Malem Bedwetting Alarm Review

I was beginning to think Bubs was never going to be night time potty trained. He is approaching the age of sleepovers and I didn't want him to have to wear a night time pull up while he was over at friends. More importantly, he didn't want to have to wear pull ups either. The problem is he is a deep sleeper. He has even slept through our house alarm going off. We would wake him up several hours after he had fallen asleep and sometimes he would already be wet and other times he would stumble to the bathroom and stand in front of the toilet and sleep. I would have to splash water in his face to get him alert enough to pay attention to what he was doing.I finally broke down and spent the $120 and purchased a Malem bed wetting alarm. I read the reviews of it at the Bedwetting Store  and figured it was worth a try.

There are a couple of different models. Some just have a single alarm sound, some have variable alarm sounds, and others have vibration with alarms.  I opted to buy the one that vibrated as well as had variable alarms, the Malem Ultimate. The benefit of this alarm is he can feel the vibration as well as hear the alarm. The variable sounds means every time the alarm goes off there is a different sound to it making it so he doesn't learn to tune the alarm out.

The first night he slept through the alarm 3 times. Each time I would hear it from my bedroom and go to his room and wake him up. The next night the alarm went off once and he slept through it. Night three when the alarm went off he stopped mid stream and made it to the bathroom for the rest. For about 2 weeks he was dry every other night and stopping mid stream when he heard the alarm on the other nights. After 3 weeks he remained dry every night. He would either wake up and go or be able to hold it all night. We had pretty fast results with it which I was quite pleased with. I believe the general guidelines Malem has set up is allow 12 weeks. We are now on week 9 or so and he has remained dry every night since the end of week 3.

If you have been wondering about purchasing a bedwetting alarm or wondering what to do for your child who is still wetting at night, I highly recommend this alarm. Prices vary depending on the models but you can expect to pay between $80-$130. I ended up getting mine at Amazon because I got the free shipping with it.

Now, if I could just get my two year old day potty trained. I wonder if I could use the alarm on that...?

Where does the Time Go?

Where does the time go? One minute I have 8 hours to do something and the next I have 10 minutes. Can someone please find my year? There are only 3.5 more weeks left in the year and I don't know what I did with the rest of it. Sure, there are a couple of big events that I remember...2 week vacation to Utah, and Arizona in the summer and a 2 week trip most recently to Alaska and Arizona. I guess I can fill in the rest with school, cleaning, and watching TV.
I thought once I got 3 kids into school life would be less busy. Boy was I wrong. My kids aren't even involved in sports or music lessons yet (this will come next year). I have found that the time I thought I would have has been spent trying to catch up on all the things I'm behind on. Which in turn puts me behind on the things I should be doing. Plus, I feel the need to volunteer at my children's school once a week, which takes a couple of hours. I started a crochet group that meets at my house once a week and that takes a couple of hours as well. At least when the afghan we are working on gets finished we can go to meeting once a month instead of 4 times.

Having 3 kids in school also means having to remember the due dates of all their projects. Fortunately my Kindergartner doesn't have any but my pre k student comes home with a "family project" once a month. Don't get me wrong it is fun to do but when I get it on Friday and it is due Monday I have to re-arrange the weekend schedule to add one more thing. Na is in the gifted and talented program at school. I'm so happy my child is "gifted and talented" but this means more work on her end which translates to more due dates to remember and more work on my end. Currently we are trying to make a 3-d replica of The Forest Spiral building. 

The guidelines for making it are as follows:

1. Bigger than a shoe box but still able to fit on a desk.
2. Make it from items you would find around your house = don't spend a lot of money.
3. Make it impressive.

I am more stressed about this project then she is. Just trying to determine what materials to make it out of stressed me out. Once the decision was made to make homemade clay I relaxed. However, we started piecing it together last night and this morning there are cracks galore as it is starting to dry. I'm sure once we get it all assemble we can hide the cracks with paint.  This replica is going to be very heavy. I can tell I will be the one carrying it in. At least we came up with the idea of putting the clay around hollow items so it isn't as heavy as it could be. I just hope and pray the clay will be dry by this weekend so we ( I mean she) can start painting it.
At least now I can check Write on Blog off of my list of things to do.

Surviving Black Friday

Black Friday has got to be the only day of the year I actually love to shop. I get a thrill from getting great deals and getting done with all my Christmas shopping in one day. What adds to my excitement is seeing how fast I can get in and out of a store. I typically try to go to just 3 stores, Lowes, Michaels, and Walmart. Lowes has the best deals for gifts for The Doctor. Michaels is of course for me. Then walmart I price match all the deals at the other stores plus take advantage of their deals. Here is how I survive Black Friday.

Thanksgiving day I lay out all the ads. I place the ones advertising items on my list in one pile and toss the others. Then I go through and see which store has the best prices on items. I will make a master list of the things I want, how much they are and at what store. When I go to Walmart I have all the ads with me and know which ad to price match for which item.

Once I know what I want I will coordinate with a buddy. Last year it was The Doctor and we had a blast. This year we will be with  more family so there will be more of us which should make things easier. We divide up who is responsible for getting which items and then we meet back at the front to check out.

I usually arrive to Walmart an hour before their sales begin. I grab a cart and place all the items I am price matching in the cart and then I stash the cart down some aisle, usually cosmetics or even bedding. I carry with me a big bag that I can carry on my shoulder. Trying to push a cart through the crowds on black Friday is insane so I just put my items in the bag. I can weave in and out of people much faster. As I am making my way through the store I seek out the "hot ticket" items on my list that are sure to go fast. I then station myself by the most wanted item but in a way I can grab and go to the next place as fast as possible. Meanwhile my partner is at the other side of the store doing the same thing.

While we usually have the cheap movies on our list we don't stress if we don't get them because they can be a time warp if we try and maneuver around the hoards of people digging through them. Typically we have everything we want with in 15 minutes and are checked out in another 15 minutes giving us plenty of time to get to the next stores before they open. The last 2 years I have been in and out of all my stores and home in 2 hours. This gives me plenty of time to stash the goods before the kids wake up.

Black Friday holds the excitement for me that Christmas morning did for me as a child. I get such a rush and I enjoy picking out all the gifts at most excellent prices. This year I may even get in on the cyber Monday action.

Talented People

I have found I am surrounded by talented people. Some I know some I do not. It is a little overwhelming to visit other blogs and see what these amazing women are doing. I am not uber crafty but I can craft. I enjoy doing them. I paper craft, knit, crochet, rubber stamp, mod podge...you name it I have probably tried it. Sewing is a talent I need to increase. One day I will get a new sewing machine...or fix the one I already have. Here are some blogs I have recently visited and they leave me feeling a little inadequate in my crafting/baking projects but they also leave me inspired wanting to do more. If only I had the budget and time to do them in.

Life Frosting
The Dainty Daisy
WhipperBerry
Prepared Not Scared

Still Here

I'm still here. I have had a busy past couple of weeks and have not been able to blog as often as I like. I'm in the middle of a few projects too. I'm currently participating in this and have people coming over twice a week to work on it with me. I am also working like crazy making baby blankets and such for all the new babies my friends are having. So far I think this pink blanket has been my favorite.

I just started chaining until I felt the blanket was wide enough and then did a sc row followed by 4 dc rows then another sc row. I repeated the pattern until it was long enough. The flowers I got from this book. The hat pattern I got from McKinley's Closet. I think it is my absolute favorite hat to make. I attach the flower to a french hair clip so it can be removed and added to a head band, or other hats.

I also made this pumpkin hat for myself. I needed something to wear to my church's trunk or treat so I found the pattern I loved and bought it. Sorry for such a bad picture but you get the idea.

Hopefully I will get back on track with things but seeing as we are heading into the holiday season I think things are only going to get crazier.

Be Respectful

I was looking through blogs in my google reader account and came across this post in a blog I follow and it got me thinking about bullies. There is so much hatred going on in the world today.  I don't like it. I don't like how it makes me feel and I don't like how it makes others feel. When I think of all the bullying that goes on in school because a kid wears glasses, is too fat, is poor, is not athletic enough etc. it makes me sick.  I hate when I get treated differently just because I'm a "Mormon". When people get to know me they see that I'm an nice, genuine, and honest person. Before you judge someone take the time to get to know their true colors.
While I may not agree with the homosexual lifestyle the men and women who live this way are still human beings. They have a right to be treated with respect just like anyone else.

Pillsbury Sweet Moments Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Dave and Stephanie for winning the Pillsbury Sweet Moments Giveaway. Don't forget to head on over to Pillsbury and email your special someone a coupon to get $1.50 off their purchase of Pillsbury's new Sweet Moments. They are so delectable.

I went used Random.org to select the winner but I can't get the picture to upload for some reason. But The number chosen was #3.

I want to thank My Blog Spark and Pillsbury for providing me with a prize pack as well as the one Dave and Stephanie have won.

Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives

You may have noticed various items in your grocery store are going pink. It is Breast Cancer awareness month and everywhere I look I see pink. I never really thought much about breast cancer. I know that since I am a woman I am at risk (yes I know men can get it too) but I know that some women are more at risk than others. I think my daughters are more at risk than I am because there are several people on my husbands maternal side that have suffered with breast cancer. It is because of this that I am trying to get more information and help out where I can. I can not give a large or even small donation at this time to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation but, I can change my shopping list a little here and there.

If you look in your yogurt section you can see that Yoplait yogurt has pink lids. Yoplait has agreed to donate $0.10 per lid that is turned in. They have guaranteed that they will donate at least $500,000 and up to $1.6 million the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This is Yoplait's 12th year doing this and over the past years they have contributed $25 million as a result of Save Lids to Save lives. While I may not have the money now to make a donation I can help out one lid at a time.

I know there are some of you out there who do not like to eat yogurt straight up. Well, there are many recipes that include yogurt as an ingredient. Check out Yoplait's website for some great ones. Last week I hosted a My Get Together for Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives. I invited several of my friends and everyone brought a different dish made from yogurt. I made the Key Lime Yogurt Pie which was lite and fresh. Another guest brought this very rich and oh so yummy Creamy Vanilla-Caramel Cheesecake. We also had a pasta salad, muffins, and cookies all made using yogurt.

If you would like to participate in Yopait Save Lids to Save Lives here is what you can do. Purchase Yoplait products that have pink lids. I noticed the Yoplait frozen smoothie mixes have a "lid" you can cut out. Clean the lids and place them in an envelope addressed to:

Save Lids to Save Lives^©
P.O. Box 420704
El Paso, TX 88542-0704

These products are on the shelf for October only and all lids need to be mailed in by December 31, 2010.

Clean Your Room

Do you find yourself, like me, constantly telling your kids "clean your room"? My children's rooms tend to always be in disarray. We spend a good portion of a Saturday morning cleaning their rooms and by Tuesday they are a complete disaster again. I have some kiddos who think that as soon as they get tucked in to bed and the door is closed it is play time. I walk in their room in the morning and it looks like the toy box threw up. KMae is in the wonderful phase of changing her clothes 5 times a day so there are piles of clothes. Or, maybe the dresser took a look at what the toy box was doing and had a gag reflex.

Why oh why can't my kids clean up their room? Oh, do you think it could be because their mamma's room reassembles the after math of a Texas Twister? I try to keep my room clean, I really do but in the process of cleaning up the rest of the house my bedroom becomes the dumping ground. There are boxes filled with things that need to be "put away" lining the perimeter of my bedroom. In the mad dash to get the downstairs looking de-cluttered and clean I pile things in boxes and haul them up to my room. The reason my room is so lucky is because it is generally "off limits" when people come over. I'll even lock the door so people don't "accidentally" wander into it.

Alas, my husband is attempting to clean up on his own and I'm down here writing about it. I suppose I should go and help out. After all, my parents are coming to visit next week and I don't want to her my mom say "go clean your room!"

Tired of Body Fluids

This post may be gross to some but it is true. I am tired of body fluids. They are a part of a mother's life though. I'm trying to potty train KMae. For the most part she does pretty good but once everyone gets home for school I tend to forget that she is in panties and she gets so excited playing with her siblings that she forgets to make it to the bathroom. I now need to clean my carpets.

LuLu came home yesterday and I could tell by looking at her that she wasn't feeling well. With in an hour she threw up. Fortunately, she only did it the one time but that was enough thank you very much. My couch cushions got a thorough cleaning.

Bubs is a deep sleeper. This came in handy when he was a baby but now that he is getting older it is a problem. He sleeps so deep that he doesn't wake up to use the bathroom. I can't let him fall asleep for a nap on the couch because he will have an accident. Well, in an effort to get him out of  the Good Night pull up I purchased a malem Enuresis alarm. It is a little box that vibrates and makes fairly loud alarm sound whenever it senses moisture. Night 1 he slept through the alarm 3 times which also meant I had to wake him up and get him changed and change the bedding 3 times in the night. I love waking up to a full load of laundry that needs to be done. Night 2 the alarm went off once and fortunately he did somewhat wake up. Night 3 he stayed dry but last night he slept through the alarm twice.  It is an awful sound and I have no problem hearing it and waking up but he just sleeps through it and I have to stand him up to get him to wake up. When it went off last night I was so disoriented. I hopped out of bed and walked to one of my bedroom walls right next to my bed and searched for the button to turn off the noise. I guess I thought it was the house alarm or something. We don't even have a keypad in my room for the house alarm but I was desperately trying to find something to stop the noise. When I woke up enough to realize what I was doing and what was going on I stumbled to his room where he was still asleep. Oh I hope this gets better. It can take at least 6 weeks to see results. Once we have completed 6 weeks I'll write a review.

I have been battling allergies which is causing my eyes to water and noise to run. Seriously, I've had enough of the body fluids.

Pillsbury Sweet Moments: Review and Giveaway

 

At the end of a long day, which with 4 young children is about everyday, I like to reward myself for making it to the end. When the mad dash to get the kids in bed is complete I find myself sitting on the couch in the quiet of my house with something sweet in hand. This sweet something is usually chocolate. There is something about chocolate that just melts the stress away. I will usually will bake a pan of brownies or about 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies. There is a problem with this though, I won't stop at just one brownie or cookie. Before I know it a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the brownie pan will be gone or I will have eaten 6 cookies. This does not help my figure in the least bit. I have become aware of a solution to this problem.

Last week Pillsbury, through My BlogSpark sent me a Sweet Moments prize pack. Included in this pack was a Sweet Moments t-shirt, set of 3 magnets, a cute neclace, and a coupon to receive a free pack of Pillsbury Sweet Moments.

I have seen the new blue packages in the refrigerated section before but I hadn't really checked them out. I'm glad I have now because they are the perfect solution to my over snacking on the sweets.

The Bite-Size Brownies are perfect to grab for on the go snacking. They have a layer of fudge or caramel filling on the inside and coated with chocolate on the outside. I decided to try the fudge filled ones. They are rich so 2 was all I really needed to kill my craving and they contain only 60 calories each. That is much better than a 1/3 pan of brownies. My husband and I agree that these are much better than baking an entire pan of brownies when all we really need is one or two of these bite-sized gems.

My husband and I enjoyed  Sweet Moment Molten Lava Brownies together one evening. They come 2 to a box so you can have one now and one later or share one with a special someone. They are individually packaged. All you have to do is remove the plastic film from the top and warm it up in the microwave for 15 seconds. Molten Lava Brownies come in fudge and rich caramel. We had the caramel variety and it melted in my mouth.

These new Sweet Moments make it easy for you to enjoy your own sweet moment  alone or with your special someone.  If you would like to make someone elses life just a little sweeter you can send a special e-card that includes a coupon for $1.50 off one package of Pillsbury Sweet Moments Brownies by visiting Pillsbury.com or Pillsbury's Facebook Page. You will also receive another coupon for yourself.

Pillsbury, through My Blog Spark is also giving away a prize pack like the one I received to one of my lucky readers. All you need to do to be entered into a drawing is post 1 or 2 comments below and tell me who you are planning on sending a sweet moment e-card and coupon to and/or tell me who in your life deserves a "sweet Moment" and why. Make sure you also leave a way for me to contact you should you win. That's it!

Leave your comments by 10:00 PM MST October 28, 2010. I will then select a winner using random.org and the winner will be announced on Friday October 29, 2010.

Now go have yourself a Sweet Moment!

Special thanks to Pillsbury and My Blog Spark.

Mormon's are Christians

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

The Third Article of Faith does 3 things. The first thing it does is point out that members of the LDS faith believe Jesus Christ is the Savior. One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon shows this.

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. 2 Nephi 25:26

The second thing is it states that all mankind may be saved. The atonement is not for just a few people, it is for all mankind. It does however say may be saved meaning it is up to us to decide whether or not we want to accept the gift of the atonement.

It is also contingent upon the third thing this article of Faith points out. It is not enough that we just believe in Christ and the Atonement, we have to obedient to laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Here are some scriptures I feel support this.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matt 7:21

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26 (James 2:14-26 explains it deeper)

There are many who feel Mormons are not Christian. According to the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary a Christian is someone who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Dictionary.com has this to say:

–adjective

1.

of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings: a Christian faith.

2.

of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ: Spain is a Christian country.

3.

of or pertaining to Christians: many Christian deaths in the Crusades.

4.

exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike: She displayed true Christian charity.

5.

decent; respectable: They gave him a good Christian burial.

6.

human; not brutal; humane: Such behavior isn't Christian.

–noun

7.

a person who believes in Jesus Christ; adherent of Christianity.

8.

a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ: He died like a true Christian.

I believe in Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and it is through him that I can return to live with him and Heavenly Father again. I try everyday to live my life in accordance to his will. I am grateful for the gifts and blessings he gives me.

Past posts that may be of interest.
What I Believe
The Godhead
Innocent at Birth

Juggling

All I need to do is look around my house and I can see that I have too many balls in the air and I'm having a hard time keeping them all going. I have a Scentsy order still sitting in a box needing to be taken into my inventory. I have an empty Pampered Chef box waiting to be taken to the recycle bin. I also have several Pampered Chef orders that need to be delivered. I have stacks and stacks of papers I need to go through. These stacks contain everything from junk to bills and school papers. I have a bunch of Scentsy business supplies looking for a final resting place. I have two baskets of laundry needing to be folded and put away (the clothes have been in the baskets for 3 days now). My kitchen contains a sink full of pots and pans. I think you get the picture. I'm just doing a little bit here and there to stay a float. Please tell me I'm not the only one who occasionally (for me more often then I'll admit to) has everything piling up around them. Today is the day. I've got to get control of some things. So, my post on the 3rd Article of Faith is going to have to wait so that I can put the thought it deserves into it.

And just a heads up. I'm going to be doing a review and giveaway on Monday of something yummy so stayed tuned.

Innocent at Birth

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

Simply put the second Article of Faith  means we are responsible for our own selves. I am not held responsible for Adam's transgression and neither are you. We are not born as sinners. You cannot sin if you do not know or understand what sin is and babies deffinately do not understand or know what sin is. Here are a few other scriptures which state we are not responsible for the sins of others.

Deut. 24:16, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."

Ezek. 18: 20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."

Fall/Winter Child Car Seat Safety

A friend of mine posted this video on her facebook page. I thought it was worth sharing because I know I have buckled my kids up with their winter coats on. So, take your child's coat off before you buckle them up to make sure they are snug as a bug in a rug.

The Godhead

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

As stated in the 1st Article of  Faith, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do believe in God. We also believe in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. What sets us apart from most of the "main stream" religions is we believe they are three different entities. They are not one person in 3 different forms. There is God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

To me this makes sense and here is why. In the New Testament, Jesus makes reference to his father multiple times. There are times when God the father speaks to introduce his son. The first one that comes to mind is when Jesus was baptized. The other neat thing about Christ's baptism is the Holy Ghost was present too. 

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

And again later when Jesus went up the mountain with Peter, James, and John:  Matthew 17:5 "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him ." There are many times recorded in the scriptures where Christ talks to his father or about his father. If Christ and God are the same person then why does Christ pray to his father?

Modern revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22) has taught us that God and Jesus Christ have a body of flesh and bone just like us and that the Holy Ghost is a spirit. In Genesis chapter 1 it says in verse 26  "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". Well, I don't know about you but I have a body of flesh and bones and if I'm made after the same image of God then he must have a body of flesh and bones too.

Many people believe that we worship Joseph Smith and not God or Christ. Let me correct this notion. Joseph Smith was the first Prophet in the latter-days. We honor and respect him but we do not pray to him or worship him. We worship God and Christ. We pray to God in the name of Christ.

As always, feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts or questions on the matter.

What I Believe

My neighbor was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last month. This is my church. It is the church I have gone to since birth. This is the first time I have experienced one of my friends who wasn't already a member get baptized. What a glorious day it was for both her and me.  It was not an easy decision for her. She did not take the decision lightly. My neighbor was born and raised in China. There they are taught from birth that there is no God or Christ. When she moved to the states as an adult it took her 5 years of living here to become a Christian. Afer her son was born she realized she needed more.

Over several months the sister missionaries, The Doctor, and I worked to teach my neighbor the Gospel. I could see how certain Gospel principles rang true with in her. I could see how her spirit was lifted as she learned the Plan of Happiness. What really impressed her was the Church's views on family.

After studying and praying she knew the Church was true and she wanted to be baptized. She invited many of her co-workers to her baptism. Most of them declined because they thought she was crazy. They even told her they couldn't step foot into a Mormon building. I think they thought they would be cursed for doing so. The thought occured to me that there fear came from a lack of knowledge. A lack of knowing the truth of what we believe because many other religions preach falsities about what we believe. So it is with this in mind that I have decided to do a post about what I believe, what members of my Church believe. There are 13 basic principles, or Articles of Faith that we believe.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.           
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. 
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. 
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. 
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. 
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. 
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Those are the basic principles of my faith. Over the next several weeks I will post on each individual Article of Faith and give further details about each one. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Asking questions is how we gain knowledge. I will try and answer to the best of my ability or refer you to someone who could better answer your question.

Welcome Fall

I think fall officially started a couple of weeks ago but it is showing it's face in my part of the country now. We have finally had temperatures below 90 degrees and the evenings are actually cooling off to the 60's. I looked out my window today to see some leaves are beginning to fall off of my Peach tree. I can hear leaves rustling down the street with the gentle breeze. At last it feels right to change my scent in my scentsy warmer to a fall scent like Autumn Sunset or Pumpkin Roll. I love fall. I'm so glad it has come and brought me a little chill in the air (at least in the mornings).

A New Woman

You may have noticed I haven't posted for the last few weeks. It is partly because I have been busy but mostly because I haven't been motivated. If I didn't know I wasn't pregnant I would think I was. The last couple of  weeks I have felt so tired and unmotivated. This is usually one of my first signs that I'm pregnant. I was starting to think maybe I was battling depression but I wanted to do things I just didn't have the energy to complete them. I would start something and then get weak so I would stop. It finally dawned on me that my Iron is probably low. I am anemic and am supposed to be taking iron pills. The pills I have in the medicine cabinet expired in 2008 so they aren't as potent and I just gave up taking them.

Yesterday I decided I couldn't take it anymore so I went to my local drugstore and purchased a brand new bottle of Iron and a box of EmergenC. When I got home I mixed up my EmergenC (vitamin C helps the body absorb iron better) and took an Iron pill with it. I did the same thing after dinner. This morning I woke up and didn't need to hit the snooze button 5 times. I feel like a brand new woman. So, with my new found energy I must get off the computer now and finish the tasks I've started and didn't finish.

Disapointed

I hate when I have my hopes high or really look forward to something only to be disappointed. Last television viewing season I fell in love with Glee. I love music and dancing so when I saw there was a TV show that combined both I was happy. There were a few episodes that had some questionable material but all in all when the episode was finished I can say I laughed and my spirits were higher. I was so looking forward to a new season.

picture Source

Well, the new season has come and the happy feelings are gone. The last 2 episodes have left me embarrassed, ashamed, and I felt like I needed to wash my eyes and ears of the things I bore witness too. I can no longer tell my friends and family how much I love this show. I'm disappointed in myself for not turning the shows off. I'm also disappointed in the writers and producers who feel it is okay to lure me in with goodness just to dash it away with trash.

I am no longer a Gleek. I have canceled my DVR programming to record it. I have better things to do during that time then to let my mind be filled with idol worship and sexual innuendos.

Letter to the Football Players

Dear Brigham Young University football players and the San Fransisco 49Ers,
    
     I understand the season is just beginning but I have a huge favor to ask. Could you please make it a winning season because I'm not so sure my marriage will survive a season of games like the last ones you just played.
     I don't know if you realize this or not but your success and failures have a dramatic affect on my husbands personality. When you win all is right in the world. My husband is in his own little happy place and I get to go shopping. When you lose I get to hear my husband go over every single play as if he were the coach. He mopes and mourns his loss for days.
     After this last weekend my children and I are really missing their happy go lucky daddy. So, please pull out a win here soon because it would be nice to see some sunshine following my husband again and I could really use a new pair of shoes.

Sincerely,
 wife of a devoted fan.

House Rules

Everyone has rules with in their own home. Some make sense like, no bouncing/throwing balls in the house. There was one rule in my house that I really didn't like. "No shoes on the carpet". Seems simple enough and for those of you who are OCD or neat freaks (which is not necessarily a bad thing) this probably isn't a big deal for you. I hated always having to think about taking my shoes off to just run upstairs and get something really quick. If we didn't want to take off our shoes my dad had a little basket of booties we could put on over our shoes. It was so embarrassing to have a party and have everyone with their little blue booties on.

picture source

The other rule tied to this one was no barefeet were allowed on the carpet either. We always had to have socks on. It wasn't until recently I realized the reason for the rule and, when we move, or the next time I get my carpets clean, I'm going to implement this rule in my house.

Think of where you walk in your shoes (public restrooms, grass where animals have been, etc) and then think of all the stuff that gets stuck to your shoes then transfers to your carpet. My carpets look so dingy right now and it is because we just walk all over the carpet in our shoes throughout the day. The reason we had to wear socks was so our body oils didn't get on the carpet. If the oils are on the carpet then dirt has something to stick too.

When I look at how dirty the water is when I clean my carpets it is incentive to remove shoes before walking on carpet. Plus, it means I can go longer between cleanings too. So, the next time you come to my house and I hand you some booties to put over your shoes you can thank my Dad for the idea.

What rules house rules did you think were stupid only to determine later on that they weren't so bad afterall and have implemented them in your own home?

My Dream House

(picture this house minus the alpacas. source)

The Doctor finishes his medical residency next year so we are in the process of finding a job which means a new place to live. I have wasted many hours looking at houses online in places we may or may not move to. Not to mention the houses I'm looking at today most likely will not be available next summer. We would love to just get back to the mountain west but. I've looked in Arizona, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Texas. It is amazing how different the housing is across the country. In one place a house within our budget gets us a 3-4 bedroom house approx 2500 sq ft and in another location for the same price we could get a 3500 sq ft house on 5 acres with a pool. All of this looking has really got me thinking about what my dream house would look like.

I want a white farm house on at least one acre. The house will have charcoal shutters and a red front door. I dream of having a covered porch that wraps around from the front to the back of the house. Several rocking chairs and perhaps a swing will grace my front porch perfect for relaxing on summer evenings.

When you walk through the front door a music room/living room will be on the left and perhaps a formal dining room on the right. Straight ahead will be stairs taking me to the second floor. To the right of the stairs is the path strait to the kitchen.  A big kitchen with granite countertops, dual ovens, and a sink that overlooks the back yard. There will be plenty of counterspace for entertaining. To the left of the kitchen (connecting to the music room/living room) is the family room. Off the kitchen to the right will be the mud/laundry room.
From the front foyer there is a hall that leads to the right past the formal dining room. Down this hall will be The Doctor's office/library. In addition to a desk it will have floor to ceiling bookshelves which will be filled with our favorite books. There will be 2 big fluffy reading chairs by a window. Further down the hall will be my office/craft room. Built in shelves and drawers will house all my rubber stamps, inks, papers, yarn, and fabric.

The upstairs of the house will have 4 bedrooms and 2 or 3 bathrooms. The master bedroom will be more of a master suite. There will be room for a bed as well as a nice sitting area. The master bathroom will have a big jacuzzi tub and a dual head shower.

The basement of the house will have a game room complete with a pool/ping pong table. A home theatre would be nice too. I will also have a great big room for storage. Half of the room will be for food storage and the other half will be for what ever else I have to store.

This house is just a dream for now but hopefully one day it will be a reality.