"Rosey"

Photos of my kids with friends like "Rosey" here make a snow day all worth it.

Healthy Goals--an invitation

HEY GUYS! I have been thinking.   That's what I do.   I realized that there are about 4 weeks left until my family reunion with my siblings (which in case you didn't know, I'm really excited for), and I decided that's just the right amount of time for me to set some good short-term goals.   My sister and I discussed the pros and cons of our past reunion's activity of doing an auction, where for the month before the reunion, everyone earned points they could spend by doing things like service, reading scriptures, whatever.   We decided not to repeat this activity this year, which is fine because we have tons of other great stuff planned (thanks, Lala !).   Nevertheless, I've decided I would like to set up a points program and do some goals for my own family here, and some by myself, too.   I wanted to share them with you, to see if anyone else would like to join my bandwagon and set their OWN individual goals, and share their progress with me or all of us.   Is anyone else in the mood to set, work towards, and achieve some goals in one month's time? Here are the goals I'm setting for myself: I would like to lose 5 lbs before the reunion.   I already exercise 5-6 days a week consistently, but I haven't been watching what I eat at all.   So, I'm going to start doing that.   Writing down what I eat has always been extremely effective for me, but it's been really hard for me to stick with it for longer than a couple of weeks.   I'm going to write down what I eat 6 days a week, and 1 day I don't have to write.   I won't be tallying up points everyday, but I have a pretty good idea of what's great and what's good and what's not-so-good.   So that's my plan, and I'm going to see how it works.   (And I'll focus on eating more veggies and fruits and I'm going to measure my portions, and all that good stuff). We could use a boost in our family scripture reading, so I'm going to set a goal of reading with my kids or as a whole family 5 days a week.   I'm going to make a chart that we can color in to measure our progress.   I want to reward my kids for doing their chores on time, and practicing the piano on time each day, so I'm going to make a chart for them to earn points for that.   I will have a special reward for them for earning a certain number of points as a group, and individually, and I'll let them help me decide what kind of rewards they would like. I would also like to think up a list of RAKs (random acts of kindness) that I can reward people in my family for.   Here are some of my ideas: -write a letter to someone and tell them you love them -clean something without being asked that's not part of your chore -Take a deep breath when you're feeling mad, and walk out of the room too cool down -read the scriptures on your own for at least 10 minutes -read a book to Tootie -getting off the computer or Wii when time is up with no complaints -help Tootie clean up his messes -set a personal goal and achieve it -work on Faith in God requirements -admitting you're wrong and saying "I'm sorry" -help someone else work on their chores (including Mom) I welcome other ideas for my RAK list!   If anyone would like to join me in setting a goal of any kind, I would love it.   If not, just tell me I'm gorgeous and that will be good enough.  Or not ; ).  Any support is appreciated!

I'm a Spanish Teacher

Who knew I'd ever end up being an elementary school teacher?  Not me.  I teach Spanish at my kids' elementary school for a couple of hours each week.  I have very small classes--just about 12 students total (including my 3 older kids).  I love it!  I think the kids in my classes are amazing and so cute, ranging in age from kindergarten to 5th grade.  I like being the one in charge, I like having such a neat space to work in, and most of all, I love seeing the kids gain a small Spanish vocabulary over time.  We play games, sing songs, make flash cards...and the parents pay me directly, which is nice for me : )  (I'm not actually hired by the school district, I rent the space from the school.  It's a nice little "extra income" for us).   I got this job in a funny way--I started out just as a parent with kids in the class; then I took on the role of parent program coordinator and I helped to hire the teachers when others stepped down; and then when one teacher quit mid-year, I decided to give it a whirl.  And now I'm doing it, and loving it!  I just wanted to share with you that little part of me, 'cause it's fun, and I for one am surprised and happy learning that it's something that I can do that I didn't know I could do.

Basketball and Flying Practice

Goldie is currently enjoying her first team sport, basketball.  She plays on a team made up of 1st grade girls.  They play with a lowered hoop, traveling and double-dribbling are legal, and although they do play "real games" every Saturday, they don't keep score.  They decided it was necessary to call them on back court guarding, though, which helps minimize the chaos quite a bit.  I find it somewhat unfortunate that most of the opponents they've had have been second grader teams (a year older than them, and there's quite a difference in height), but the girls are all incredibly good sports, and have fun. 

We can't leave stuff piled up on the couch unless we're willing to find it on the floor later--having been shoveled off to clear the runway for flying practice.  This activity can last a good 20 minutes if only Mom is home, but Dad usually puts a stop to it since our couches are starting to fall apart.  The other most popular flight path is from the kitchen table to the couch--a more risky but perhaps a more exhilarating airborne experience.

10 Jazzy Things

Let's pretend that it's still February 14th, one of my favorite days of the year.  Let's pretend that I had time to write this post yesterday, on the day of our anniversary, when we celebrated 13 fabulous wonderful amazing years together. 

10 things that I love about my Jazz, today:

1. I love that he always gets me awesome flowers on our anniversary.  This year's flowers were especially beautiful: 12 roses and one other great big beautiful flower whose name I don't know (who can tell me?), and one other bud of the same kind.  Jazz didn't want to get me 13 roses, he said, because that might be bad luck, ha ha ha ; ).

2. I love that he loves to take me to restaurants on very special occasions.  I love eating out, it's my favorite.

3. I love that he cooks at home when he can--especially on Sundays, and on days when he can see that I'm just not up to it.  How many other husbands can cook better than their wives?  I'm glad I got one of those kinds of husbands.

4. I love that he is so handsome.  It's so silly when he makes "aren't I handsome" faces in the mirror when he shaves and gets dressed up, but I love it.  I'm attracted to him, even so much more than when I first knew him (even in his words, he gets better with age), and mostly so when I see him being such a smarty pants, teaching a class, giving a lecture, or talking about smart stuff that is over my head.  I love how I love to look at him.

5. I love how he smells.  When we kiss, I love to breathe deep and take him in.  In church on Sunday I leaned over and smelled his clean white shirt, and he asked "does my breath stink?"  But I laughed and confessed that I was just trying to catch a whiff of him (because it makes me happy).  He thought that was weird, but I thought it was funny.

6. I love that he has days that he can work from home sometimes.  And when he doesn't, I love it when he comes home from work.  His face in the doorway (coming in) is one of my favorite things to see every day.

7. I love that he's going to the parenting classes with me that are sponsored by the university here, as we're part of a test group for our preschooler.  I love the little efforts and the big things that he does to improve himself as a parent.  He is an awesome dad.

8. I love his taste in music.  I love that even when we don't have music playing in our home (a lot of Stevie Wonder lately, which he's researching--love it!), he's got music on the brain.  Can you believe he even analyzes our church hymns out loud for me during the prelude music?  He can't listen to music without taking it apart, and knowing what it's all about.  I love it.  He's such a smarty pants.

9. I love that people besides me love him so much.  It's no wonder he got this new job at the college where he'll be working this fall--the new faculty fell in love with him right away and could tell that their students will too.  He just fits.  He's a people person, and he knows how to treat others with respect, and humor, and he carries himself with dignity. 

10. I love that he has more gray hair than me, even though he's younger, ha ha! 

Thanks for all of our wonderful amazing years together, Jazz!  I love you!

Christmas 2010 Highlights

I was glad that in some measure we were able to squeeze in our tradition of making a candy house when our friends pulled out their gingerbread house kit.  Didi and Jasmin did the honors, and did a great job.

We can't go to our best friends' house without enjoying music!  Kendall and Jazz collaborated for some beautiful clarinet & piano duets (Jazz later went to piano and left the clarinet to Kendall), and I loved it when Lainie sang for me one of my favorite songs, "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most", despite her cold. 

Cousins in spirit!  (Except for Goldie and Alyse, who are twin sisters in spirit.)

Our tree was probably a fire hazard as it blocked our back door, but oh well. Tootie had something against our garland and tried to remove it every chance he could; not sure what what up with that, but at least the ornaments stayed on the tree a lot better this year than last year.  The candy canes were just a Christmas Eve addition--thanks, Santa!

Stockings.

Essentials.

Goldie's favorites included her pillow pet and her new bedding (comforter and sheets), and a pretty fabric-covered glass plate.

Tootie had a Superman Toy Story Thomas the Tank Engine Christmas.

I got what I asked for!  A long-sleeved BYU shirt, and a brown purse (which Jazz did an awesome job of picking out himself!).  Jazz topped me off with some other thoughtful gifts, and also shown are the wonderful gifts from my mom & dad.  So nice!

Didi received the biggest gift in size--a new bike.  She was also really excited about the watch set, and the Woodstock stuffed animal from Goldie (which we had a hard time buying while she was in the store with us).

Jazz had a BYU shirt Christmas, and his favorite was the Beethoven records, nearly completing the big set he already enjoys.

Shark had a Ducks Christmas--including an autographed poster from Mikey the Duck himself!  (the football team's mascot is one of Jazz's students). 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

No doubt about it, Shark's most exciting toy of all wasn't a gift he had received, but the iPod he bought off of Craigslist on Christmas Eve.  He had saved his money for months and months for this.  I'm proud of him for saving and earning something he really wanted. 

Inside the tent box--the surprise Christmas gift which came in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Lovell. 

Look how big our kids are!  Next year will Shark be taller than Mom???!

We couldn't wait.  We wanted very much to spend Christmas in our own home as our own little family unit, but once all the presents were opened and we got the clutter cleared away, we hit the road and made it to Sacramento  by dinnertime.  On the road on Christmas Day wasn't what I had in mind, but in the end, I realized it was super fun to be in both places on that special day. 

Didi and Goldie love their new matching jammies with their cousin!

I loved my outing with one of my best friends.  We got to go to the Crocker Art Museum.  She's so great to treat me to such cultural enrichment!  I had never been to a museum like that before--it was amazing.  Thanks, Jazz, for letting me slip away for the 3+ hours to enjoy it!

"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight..."  I think they rehearsed this song together about 50 bajillion times. 

Christmas cookies!  Because we all got the flu the week after we made about 5 batches of cookies (the week before Christmas), unfortunately we didn't get them all passed out to our friends.  But we enjoyed the baking time anyway, and eventually they mostly got all eaten.  Better luck next year : ).   Overall, we had a fabulous Christmas season!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ada wins the award for cutest of the cute this year.  I can't get enough of her happy shiny personality.

Thanks, Stephanie.

From my journal today, Sunday, 11:40 a.m.

Feeling sorry for myself a little.  Goldie has a bad cold & needed to stay home from church.  Jazz's calling in the nursery needs him there for 2 hours, so I was elected to stay home.  After sacrament meeting Jazz brought Tootie home 'cause he won't go to Primary by himself yet (tough transition from nursery), and plus, he has a cold too.  I was really bummed about missing church--I always look forward to it so much.

So at home I sought to find something inspirational on the internet, and I came upon a beautiful gem that I believe will enrich me for a long time.  The story of Stephanie & Christian Nielson.  They're an LDS couple who, when parents of 4 children, were in a terrible plane crash--and they survived.  He, with burns on 40% of his body, and she, with burns on over 80% of her body.  Now she is back to mothering full-time, after recovering from her 3-month long coma while they repaired her body.  Now she is a stronger person--yet still the same person--yet a new person with a new life with so many new struggles and limitations.

She said in the "Conversations" interview on LDSradio.org that sometimes she wishes she could shake [people like me] and tell us to be grateful and not take the ease of life for granted.  --What a blessed, lucky, rich life I live.

She has a new life, and she is happy.  She remembers that while she was in her coma she was given the choice (!!) to either stay on earth and live through the challenges, or to stay in heaven where she could also be happy and have lots of important work to do.  She thought of her husband and children, and said the choice to stay with them was so easy.

And now she continues to inspire millions of people through her upbeat blog about her life as a wife and mother (for which she had a couple hundred thousand followers before the accident, but now it reaches a worldwide audience).

Two things that she said particularly struck me are:
"To me, beauty and motherhood are one.  They are the same thing."
and,
"I am Stephanie Nielson.  I am not my body."

Thanks, Stephanie.  I am excited to start following your blog.

A few more thoughts:
-Every morning she wakes up and stretches, and showers, and scrubs her new scarred skin.  It's painful, and it takes about 2 hours.  I can pull it off in 5 minutes if I have to.  Something else not to take for granted.
-At first her children had a hard time looking at her.  It took months for them to do that.  :(
-There are so many things she can't do now that I can do every day.  HOLD HER CHILDREN. Wash her children in  a hot/warm bath.  Open ziplock bags easily.  Wear skirts without tights.  Little things!!  I'm so grateful!

Visit Stephanie Nielson's blog


Hear Stephanie Share Her Story on Mormon Messages