Inevitability

in⋅ev⋅i⋅ta⋅ble:

–adjective
1. unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary: an inevitable conclusion.
2. sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable

"You look like I used to when I needed to study for a big test," James said to me this afternoon. Ha! I remembered it well, the slap happy, fidgety, distract-able, demeanor that he would take on in moments like that. He would do ANYTHING but study; eat, start random conversations, complete odd jobs around the house (even if they were not pressing at all), anything to keep him from hitting the books. He hit the nail right on the head. That is EXACTLY how I am feeling today. ANYTHING but cleaning up this mess . . .really. Do you ever get like that? I have such a mental block about it right now. I just simply do not want to do it. How many times have I stepped over that pillow? looked at those dollies? Stared at that laundry basket? Avoided those shoes? and shamefully, walked past that diaper! Yuck! I don't want to be a housekeeper today. Unfortunately, there is a true principle looming over me and that is the law of inevitability. I will inevitably have to get up off of this chair, inevitably have to unload my dishwasher, inevitably have to put away my laundry, and inevitably have to get on with my chores and responsibilities! Oh reality - how I hate thee!! Your cruelty is immeasurable! Denial is so sweet.

Simple Words

As many of you know, my Adam is a man of few words. He struggles with words; both speaking words and listening to words. I never knew that it could be so difficult to "teach" my child to speak, a process that I took for granted as it naturally happened with my two girls. Adam has been in speech therapy now for a few months. He is making progress, slow and painful progress. Throughout this process, I have come to truly treasure the few words that are spoken by my sweet (sometimes not so sweet) little boy. Last night while I was reading to him and tucking him into bed, he said very simply, "sing." SING. Oh, of course I'll sing! It was a special moment. He was able to articulate a desire and I was able to fulfill his wish. Simple human interaction - profound progress.

Mental Health Days

My Husband was amazing today and gave me a "Mental Health Day." He took the kids to a Birthday party and then went grocery shopping and then took them swimming and to the park. This meant that I was home today from noon until 7:30 p.m. It was so nice to have a little peace and quiet around here. I baked some pumpkin squares with cream cheese frosting, did a little laundry, layed around, and basically just tried to get my bearings again. I don't know whether it is just that it is August in Texas or what but I have been going nutty! I just can't seem to get ahead. After a day to myself I am feeling much better! Thank you honey!
Model Husband +



Yummy Dessert =

Happy Wife!

Reality Check

I'm yawning from my early morning workout! It's going to be a long day! Still worth it!

I'm WAY behind on laundry again! Uggh! I hate this chore!!

Early Morning Workouts!

I know. I know. It is SO hard to get out of bed for these! I have tried so many times to make this one a habit! I have only gone for two days in a row now but I swear this will save you and give you so much more time in your day. Imagine a day where you have exercised and showered before your kids are even out of bed! So invigorating! I even try to squeeze in a little scripture time as well. If you can muster it, it makes all the difference!

Life Saver for you and your toilet bowl!

I picked up some of these and threw them into my toilet tank and didn't really think too much about it. My upstairs toilet doesn't always get flushed as often as it should (Rachel thinks that witches come out of the closet when you flush the toilet). I don't "go" up there very often so this can go unoticed. Since having these in my toilets, they have stayed clean so much longer!! I am definately a fan!

I love chocolate! I hate being fat!

This is a serious problem! I know that many of us suffer from this great dilemma every day of our lives! I have one of the worst sweet tooth's known to man. I tell myself that I am going to go off of sugar and before I know it I am half way finished with a bag of peanut butter M&M's (my personal favorite!). Is there anything worse than a fat day? I can't stand it. If my pants are tight I am instantly in a bad mood. Working out is too hard! There is no instant gratification to be had! I am so discouraged!!!! Whenever my husband tries to simplify things for me, I tell him to try gaining and losing 30 to 40 lbs every other year for the passed eight years and then tell me how he feels. I hate men!! Know it alls! I'm sure you have all heard the saying, "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Some things sure get close!

Fresh Air

Lying in the grass in my parents backyard I breath in. The air is cool, thin, and sweet. The sunlight bounces off the leaves in the tree overhead as they sway in the light breeze. It's quiet. The world around me is still. I can't remember the last time I had a moment like this. Thoughts flood my mind, "I need to do this, I can't forget that, I must call____." Stop. Take this in. Relax. It hits me. This is important. Perhaps more important than every other task on my list. Take time to breathe. In and out, in and out, rise and fall. Breathing. It's simple really, takes no thought at all, or does it? There is of course, the air we breathe every day all day long, but a real breath, now that takes some effort. Taking a breath requires being still, quiet, calm, and listening. I must do this more often.

Reality Check

It has been five hours since my last post and I have not vacuumed one thing! Between lunch, speech therapy, nursing, dishes, and laundry, I am exhausted! I am going to have to vacuum tomorrow.

So much to do . . . where do I start? (I think I'll just sit down)

Doesn't she look so Happy??
I'm writing this post primarily for myself. I just went on a week long trip without my kids. It was wonderful but I came home to a house that was without a Mother for six days! There are fingerprints on everything! So, take a deep breath and start with the basics. When I am faced with a messy house I go one room at a time and straighten up. FlyLady suggests that you bring a clothes basket along and place everything that doesn't belong in that room in the basket so that you are not running back and forth from one room to another. Clear the clutter, make beds and Vacuum! Vacuuming is rejuvenating. It makes you feel like things are cleaner than they are. The other reason that I love to vacuum is because in order to vacuum you have to clear the floor. So, I'm off to clear the clutter and vacuum! Have a great day!

One Amazing Woman!

Leah Tanner Cardon

I will never forget my many visits to Granny and Grandad’s house as a child. In the early morning hours, the door would swing open and in would walk Granny carrying grocery bags full of our favorite things: seven –up with vanilla ice cream, “Granny’s specialties” a.k.a. toast with ham and melted cheese, butterscotch candies for hocus pocus, peanuts, and of course all of the fixings for Dad’s favorite fried chicken.
There were evening rides in the back of Grandad’s el camino, and afternoons in the backyard playing on the close line and cinder block fence. I remember the comfort I felt at Granny’s house and the walls and walls of endless memories, all testaments of a life well lived. I can almost see Grandad sitting on the corner square bar stool eating his eggs, sunny-side up, sopping up the yolk with a piece of toast. I can see him in the garden watering the lawn or pulling weeds. They were a perfect team, each such flawless examples to their posterity.
I have often thought of Granny as a young lady. In a time when girls just didn’t do things like go on missions and attend college, she did. At a time when women married young and stayed in the home, she experienced life, then married and still had eight children to boot! With all of the smarts and talents that she possessed she mothered her children. She cultivated their interests and fostered a love for beautiful things, poetry, music, literature, and the arts. She scrimped and saved so that she could provide opportunities to her children that they would never have otherwise had. She thought outside the box, parenting with creativity and cleverness. She was quick witted and saucy, yet respectable, appropriate, and unassuming. Always there to lend a hand, she led a lifetime of service. Never above the most menial tasks, she worked her entire life for the betterment of others.
Somehow, from her modest home in Farmington New Mexico, she managed to inspire her eight children to explore all facets of life; to taste, create, and experience all of what our world has to offer, all of the while, staying true to the thing most precious above all, a testimony of the Savior. What a legacy she leaves behind. In her own quiet way, she has inspired us all. Her name will always mean dignity, selflessness, humility, intelligence, strength, resilience, faith, and endurance. Leah Tanner Cardon. We love you! Love, Niki

Alone Time

It's 1:45 a.m. and I am up waiting for my images to upload to an album that I am making for Brittany's wedding. What am I doing up at this hour you ask? I'm enjoying the silence and I just haven't been able to part with it just yet. Silence and I have been strangers as of late. Now before you get too excited, thinking that I have been relishing in silence for the past four or five hours, think again. I just tucked Rachel back in bed after a bad dream (this happens at least four times a week) and I also just put Claire in her crib. I have really been thinking a lot lately about my role as a Mother. I have all of these high hopes that I will be gentle and kind and nurturing and other such adjectives that we often hear to describe Mothers. Instead I feel irritable, moody, grouchy, bossy, etc. I renew my goal each night to become more "Mothering" only to renew my goal again the next night feeling a little discouraged. The truth is, it just gets too loud around here and my nerves just get a little too sensitive. I want to be patient, I really do, but when it is 5:30 and I am preparing dinner to the sounds of children thudding through the kitchen and squealing at the top of their lungs, laughing hysterically (which is cute but also strangely annoying). I love that they are having a good time and enjoying “their chother” as Audrey would say, but I just can't remember if I put in one cup or two. That is when my blood starts to simmer and then turns into a slow boil. I want to tell the kids to "BE QUIET!" but what do I expect them to do? Sit and fold their arms on the couch - then I would really be worried! I read all of these lovely quotes about not caring about your house and playing with your children, enjoying their childhood, seeing things through their eyes. When you are knee deep in laundry (did I say knee deep? I meant head high) and there is clutter in every corner how do you turn a blind eye??!! I have good intentions. Tonight I was prepared to read stories and play with their hair, sing songs and lull them off to sleep. One whine after another whimper; "I have to go to the bathroom!" "I need a drink." “I’m hot.” “I don’t have any space.” and what happened to my good intentions I ask as I all but slam the door shut on my way out. These are my babies. I love them, each and every one. There is not enough me to go around. So, here I am, at 1:59, alone in my office, relishing in silence, preparing to be a Mother tomorrow

Reality Check

There is elmers glue on the rug and stickers stuck to the desk in my husband's office. Adam was standing on the desk with a bottle of glue (lid off) when I walked in. The surface of the desk is leather.

Reality Check

Claire, my four month old (size 2 diapers) will be wearing Adam's diapers, my 2 1/2 year old (size 5) for the remainder of the day or until I can get to the store without my FOUR children (whichever comes first).

One habit that will save your life!

Fly Lady says that you should wash, fold, and put away all of the laundry in your house every day! Now before you have a complete panic attack, hear me out. As I am typing this I probably have two loads of laundry to fold, one in the washer, one in the dryer, and three or four loads (if you count the comforter that needs washed) left to put in. AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!
That my friends, is the result of NOT taking flylady's advise. It takes a lot of hard work upfront to begin doing laundry this way. It requires that you get all the way caught up and then you can start the maintenance process.
In order for me to stay on top of it I have to do two loads of laundry a day (clean, folded and put away). This way, I only do two small loads a day and it takes me way less time and energy! It is much easier to fold two small loads of laundry than it is to do my eight loads that I have to look forward to today!
One laundry day a week is impossible! A wise woman once gave me a helpful tip. She said to fold your laundry immediately when it comes out of the dryer and then put it away if time permits. That way you do not get in the habit of letting it sit in piles and it doesn't have time to get wrinkled.
Remember, if it is only one of two small loads, it will only take you five minutes! So much easier! Now, I'm off to play catch-up! I hope I can get back to this more efficient process soon.