Home Can Be A Heaven on Earth

Just now right now at our house. Poor little Ariana woke up in something of a state from her nap. She has been tantrumming ever since. She keeps trying to tell us what she wants, but we can't understand. Right now she is a crying mass of tears and runny nose lying on the floor. I hate when that happens. I really wish I could help her. So, I am blogging and hoping she will calm down enough to let me help her. Tantrums are not fun. She doesn't do this often, but once is enough.

Poor McKayla is so confused. I told her that she would get her shots on her birthday. Well, I received the information for kindergarten roundup and she has to have them before registering this month. I have made the appointment and we are all set. Except McKayla thinks it is her birthday. Which is not until the end of April, so she mad. If she should have to get shots, then a really big birthday party at the beach should be in order to make her feel better. Yep, she wants to go to the beach for her birthday. Don't know how I am going to figure that one out. Maybe I can find a place that looks like a beach somewhere in Boise or down in SLC that we could pretend? However, that doesn't change the fact that she thought her birthday was close and they didn't sing to her in church.

Good think I have a super husband that is trying to snuggle our little baby while I think really hard about calendars, shots and how to explain that we live no where near the ocean.

New Hair

So, last night I went and got my hair done. I have not done anything to it for about 6 months, so I was supper excited to be able to go. My hubby got off work a little early to watch our kids and the kids I babysit so that I could go. I was tired and cranky and I was thinking about canceling the appointment, but now I am so very glad I didn't. I have been growing my hair out for about 1.5 years. It is fairly long and I debated cutting it, but then I decided not to. I asked the gal to put blond and dark red highlights in my hair. I only get the top and sides done because it is so much cheaper and no one really notices underneath that much. I also asked her for some long layers and long bangs that swoop to the side. I really like how it ended up. She used a straightener on it and I love how soft and shiny it looks. She also didn't use any products, which is nice that I don't need them to replicate the look. I told her that I seem to have issues with my straightener and she gave me some tips. Mostly the problems stems from my straightener being a bad one and then she gave me some brands of good ones that don't damage hair as much. Then she told me how to blow dry it. The style is a little more flat today because I didn't wash it this morning. I always wait a day to wash my hair ofter I color it. I love it and my hubby says I have sexy hair:). He makes me laugh.

Same Parents

I have heard that siblings can be so different and I have seen that in my family as I look at my older brothers. Somehow I thought that the differences came later in life as each made choices or had experiences to shape them. I look at my girls and I noticed that they were different right from the first day I held them. They have had different experiences growing up. McKayla had her father at home and then was bounced around to daycare. I also took her to work often, so she was just part of the work place. I decided to commit to be a full time stay at home mother 4.5 months before Ariana was born and have continued that role to the present time. However I wanted to list some of the differences and similarities that I have noticed. Not that I love one more than the other and Ariana has McKayla to help her out more, so I know that has made a difference.

In the hospital:
McKayla cried and cried. She did not want to sleep or cuddle. She wanted to up and socializing.
Ariana wanted to cuddle up with mom and sleep snuggled on my neck and chest. She also loved to be held skin to skin. She needed that physical contact.

Attitude about transitions for the first year:
McKayla simply wanted to play. She was always looking for someone to play with her. As long as she was being loved she didn't care who it was.
Ariana main thought was "where is my mom?!" That was it, she wouldn't be happy unless I was around.

Food:
McKayla likes junk food. Any junk food, she will tell you this her self.
Ariana will eat junk food, but would rather prefer to eat a hearty meal like pasta, chicken, or pancakes. She has always been a good eater (even though she is almost 2 and doesn't weigh 20 pounds yet).
On a side note: Both hate jello and apple sauce.

Waking up:
McKayla wakes up with a smile on her face and always comes and gives a hug and says good morning to us.
Ariana wakes up very grumpy. She does better if we get her a drink and then she can snuggle in bed with mom until she feels like facing the day. The new schedule is not making her happy.

Both love movies, books, and being outside. They like camping and playing in the dirt. They both love wearing dresses and being cute. They both love each other and gets very concerned when the other is upset.

I am grateful for my girls and the many lessons that they teach me. They are a blessing and I love them so much. I am a lucky mom to be able to have them to care for.

Early To Rise

When I was younger, I had no problem getting up early. Maybe it was because I always had somewhere to be like work or school. Since I became a stay at home mom getting up is not that easy. My kids like to sleep in and they love morning cuddles. They like to hop in bed with me and chat, giggle or just lay there. It was a peaceful time and I loved it. I kept wanting to get up in the morning and workout. I really did. I would do it for maybe a couple of days and then i would slip back into my staying up and getting up late routine. Then my walking group decided to switch to mornings. We now exercise at 5:30. It has been hard, but I think it is better. I am usually back at home by 6:15 and then I can get ready and start on my to do list. Not only that, but I feel less stressed. I am getting tired way earlier. Last night I crawled into bed a little after 9:00. I don't know when I have ever done that. I like to read my scriptures and write in my journal early. I have noticed that my prayers are more sincere because I don't have to shut my kids out of my room while I say a quick prayer. I can read the scriptures and really focus on them because I don't have distractions around me. I also can think more about what I want to write about in my journal. (No this is not my journal, this is me being odd). I having been waking the girls up at 7:30 so that they can get dressed and have a good breakfast. Plus this gives us time for family prayer and scripture picture time. (We have pictures depicting a story from the scriptures and we talk about it.) I won't lie, I am looking forward to sleeping past 5:30 on Saturday, but I can honestly say that this change is a good thing. Like all change it is not easy and it will take awhile to get use to, but I know it is good.

What Have I Done?

So, I put McKayla in dance this year. She seems to really like it. The dances are cute and she is so excited to go every week. She has a DVD of the dances she is working on and she doesn't really like to practice at home, but her and Chad have a dance that they do together, so he needs to practice with her. Her recital is soon so the teacher is setting up dress rehearsals and costume instructions. I nearly died when the teach gave a specific color of lipstick and how the kids should have their makeup done. I can see how it will look better that way, but it's kind of odd too. I remember when I was a cheerleader in high school we made fun of Bonneville because their cheerleaders all had the same hair color, style, and they looked the same. Don't get me wrong, they were crazy good cheerleaders. They made our team look pathetic, but that's not the point. Now my kid is starting her training to do the same thing. AHHHHH! Okay, maybe not, but it did bring back those high school memories where I was wondering if they all were brain washed. I think the kids will look cute and I will get to see my beautiful nieces dance as well.

The down Side of Cooking

Growing up and the first little bit of marriage I didn't eat much. It was not because I didn't like food, it was because I didn't realize the deliciousness of food. My family was a busy one and we had a lot of box dinner. These consisted of TV dinner, hamburger helper, or simply a hot dog. My mother could cook and when we went camping or she had a break she would, but it wasn't often. Then I left for college and i carried on the tradition of not really cooking. My mother in law is a great cook and I would stuff myself when we visited. oh wait I still do that! then after my wonderful husband made a comment about not liking hamburger helper I started experimenting. I bought a cook book and started to try things. Oh my what a fabulous discovery. I liked cooking! I couldn't and still can't make it look as pretty as the pictures, but it usually tastes good. The result? Darn it, I gained weight. I gained a lot of weight because food is so delicious. Had I stayed in my ignorance of food, I think i still might weigh less. Now that I try to eat healthily it is really hard because I try to have a protein and veggie dinner. This leaves out carbs and complex meals. Well, I can't make pasta with bread sticks for lunch because I am the only one that will eat it. Some times I make those yummy meals on the weekend and then put them in single serving dishes to have for lunch, but nothing taste as good as a meal freshly prepared. Same with desserts. Why couldn't I be one of those people who can eat whatever they want? Oh yea, its from not eating as a child and being 4 10. My body really doesn't need that many calories to function. Sigh. Therefore I need to have people over so that i can make these wonderful dinners and not eat it all myself and not have leftovers for 2 weeks. I am discovering some healthy cooking options, but really that is no fun. It just taste better with all of the fat and salt in it. i don't know why. I guess I could indulge myself ans then spend every spare minute exercising, but I'm not that disciplined. Anyone else have this internal battle with food or is it just me?

Sweethearts

Every year during the Valentine season millions of boxes of Sweethearts are produced, purchased and eaten. Now the little hearts say cute things and they are really fun to play with and give to others. Yet, they are so gross. I do not like eating those candies. I realize that it would not be Valentine's without them, but can't they taste better? Not even the new sparkling ones tasted good. So, I wanted to know if anyone likes the taste of these candies. If you do, great! I am happy for you. But, if no one does, the question remains as to why we buy the stupid things. Granted they are cheap, but I almost feel like they are the fruitcake of the Valentine candy world. Everybody gets them, no body eats them, and yet it would be Valentine's with out it. If I really wanted to stretch psychology really far, maybe I would state that my thoughts on this holiday stem from too much yucky candy given to me as a child. If someone loves me, why do they keep giving me these boxes of candy that I throw away? However, I realize that my thoughts on this holiday go much deeper than that, which is a post that may or may not surface in the future.