No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed. Seriously.

Wow, what a day. This morning I was cleaning the house. I had just finished mopping and Kate was in her bedroom playing with Whitney. Then, I hear this big thud, then this blood curling scream, then Kate crying and I knew it was not going to be a pretty sight. When I ran into the bedroom Kate was lying on the floor crying and Whitney was leaning over her trying to not cry. I picked Kate up and looked on her head and I didn't see any bumps or scrapes or anything, so I was trying to figure out what just happened. Whitney said Kate was jumping on the bed and had fallen off and hit her head on the table. I was so relieved that Kate was okay! So I gave her a big hug and saw a drop of blood on the back of her neck. I was like, "What on earth!?!" And then I saw that the back of her head was covered in blood. She had a gash about an inch wide. I freaked out and called the doctor and they said to bring her right in. However, Michael had the carseats in his car, so I had to call him at work and tell him to get home as fast as he could. Luckily his work is only about ten minutes away. I took Kate to the doctor and she ended up needing 7 stitches. It was horrible! It took 4 people to hold her down and try to keep her still so they could stitch her head back together. I felt so bad for Kate...she was crying so hard I was sure she would pass herself out. It broke my heart. It took about an hour to get her stitched up. The nurses were so patient, they were wonderful. However, everyone else in the clinic was wondering what on earth they were doing to that poor child! Hahaha! After it was all over I took Kate to Alco to get some M&M's for being such a brave girl and I didn't realize I had blood all over me. Apparently I had blood smeared on my neck and the lady at the checkout counter was like, "That is the biggest hickey I have ever seen." I was like, "Nooooo! It's baby blood! Kate just had to have 7 stitches at the doctor!" It was kind of funny. And kind of embarrassing. Anyway, poor little Kate. I hope we never have any more little monkeys jumping on the bed again.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Quick little update for you....

After exercising for an hour every day this week (Thank you Wii Just Dance 2 and Pick your level Pilates) and watching what I eat, I am proud to announce that I lost 3 pounds. YAAAAAAAY! I know it doesn't sound like a whole lot, but if I can keep it up, I can lose the ten holiday horror pounds I put on in less than a month! Which is freaking awesome. And I have to admit, I love the feeling of working out. It's so invigorating! And I have noticed that I sleep soooo much better at night, because my body is exhausted. Usually it takes me about a half an hour to 45 minutes to fall asleep. But now, I'm out five minutes after my head hits the pillow. And I can already see a difference in my body. I'm seriously loving this!

Operation Warm Fuzzy

We have started up a new program here at the Brimhall house, it's called the Warm Fuzzy project. I have been feeling like all I do is nag. "Clean up your room." "It's time to get dressed" "Go brush your teeth" "Put your dishes in the sink." All day....every day. I started thinking about it and realized that if I could hear a recording of myself I would hate to be one of my kids. So, I wanted to try a new approach to trying to get my kids to do things, hence the Warm Fuzzy project. Hello, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!!!

We went to the dollar store to find some sort of jars to decorate and something to fill it with. I originally planned on using those little glass rocks, but when I saw the pom pom balls I knew that would be way funner for the kids. So, we got 2 vases, 2 bags of pom poms, and some foam stickers and I let them decorate their jars for family home evening. This is what they came up with! I think they turned out super cute, and they are so proud of their works of art.



Then, I printed out lists for each of them to put in their rooms where they can see them every day. I added pictures for Aaron to make it easier for him. For each thing they do on their list every day they get a "warm fuzzy".

For things like having their room clean before bed they get 5 fuzzies. However, if their room is a mess at the end of the day, I take a warm fuzzy away from them. I also take away a fuzzy if they really misbehave, and reward them with an extra fuzzy if they do something really good. I have already noticed a HUGE change in my kids! I think helping them to be aware of their actions and the rewards or consequences of them has made a big difference. It makes great bribery opportunities, too. *wink wink* I wish I would have thought of this sooner!

Then, when their jar is completely full of warm fuzzies, we will take them to Dollar Tree and let them pick out a prize. Then, we empty the jar and start all over again! I love that it is an inexpensive yet FUN way for kids to learn good habits and responsibilities.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Where did the week go!?! I have no clue. But here's the 3rd edition of my favorite things!

1. Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash
Have you guys tried this yet? I got a trial size for a trip we went on and I fell in love with it immediately. It smells sooooo good! The scent is Burnt Brown Sugar with Karite Butter. (Karite butter is a fancy exotic name for Shea Butter). It has this super sexy vanilla-ish scent. It is a sensory delight! It leaves a light shimmery sheen and an incredible lasting fragrance on your skin. It also exfoliates and moisturizes and leaves the bathroom smelling incredible! Love this stuff!

2. Puffs Facial Tissue With Vicks


When I am coming down with a cold, I grab these BEFORE I grab the cold medicine at the store. I would just stick my head in the box if I could. I love the smell of vicks, and it is so soothing when you have a sore shnoz. They really do help to open up nasal passages, too. They are the perfect marriage between facial tissue and Vicks vapor rub. May they live happily ever after!

3. Ready To Cook Flour Tortillas
Annnd, of course I have to have some sort of food in here. I love food. My hips and thighs not so much....but food? ABSOLUTELY. When I was little we would go to Taos, New Mexico for our family vacations. We would go to my Great Aunt Ida's house, and she was usually making fresh home made tortillas for us. We would put butter on them and eat tortilla after tortilla.....after tortilla. It was always a special treat. I have her recipe, but I can't seem to do it right. Then, one day my friend Sara came over to make breakfast with me and she brought these tortillas that you cook yourself on a hot griddle/skillet. They were SO good! I had been longing for that homemade tortilla taste for so long, I was so happy to finally find it! They are also HALF the price of the pre-cooked tortillas like Mission tortillas and they don't taste like they have been sitting on the shelf for a month. They are fresh, and warm, and chewy...like a tortilla is SUPPOSED to be. They are usually in a refrigerated section at the grocery store. At our local Walmart they are in the back by the yogurt/cheese section next to the Mexican cheeses and sausages. So good! So, if you want to make your enchiladas more authentic? GET THESE! :)


4. Krylon Spray Paint


I have been working on a lot of projects lately, more inspiration from AllThingsThrifty.com Lots and lots of spray painting and I LOOOOVE how everything is turning out! I'll have to do a post on them soon! So far I've done a table, lamp, a chair, made a cute corkboard, a mirror, and lots of picture frames. I'm working on a headboard right now, and if the weather would stop being so dang cold and windy I could finish! Anyway...Krylon spray paint is the BEST. I've tried the cheaper stuff, and there is no contest. Krylon coats beautifully and they spray evenly, even upside down. They have SUPER cute colors! I am seriously having so much fun! I can't wait to post about all the cuteness!


5. Wii Just Dance 2

Remember how I was recently whining about my weight? (Okay, so maybe it was yesterday....) Well, my Sister-In-Law, Kathy introduced me to this game. It was SOOOO much fun! I was totally breaking a sweat and it didn't even feel like I was (gag) EXERCISING! It was a blast! So, the next day I begged Michael to let me get it and I've done it for 3 days in a row now. I'm telling you, an hour goes by SO fast! You burn anywhere from 345 to 400 calories per hour doing this. And it's so cool to wake up the next day with sore muscles thinking, "What on earth did I do!?!" And then you remember you just had fun dancing. And that's it! It has great songs, too. Some classics like Tina Turner and Michael Jackson...and some new ones like Rhiana and Key$ha and Brittney Spears. And even some crazy fun ones like Russian and robot and Indian (like, India Indian, not Native American Indian) and even an African dance. Seriously, SOOOO fun! So, if you have the same New Years resolution as 90% of the rest of us...this game is a great investment. The kids love it, too. ;)

Bleh.

How do you know when you are gaining too much weight? How about when your stretch marks from when you were PREGNANT start to itch and stretch again? Or you can't fit into your jeans. Or your scale yelps in pain when you step on it. Sigh. I've got to admit, I've really let myself go. I've gained ten pounds since the holidays! I've been eating whatever I want and not even caring. I am a horrible stress eater! Some days this includes an entire half batch of chocolate chip cookies...which I've been making about 3 times a week. And just yesterday I realized that the half of a quesadilla that I have been eating for lunch pretty much every day is actually almost 800 calories! (for the record, it's one flour tortilla folded in half with cheese, ranch dressing and tapatio grilled on a skillet). And that's just HALF of a quesadilla! AAAAAH! I just about died when I found that out. It's time to change. I think I need to start watching The Biggest Loser to get pumped or something. How do you guys get excited to exercise? And where do you find the time? I need some serious will power. HELP!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Y'all ready for round 2? Good! I had a hard time picking 5 things this week. I just like so many things! Which, I guess is good because I'll always have something to say. :)


1. Coconut Chicken Curry


I'm not kidding, I could eat this EVERY day and not get tired of it. A big thank you goes out to Rachel for introducing me to Indian food. And getting me addicted. Helloooo Naan! Anyone want the recipe? Let me know and I'll email it to you! You won't regret it.


2. BRACHS GUMMY BEARS

It has to be Brachs, though. At walmart they sell these tubs of mini gummy bears. So cute! You almost feel bad for eating them. ALMOST. They are perfect snack size for Kate, and some days it is the ONLY thing that gets us through Sacrament Meeting sane. And they are so good! I even like them better than Haribo, and that's saying something.


3. VICTORIAS SECRET BRAS.




My friend Julie introduced me to these about 6 years ago when we lived in Golden. I had never even had a "lined" bra before...or an underwire...or anything with any form of shape or anything. I had NO idea what a good bra was, or what a difference it made. I was always too scared to step into Victorias Secret...only hot supermodels shop there. But I'm telling you, you FEEL like a hot super model with a good bra. It lifts, supports, shapes...it makes all the difference in the world (especially when your mamas aren't quite as perky as they were before 3 kids... *cough cough*) and I will never go back to any other bra. Victorias Secret is DA BOMB and they know how to make girls happy. Getting the perfect fit is oh so important. I was way off from what I thought I was! Who knew I wasn't a tripple J? (I kid, I kid.) So go get sized and get a good bra. :) Ooh!!! *JOKE* What did the bra say to the hat? "YOU GO ON A HEAD WHILE I GIVE THESE TWO A LIFT!" har har harrrrrrr!


4. PICNIK.COM
Yup. Picnik.com. This is the photo editing site I use. It's free, unless you want the deluxe model which is only like $30 a YEAR. I have Photoshop Elements now...but I still use Picnik because it's so easy to figure out! (Maybe some day I'll be smart enough for Photoshop...) It's amazing. So many fun filters and stuff! You can pretty much fix any picture you can find. Want proof? Here.
See what a difference? I'm telling you, if I can do it, you can do it.


Photo Editing Awesomeness. Simple as that. So, if you keep an eye on my photography blog PictureAlmostPerfect.blogspot.com, then everything you see there is done with Picnik.


5. JONES SODA
Oh how I miss these. I can't find them anywhere around here. (Any of you valley people know where to find these here!?! Anyone???) Mandy got me hooked on these in Houston. (dang yoooou!) And they are so good. No high fructose corn syrup...just pure cane sugar deliciousness. One of the things on my list of things to do before I die is to try the Fu Fu Berry flavor. It's like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. You can never find it! :( So, if you ever see them...GET SOME! Especially the blue raspberry lemonade....or the strawberry lime.... *sniff sniff* or the green apple. Okay, now I'm really crying. I'll just stop now. Can you tell I'm passionate about this stuff? Mmm-hmmmm. That's what I thought.


Well, that's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Accept for the fact that now I'm hungry, slightly depressed and out of gummy bears. ;)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things....

I was doing laundry while thinking about my blog, and realized, "Wow. My blog is really boring." So then I started thinking about what I could do to liven it up. And suddenly, the Sound of Music started playing in my head and the light went "DING!". I thought maybe once a week or so I could do some reviews on some of my favorite things! I always love finding out what other people like and why...so maybe you will to! So, here is my first round of THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS! :)

1. SCENTSY

Have you heard about Scentsy? I found out about it last year and I have to say I am absolutely hooked. Basically, it is a flameless candle. You buy a warmer that plugs into the wall, and your favorite scents of wax bricks. You put a wax brick on the warmer, it melts the wax and your house smells INCREDIBLE. I'm not even kidding. I love that I don't have to worry about it with the kids. It's up on the bar where they like to color and stuff, and I don't have to worry about them setting their coloring books on fire. And the smells....OH, the smells!!! My favorites are Blueberry Cheesecake, Skinny Dipping, Cinnamon Vanilla, and Orange Creamsicle (drool). They make me want to eat my house.


2. COFFEE CREAMER

I know Mormons don't drink coffee...but I used to look at those creamers and a tear would start in my eye. How could they make all these fabulous flavors to taunt me!?! And then I bought some anyway. I used it in my hot chocolate (another one of my favorite things) and it was heavenly! How did I ever drink cocoa without it? I don't know. And you should start using it immediately. They make your cocoa so creamy! My favorite flavors are White Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate raspberry (the brown chocolate kind), Mint Truffle, French Vanilla, and Amaretto. Mmmm, especially when you mix French Vanilla, Amaretto, and a touch of Perro. It's a Mormon probably (make that DEFINITELY) would be a coffee addict's dream come true!


3. My last one of the day....BONNIE BELL LIP SMACKERS

Okay, now that I'm thinking about it, this SHOULD be my #1. Especially since I just barely put some on. This picture may or may not be my collection. But, if you've tried it you would know why. It is so smooth and glossy and it's not sticky. It moistens perfectly, leaves a cute glossy pout, and tastes delicious. I always have some with me. I have tried pretty much every gloss or chapstick out there, and I ALWAYS go back to my Lip Smackers. My mom got me hooked when I was little. I remember going to JCPenneys and they always had a Bonnie Bell stand in the children's clothing department. I could stand there for hours. My favorite flavor is....okay, that would be impossible...my favorite FLAVORS are Dr. Pepper (it also leaves a nice deep cherry colored sheen), Strawberry Kiwi, Vanilla, Wild Raspberry, Red Raspberry, Strawberry....okay, I could go on all day. But you get my point, they are all fabulous! There are three things a girl should never go without in her purse (besides your wallet/drivers license). Lip Smackers, tampons, and a mini Bath and Body works lotion/hand sanitizer. But mostly Lip Smackers.


Woo hoo!!! Now, wasn't that exciting? It was for me. Until next time, my friends! :)

Happy New Year???

Wow, it has been a long past few weeks! It's one of those times where you're just waiting for the sky to fall. Our water heater/boiler keeps going out, so we just forked out $500 to get it fixed. It's been a week and it's already down again. We've been having to heat up water on the stove in pans for hot water. We put the heated up water in a two liter bottle with holes poked into it to shower. I feel like we're roughing it. We give the kids baths in a little metal tub just like in the old days...it's great fun. And I am so incredibly happy we got our wood stove installed or we would be freezing to death at night when it gets down to -20*. Oh! And Michael was so happy because he bought 11 cords of wood ($1,300!!!! SIGH) with the rest of our tax return from last year, only to find out after it was unloaded that the wood is still green and we won't be able to use it until next year!

Then, I've been having some health problems and when I got my blood work back, the test showed that my white blood cell count was really low. I had to go back in yesterday to get some more lab work done...hopefully things turn out okay this time. I have an ultrasound on Thursday to see if I have fibroids or cysts or something. I've had a lot of pain lately and things are just out of whack. I hope the doctors can figure out what's going on.

And now our van is having problems. Again. Some day maybe we can actually pick a car that doesn't fall apart. And doesn't have 100,000 miles on it to begin with.

Then, Whitney keeps coming up with these strange itchy bumps. I can't seem to find anything that looks like them...other than a mosquito bite with a blister on it? It's not chicken pox because that would have exploded all over her already. I thought maybe it was fleas, but we had the cats checked for fleas and they are in the clear. I'm baffled. Nobody else is getting them, either.

Annnnd, church has been really hard lately. There is no nursery, and Kate doesn't get her nap because we're at church so she is a little terror. It's so hard. And Aaron won't go to Primary. Last week he came out crying because one of the kids told him he was going to kill him. Primary is a nightmare there. The kids are so unruly. I feel so bad for the Primary President. I don't think the parents discipline their kids (remember what I said about Sacrament meeting?) And half of the primary kids are usually in the nursery playing with the toys or hiding behind the couch in the mother's lounge. It's so frustrating. I think they tried to call someone to the nursery, but she never comes to church. SOOOO, my Y.W. end up bringing their little brothers and sisters or nieces and nephews to class with them and it is SOOOO distracting! But what can I do? Make the girls leave class? Nope. Last week, one of my Y.W. ended up with 3 kids!!! We ended up just going to the nursery and trying to have class in there. It was a disaster. It was going to be a really good lesson, one that they REALLY needed, but I don't think they paid much attention to me with all the crying kids and the noise. I hope they can get that branch organized quickly or I'm going to have a melt down.

And Aaron had to have a mole removed yesterday. He's had this mole on his right foot that has started to change shape, it was kind of scaring me so I took him in. The doctor said, "You're right, I don't like the look of that at all." So, they took us to the back and removed it. Poor kid! The numbing shot didn't work all the way so he could feel them cutting into his foot and started screaming. She had to give him another shot and that one seemed to work. He's got 4 stitches now. He was so brave, though. I'm so proud of him! I took a picture of his feet a while ago just because I love his feet...but you can see the mole and if you look closely you can see how the top edge had started changing to a light brown and spreading. They'll send it into get biopsied to see if it was melanoma. I'm crossing my fingers that everything comes back okay.


So...yeah. Not the best start to the New Year. Hopefully things will turn around soon!