. I want a better life for me and my family. I want to thrive!

Ladies....we are the heart of our homes. We teach, comfort, discipline, love, nurture and fight for our families. Isn't time that we do the same thing for ourselves?

My plan for the coming year is to become a student of healthy living. I want to go with the mind, body and spirit route....because South Beach and Weight Watchers haven't done squat for me. You can follow my progress at Fat Mommy to Hot Mommy...my new blog venture!

The Choices We Make...

Three years ago yesterday I was 8 months pregnant with Alex and just 3 weeks away from my due date. I had just finished eating my lunch in the kitchen when I heard the front door open....it was Calvin.

I was shocked to see him because he worked in South Denver and never came home for lunch. He informed me that he had just been let go from his job. A job that he had held for 7 years. It was so unexpected and I was so scared.

Yesterday, I spent the day in fear that it was going to happen again. Calvin's company was laying people off and we didn't know how it was going to go. I spent the morning praying, eating poptarts and sending messages back and forth with my friend Monica while we waited for word from our husbands. It was torture! Finally, we both heard the good news that their jobs were safe...for now. Later, I found out that Calvin was on the list but a supervisor that believes in him, fought for him and his job was saved. I ran to twitter and stated my relief and thanked Baby Jesus. Jesus (on twitter) responded and said 'you're welcome'! LOL! Did you know Jesus was on twitter?


Calvin and I had just been talking the other day about how important the choices we make are. Of course it's impossible to know all the time, which ones will be bad and which one's we will live to regret but making an informed decision is crucial.

I still question if moving to Utah was a good choice. At the time, there didn't seem like we had any choice....Calvin had been without a job for 5 months and we were pregnant again. We had to do what was right for our family.

And I guess really...that's the only choice there is to make. We are determined to give our kids a great life....a life that is better than what we had. We work together to make their days special and their lives happy. We are teaching them while looking for their strengths and interests and encouraging them. And someday we will motivate them to follow their dreams....no matter what they may be. They will leave home and if we did our job correctly they will succeed and have families of their own.

There is an old joke about having children so that there is someone to care for you in your old age. I'm convinced that is why Calvin married me, he wanted a young wife to change his diapers! Many of the choices we make as a couple are to ensure that we are never a burden on Alex and Mallory. It is bewildering to me when people make poor decisions and then expect to be bailed out. But that is the kind of atmosphere we live in now days isn't it? Do whatever the hell you want and someone will rescue you.....

At the end of the day, it's all about the choices we make and how we take responsibility for them.