Bribes

I am a believer of bribing my children. Not necessarily all the time, but bribing has its place among child raising. I bribe my children to sometimes eat their dinner for a special treat. The bribes are generally a treat to get them to do something that is really important to me like getting in the car quickly and quietly so we are not late for an appointment or so they don't cry when I leave them with a babysitter. I use fruit snacks to get their fingernails cut and cereal or fruit snacks when Kelsey won't let me do her hair.

Macy was given a piece of gum every time she went potty on the toilet. She then got a whole pack of gum for staying pretty much dry for 2 whole days. That was a fiasco because she still wanted a piece of my gum for going on the toilet. When I wouldn't give it to her, Kelsey and her ate the whole pack before breakfast so she could get my piece. They were right in front of me and I didn't notice (I must have been busy on the phone or something). They must have swallowed every piece because I never saw them get off the stool to go to the garbage can. I can guarantee Kelsey swallowed hers. She is pretty much banned from it for that reason alone.

The newest bribe which could also be called income or allowance. A friend was telling me how she pays her oldest son (he is 4 years old) a quarter every time he cleans up the toys and when he has a dollar she will take him to the dollar store for a toy. I thought this was a great idea. So about 4 times a week I ask Macy to clean up either her room or the family room for a quarter. The one stipulation is if I pick up one toy she will not get a quarter. The way things are cleaned are not always the exact way I would like, but so far she has earned 3 quarters. She doesn't quite grasp the idea of using the money to actually buy something. She just likes to get money. She won't put it in a jar or her piggy bank so the coins are already lost. They stick around for a day or two and then are gone. Because she doesn't really understand the saving to buy, I am thinking of dropping the payment to a nickel or a dime until she gets it. But for now there are moments when the house feels clean.

The Good, The Bad, The Disgusting

Life is full of good and bad events. It is what makes life flavorful. Here is a sampling of ours so far this week.

The Good: I found Huggies swim diapers on clearance at Target for $2.25 a package (normally $8.99 for 18). I grabbed all the medium size that were left which was 5 packages.

The Good: Macy has still had minimal accidents in her pants. Luckily in public or staying at other people's homes she has a perfect record. Kelsey is very intrigued by this potty thing too. She has even tried to put on Macy's underpants.

The Bad: Kelsey is very intrigued by this potty thing too. Every time her sister sits on the toilet, she has to too. She cries out "potty" as she tries to rip her shorts from her body. Sometimes she is successful getting her shorts off and then soon after there is a bare bottom running from me because she doesn't want a diaper back on. Because of this little desire and tantrum we are going through twice as many diapers with her.

The Good: Yesterday I got to go to the lake with the young women from the ward. Once a month the kids get a half day at school, so for the YW activity we took them skiing. Two wonderful women in the ward watched my kids for a combined total of 6 hours so I could go. One of these women had 5 young kids of her own (this was Josh and Jesse's mom for those of you who have heard Macy mention her friends). She is definitely a saint.

The Bad: I didn't get to water ski or wake board yesterday. The boat that was doing that stuff took way too long with the first group and by the time they came back in to change we had a storm hit with strong winds, rain, and lightening. We had to call it quits. Of course the rain missed Gilbert.

The Good: Because it was a late dinner night last night we had Macaroni and Cheese. Yes I still like the stuff.

The Bad: Kelsey had to have her own water bottle with dinner. By the time she was done the water was a pale yellow color and had no resemblance to water.

The Disgusting: Macy saw the water bottle and wanted the drink that Kelsey was privileged to have. She wanted to know what kind of beverage it was. I tried to explain to her that it was just really dirty water and not to drink it. Well Miss Stubborn wouldn't believe me and still had a swallow. Yuk.

The Bad: As soon as we moved in last year I made us get a pest control service. It has been great so far until recently. We seem to have a major influx of crickets and earwigs.

The Good: My kids don't seem to be afraid of bugs and are very willing to pick the crickets up with their bare hands and throw them away. I, too, have put aside the creepiness (somewhat) and will get a tissue and get the bugs myself. Sometimes I still make Brian do it.

The Disgusting: Three nights ago Macy woke in the middle of the night and needed a drink. With my eyes barely open I went through the routine. Walking down the hallway back to bed I stepped on something with my bare feet that crunched and wiggled slightly. Yes it was a cricket. With goosebumps all over and hair on end I cleaned it up and soon found another bug to take care of. I went back to bed and woke Brian to tell him that we are switching to a different pest control company. I have since relented and have put in a call to my current company to come out to re-spray for free. I don't want to have to pay for another start up fee and get into another contract.

I never thought it would happen

I now have an extra $35 to spend each month. Macy has finally decided to wear big girl pants this weekend. We have gone 2 whole days with minimal accidents. She does sit on the toilet quite a bit, but hey, then I don't have to be cleaning anything up. The best part is she did it all on her own and likes it that way. I cannot tell her when to go. She has to do that. I just have to remind her that she is wearing underpants and she takes care of the rest. She hasn't even had a problem through the night and during naps. It is fantastic. The extra $35 dollars might end up going to the gum I owe her and all the toilet paper she uses.

The weekend has been great. Friday night Brian's employer sponsored the Diamondbacks game so we took the whole family. It didn't feel quite like baseball because the field is indoors and air conditioned. The roof opens up for when the weather is nice. Thank goodness the roof was closed because in the parking structure our car said it was 112 degrees at 7 PM. Our seats were in the nose bleed sections (third tier) so it still had to be 90 degrees. The physics law that says heat rises is very true. When we walked by the suites entrance we found the air conditioning. Even with the roof closed you could still take the chance of getting pooped on. We saw a couple of birds flying overhead that had gotten trapped inside. They must open the roof to help the grass grow. The games end result was the Chicago cubs beat the Diamondbacks. I wasn't to hurt because I really don't follow baseball.

Saturday was beautiful. We had a storm roll through so we cooled off. In fact early in the morning we had a good rainfall (for the desert). It stayed overcast for much of the day, so we were able to get some yard work done and do some pool maintenance. Later that evening our friends/"family"; LoraLee, Lacy and Madeline Mock, from Utah stopped by for a visit. They were visiting other relatives and took the time to see us. We were glad they did and really enjoyed chatting with them.

Book List

Most of my friends are a little more well read than I am, but here is what I have read lately.

• Rebecca
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Eclipse
• Sense & Sensibility
• Pride & Prejudice (a good friend gave me a book that contains all of Jane Austen's novels)

The books that I am reading right now are:

• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card - it is the Sleeping Beauty story with a twist. It came highly recommended. It is not a children's book. More of a Young Adult novel.
• The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry - This one is for a book club. On the cover it says it is a Victorian mystery.

Here are a few books that I have read and really enjoyed:

• The Persian Pickle Club
• The Woman in White
• Twilight, & New Moon
• Vienna Prelude series by Bodie Thoene
• Follow the River

Here is a long list of books compiled from a number recommendations. I would love to get to these some day:

• Princess Academy, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (a local Utah author)
• Peter and the Star Catchers
• Pope Joan - a historical fiction
• Sister of Heart
• Stolen Lives
• Secret Life of Bees
• Tending Roses
• The Great & Terrible by Chris Stewart
• Strangling Your Husband is not an Option
• East of Eden by Steinbeck
• Inkheart and Inkspell
• Before the Dawn
• The Kingdom Keepers
• The Life of Pi

Silly girls

I don't know what we are going to do with Macy. She cannot stop asking about Utah. She wants to know where Jake and Kennedy are. She wants to know if she can take this and that to Utah. Yesterday a plane was flying overhead and she looked up and said that poppy and grandma were on that plane to come see us.

Today Kelsey proved that she is in fact a monkey. She was crying and being ornery after her nap. She was inconsolable so I put her back into the crib and walked into the kitchen. Five seconds later she was crying at my legs. I have no idea how she got out. I checked and the sides of the crib were still all the way up. I don't know if she climbed over the side and then fell out or if she managed to get out gracefully. She was crying when I put her in there and crying when she came out. I guess that the crib will be coming down soon and she will have to sleep on her mattress on the ground until we get Macy a new bed and pass the toddler bed on down.

Addict

Help me! I am such a bookworm as of late. I can't stop reading. It is what I look forward to every day and I read in any spare moment I can find. I can't stop thinking about the book until it is finished. I have read 5 books in the past month and I have 2 more in the wings. There is only 2 conclusions that I can come up with: the books I have picked up have been really, really good or there is something mentally wrong with me.

Nevermind the long nap

Well so much for taking a really long nap. Macy just woke up and seems irritable. I think she could have used another hour. Wish me luck this afternoon and I will never again skip naptime.

Thank you babysitting co-op

Yesterday morning I went to the grocery store without my kids. It was the most wonderful thing. It was a big buying trip and it only took me an hour. I had time to compare prices and really think about what I needed (I forgot my list). I owe this magnificent pleasure to my neighborhood's babysitting co-op.


How this co-op works is each mom makes herself available one day a week for 3 hours to watch other children she is then paid with coupons that are worth 30 minutes each. She then can use these coupons to pay someone else to watch her children while she does what she wants/needs to. I tend to be selfish so I like to try to use it for my wants, but grocery shopping on my own was very satisfying. Besides then the girls were able to play with friends instead of tromping around Fry's (aka Smith's).

The rest of the day went pretty well except for a big mistake which I didn't realize the full implications until today. I did not make the girls take a nap. By the time I placed them in bed it was 2:45 PM and they were not going to be asleep before 3:00PM. I thought that I might as well let them stay up and play and then maybe bedtime could be closer to 6 or 7 instead of 8 or 9. Well they still did not go to bed until 8 PM. FHE kind of threw a wrench in. Macy stayed up even later playing in her room. I just thought that I would get to sleep in. Again I was wrong. Macy was up by 6:30 AM and she had to yell goodbye to her dad so loudly that Kelsey woke up. So this morning I had very grouchy children. Kelsey cried and cried and Macy complained. Finally they decided to be happy. They were so tired that they fell asleep at 12:45 in the car and really didn't have lunch. I wonder how long they will sleep.

Disneyland

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Disneyland. Brian said that it was one of the best times he has had there. I am not sure all of the reasoning behind this, but it could be because we only had to drive 4 1/2 hours, the "adults" (defined as over physically over 18 years, mentally no one knows for sure) outnumbered the children, he had nap time 2 of the days, and because he got to see his children enjoy themselves in a magical place.

Wednesday we drove out for sunny California. We left a little later than planned so stress levels were running a little high at first and children were tired, ornery, and excited. It turned out to be a pleasant trip even though my husband complained about almost every one of the DJ's songs. At that point I left the DJing to him and started Sense & Sensibility. I had never read this novel. I hated reading in high school, but now I can't get enough. I loved Emma so a friend gave me a book that has all of Jane Austin's works.

My family left Tuesday and stayed in Las Vegas. We met up in Anaheim. The kids were so excited to see everyone. They were up until 11:30 PM that night. Everyone included Poppy DeVon, Grandma Wendy, Emily & Jakey, Stefanie, Calee, Jeff, and Grandma Bonnie.

Thursday and Friday we went to the "happiest place on Earth". Macy had been waiting for this moment for at least two months now. Every time she saw Tinkerbell or the castle at the beginning of the Disney movies she would ask when we were going. She was an inch and a half too short to ride Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, Soarin' over California, Star Tours and some of the other big rides. She still had fun on everything else. She asked to go again on Alice in Wonderland, Pirates, and Gadget's Go-Go Coaster (I am not sure about any of the others because she didn't ride with me). We never made it on the Nemo ride. It was 2 hour wait most of the time and thus we deemed it not worth the wait, especially when you have a 3 year old and 22 month old in tow.

I was a mean mom and didn't let her wait in line to visit the characters. To me it seems like a silly waste of time. Most of those lines were at least a 10 minute wait some even longer. I did let her wait to see Mr. Incredible and Woody was leaving on break but took a few moments to stop and say hi to her. She would see the characters that she knew and loved and would wave and yell hi. Sometimes I felt bad because she would tell me that they didn't say hi back. We caught the end of one of the parades so she got to see Cinderella, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. She was in heaven. Kelsey of course would copy Macy. She would wave and say hello. She would see something with Cinderella and would shout "Rella". You would laugh if you could see her mouth as she tries to pronounce it. She enjoyed all the rides but was not excited to get close to Mr. Incredible.

We made it out of the park without buying too much crap. Macy wanted the hot wheels Cars characters that were $6. I tried to tell her we could get them later because Target had the exact items for $3. Luckily we persuaded her. She put her foot down on an Incredible cell phone. Kelsey had to have the Cinderella cell phone. Kelsey made noise with hers for at least a third of the way home on Sunday. She slept with it on Friday night. She woke me up Saturday morning by yelling "mine" over and over again. When I went into the room her and Macy were sharing she was standing in the port-a-crib with her arm extended over the side holding the phone towards Macy (who was still fast asleep). I guess we know who hogs all the toys. Brian and I had to buy a chocolate covered caramel apple. We had one last time we were there and it was so good. We had to see if it was true or if last time we were just really hungry. The apple was extremely delicious and we highly recommend them.

Saturday we went to Huntington Beach. Brian rented surf boards so him, Jake and Stefanie gave it a try. We all boogie boarded and/or body surfed. Macy is definitely a beach bum. We kind of had an idea of this because she loved going to the beach when we spent time in San Jose, but that was 18 months ago. She loved to dig and roll around in the sand, but I think she liked the water and waves even more. She couldn't get enough. She was always willing to go in when someone would take her. She would get pretty deep too. Kelsey on the other hand was a little bit more hesitant. At first she didn't like the sand. She quickly got over this and was soon covered in the stuff. She did not like the water and hated getting cleaned off in it even more. Maybe our swimming pool temperature made her a little sissy. Towards the end she would let the waves reach her toes.

I wasn't the best mom at the beach. I got into my book too much and spent a lot of time in the water. Hence I lost track of time and all of us got a little pink. The kids and I needed at least one more application of sun screen to avoid the burn. The redness wasn't too bad. My nose and back got a little red, Macy's back and one of her thighs were pink, and Kelsey's cheeks and Brian's hands and calves were what suffered. We still had a great time.

The drive home was uneventful and wonderfully short. I was able to finish my book, the kids watched movies and played with their cell phones and Brian had to be his own DJ. We were going to stop and have a picnic with food I purchased the night before. However, when we got out at a park in Blythe, CA we knew we were close to Arizona. It was too hot for a picnic so we settled for an air conditioned McDonald's that smelled horrible. This McDonald's also happened to be the hot spot for every other traveller. I think I waited in line to order food for 20-30 minutes. This just gave the kids more time to stretch their legs and play.

This was a wonderful trip. I know the kids enjoyed it but I think they would have been just as excited to see family. Macy keeps talking about going to Utah and taking this toy to Utah next time. She has had to list every family member in her prayers including the Kartchner side and Grandma K and the "other grandpa" and then asking his name (referring to Grandpa K).

I have updated the photos. We weren't the best photographers and we have lost a memory card so we were limited on the number we could take. My mom took a lot of good pictures so as soon as she gets me a copy I will add more.

The Drudgery

Yesterday I skipped the gym because I worked in the yard. Today I sloughed gym because I decided to give my house a good cleaning. I love the gym when I get there but I have thousands of excuses not to go. Anyway I spent my day sweeping and mopping all the tile throughout the house, vacuuming the carpet and underneath the couch cushions, wiping down the couch, wiping the baseboards, dusting almost everything that needed dusting in the house (I almost had to do this twice because it has been so long), cleaning the bathrooms (including the rugs), and wiping down half of my blinds (my special little tool became too dirty and needs to go through the wash). Macy even helped with the bathroom. This is her favorite part and always asks if she can help. Who wouldn't want to turn down any type of help. I look forward to the day when my kids are actually old enough to hand out a chore list and I mean real chores like cleaning their own rooms and cleaning the bathroom on their own.

I don't mind cleaning, especially when I can knock it out in one day and then sit on my butt for at least a week and a half. What really irritates me about the whole cleaning thing with little kids is that 5 minutes after I leave a room you cannot tell the vacuum was even turned on. Toys are brought back out and couch cushions are strewn all over the front room again. Then dinner comes around and Kelsey instantly drops grated cheese and whatever else on the clean floor. I never realize this until I step on whatever food that was thrown or I see her deliberately drop something. I am not always the happiest camper the evening after I clean because my nerves are on edge as I watch the total destruction of the house. I just have to tell myself that I did not clean my house for the world to see. At least I know that deep down it is clean.

A cousin passed on a wonderful dusting hint for baseboards. I tried it today and it worked marvelous. What you do is take the top end of a broom or mop handle and wrap a bunch of paper towels around it. I used masking tape to hold it in place. Then you spray the paper towels with Windex then run the stick along the baseboards. The key is the Windex. I did have to add a few paper towels every once in a while. The best part was I didn't have to stay bent over or crawl on my knees for 30 minutes. It took about 10 minutes and my knees didn't hurt.

As a reward for all my hard work, I bought my much anticipated Eclipse. I was going to wait to read it until the drive to Disneyland but I couldn't do that. So tonight I made a quick jaunt to Borders. I almost went to Barnes and Noble but luckily a friend informed me that they were completely sold out along with Deseret Book. I jumped on the phone and called the nearest Border and they had a shipment come in today. I just about beat myself up for not pre-ordering it. I pre-ordered Harry Potter and then I didn't get around to reading it for a week and a half.

Harry Potter (I give away no secrets or surprises)

So I fell off the face of the Earth again, but I feel my reasonings are justified. I had to finally get to the last Harry Potter. I had pre-ordered it online, but as it so happens I planned my trip to Utah over the release date. I made myself wait until I got home (that and I could not pry it away from my mom and sister's grip or they might have cursed me). I finally started it on Friday. All I can say is thank goodness my children are a little older and were content on playing with one another as long as I briefly looked up and nodded. Oh yea, the gym daycare was great because on the elliptical I got some uninterrupted time today. I liked the last chapter, but it was a little too cheesy. I think I would have been just as happy ending it on the second to last. I might have complained about wanting a little bit more, but it is classified under juvenile literature. I finally liked Harry. I was telling Brian last night I really didn't connect with him as a character and he wasn't my favorite hero. There were many times I disliked him. This book I liked him more, but still not a great connection. I guess there were times I really didn't understand him. I still don't like his dad James. I wish that we could have had some insight show that he had changed from his teenage years to see why Lily fell in love with him. Ah well the journey has come to an end. I know that a lot of people have read the book. I spoke with them before it came out, but I have not heard if people liked it. I give it a thumbs up. I still rooted for Harry and loved the plots. I would recommend these.

Another media form I would like to comment on is the Bourne Ultimatum. Brian and I went on Saturday and loved it. It left us wanting more. Sometimes when I think about it, I get upset because there will not be a fourth to help answer some questions. Maybe they were answered some where and I will have to watch all three back to back to find those answers. I definitely recommend the movie if you liked the previous two. Brian and I are suckers for these movies (and books). Has anyone else seen this movie? What did you think? I heard the books are far better than the movies so after I buy and read Eclipse tomorrow, I will have to pick up Robert Ludlam's books.

Besides reading today, I did make cookies so we could go meet a new neighbor. Macy helped and Kelsey watched. Macy is quite the little helper in the kitchen. She does the mixer her self, dumps the ingredients in and cracks the eggs. She loves to help me. The two of them are definitely my daughters. As soon as I turn my back they both will try to get their fingers in the bowl for a taste. Macy asks repeatedly if she can have a taste and they both take claim to the beaters in the end. I now have to find another utensil that I must get dirty so I can lick something when the product is finished.

On a completely different note, I am updating the pictures to include our fun trip to Utah. (Susannah, Melinda, Aunt Becky, or anyone else, if you want to see them just let me know and I will get the password to you.)

We're Back

Well we made it home today. We had no major breakdowns at security like our departure. There was a man that had been drinking the night before or that morning (the flight was at 8:37 AM Utah time) that sat right in front of Macy. The whole area around him smelled of alcohol. He was friendly and tried help Macy and Kelsey enjoy the flight. The intoxication may have impaired some things because he was strange. Also little did he know that the 2 of them had more flying experience than him.

You will never guess, but I came home to 2 more burnt out light bulbs. Do not buy the natural white light bulbs. You may like the light they put off, but they are not worth the money. These 2 lasted less than a year. I am going to go broke buying light bulbs.

I am not sure if I am really back in Phoenix. I think someone just moved my house to another city. We barely got over 100 degrees today and the humidity was as thick as frosting (still in the vacation free for all mindset). It took a little getting used to be able to breath properly. Then as I was leaving Costco (which by the way, Ashley, my disgruntle with Costco is that I spend half my grocery budget in one visit and I still have to go to a regular grocery store) the rain let loose. I would have waited under cover but I had 15 minutes to get to YWs. By the time I had the goods in the car I was soaked through to my under clothing. My hair dripped down my back the whole way home. After the 10 minute drive home the rain began to let up and I had to run in and completely change my attire. I have been informed that Phoenix has received quite a bit of rain when I was vacationing. I am sure that the weatherman will still tell us that we are in a drought. At least I haven't had to water the yard for awhile. This rain experience has also given me another excuse as to why I should not do my hair.