We arrived

There was a lot of hustle and bustle last week and I didn't have much time to write but I had a lot going on in my head. I will have to write about some of those another time. Today I am playing catch up on some of our events.

Wednesday night the youth went caroling around the neighborhood. We piled into 2 trailers (one with hay bales) and went knocking on doors. These trailers were our sleighs.

Thursday the girls and I picked oranges to take up to Salt Lake. We decided to continue a tradition we started last year. Macy had such a great time last year and everyone was excited to receive our fresh gift. Travelled a couple of streets from our house and picked about 50 lbs. worth of oranges and tangerines. They smelled so good. I hope everyone wanted oranges. The girls had a great time. They saw horses and chickens and heard roosters. Both got in on the picking action. Kelsey pulled on one so hard that when it finally broke free she went flying and landed on her behind.

Friday morning I sent the girls to a neighbors and finished up last preparations to leave. It was the most relaxing last minute packing ever, until they came home for lunch. We took off at about 12:40 PM, picked up Brian and were on our way to a winter wonderland. We drove straight through this time and arrived at my parents at about 1:30 AM. We had a hour stop in Page, AZ where Kelsey spilled chocolate milk all over her car seat. We had to buy a roll of paper towels and a hand towel for her to sit on for the rest of the trip. Good thing she has a diaper. The roads weren't bad, but it was cold outside. Our temp. reading throughout central Utah said it was about 13 degrees. What were we thinking! We saw a lot of Utah license plates headed towards Phoenix.

Last night was a Kartchner Christmas party with Santa and all. Today I had a nap and have been able to have breaks from being a mom. Even though it is cold, family is making everything merry and bright.

Quick Clarification

I am not a germ loving freak. There are definitely times to pull out the old hand sanitizer. I myself disinfect my counters on a regular basis, wash my hands and have been known to use the paper towel trick to leave a public restroom. I also know that there is no way to live in a bubble and I also recognize that a 2 year old and 3 year old will never be completely germ free. I just think of it as developing their immune system.

There also seems to be more that I need to be concerned about besides the superbug. This includes prevention of chronic diseases. I am currently reading a book called The Culprit & the Cure. Did you know that "compared with 1971, women now eat 335 more calories per day" which is "equivalent to eating six Oreo cookies or one and a half bags of low-fat microwave popcorn every day." I don't know about you but if that is the case I need to cut back somewhere so I can actually eat the Oreos. The idea behind the book is that our Western culture leads us down the path to preventable diseases such as diabetes, strokes, heart disease, heart attacks, and cancer (yes science has found that most cases can be prevented). Not all of the cases are preventable but with healthier living we are more likely to live a longer, higher-quality, more active live. Who really dreams about becoming "crippled" 20 years before they die? Our Western culture the author refers to is obesity, over-eating, sedentary lifestyle, bad food choices, and smoking. The author talks of eating high-fiber foods, more fruits and vegetables, a little less meat, getting physical exercise and how to make these behavior changes. He does a wonderful job making his case with quoting many studies, giving statistics, and explaining the scientific findings (including the inconclusive results and results for and against healthy living). I am really impressed with the book and recommend it to all my family and friends because I want everyone to have a healthy life. God needs us to fulfill our missions here on life.

Mall Santas and washing

Sometimes I have such writers block. There are things that happen all the time in life and I am prepared to write about the event as soon as it happens, but when I find the time to write the thoughts have left me. I have made an effort today to remember my observations.

Today I took the girls to visit a mall Santa for the first time in their life. Yes I know I sound like an awful parent, but who wants to wait in line for them to visit a man they don't understand and appears big scary to them (we have all seen the crying pictures). They have visited with Santa at parties, but they never quite understood what was going on. Sometimes I seem extremely practical or a scrooge, whatever you desire. Well today was the day to introduce Macy to the jolly elf. I figured she has an idea about the big guy and can actually talk to him. I also needed to purchase a gift and was headed to the mall anyways. I can safely say it was a waste of time and $15. I should have opted for just a visit and no picture. In my heart I knew Kelsey wasn't going to go along with this scheme (she didn't nap today). What a sucker I am. Macy went along with the situation and told him she wanted a candy cane for Christmas. She wouldn't sit on his lap but sat next to him for a picture. Kelsey flat out refused to be anywhere near the man. I tried for the classic screaming picture but she slid away from Macy too quick. I now have a picture with Santa and Macy doing her awful, classic cheesy grin. As we were walking away Macy looked at the big guy and asked where her candy was. This guy was sharp. He replied that she was just placing her order now and would have to wait to get the candy cane. When all was said and done Macy could have cared less about visiting him. I don't know how often I will waste my money and time on mall Santas. I guess I will have to see as my kids grow.

Another interesting event at the mall made me question, are we too paranoid of germs? Of course Macy had to visit the restroom and while we were in the stall another mother and some children came in to wash their hands. She spoke the entire time she was in there and there was such urgency in her voice. She would say "don't touch anything metal or plastic", "don't touch that", "rub your hands more", "scrub your hands longer", "keep rubbing we have to get the germs off", "keep rinsing", "no don't touch that", "don't touch the door our hands our clean", "don't touch the handle we don't have any germs on our hands" etc. The amount of worry and the constant talking made me laugh in the stall. It seemed as if the world was coming to an end if her and her girls didn't stay germ free. Yes I will have my kids not touch things especially in public restrooms, but I don't do it with such paranoia. Every where you turn their is some new anti-bacterial product and something to help keep us completely germ free. In my mind it is a little bit over the top. We need some bacteria to help our immune systems and some of the stuff we kill is actually good for us. Just the other day the Today show had a special about how we as Americans are too concerned with bathing and the amount of showering we do can sometimes have negative side effects. We hear this all the time but the answer might be moderation and circumstance dependent. Anyways this situation gave me a laugh and made me think a little too.

Another quick thought. I am sure the lady opened the bathroom door with a paper towel (not a bad thing, I do this if I can), but think of all the other doors she opened without a paper towel to get into the stores of that outdoor mall.

The weekend

We had a good weekend. No one was sick. Luckily no one caught Brian's illness from the previous weekend.

Friday night we made it to see the temple lights. I made the girls take a nap that day with threats of not going. I wasn't excited to follow through with this threat, but I also didn't want to take grouchy children. I am happy to say they both napped and it was a pleasant evening that ended with hot chocolate and marshmallows at home. Macy and Kelsey were thrilled with new mittens and Macy had to wear 2 jackets because we don't have a big winter coat for her. Macy also wanted to have her picture taken by every bush on the premises. We tried to see the exhibit of nativities from around the world, but as soon as we made it into the room Macy had to go to the bathroom and we didn't want to wait in line again.

Saturday was our ward Christmas party. Again there was the threat of not going if children did not nap. Again they pulled through for us and everyone was able to go. The activities committee did a wonderful job. They really wanted to make it a community event so everyone within the ward boundaries were given an invitation. There was tastings from all over the world. A family who has lived in Japan brought Sushi, pot stickers, and spring rolls, there were Italian meatballs, some Mexican appetizers, and cream puffs and these cheese/ham rolls (not sure of the nationality). Guests were invited to display their nativities. Then there was a wonderful Christmas program that was really entertaining.

Saturday night Macy and Kelsey didn't go to sleep until after 11 PM. There is a chance that Brian and I were asleep before them. They were up by 7:30 on Sunday. Sunday night they decided it would be another late night. Again they were up until 11 PM and Brian and I may have gone to sleep before them. However, Monday morning I had to wake them at 8:15 because I had to be somewhere. Of course the morning they sleep in and we have an appointment.

Help with cleaning

Before big events or trips I like to get my house as clean as possible so I have less stress when I come home. This I think leads to more stress before the event. Today I have been cleaning and preparing. I attempted to clean my blinds and remembered why I hardly ever do them. They are difficult and time consuming, but I can't stand to see the build up of dirt when little fingers leave their mark. I can usually close my eyes quickly and then I forget about them but there are in some need at this point in time. Any suggestions on how to make this task less daunting? I have received estimates to have someone else clean them and they range in the price of $400 to $1,000. Outrageous!

Also an update on our gingerbread house. It is almost completely gone and I am cursing it at this moment. Gone in less than a week and I have eaten the majority. Although I took pleasure in the moment of every.

You know your children are weird when:

Last night Macy exclaims - "Thanks mom for making us squash for dinner. I love spaghetti squash."

Macy is having a difficult time doing #2 on the toilet lately. She is so stubborn and refuses to relieve herself. She says it is gross. Instead she holds it for 5 days. Yesterday all day long I tried to convince her of the importance of this task. She still refused even when offered a quarter for attempts and then denied candy and hot chocolate. Of course out shoe shopping she scouts out a restroom. She comes up to me and says she needs to poop. We start to head in the direction of the bathroom when she stops and says she doesn't need to go. Again some for coaxing and she tells me she just needs to toot in her pants. Whatever. Five seconds later she starts shouting "I've pooped in my pants mom." Her legs are stretched far apart and I make her toddle that way to the bathroom. I had one more quick stop so she had to go without underpants to Old Navy. In there she shouts to me "I don't need to wear underpants mom. I'm okay."

Kelsey is sometimes stranger than Macy. I just can't think of anything off the top of my head right now. But trust me, she is following in her sister's footsteps.

Candy trains and Gingerbread houses

This week has had some major ups and downs. I am almost ready to throw in the towel with being the mother. The job has some really trying and disgusting moments that usually bottleneck everything else in life. Brian keeps telling me that one of these days I am going to look back and wish my kids were this age again.

We have had some really great times. Last Sunday we got together with friends from Brian's BYU days. We made candy trains. Here is a picture of ours.

The train did end up in a wreck within a few days of arriving home. Macy was very upset that dad (I threw all the blame towards him) kept eating the train. Everyday she notices big chunks missing and says he is going to be in big trouble.

At posting time only the mid-section of the train is left and that is because it is not anyones favorite candy.

The kids and I also did gingerbread houses. This has been a tradition for me ever since my freshman year of college at Dixie College. I love to make my own cookie because I am a firm believer in eating the house. That is the whole reason for the house and store bought ones taste awful (trust me on this). I also love the smell when you bake it. My Grandma Lue gave me a gingerbread mold last year after Christmas and it was wonderful. No more mis-matched walls and fancy architecture work. I did 2 houses this year because the plan was to let each girl have a house and a parent to help. That fell through so instead a couple of Macy's friends were over and I let the 3 of them go to town on one house and I took the other. Kelsey was more interested in eating the cereal than putting any on the house. Because I had my own house I was able to comfortably let the kids have complete control over their house.

Here is Josh, Jesse and Macy's house:

Here is my house:

Here is my house again less than 24 hours after completion. Brian came home from work and the chimney disappeared along with portions of the fence and brick work.

Tonight I plowed through my Christmas cards and hope to get them in the mail soon. This year I have had writers block and a lack of desire to do them. I have put them off and put them off and decided I couldn't put them off any longer. I love to receive and read Christmas cards so I felt like I should continue with mine.

Well it is off to the couch for me. Brian is really under the weather tonight and I don't really want to catch whatever it is. Kelsey has been sick too. She had a fever last night and today, but it doesn't appear to be the same thing as Brian's (Thank goodness) Please cross your fingers for me that Macy and I can steer clear of whatever those 2 have.

Tidbits of the week

Rain, rain and more rain. Do I really live in Phoenix? Yesterday it rained as if we lived in a wetter part of the United States. It rained for at least 8 hours straight. It wasn't the monsoon down pour either. It was a light, steady rain. This morning my pool's water level was at least an inch higher. Today it was cloudy for 1/2 the day and we had some more rain, but it was more typical of the desert. It was a lot of water in a matter of 10 minutes and then the sun came out.

Another odd thing that happened the other night happened when I was driving home at night. I was on a main road near my home and I saw two animals crossing the street in my headlights. At first I thought they were cats, but as the second crossed I noticed that they were too large to be cats and so I thought dogs. As I got closer the second animal looked at me and his yellow eyes glistened in the light and I realized that they were coyotes. Yes, coyotes. I was shocked because I don't live in the middle of no where. I live in a big city suburb and we are not that rural. There is some open land where they were crossing but across the field was a subdivision. Luckily it wasn't mine, but it was only a mile from my home. Crazy. Hope the little dogs were inside that night.

My last announcement is that I am done with my Christmas shopping. Okay I have 2 items left; slippers for Brian and candy for the stockings. It is the greatest feeling. I can't wait to wrap them. I feel very organized this season, so I seem to be enjoying it a little bit more. Besides wrapping I need to finish my Christmas cards and a homemade gifts and then I can put my feet up, sip my hot cocoa, and read my book. Ho, Ho, Ho.