epic:

Fall.....gone!?!?

I can't belive another season has come and gone.

And I can remember what all happened...thanks to my photo journalist obsessive compulsive tendencies!

I created this epic blog entry to make up for LOST time! and it took LOTS of time!

And now, I introduce you to all of the things that were merely blogged in my brain for the past 3 months.

dunduhtidun..... 

 Top 20 + 1 FALL Favorites!

(in no specific order....featuring the letter F!)

 Flying!

Pillows....re-purposed!

Perfect indoor fun. 

 Fantastic music!

Dallin sure enjoyed himself.

I mainly enjoy the ecstatic look on his face!

Pot lids make a REALLY loud noise!

What fun.

 Fire Drill!

I just had to document this frequent occurrence. FORTUNATELY, our house is equipped with VERY sensitive fire alarms. They go off almost as often as our phone rings. One day I realized that the eardrum piercing sound didn't even phase the kids! So I conjured up a plan. Now, whenever it blares we all run outside for a family fire drill! And since we're sooo efficient around here, we have a fire drill more than once a week. I feel like an overachiever for once! ;)

 FINALLY FINISHED!

We completed our backyard landscaping 1 year after beginning....3 years after moving in to our house.

What a good feeling!
"Smile Patrick!!!"
No thank you. this is HEAVY!!!
Oh.. :)

Funny Fake Faces!

Lately when I take pics of Anna she has been making me laugh. She has this squinty eyed smile...then I tell her, open your eyes! her eyes open wide, her eyeballs circle round and her mouth opens wide too. so cute! ;)my favorite is the one at the top.

 Falling Asleep.....

Following after his big sisters example!
His lunch looks TASTEY HUH!?! What!? You don't like pulverized teriyaki chicken and vegis?? It's daddy's specialty! He has a special affinity towards the food processor!

 Free Flowers

Fresh Free Flowers make me happy!
Dumpster digging (I don't actually "dive" in...is a cheap thrill!  (for me at least!):)

Fresh air! 

I love open window weather and perfect temperatures to hang out in the back yard and stare at the sky with happy little kids, play with fire and read bedtime stories alfresco!!!!

Family Treasure Hunting...

A Saturday morning little hike turned into a long mountain treck aound the hills near our house as we searched in vain for some "treasure" aka a non existent geo-cache. Note to self... bring a sack lunch...just in case!

 

Friday "field" trip!
We headed up to the cabin in search of fall colored leaves not too far from home up at Mt. Charleston! We hung out, did a math lesson, napped and hikes. On our excursion, we found a monarch caterpillar, met a dead bird and spoke about the circle of life, read about native animals and learned of a U-2 spy plane that crashed on Mt. Charleston in 1955. Homeschool hours for the day...P.E., Science, Math, History, Reading: check!

Fixing a flat!

Because tires pop when your husband rams into a curb....even on Sunday! Justin thought it was better than watching a movie! And that is saying a lot!

Feeling pumpkin goo....

and carving too!

....I LOVE the smell of fresh pumpkin!

I also love kid designed carved pumpkins.

Freaky kids and freaky foliage! 

2 things...

These pics of my kids just make me laugh!

Dallin w/ crazy hair, Anna and her mouth, and Justin dressed up in way too big camo w/ a belt on his head!

AND

THE FREAKY CRAZY SWEET POTATO PLANT THAT TOOK OVER THE WORLD! 

o.k.....so it wasn't the world, just our lil' garden!

Patrick planted a random sprouting sweet potato from our kitchen pantry just for the heck of it at the end of summer and look what is grew into!!! A wild forest! Can you find Justin???

 Fruits of Labor.

Lots of labor....just a bit of fruits. :)

Our first garden was "a LEARNING experience." We got about 7 tomatoes, a hand full of microscopic grapes, a pile of peppers/jalapenos, onions and a bunch of mint.......AND  a pile of sweet potatoes we grew accidentally! I was amazed when I pulled up the crazy vines to find almost 8lbs of sweet potatoes! ;) Next year, we're growing sweet potatoes on purpose! There's also a picture of my fun gardening neighbor Laura.

F-i-n-g-e-r Stretching....

Justin Can read!!!!

and Dallin is aspiring. ;)

I taught him to use his fingers to tell the difference between b and d.

(b is before d in the word bed!)

The amazing K-12 curriculum did the rest!

We're having a good time...and Anna and Dallin have created a tag team in order to more rapidly dismantle the house!

We're all about unity here!

 Fun at Springs Preserve! 

...and free style stroller riding.

We finally went and checked it out. We only went 2 hours before dark so we missed the park I've always heard about. Next time. ;) Lots of great education mixed in with a bit of global warming nonsense accompanied with fun little things for the kids to do.

Falling down!?!?

More than leaves fall down around these parts!

Fancy skating... 

and more falling down! 

Justin's first ice skating abilities amazed me!

Anna could barely stand up!

When I got my skates on, Dallin did quite well riding in the stroller. Fun times. :)

Filled!

Every time General Conference rolls around, I am always excited to hear what the Prophet and leaders have to say....Now that there are 3 kids around, getting everyone to stay put and excited it more of a challenge. Whoever thought of the brilliant idea to watch it from a tent as did the people in King Benjamin's time was brilliant! We love the tent tradition! I'm not so sure  Anna loved tent ENTRAPMENT however. I had to disguise my laughter while escorting Justin to thinking time. It was just hilarious to see her flailing around in that window flap! Sooo sad! And funny too. :)

Feasting.....

(well, sort-of....in a round about sort of way)

...and loosing over 30 lbs. of fat; and feeling fantastic! 

It's a bit embarrassing to put not so flattering fat pics on here, but whatever, I'm too excited not to share with all of you dear people and blog stalkers!

Hooray!

Fantasy becomes a reality!

Justin is five pulling his own weight!. Kind of. I remember fantasizing about the day when I had older kids that could REALLY do chores! Well, the time has come and I am THRILLED. Thrilled to hear the clanking of dishes ever morning as I awake in the morning! Thrilled to not have to empty the dishwasher...

Funny thing is, he is thrilled too. He loves his job! And if for some reason he's not up to it there's always the line: No problem, I feed you breakfast when your job is done. :)

HAVE AHAPPY BOXING DAY!

J/K ;) I have no clue what boxing day is. I just was it listed on my calendar.

Twas the day after Christmas....

and all around my house,

a disaster has occurred,

Did it happen at your house????

(Sorry for the bad rhyme)

But today is all about.....

Operation CHRISTMAS RECOVERY! 

It's huge.

Recovering from this month long event called Christmas.

Can I tell you how grateful I am that today is Saturday and not Sunday....

Why?

Because Patrick is home and he can put in extra man hours to conquer the mess.

Like....

The MASSIVE pile of dishes,

The LARGEST pile of clean laundry I've seen all year!

Actually getting rid of old toys to make room for the new.

Taking down our not so fresh Christmas tree (that's loosing over 100 needles /minute.)

Putting away the new stuff.

Sending out belated Christmas New Years....or maybe Valentines Day cards.

Packing up the Christmas Plates.....that I only used once.

.......and more.

Have fun wit your operation Christmas Recovery.....unless you are efficient and do the laundry as you go....don't leave a sink full of dished for days at a time........didn't wait to sew Christmas gifts until 1a.m. Christmas Eve and then not clean up the mess.....already got rid of old toys...have simplified and not acquired too much Christmas stuff....or are just going to wait until the new year. ;)

p.s. as I got out the box to pack up the plates....I decided to:

 Give away the Christmas Plates I used only once! So I need your help.....take this set  off my hands!

They look like this....(Halibut and tomatoes not included.)

This is an 8 person set w/ tea cups, bowls, tea/dessert/dinner plates. I'll have 1 less thing to store!

They are nice. I'm just in the mood to purge.FREE to a good home that will put them to good use. :)

post edit.....my sister stopped by right after i posted this, saw the dishes on my counter and nabbed em!

 post edit confession: as of  Jan. 8 operation christmas recovery has been extended due to who knows what.
except the dishes and laundry part.
the new goal date to take the krispy tree down....tomorrow!
and the holiday cards...don't hold your breath. :)

to do.

just because i don't already have enough i've still got to do...

i'm going to get some fabric to make these for my kiddos for Christmas. 

super easy, super fast, super hero capes.

 

i wonder what the chances of finishing this project are!?!?

here's a project I did finish! 

boring....

ahh...much better!

i have a strange passion for buttons! :)

9 single shoes, 2 feet, 1 adjective + a bunch of question marks.

pathetic [pəˈθɛtɪk]

adj

1. evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc.

2. distressingly inadequate 

3. Brit informal ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless

4. Obsolete of or affecting the feelings

 

 

WHY?

?????????????????????????????????????/

"pest" control

this year for halloween, patrick and i threw all common sense aside (as do many, many other parents) and gave our "pests" as many sedation packets as they desired.

for one day, our chosen form of "pest control" came in a little package and contained a something nearly intoxicating.


AND....the "pests" love it!

as demonstrated below, the packages can keep "pests" in control for a substantial amount of time.:

the directions for use are as follows.

1. give "pests" the package
   
2. let them open themselves and devour the contents
   
3. repeat
   

and it works! "pests" are contained as long as you continue giving them the packages.

and all day our "pests" were happy.

only problem is that the next day, the packages seem to loose their effectiveness.

and the pests become even a bigger problem than before, acting irrationally and out of control.

around here, the only way to stop that from happening:

EXTERMINATION!

(of the sedation packets, NOT the pests)

and the toys can then help control the "pests"....but not for long. :)

then we must resort to more effective, longer lasting strategies. darn it.

there's always next year. :)

*the term "pests" for all intents and purposes is refereed to in a fond manner....we love our "pests"!

{that's why we are PEST CONTROL...not pest exterminators.}

mom's bright idea

Justin- 

"Mom, I don't think it was such a good idea to give Anna that whole bag of peas."

Mom- 

"Hmmm, you are probably right."

Why is it that the more children I have, the more brain power I loose???

We interupt the regularly sceduled program to bring you a public service announcement.

While thumbing through St. Rose's Fall calendar, I found a Love and Logic Course.

And it's for a GREAT price!!!

I paid $90 bucks for a course which is average.

This one is only $25 bucks!

Course description:

Love & Logic -Early Childhood Made Fun!

Learn practical skills to handle the most frustrating parenting concerns.

Five sessions.

Adults only.

Cost: $25 (Includes Manual)

Mondays- November 16, 23, 30, December 7, 14:

4-6 P.M.

Located at Family to Family behind St. Rose Hospital (Boulder and Lake Mead in Henderson)

To register, call Family to Family:

(They said they have room for only 10-12 more so call soon.)

568-9601

I'm going...again!

(Believe me, I can ALWAYS use a refresher course.)

I'm hiring a babysitter to come to my house, so If you live near me and want to split that cost, let me know. ;)

Yes, 4-6 is a weird time, but I like it because I'll get home after the class at about the same time as my husband.

Click HERE if you could use a bit of L& L enlightenment today.

I know I sure needed it.

You know it's bad when your 5 yr. old mentions, "mom, could you please get a babysitter. it's no fun being around you." ouch! 

It's sad, but true.

At least I can blame the foul mood on this pesky cold which better be gone by tomorrow!

what a difference 10 minutes can make!

I conquered a disaster of enormous proportions in 10 minutes FLAT!



I'm AMAZING, I know.



A true professional of sorts.



It's truly an amazing talent.



A talent I've developed over the years.



A talent I've practiced more and more and more as additional little feet are welcomed to wander this blessed hardwood floor.



And today, I did it singlehandedly,
armed with my trusty industrial strength dust mop.



I call it:
The MEGA sweep.
(for obvious reasons)




And I did it all, just in time for daddy to walk through the door into a "clean" house!



Well, that is until he walked into the laundry room.



"Julie, what happened to the laundry room floor?!?!?"



(I suppose I should have shut the door.)




Oh, that? It's nothing really.




I'll explain away the laundry room floor ANY day.

So long as I don't have to explain the OTHER question:


"So.....what DID you do today????

(I'm sure none of you have EVER been asked that!)

need a new hobby???

Justin has been observant....he saw me on the computer looking at grocery adds and said,

"Mommy, you must really like ads...A LOT!" I asked why and he said,"because you look at them a lot."

Also on two recent occasions he found ads laying on the street and said, "here mom, these are for you because I love you."

My conclusion...my 5 year old thinks I am obsessed with price matching! (and he's right)

Some may know what it is, some may not, but I'm always trying to explain the rules and thought I would write them out and send folks here to learn more....

This may be the point where you skip the rest of this post...go on, I know this is not for everyone, but if you are really keen on saving money on groceries and like getting good deals and are willing to put in a bit of effort, this is for you! Over 5 years ago I started this and have done it off and on ever since... because, well, I really like a good deal, maybe too much, but anyways, here's the low-down!

my shopping day, circa Jan 09'

Wal-Mart Price Matching:
In the Las Vegas area (and I think other places too, Wal-Mart will match the prices of other Competitors in the area. I only do groceries and the like but I hear they match other stuff too....

Basically you bring in the weekly ads from other Grocery stores, show the competitor's price, and tell them how much you are going to pay.

For example: Sunflower Market was Selling Hot House Cucumbers for .77 cents one week. I tell the checker the price and she does a price override and I get the 1.97 cucumber for 1.20 less. There was a sale one week at Smith's on cereal like Raisin Bran: buy 4 for $4. That's what I paid at Wal-Mart.

I also got tons of other good deals but only had to go to one store...instead of intending on hopping store to store. A HUGE drain of energy...not worth the money saved.

There are some basic things to remember....

You can only match things that are the same size and same Brand name.

If it is a store brand, like Kroger or Mountain Dairy, you buy Wal-Mart's store brand which is Great Value.

I always bring in my adds. Some checkers will let you have the price without the add if they are being nice. Don't count on it though!

When I lived in the ghetto, I got the adds in the mailbox.
It was a big disappointment when I moved too far away to get the adds.
I was seriously longing for my ads until I realized I could get them from the internet.

OH HAPPY DAY!
Links for you.

Buylow Supermarket

Cardenas markets

Glaziers
La Bonita 
Liborio

Los Compadres

Mariana's Markets

Sunflower Market

Super King Ranch Market

How to PRINT the store adds:

• Use the web browser Firefox.
• Locate the current week's add.
• Right click on the add image.
• Click "Copy" (you may have to right click several times to get it to list "copy.")
• (some people may click "save as")
• Copy, then paste it into a word document with really tiny margins.
• Print it out.
• (I do color on the fastest setting.)
• Make a list of the things you want.
• Go shopping, check out and feel like you are robbing good ol' Wal-Mart dry.

If you are serious about this, a fancy gal in my mom's ward has a wonderful blog, http://selfreliantsisters.blogspot.com/
She typed up a few more rules HERE.
It's also very nice how she types up the good deals from adds nearly each week.

From her blog, I just copied and pasted the ones I felt most pertinent.
I added a few tid bits in Green.

Price Matching Rules

• Walmart is the only grocery store (currently) that will Price Match.
• You really should have your ads with you.
• Walmart will price match grocery ads & Sunday newspaper ads (Best Buy, Walgreens, CVS, Office Max, etc).
• Item must be identical to the sale item in the ad (meaning same brand, size, type, etc).
• Walmart WILL price match Store Brands. For example - Walmart will match Kroger/Smiths bread on sale for Walmarts "Great Value" Bread.
• Walmart will take manufacturers coupons, but not other stores coupons.
• If a printed ad says (limit 2), then you will only be able to price match 2 of that item. Of course you can always buy 2 more the next day...
• Walmart will not price match "Buy one get one Free" or any other type of BOGO sales.
• Walmart will not price match items that come with an instant rebate/savings, or other such item.
• Each Walmart manager sets the limits on which stores they will price match from.
  

Price Matching Guidelines

Holly is the queen of price matching. Here she shares her tips on price matching.

• Go when the lines are not busy and without children if possible.(until you are used to it at least.)
  
• Shop on the same day and try to go to the same cashier. Get to know your cashiers. Some are anal and make you show EVERY add price. That gets old.
  Lucy at Marks/Sunset is my favorite checker. ;)
  
• Price match at the end of the order & let the cashier know you will be price matching. Separate them with a bar or a space on the grocery belt.
• Tell the person behind you that you will be price matching. This way they won't get irritated if you take a little longer than normal. (It definitely takes longer)
  
• Many Walmarts are MUCH friendlier at price matching than other Walmarts. Know your stores. The neighborhood Walmart at Stephanie/American Pacific & Warm Springs/Eastern are great to price match at. I have great success at Marks and Sunset
  
• Bring your ads & have them ready!! Circle the items that you are price matching, so you are able to show the checker quickly if needed.
• Be Organized! On my grocery list I circle the items that I am price matching in green. That way, when the checker asks me what the price of milk is, I can quickly check my list for the correct price. (I find it easiest to memorize prices. )
  
• Be courteous!
  
• Know what dates the ads start and end.
• Know your prices. Sometimes the "Everyday Low Price" at Walmart is cheaper than the sale price at other stores. (Usually boxed/dry goods are cheaper at Walmart.)

Nevada's Grocery Ads run:

• Albertsons, Food 4 Less, Fresh & Easy, Kmart, Smiths & Vons: Wednesday - Tuesday
• Kings Ranch (And most Latin stores): Tuesday - Monday
• Sunflower Market: Wednesday - Wednesday (w/ double add day on WED!)

p.s. those of you in different states, have you heard of people price matching where you are at? if so, was the experience similar to this description?
just curious.
:)

Happy Shopping......

Nice try!

Last week I realized again what I already know.

I love Love and Logic....
and I really loved the day I learned a technique called, "ENERGY DRAIN."

Creating logical consequences isn't always easy...or convenient, but Energy Drain is.

and as masochistic as it sounds, I like it when Justin (and now Anna at times) drains my energy.
and that is because I love that I don't have to do jobs since HE is doing them for me to earn my energy back!!!

Lets take vacuuming out the door jam for example.
I rarely ever get it done...
that is until last week.

Thanks Justin!!!

Basically, your kids can drain your energy when they do anything that bothers you.

Things that drain my energy...to list a few.
hitiing,
Whining,
talking back,
leaving messes,
the teasing of siblings,
looking at me wrong (on a bad day at least.) :)
anything can drain energy.

Here's a video that explains it quite well.
In a goofy, fun sort of way.



Now, here's my newest most favorite-st energy drain story of all:

Ohhhh Justin, It really drains Antie Angela's energy when you tease grandma's doggies. This is sooo sad.

(in his mean voice)
That doesn't drain energy!!!
Well, someday that program you use is going to be OVER!!!

What program???

That program you always watch and listen to that tells you what to say!

Really?

Yea, soon it will be over and the people that teach you are all going to die.

Ahhhh....you mean Love and Logic.
No problem, if they happen to die we're lucky to have it all recorded, on the internet and written down in books, but good luck with that.

Now, how would you like to help Angela get back her energy??

(insert a well executed tantrum by Justin)

Ohhhh...this is soooo sad. It drains my energy when you throw tantrums.

Eventually he gave up....and the large sink of dishes was washed and the floor was swept too.

Sounds like fun, huh!?!

I know (hope) I'm not the only one who feels life being zapped out of me at times.
Go ahead. Give energy drain a try.
I think you might like it too. :)

Motivation

when going places, i used to ALWAYS be late.
i still may be late some days, but i USUALLY just barely make it to places on-time.
today, i have remembered motivation to leave EARLY for home school co-op.

it's an interesting way to be, for sure, but i am MOTIVATED to leave early by the LURE of what my be waiting for me in the Trader Joes' Dumpster.

Maybe some day will be able to justify spending $15 a week on a stunning boquet of flowers...

until then, i will continue my weekly PILGRIMAGE on the way to co-op to see what beautiful surprise might be waiting for me atop a pile of rubbish in a dumpster waiting to be hauled away without having been appreciated in all of it's beauty.....

or enjoyed day by day at our school table....

or admired by a curious 5 year old.....

or purposed as a beautiful centerpiece for a session of "night school"

(night school=school work we put it off until night time [because life does happen when you are making other plans at times] and get to do it with friends who we are babysitting whom think it's wonderful fun!')

what motivates you!?!?

a moment

what a special treat to look over at the kids playing happily...
then looking again,

and again
and again
and again.
and again.
(repeat)

i just couldn't believe it.
for a full hour:

no screaming.
no hair pulling.
no pushing.
no meanie faces.
no whining.

just lots of fun!
...and fun is good.

what a happy mommy moment.
life is good.

on a beautiful september morn....

3 years ago, today
ANNA was born!

AND WHAT FUN LIFE HAS BEEN EVER SINCE!



And today, we featured her in our family Journal.
(and i just found a spelling error. geesh!)

We love Anna!