Is competing with your husband healthy?

In this case, yes. So Russ and I are having a little competition (you can cheer for me, it's okay, I won't tell him), and the winner gets to choose whether we are going to Alaska or Africa next summer. Can you guess which one I am rooting for?

It's all about healthy habits - not dieting or losing weight. We are going until January and the one with the most points wins, end of story. So here's how it works - everyday you get one point for each of the following:
--No Soda, Etc (any empty calorie drinks)
--No Treats (this one you can actually get negative points if you eat more than one treat)
--Exercise (doesn't matter what, how long or how many times - just something)
--Eat Healthy (this means no chips, french fries, or anything you feel you have to sneak)

After one month, I was only ahead by 2 points. Now a couple weeks have passed and with Russ having one bad week, I am ahead by 9 points. We'll see what happens this week though - I have really faltered since my brother has been here, and I have two days of meetings this weekend, where I will probably sit around eating treats and drinking caffeine to stay awake. (Maybe I will have to leave Russ with something yummy to try and sabotage his weekend as well. he he.)


So I have had a bit of an extra challenge in this competition as I have been having serious problems with my hip. Just walking my son to school left me limping around like an 80 year old man. So I had to come up with something else to get my exercise in each day and here's what I found: The one-hundred push ups challenge. Check it out, see what you think; and maybe you will join me! I am on week 3 and still going strong. I will keep you posted on that one.

Wish me luck!

I just can't let it go!

Ok, so this post is a little over due, but it still holds true. Although I love colored leaves and football and fall decor (more on fall to come), I have a seriously hard time letting go of summer. For one, I love the outdoors and there are just so many fun things to do in summer. Once it gets cold, everyone shuts themselves up in their houses and there is no more visiting out in the street every night while the kids ride their bikes.

Besides all the previously posted excitement - Bear Lake, 4th of July, Fish Rodeo, Africa, the Maxwell Reunion, etc., etc. - here's what I love about summer:

Playing at the park:

Running through the sprinklers:

Digging in the sand pile:

Camping in the mountains:

Shaved Ice and Otter Pops

Swimming at the Payson pool:

And of course, playing with my boys:

What do you love about summer?

It's all about me

click on it if you can't read it very well.

PS Do you know why today is all about me? ;)

I always win

Because Corbin went to school wearing this:

He came home with this:

(Yes, it's lots of yummy chocolate. He won a contest for best dress up from another country. He also got a $5 gift cert to the book fair.)

Which prompted this the next night at dinner:

Mom: Corbin, do you want to tell Grandma how you got all those chocolates?

Corbin: Well, because I pretty much win everything.

(laughs)

Corbin: Remember I won that trip to California. Now I won this. I pretty much always win.

At the book fair about half hour later:

Corbin's name is drawn for bringing a grandparent to family night and he wins another $5 to the book fair and a poster of his choice. Like he says, "I always win."

Heeere fishy fishy

I was feeling a little despondent about not having Cody in preschool this year. Not because I feel like he has to, or because he will be behind, but because the poor kid is stuck with me all day and asked where Corbin was about 4 times the first day he was at school. I really just wanted him to have something to look forward to and get excited about. So after much discussion with many people I was somehow convinced to do one of those preschool swap things (even though I always said I would never do that). It is a little unconventional, and we pretty much just made up our own thing so that our kids (and us) could get together and do something fun. So here's the basic "rules": each mom takes a turn hosting - she can do whatever she wants besides just letting the kids run around and wreak havoc. The other moms come with their kids to maintain control and to join the fun. We do it once a week for an hour and a half. Basically, it is a playgroup with a bit of structure. I think it will be just what Cody needs. He already talks about his "playgroup school" all the time.

Last week was our first day and my friend Jennifer did a fantastic job. The theme was "fish". We did all kinds of fun fish things and even learned a little bit. Then we hopped in the car and went over to feed the fish (and the ducks) at the pond. It was an awesome first day of "school". I can't wait for more! Oh, and Cody can't wait either.

wise or foolish?

From Corbin's church class last Sunday:
Just in case you can't read the yellow crayon:
Foolish: Hit your brother and don't say sorry.
Wise: Hit your brother and do say sorry.

Great wisdom.

I'm a sucker for free fun

Yes, yet another fun filled day of activities for all the family to enjoy. Last Saturday I took the boys to Spanish Fork's Annual Harvest Moon Hurrah. I love free stuff! I don't know why, but I can't NOT go. How can I pass it up if it gets us out of the house and is free? I was reletively impressed with this one - not too crowded, lots of crafts and fun things to do, and not alot of junk given out. And of course, you did have to pay for food, but everything was, as advertised, less than $3. None of this $4 for a hotdog. So we all got to pick what we wanted for dinner and kept it under $10. Wahoo! If I haven't enticed you yet to try it next year, think about your kids and . . . leaf rubbings, apple stampers, balloon animals, mini caramel apples, sunflower mosaics, foam fall bracelets, leaf crowns, mural painting, ring toss, football throw, hay rides (complete with live fiddlers) . . . and all of it for free! They also had dancers, singers, musicians, etc going the whole time. That night, Peter Brienholt was performing. But since I'm not a fan of Peter, nor am I a fan of doing anything with my kids when they could be in bed asleep, we opted out of that one. But a nice shaved ice on the walk home made it a perfect day (well, as close as it can be without Daddy there too.)

No pictures, because my camera was dead. So you get another video . . .

How Sweet It Is

I have been saving this post because I was planning to think of some really creative and cool analogy about how life is like picking berries or something.

But every time I sit down to do a post, it is generally late and dark and close to my bedtime, so my brain quits functioning on any creative level.
So this is it: Life is sweet and so are fresh-picked raspberries, you should take some time to enjoy both.

An evening spent outdoors, 3 happy kids, only $10 of raspberries turned into 9 jars of jam and plenty left to eat and share with friends . . . Life truly is sweet.

Yard Salers Beware

Click here to read the new regulations for garage sales. Yes, there are rules and regulations - 24 pages worth. They say it is for anyone who resales, which could mean pawn shops, thrift stores, charities and your friendly neighbors. Ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous.

I might be the coolest mom ever

I went to pick up my son from school riding a scooter, no, not one of those silly vespa things, a real scooter, ya know like a Razor scooter (only this one was a Superman one). I know, cool huh?
So we have been walking to school for the last week or so, well, the kids ride their bikes while I walk with the little ones in the stroller. My neighbor (who just had twins)'s daughter goes with us in the morning and then in the afternoon I pick her up along with her brother who is in afternoon kindergarten. So the first day I had to do this, I thought, "oh poor David is just going to have to walk with me while Corbin and Nadia ride their bikes". And then, oh it's genius, I'll just ride the scooter so David can ride that home and then the kids can speed off and I will just make my way home. So I inadvertently discovered a seriously intense butt workout and was the raddest mom on the block. (I did see one other Dad coming on his dirt bike, but that's not quite as cool.)
The funny part, David didn't really want to ride the scooter. So he walked most of the way and we all sweated our guts out. So now they ride bikes or scooters in the morning and we throw them in the back of the jeep for a nice cool ride home.