Halloween Spirit

We absolutely LOVE Halloween here, maybe because that's also Theo's birthday?? ;) I've always loved Halloween, to marry a guy whose birthday is actually on the holiday is mere coincidence....or is it?

Our favorite part is decorating, okay...okay...it's the candy, BUT second is the decorating. I'm not crafty on my own, I need friends to help me and hold my hand through all these papery projects. If it doesn't involve icing or cake, I'm screwed. So a friend of mine set up a crafting night where she had everything laid out for us and all the letters cut out and ready to stick. My kind of crafting! It was super easy and super cheap, BONUS! This would easily be $30 at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, but because I had a friend hook me up and then I did the assembly it was only $8!!! You can't get any better than that my friends.

Looks pretty awesome on my mantel! I get happy goosebumps all over just looking at it!

A Five Year Old Bean

Don't let that innocent face fool you....

This is the face she is usually giving. I'm waiting for her face to freeze this way one day.

That pouty-faced vixen turned 5 years old today. Her whole purpose on this earth is to teach me patience. I know this because every single day, in every single situation she tries it.

But I love her so much! Her spunk is through the roof!

This little girl is the perfect balance between girly and tomboy. She'll beat the crap out of you wearing a dress, high heels and holding a purse. She'll play tea party with the girls, but karate with the boys. She's sporty, but not competitive. She's independent, but loves to cuddle. She won't take crap from anybody, she knows how to stand up for herself, and she will!

That's my Emma Bean.

I Will Never Forget

I have to write about my experience this past Sunday in remembrance of that fateful day in New York and Washington D.C. Mobile sponsored a 5K run called the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run. When I read that you get to run through the Bankhead tunnel into downtown Mobile I was thrilled and signed up immediately. I knew that it was for a good cause, but it was running through the tunnel that really appealed to me. But then I heard the story.

Here it is:

By the time Stephen Siller was 10 years old, he had already lost both parents. Although he went through a period of struggle, because of the love of his siblings and the values instilled in him by his parents, he grew up to be an extraordinary individual. More than most, he knew that time was precious and accomplished much in his 34 years.

On September 11th, firefighter Stephen Siller had just gotten off the late shift at Squad 1, Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was on his way to play golf with his brothers on that bright clear day when his scanner told of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. When he heard the news, he called his wife Sally to tell her he would be late because he had to help those in need. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear, then took his final heroic steps to the World Trade Center. When Stephen drove his truck to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was already closed to traffic . With sixty pounds of gear strapped to his back, he ran through the Tunnel, hoping to meet up with his own company, Squad 1.

Stephen was first and foremost a loving husband and father to five children. He was also a dedicated fireman, devoted brother, loyal friend and committed neighbor. His life brought great light to those around him.

He did not make it out alive, he gave his life to help others. As I ran through the tunnel I heard the hollers and whoops of others around me. I couldn't tell if they were doing it as a rally cheer, or if they were just as giddy as I initially was when I first found out I was going to be running the tunnel. But for me it was a very emotionally draining experience. I placed myself in Stephen Siller's place. Instantly I imagined it was me running to these towers, to help, and ultimately to my death. I thought of his family left behind, I can totally relate being a wife with 5 kids. Without warning I felt the flood gates open and I started crying while I was running. A part of me wanted to show my respect by embracing these feelings of remorse, the other part was forcing me to stop so I could BREATHE!

As I came out of the tunnel the fire department had their trucks set up so they could hang the American flag at the top of the tunnel. It really was an amazing run. I will never forget the lives that were lost or the sacrifices these brave men and women made, but I will always feel a closer bond with Stephen Siller and his family because of this run.

Excel to the End

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
2 Nephi 31:20 The Book of Mormon

When I was in Institute, (it's like a Bible study class for people who are in college) I had this really awesome teacher. Bro. Asquith was his name. One night he read this passage from The Book of Mormon. By itself it is a powerful message, but Bro. Asquith put a spin on it that took it to another level. Focus on the phrase, "endure to the end".

ENDURE- to continue in the same state; to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding

Yes, we should endure. Life can be hard, we may have to overcome suffering and misfortune. And it's vital that we are unyielding in our faith and hold fast that the Lord has a plan for us. But what if we change the word endure and replace it with excel?

EXCEL- to be superior to ; surpass in accomplishment or achievement

Bro. Asquith had us substitute endure with excel and this passage took on another meaning. We should overcome trials, but we don't have to continue in the same state. The 13th Article of Faith says:

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things! To excel is to do more than just endure. We must be actively seeking to become better, better at being honest, better at being chaste and benevolent, better at doing good to all men.

Putting it in this perspective really opened my eyes to my potential. I can excel, I can do more. I don't feel remaining in the same state is all I can do. Sometimes while I am enduring I feel like a get a little stagnant. I don't feel like I am slipping backwards, but I don't feel like I am moving forward either. Without progression one cannot grow, you will remain in your current state.

I try to achieve this progression through goals. Setting goals is something I learned back in my Young Woman years. My goal right now is to read The Book of Mormon again. I have read it 3 times in my life. I know it should be more. There have been several times that I have set the goal to read The Book of Mormon again, and just can't seem to complete it. Now I have motivation in that Facebook has added a challenge to read The Book of Mormon starting now and finishing before the new year. I have signed up for this goal and am determined to complete it this time.

In fact, if anyone wants to join me in this you are more than welcome...hint, hint....Don't sweat it if you don't have one either. I got the hook up for ya'. Just go HERE and one will get sent out to you right away absolutely FREE! You're welcome! And then this way we can all excel together!

Zoning

Now with the kids in school I feel that I am in desperate need of some structure myself. I need to get my house in order and I found the answer on CJane's vlog. A few weeks ago she videoed how she cleans her house in "zones". I have thought of this technique before, but could never seem to solidify it. After watching her vlog I realized why I haven't been able to be successful at zoning...my house simply isn't THAT big to zone anything. So I really had to simplify and got the idea of assigning certain tasks to certain days.

My project today was determining what to do on what day. This is now my week:

Monday: Dusting, Vacuuming
Tuesday: Windows
Wednesday: Bathrooms, Vacuuming
Thursday: Clean Refrigerator and Microwave
Friday: Mop floors, Vacuuming
Saturday: Wash bed sheets, clean rooms
Sunday: Rest

Of course I didn't add Laundry, since I do that every day anyway, or dishes, since I do that SEVERAL times a day. But I feel like now I have a game plan and I feel that I can finally have order in my home.

I know, I know...it's only taken me 12 years of marriage and 5 kids to finally figure this out and I'm sure probably all my readers have their own game plan already in place. All I can say is I guess I'm a little slow, BUT now I am determined!

Before I just tried to keep my house clean according to how I saw fit....or if we were having company....but no longer! My house will be a house of Order for my family's sake and for the sake of my sanity!

Let the Learning Begin!

Another school year begins here in Alabama and another one of my kids starts school for the first time! My little Emma started Preschool today, and now I am down to 2 kids at home.

I was definitely excited about school starting, but I had no idea the wave of euphoria that would pour over me once I dropped my little angels off.

Don't get me wrong, of course I love my kids, but you have to understand my summer vacation has consisted of referring arguments, breaking up fights, popping tylenol to get rid of the throbbing headaches spurred from the incessant screaming...the high-pitched banshee screaming....*shudder*...

So you see it's not that I don't want them around I just get tired of wiping the blood dripping from my ears.

When we were in California and Tobie started Kindergarten I felt a little disappointed that we didn't have to buy any school supplies. That has always been my favorite time of the school year picking out my folders, the smell of newly sharpened pencils and finding just the right type of pen to fit my hand in preparation of hours and hours of writing. What I wasn't aware of is the cost my parents had to dish out every school year on supplies. When we moved back to Alabama I learned that lesson. This year we were particularly hit pretty hard now that there are 3 in school. In just supplies alone we spent well over $100. And that's not including the uniforms, backpacks, lunchboxes, new shoes and socks.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind going back to missing out on supply shopping. That's one bit of nostalgia that I can do without reliving.

Clean Eating

I know I haven't posted in a while, and all I can say is that I just haven't felt like it. I'm not getting paid for this, so they come when they come.

But something has come up that I felt like posting about. I'm trying to jump on the bandwagon of clean eating. Anyone who has read my various postings about exercise and dieting know that this is one heck of an uphill battle for me. But now I am declaring that I will no longer be counting calories, counting points or keeping a food journal. I'm done with measuring every grain of rice or leveling out that 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on my whole wheat bread. I'm going clean!

I was inspired by a friend's blog about an author Tosca Reno and her mission to get everyone to eat clean. I was very interested in learning to do this. So immediately I ordered her book:
It is an easy read, and she makes a lot of sense. But...I couldn't see myself eating her plan outlined in this book. It did seem a little hard core and I just want to know what to eat and what not to eat. I need it spelled out to me in black and white and also explained to me why I can't eat those things other than they are just bad for you. So I knew just where to turn to further educate myself:


Okay, before you judge...can I just say I LOVE this book! They really break it down explaining what to look for in ingredients lists and why you should avoid those things. And it has really helped me to feel even more committed to this new way of eating.

See...not only do I have weight issues that I would love to take care of, (and once all those preservatives and additives are out of my diet my body can better regulate itself I should naturally slim down to a healthy weight), Theo's side of the family is riddled with cancer. Unfortunately that means that he, along with our kids, could be carrying a gene that is easily manipulated into cancer. It actually has a name, but I can't remember what it is. They will have to be checked for cancers at an early age to make sure that if they do get cancer we can catch it early. But one of the promises with eating clean is that I will be giving them the chance to battle those mutant genes by giving them the ammunition to fight them with clean cancer fighting foods.

For example: Trans Fats. I have always been confused as to which fat was bad for you and now it seems on all nutrition labels there are 3 different types of fats. Well this is what the book says about Trans Fats.

"These fake fats, made by hydrogenating polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil, are one of the most dangerous artificial ingredients. They raise your risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer.
Because your body doesn't recognize that trans fats are artificial, they become part of your cell membranes, making the cells weaker. Consuming trans fats increases the level of LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) in your blood. Your body easily stores trans fats but can't easily retrieve them for fuel, so they cause weight gain."

That's some pretty serious stuff. By eating clean it just means that I will be eating things that haven't been processed to death. Processed means that they take out all the nutrients so food won't spoil as quickly and then they add a bunch of fake stuff to make it taste the way it should taste before they added all the chemicals to it, and it's never as good. But they have shown that these chemicals are as addictive as hard core drugs. The problem is that you can't stop eating, you have to eat to live! Therefore the cycle continues and is passed down and each generation is getting fatter and sicker than the last.

That is why I have now decided to avoid such additives and preservatives as much as I can. I know it's going to be tough, but I'm working on gradually shifting my family's eating habits and hopefully one day we can claim ourselves as a clean eating family!