"Lessons Learned"

With Mother's Day approaching this weekend I was asked by my college friend and fellow mommy blogger, Jordan, to guest post about motherhood on her blog. It's up today! Go check it out HERE!

My May Challenge

The last few months I have been trying to "get healthy." I haven't been overly successful. I have been exercising a couple days a week with a group of ladies at church, and that has been really fun. The problem was that I couldn't get my eating under control. I have a major sweet tooth, but that wasn't even the problem. I was just eating all day long, and eating way too much junk. Candy, fast food, chips, soda. I took a step back and couldn't figure out what my problem was. I have never eaten this badly in my life!

I considered my options: crazy detox diet, cutting out all sugar and fats, etc. I decided my best bet for a long term change was to re-train myself how to eat right and listen to my body. My May Challenge is helping me with that goal. Basically the May Challenge is me re-training myself to be healthy. Each week I have a specific goal to help me eat better. The next week's goal will add onto the first week's. The other piece of the puzzle is exercise. I haven't been doing too badly in that department, but as long as I'm challenging myself I may as well ramp up my exercise efforts too.

May Challenge: Week 1
Week 1 Goals:
-Exercise 5 days (I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and using my elliptical)
-No fast food
-At least 3 servings of fruits/veggies per day

I have a notebook to keep a tangible record of my goals and to honestly chart my eating. I know that these goals may seem really lame, but I'm embarrassed to admit that they are a challenge for me. So far this week I've been doing ok. I've exercised 2 days, and barely met my fruits/veggies goals on those days. I, of course, haven't eaten fast food, but let me tell you I was tempted as I drove past In N Out yesterday with just Talia in the car . . . I managed to resist. :)

I am always hesitant to publicly commit to any sort of goal simply because if I fail then everyone knows it, but I guess that's exactly why it's a good motivator. Anyway, I'm not really looking for any healthy eating advice (I know plenty of what I SHOULD be doing), but encouragement is always appreciated!

Bits and Pieces

Last week was kind of long and blah. Davin and I had colds, the weather was horrible (woke up to 2 more inches of snow on Saturday morning!), and Ian was busy and worked late. Sigh.

A few random happenings around the house . . .

I can't remember what day this was, but Weston was coloring in his Spiderman coloring book that has a couple sheets of stickers in the middle. I was doing dishes at the sink. When I turned around I had to laugh. I guess this is what happens when you have a 5 year old brother.
Talia is such a big girl these days! We are borrowing an exersaucer for the next few months, so I put her in it this week. She is getting better at reaching for the toys every day and she looks so cute (but tiny) in it. She also rolled over for the first time on Saturday! She did it about 6 times in a row and I managed to catch the last time on video. Barely. She hasn't really done it again since Saturday, so we'll see if it was a fluke or if she will keep doing it.



I finally got the entryway of the den decorated! My sister gave me the fabulous family names print and I had it custom framed. Then I went to DI on Friday and picked up the glass vase and vintage books. I bought a pear potpourri vase filler at Target, and the cute "There's no place like home" sign I got at Deseret Book on clearance for $4. The clock is from CSN stores. I am really happy with the way it turned out, and I'm so glad that the room is finally feeling homey and done.
Saturday afternoon we went on a family trip to the mall. I got some killer deals at JCPenney thanks to a couple coupons and a random gift card. I ended up paying only about $7 for a pair of shorts for Weston, a cute purple onesie for Talia, a fun Spring top for me, and a necklace for me. When I was done shopping I couldn't find Ian and the kids! They weren't at the dino playground where I had left them and Ian wasn't answering his phone or my texts. What was I to do? Well, I wandered a bit and found a beauty supply store having a sale on OPI nail polish. I took advantage and bought 3 OPI polishes for $9 (a buy 1 get 2 free deal). Happy Mother's Day to me. I did eventually find my family and we all headed home worn out from our shopping trip.

Me wearing my new necklace with my cute nakey Talia.

I am finally feeling better from my cold. Just a lingering cough left, which is good because I need to be well for the month of May. More on my May Challenge coming up.

Royal Wedding

If you think all things royal (or British for that matter) are lame then do not read this post. I don't claim to be knowledgeable about the British royals, but they have always held a fascination for me. Maybe it's the bizarre, but kind of cool hats. Maybe it's the fact that I've seen Pride and Prejudice more times than I can count. Perhaps it's because I once met Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York in person at an event I sang at. Or maybe it's because the royals are real. And if they are real, then anybody could become a princess.
Honestly I had forgotten all about the royal wedding until yesterday when it was on all my online sources top news (and by sources I mean people.com, facebook, and yahoo). I knew there was no way I would get up in the middle of the night to watch it, but I for sure was excited to see the clips online this morning. And it did not disappoint. The ceremony was traditional. I loved the tree lined aisle. Kate and William looked happy. I thought Kate's dress was perfect. She looked beautiful. I know it's sappy, but it's every little girl's dream to be a real live princess, and I couldn't help smiling as I watched one girl live her dream . . . horse drawn carriage and all. I truly hope they have a happy life.

Also, Princess Kate's gorgeous hair is almost inspiring me to grow mine out. Almost.

Clips I watched can be found HERE.

What a Difference A Day Makes

Yesterday was bleak. I had been coming down with a cold since Saturday, but yesterday I felt awful. The weather matched. It was cold (think 30's) with a frigid wind blowing snow flurries in my face as I ran my necessary errands and did preschool runs. It was gray and I felt like this blasted Utah winter would never end. I would never be warm again. I would have boots and coats cluttering my entryway for eternity. Some days are like that.

I spent the day kind of moping and being lazy. I realized that my library movies were overdue, so I turned on Swiss Family Robinson, determined to get my $1.00 fine's worth. I hate it when I have to play late fines on books and movies that I didn't even read/watch. Anyway, I forgot how much I enjoy that movie. Weston watched most of it with me. He loved all the animals. Plus the bad guys are pirates. What 5 year old boy wouldn't love it?

I decided I was not going to try to haul myself to mutual. I sent the materials with my friend Janelle and stayed in my sweats. Ian took the boys to play at Arctic Circle after dinner so I could have a little quiet time. It was wonderful. I have to admit that I did use a little bit of the time to vacuum the front of the house. It made me feel better. Then I started on the newest Josi Kilpack book. When Ian came home he brought us some Olive Garden take out. I am in love with their chicken and gnocchi soup. We ate after we got the kids to bed. It was a good end to a blah day.

This morning the sun was shining brightly, and the forecast called for highs in the 50's (how sad that I'm excited about that forecast)! I still have a cold, but I'm feeling better. I have a tiny bit more energy and am coughing a little bit less. Davin has a cold too. I let him stay in his jammies and watch Toy Story 2 all morning. It is really amazing what a little sunshine can do for my outlook on life. I'm feeling a little guilty for yesterday's general whinyness, but you know what? I'm not going to beat myself up about it because some days are just like that.

Now back to my book . . .

Easter Weekend

Celebrating Easter was a fitting end to our week of Spring break. I loved every minute of our weekend. We had so much fun, but managed to throw in some relaxation. Saturday we had a lovely Easter lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids with our friends. It is kind of a tradition we had with our family friends, the Green's, growing up. I really enjoyed our afternoon. It was low key and I was so happy that the rain held off long enough for us to hunt eggs outside in the yard. Weston was a pro at egg hunting, but was also very sweet about sharing. Once I told him he had enough he would give all the eggs to found to Davin or Kate. I think there were plenty to go around though. We went a little overboard and hid over 100 eggs for just the three kiddos. :)






After counting and opening all the eggs we were all a little tired. The Bayles' headed home for nap time and we spent the rest of the afternoon resting and dying eggs. Weston and I watched the first half of The Testaments before I started dinner. It was really neat watching it with my 5 year old. He had question after question about what was happening and I was glad that I could explain it all to him. He is such a sponge, and probably will remember most of what he saw and heard.
We had a nice meal of grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, and grilled zucchini. Everyone went to bed early since the boys didn't have naps and I had woken up with the start of a cold. The Easter bunny hid the kids' baskets as per tradition, so when the boys woke up they immediately started looking for them. Weston found his faster than I expected him to. I can't believe that I forgot to take pics of their baskets before I hid them, but they were a big success. I was really happy with the things I got for the boys. They each got a couple books, a couple movies, a shovel/rake set, some new character socks, chocolate bunnies, candy, and a pet. Weston's was a Webkinz puppy (now named Max) and Davin's was a Zhu Zhu Pet (named Zhu Zhu). Talia was pretty oblivious, but she got a new bathing suit (thanks Grandma B!) and pink baby sunglasses in her basket.
Amazingly enough we managed to all get ready for church in time for a few photos beforehand. We decided to do them inside since I didn't want to put Talia in the wet/muddy grass in her white dress. The kids all looked adorable, but I have to admit I was extra excited to have a new Easter dress for Talia. Grandma Denny bought her Easter dress for her a couple months ago and I have been patiently waiting to put it on her until this weekend. She looked ultra adorable in it (if I do say so myself). What fun dressing up a girl is!
And how lucky am I to get to spend my days with this handsome duo?!?
We didn't have time for a proper photo shoot of just Talia, but here are a couple more of her in her dress after church.

We had a very nice time at church (if you ignore the last 20 minutes of Sacrament meeting when Talia was crying and the boys were being less than reverent while I bounced her in the back of the chapel which led to Davin having a quick time out in the foyer). Ian and I sang with the choir, and I enjoyed what I was able to hear of the talks. After church Davin napped and Weston and I finished watching The Testaments. At the end when Jesus comes to visit the Nephites Weston leaned over to me and said, "I wish I was there." Me too. I told him that Jesus will come again and we might be here when it happens so we need to be ready. It was really a special teaching moment.

We were lucky enough to enjoy a delicious Easter ham dinner with our bishop and his family last night. Seriously, it was all my favorite things: ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, grated carrots, rolls, and pomegranate 7-up. I have to admit it was nice not having to do the clean up from a big meal too. I thoroughly enjoyed this year's Easter weekend. I hope you did too!

Wrapping it Up

We finished out our week of Spring break with a shopping day on Thursday. It started with lunch at Chick Fil A. The cow happened to be wandering around the restaurant before heading out to it's primary duty of waving at cars on the street. My boys love mascots, so they definitely wanted a hug and a picture. After we had our turn with the cow, Weston was following it around with his eyes. After a minute or two he said, "Mom, I think that maybe the cow is really a person standing up inside a costume." I replied that maybe he was right, but it made me a little sad. My baby is growing up and leaving a tiny bit of the magic of childhood behind.
After lunch we went to the mall so I could pick up some shirts for Ian and so we could check another Spring break outing off our list. The boys wanted to play at the dino playground. They had a ball, as usual. Davin spent almost the entire time sitting on this statue and telling me how it was a dragon and it was dirty, so then he pretended to clean it. He's so funny.
Ian and I went on a shopping date last night too. We grabbed some delicious In N Out then shopped at Target, Best Buy, Kohl's, and Aeropostale. It was a successful trip. Ian got some much needed new clothes, and some less needed, but no less fun phone accessories. I also bought Weston another new pair of jeans and cute matching tee shirts for the boys. It's always fun to spend time with my hubby and get to act a little less mature and like the mom. :)

This morning we were supposed to meet up with friends at the park, which was fitting since it's Earth Day! However, the weather was deceptively cold. It was sunny, but only about 45 degrees and breezy. Brrr. We did go to the park, but we didn't last too long. Other Earth Day activities included finally planting Weston's sunflower sprout outside in the front yard, and opening up the live butterfly garden I got for the kids. Our caterpillar larvae came in the mail today, and I decided Earth Day was just as good an excuse to give this to the boys as Easter, so we opened it up and watched our caterpillars all afternoon. Weston named the runt of our 5 larvae Tiny Tim. I think they will really enjoy watching them turn into butterflies!

Today the boys and I put together our pirate hats. There were instructions at the back of one of our library books and Weston asked if we could make them. The only paper I had that would be big enough was finger paint paper, so on Thursday I let the boys finger paint, then this morning we folded them up. They weren't quite as exciting and Weston had hoped, but I thought they turned out cute.

angry pirates . . . arrrr

cheery pirates . . . yo ho yo ho

Later this afternoon I made rainbow chip cupcakes for our Easter egg hunt tomorrow. We had to sample them, of course. Davin was a fan.
We sure enjoyed our fun week off school, but I have to admit that I am kind of ready to get the boys back in preschool. I haven't been able to read a single page all the way through in my book all week. Oh well. Maybe next week.

I hope everyone enjoys their Easter weekend.
Please take a few minutes (or more!) to ponder the reason we celebrate.