Introducing

 

Weighing in at 7 lbs. 14 oz and reaching a height of 20 inches is Tanner Robert Kartchner.  He joined our family Friday night at 6:04 PM.  Everything went well except that he took longer to come than any of our other kids.  Brian and I thought it was labor and delivery was kind of like a drive through.  We thought we would be done by 1 or 2 at the latest.  All of our other kids were about that time.  We would go in about 8 or 9 get the medicine flowing and then a baby would come.  We made it in around 9 and everything hooked up by 10 but he made us wait until 6.  That interfered with the kids plans of the neighborhood fireworks but they got over it when they met their brother. Luckily when he decided to make his entry it was a quick 2 contractions, very minimal damage and he was there.  This has made for an awesome recovery.  Just a few annoyances but nothing to complain about at all.

My kids like to point out that I look pregnant still.  Every day they look at my belly and say "You still look pregnant." Macy said it when she got home after school yesterday.  Got to love their honesty.  Good thing I know that some things take time.  My belly is still rounder than it was before I was pregnant. They were confused by this in the hospital.  One of them asked if I had the baby why did I still look pregnant.  I had to say that I didn't get that round over night and a stretched out stomach takes time to recover.  This led to how did the baby come out.  They also got an education on circumcision.

My Mom Burned my Homework. I Promise.

The final week of school went out with a bang. Kelsey brought home her pirate map and wanted the edges browned to make it look old. The morning she was to take it back to school I lit the match and went to work. Things quickly got out of hand and the paper was soon on fire. Blowing on it only made it worse so the only thing I could think of doing (because I was in the kitchen) was stick it on the faucet. Now I had a burnt, soaking project. Of course Kelsey was eating breakfast and watched it all happen. She was soon in tears at the mess I created. Macy was panicking believing that I was going to burn down the house. I convinced Kelsey that the map was still good enough and that I would need to let it dry. I was coming over to school that day for Macy's class party so I would bring it then. She was soothed and it all turned out in the end.

I did make up for it that week with attending her class reader's theater and killing it with my video making skills for Macy's third grade talent show. Her and her friends made a music video titled Chicago Girls (the title came from the Disney Channel's show Shake It Up). Here's their poster.

Other school stuff. I hate year round school. Macy has enough girls around her age that she plays with to fill a soccer team roster. Kelsey has at least 5 friends that are walking distance. They are not on the same schedule as any of them. I did not move out here to continually set up play dates and drive my kids all over so they could be friends (which is so important to them). The other bad part is that they are off the month of December. How am I to do Christmas shopping with 4 kids at home, a husband that doesn't get home early most nights of the week and no one in the neighborhood to do trades because their kids are all at school? The other kicker is 3 out of the 4 tracks start on July 25. Baby brother's due date is July 25.  I might end up a stressed basket case needing serious intervention if I can't get the most popular track (the one that starts later in August). I put in for a schedule change noting my due date but so far my pleadings have gone unanswered. I might just have to personally present my case and throw in the idea I have heard that there are 200 out of boundary classmates that are not forced to take the least popular schedules. I am a little heated and bugged right now about this. Maybe I will just try for a charter school and have a traditional school schedule since they are not with friends anyways.

So what is Braden up to? Well he has gotten past his Super Mario addiction. He rarely plays it anymore. He watched Rise of the Guardians almost everyday the final few weeks of school while I was exercising. Now that the girls are out of school he seldom plays with friends because he thinks they want to play with all day. As the end of school came nearer he started this new thing. Everyday he would ask:
"Do Macy and Kelsey have school tomorrow?"
My answer would depend on the day of the week and his excitement would depend upon if it was Saturday or Sunday the next day. Then he would ask:
"Does dad have to go to work tomorrow?"
See above for his reaction. Then he would ask:
"Do we have to go to church tomorrow?"
This was asked every single day and sometimes multiple times. He still does this routine even though the girls are out of school. It drives them nuts. Macy has started answering the school question with "not for another 3 weeks." Really it is 5 weeks but who is counting.

Last Week's Adventure

I may not have been the most amazing mom last week.  There were some good moments and times the kids hated.

I made Kelsey bawl for about 20 minutes about how she was starving.  And when I say bawl picture complete sobbing, coughing from crying to hard and red blotchy cheeks by the time it was all over with.  I had told her and Macy that their room had to be clean before I would fix them lunch.  They had 3 1/2 hours to take care of a 30 minute chore.

The girls lost coins for fighting (a lot of coins meaning a lot of fighting) which meant they couldn't go to Classic on Friday.  The coins are a reward/payment system.  So on Wednesday and Thursday they really had to work their butts off to get enough coins again.

And I forced them to practice piano and do some chores.

Braden got his first black eye running straight into his cousin Ellie.  She is 6 months younger so her forehead was right at his eye level.

We rode the frontrunner for the first time to downtown with my parents and sister.  On the way home we missed getting off our stop.  Not for any fault of our own.  We were up in the top section for the ride home.  When the train stopped at our parking lot we quickly made our way down the stairs.  Well the driver assumed that nobody was getting off at that stop and no one got on so he made it a really short stop.  When we pushed the button to open the door the driver was already making preparations to leave so the door wouldn't open.  The kids and I were stranded at the next stop (in Draper).  There is nothing out there.  Nothing is within walking distance.  It was 20 degrees outside and no place to wait inside.  And the next train heading north wasn't due for another hour.  We had just missed it.  Luckily my sister, Stef, works nearby and she saved us, but she got lost on the way over so we still had to wait in the freezing cold for 30 minutes.  The lesson from this story is if you are going to ride the frontrunner train for fun, do it in the warmer months just in case a rude driver doesn't let you off.  Maybe the driver had no control but I need someone to direct my anger at.

On to the good things.

The kids ate mini corn dogs for lunch on 3 different days.  I think Braden had 2 hot dog meals during the week.  Brian was out of town the end part of the week so we ate Café Rio one night and the leftovers the next.  We had Sonic for lunch once.  We took my dad to Archibald's for his birthday Friday night.  The kids and I ate popeye pancakes, aka German pancakes, the night Brian went to the Jazz game.  He doesn't really enjoy breakfast dinners.  Sunday I threw Rhodes cinnamon rolls in the oven for breakfast.  Overall, we did some good eating.

The biggest thanks goes out to my mom (and my sister Emily did a lot of helping too) for sewing with my children.  They made the cutest jumbo pillows while I went to a continuing education class for real estate.  I know they had more fun than me.

Macy was a third grade finalist for the spelling bee.  She had to go to school on her day off to participate.  I never got her to study the lists.  I didn't do too much pushing.  When the day came, according to her, it was my fault she didn't study.  She did okay.  There were 18 kids (maybe 21).  She went out in the third round in the fourth grade words.  There were a number of kids that went to the sixth grade word list.

The boy next to her looks really worried.

We rode the frontrunner train.

The girls did earn back all their coins so it was Classic for us on Friday.  It was 3 1/2 hours of fun for them and 3 1/2 hours of boredom/exhaustion for mom (I just wanted a nap while there).  They did everything but laser tag.  We even had meltdowns when I wouldn't buy anymore tokens for the arcade than what was given in the admission price.

Monday night Kelsey took us to Scales and Tails for our FHE.  It was so cold that night that we were the only people there so the kids didn't have to fight or wait for a chance to feed alligators and other reptiles.  They were a little shocked to see the reptiles were fed dead rats but they got over it.  They even fed the turtles all the carrots the turtles could get.  Kelsey held her snakes.  I think Macy even held a snake.  They all held the baby turtles.  I think they all had a good time.

Macy feeding Darth Gator

Braden feeding TNT

Kelsey feeding Gatorade

Melt My Heart

In St. George while swimming crazy man Braden jumps and wraps his arms around my neck and says "I got my bwest fwiend." Then today he grabbed hold of me and told me I was his best friend. My heart just melted. If anyone knows Braden, they know that he is a complete momma's boy. Not sure how I feel about this every moment of the day, especially when I want a break. For the most part it makes me so happy to feel so loved.

Moments like this make me wonder what my relationship would be like with Macy and Kelsey if they were spaced further apart. I loved that they have always had a friend and that they have never really been alone. Before Braden I would have told you that having your kids close was the way to go. But now I couldn't give you a definitive answer of which is the best. Braden has had way more one on one time and I have felt so much joy in that time (frustrations too always the good with the bad). I felt joy watching the girls grow up (and still do) but mostly it was through observing them interact with each other and not the interactions with myself personally. There have been sweet moments in which the joy came from interacting with one or the other but the scales probably fall heavier the other way. I don't think each one of these ways are bad. I just wonder what my relationship will be like with the girls when they are grown. Would it have been easier to get where I want if they had had that extra special time with mom? Will I even get what I want and do I have the personality to have what I want? All deep questions that only time, myself and God will tell. Right now I will savor what I have and hopefully one day I will have 3 best friends (4 if you count my main squeeze).

Join us for Dinner

I bet you are all dying to know what dinner is like at my house and wondering if dinner at my house is like dinner at yours.  Well I wanted to remember because the other night as I was eating I caught the hilarity of it all instead of being frustrated and ready for it to end.

Most of the time Brian is not home for dinner.  This in of itself can be bothersome.  Usually the kids finish right when I take my first bite and they are ready for seconds or in need of something that requires I get up.  I have decided to incorporate some manners into this household and no one is to eat until everyone has been served.  This requires a lot of patience to starving children who only had a snack an hour ago.  Braden is also a picky eater and throws most of his food on the floor.  I grumble most of the time I am on my hands and knees wiping up.

This particular night I ask Macy about her favorite thing today.  Kelsey pipes in "How come you always ask Macy first?"  Macy's favorite thing was her substitute teacher.  Usually it is the number of recesses she got that day.  Throughout dinner she eats 3 helpings and makes it to a fourth.  I ask Kelsey the same question and she says "going to the bathroom" and then laughs with her witch cackle.  She then continues yaking and adds the word "toilet" into her answer at least 3 or 4 times laughing the entire time.  She wants more punch and I have to tell her to eat more than one bite before I will do this.  Five minutes later and she still has only taken one bite.  Then in her wicked laugh she tells me to look because she ate it all.  She did not have seconds nor did she come close to finishing her first serving.  At one point I turn to Braden and he has taken to eating some of his food like a dog.  He is bent over with his face to his tray.  Another point I look at Braden (I think after Kelsey's potty talk) and he is sitting back all relaxed, ankles crossed and his finger up his nose.

Here is a picture of what happens when Braden eats like a dog.

Anyone want to join us for dinner?

My World of Craziness

So the other day my sister went to the mall. She was looking for a parking spot when she saw 3 kids and a mom. The mom was digging around in her purse and then at time turning backwards to the kids. The kids were 6 to 10 feet behind. The oldest child was pushing a stroller with one of the other children in it. The stroller also happened to be weaving and bobbing down the parking lot. The third child was weaving and bobbing along with the other two. My sister thought to herself, "what kind of crazy mom would let her kids behave like that." Then she took a closer look and it was her sister and nieces and nephew. Yes I was that mom she was thinking bad things about. But let me explain. They were not in the way of traffic and Macy was doing her best to control the stroller. She would not let me push it. They were behind me because it seems that no matter what pace I walk at they will always stay that far behind. I have tried walking slower and they start walking even slower. That is why the crazy lady kept turning back; to make sure they were still coming, to herd them along, and make sure they were not going to get hit.

As I am writing this post I have been looking out the window because my kids were headed to a friend's house to play. I wanted to make sure they got there. Well this was quite the ordeal for them. They first had to get in the power wheels jeep to drive to their destination. I noticed that they made a detour at another friend's house. I guess Macy was dropping Kelsey off to play there because Kelsey was no longer in the jeep. Macy then went on her way. Well she has come back to the circle and went to the same house Kelsey is at. I guess Macy's friend wasn't home. It probably took them 15 minutes to do all this. If they had walked it may have taken less than 5. The house they are at is 2 houses down.

So Macy is quite observant. The other night she asked, "What if dad had to go #2 and #1 at the same time?" I told her to ask him what he would do. She didn't want to do that. Instead she came up with her own solutions to the problem and then divulged them to me. However in divulging she of course had to do some exaggerated actions. It was quite funny and I think they probably would have worked. She still wouldn't ask her dad. I think she was being silly and trying to see if I would consider it potty talk.

Introducing...

... Braden!

And our family is excited to have him hear. I know for many of you the name may be in a shock because it was not even on the radar. Brian made me sit down with him the night before the little guy came and come up with a name. Carter wasn't sitting right with him and Ethan was a little too popular. So I started throwing out some more names I liked. Two I really liked were Braden and Kaden, but our cousin already had a Kaden. So we decided to go with the first.

He weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz. and a height of 20 3/4 inches. The labor was not so bad especially because I had an epidural and was induced (I love knowing the end date). From start to finish labor was about 5 1/2 hours. Brian and I were expecting it to go a little faster, but the first time I saw my doctor was 30 minutes before Braden joined us. That was when he broke my water and soon after a healthy, content baby was born.

Here he is getting his first bath/shower. See that smile. He let the doctors and nurses do everything to him with so much as a whisper during the entire hospital stay. The one exception was the circumcision, but who can blame him for that one. Every nurse commented on his easiness. Hopefully he stays that way. So far he hasn't let us down.

Here he is all warm and snugly after his bath.

The girls were very excited to see their new brother and all through the day they would ask "when is our brother coming?" They couldn't wait to get to the hospital. When their Macy couldn't stop holding him and that still hasn't worn off. We only stayed 24 hours because the girls never wanted to leave, but they hated staying couped up in the hospital room. Since the hospital practiced what is called "couplet care" (meaning the baby never leaves you so you can take care of them) I thought what is the difference between the hospital and home. Comfort!

Here he is all ready for the ride home.

Here is the proud big sister. She is such a good helper.

Here is my other big helper. Her favorite thing to say is "what's his name again?" I guess we confused them too. However, now it is a fun game to play.

And of course the proud daddy.

I, myself am doing great. I am feeling good and healing well. Sometimes I wish it could be a little faster along with getting back into my pants. (I am a little worried with the heat fast approaching and no "fat" shorts in the closet.) I am also wishing my chest would return to normal a little faster. Hopefully in the next couple of days. At that time I am looking forward to a long, warm, relaxing shower.

Why I Exercise When I am Pregnant

The Big Reasons

1. I helps me stay within the optimal weight gain range because let's be honest I have a hard time controlling myself around food when I am not pregnant. There was a very brief time in my life when I could turn down unhealthy foods or eat them in moderation, but that self-control has fled. It is also hard to let go of the thought that you can eat whatever you want and however much you want during pregnancy.
2. It helps with my own personal view of my body image. I don't think there is anyone who really wants to put on 30 + pounds (unless you are a man). It makes me feel strong.
3. I feel it helps me prepare for labor and recover more quickly afterwards. Let's face it, even with an epidural there is some stamina required and definitely some muscle strength needed. By the way research has shown that exercising during pregnancy helps reduce labor time and shorten recovery. Both of these have been proven true in each of my children. It is not a guarantee, but gives you a better chance for quicker labor and recovery.
4. This is not proven, but I exercise (jog) up until the end because in my mind I think it helps to dilate the cervix and thin the membranes. Just last week (36 weeks) the doctor informed me that I am 2.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. It has been this way with my other two kids. Although it has not been helpful in starting my labor. So far all of my children have been induced. I still cross my fingers that exercising will start labor.
5. Muscle strength is quickly lost after surgeries (thus some of the need for physical therapy) and periods of inactivity. Can you imagine where you would start if you took 9 months off plus the required time after delivery? I don't really want to go there. I like the look of toned muscles, hence one of the reasons I think my husband is so hot.
6. I am prideful, stubborn and independent and like to be able to say I can do it. I like the satisfaction that comes from not giving up. I like to say that I still can do it. I don't want to be big. I want my body back. (Obviously I might need some mental help to kick this worldly view of my body, but that will have to be addressed at a different time.)

Other reasons that come to mind:

1. The PA this time told me to keep it up as long as I can.
2. I am not a high-risk pregnancy.
3. I feel it helps give my kids a healthier start. I was reading in a book called The Culprit and the Cure and it talked a little bit about how some research suggests that artery disease may start in developing babies. It says "the major arteries of some miscarried fetuses showed fatty streaks, the beginning stage of artery disease. This is due to the genetic makeup and nutritional status of the mother." By the way the book does give all it's references but I myself have forgotten how document those in the correct way. Eating more fruits and vegetables would help too, but I haven't been as good about that this time around.
4. I need to get back into my shorts quickly because it is heating up fast and I don't see a way to get to the store with 3 kids and be able to actually try shorts on to see if they fit.
5. I have been regularly exercising for a little over 10 years now. I am not so religious about it anymore, but I know that my motivation has it's highs and lows so I am afraid that if I stop I won't want to go back. I can think of plenty of things to do with that free hour plus the drive time to the gym and I may want to keep that hour.

Life is wonderful (another long post)

So instead of getting rid of all the candy and treats I bought more. Partly because I took my husband shopping with me. But oh well the chocolate covered pretzels and dark chocolate cherries taste really, really good.

So why is life wonderful? Because Brian's company offered to let him stay if he would take a new position with them. They have been doing better than expected for the last 3 months (sold more homes than predicted) so corporate said that they could keep one more person and they chose Brian. It isn't exactly what he wants and he had to take a small pay cut. It was a difficult choice because we were all set to try our hardest to get back home and the thought of getting out from under our home (even if it was difficult) were very tempting and obviously the home industry isn't stable yet. However, we feel like this is Heavenly Father's will for the time being and I am happy to stay around some of my many good friends. I am not looking forward to the summer, but I am looking forward to swimming. We truly have been blessed to not have had to go through any time of unemployment and it has helped us see and feel what many others are going through at this time.

Life is good because it cooled back down to the 70s. A recommendation to women who live or may live in Phoenix, AZ: do not have children anytime in the summer or in the fall. I feel for you poor women because for a brief time I experienced a taste of what you go through (mostly at night). I could handle the days but it wasn't cooling off enough at night. It was miserable because I couldn't sleep and when I did I would wake up sweating. I had to turn on the air conditioner. The problem was that it was just cool enough that the air conditioner only had to come on when I turned it down. So the fan remained on all night and Brian had to sleep with a blanket and a comforter for a couple of nights. I couldn't let him near me because his body produces way too much heat and he tends to move closer to me as he sleeps. One night I finally moved to the leather couch. Since we have cooled off I am getting much better sleep.

Last Wednesday baby boy got a room makeover. His room had been pink and yellow and since we are staying it had to go. One of the walls had big stripes and it was slightly sad to paint over all that hard work, but I am over it. Because my friend Kenlynne came over and helped the room was completed in a day. She is a perfect example of reaching out. The Sunday before she overheard me say that I was going to paint on Wednesday. She looks at me and says I have nothing to do that day and I can paint. Let me help you. At first I hesitated because I can be stubborn, but then I thought it was stupid to pass up help and I need to learn to accept service from others so they can have a chance to serve. What a great day it was to have her over and I will be forever in her debt because I thought it would take me all week; Tuesday - wash walls and tape, Wednesday - prime, Friday - paint color, Saturday - touch up. She was so quick, I was able to get rid of my kids most of the day and I did a wonderful job of taping so that afternoon everything completed. However, baby still has no name. We are thinking Carter Alan, Ethan Dee, or Jackson Alan so at least we have something.

The best news is 3 weeks and 3 days before mister arrives. I am all scheduled to be induced and I am counting down the days. I know he needs another week at least to be completely ready (and myself needs two weeks to get everything done because I am not ready), but there is a part of me that would love to be done with the pregnancy. I get to this point and my impatience shines. I know I need to live in the now, but I am ready to move on to the future. I just want my body back. I don't have terrible pregnancy, in fact compared to most they are super easy. But I have my complaints. I have the slight swelling going on. You wouldn't be able to tell, but I can see that my ankles are not as skinny especially at night. I have been craving diet coke for some reason. I would take a coke or Dr. Pepper too, but I don't need the extra calories. He has been finding 2 of my nerves that run down the inside of leg and he likes to play with those. I can't bend anymore and my pants don't stay up and my under garments slip off my belly so I feel draft sometimes. The good news is that 2 weeks ago at my doctors appointment the scale said I had lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks (must be from being sick). I felt so bad that for the next 2 weeks my body helped out and added 3 pounds. I like to be helpful. My last complaint is my hips when I wake up. I am tired of sleeping on my sides and my hips are letting it be known. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so hard to roll over. Like I said these are minor things, but they do bother me and I want to remember so I can tell my girls when they are at this point in their life. I have been blessed to be able to exercise still. I can't jog everyday, but I can get some kind of cardio in and weight lifting. For some reason with this pregnancy my heart rate kept getting too high when I ran (with Macy and Kelsey I was able to jog the entire time). This started a couple of months ago. So I had to slow it down and I alternate between walking, jogging, elliptical and stair climber. If it is a good day I can jog and makes me excited to be able to get back to working hard (I am not always excited for this so that is good that I want to get back).

Mother of all Hypocrites

As a mother you realize something is wrong when 10 minutes after dinner your kids ask for a treat. You tell them "no" because we just ate dinner and in your mind you think that you want to teach them that you don't always need a treat after a meal. What makes it worse is when right after you tell them no you go into your bedroom and pop in 3 thin mint cookies into your mouth and are already thinking about the ice cream and hot fudge purchased last night.

I am a total hypocrite. I stopped eating because I felt satisfied and close to full. Somehow I myself have become so trained to want sugar all the time. I sure hope these girls don't pick up their mom's bad habits like sneaking treats after each meal and through out the day. Maybe after the baby comes I will purge my house of any treats. I should start tomorrow, but I don't want to throw out all the treats because I still want to eat them. Maybe I will stop buying treats from this day forward and will finish off whatever is left until all is gone.

The Good and Bad of Life

I am going to make this quick because I have already wasted too much on the computer and I haven't even got to my original goal.

So I have finally hit the "bruised hips" phase of pregnancy. Every morning I hate waking up because I am still tired from turning over every hour because my hips start to feel as if they are bruising. However, I like to get up because I am tired of having my hips feel bruised. I don't know if anyone else experiences this, but I hate it. I just want to sleep. I have also hit the point where I feel that either an advancement in age or a third pregnancy is taking it's toll on me. I feel a lot more worn out at the end of the day and after an hour of picking up the house I am breathing heavy. There could be other factors that play in to this problem such as I have two kids that can create ginormous messes and it requires a lot of squatting and bending over to clean. I do a lot of crawling these days to minimize such actions. My hips are also ache a lot more. I am only five years older than when I was pregnant with my first, but I feel like an old woman some days. It makes me dread getting older. With Kelsey I taught water aerobics almost every night and maybe that is why I didn't notice the hips as much then. I am also at the point where I don't think there is much more room for baby boy. It seems that he pokes out every where. The only solution my body has is to get bigger. Not that exciting if you ask me.

So this is turning into not so quick, but I have to remember this stuff. Last night Macy gave her first family home evening lesson. She was so excited to prepare and give it. She did get upset when I wouldn't let her type on the computer to prepare. (We were out of time and she doesn't know how to spell anyways. I will make time for that another day.) She colored and cut out pictures of the story of the Good Samaritan. She then told us the story and asked us how we could show kindness to others. I think she liked doing it and maybe it will help give her courage to give talks in primary.

Last but not least, an update about our future. Sometimes I should keep my mouth shut before things are finalized. If anyone knows me, I am sure you never know if my plans are for sure. We have hit a huge obstacle in our original plans to move closer to family. It might even be bigger than actually finding a job (maybe not). The stumbling block is our home. Of course we purchased it at the height of the market. This has created problems in every scenario we have played out. We can't rent it because of the huge losses we will take over the years. We can't sell it because nobody will give us what we owe on it. So we are stuck. How come trials have to be so difficult? The silver lining to losing Brian's job was we could just go back home. Well that silver lining has faded a little because it has become so difficult to do. It feels awful to feel imprisoned by your home (one that seems to depreciate every day). It is even difficult to take a job in another state not occupied by our family because of the burden of our home. The worst part is we feel like we have done everything we could possibly do right. We purchased a home we could afford. We did a conventional loan. We saved money for a rainy day. We put money down when purchasing. We don't even qualify for a loan modification because we are current in our payments (and maybe because he isn't unemployed yet). In April they still might not do it because we do have some money saved up. So for the time being we are going to stay put, and look for a job anywhere and everywhere. Don't forget that my plans always change and evolve so next week you could see the for sale sign out in front of our house and we could be moving to a tent in the woods.

Since networking can be key, Brian is looking for something in high tech, health care, or real estate/construction. His background has been in finance, operations, and project management. If he reads this, he might have to correct me on this.

The Kind of Mother I am

Yesterday afternoon as I was walking into the gym I noticed these are the outfits my girls are wearing. They picked out their own attire. Macy's is fine except for the fact that she wore that same shirt the day before and we had visited the gym the day before too. Kelsey started out the day with a pair of jeans, but an hour after dressing she found her favorite skirt and changed. I was a little embarrassed as I walked through the doors but quickly got over it and just chuckled because that is the type of mother I am.

This picture also shows you a little about my kids. Macy is goofy for pictures and Kelsey won't smile. She will say cheese but no grin.

*Warning the next part is not funny and is only for those who want to know me as a mom. You might even find it appalling and not worth reading. So you can make a choice to stop reading here or continue on. It won't hurt my feelings one bit. Just remember this is for my posterity so don't judge too harshly.*

It is often that my kids pick out their own clothes and I try to persuade them to be a little more fashionable, but really it doesn't matter to me (most of the time). I have also been known to take my kids places with food all over their mouth. I usually notice this after we are get somewhere and I don't carry wipes anymore so that is how it has to be. (I don't use my own spit to clean their faces. If I use spit it is their own.) Their hair isn't ever really fancy, but then take a look at mine not always the latest and greatest. And who has time for bows, besides my girls don't ever leave them in. To be honest I know their have been a couple of times that we ended up at the gym and I had forgotten to at least comb their hair. Since I am being so honest, I am grateful that Macy hardly ever wants her hair done all cutsy. Baths are every other day and sometimes every 2 days so we hit bath time on a Saturday because that is the day to get ready for Sunday. My kids will sometimes strip down after dinner and be in a shirt and underwear or pants and underwear. I am just happy they are not getting another article of clothing dirty. My kids also don't have a set bedtime. It is a general time frame and depends on several factors including my mood and how they are acting. I didn't work with Macy on knowing her alphabet or writing her name before going to preschool. She has learned that all at school. I also don't do regular play dates or take them to the park on a regular basis. I get too busy worrying about all that I have to do to schedule that stuff in (which is not a good trait, but I am working on it because I understand that time goes by too fast). I don't mind leaving my kids for vacations or to go on a date night, I never have. But I am always happy to come back to them. All these things add up to the type of mother that I am.

There are some things I feel that I am good at. They brush their teeth morning and night. They get stories and scriptures every night. I try to feed them whole grains on most days, throw in fruits at breakfast and lunch, and serve vegetables for lunch and dinner (this has been slipping lately but I try). I am not opposed to treats, anyone who has seen my sweet tooth can attest to that, but I try to limit their treats, including fruit snacks, during the day (Halloween has thrown this out the window). It doesn't really bother me when someone else gives them treats. My main reasons for not serving treats are: 1. I hope they don't become addicted like me. 2. They get plenty of sugar in their diet. 3. I don't like to spend my grocery budget on them. They can get expensive because Brian loves treats and helps reduce supplies. 4. I am the biggest culprit at reducing treat supplies. There is very little that I won't eat and I am so bad that when I buy candy I hide it and eat it all without their knowledge. I am a bad example of limiting sugar. I also try to be careful of sodium and fast food restaurants. I try to limit their TV/movie watching. But again I am not real picky about things such as this. I may seem a little healthy extreme, but really I am pretty laid back about everything and it doesn't bother me if things are not done the same way I do them. So I have no problem having other people watch my kids and never get upset if they do things differently with my kids. I would call myself more laid back than strict. These different attitudes also make up who I am.

There are times when I look at other moms and wish that I dressed my kids as cute or knew how to do hair like that. Sometimes I wish that I would take more time to spend with my kids (remember I am working on that) and do the regular park thing. But I am also coming to the reality that every woman is different and has her own ideas and attitudes about things and that doesn't make me wrong or right. In my mind I may not seem like the perfect mom, but I am doing my best and so is everyone else. Every mom needs to pick and choose the things that are needful, what are wantful, and what is worth the time. Hopefully I will choose wisely and make adjustments where necessary and laugh off anything that doesn't fit the idea of perfect.

PS I mainly wrote this so one day my kids will have an idea of the kind of mother I was at this time in my life.

PPS I also wrote it so that I would feel better when people saw my kids in crazy outfits and dirty faces.