I feel like writing tonight but have no idea what to say. Therefore you get a bunch of randon stuff. Here goes.
*Kora is 5 1/2 months old now and decided this week that she's tired of sitting in one place. This morning she scooted herself all the way across our california king sized bed to get to me. It took her several minutes to do it but she did. She also rolls back and forth to get places or things and she can sit up pretty good if I help her get there. Who told her she was allowed to grow up so fast?
*Last month I got a Groupon for half off hair and waxing services and I went to redeem it today. They washed my hair, did a deep conditioning treatment, cut off about 6-8 inches off my hair and then waxed my eyebrows. I paid $35 for the groupon and it would have cost me $65+ tax if I paid full price. It was a nice 2 hour break from my obnoxious kids.
*Have I mentioned how much I enjoy year round school lately? My kids went back to school last week and it has been so nice. I now have 4 of them in school all day and 2 home that sleep in most days. I've actually been getting some sleep and it's been really nice. My days are so nice and relaxing until about 4pm. Then the kids get home and start arguing, fighting, hitting, kicking, pinching, tattling, screaming and, you get the idea. I don't understand how it can go from a really happy, good mood day to oh my heck I want to wring everybody's neck so quickly.
*my car broke about a week ago. It sounds like an old VW with a sound enhancer on the muffler. It could also sound like a cross between a really loud motorcycle and a diesel truck. It happened as we were driving down the road on the 4th of July when everything was closed. Turns out the muffler blew a hole right next to the catalytic converter and the only way to fix it is to get the whole assembly. This might not be so bad except that apparenly, everybody else who bought Dodge Caravans in 2004 got a V6 so parts for our 4 cylinder van are hard to come by. This one had to be ordered fom the dealership and cost $800 just for the part. Luckily labor is only $80 but that still puts us over $900 after tax. Good thing I built up that emergency fund. The part should be here tomorrow or the next day and they'll put it in for us as soon as it arrives.
Ok, I think that's about it for now. Maybe I'll think of someting else to write tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Do you ever wonder?
So, I have this friend. She knows who she is and some of you may also know who she is, but I'm not going to mention names otherwise. Anyway, her family and ours used to hang out quite a bit, and when I say that I do mean a lot. We'd get together once or twice a week, sometimes more, have dinner, chat, play games and have a really great time. Then one day they declined to come over, started avoiding us when we'd see each other, made excuses of why they couldn't get together with us and stuff like that. We tried asking questions as to why and what happened and, from what we could figure, I did or said something that offended this friend so she quit talking to me and didn't want to hang out anymore.
I tried talking to her and tried asking what I did or said that upset her. I even send an email or two in hopes of a reply. A year passed with nothing. Finally we started talking on a limited basis and then they came over to our house for a birthday party. Just as the party was starting, one of her children slipped on my clean tile and broke their arm. This ended what I thought was the beginning of making up. A few more months passed and we moved away, however, we are still facebook friends.
It's now been another year and a half and, for some reason, she has been weighing on my mind today. I wonder how she is, I wonder what kind of things she's doing and I wonder if she still hates me or holds a grudge for whatever it was that I said or did.
It might not bother me so much if I actually knew what it was also. I mean, if I knew then I could at least give her a sincere apology if nothing else. I miss my friend, the chats we had and the things that we did together and I wonder if there's ever going to be a possibility that we could make up. Are you out there friend?
I tried talking to her and tried asking what I did or said that upset her. I even send an email or two in hopes of a reply. A year passed with nothing. Finally we started talking on a limited basis and then they came over to our house for a birthday party. Just as the party was starting, one of her children slipped on my clean tile and broke their arm. This ended what I thought was the beginning of making up. A few more months passed and we moved away, however, we are still facebook friends.
It's now been another year and a half and, for some reason, she has been weighing on my mind today. I wonder how she is, I wonder what kind of things she's doing and I wonder if she still hates me or holds a grudge for whatever it was that I said or did.
It might not bother me so much if I actually knew what it was also. I mean, if I knew then I could at least give her a sincere apology if nothing else. I miss my friend, the chats we had and the things that we did together and I wonder if there's ever going to be a possibility that we could make up. Are you out there friend?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
wow, 3 months already?
Ok, so there has been A LOT that has happened in the last nearly 4 months since I posted something. To begin with, I had a baby. Kora Jade Clark was born on January 26th, 2011 at 4:49am and weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 19inches long. At her 5 day visit she was up to 7lbs even, at 1 month she was 7lbs 7 1/2 oz and at her 2 month visit she was 11lbs even. She's an eater and a sweetheart. I love her chubby little cheeks and her personality. She's my little snuggler and still likes to sleep on my chest at night. I know I probably should start making her sleep elsewhere but I know she'll do that on her own soon and I'll miss it so I'm letting her sleep there as long as she wants (unless of course she still wants to sleep there at 6 or 9 months, I might draw the line).
We blessed Kora at church on February 6th so that Abuelo (Josh's dad) could be there to stand in the circle before he had to head home the next day. It was a beautiful blessing-probably one of the best I've heard.
My kids LOVE Kora so much and they're actually all pretty helpful most of the time. Caleb is overjoyed to be a big brother now and doesn't like to answer to anything else. He'll tell you he's not Monkey britches, he's a big brother or that he's not Caleb, he's a big brother or even that he's not a baby, he's a big brother and so on-you get the idea. The rest have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves most of the time-they all just want to hold her or kiss her on a constant basis. I can't tell you how many times I've walked away to do something and come back a minute later to see Raven holding Kora and carrying her around the room. Yes, they love her.
I love Kora's smile and her little giggle and all the things she's learning to do every day. She's growing up too fast and I wish she would just slow down a little. Don't I deserve to enjoy my last baby being a baby a bit longer? I sure think so.
We blessed Kora at church on February 6th so that Abuelo (Josh's dad) could be there to stand in the circle before he had to head home the next day. It was a beautiful blessing-probably one of the best I've heard. 
My kids LOVE Kora so much and they're actually all pretty helpful most of the time. Caleb is overjoyed to be a big brother now and doesn't like to answer to anything else. He'll tell you he's not Monkey britches, he's a big brother or that he's not Caleb, he's a big brother or even that he's not a baby, he's a big brother and so on-you get the idea. The rest have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves most of the time-they all just want to hold her or kiss her on a constant basis. I can't tell you how many times I've walked away to do something and come back a minute later to see Raven holding Kora and carrying her around the room. Yes, they love her.
I love Kora's smile and her little giggle and all the things she's learning to do every day. She's growing up too fast and I wish she would just slow down a little. Don't I deserve to enjoy my last baby being a baby a bit longer? I sure think so. Thursday, January 6, 2011
Public Service Announcement
Just thought I'd be nice and give everybody a heads up. If you're coming to my house to visit, even if it's to help me out or do me a favor, LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME. Find a dog sitter, put them in a kennel for a bit, trust me when I say that you'll be much more likely to be adored and invited back later if you come without him/her. We love you and expect any REAL children that you may bring with you but, as far as I'm concerned, your dog isn't welcome here.
Let me list a few reasons for you:
1. I'm allergic to your dog. I know, I'm allergic to my cats too and I stay highly medicated because of it, so it's likely that your dog won't effect me that badly. Still, I'm more allergic to your dog than I am to my cats so it does effect me, even if it's just a little.
2. I have cats. My cats are almost 12 and 17 1/2 years old. They don't like dogs and putting their food up on the counter so your dog doesn't eat it isn't an option because the older one can't jump up there anymore. I'm sick and tired of having to put their food back down every time I go into the bathroom so that they don't starve to death. I love my cats more than your dog. Trust me on this one.
3. I detest cleaning up after your dog when you leave, and I'm not talking about the back yard cause that's Josh's job (and should be done by you as you follow your dog around doing it's business anyway-my kids play there, don't leave it sit). I'm talking about the dog hair and dog food and any other messes your dog makes in my house while you visit. Yes, my cats make messes too, but cleaning up after them is a responsibility I accepted 17 1/2 years ago when I got the first one. I never agreed to clean up after your dog.
4. I don't like dogs, especially in my house. Enough said
Can you tell I just finished cleaning up after somebody's dog? Not only that, but I was cleaning up after that one, knowing that somebody else is arriving with their unwelcome dog tomorrow. Yes, I'm pregnant and I'm probably a bit hormonal (ok, really hormonal) and I just spent the last 2 days in the hospital with gall bladder attacks (which is another blog post for another day) and trying to get out and come home, but I'm also tired of people showing up to my house with their dogs, assuming that we don't mind. While the rest of my family doesn't mind and will probably love your dog, I do care and would prefer if you left the mangy thing home.
Thank you.
Let me list a few reasons for you:
1. I'm allergic to your dog. I know, I'm allergic to my cats too and I stay highly medicated because of it, so it's likely that your dog won't effect me that badly. Still, I'm more allergic to your dog than I am to my cats so it does effect me, even if it's just a little.
2. I have cats. My cats are almost 12 and 17 1/2 years old. They don't like dogs and putting their food up on the counter so your dog doesn't eat it isn't an option because the older one can't jump up there anymore. I'm sick and tired of having to put their food back down every time I go into the bathroom so that they don't starve to death. I love my cats more than your dog. Trust me on this one.
3. I detest cleaning up after your dog when you leave, and I'm not talking about the back yard cause that's Josh's job (and should be done by you as you follow your dog around doing it's business anyway-my kids play there, don't leave it sit). I'm talking about the dog hair and dog food and any other messes your dog makes in my house while you visit. Yes, my cats make messes too, but cleaning up after them is a responsibility I accepted 17 1/2 years ago when I got the first one. I never agreed to clean up after your dog.
4. I don't like dogs, especially in my house. Enough said
Can you tell I just finished cleaning up after somebody's dog? Not only that, but I was cleaning up after that one, knowing that somebody else is arriving with their unwelcome dog tomorrow. Yes, I'm pregnant and I'm probably a bit hormonal (ok, really hormonal) and I just spent the last 2 days in the hospital with gall bladder attacks (which is another blog post for another day) and trying to get out and come home, but I'm also tired of people showing up to my house with their dogs, assuming that we don't mind. While the rest of my family doesn't mind and will probably love your dog, I do care and would prefer if you left the mangy thing home.
Thank you.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Recently I keep finding myself feeling a little bit lost in our new ward and wondering why it is that we've been led here rather than someplace else. It's not that the people in our ward aren't nice or that we don't like them, but more rather that we really haven't been able to get to know anybody well enough to feel like we belong here. It's hard to explain really. We've been in our house now for almost 7 months and we started coming to this ward almost a month before we moved in and still we don't have any close friends or people we feel comfortable enough to just call and talk to or seek out in the halls. It probably doesn't help much that we were in our house less than a month when Josh and I were called to teach the Sunbeam class in primary so pretty much the only people we see and talk to regularly are a bunch of 4 year olds and a few of their parents as they pick them up after church-that's about it.
Over the last week some of those feelings have changed for me. On Saturday night our doorbell rang and when we went to the door there were two giant trash bags full of wrapped presents. They are all for the kids but there are more than a few and a couple of them had tears in the paper I had to fix as I put them under the tree so I got to see what they were-not cheap gifts to say the least. And, to top that all off, there are at least 5 gifts for each of the kids. We have 5 kids so that means that somebody really spent some money on us and were actually thinking of us as they prepared this gift. I was in awe.
Then Sunday night as we sat in the other room our doorbell rang again. We all went to answer it and this time found only a gift box on the doorstep-like a t-shirt size box. I picked it up and shook it, it sounded like it was food so we opted to open it up. It had a bunch of boxed candy-the type you'd buy at the movies-and several gift cards. I passed Josh the cards and he looked at me as he examined them and asked "did you see these"? I hadn't looked at them, just handed them to him. There were gift cards for the movie theater, Chiles restaurant and Payless Shoes. The gift cards totalled $200-who has a random $200 to spend on another family at Christmas?
Then on Monday we were called by somebody from the church and offered 2 weeks worth of groceries if we needed/wanted it. Not that we really need it right now, but it makes me wonder if they know something that we don't?
Finally, on Tuesday morning Josh was leaving for work and discovered 2 more trash bags full of gifts-3 more gifts per child. These were definitely from somebody different than the first as names are actually spelled right on all gifts.
So, we know that the gifts came from somebody at the church-we don't know anybody else here really and the people that we do know from the school or whatever, don't know where we live. It's made me stop and think the last few days. The people in our ward really are paying attention and we aren't as invisible as we thought we were. The gifts we received were thought out and actually individualized (I think somebody saw Raven's church shoe with it's sole hanging off the last few weeks and that's why we got the gift card to Payless shoes. Not that we can't afford her new ones-those are new, just a few months old, and she just destroyed them so we were making her deal with it for a bit before we replaced them). I'm actually feeling really grateful for what we've been given and that somebody else (a few families at least) was actually thinking of us. Our Christmas has been expanded by leaps and bounds thanks to somebody else's generosity and sacrifices and I am in awe for that.
Thank you to whomever you are for those gifts and thank you so much for letting us know that somebody here really does care about our family. And especially, thank you for sacrificing so much of your time and money during this holiday season-we really do appreciate it all. Maybe I'll start looking at our ward a bit differently and with a lot more love in my heart now.
Over the last week some of those feelings have changed for me. On Saturday night our doorbell rang and when we went to the door there were two giant trash bags full of wrapped presents. They are all for the kids but there are more than a few and a couple of them had tears in the paper I had to fix as I put them under the tree so I got to see what they were-not cheap gifts to say the least. And, to top that all off, there are at least 5 gifts for each of the kids. We have 5 kids so that means that somebody really spent some money on us and were actually thinking of us as they prepared this gift. I was in awe.
Then Sunday night as we sat in the other room our doorbell rang again. We all went to answer it and this time found only a gift box on the doorstep-like a t-shirt size box. I picked it up and shook it, it sounded like it was food so we opted to open it up. It had a bunch of boxed candy-the type you'd buy at the movies-and several gift cards. I passed Josh the cards and he looked at me as he examined them and asked "did you see these"? I hadn't looked at them, just handed them to him. There were gift cards for the movie theater, Chiles restaurant and Payless Shoes. The gift cards totalled $200-who has a random $200 to spend on another family at Christmas?
Then on Monday we were called by somebody from the church and offered 2 weeks worth of groceries if we needed/wanted it. Not that we really need it right now, but it makes me wonder if they know something that we don't?
Finally, on Tuesday morning Josh was leaving for work and discovered 2 more trash bags full of gifts-3 more gifts per child. These were definitely from somebody different than the first as names are actually spelled right on all gifts.
So, we know that the gifts came from somebody at the church-we don't know anybody else here really and the people that we do know from the school or whatever, don't know where we live. It's made me stop and think the last few days. The people in our ward really are paying attention and we aren't as invisible as we thought we were. The gifts we received were thought out and actually individualized (I think somebody saw Raven's church shoe with it's sole hanging off the last few weeks and that's why we got the gift card to Payless shoes. Not that we can't afford her new ones-those are new, just a few months old, and she just destroyed them so we were making her deal with it for a bit before we replaced them). I'm actually feeling really grateful for what we've been given and that somebody else (a few families at least) was actually thinking of us. Our Christmas has been expanded by leaps and bounds thanks to somebody else's generosity and sacrifices and I am in awe for that.
Thank you to whomever you are for those gifts and thank you so much for letting us know that somebody here really does care about our family. And especially, thank you for sacrificing so much of your time and money during this holiday season-we really do appreciate it all. Maybe I'll start looking at our ward a bit differently and with a lot more love in my heart now.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Working from home dilema
Did you ever have a friend who you hung out with all the time? Who you enjoyed talking to and being with? Your kids liked playing together and got along really well? I had one of these friends and then one day she discovered a business where she could work from home (kind of) and then suddenly that's all that she talked about. Any time she called it was only to talk about her business. If I tried to talk about our kids or a play date the subject was quickly changed and we went back to her next meeting or a new product or something of the like. (if you're thinking this may be you then you're probably wrong as this person quit talking to me ages ago and doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore).
I too, work from home and have for many years now. However, one of the first things they taught me when I got started was that you don't go chasing down your friends and family and, instead, talk to those people who are actually interested in hearing about what I have to offer. There is no friendship that is worth losing simply because they aren't interested in what I have to offer. This friend wasn't taught this concept in her business. Now, I did look into her business and even checked out some of the products and the company. They are a good company and have a lot to offer to some people, however, I don't need or use most of what they have so I didn't make a very good customer for her and, therefore, I didn't meet her qualifications to be her friend anymore.
It's sad to have to lose a good friendship over something like this. Ok, so I've probably been dwelling on this a little too much lately, but the fact is that I sometimes miss this friend and talking to and hanging out with her. I miss getting emails from her that are about her kids or her family and not about her business. I miss reading her Facebook updates about how her kids are growing or what they're doing and I'm kind of tired of reading only about her business or how to be a better business person.
A lot of home-based businesses are really pretty decent if you look into them but I think this is why they get such a bad reputation and people despise them so much. It isn't the home businesses that people dislike, it's what they do to the people who work them. It's the way that people change when they start "working from home". And it's the way that people start treating their friends when they say that they aren't interested.
I don't think that I've done this to any of my friends, but if I have then I'm really sorry (and please let me know cause I don't want something like this hanging in the air). I love Melaleuca and all that they offer to me and my family and the way that their products have changed our home, and I do talk to my friends and family about their products. However, I also understand that not everybody is ready for or interested in their products the way that I am (and if you are interested, feel free to bring it up cause I do like to talk about it-just not to the point where you don't want to talk to me anymore. I care about you and your family and what they're doing more than I care about having you purchase from my company). It is OK to say no.
So, has anybody else had this sort of experience before? How did you handle it? Did you talk to the person and have a positive outcome? Or did it bomb the way it did for me when I nicely told her I wasn't interested in hearing about her business but still wanted to be her friend?
I too, work from home and have for many years now. However, one of the first things they taught me when I got started was that you don't go chasing down your friends and family and, instead, talk to those people who are actually interested in hearing about what I have to offer. There is no friendship that is worth losing simply because they aren't interested in what I have to offer. This friend wasn't taught this concept in her business. Now, I did look into her business and even checked out some of the products and the company. They are a good company and have a lot to offer to some people, however, I don't need or use most of what they have so I didn't make a very good customer for her and, therefore, I didn't meet her qualifications to be her friend anymore.
It's sad to have to lose a good friendship over something like this. Ok, so I've probably been dwelling on this a little too much lately, but the fact is that I sometimes miss this friend and talking to and hanging out with her. I miss getting emails from her that are about her kids or her family and not about her business. I miss reading her Facebook updates about how her kids are growing or what they're doing and I'm kind of tired of reading only about her business or how to be a better business person.
A lot of home-based businesses are really pretty decent if you look into them but I think this is why they get such a bad reputation and people despise them so much. It isn't the home businesses that people dislike, it's what they do to the people who work them. It's the way that people change when they start "working from home". And it's the way that people start treating their friends when they say that they aren't interested.
I don't think that I've done this to any of my friends, but if I have then I'm really sorry (and please let me know cause I don't want something like this hanging in the air). I love Melaleuca and all that they offer to me and my family and the way that their products have changed our home, and I do talk to my friends and family about their products. However, I also understand that not everybody is ready for or interested in their products the way that I am (and if you are interested, feel free to bring it up cause I do like to talk about it-just not to the point where you don't want to talk to me anymore. I care about you and your family and what they're doing more than I care about having you purchase from my company). It is OK to say no.
So, has anybody else had this sort of experience before? How did you handle it? Did you talk to the person and have a positive outcome? Or did it bomb the way it did for me when I nicely told her I wasn't interested in hearing about her business but still wanted to be her friend?
Thankfull
As we approach the Thanksgiving season people everywhere are starting to think of what they're thankful for. I have been thinking of what I'm thankful for all this year, and there is so much, the list goes on. Let me see if I can start with a decent list.
-First, I am thankful that we were able to leave Australia this year. I totally loved living in Alice Springs and I loved all of the friends we made there and it was really hard for me to leave. However, I also know that it was the right move for us and that it has led us to where we are now.
-I am also thankful that we were able to stay with my parents at their house for a bit. It's been so long since I lived at home and it reinforced all the reasons why we don't go back once we move out. I love my parents but am so thankful for the distance between us and it makes me even more thankful for all the things I have, especially my own place.
-I'm very thankful to be out of and away from the Army. They were really good to us for 10 1/2 years but the time came for us to depart and I'm glad the transition was as smooth as it was and that it's done and over with. I'm so grateful to never have to deal with Army training, duty and politics ever again.
-I'm extremely grateful that the job in Ohio fell through and that they never called us back after we signed their contract. This may sound funny but it led to us being able to, instead, get this job with SNC and move to Colorado instead of Ohio. I know the job in Ohio would have been OK and that we would have survived, but I'm really glad to be so central to family and be able to see them all more often and not have it be impossible to make the trips.
-I'm thankful that we were able to find this house and be able to buy it and get into it so quickly. This house is home and everything about it is right for us. We had a really great realtor (which we randomly picked out of a realty magazine) and she became a good friend too.
-I am ever so grateful for my husband, my kids and, especially, for this baby who is growing within me. I'm thankful that this baby moves and wiggles all the time and that she's growing and developing the way she should. I can hardly wait to hold her. I love my other 5 kids and the smile they bring to me every day. I love watching them grow and mature and I really enjoy watching them learn new things and the light in their eyes. I especially love my husband. He is so good to me and our childrena and he works so hard to make sure that we don't have to struggle. I love him so much.
-I am thankful for friends and family all over the world and the support we can give each other, even from across the country or half-way around the world. Every one of you means so much to me and I don't know what I'd do without you.
-I'm really thankful for Facebook. It makes it possible for me to keep up with old friends and family and feel more like they still live nearby and not the miles apart that we actually are. Sometimes life can get lonely in a new state, city and neighborhood where you know nobody but this has made it so that those miles don't seem so far.
I know that there are so many more things that I'm thankful for but this is the beginning of my list. I hope you all get to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and that this season will help us look more to what we have rather than what we don't. I also hope that looking at what we're grateful for will help us to be more giving during the Christmas holidays that lay just around the corner.
-First, I am thankful that we were able to leave Australia this year. I totally loved living in Alice Springs and I loved all of the friends we made there and it was really hard for me to leave. However, I also know that it was the right move for us and that it has led us to where we are now.
-I am also thankful that we were able to stay with my parents at their house for a bit. It's been so long since I lived at home and it reinforced all the reasons why we don't go back once we move out. I love my parents but am so thankful for the distance between us and it makes me even more thankful for all the things I have, especially my own place.
-I'm very thankful to be out of and away from the Army. They were really good to us for 10 1/2 years but the time came for us to depart and I'm glad the transition was as smooth as it was and that it's done and over with. I'm so grateful to never have to deal with Army training, duty and politics ever again.
-I'm extremely grateful that the job in Ohio fell through and that they never called us back after we signed their contract. This may sound funny but it led to us being able to, instead, get this job with SNC and move to Colorado instead of Ohio. I know the job in Ohio would have been OK and that we would have survived, but I'm really glad to be so central to family and be able to see them all more often and not have it be impossible to make the trips.
-I'm thankful that we were able to find this house and be able to buy it and get into it so quickly. This house is home and everything about it is right for us. We had a really great realtor (which we randomly picked out of a realty magazine) and she became a good friend too.
-I am ever so grateful for my husband, my kids and, especially, for this baby who is growing within me. I'm thankful that this baby moves and wiggles all the time and that she's growing and developing the way she should. I can hardly wait to hold her. I love my other 5 kids and the smile they bring to me every day. I love watching them grow and mature and I really enjoy watching them learn new things and the light in their eyes. I especially love my husband. He is so good to me and our childrena and he works so hard to make sure that we don't have to struggle. I love him so much.
-I am thankful for friends and family all over the world and the support we can give each other, even from across the country or half-way around the world. Every one of you means so much to me and I don't know what I'd do without you.
-I'm really thankful for Facebook. It makes it possible for me to keep up with old friends and family and feel more like they still live nearby and not the miles apart that we actually are. Sometimes life can get lonely in a new state, city and neighborhood where you know nobody but this has made it so that those miles don't seem so far.
I know that there are so many more things that I'm thankful for but this is the beginning of my list. I hope you all get to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and that this season will help us look more to what we have rather than what we don't. I also hope that looking at what we're grateful for will help us to be more giving during the Christmas holidays that lay just around the corner.
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