Behind the Scenes: January 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

100!

Wow. This is my 100th post. I've been thinking of something special to do for it. So I decided to do a "Jackie's Favorite Things." (You know- like Oprah....)

1- I LOVE my Toyota Sequoia. My favorite vehicle I've ever had. So go on- everyone go out to your driveway. I've given all of you a Sequoia!!!! Ha ha...I wish I could do an Oprah thing like that. My Toyota has 123,500 miles on it and we haven't had any major problems. Changed the battery once, tires, maintenance stuff like that. My favorite feature on it is the back window rolls down. I can roll it up and down sitting in the driver's seat. Love that feature- along with all the cup holders.... Sure, I'd like a brand spanking new one, but I'm happy with what I have and love it even more that it's paid for. :-)

2- I recently bought a new griddle from Costco. Best $25 ever. I love it. It's so convenient to just put it on top of the stove and turn on the burners instead of having one that sits on the countertop that you plug in. Seems my kids always got burnt with my old one. I can store this one underneath the oven with the rest of pans so it doesn't take up a lot of space like others. The flip side of is has grill edges to cook meat, etc. Get one!

3- My favorite hand cream is "Wish" by Lollia. (website) Love this line of products. Smells so yummy. I do have a box of this that I will give away to some lucky reader. Just leave a comment and I'll choose random from hat.

4- As most of you know I LOVE cookies. Could eat them non stop. (My thighs are witness of that.) I love the classic chocolate chip. Some that I love (also from Costco) are the Otis Spunkmeyer frozen cookie dough. So convenient to pop them in the oven and they are delicious. Also convenient when I'm craving cookie dough.

5- This favorite thing should really be number one. Diet Pepsi! My name is Jackie and I'm a Diet Pepsi addict. Face it Spence- I'll never give it up so quit bugging me about it. Only makes me drink more. An intervention wouldn't even help.

6- Another one of my favorite things is Trollbeads. My mom started selling them in her store. Lucky me! I love my Trollbeads bracelet. I can wear it with anything. Change up the beads, etc. They are kind of like charms- you can pick out your beads and make your own bracelet. All the beads have a meaning and are handmade. Price on the beads vary, but it is so worth it because you can wear it with anything.

7 - My favorite store is.... Costco! Big surprise. I love to buy books there along with clothes, food and seasonal items.

8 - My favorite thing to do to pamper myself is to get a FACIAL. Love them more than a full body massage. That way I can relax and not have to worry about what my body must feel like to someone rubbing my muscles (or lack of muscles). If you've never had a facial- treat yourself to one. Worth the money.

9- One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail." I love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Maybe I love it because of my memory seeing it in the theater. It was in December 1998 and I was in Oklahoma City. I was staying with Mike and Gayle, waiting to deliver Ethan. We were walking around the mall and they were having a sneak preview of the movie. I wanted to see it so much but they said it was full. We bought a ticket to a different movie but Gayle's sister, Paula, took me by the hand and said "You are seeing that movie. You are a very pregnant woman who wants to see it and you will!" So we went into the theater and she found me an empty seat in the very front of the theater. I thought it was such a cute show. Still love it.

10- I guess for my last favorite thing I'll say I love scented candles. I especially love the Banana Bread scent from McCalls candles. It smells so yummy and is a very "homey" scent. (Is that even a word?)

So there you have it- my Top 10 Favorite Things.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

At My Whit's End

Help! I am really struggling with Claire these past few weeks- okay, months. She has been the best form of birth control EVER! I just don't know what to do with the little "brat" lately. (Did I just publicly say that??) I am so sick of her telling me to shut up and that she hates me. She gets violent with me- slaps, hits, kicks, throws things, etc. I spank back and it doesn't even phase her. No tears, nothin. Just a mean look on her face and she tells me how much she hates me. I just don't get how sometimes she can be so sweet and then- the devil takes over. I need some advice on how to nip this in the butt now before she gets to be a teenager. I put her in her room in time out and she will destroy her room, kick the door, etc. I have tried putting her in time outs in other places- like the corner, but it doesn't work. She has a mind of her own and will NOT stay. I have thought about taking away all of her toys- I think that's a Dr. Phil thing- but where in the heck would I put them all? Ugh- I just need some advice or ideas before I end up in the loony bin in a padded room....

Friday, January 2, 2009

7th Anniversary

Spence and I had our 7 year anniversary on December 22nd. Every year we shake our heads and wonder what in the **** we were thinking to get married three days before Christmas. I guess we just planned it around our families of when they would all be in town. Everyone remembers our wedding because it was the coldest day ever in Evanston. We all froze our behinds off. I joke with Spence and tell him "I always told you it would be a cold day in hell before I married you." LOL

We stayed the night at Inn on the Creek in Midway Utah. That is where we stayed for our wedding night. Spence surprised me and had candles in the room with a bottle of chilled sparkling cider along with rose petals on the bed and in the tub- just like our wedding night. It was very romantic. Dinner was excellent and very cozy.

Dear Spence,

I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and am grateful to have you in my life. I love that you are able to provide for our family so that I am able to stay home with our children. I think that it is so important to be at home with them. I love our children so much and hope that I can be a good mom to them.

One thing I love about you is your ability to give. You are one of the most giving poeple I know. I love that you always want to do what you can to help others out. It is such a good quality to have. I think it is such a good example to our children.

Another thing I love about you is your hands. You have strong, sexy hands that are so gentle. They are also hands that can fix or do anything. You amaze me in your knowledge on how to do things- from around the house to cars. You are so talented that way which makes me so lucky to have you.

I hope you know how much I love you. Thank you for knowing the importance of me needing time away from the kids and home, and also for believing in date nights. Thank you for watching the kids for me. Thank you for being romantic and for thinking of me. Thank you for your patience and for loving me.

Love Always, Jackie

3/10: Nathan has worked hard in school this year and has received straight A's all year. He worked hard to get back into honors classes next year also. I am so proud of him.

I was putting Logan in his bed late at night because he fell asleep in our bed. Nathan was sound asleep in his bed. He talks in his sleep quite a bit. This was the conversation he had with me while his eyes were closed.
"Mom!"
"What Nathan?"
"What's there to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm bored!"
"Well, why don't you read?"
"Cuz that's BORING!"
"Why don't you just go to sleep?"
"mumble mumble mumble" (couldn't understand)

My crimany- even when they're sound asleep they still ask me what there is to do because they're bored! Does it never end? LOL

3/10: Logan was visiting some cousins and they weren't treating him very well. He hadn't been feeling well besides. When we picked him up he began to tell us all the "naughty" things that were said and done by them. He continued to say that these cousins liked to play violent computer games and that they watch R rated movies. (which I don't think is true...) At the end he sighed and said "Those kids need to get their life straight."

11/09: Our computer has had a virus and Nathan (our computer whiz) hasn't taken the time to fix it. Logan wanted to play a computer game on Spence's laptop. Spence told him no. Logan shouts at the top of his lungs "Then tell Nathan to fix the DAMN computer!" Needless to say, he went straight to his room for time out. I don't know where he learns those words!

2/09: I was playing a Memory Game with Logan and Claire. They teamed up against me. I HATE that game. They were of course, winning. Logan says with so much excitement "Mom! We're kicking your ass off!" I said "What?" Naturally, he repeated it for me. I don't know where he has learned that word because I swear- I have never used it.

-We were at the drive up at Wendy's and Spence gave his debit card to the cashier. Logan asked "Is there never ending money on dad's card?" Boy, I sure wish there was!

-Claire decided to suck her thumb in the car the other day. I told her that she is too old to do that and that there are so many germs on her hands that go in her mouth. Logan's response: "At least it keeps her from talking mom."

-We were coming home from Sunday dinner at the in-laws and were playing around with the GPS navigator we got for Christmas. The lady was telling us instructions on where to turn to get home. When we were almost home Logan (in sarcastic voice) says "Uh, we know how to get home. We don't need any stupid instructions!"

-Last night Logan was laying in bed. I was putting Claire to bed. It was all quiet, then Logan says "Mom!" I said "What Logan?" He then replies "I can hear my brain banging in my head!" I didn't even know how to respond to that one.

3/10: I got out some Sun Chips for Claire for lunch the other day. She was excited about the flavor of them and said "Oh I love this kind! This kind is made with weed!" (They are the plain kind that have wheat...)
1/10: Claire got the movie "Hannah Montana" for Christmas. She loves that movie and I cannot count how many times she has seen it. She turns it up and dances during the songs. She was going downstairs to watch it and said she couldn't take Simon (our new dog) down with her cuz she was going to be "rockin and rollin." I guess it was going to get a bit too wild and crazy in the basement for the new puppy... :-)

5/11/09: Claire brought home a "Sight Word Fishing Game" from preschool. You write different sight words on the back of the cards and fish for them with a magnent. I helped her to read the words. We came to the one that said "you." I told her the word and told her it was like "I love you." She then replied "Or like yooo gross!"

2/26/09: Claire went to the dentist today for the first time. She was nervous so watched while Logan had his teeth cleaned. She saw the "blue napkin" laying on him and asked what it was for. I told her it was to wipe stuff on. She said "Like your boogers." Hmmm- let's hope you can keep your finger out of your nose while the dentist is here. :-)

-I put Claire to bed and came down and sat on the couch to read. After about five minutes Claire got out of bed and came down. She pulled out the Friend magazine to sit by me and read. I kept telling her she needed to get back into bed. She refused. She ignored all of my threats and I didn't have energy to deal with it. She said "Mom, I'll do everything you tell me to do...tomorrow!" Ugh!

-We were in the car the other night and it was a bright full moon. I said to the kids "Look at the full moon!" Claire looked then asked "What does the moon eat? Cheese?" I laughed and said the moon doesn't eat anything. It's not alive. Then she goes "Well then how come it's so fat?"

-Claire came running up to talk to me and said "Mom! I need to tell you something. I need to talk to you FOREVER!"

-Claire has been a little stinker lately and really testing my patience. She has an "attitude." I was laying in bed with her last night and asked her if she was going to please start minding mommy and daddy. She just looked at me and shook her head and said "Noooo."

-When Grandpa Dee passed away we explained to the kids that when Jesus comes again he will be back "alive" and his spirit will enter into his body again. Spence later found a picture of his dog, Shasta, that died a long time ago. He was talking to Claire about the dog. She brought the picture up to me and said "Mom! Here is Shasta! He is dead, but when Jesus comes again he will come back alive. Jesus will bring her to us in his car!" Hmm, I wonder what kind of car Jesus drives. Definitely a Mercedes...

9/1/10- Samuel rolled over from his belly to his back today! He is smiling so much now and discovering his voice and hands more. He definitely loves to be held and especially likes to sit outside. He brings so much joy to our home!
9/12/11- Samuel is climbing everything now. He loves to climb up on the cupboard and kitchen table. He loves his bottle and blankie. His favorite things to play with are any kitchen utensil (spatulas, wooden spoons, etc), and the mop and broom. He dances when he hears music and has the BEST smile ever.