2011's Big Three

It's almost a new year.  I usually don't do resolutions, because promising myself something makes me accountable, and I pretty much never come through.  However, I'd like this year to be different.  Here are some of my goals for 2011:

1. Lose an average of 1 pound per week for the entire year, totaling somewhere around 50 pounds, which will put me somewhere within 10 pounds of what I weighed when I got married.  This is my biggest, scariest goal.
2. Attempt to get at least one thing published.  Not even get published; just try.
3. Move out of my parents' basement.


This is what I'd like to do this year.  It's not a long list, but it's a very difficult one.  If I remember at this time next year, I'll do a recap of how it went.  I probably won't remember, but you can be sure that if any of these things happen, you'll know about it.

I was talking to my dad today, and he reminded me that I have to create opportunities for myself.  I have to do.  I've already wasted two years sitting here waiting for life to happen to me.  If I want something to happen, I have to make it happen.  I used to be able to do that.  This year I want to rediscover that ability.  I want to make things happen.

Conversations with Chaela (Part III)

My dad was making soup for lunch.  Chaela came in and saw the saltines he was going to put in it.

Chaela:"Grandpa!  I need to eat all those crackers!  Put them in a bowl!"

Me, slightly horrified:  "Chaela!  Come over here. [She comes over.]  That's not how you ask.  Also, you may not have all the crackers, you can only have some.  Go over there and say, 'Grandpa, can I please have some of those crackers?'"

Chaela: "Ok, mommy." [Walks back over to my dad.] "Grandpa!  I said I need all those crackers in a bowl right now!"

Sigh.

Holiday Update 2010

When did I get so bad at blogging?  Probably around when Joci was born.

I really don't have much to say, I just wanted to update this thing.  I currently have two things (besides kids) that I'm working on.

1) An etsy shop.  I'm not ready to tell you all what it is yet, but maybe soon.  Those who know, shhhh.
2)My new story, which is coming along ok.  I'm almost done with chapter 3 and it's about 7,500 words so far, which is actually a few less than I had hoped for.  I'm aiming for about 80,000 words, which would be 320-ish pages.  But I already have one chapter more than I thought I would, and if this keeps up, I should be fine.  We shall see.

Kid updates are pretty much normal.  We're doing a little CIO (cry it out) with Joci, because she is way too dependent on being held to fall asleep.  She's also still in our room, which I am eager to change.  I'm just not sure how to transition her into Chaela's room.  I'm afraid that they'll wake each other up and I really need them to sleep. 

I believe the potty training war has been won.  Chaela still has accidents here and there, but for the most part, they're real accidents, not "Oh, I was too into what I was doing to bother walking to the potty."  It's such a relief to have that struggle ended!  She's also very excited for Christmas.  On the first day that it snowed, according to my mom, whom she was with, Chaela ran to the window, pressed her face against the glass, and exclaimed, "Oh! It's CHRISTMAS!"  She's also very into helping right now.  She wants to help with everything, and, in the hopes of preserving this attitude into adulthood, I let her as much as I safely can.  She now helps with feeding the animals, laundry, picking up, setting the table, carrying in and putting away the groceries, and a little bit of cooking (sometimes she "helps" me cook by standing on her stool a few feet away and watching while not touching anything).  Her regular chores include taking her dishes to the counter after a meal and feeding the dog.  Just today I've decided to add picking up her room, but I'm not a good example of housekeeping, so we'll see how it goes.

Will is almost done with another semester of school, and his finals start Saturday.  I think it was a tough one for him, so he'll be glad when it's over. 

The next thing for us is spending Christmas with my side of the family.  Jordan is coming home and my sisters and their families are coming to Ohio, and I'm SO EXCITED!  Especially to see my nephews!  We'll all be in Chicago the weekend after next to celebrate with the McFarlands and Jordans, and after that we're coming back to have Christmas here.  We've been decorating the house to get ready for them, and I can't wait!

I should have known; I always have more to say than I think I do once I get talking.

The Next Generation

Alright, it's 3am and I have to get up early, but since I know I won't be posting again until after Thanksgiving, here's something I realized that might amaze you, readers, especially my not-Mormon friends who don't realize on how grand a scale we tend to procreate.

I have gone from zero nieces/nephews/kids (you know, the next generation) to EIGHT in just under 3 and 1/2 years.  That's right, between my family and Will's, there have been eight kids born since July 2007.  That's 3 years and 5 months.  We are averaging 2.35 children per year, and that's not counting all of the kids born to our cousins... that's just kids born to us and our siblings. 

If you add in my friends... things just start to get crazy.

Babies tend to come in waves, just so you know.  Here's how my waves went:

2007: Two girls (4 months apart)
2009: A boy and a girl (6 months apart)
2010: One girl and three boys (Almost exactly 7 months from the oldest: Joci, to the youngest: Carson)

It's such a crazy, fun time to be welcoming so many new babies into the world!  Welcome, next generation!  I can't wait to see who you grow up to be!

One-sentence updates and something exciting (for me)

I just realized that a year and one day from now it will be 11/11/11.  Weird.
Chaela just ran up to me and yelled, "I AM ANNOY-WING!"

Joci's new favorite place to be is in the laundry basket.  She spends a lot of time there.

Will just got Call of Duty: Black Ops, and  I'm about to Black Ops his headset if he doesn't turn down the volume so he can hear me when I talk to him.

Chaela was throwing a ball in the house today (after I told her not to) and broke a glass.  I freaked out, but no one was hurt except Psyduck, the Pokemon residing on the broken cup.

***
This was also going to be a one sentence update, but I'm just feeling kind of happy about it and wanted to share more extensively. 

Last night I outlined an entire trilogy.  Beginning, middle, and end, all with no gaping plot holes that I can see right now.

You all know that I was working on something up until a year and a half ago, when my creative juices just stopped flowing because I got pregnant.  I've been trying so, so hard to finish that story ever since I felt the urge to write again, but it wasn't happening.  I'm sorry to the people who have been patiently waiting for me to finish, I'm trying, but it's just not happening.  I'm stuck.

I've had another story rolling around in my head for a long time (since I was a teenager).  I haven't wanted to start writing it because 1) I was working on my other story, and 2) I didn't think I had anywhere to go with it.  I had zip.  However, there was one scene I was itching to write, so last night I finally let myself.  After I was done, I felt like I wanted get down a brief outline of the few things I knew I wanted to happen.

I ended up writing a page and a half outline for the first book and two large paragraphs for two books to follow.  That has never happened to me before... plotting is an element of writing that escapes me, but this feels almost like it's been there, living in my head, this whole time.  Cool and strange.

Now I'm not going to say that things are just going to fall into place as I start writing, or that I'll have time to write, or that I'll ever do anything with these outlines, or that it's even a good or original story, but it does make me feel good to have it all down, to have a direction to go in.  It makes me happy.  :)

The List

I'm just sitting here, wasting time, so I thought I'd post a list of things I'd like to accomplish someday.

1. Become conversational in Japanese, if not fluent.
2. Become a published author, even if it's only one thing.
3. Lose 50 pounds/make exercise a part of my daily life.
4. Live in a house in the country, but not too far in the country.
5. Have at least one more kid (at most two more).
6. Record some songs, mostly for my mom, but also because I think it would be fun.
7. Be able to stay at home with my kids, so I can do crazy things like try and teach them a second language (current project) and sew them awesome clothes.

So, there you go.  That's all I can think of for now.  What's on your list?

Costumes 2010

 Chaela was a "scary witch" this year.  Unfortunately, she's sitting, so you can't see the amazingness that is her cloak (my favorite part).  However, you can see the striped tights and utterly sweet boots, so it's ok.  On this costume, I made the cloak and dress; everything else (hat, undershirt, boots, and tights) I bought.  I really love the purple and black!

 Joci was a black cat to go along with Chaela's witch.  My favorite part of this?  The feet.  Joci's costume was completely handmade from a plush-ish fleece, so it was soft and warm.  Funny story: I had to shrink the pattern because even a size 1/2 (the smallest size) was too big, but I accidentally shrank it too much, so I had to cut the entire costume in half and sew a band around the stomach area.  I also had to cut down the middle of the hood and add a triangle of fabric there for her enormously round head.  Turned out ok in the end, though.  You can't tell from this picture, but Joci carries on the purple and black theme with a purple "collar" around the neck of her costume (just a ribbon I sewed on).  It's hard to see her tail in this, but it's in her hand.

Here are my girls together!  I really wanted a picture of Chaela standing so you get the full effect of the cloak's awesomeness.  Possibly I will make her put on the cloak tomorrow.  Questionable as to whether those pictures will make it on here even if I do take them.

As for actual trick-or-treating last night (Thursday... Ohio is lame and doesn't do it on Halloween, I don't know why), it went well.

But it was really, really cold.

Our church's trunk-or-treat tonight was still chilly, but not as bad.  No good pictures from that, but Chaela was really excited to go around and collect candy a second time.

Next year's idea: pirates, unless Chaela is old enough to realize she can pick her own, then we'll see.  I'm not going to tell her.

Kids make the holidays fun!

Today I forced the rest of my family to carve pumpkins with me (because it's FUN dangit!!).  Will and Chaela did one "together," which resulted in the following conversation:

Will: "Chaela, come over here!  Come help me get the insides out of the pumpkin!"

*Chaela wanders away, we yell for her to come back, she comes back and peers into the pumpkin.*

Will: "Ok, stick your hand in there and pull out the seeds!"  *Will demonstrates by pulling out a handful of pumpkin guts.*

Chaela: "No way."  *runs away*

--A few minutes later--

Chaela: *wanders by again.*  "I don't like pumpkins.  Pumpkins stink... EW!  Disgusting!"

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I do have to say, though, it is more fun the older she gets.  This year she tells everyone we see (like randomly, in the grocery store) that she's going to be a witch for "Ha-yo-ween."  She keeps changing her mind, though, about if she's going to be a "scary witch" or "just a witch."  I love their costumes!  I finally finished Joci's over the weekend (she's a black cat) and I can't wait to post pictures on here!

The Potty War

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but potty training Chaela has been a several-months-long war.  We've almost made it to victory, but it's a two forward, one back thing.  Here's the latest.

Just a few minutes ago she was yelling in her room (she was supposed to be asleep).  I went in to see her.

"Hi mommy.  My legs are wet."
"What?  Why are you legs wet, honey?  Did you potty in your room?"
"Yes.  I potty on the floor."
"Do you need new panties?"
"No, my panties are dry."

And they were.  But there's a large wet spot on her bedroom floor.  So, the best I can figure, she took off her panties, peed on the floor, then put them back on.

*forehead smack*

The Purpose

I think I must experience religion differently than most people.

I watched "Glee" tonight, like pretty much everyone else in the country.  I've debated in the past if I wanted to continue watching it or not.  I'm still not sure.  It's funny, and I love that it's a musical show, but it's getting much too political for me.  Why can't it just be for fun instead of pushing whatever agenda is trendy these days?

However, I digress.  Like I said, I think I must experience religion differently than most people.  Comments made on "Glee" tonight and at other times on TV have me wondering: how do most people think religion works?

One thing I've heard nonreligious people (or those having a crisis of faith) ask is, "How could a loving God let such bad things happen in the world?" and cite bad things happening to good people as evidence against His existence. 

Let me tell you what I believe.  I believe that there is a God, but He's not there to make sure life is easy, or happy all the time, or fair.  That's not the purpose of our time here.  The purpose of our time is to be tested, to go through hard things, and grow. 

I believe we are His children, and He will give what we need, and not what we want.  Sometimes people say that unanswered prayers are their reason for losing faith.  My almost-three-year-old asks me nightly if she can have candy for dinner.  Every night she asks, she says please, and sometimes she throws a fit.  I know she wants it more than she wants anything else in the world in that moment.  However, I am not about to give her candy for dinner, because, as someone with more knowledge and experience, I know that if she eats candy for dinner, she'll feel sick later because she's eaten too much junk.  Not only that, but if I did let her eat candy instead of an actual, healthy meal each night, she would grow up with weight problems, which could lead to self-esteem problems.  Her body would become too weak to run, dance, and play the way she loves; not to mention dental issues.  I know all of this without even really thinking about it, and she doesn't have a clue.  All she knows is that she really, really wants candy, and I could give it to her if I wanted, but I don't.

This is how most people seem to me, like three-year-olds throwing a tantrum because they don't understand the reasons for the things that happen to them.  Yes, much of the time these things are tragic, horrible, or at the very least grossly unfair.  But could it be that Heavenly Father allows them to happen because He understands things that we don't have the capacity to comprehend?  That's what I believe.

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

1 Nephi 11:17

Blogging Bum

Ok, obviously I've been a blogging bum lately.  I think it started when Joci was born.  That's when I let my "Gamerwife" blog go (I've posted once on there since she's been born... it was about how I hadn't posted).  This one was doing ok, however, until I started working.

Have I written about that?

I've started a temporary full-time job as an OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) tutor at the local high school.  It's pretty cool.  I like the kids, and over where we are, the administrators have been very helpful.  I'm starting to get nervous, though, because the OGT starts on October 25th.  I've put quite a bit of time and effort into this whole tutoring thing, and what if, when the scores come back, I find out I'm an awful teacher and all my kids failed?!

If that happens, I can tell you what the problem is: my control freakiness.  I just have a problem waiting for kids to get the answer, so I explain the question in an extremely leading manner so that 99% of the time they come up with the right answer.  This past week, the biggest thing I've done is try to let go of my craziness and have the kids answer questions on their own.  Like I said, the test doesn't start until the 25th, and the science portion (which is the subject I'm tutoring in) isn't until the 29th, but please, all you readers, pray for my kids, keep them in your thoughts, and wish them luck!

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As for other goings on, Chaela continues to say crazy things. 

My current favorite, which has been going on for a while, is the song, "Jesus Wants Me for a Sun Bean" (supposed to be "sunbeam") which she sings several times every day. 

At the doctor's office she looked the doctor square in the eye and said, "I can't get a shot today, you don't give me a shot," which is an example of how bossy she is.  Luckily, she didn't need one.  This time.

I've noticed she doesn't name her toys like other kids do.  Thinking maybe I just hadn't noticed, tonight I asked her what her doggies' names were that she takes to bed with her. 
"This is my pumpkin doggie."
"Oh, is your doggie's name Pumpkin?"
"No."
"It's name isn't Pumpkin?"
"No. This is a pumpkin doggie.  And this is my 'nother pumpkin doggie.  These are my one, two pumpkin doggies."
"..."

*

Joci is getting bigger, even though she's not the chunk I thought she'd be.  In fact, sometimes she looks downright small to me.  I don't know if that's because I've got her on one hand and Chaela on the other, but I suppose she is starting to fit into her six month stuff just about on time, so it's probably just me.

Speaking of which, she'll be six months on the 20th of October!  A half a year.  I can't believe it!  She's rolling like a pro, but she hasn't started sitting up on her own yet.  I imagine it will be before the end of the month, though, she's definitely getting closer.

I think of all of us, she's had the hardest time with me working.  Not surprising, right?  She's a breastfed baby, and she likes it that way.  Thankfully, I've discovered that she also likes carrots and peaches, so Will has something to give her, and because of the way I set up my schedule, I'm only missing one feeding. 

The problem is that she's a huge mommy's girl, so from the time I get home until the next morning, when I leave for work again, she freaks out if I'm not holding her or she can't see me.  Even at night, and I'm not huge on co-sleeping, because I just can't sleep as well if there are kids in my bed.  This begets a vicious cycle whose main result is me not getting enough sleep during the week EVER.  So, whenever I can, I turn the weekend into one long nap.

Ha ha!  Just kidding!  I have two children.  But wouldn't it be nice?

*

Well, I suppose that's enough blogging for now.  It's long, but I guess after such a long time I had a lot to say.  I'm hoping I'll start doing this more often, but I'll be honest, most of the time I'm too tired to do anything but watch TV.  Good thing there's plenty in the fall lineup this year to keep me occupied.

Which reminds me, everyone, if you haven't seen The Big Bang Theory on CBS, definitely give it a try.  It's pretty much the best comedy show ever.  My only problem with it is that CBS is run by stupidheads who, for some reason, won't put full episodes on hulu.com or their own website.  Oh, well.  Check out some clips on the Hulu link, and if you like them, TBBT is on Thursdays at 8pm (Eastern) on CBS, which means you'll have to record it and watch it after Bones, the current best crime show (Bones only gets preference because it's an hour long and TBBT is a half an hour... otherwise they are equally awesome).

Conversations with Chaela (Part II)

The scene: Dinner.  The Elders are over, and Chaela has climbed on the bench to sit between them.  It's the clean-up moment between the meal and the pumpkin pie.

Chaela: UUUUUUUUUUURRRGH (extremely loud grunt)!!!  Oh!  My panties are stuck in my bum! 

Incredulous silence.  Outburst of laughter.

Chaela:  Hey!  That's NOT FUNNY!

My apologies, Elders.

Picture Quilt

Maya asked me to be a part of her Winter Crafts Blog Carnival, and I'll be honest, I haven't had much time for crafting lately, so the craft I'm posting about is the only one I already have a lot of pictures of.  This blog kind of presupposes general knowledge of sewing/putting together quilts and blankets.  I did this for my husband's "big present" for Christmas last year, because it took a while and did take some money, mostly because of printer ink and transfer paper.

If you like this idea but it looks complicated, just adapt it!  You don't have to be crazy like me... I did 20 large pictures and a dozen or so smaller ones. 

Will's Halo quilt.

Of course, you don't have to make a Halo quilt (unless your "giftee" is a big fan and you know how to get their screenshots on your computer).  You can use whatever pictures you want: family pictures, wedding pictures, nature shots, etc.

Before you get your materials, determine how many pictures you want to use.  This quilt has 20 screen shots and various other smaller images.  I made sure all of my pictures were horizontal, because that was the look I wanted.  I don't remember my exact measurements, so once you come up with a design, you'll need to calculate your own.

Materials:

Pictures (mine are 8x10)

Iron on transfer paper (enough for all of your pictures)

Iron/hard flat surface

Pillow case

white cotton fabric to iron the pictures onto

one or two border fabrics

fabric for sashing (i.e., the fabric bordering the picture squares)

fabric for backing

quilt binding (your own or premade)

pearl thread or yarn for tying

thread

printer ink

PREWASH ALL FABRIC

Ok, I'll be honest, there may be a much more efficient/cheap way to do this that I don't know about.  This how I did it.

The very first thing is obviously to come up with a design and measurements.  When sewing, you always need to make room for seam allowances.  On quilts I only use a 1/4 inch seam allowance, so I cut all of my pieces 1/2 inch wider and longer than I want my finished piece to measure.  So if I want a 2 inch sashing on my finished quilt, I'm going to cut my fabric 2 and 1/2 inches wide.

Once you know all of your measurements, cut out your fabric pieces using a rotary cutter and being as precise as possible.  For the picture squares, I highly recommend white fabric.  Why?  Because the "light fabric" iron-on transfers work a million times better than the "dark fabric" ones, which I had to go back and sew on because they didn't stick.  If you don't like the white border, transfer your pictures first and then cut your fabric with only the seam allowance.  You can always add a top and bottom border to make them square (or just leave them rectangular if they're all the same size, which mine were not).

Next, I compiled a file of the pictures I wanted to use, made sure I had extra ink cartridges, and went to town printing out 8x10's.  NOTE: Even though I selected "Iron-on transfer" from my printer options, the printer didn't print the pictures as a mirror-image, which is what it's supposed to do, so you need to make sure you use a photo-editing program to "flip horizontally" before you print, and then do a test run on regular paper.

Next, take your squares of white fabric and follow the package directions to transfer the pictures, making sure your picture is centered.  The ones I used required you to place a pillow case on top of the transfer while you ironed to avoid melting the picture.  I'd use an old one; my pillow case ended up a little scorched after 20+ pictures.  I also did the transfers on my counter top instead of my ironing board, because the surface is supposed to be very solid and perfectly flat, which our ironing board is not.  If you have a ridiculous number of transfers, like I did, this part takes forever.  Do it in a well-ventilated area, because that many iron-ons start to let off some fumes after a while.  (I didn't do the "dark fabric" transfers in the sashing intersections until the quilt top was sewn together, but it's the same process.)

Once all of your pictures are transferred, lay out all of your fabric pieces to make sure you like the look of your quilt.  Do this before you sew anything together so you can rearrange if you need to.

Sew your quilt top together.

Lay out your backing (right side down), then your batting, and finally your finished quilt top on top.  Trim the batting (your quilt top and backing are supposed to be the same size, though this rarely works out for me).  Use pearl thread or yarn to tie your quilt, or, if you're ambitious, actually quilt it (I'd recommend not sewing on the actual transfers if you do).  Sew on your binding.  You're done!

This is hands down the best-received gift I have ever, ever, ever given anyone in my life.  I've washed it once and the transfers handled it just fine, but I'm going to try and wash it as little as possible so that it lasts as long as it can, because my husband loves it!

Like I said, this blog presupposes a lot of sewing knowledge.  If you have more detailed questions, leave a comment and I'll try to answer them.  This was mostly just to show the idea of doing a quilt with pictures.

I am alive.

Just in case you were wondering.  However, it's 10, and I have to get up at 6, so I am going to bed.  Hopefully I'll blog soon.

Never too old!

Now that I have kids myself, I'm reminded of a whole host of things I used to do... and still don't feel too old for. 

1. Play in the sprinklers.  I know exactly why I haven't done this recently... it has something to do with what my body looks like after having two kids. 

2. Color in coloring books.  I've been doing a lot more of this lately, thanks to Chaela.  I've also noticed in places like church that half the time it's parents coloring in coloring books, not kids.  Kids are just an excuse.

3. Play with blocks or play dough.  My dad, Jordan, and Will are also guilty of this.  We always start out playing with Chaela, but at some point she wanders on to the next thing... and sometimes we don't.

4. Catching crawdads in a creek.  We don't have one, and haven't since we moved to Ohio, but if we did, you can bet some of my "mommy time" would be spent wading barefoot through the water, pants rolled up, a bucket in one hand and a stick in the other, because that's what I used.  We didn't have fancy things like nets when I was a kid.

5. Playing on a playground.  Hey, some of the stuff they have these days is just cool, like the new playground at Victory Park.  I don't have any pictures, but trust me, it's not the same stuff we had when we were kids.  It's the "big kid" side, though, so I have to wait until Chaela's a little older to have an excuse to climb on it...

I'll never be too old for some things.

So what kids of things did you do as a kid that you'd still do, given the chance?

Conversations with Chaela (Part I)

Now that Chaela's old enough to have conversations, she won't stop talking.  Some of the stuff she says is funny (but maybe I only think so because I'm her mom).  I wanted to share, so here are a few things she's said lately.  I'll probably post more as she says more stuff.

"Let's go to the library!  Let's go see animals!  Then let's go to the zoo and see books!"

"No, I can't go to bed, I have an idea."

Chaela: "Grandma, your name is Katie, and mommy's name is Katie?"  Mom: "No, mommy's name is Caitlyn."  Chaela: "Oh!  Mommy's name is Caitlyn, and Joci's name is Katie!"

(As she climbs into the laundry hamper) "Bye mommy, see you tomorrow!"

(In the car) "Daddy, I need to drive.  It's my turn."

"Look, it's Jordan and Bunface!"

And my current favorite: "Mommy, I need to go home. I need to pwn my noobs."

_________________________

Also, happy three month birthday to Joci today!

Caitlyn's YA Fantasy List

I've just finished another YA fantasy novel, and it was great.  I've read quite a few decent YA fantasy books this year, and I've posted about this genre before.  Since my favorite pastime after reading is giving people advice they didn't ask for, here is my list of books and authors you should read if you're in a YA fantasy mood.

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Before I give you my list, and just in case you've stumbled on my blog and don't know me, here's what I look for in my YA fantasy.

1. A protagonist I like.  Usually the only problem I have with my main characters is if they're female and useless.  I feel like female protagonists should be strong.

2. A good story.  Something I love to read because it's human and interesting.  Something I summarize badly to Lindsay while telling her why it's awesome and repeatedly calling her until she gets it from her library and reads it.  Something I may even attempt to tell my husband about, while simultaneously shouting at him to turn off  that game because this is important!  But that's only if it's really good.

3.  A clean read.  Unfortunately, a lot of "edgy" authors think that f-words and sex make for a good YA read.  Sorry, popular authors, but I just can't get through all of your "edginess."  I'd rather have plot and characters I secretly think of as real people than f-words and angsty teen-aged sex.

Of course, as a disclaimer, some of these books do have these things in them, but not a gratuitous amount.  Most of these books are written for an older YA audience.  Maybe not as old as me, but some of us have a hard time growing up.

*
On to the list!  I'll list authors, because that's what I do; I find an author I like and read all their stuff.

Carrie Vaughn - Voices of Dragons. 
I haven't read anything else by her yet, and this is her only YA book, so I can't vouch for the swearing/sex level of her adult novels.

Kelley Armstrong - The Darkest Powers Trilogy: The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning.  Currently working on Dime Store Magic, however, I think I should have gone to Stolen, because I'm pretty sure it's one of her first ones, and they all take place in the same world.

Cassandra Clare - The Mortal Instruments Series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass.  They're pretty good, even if the main character is dangerously close to breaking my anti-"female and useless" rule.  She has a new series starting called The Infernal Devices.  We'll have to see about those.

Libba Bray - The Gemma Doyle Trilogy: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing.

Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan was my favorite of his, but you may also enjoy his Uglies Series: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras.  Peeps and his Midnighters Series (The Secret Hour, Touching Darkness, and Blue Noon) were also pretty good.  He has a ton of books out, so type his name in the search box under "author" at your library and go at it.

Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games Series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay ( the last one is coming out August 24 of this year, so I haven't read it and don't know if it will be good or not, obviously).

And of course, good ol' Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game.  It's just good.  I have a hard time putting it in the same category as these, because I feel like it's a heavier read.  Not harder, just deeper.  All of his books are pretty dense reads.  Very good, but in medium-sized quantities.

Alright, I feel satisfied that this is enough unsolicited advice for now.  Remember, I have a limited attention span and scope of interest, so if one of these isn't your thing, they probably all aren't (with the exception of Ender's Game).

Independence Day

Possibly because my 4th of July has always been associated with the best vacation ever (my grandma's house on a lake in MO), it's one of my favorite holidays.  I'm proud to be American, but as a nation I believe we lose sight of what this day means.  This is the day we honor not only those who died to give us freedom, but the fact that we are free.  I think that modern America forgets, or wants to, that we are also founded on faith.  Today in church we sang the Star Spangled Banner.  Virtually every American knows the first verse, but I was struck by the last verse and wanted to share it with you.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Amen, Mr. Key.

5 Great Things That Make My Day

Well, it's possible that with two blogs in less than a week, I'm getting back into the swing of things.  But let's not get our hopes up.

Anyway, yesterday I was going along, minding my own business, when without warning I encountered a bunch of Great Things that made my day.  Here are my top five Great Things as of now, from Great to Greatest:

#5  Yoga. 

Specifically, Yoga X, part of the p90x series of DVDs I borrowed from a friend, who is awesome.  I always thought yoga didn't look that hard.  HA!  I could only do about 20 minutes of the DVD before I was done, because I am a wimp.  But it felt SO GOOD!  Everybody try it!

#4 Dave Barry's I'll Mature When I'm Dead

Everyone must read Dave Barry, because he's possibly the funniest author out there right now.  This is just his latest book; he has quite an extensive list of publications.  I can't even explain it, just read his stuff and laugh, then laugh again, then again, until you're snorting and your sides ache.

#3  Goody Spin Pins

People with long hair must have these.  Since my hair has gotten about to the point of ridiculousness (and I still haven't cut it for reasons even I don't understand), I've been at a complete loss as to how to style it.  I recently tried normal bobby pins, and instead of styled hair all I got were a bunch of stretched out, unusable bobby pins.  These seemed pricey at first, especially since only two come in the package, but they're worth every cent.  One holds all of my ridiculous amount of hair reasonably well, which is astounding enough, but when I use both of them my hair could withstand a tornado.  And, best of all, it takes literally seconds to put my hair up with these.  They win top spot on the "things that make my day but are not of eternal-type importance" list.  The next two are more of that kind of thing.

#2 Daily reading from the Book of Mormon

I usually don't get too terribly much into religion on my blog, but I just have to say that reading from this book is amazing.  It truly does contain truths that are so plain and simple... it just makes me happy.  Here's an example from one of my favorite chapters, 2 Nephi, chapter 2:11:

11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

And from the same chapter, verse 25:

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

It just makes me feel good inside.

#1: Will

I've been underappreciating my husband a lot lately.  I've been ornery, cantankerous, and downright awful, and he continues to love me.  He does more than I do to clean, he does so much to takes care of our girls, he helps my parents, and he pretty much gives in to giving me what I want, especially if I whine about it for a very long time (another flaw I'm working on).  He puts up with the fact that I have no filter between my mind and my mouth, and no one should ever have to do that.  He inspires me to be healthier, then eats ice cream with me at night (which is how I like it... besides, it's just a little), tells me I'm beautiful when I'm so not the girl he married... and mostly in return I give him a bad time about everything.

I'm sorry, Will.  I love you dearly and I'll try to improve.  Thank you for everything you do.

Tell me, what are your top five Great Things?  Comment or write a blog of your own about it!

On Societal Ills and My Awesome Talents

On the news today, I saw that the consumer watchdog group The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is threatening to bring a lawsuit against McDonald's because the company refuses to stop a practice which is horribly, incredibly dangerous to our children.

Offering toys in Happy Meals.

It's shocking, I know.  Apparently including toys in a Happy Meal is part of an insidious marketing plot to make the meal more appealing to children (duh), but the lure of those toys is deadly.  "Why?!" you cry from the edge of your seat.  Prepare yourselves: Happy Meals make kids fat.

That's right, that corporate powerhouse is killing our kids by force-feeding them greasy hamburgers and fries, thus causing rampant childhood obesity.  Because kids will want a hamburger or deep-fried chicken less if a cheap wad of plastic wasn't included.

But wait!  I just realized something, CSPI!

I'm the parent, not you.  And definitely not McDonalds. I decide what my children eat, and I'm perfectly capable of making that decision, whether Happy Meals have toys or not.

I am so sick of groups like you trying to usurp my parental responsibilities; responsibilities that I hold sacred.  McDonald's is a company, an entity whose sole purpose to make money.  It's completely within their rights to market toys to children to get them to eat there.  That's why they exist.  It's not their job to make sure my kids are healthy, it's mine.  I want it.  I claim it.  If I don't want to feed my kids a hamburger and fries, I won't.  Period.  But if I do want to, there had darn well better be a toy in that bag. 

It's my job to say no, CSPI.  Your threatened lawsuit is not only ridiculous, it is an insult to my intelligence and my competence as a parent.

What are you going to do next, CSPI?  Threaten a lawsuit against restaurants with a dollar menu if they refuse to raise prices?  After all, cheap, fast food is an insidious marketing ploy to get adults to eat there, and eating there could cause obesity!! 

Doesn't that sound idiotic?  That's because it is.  And it's pretty much the same thing.  I prefer the freedom to choose for myself, thank you.

***

In other news:  Look what I can do!  I made a mei tai-style baby carrier using this tutorial.  I added a few tweaks of my own, of course.  I'd like to be able to come up with my own design eventually.

Joci loves it!  I think babies like being in carriers like this.  She was throwing a fit and stopped pretty much immediately when I put her in this for a test-run.  30 seconds later she was asleep.

So does Chaela.  I put her in it and she kept telling me which way to go, like I was a horse.  Then she told me to take her on a walk outside.  What a charming daughter I have.

I have to admit, I love this thing because it can carry Joci or Chaela without a problem. 

When Good Movies Go Bad

Oh, Letters to Juliet, why?

I liked you in the beginning, even though, like 99% of movies out there, you were set in NYC.  I could forgive your lack of creativity in setting.

I loved you in the middle, even though your leading man had skinny legs and the acting took a turn for the mediocre.  He had a sexy voice, and that was enough for me.

I was pretty sure when you came out on video I would buy you.

But then, THEN you dropped that last scene on me.  If it had been good writing and bad acting, it would have been ok.  If it had been bad writing and good acting, it would have been ok.  But no, bad acting and horrid, atrocious writing.  Though you had the predicable ending my romantic sensibilities desired, that last scene oozed cheese so embarrassingly that I cannot overlook it.

 WHY?

I am stricken.

You could have been like French Kiss or 10 Things I Hate About You, one of those romantic movies with a great story.  You could have been in my top five.  Alas!  Sadness and woe!

I am so disappointed in you.

Lindsay wants me to update my blog.

The only problem is that nothing new is going on.  I pretty much do the same thing every day.  I get up, I feed the baby, I corral the toddler, I feed the baby, corral the toddler, feed the baby, etc. until 9 pm, when the toddler goes to bed and I eat a chocolate ice cream cone and watch a few episodes of Bones on Netflix.  And then I feed the baby.

So that's my life.  Joci is growing fast, so here are some new pictures.

Observe: Boppy pillows have many uses aside from nursing.

Baby face.  My kids have circle heads.

So... that's all.  Joci is six weeks old today but my post-baby-having appointment isn't until next Tuesday for some reason.  I think I might start working out again this week, though.  I'm supposed to go to the beach in August and I have about 45 pounds I'd like to lose.  I won't  be all the way there, but I can probably get over halfway if I work hard.

Babies in Comparison

I was talking to my sister Kristin about how big our babies are.  Now, I'm not exactly sure how big Joci is compared to Kimball, but the conversation made me curious about how big she is compared to Chaela at this same age.

Unfortunately, I didn't blog Chaela's one-month measurements, but I did blog her two-month measurements.  Look at this!

Chaela @ 8 weeks:
Height: 21.25 in
Weight: 9 lbs, 5.5 oz
Head: 15.34 in

Joci @ 1 month (4 and 1/2 weeks)
Height: 21.25 in
Weight: 9 lbs, 0.5 oz
Head: 15 in

I should also add that Chaela was bigger at birth than Joci by a half an inch and about six ounces.  Weird!

No wonder I can practically see her grow!  And I think she's had another growth spurt since her appointment last week, because she did that thing where I looked at her and she was noticably bigger.  I'll try and post some pictures soon; Chaela walked off with the SD card that goes in our camera, which is why there haven't been any new ones lately.

Two Weeks

Well, Joci is almost four weeks old (she will be on Tuesday) and I can't believe how time has flown by.  As I've told a few people lately, the four weeks since her birth have gone by faster than the one week before it, and I'm glad.  It's incredibly incredible to have my body back again.

One of the things I'm looking forward to, kind of, is being able to work out again.  It's been over three years since I gained a bunch of weight, and I'm tired of it.  I like to think I would have reached my goal by now if I hadn't been interrupted by pregnancy.  I'm actually a little afraid I won't be able to force myself to get back into it like I was, especially since I'm not working at a fitness center this time around.  However, I am inspired by my husband and his family, especially my brother-in-law Danny, who has lost about 60 pounds, my sister-in-law, Jana, who could kick my butt at any kind of work out, and my father-in-law, Tom, who gets up ridiculously early to climb mountains for fun.  If I can be like them, I will once again look like this:

My family is also pretty inspiring, I guess, because they're all skinny.  Like this:

But that mostly only makes me feel vaguely guilty around the holidays, when I see my sisters.

Anyway, enough photoshop and rambling.  Mostly I just wanted to announce that I'm recommitting to getting into shape now that I'm no longer pregnant.  I can do it!

Many Thoughts

I'm having many thoughts right now.  Hopefully it's a sign that brain function is returning after pregnancy.

I am thinking I wish my sister would post more pictures of her new baby, and also that they are a sad replacement for not being able to see my nephew in person.

I am thinking I'm going to eat this entire bag of Kettle Corn, because it only has 150 calories, even though the last time I did I got a stomach ache.

I am thinking about my hair.  Look at this:

It's just kind of a lot.  I don't know when it got that long.  I'm torn, because part of me feels like I *must* donate it to Locks of Love, because it's something I've been blessed with and I, in turn, need to share it.  However, the selfish part of me doesn't know if I want to cut it that short, because long hair is hot (meaning I'd still cut it, but only a few inches, not enough to donate), and I've been pregnant for so long that I want to hold on to the things that make me feel that way.  I just keep not deciding and it just keeps getting longer.  I need opinions on this.  What do you guys think I should do?

I am thinking I need to start writing again.  I've recharged my batteries by reading about 20 YA novels (no exaggeration, I've literally read that many recently) and given birth to the baby that was using all my creative energy, so I think I'm just about ready to start again.

I am thinking that Netflix is freaking awesome.  We pay not very much money every month and have access to TONS of awesomeness online... like all four seasons of Bones, which I am diligently working through.  We also have access to a bunch of kid movies that I'd never waste my money on but Chaela loves.  Nice.

That's all for now.  Just a bunch of random stuff.  Too much for a facebook status, but a decent blog, right?  Don't forget to tell me what you think I should do about my hair!!

Ode to my Breast Pump

Every once in a while, something comes into my life that is so darn useful I must dedicate a blog to it, as I did with my Crock Pot (which I would link, but don't have time to find).  This time, it's my breast pump, the Ameda Purely Yours.

Why is it so great?  Well, there are two reasons that hold equal weight with me.  Firstly, it gives me relief when Joci falls asleep after only nursing on one side, which she does almost every single time she eats.  With Chaela, there was no choice but to be sore until she was ready to eat again.  This time, I can pump the other side, leaving me much more comfortable.

Second, every once in a blue moon, I can sleep for more than 2-3 hours in a row.  How, you ask?  Because of my breast pump and my incredible husband, who gets up with Joci and feeds her some pumped milk so I can get some sleep (even though I can't go past six hours without waking up anyway due to fullness).

Just to be clear, I like breastfeeding, mostly, now that the pain is 95% gone, and that's what Joci gets most of the time.  However, my breast pump lets me be free to sleep or get out of the house for a little while without freaking out about being home before she wakes up hungry.  Also, it's easier on nipples than she is, so they get a break every once in a while if they desperately need it.  I <3 it, and I thought you all should know.

Also, if you're looking for a pump, the model I have is highly recommended by nurses and such, at least the one I talked to in the hospital.  It's comparable to the Medela Pump in Style, but has better reviews and is over $100 cheaper (also, you can sell the motor part once you're finished without worrying about hygiene, unlike other brands...check out the links for more info). 

If you're in the market for a breast pump, I'd recommend checking out breastpumpsdirect.com.  It's where I got mine.  It lets you compare side-by-side, has all the major brands, and quite a few reviews for each model. 

Pretty much the best thing I own right now.