Happy Birthday!!

Eric is 24 today! Woo hoo! For those who don't know, I turned 24 ten days ago. I'm the old lady in this relationship, I've got a whole 10 days on my hubby. We have been discussing how 24 feels old. Not old like withered, caney, beardy, my back aches old, but old like you-can't-get-away-with-stupid-stuff-cuz-you-are-just-a-kid kinda old. Or old in that you should be mature and do stuff like be married and have kids. Or old in that lots of celebrities and almost all college football players are now younger than you. That kinda old. We also feel old because this year's birthday celebrations totally snuck up on us and passed rather uneventfully. We did manage to have a joint birthday cake and blow out 24 candles. I haven't blown out candles in YEARS! It was invigorating, really. Pretty sure I forgot to make a wish actually... Luckily Frazier was there to capture this perfect picture. The first one is the awkward trying-to-smile-while-singing-happy-birthday picture and the second is the CLASSIC puffy cheeks cloud of bday candle smoke picture. Gotta love it.

And now, in honor of Eric on his special day, here is a list of 24 things that make me smile about Eric. (Beware, this might get cheesy/mushy).

1. His adorable face
2. How much he loves Wesley
3. How much he loves me!
4. "You could sell these..."
5. His always positive outlook
6. The way he goes along with my crazy ideas, even when they seem pretty crazy
7. His charm and friendliness. I've still never met anyone who dislikes him...
8. His muscles. :)
9. How easy he is to please. He'll eat anything I set in front of him.
10. He always has my best interest in mind and what would make me happy
11. His determination
12. How much he loves Russian
13. How willing he is to give service
14. How dedicated he is to his calling
15. "Kisses!"
16. "I'm useless when a football game is on."
17. How he stays on top of politics
18. His love of softball and passion for sport
19. He always remembers to say prayers before bed
20. He bought those jeans I liked on him even though they were "dirty"
21. When he picks out my outfits. :)
22. When he wants me to pick out his outfits
23. How we can talk for hours and never run out of things to say
24. and EVERYTHING else about my sweetie!

Help with a huge undertaking

Hello everyone

I'm asking for some help with a project I'm starting. Let me give you the background.

My upstairs neighbors are a 6 year old girl and her single mom. My next door neighbors are the elderly parents of the single mom. They are from Bulgaria. The mom speaks English great and is currently studying Behavioral Science at UVU. The parents barely speak English, but they sure try.

The 6 year old girl was recently diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder which requires her to be homeschooled. Well, I've always thought that homeschooling works well for some but not as well for others. Sophie falls in the not-as-well category. She does great at school, not as great at home.

I've been feeling for a while that I should help homeschool her. I ignored this idea and contested it for quite a while, but I finally admitted that maybe I should listen to the Spirit and offer. Last night I presented my idea and I thought the mom was going to cry, she was so excited.

Here's where I need help. They have no money to buy a curriculum, so I'm helping them make one. I've found some great resources online, but I would love LOVE any input and ideas I can get here! Can you email me worksheets, assignments, projects, etc. that your first grader is doing this year? Thank you thank you thank you!

We started today--so far it's been a success! I copied a worksheet my niece Tatum was assigned for homework the first week of school when I was visiting. :)

Alright folks, send me your homework assignments! (And your prayers, too!)

A QUALITY company

I just had a fabulous experience with a company-- so fabulous in fact that I feel compelled to advertise for them.

Swanson Health Products

Here's why I love them so much: First, I searched the internet high and low to find the products I wanted and they were the only site that had them all in one place. Second, they only charge $4.99 for shipping, regardless of the size of your order. Third, they offer free returns if you are dissatisfied with your product, even if you've used half of it.

Today the much anticipated package was on my doorstep. I noticed it smelled much stronger than I anticipated. When I opened it, I realized the tea tree oil had opened and leaked out creating a small, very oily, very scented mess. I called customer service and a lady with the BEST accent cheerfully answered. (They are based in North Dakota-- she was SERIOUSLY the mom from Bobby's World).

The conversation was all of 2 minutes-- no automated menus to try to get through. The lady just answered, I told her the product had leaked and made a mess. She looked up my order, apologized for the mess, got a replacement sent out to me, and credited my card $5 back for the trouble. (The tea tree oil was only $3.95).

What service! Seriously, I'm gonna order from them again because that was the nicest lady I've ever spoken to.

Happy 4 month birthday!

Wesley's 4 months old today! Don't mention it though... he's a little sensitive about his age. He's more ornery today than usual. I guess he relates to those people who get all surly on their 35th birthday because suddenly they feel old or something...


Here's a video of this morning before he decided it was a bad day.
(technical difficulties... I'll post the video once our camera battery recharges)

And in other news, Wesley no longer hates tummy time as quickly or fiercely. It's still not his fave, but I was able to snap this picture at least.

Sunday Afternoon

We decided to put Wesley on the table in his Bumbo chair so we could talk with him while we ate. I think he liked it...

The Green Movement

I recently stumbled across a blog that really got me thinking.

I initially found it from a simple google search for a granola recipe and then I found minutes slip into hours spent reading her posts. Which leads me to a confession: I'm a total closet hippie tree-hugger. I hide it well.

I've decided it's time for me to come out of the tree-hugging closet and hug trees in public! And so, as my first guesture, I'm taking the Ditch the Disposables Challenge! For September and October, Eric and I set a goal to use ONLY reusable bags and not bring home a single plastic store bag. I think it's going to be a challenge for sure and it's going to require us to actually remember our reusable bags, but it's worth it.
See a video about plastic pollution in our ocean
There is a lot of great (and sad) info at plasticbagfree.com.

I wondered for a while if this Green Movement that's getting so much attention right now is a fad, or just a trend. I think some businesses are definitely capitalizing on this idea and turning profit on it and some people may be doing it because it seems like the cool thing to do. However, I think anything that is about preserving nature, life, and sustaining earth for our posterity cannot be a bad thing.

All of this thinking about green got me thinking about my sweet mom. She is one of the greenest people I know without even realizing it. Here's the proof.

• Her showers are the shortest of anyone I've ever met. She can bathe in under 2 minutes flat.
• With that, she keeps a bucket in the shower and uses the run-off to water the yard. I used to think she was crazy or just being cheap. Maybe it was, but she was saving the environment while doing it.
• She washes and reuses disposable plastic bags. She probably hasn't bought a new box of plastic bags in 10 years.
• She dumpster dives. She might not thank me for putting this on here, but you can't get any greener than that. About 10 years ago, she brought home a pair of tennis shoes that she pulled out of someone's trash can. She tried to give them to me but of course, as a high schooler, I wouldn't be caught dead in some neighbor's trash shoes. She unflichingly wore these shoes (which really were still in great condition) until they were actually ready to be trashed, then at that point she used them to do yard work in. I think it's safe to say she still has those shoes.
• Back in the day when stores actually still had paper bags, she would always insist on paper instead of plastic because they were biodegradable. Then we used those bags to line our trash bin instead of buying plastic bags to do the task.
• She diligently recycles anything and everything that can be recycled.
• She's super diligent about turning lights and appliances off, keeping the temperature at the most energy efficient setting and preserving electricity in any way possible.
• She's the queen of reusing. As I type this, my baby is playing with a toy that she gave me... the same toy that I once played with as a baby.

I could go on and on. My mom has been quietly leading the green movement for years and years. Maybe it comes from being raised on a farm with nine kids and scarce resources. Regardless, we should all be a little bit more like Lady. Thanks Mom, for setting such a wonderful example.

Here's to dumpster diving and tree hugging!

An apology...

I was doing some pondering and reflecting today and I feel the need to apologize. I feel like I have given out the wrong impression on my feelings toward pregnancy and childbirth. I know I complained a lot about these two things, because let's face it, they are rather uncomfortable. The Russian word for pregnant is literally translated "burdened." That's accurate. It is a burden and it is difficult, but more importantly, it is such a miracle. It is the most amazing, natural, and beautiful process. Each day when I look at my darling, sweet son, I marvel at the process that brought him here.

As for unmedicated childbirth, I'm so so glad I was able to do it! I found it to be a unique and exhilarating process. Yes, it was intense, long and painful, but miraculous and exciting just the same. I could go on and on about how great natural birthing is to me, but I know it's not for everyone. The point is, I'm thrilled to have a happy healthy baby. Despite my moanings, I feel blessed that I had a healthy active pregnancy and a relatively uncomplicated natural delivery. So I truly apologize for giving out the wrong impression.