straightjacket special: Only 3 uneasy payments of your sanity + Shipping & Handling!

"Excuse me, do you have this in a medium?"

I figure I might as well order mine now, because one more night terror is going to send me to my padded cell, drooling the entire way.

I might be jumping the gun, viewing the cup half-empty (whatever you want to call it...I know it's cynical) but the hope we had that removing his tonsils would cure his night terrors is slipping more and more away with every passing night. How could I have been so stupid as to let myself feel so relieved? I'd actually convinced myself it was over. Looking back now, my naivete is practically laughable. I guess what they say is true: It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

Or curses.

Or yells.

Or checks herself into the loony-bin.

Where do I sign?

geography, schmography...

From Halle's lips this afternoon as she's sitting at the kitchen counter:

H: "Mom, what language do they speak in Maine?"
M: "English, honey. All the states in the United States speak English." (Or they should, although I wasn't about to get into what I feel should finally and irreversibly be placed as our official language with her at this moment.)
H: "Maine is in America? Hmmm...I always thought it was in China!"
M: "Nope. It's one of the 50 states. It's on the other side of the country, near the ocean."
H: "There's lots of Maines, aren't there, Mom?"
M: "There's only one that I know of. What do you mean?"
H: "You know, like Main Entrance, and all that kind of stuff."
M: _________

Yep. Maine is in China and it is the same thing as a Main Entrance. Way to absorb your education, sweetie!

From Wyatt's bedtime prayers:

"...And bless us that we can go to Heaven someday and see Grandpa B."

Dot-chit.

That's what Carson calls Chocolate.

It's so cute.

I'll don all black and go into mourning the day he finally says it correctly.

tonsils, anyone?

Yesterday Wyatt had his tonsils and adenoids removed. This was all for a good purpose (better breathing, which hopefully will lead to better sleeping), but of course it's a rough time for our little man. His "tonsil experience" started out on a real positive note, however, as his sweet preschool teacher gave him a very generous gift. Ms. Amy, worried about Wyatt in the most thoughtful & loving way, thought he would enjoy making a little friend to take with him to the surgical center. So Monday afternoon we headed off to the store with his "Build-A-Bear Credit Card" (as he called it).
Here he is stuffing his grizzly bear.
Wishing on bear's heart...make a wish, make a wish...
Giving bear his wish-filled heart.
Scrubbing him clean, clean, clean!
Carson had to get in on the scrubbing action, too... His little dino sparkled by the time he was finished!
Wyatt sure had a hard time picking out which outfit he wanted. It was a tough selection...the missionary? Batman? Spiderman? Go Utes? Nope...in the end he knew exactly what his bear should be: a FIRE FIGHTER!
And here he is: FIREFIGHTER CHARLIE!

Thanks, Amy...you're loved as much as your gift was...and it definitely helped him be brave!
At the surgical center, Wyatt charmed the pants off the nurses. He was in a very silly mood . So funny 'n cute! I'd been letting him wear our dinosaur nebulizer mask to get him used to the one the anesthesiologist would use. I'm so glad we did that! It really helped him be prepared and the anesthesiologist said he didn't cry or act upset one bit. In fact, he grabbed the "gas" mask to help put it on. Here he is below reading his "Curious George Goes To The Hospital" book to his nurse.

Is there anything worse than seeing your child under anesthesia? I just hate it...I lay in bed with him and held his hand, and it was difficult not to get emotional. Of course, when he woke up he was very upset and distraught. Confused about his surroundings and feeling miserable, I could only hold him--if only mothers could absorb their children's pain!
Once we got home, cuddled up in a blanket with some apple juice, he seemed to relax and feel a little better. Last night was a rough night, and Wyatt's having a hard time adjusting to the idea that for a week or so he can't eat some of the yummy foods his siblings are eating, but other than that, I think he's doing okay. The surgery went well and we're expecting an uneventful and complete recovery. What a champ!

a clean fridge.

I have the best husband in the world. For a while now (we need not mention a specific time frame......months...) there's been this syrup-y goo on the back of one of the shelves in our fridge. I ignored it, telling myself that one day it would simply disappear. Thanks to my sweetheart, it did! I came home one night to find crystal-clear glass shelves in a sparkling refrigerator! Thanks, hon.
Seriously.
That was nasty stuff.

according to joe cocker & the wonder years, sometimes i need a little help from my friends.

so i have this goal. i can't really call it a "new year resolution" because it's a goal i've had for about six months now. i just haven't been very good about it. it's a goal based on a theory and my theory is based on this: i'm tired of the roller-coaster ride that comes with dieting, then failing and giving up, then getting depressed & hitting rock-bottom, only to start all over again. i thought to myself, "why can't i just be happy with who i am? yes, i can do better. but once i do better, why can't i be happy with those results? why does there always have to be higher, better results that i need to try for...why must i always be out of reach of what i want to be?"

so i decided to redefine what i wanted. and this is what i came up with: i want to be healthy. i want to be better to my body by giving it regular exercise and eating the kinds of food that will assist it in performing the way it was meant to. but i also want to have the occasional hamburger, or the rare 10-tablespoon indulgence of ice cream (or 14 donut holes, if you want to look at it that way). i want to live my life without constantly denying myself and feeling bitter.

my big theory (or experiment) is:

• if i exercise regularly (five days each week)
• if i make wiser food choices (mostly choosing healthy food, but occasionally treating myself)

can i be happy with the results, whatever they may be...a size 14, a size 10, a size 12 (i'm estimating (hoping) it is one of those three)...can i accept myself for who i am, knowing that i'm putting forth realistic effort in taking care of myself?

i'm not saying people can't have high goals and push themselves to achieve them...who knows? maybe if i accomplish this goal, i'll finally have the push i need to even want more. but i'm at a point in my life where i'm just ready to "be"... i don't intend to sound casual or apathetic... i just want to do what i need to so i don't feel guilty anymore about how i look or feel... i can say, "hey...i exercise, i try to eat right, and if this is who i am, so be it"

there a bunch of key "friends" or helpers that are going to help me reach my goal. in other words, tricks that are going to keep me going. here are a few of them:
lunchtime is a lot tastier when i use thinly sliced lunchmeat. my current fave is the mesquite smoked turkey. it's great in a pita or on a bagel with lettuce and cucumbers, a little deli mustard or laughing cow cheese. i also read that if you add citrus to your water it helps burn more calories. since i actually prefer lemon in my water, that was a no-brainer!
i'm trying to get better at this, but i'm just not one to open a bag of carrots and start munching on veggies to help my hunger woes (as i said, i'm a work in progress). so i've started incorporating one can of V8 into my day to help my body get those vital veggie benefits. my dad says drinking V8 is like drinking celery juice. and while i have to agree that the celery flavor is strong, i like celery. so i enjoy V8, especially with ice. By the way, yesterday I had a whole BUNCH of delicious steamed broccoli with my bagel sandwich. Soooo proud of myself for that!
sunlight.
i can't tell you what sunlight does for my energy and happiness level.
i know i'm not alone here.
(and yes, my windows really are that filthy.)
i have a hard time eating soup in the summer, but you just can't beat it on a cold winter day. i love progresso's line of light soups (italian-style vegetable and the tomato basil are my faves), however i'm a little disturbed by the enlightening campbell's commercials that informed me progresso uses MSG (it's true, i checked). so i'm giving the campbell's light line a try...wish me luck.
i recently discovered these at costco. heaven! each yoplait bag comes with 5 pouches. inside each pouch you find frozen berries and yogurt chunks. blend it on high with 1 1/2 cups skim milk and you have a tasty and delicious smoothy. it's so easy to make and it makes 2 LARGE cups full--i can put one cup in the freezer and have it the next day. if you're familiar with weight watchers terms, one LARGE cup is only 2 points! that means i can have something else with it for breakfast and still not be eating too much!
i mention below the "need-for-cheese" that i have, so reduced-fat versions are a must. i love this with a greek omelette made with egg whites and green peppers. mmm.... it's a breakfast that stays with you.
a handful of almonds each day helps with the munchies and is good for the bod.
i'm not a milk-lover. but i have a desire to drink it because i know how good it is for me. fortunately, i do love yogurt and cheese, which are calcium alternatives, but sometimes i do crave a nice tall glass of chocolate milk. moo magic is cheap and yummy--little single packets of sugar-free chocolate flavoring i can stir into my cow juice. by the way, lately i've had a hard time finding it, so if you know what store and what aisle i can find it at, let me know!
one of the hardest, but most fattening things, i need to eat less of (notice i didn't say "give up") is cheese. laughing cow light makes that absence a little easier to bear. i love it with fruit, on bagels, on sandwiches, etc.
gum.
sometimes i'm not really hungry but my mouth needs to be doing something.
i can thank heaven for sugar-free trident tropical orange. i buy it in bulk at costco.

fresh herbs.
sometimes when you take fat or sugar out of something, it is left feeling as though it's painfully lacking. fresh herbs help fill that gap. but they can also be expensive. so i wait until they're on sale, buy a bunch, and save them by freezing them in ice cube trays. at the end of summer last year, the local nursery was knocking down the prices of their plants and i bought this basil plant for $1. i already had some soil at home to plant it in, so once i got a pot at shopko for $2 i was homefree. it's been a flavor-saver, plus it looks pretty in my kitchen.
ok...yes, denise austin can be totally cheesy. but this dvd was only $9 at wal-mart and i have to say, i don't think she's that bad in it. and if she ever does get on my nerves, the dvd has the option to work out with music only and no "denise instruction". the kids love to do it with me, which only makes it more fun! the best part about this dvd? it's a different work-out for each day of the week, so it gives me variation (some kick-boxing aerobics, some cardio, some weights, some abs, some yoga, etc), and each work-out is only 12 minutes long. while i wonder sometimes if that's long enough to really make a difference, my logic is that right now, that's all i can commit to on most days, so it's better than nothing. if it can produce even a little bit of result, it will have done it's purpose in helping me become motivated to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. maybe in the future i can do more, but once again...my theory is all about not feeling guilty about doing what i can and not beating myself up over what i can't.
i love these flavored beverages and they are all sugar-free.
they are a lifesaver at 9 p.m. when those night-time cravings hit.
i'm a real bread and carbs girl. this helps me get through it. if i can whip up this yummy cornbread and have it with my dinner, i don't feel so deprived.
my eliptical.
it's collected a lot of dust since our weight watchers days, but i made a formal apology and we're friends again. especially if i can hop on it at 2:00 in the afternoon during the bonnie hunt show. then time flies.

getting more fiber is a big deal to me. in addition to switching my regular splenda to the "splenda with fiber", i love this fiber one cereal. the fiber one flake cereal isn't bad, but i can't recommend the nugget-style kind. HOWEVER...this fiber one Caramel Delight is deeee-vine! it tastes like cinnamon toast crunch. it can be expensive, but if you keep an eye out for the general mills cereals to go on sale, stock up! it's so good, i don't even share it with the kids...i'm pretty stingy with it. it makes the kids mad, but they know it's off-limits!

and lastly, the girls in my ward. thanks to mindy and marni who do the aerobics and pilates classes twice a week at the church. i don't go both times each week, and sometimes i don't even make it once a week. sometimes my schedule just doesn't allow for it, but when i do go, it's nice to know that's one less day i have to motivate myself at home. plus, i push myself harder and i definitely feel it the next day. thanks, ladies!

i'm all for hearing what helps others succeed
at living a healthy lifestyle (on a budget).
what tips or products can you tell me about???

the big Ribbon-Cutting ceremony

January is always a promising month of change, but for my in-laws, CHANGE comes in capital letters! Since the fall they have been completely remodeling their downstairs and part of their second floor. Now it's finally complete and gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I found some plastic oversized scissors at Zurchers and of course had to buy them! Here's the big Ribbon-Cutting ceremony celebrating their "new" home!

primary breakfast

To kick off a new year and their new classes, our ward's primary had a little breakfast, giving the kids an opportunity to get to know their new teachers for the year. I love this idea! Change can be hard on anyone, but especially kids, even with something we adults might consider small and insignificant. Thanks 4th Ward primary leaders, for making the transition easier! Our kids have been blessed to have wonderful teachers!