What's the deal with Google Reader?  Why are they closing up shop on July 1st?  This is super annoying.  I was complaining to Sam and he made a face and said, "oh no, now you'll have to actually look at all the blogs you follow.  What a tough life!" 

Here's the deal, I like reading other people's blogs and it would take a long time for me to individually check each one of the blogs I follow.  I don't have that kind of time people!  If Sam thinks that all I do is sit around and hang out on the computer all day then he's WRONG!  If I really spent that much time on the computer our house would go to pot in about 30 seconds flat.

What are you going to do when Google Reader calls it quits?  I need solutions so my house doesn't end up like a pigsty.

(P.S. I love you Sam and I know you're not a chauvinist man, 99% of the time.)

Where are you?

I'm taking a break from Facebook.  I'm just done with it for a while.  I'll probably be back in a month or two, or never.  I haven't decided.

Gratitude update

I have been posting on my gratitude blog Grateful Mom.  Some days it has been a chore to find something to be grateful for.  Those are the days that I'm the most grateful for my gratitude  blog because it helps me to think outside of myself and realize that I am very blessed. 

I'm not sure if I'm more virtuous yet.  Probably not, but maybe.  It's a process.

Here are three people I am very grateful for.  I love their guts.

Eliza not really trying, yet being successful, at being cute.

Tom is trying really hard not to smile.

Ben is trying really hard to be cool.

Baby Dolly needs a bath and some air freshener

When Eliza was a few months old my mom sent a box of things for her.  In the box was a little plush doll from my granny for Eliza.  For some reason Eliza took to the doll immediately.  The doll is known in our house as Baby Dolly, or Dolly for short.  Eliza has named several other dolls, Baby Love You, Baby Mary, and Bear, but none come close to Baby Dolly.  Baby Dolly goes everywhere with Eliza, to church, breakfast, lunch, dinner, nap time, bed time, digging in the dirt outside.  You get the picture.  Often times Eliza's brothers will steal Baby Dolly away and throw Baby Dolly around and taunt and tease Eliza with Baby Dolly.  This drives me and Eliza crazy.  You know, typical brother stuff.

Last Friday Baby Dolly went missing.  Eliza had her when she woke up, but we couldn't trace her from there.  It was horrible.  Eliza kept asking in her cute almost 2 year old voice while shrugging, "Oh no, where Baby Dolly?  Oh no!"  By Sunday night I had searched just about every where and was asking everyone (even our neighbors) if they'd seen Baby Dolly.  I was desperate.  My heart was breaking for my sweet girl who was missing her best friend and favorite toy, Baby Dolly.  I did what any girl would do in my situation.  I texted my family and asked them to pray that we would find Baby Dolly.

Later that night as we were about to go to bed a thought came to my mind.  Eliza had recently started putting toys and such in the diaper pale and flipping the lid to make them disappear.  That had to be it.  Where else could it be?

The next morning my sis-in-law Camille, who was staying with us, got Eliza up, changed her diaper and checked the diaper pale.  And sure enough, there was Baby Dolly.  She was tucked under 4 or 5 nasty wet and dirty diapers.  Sooooo gross!  Needless to say I soaked her in Spray'n Wash and tossed her into the washing machine.

Eliza was so happy to have her back.  Unfortunately Eliza saw me put Baby Dolly into the washer and couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her have her.  I wanted to be like, "Trust me girl, you do not want her until this washer is done with her."

Lessons learned from this experience:
1.  Implant homing device in Baby Dolly's tummy.
2.  You can never go wrong asking Ginger Knecht to pray for you, no matter how small the problem may seem.
3.  Heavenly Father loves my girl and cares if she is sad.
4.  We are no longer using the diaper pale.  I can't bare finding something else buried in its nastiness.
5.  I've already purchased a back up Baby Dolly online. (Thanks Jacquie)

Do you know who I am?

Currently our country is at a crossroads.  History will be made based on how our Supreme Court will rule in certain cases regarding same-sex marriage.  I hope that when you think of me you automatically know where I stand on these issues.  It has been said, "If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything."  This is where I stand:

 





The following blog also explains beautifully where I stand:  Of God and Country.

Where I stand on same-sex marriage is a big part of who I am and what I believe.  Regardless of my stance on same-sex marriage I still love people who are homosexual.  I still respect your beliefs, as I hope you will respect mine.

Stuff that has been floating around in my mind

1. Have you read the blog post from the mom who is tired of all the stupid minor holidays and all the useless hype they get.  If you haven't read it, you should, even if you don't have kids.  It takes a village and we all need to be on board with this one.  I completely agree with this woman.

2.  My sister-in-law jokingly called me the "baby whisperer" last Saturday.  There is a series of books that I've read about the baby whisperer's guide to babies.  If you deal with small babies on a regular basis I highly recommend you read these books.  I found them very insightful.  I by no means am a baby whisperer, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of taking care of a baby.  I recently started watching my neighbor's 2 month old son every Wednesday and this kid is a piece of cake.  I used to be kind of terrified of infants (before I had Ben).  The thought of having to deal with a baby day in and day out was overwhelming to me.  I also couldn't understand how people thought newborns were cute when all they seem to do was poop, pee, spit up, cry and sleep.  I get it now. 

3.  How do you handle stress?  Are you the type of person who can blow off stress at the gym?  Does eating help you calm down?  What do you do to get through the stressful times of your life?  My life isn't particularly stressful besides the fact that I'm a mother, wife, daughter, friend, sister, student, girl's camp director for my ward, and a few other things too.  I'm sure most of you have a handful of hats you wear on a regular basis.  I'm not unusual, at least that's what I think.  Recently I've been reflecting on what's important, and what's not.  I think it's important to live a life that is not crazy hectic all the time.  I don't want to be that crazy mom who is pulling her hair out every other day because she and her kids are so over booked that she doesn't have time to breathe.  So, how do you manage to "keep calm and carry on"?

Let the sun shine

Today I felt honest sunshine for the first time in a long time.  What is honest sunshine you may ask?  Honest sunshine is sunshine that actually feels warm.  In Utah and other parts of the US that experience winter we have deceptive sunshine during the winter.  Deceptive sunshine is the kind of sunshine that makes everything bright outside, but warms nothing.  It's a liar sun.
I love sunshine, but I'm especially partial to the honest type.  I love being outside with the grass between my toes and feeling the sun warm my skin.  It not only warms my skin, but my heart as well.