About two years ago I checked out this book about vitamins from the library, and I found the most interesting facts about vitamin D. One of the things I read was that the sun was the best, most efficient way to get vitamin D. We cannot get it through closed car windows, nor through sunscreen. Our bodies get it in the summer and store it up for the winter. For people who live in the Pacific NW, or those who never let the sun touch their bare skin, you need to read this article PLEASE! I am getting so frustrated with the huge push of sunscreen! I use it, but I also allow the sun to hit my skin for at least 15 minutes each time I am out in it. click here for article from live strong Vitamin D may be more of a vital commodity than you think. There is a difference between getting what you need and overexposure. Thank you for your time :)
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Good bye Mountain View Christian School
Something that seemed so far away, is now very near. It's time to face it. Our school Moutain View Christian is closing it's doors after June 8th. I have one more week. One more week to have most of my friends concentrated in one place.
One more week to watch these children who have a special place in my heart play.
One more week to set up and take down the lunch room in anticipation of kids sharing, laughing, and eating.
One more week to see fellow staff going above and beyond what they are required. The extra mile.
I am not sure that I have ever worked in a place where I have seen so many people love each other and pull together as they do. Sure it's not perfect 100% of the time, but for those times when it is, it's worth it!
So instead of sulking away the whole week, I am going to take the opportunity to just listen to, enjoy, and love on my co workers.
I will give kind encouraging words to the kids. I will show them kindness, and love. I will share hugs with the ones who want them, and smiles with the ones who don't. I will be compassionate to their needs. This is nothing new that I am doing, however for this last week my eyes will be open, and I will see just how important these children are to me.
Good bye Mountain View, thank you for letting me be a part of your heritage.
One more week to watch these children who have a special place in my heart play.
One more week to set up and take down the lunch room in anticipation of kids sharing, laughing, and eating.
One more week to see fellow staff going above and beyond what they are required. The extra mile.
I am not sure that I have ever worked in a place where I have seen so many people love each other and pull together as they do. Sure it's not perfect 100% of the time, but for those times when it is, it's worth it!
So instead of sulking away the whole week, I am going to take the opportunity to just listen to, enjoy, and love on my co workers.
I will give kind encouraging words to the kids. I will show them kindness, and love. I will share hugs with the ones who want them, and smiles with the ones who don't. I will be compassionate to their needs. This is nothing new that I am doing, however for this last week my eyes will be open, and I will see just how important these children are to me.
Good bye Mountain View, thank you for letting me be a part of your heritage.
Monday, May 21, 2012
No supermom here!
Sometimes I think the hardest part of being a responsible adult is trying to keep it all straight. Just when I think I am all caught up, I remember, or see i.e.; pile of laundry, stack of papers, messy bedroom/craftroom/spare room/bathroom (take your pick). I keep telling myself, "I am going to get organized like I was that one year in 2006!" Do I suffer from grand delusion? Was I really all that organized? In my head I remember a super clean house with a place for everything, and everything in it's place. My daily work out only consisted of 20 minutes and I never once had to look at my precious babes and say "Get in here and clean this mess!!!"
Then I think about the fact that I was not as mature as I am now, and part of the reason my workout only consisted of 20 minutes is because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the other 17 hours and 40 minutes of the day I was awake. My children were too little to move from room to room making colossal messes, and I didn't have to feel guilty for cleaning their rooms because they couldn't do it themselves. So I guess in the end there is always a trade off. Not to mention my organization did not come on my own merit, I had help from a friend/professional organizer. Oh how I wish she could come stay with me for a week in my new house and get me on track! She had a special way of getting me to get rid of stuff, and a special look for when I resisted.
So carving out time for anything extra would seem impossible right? Ha ha, not if you're me. It's like when you are in the car and you hear a strange noise so you turn up the radio, or when your husband sees a cobweb in the kitchen, so you get up and turn the light off. Yep, ignore it. Does it go away? No, but it's all about priorities my friends. Where do they lie? Lately I have been getting the important house cleaning duties done, like my kitchen is clean before I go to bed at night, and the bathrooms are clean (enough), but poor Scentsy has taken a back seat, and so has sweeping and mopping...I mean I squeeze it in when I can, and I can't tell you how long the pile of CLEAN laundry has been sitting here waiting to get folded.
But here I sit blogging. I tell you I need to do it. I love to read back (when I have time) on my bloogies and see where I was, and hopefully how far I have come. I don't preted to be perfect, but I am also not going to pretend I don't strive to improve. Part of what takes precedence in my life right now is training for a 1/2 marathon, you can read all about that on my running blog. This is part of my improving.
I have begun to tell myself "yes I can" to the things I thought all my life I couldn't do. Running is one, and the other is...get ready... because no one I know believes I can do it... it's... Making dinner every night YEP, something most people have no problem achieving. I think I am the one who doubts myself the most. I don't like to cook. I always pictured myself as this mom who would do crafts with my kids, have a full course meal on the table every night, a perfectly put together house, have a game night, help kids with homework you get it. I know that's a lot to put on myself, and I KNOW it's unrealistic, but gosh it's not bad things I want, and I suppose if that were all I set out to do, it would be possible, but then my SELF gets involved and I want me time, and me time takes time away from family time.
I guess I better leave my supermom cape in the closet for a little while longer.
Love xoxoxox
A delusional mom
Then I think about the fact that I was not as mature as I am now, and part of the reason my workout only consisted of 20 minutes is because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off the other 17 hours and 40 minutes of the day I was awake. My children were too little to move from room to room making colossal messes, and I didn't have to feel guilty for cleaning their rooms because they couldn't do it themselves. So I guess in the end there is always a trade off. Not to mention my organization did not come on my own merit, I had help from a friend/professional organizer. Oh how I wish she could come stay with me for a week in my new house and get me on track! She had a special way of getting me to get rid of stuff, and a special look for when I resisted.
So carving out time for anything extra would seem impossible right? Ha ha, not if you're me. It's like when you are in the car and you hear a strange noise so you turn up the radio, or when your husband sees a cobweb in the kitchen, so you get up and turn the light off. Yep, ignore it. Does it go away? No, but it's all about priorities my friends. Where do they lie? Lately I have been getting the important house cleaning duties done, like my kitchen is clean before I go to bed at night, and the bathrooms are clean (enough), but poor Scentsy has taken a back seat, and so has sweeping and mopping...I mean I squeeze it in when I can, and I can't tell you how long the pile of CLEAN laundry has been sitting here waiting to get folded.
But here I sit blogging. I tell you I need to do it. I love to read back (when I have time) on my bloogies and see where I was, and hopefully how far I have come. I don't preted to be perfect, but I am also not going to pretend I don't strive to improve. Part of what takes precedence in my life right now is training for a 1/2 marathon, you can read all about that on my running blog. This is part of my improving.
I have begun to tell myself "yes I can" to the things I thought all my life I couldn't do. Running is one, and the other is...get ready... because no one I know believes I can do it... it's... Making dinner every night YEP, something most people have no problem achieving. I think I am the one who doubts myself the most. I don't like to cook. I always pictured myself as this mom who would do crafts with my kids, have a full course meal on the table every night, a perfectly put together house, have a game night, help kids with homework you get it. I know that's a lot to put on myself, and I KNOW it's unrealistic, but gosh it's not bad things I want, and I suppose if that were all I set out to do, it would be possible, but then my SELF gets involved and I want me time, and me time takes time away from family time.
I guess I better leave my supermom cape in the closet for a little while longer.
Love xoxoxox
A delusional mom
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Want to know more about how we got our puppy?
If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you know by now that we got a new puppy. Maybe I should use the term "we" a little more lightly.
As I was trying to explain to a friend how I was not necessarily on board for a new pet, and how it had gotten to the point where I could no longer avoid the issue, she said "Oh, like a freight train." As I contemplated what she said, I came to the conclusion, that, YES!, very much like a freight train! Seemingly slowly approaching, even appearing to disappear at times, thenWHAM in your FACE!!!!!!
It was mothers day and my husband informed me that this was the last Goldendoodle left in the litter, we had to go look at her at least. I figured I would give them that. What was I thinking? It was Mothers day for crying out loud. If I never have a say another day of the year, this would have been my day to say "Nope, we are not doing that on my day!" But there's this whole thing about how it was late afternoon, sunshiny, nice, my husband had been so patient with me, and had kept the kids occupied while my mom and I were shopping. Not to mention the whole selfless be patient thing that Jesus has been helping me work on...so I figured, I owed them at least a look at the puppy. I think you all know what happened after this. Oh I did put up a small argument at the place where we picked her up, but I could tell husband was standing some ground on this one.
I think that my daughter may have been caught a little off guard with the whole "having to get up in the middle of the night" thing. I even asked her "Did we tell you that you were going to have to be getting up in the middle of the night with the puppy before you got her?" She said "no". This child is drag out tired. By the time 7PM rolls around, her eyes are drooping. She knows she has to keep the puppy awake (she learned that the hard way) and she does, despite the fact she just wants to relax. But through all this, I have not heard her complain once. Emily is not a typical child, she is very giving, and patient, and does what she knows needs to be done...sure she cracks every once and a while and gets fed up like we all do, and yes there is disobedience, but for the most part she never ceases to impress and amaze me. (I will clarify now that I have two and Emily is not my favorite because I don't have a favorite, it is just her moment to shine :))
As I was trying to explain to a friend how I was not necessarily on board for a new pet, and how it had gotten to the point where I could no longer avoid the issue, she said "Oh, like a freight train." As I contemplated what she said, I came to the conclusion, that, YES!, very much like a freight train! Seemingly slowly approaching, even appearing to disappear at times, thenWHAM in your FACE!!!!!!
It was mothers day and my husband informed me that this was the last Goldendoodle left in the litter, we had to go look at her at least. I figured I would give them that. What was I thinking? It was Mothers day for crying out loud. If I never have a say another day of the year, this would have been my day to say "Nope, we are not doing that on my day!" But there's this whole thing about how it was late afternoon, sunshiny, nice, my husband had been so patient with me, and had kept the kids occupied while my mom and I were shopping. Not to mention the whole selfless be patient thing that Jesus has been helping me work on...so I figured, I owed them at least a look at the puppy. I think you all know what happened after this. Oh I did put up a small argument at the place where we picked her up, but I could tell husband was standing some ground on this one.
I think that my daughter may have been caught a little off guard with the whole "having to get up in the middle of the night" thing. I even asked her "Did we tell you that you were going to have to be getting up in the middle of the night with the puppy before you got her?" She said "no". This child is drag out tired. By the time 7PM rolls around, her eyes are drooping. She knows she has to keep the puppy awake (she learned that the hard way) and she does, despite the fact she just wants to relax. But through all this, I have not heard her complain once. Emily is not a typical child, she is very giving, and patient, and does what she knows needs to be done...sure she cracks every once and a while and gets fed up like we all do, and yes there is disobedience, but for the most part she never ceases to impress and amaze me. (I will clarify now that I have two and Emily is not my favorite because I don't have a favorite, it is just her moment to shine :))
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Today's the day.
I am wishing I would have put some stuff together fun to do with these girls. I tell myself that if I wouldn't have been so involved with the preparation for the cruise, that my mind would have been able to do that. However in reality, I still would have been too busy to wrap my head around anything creative. Hence the reason I have not knit, scrapbooked, or sewn anything since last summer :(
Last night my dear husband said "I'm going to miss you", I replied, "I will miss you too, but hey...if there were ever a week for your wife to be gone, this is the perfect week" (as I do tend to get a little grouchy and hormonal once a month...just a little ;))
I am wishing I would have put some stuff together fun to do with these girls. I tell myself that if I wouldn't have been so involved with the preparation for the cruise, that my mind would have been able to do that. However in reality, I still would have been too busy to wrap my head around anything creative. Hence the reason I have not knit, scrapbooked, or sewn anything since last summer :(
Last night my dear husband said "I'm going to miss you", I replied, "I will miss you too, but hey...if there were ever a week for your wife to be gone, this is the perfect week" (as I do tend to get a little grouchy and hormonal once a month...just a little ;))
Monday, May 7, 2012
6th grade science camp vs. Christian Outdoor School
I will be joining the 6th graders for a little ditty called Christian Outdoor School soon. This I anticipate will be much like 6th grade science camp. The only differences...about 15 degrees cooler, and no pool. Oh and I didn't have the advantage of Christ being the main focus.
This is going to be interesting. I am not a fan of being outside in temperatures below 70 degrees F., I am anticipating my monthly visitor to show up right at the beginning of this little endeavor that does not include in-cabin bathrooms, and I am so worried I am going to forget something essential. Also being a accustomed to this new gadget generation, I am hoping I will at least be able to connect on my cell phone during the evenings. Say what you will, think what you will, it's the truth, it's how I feel, and I am admitting it!!!!
I am leaving my family in the hands of my mom. She will be picking up and dropping off the children, and staying the night a couple of the nights. I am blessed by this because I know she will try to help out as much as possible, keeping things picked up, and making sure everyone is comfortable. It sure is nice not to have to worry. I just hope she doesn't try to feed Kurt (he is anti vegetarian) ha ha, but she knows this. I explained to the kids that Grandma would probably want to keep the house up for my return, and would probably be a lot like mom asking them to clean up their messes, and if she does, to please just do what she asks. I also told them that I would be sure to let her know they do not have to clean their rooms, but if she offers to help them, and they want to do that, then they can. I also told them she probably won't be doing that.
I feel like I have a million things to do before I go, and of course this being the last day before I leave, I have an oil change appointment right after work, then pick up the kids, go to piano, then have just a few hours to tidy up and have all ship shape so my mom doesn't have to start off with a pig sty.
Do I have time to blog? Not exactly. I am doing this while I eat my breakfast. Not the smartest thing to do, I know.
I think we are all suffering from the high pollen count today, and there is a chorus of sneezing this morning ;)
I hope to come back and tell you all about my adventure. BTW, I am very excited to share this experience with the sweetest 6th grade girls I know.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
My Review of G6 airpark in Vancouver, WA
Last week the middle school class went to a place called G6 airpark in Vancouver. They came back and said it was so fun, and tiring. I decided to take my girls today, which happens to be a Saturday.
Directions: I looked them up online, they are right across the main road from a Giant grocery store, so that makes them easily locatable. There is no sign direct from the road (at least that I seen), however the sign that is above their space is very large and visible from the street, but not till you are right up on it.
Parking. There was ample parking available for the day I was there. However there doesn't seem to be
a smoking section as there were a few people smoking to the right of the door, it wasn't terrible, but definitely noticed.
Once inside, we were immediately acknowledged with a "Welcome to G6!" that was a nice touch, as I cannot tell you how many times I have walked into places that were not even busy, and the staff acted as though I wasn't even there. I cannot tell you weather it was busy in there or not because that was my first time, but if I had to guess, I would say yes, it was busy. There was a birthday party going on as well.
The price: We had a coupon for my kids to pay for the first hour then get the second hour free. I paid for only one hour for myself. $10 an hour for Saturday. It is a little cheaper if you come during the week.
The lockers: I immediately seen the lockers and decided to take advantage of them because I had my phone and it wasn't going to work being in my pocket. The lockers were the kind where you put your stuff in, then your money and you turn to release the key...well, I didn't do it right the first time. I notified the staff, and they were fantastic about getting me another locker. Overall, I really don't think I needed a locker. They have places to put your personal belongings on the platform, where if you are jumping, you can easily keep an eye on them.
The Trampolines: They were great! They had these yellow things that separated them, which I had a hard time jumping over them ( I think it was just me) that after a while I figured it out and got the hang of it. I was able to get some serious air, and had fun bouncing my girls. There is no fear of hitting the ceiling, bumping into someone else, or falling out. Maybe a little concern for bumping into someone else, but minimal. They have great rules, and plenty of "life guards" in the sections.
The Rules: Do not go on the blue mats (borders), do not jump on the yellow surfaces, and no sitting on the trampolines. I love that they make it so people cannot sit, that way everyone can enjoy jumping without having to worry about hurting someone.
As a parent who may not want to jump: There are places to sit on the platforms, I did not count, but there were two or three couches in the main jump area, and another set of couches in the foam pit. The trampolines are also visible from the dining/birthday area as well.
The foam pit: This was very cool. They had 4 or 5 foam pits (one at a time please) and the last one had a ladder over it that you could try to make it to the other side without falling into the foam. I loved the foam pit once I got the nerve to do a front flip into it. If you are wanting a strenuous work out, try to climb out of that thing a few times!
Food and drinks: Their web site shows you the food they offer, and the pricing. I do not think it is unreasonable, especially if I were having a birthday party and wanted pizza. I got a glimpse of the pizzas, and they actually looked good! We didn't jump for more than an hour, and if you eat before you go, your really not there long enough to need food.
I give G6 a thumbs up and will return someday. This time with my sports bra already on. TMI? not if your a woman reading this!!!
Directions: I looked them up online, they are right across the main road from a Giant grocery store, so that makes them easily locatable. There is no sign direct from the road (at least that I seen), however the sign that is above their space is very large and visible from the street, but not till you are right up on it.
Parking. There was ample parking available for the day I was there. However there doesn't seem to be
a smoking section as there were a few people smoking to the right of the door, it wasn't terrible, but definitely noticed.
Once inside, we were immediately acknowledged with a "Welcome to G6!" that was a nice touch, as I cannot tell you how many times I have walked into places that were not even busy, and the staff acted as though I wasn't even there. I cannot tell you weather it was busy in there or not because that was my first time, but if I had to guess, I would say yes, it was busy. There was a birthday party going on as well.
The price: We had a coupon for my kids to pay for the first hour then get the second hour free. I paid for only one hour for myself. $10 an hour for Saturday. It is a little cheaper if you come during the week.
The lockers: I immediately seen the lockers and decided to take advantage of them because I had my phone and it wasn't going to work being in my pocket. The lockers were the kind where you put your stuff in, then your money and you turn to release the key...well, I didn't do it right the first time. I notified the staff, and they were fantastic about getting me another locker. Overall, I really don't think I needed a locker. They have places to put your personal belongings on the platform, where if you are jumping, you can easily keep an eye on them.
The Trampolines: They were great! They had these yellow things that separated them, which I had a hard time jumping over them ( I think it was just me) that after a while I figured it out and got the hang of it. I was able to get some serious air, and had fun bouncing my girls. There is no fear of hitting the ceiling, bumping into someone else, or falling out. Maybe a little concern for bumping into someone else, but minimal. They have great rules, and plenty of "life guards" in the sections.
The Rules: Do not go on the blue mats (borders), do not jump on the yellow surfaces, and no sitting on the trampolines. I love that they make it so people cannot sit, that way everyone can enjoy jumping without having to worry about hurting someone.
As a parent who may not want to jump: There are places to sit on the platforms, I did not count, but there were two or three couches in the main jump area, and another set of couches in the foam pit. The trampolines are also visible from the dining/birthday area as well.
The foam pit: This was very cool. They had 4 or 5 foam pits (one at a time please) and the last one had a ladder over it that you could try to make it to the other side without falling into the foam. I loved the foam pit once I got the nerve to do a front flip into it. If you are wanting a strenuous work out, try to climb out of that thing a few times!
Food and drinks: Their web site shows you the food they offer, and the pricing. I do not think it is unreasonable, especially if I were having a birthday party and wanted pizza. I got a glimpse of the pizzas, and they actually looked good! We didn't jump for more than an hour, and if you eat before you go, your really not there long enough to need food.
I give G6 a thumbs up and will return someday. This time with my sports bra already on. TMI? not if your a woman reading this!!!
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