I'm In Trouble

So yesterday at the store we were looking to get some snack and lunch food stuff for the family.  While walking down the cookie/snack isle...(which by the way was created by the devil).  Jeff and I looked at each other and both said we need some chocolate.  He likes the Chips Ahoy cookies and I like Oreo's especially the double stuffed.  There is just something about the cream filling...YUMMY (to those of you who feel the need to tell me what is in it to change my mind....please don't!!!!!).  I have been hungry for them and we never buy them for 2 reasons they are usually expensive and 2 I really don't NEED them.

I was looking at all the flavors they have now.  Birthday Cake, pumpkin filled, mint, lemon.......ok there are ton of "new" flavors...to me they are new because I am used to Oreo's and Double Stuffed I had no clue how many flavors existed.  I was just about to turn to Jeff and say what happened to the good ol' fashion Oreo's when my eyes landed on Triple Double Oreo's.  I thought I died!




          


Yes this is a true...they are soooooooooooooo good.  So after church Jeff asked me what I wanted for lunch and I said I want a vat of milk and my package of Oreo's of course he just laughed at me.....than I followed up....well it is for the baby not me....Which made him laugh even harder.  He said no and I need to eat healthy. DARN HIM...So I was good and ate a good lunch than only had 4 of them........for right now TEE HEE TEE HEE!!!!!!

Parenting Moments

So today was one of those days that started out good.  First we went to a friends son soccer game, than afterwards we all went out to breakfast.  At the soccer game our friends dad gave our girls each a silver dollar.  The girls were way excited because it was money for their bank for Disneyland.  During breakfast the kids were rambunctious....but they are kids right.

For breakfast I had a California breakfast burrito.....instead of sausage it had shrimp.....it was probably one of the worst breakfasts I have ever had......

After breakfast we rushed to say hi/bye to Jeff's parents as they are headed to Utah for a week.  They were dropping off a truck for us to borrow because last week Jeff's truck decided it was done it the head gasket blew.  But we only figured that out after we changed out spark plugs, replaced a radiator cap and it still was not working.  So the next step was to pull the engine apart to get the head.  We were hopeful that we could replace the gasket and be good...WRONG...the head is cracked.  So we have been down to one car which is not bad but Jeff works about an hour away and all week has been working 12 to 13 hour days.

The truck blowing up was just the icing on the cake of our past 2 weeks of chaos and issues.......Jeff injuring his knee 2 weeks ago started it........and not that it has been super major problems, but just one thing after another after another.........and it ended with Payeton being so constipated that she was miserable for 2 days before we dumped enough grape juice and Miralax in her it finally all cleared itself out.........

We were blessed to all week have kind friends that were willing to pick up Jasmin for school and bring her home.  Through a little bit of car switch-a-roo we were able to borrow a car for about a day.

Anyways totally off topic.  So we said hi/bye to Jeff's parents and to get some keys.  We rushed over to the Oregon State Police graduation as a friend of ours graduated from the Academy today.  So we went to see them and support him.

After the graduation we went out to the dealership in hopes that a car that they said we could afford would be ready, but it was not.  While at the dealership around 1 pm Payeton started to have a melt down and that when the good day started to slowly turn.

The grocery store we like and can afford is on that end of town...the opposite end of where we live....so we thought we would stop and pick up some lunch stuff, but we started questioning it because of one tired girl.  But we braved it to save on gas and time.  Than we stopped and got some lunch.

By the time we got home from our day of leaving the house at 8:45am we made it home just after 3.  We ate lunch put the cold stuff and all laid down for a rest.......Than this momma turned into momma bear......

After naps we went and filled up my car with gas picked up the truck we are borrow from Jeff's brothers house.......and everything the girls said and did I was yelling at them.  I was cranky. Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?

After yelling at Jasmin for the 500th time in a few hours.  I had a moment I thought BRENDON WAKE UP SHE WANTS SOME ATTENTION.....so I asked her what she wanted for dinner and she said scrambled eggs.  Than I asked her if she wanted to help cook them.  She said yes.  So I "taught" her how to make scrambled eggs.

She actually did a really good job.  It was amazing at how quick attitudes changed for me and her........


I am excited for church tomorrow I have not been in about a month because of being out of town, Jasmin having her tonsils removed general conference. I am in need of spiritual uplifting and a "break".

Motivation in a Can

As I sit at work and work on various projects I make mental to do lists for when I get home and on occasion I write the list down.  I look at it and think "Oh yeah I am totally going get home bust a move and feel good about life!" I may be low on energy, but the motivation is there.  On my drive home I get so excited about being home and starting dinner, doing laundry, organize pictures on my computer, delete old files that have been on there FOREVER......whatever else I need to get done.  BUT as soon as I unlock my front door and walking it feels like the motivation stops at the thresh hold of my home and no matter how hard I beg, pull, plead, bribe....motivation just stands there and shakes his head and giggles.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

So I was thinking about how to "invite" motivation into my home...and this thought crossed my mind

"They make energy in can.  Why can't they make motivation in a can?

                                              

It seems like every other commercial on TV anymore is about some sort of energy drink, but why not motivation.

As I was talking to a friend about this idea and she suggested an energy motivation cocktail and I added a Pepsi flavored energy motivation cocktail!!!  

Well there you have it folks the inter workings of my crazy brain!

KIndergarten

OH MY GOSH!!! OH MY GOSH!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!!

In exactly one week from today my baby...well my big girl...Jasmin will be starting Kindergarten.  She is beyond excited, however, I am an absolute nervous, anxiety ridden mother.

I lay awake at night thinking things like

What if she picked on by other kids?  What if she is the one picking on other kids?  What would happen if the school is put on lock down?  Will she adjust well to the school and routine?  Will she be bored and not like school?  Will she be the one in class that just does not get it?

I think you get the idea.  But my baby is going to school......HOLY COW!!! I just brought her home from the hospital 6 weeks ago and here she is trying to read, starting to write, is absorbing everything at the drop of the hat and is ready for school.  But boy oh boy I am not ready for her to start school.

This is my baby that is starting Kindergarten....ARE YOU JOKING ME??
When I look at her this is what I still see!!!

But this is reality. She is ready for school for sure!!! I love this little stinker!!

So as I lay awake at night being a paranoid mom.  I think I should homeschool her and keep her here with me all day where it is safe and I can keep and eye on her at all times.  But when I actually watch her I know deep down that she is one of those kids that needs to be with others her own age.  She is a smart cookie that will benefit greatly from school.  

I am excited for her and it makes me extremely happy to know that she is ready for school and is very excited about her new school and making new friends!!!

Payeton is struggling with the fact that Jasmin gets to start school and she does not.  She keeps telling me that she is 5 and is ready.  I just keeping telling her that in the mornings it will be just the 2 of us and we will have a lot of fun.

Tonight was the schools open house and Jasmin was bouncing off the walls looking at her new classroom.  But when we walked in the teacher automatically looked at Payeton and said welcome.  I said nope not that one this one and introduced her to Jasmin.  The teacher looked really confused thinking Jasmin was in first and Payeton was in Kindergarten.  My girls are so tall that I get that all the time.

I love my girls to death!!!

Day of Rest......or Something

So today is a relaxing Sunday.  First one we have had in a long time.  Usually I feel we get home from church and we just go go go....I thought Sunday was a day of rest?!

Well today it is.  Kinda of.  Jeff is taking a nap, Jasmin is cuddling with him playing the iPad.  Payeton is out here in the front room with me watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the millionth time and I am torn between about 5 different things.

1) I recently purchased a Neat Receipts Scanner and I am trying to clean off my desk and to get rid of paper clutter in general I have boxes and file folders and.......of nothing but papers and documents.

2) I want to cut fabric for different quilt projects

3) I want to organize my sewing/office/storage room

4) I would love to sit and just play games on the computer and become brain dead for the day

5) I want to find the old Friend magazines that we have and tear out the Family Home Evening Ideas and start laminating and making FHE lessons so we can start having them, especially now that Jasmin will be in Kindergarten in the fall

and

6) I want to take a nap....which will result in me not sleeping tonight!

Oh what to do....my mom has it right. She has always told me to set a time and do a little bit of all it....well I did I have set a time and I going to working on as much as I can......Getting my house in order is part of the day of rest, I believe, because a house of order is next to Godliness and it helps us feel the spirit more and we want to be home in a nice clean house.

Happy Day of Rest everyone!

Whirlwind

What a month(s).....yup I feel like for the first time in a while I have come up for air to breathe, I know it will only be a short time until it gets crazy busy once again.

I called my mom and for my birthday I told her I want 1 of 2 things.  1) a neat desk scanner to help get rid of the bill/paper clutter or 2) a professional organizer to come help organize and get rid.....her response was......"Blah ha ha ha that was funny so what can I get you that I can afford?"....I told her "a gift card to Subway" she just laughed

What have I been doing.....I am not so sure...maybe some pictures will help with that!

To start we moved!  In the middle of moving and unpacking we have been trying to stay caught up with life....

Jeff is close to graduating.  This was the weekend we moved!  His mom bought a graduation/fathers day cake and he was practicing for graduation with the cake decoration! The weekend after we moved in we went on a short family vacation!!!

Payeton was trying to catch up on her beauty sleep in the car!

Jasmin refused to give in!

Best Friends!!!

Our family likes to be silly.....That sure do hate snuggle time!

In my family 4 generations does not happen (meaning my sibblings, parents, grandparents).  So when we went to Jeff's family reunion I finally won and got a 4 generation picture.  This is the girls Jeff, Jeff's mom Sue, and Sue's Dad, Don Meldrum (A.K.A Grandpa Meldrum).  He turned 90 this year and he is AMAZING.  He is a giant.  He stands (well used to stand) at about 6'9.  No wonder my girls are so tall.

The girls absolutely love to swing.  When we go to the park all they want to do is swing!

Jeff Graduated.  Bragging Rights - he is the only one in his program that graduated with honors and his program was had about 20-25 people in it.  He worked his butt of for 2.5 years and it shows he now has a killer job and loves it.

I am proud of him and all of his hard work

This is our new place when we first moved in.  The girls were trying very hard to help us unpack.....we are still trying to unpack!

Jasmin turned 5 and we had a small party for her!

Girls just want to have fun!

Jeff was a rock star and took the girls for the weekend a few weekends ago to the beach to see grandma and grandpa.  So I busted a move tried to clean unpack and organize.This is part of our room before!

And after

Here is our office after hours of work.  We are far from done, but it is getting there.  

Our June and start of July were hectic, I am not sure if things have actually calmed down or not or maybe it is just because I have gotten used to the pace of life now.  We have come to the conclusion that we be unpacked and moved in the week before it is time to move again. Our goal is to be in our apartment for only 1 year. 

As the girls get older we are starting to have more fun, and they are getting sillier by the day.  

I am just amazed how much we have accumulated and how much we have gotten rid of. 

How DO you organize?

Since we moved I have been on a real kick to downsize, organize, sort, throw away, donate.......I realized when we moved we have a lot of stuff.  I mean A TON of stuff.......It is disgusting. We have everything from extra unworn clothes, toys, piles of paper, listened to CD's, movies we have not watched in a few years, books both read and unread, plethora of dishes, not to mention all the stuff my mom is storing at her house, to the point that we have kind of forgotten what we have and don't have.

So since we have moved I have thrown away a lot of "stuff" that Goodwill will throw away themselves.  I have also given quite a few boxes to local donation sites and it feels good.  I think to myself "WOW I am awesome I am making so much progress" until I turn around or open another closet or box....I think someone is adding miracle grow to our stuff while we sleep.

Even though this is just a snippet of our stuff it helps to give a picture of what I mean.

There are some things that Jeff is hesitant to let go of as am I, however, it is time to start making a simplified life.I read a quote somewhere that says "The less you have the less you have to clean"  AMEN!!!! So that is my goal I would love to see us be able to have all of our stuff under one roof, which means letting go.

So I have a few questions and please leave your thoughts.

How do you organize your home?
How do you "let go" of items that are taking up space, but the mere fact of looking at it brings back a flood of emotions?
What do you do with all of you CD's that you have not listened to or that you have ripped and put on your computer?
What organizing tips do you have that are simple (I do work part time so I am not at home all day) that are not time consuming and that young children can help you with?

Please help any ideas are welcome.  I want a realistically organized house not a house where guests feel uncomfortable to be in.

Thank you for your input.