My Favorite Line Ever.....

So I decided that I need to get organized again when it comes to my meals. I hate figuring out what to make for dinner. In fact, I cringe every time one of my kids asks me, "What's for dinner?"
I also feel bad about my kids only having cereal for breakfast, mostly because of the guilt trip I get from my husband....cereal has lots of vitamins, right?
And then I also need to get more creative when it comes to snacks....instead of just sending the kiddos to the pantry for a granola bar (like cereal).

So here is my plan:
Breakfast-

• Mondays: scrambled eggs
• Tuesdays: pancakes (possibly with bacon---I don't want to get too ahead of myself)
• Wednesdays: cereal
• Thursdays: french toast (possibly with sausage--again a maybe)
• Fridays: cereal
• Saturdays: cereal or Shayne make something (I haven't talked to him about this yet, so it will probably just be cereal)
• Sundays: waffles

Lunch-

• Mondays: soup or Mac & Cheese
• Tuesdays: tuna fish sandwiches
• Wednesdays: deli sandwiches (that's just a fancy way of saying turkey or ham)
• Thursdays: pizza (the frozen kind-we like Totino's)
• Fridays: PB & Jam sandwiches
• Saturdays: hot dogs or deli sandwiches or Del Taco if Shayne's buying
• Sundays: toast

Dinner-

• Mondays: Mexican night (examples: enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, etc.)
  
• Tuesdays: Pasta dish (examples: spaghetti, lasagna, baked ziti, etc.)
  
• Wednesdays: omelets or leftovers (this used to be the breakfast for dinner night since I didn't make breakfast...but now...well see.)
  
• Thursdays: chicken , pork, or casserole dish (examples: Shepard's Pie, uhmmm..., etc.)
  
• Fridays: calzones, pizza, or burgers
• Saturdays: something grilled (or eating out without the kids would be nice!)
  
• Sundays: Roast or pork chops (definitely with homemade rolls....well the frozen dough.)

So, that's the plan. We'll see how long it lasts . I did just plan all my meals for a month. Hooray! No more planning for 4 more for weeks.

Shayne's B-day

So Shayne had his birthday yesterday. You may think that I am a horrible wife and that I forgot his birthday. Not this year (a story for another time). I purposely did not post this entry until after his birthday, see Shayne does not like to make a big deal about his birthdays. In fact, a perfect birthday to him would probably be just be like any other great day that includes: 18 holes of golf with friends and his new totally awesome golf bag, possibly a dinner out, definitely no fights with his wife and maybe even little something/something later, BUT most especially....a day without any mention of his birthday. Side note: Except from maybe his children ....another excuse for him to get kiss and hug.

Okay since it is not his birthday I can now safely say, "Happy Birthday, Shayne!" (I did say it to him yesterday, but not so everyone could hear...read.) Now I want to take this time to say how awesome Shayne is.

1. He could not be more funnier. Proof: his blog and Christmas cards
2. He is a great dad. Proof: I am devastated when he leaves for more than a few days, because I will miss him? No, well a little. But mostly because I won't have his help with taking care of the 4 little brats at home.
   
3. He is good at his job. And works hard when he's not....see #4
   
4. He plays hard. Enjoying golf...a lot.
5. He's smart. Proof: he can knock out those Sudoku puzzles in minutes and don't forget the good old crossword puzzles.
6. He has great taste in T.V. shows, movies, and music. Proof: an amazing music collection, also we enjoy most T.V. shows together: The office, 30 Rock, King of Queens, Amazing Race, So You Think You Can Dance, just to name a few... J/K on the last one.
7. Some say when it comes to spending money, he is stingy, thrifty, cheap, tight, maybe even a tightwad. But I will say he is frugal. Sometimes this trait is hard on ME...not always getting what I want, NOW! But his careful, penny-pinching, pocket preserving ways are what got us to where we are today. Living in a beautiful home in an amazing neighborhood, enjoying a great life... on a budget mind you, all because of his hard work and practical ways.
   
8. He is a great husband. Proof: for one thing he is very thoughtful MOST of the time...like when he surprised me for my birthday. And then for all the reasons I said earlier (see #1-#7). Shayne likes to tell me that I have it great, being married to him ... and maybe I don't like to admit it to him right then, because I would be agreeing and then he would win....But right now I will say it....YES, I DO HAVE IT GREAT BEING MARRIED TO SHAYNE!

So...Happy Happy Birthday!

Fun times in Logan

We just came home from spending 5 days in Logan. What fun! I love going back to Logan especially in the summer when it is 115 degrees here and climbing. We went to the park a lot, went to Bear Lake, and just played and played. Oh and ate lots of great food. Thanks mom and dad.

I also was able to see friends that live far away and I haven't seen for a couple of years. Now that was fun!!!!

Relief Society Reunion night

The other night I had an Enrichment meeting at a park (yes, outside in the 108 degree heat). Crazy! It was nice though. We had yummy food: dutch oven potatoes (without the onions-how did they know I don't like onions), chicken, lots of salads, fruit, and desserts. We played a fun game, Speed Questions (kind-of like speed dating) where we asked someone across from us a question that we then each had 30 seconds to answer before moving to the next person and then ask another question. This was fun to get to know each other a little more.

But the best part was the volleyball-water-balloon-towel game that turned into plain old water fight. I haven't been in a water fight like that for a long time. It was so fun. All these moms running around throwing water balloons at each other, looking for anyone that was still dry. Of course the best thing about a true water fight, is that it is spontaneous and that means very one is in their clothes (not swimsuits). It was fun to come home and tell Shayne and the girls all about it and explain why I was soaking wet!

This is good, but will be even better....later.

I love it when my kids say something that I can use....to mortify them when they are older.


Yesterday Kate asked her dad if he would help her practice kissing. Nice! She will love to hear that when she is 15.




A couple of days ago, Kate, while wearing a princess dress and a veil, made her dad get in a white shirt and marry her. Parly was the officiator. It was a beautiful ceremony.

Going along with the marriage theme here's another: At night Kate also likes to tell me or her dad a secret. She whispers in my ear, "Tell daddy to marry you." But then today at lunch Kate told me not to marry daddy because he has a bald head. (Shayne recently shaved his head...short.)

Any guesses?

So Maggie has learned to crawl. The first couple of days she stayed close, mostly in the kitchen living area. I thought, This is great! She just went from one toy to the next, keeping herself busy. But it wasn't to last....soon she found there where more exciting places to go. And has found her way around pretty much all of the main floor....including the stairs.

Well tonight she found herself a tasty snack, thanks to her new found mobilization and a lazy mom. Any guesses? Anyone can play...except Shayne and Nana in Logan. Good Luck and I'll let you know soon.

Maggie is talking!

So Maggie has said her first word. Not just sounds, either. I know she looks like she is 6 months here, but she is really 10 months. She can sit herself up and even crawl a bit. The funniest is that she always seems to end up hugging the couch or chair leg...and then she's stuck. She continues to be a very happy baby. Lucky for her she can entertain herself while I blog, read blogs, cook a few meals here and there, and keep track of the Others...playing with friends, tennis, swimming, Safety Town, and dance.

Question: What is on Maggie's face? Oreo cookies of course.
Here is Maggie hugging the chair. I'm glad somebody (something?)loves her.

Hail to Google!

I love the internet. Google especially. I have been looking for a movie I remember seeing when I was younger for a long time now. The movie plot was a little vague so I didn't have much to go on. And my siblings didn't seem to remember seeing it. And of course I couldn't remember the title...that would be too easy.

So this movie: all I remember is that there were some sisters, a couple of them were mean, and the nice one fell down a well for some reason and there was an underground world or something down there. Anyway I thought maybe I just dreamed it...until today!

I typed in "animated film, mean sisters, fall in a well, ring" on Google. And it came up with a site, The Internet Movie Critic. I guess you can describe movies on this site and they (someone..who knows who? I think anyone who thinks they know the movie being described...) will tell you the title of the movie. Well my movie was describe by someone else #136. And the title given was- "Once upon a time". How exciting.

So I went back to my dear friend Google and typed, "Once upon a time" and the movie came up on amazon.com and ta-da. There it was. How exciting, again. Well of course I bought it and can't wait to watch it again...this time with my girls.

So to my now best friend Google---you are amazing. You answer all of my questions....You even helped me cheat on another friends blog -read about it here. And you've helped me prove to Shayne that I am right about two different bets we made (guessing celebrities who may or may not be on commercials)..anyway... those winnings have be great!

So for now and probably many more questions to be answered....I thank thee!

Disneyland Adventures

Little Kranky Kate

So Kate was whining about wanting to watch T.V. Some days I might let her watch more.... but today I was feeling particularly strong and wasn't going to let things slide, so I told her no. Of course that brought on more crying and begging. Some days I might loose my cool and yell at her to stop.... but today I was a little more motivated to discipline the correct way, so I told her she could stop whining and play outside or she could go to her room and continue her crying up there. She didn't stop so I started escorting her over to the stairs... and since I was doing so well, I resisted the temptation to inadvertently twist her arm in an Indian-burn-type-fashion, like I sometimes do. (Gasp! Oh, stop you know you've done something similar. Right?)

We made it to the stairs, and she didn't want to go up... and as good a day as I was having, I didn't really have the energy to calming drag her up the stairs either. SO, I just took her over to our guest room and closed the door. She continued her crying, now asking for her blankie...to which I replied, "You may come out of the room and get your blankie once you are done crying."

Well, after about 5 minutes I realized I wasn't hearing any more yelling, crying or even whining, so I slowly opened the door and peeked in. And there was Kate..........


......fast asleep. She even made a blanket with the pillows from the couch. How cute!