Don't hate me

I know this is annoying, but Jeff makes me do it. If you want to hate someone, hate him.


I'm writing all my home owner friends to let you know that Jeff is doing refi's this summer. Obama has started a program where those with FHA loans, who haven't refinanced in the last 3 years can do so now, and get a really awesome rate. Jeff has been doing refi's for a couple years now, so he wants to take advantage of the incentive. He does them at no cost. The lender pays all fees, and it generally saves the home owner a couple hundred a month on their mortgage payment, so it's a way good deal for you. If you think you might be interested, or if you have any family or friends in Utah that you think would be, let me know. Thanks!

This could be you.

Our Garden

Today we picked up Jeff, and took a lunch break at the zoo. As soon as we got to the monkeys, and Grace was face to face with a little monkey, holding his hand out to her I realized I forgot my camera. I wasn't sad about it. Jeff is always complaining that his family doesn't have any pictures of his childhood, but I imagine that they were just too busy having fun to stop and take pictures. I always feel so pressured to get everything we do on camera. I think I'd rather be a family with no pictures, and a million fun memories. Today the zoo actually wasn't very fun anyway.

I loved the comments on my past post talking about food and nutrition. This year we're growing a garden, and I love the idea of eating food right out of the earth. So far we just have a seed starter, and a raspberry bush. Some of our seeds have sprouted already, and it's only been 5 days. I don't know what any of them are, because I forgot to mark what we put where. Newbie mistake. I read online that our bush won't produce raspberries until it's second year, but I'm hoping that's wrong. I can't wait a whole year for anything.

I've been learning so many good things in yoga lately. I want to share everything! I'm sorry to Jeff who has to hear me repeat everything I learned after every class. I know it's annoying.

Sadie and her mangy ball

I'm writing this post, because I don't know what else to do with myself. Grace has been asleep for almost 3 hours. I cleaned the whole house already. One thing I've noticed about keeping our house clean is that the more often it is clean, the less exciting it is when it gets cleaned. Like I mopped and lysol wiped everything. It looks pretty much the same as before I started. I know I should be happy that we've been consistently clean, but I'm more disappointed that it's not more eventful. I want Jeff to come home, and be all, "Whoa you cleaned. It looks amazing in here. Awesome!"

Sadie has this tennis ball that's all coated in mud, and then dried, and then coated in more mud, and slobber, and toilet water, and she carries it around with her all day long. She drops it in the toilet while she's drinking, and sometimes she drops it in our bath's. When this happens it leaves a muddy streak all the way down the side of the tub. She's dropped it on my face a few times too. Sometimes I don't mind, and sometimes I'm super pissed. I think the amount of pissed is based on the length of time that has passed since she dropped it in the toilet last. I don't know what her obsession with this ball is. Sometimes I go out in the yard, and throw it for her, but once she retrieves it she doesn't let you have it back again. She doesn't want you to take it, but she does want to rub it on you. Like she really wants to. She's always hitting me with it when I'm trying to put Grace to sleep, and sometimes I get so annoyed I pry her mouth open, pull it out, and throw it as hard as I can, and she always brings it back, and then jumps onto my lap with it, waking Grace up, and then all I can do is tell her I hate her and her stupid ball.

Look at this cute chair I bought Grace. She loves sitting in it. And notice what Sadie is doing. She's throwing her ball up in the air for herself, and then catching it. Somebody needs some friends.

Look how nasty it is.

That's all. Oh except this. I've been watching Say Yes to the Dress for like a month now, and I feel like I need to have another wedding. I need to pick another dress at Kleinfelds. Panina is my best friend. A few weeks ago I watched like 5 episodes on Netflix, and then I went and put my dress on, and had Jeff take pictures of me. Ok bye for real.

Lately.

We've been gardening and working on our furniture projects. And Grace has been eating dirt. I love Summer. No, not that Summer. The season. Our AC doesn't work, but who cares. Grace got sunscreen in her eyes yesterday. She puffed up, and she bawled for like a half an hour. How do people sunscreen their children without getting it in their eyes? I think there are mom secrets people aren't sharing with me.

Last night me and Jeff went on a hot date. My mom came and babysat, and we went to The Hunger Games, which was awesome. I heard nothing but bad things about it, so I was surprised how good it was. I loved it. And I loved going out with Jeff. He looks so hot sitting in movies with his legs stretched out in front of him, and his big muscley arms laying on the arm rests. I get distracted by his smell and his hot face, and it's hard to pay attention.

Here are some of our recent projects, and Grace's dirt feast.

Not Vaccinated? No kisses *Insert ugly baby face here*

First item of business. Jeff thinks I made him sound like a huge jerk in my last post, so FYI Jeff is not a huge jerk. Sometimes just a normal amount of jerk, but mostly nice. And not a slave driver.
I got lots of awesome feedback on my post on vaccinations. If you didn't read that one you can read it here. I wanted to answer everyone's comments, so I'm just going to write a follow-up.

I'm a huge supporter of people making their own decisions, and doing what they think is right. I'm not a supporter of people deciding what they think is right, and then assuming everyone else is wrong for doing something different. I've found some information that has helped me in making certain health care decisions for Grace, so I thought I'd share a few things.

The pediatrician serves as the recruiter for the medical profession. He indoctrinates your child from birth into a lifelong dependence on medical intervention. It begins with a succession of needless "well baby check-ups" and immunizations and then moves on to routine annual physical examinations and endless treatment of minor ailments that would cure themselves if they were left alone.

Pediatricians are the least likely of all specialists to tell parents about the potential side effects of the drugs and treatments they prescribe. What pediatrician ever told mothers of the evidence linking infant formula to high blood load levels and Sudden Infant Death syndrome? What pediatrician, until pressured to do so by the media, ever told parents of the risk of epilepsy and mental retardation associated with the immunizations that he performs?

The pediatricians wanton prescribing of powerful drugs indoctrinates children from birth with the philosophy of "a pill for every ill". This may lead the child to the belief that there is a drug to treat every condition and that drugs are an appropriate response to normal feelings of frustration, depression, anxiety, inadequacy, insecurity, etc.

Pediatricians are so accustomed to seeing patients who aren't really sick that they often fail to recognize the ones who are. This happened to us when we took Grace to the hospital at a few weeks old. She had a cough so bad that she would gag and throw up, or stop breathing for a few seconds. It got so bad that we took her to the hospital late one night to get help. Some grumpy old lady came in, took off her diaper, flipped her around a few times, paying no attention to Grace's comfort, and said that there wasn't any fluid in her lungs, so she must be fine. Then she asked us why we hadn't had her vaccinated yet, and said she strongly suggested that we do so. Then she left, and we went home with a still-sick baby that was receiving no calories, and was coughing herself to death. I sat up all night with her, and spent all day in the bathroom with her in steam showers for a week. This was traumatizing to brand new parents, and I attribute her recovery to the priesthood blessings she received from Jeff and her uncle Ryan. No thanks to the doctor.

The myth persists that American children enjoy better health care because of our abundance of pediatricians. That belief is wrong. Infant mortality statistics reveal that American children are less healthy than those in many other developed nations that have few pediatricians. They're even less healthy than children in some of the underdeveloped countries.

Most doctors ignore the fact that the human body is a wondrous machine with an astonishing capacity to repair itself. If you take your sick child to the doctor, he probably wont allow it to do that. Instead, he will interfere with the body's natural defenses by giving your child treatment that he doesn't need and shouldn't get, with side effects that his body is not designed to handle.

Above all else, I listen to my own intuition, and trust in my own instincts. I know that being a mother is a calling from God, and that he will equip me with all that I need. If this includes medical care then I will take it, but I will not follow a health care path that is laid out for me by people who I do not know, and who do not have my family's best interest at heart. I feel uncomfortable subjecting Grace to potentially harmful vaccines at this time, but will reevaluate every few years. If something nasty comes around then I will absolutely do what I need to in order to protect her.

I love hearing any new information, and appreciate different opinions. No, of course, I'm not at all offended. Now I have to get off of here, because I have a nasty cold, and my tissues have run out. No pictures. Sorry.

Easter.Not.

So remember how I was painting some stuff, and selling it, and making a little bit of money? Well it's kind of getting out of hand. Like I have 5 pieces of furniture in the garage right now. And on top of that, people who I've sold stuff to are now calling me to paint some of their own furniture. If you know me at all, you know how I feel about jobs. I don't like them. If I do something for fun, then it's fun. If I have to schedule my fun, and people start counting on me, it's not fun. Like tonight I called in sick to yoga. But I am sick. Not super sick, but sick enough. Anyway, I'm starting to get stressed out.

Oh and as if that's not enough, Jeff made me apply for a job caring for an elderly couple. I mean he didn't really make me, but he gave me a lecture on all the things we could pay for if I got the job, and then he started telling me what to say in my application e-mail. He's obsessed with paying off debt right now. I have to tell him to stop talking about money fifteen times every day. I'm not good at money. I'm not good at listening when people are talking about it, or caring about it, or making it. And I rarely spend it, so what more could he ask for? I'm a good wife. I just mopped up dog blood. Aunt Flo paid Sadie a visit this week. I know. Sick. I'm sorry. But can you imagine the mess? We have a white couch. She's not allowed on it, but apparently she lays on it when we're not home. I didn't know this before, but I know now.

Oh yeah, so about Easter. We're the meanest parents ever. We forgot to get Grace an Easter basket. Well I thought about it on Saturday night, but then we decided that we didn't want her eating candy, and she wouldn't know the difference anyway, so on Sunday we went to church, and all the other little kids had Easter eggs full of candy, and Grace had a piece of bread in a baggy.

Friday

TGIF. For real. This week has been awful. Grace has been waking up every hour all night long. I've mostly been angry, and said alot of unkind things, of which I do not regret. This weekend could not have come soon enough.

Last night we had FHE, and I loved it. We don't do it as often as we should, so when we finally take the time it's always much needed. We read a conference talk and watched this Mormon Message. Then Jeff had us sing Lead Kindly Light, but about halfway through the first verse we didn't know the words anymore, so we had to made them up, and it sounded really awful. We're trying to teach Grace to fold her arms during prayers, but so far she just hits you in the face and laughs while you pray.

Jeff has a hot man date for lunch today. There's a new guy at his work, and after going around the office being introduced to everyone, he went back to his desk, and called Jeff to see if he wanted to go to lunch. It's kind of weird, and kind of flattering. Like it helps me know that I have good taste, because even other men know that Jeff's a catch.

Sorry about your toothbrush Jeff

Have you had your flu shot?

Lately we've had the subject of vaccinations come up more than usual. Family and friends want to know how our regular checkups with the pediatrician are going, and what vaccinations Grace has had. People with babies her age want to know what percentile she's in, and what her doctor has to say about her eating habits, sleeping habits, weight, and when I should stop breast feeding. Jeff and I try to avoid these topics, because people aren't very accepting of our answers. Grace has not had any vaccinations. In fact, the only needle stick she has ever had was her PKU at 2 weeks. I don't know what percentile she is in, and the only visits she has had with her pediatrician were when she had a bad cough at a few weeks old, and a couple months ago when she burned herself on my flat iron. I don't need an opinion on her sleeping and eating habits, and I will stop breast feeding her when I feel like she's ready. When people hear this they think we are neglectful or ignorant. Usually they are polite, and just give us a weird look, and then don't bring it up again. Sometimes they argue, and try to educate us on the importance of regular checkups and vaccinations. What is sad is that these same people never have any information beyond their doctor's recommendation. They don't know what's in vaccines, and what these chemicals do. They don't know what the FDA has to say about them. The fact is vaccinations do more harm than good, growth charts are not an accurate basis for measuring your child's proper growth, and nobody can recognize a child's needs better than their parents. People need to educate themselves on these topics. Doctors have a very important place in society, and I'm thankful for them, and the amazing things they can do, but my place in society is to be a mom, and decide what's best for my children. I give careful thought and consideration to what I subject Grace to. If you want to talk to me about my health practices then do your research. Don't blindly follow the advice of a doctor who's making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year off of your well baby visits.
More importantly, I made my first Etsy sale today and sold a $25 sewing table for $120. Holla!

Yesterday

I want to try to be more diligent about blogging. Last year I saw this Line a Day journal in my Better Homes and Garden's magazine, and I loved the idea of writing a short entry about our day, every day. I bought it, and wrote in it for about 5 days, and then never again. I'm still happy I bought it, because it's a super cute book, and it looks awesome on my bookshelf, but I do still want to record our life for our kids to read later. I'm going to try to write a post every day just telling what we did that day, and whatever is on my mind. So I'll start with what we did yesterday.

Yesterday we woke up at 7:00 like usual, and took Jeff to work. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but we sold both our cars in December, and bought a new, bigger one to share. I like it, because it means we all have to get up together in the morning, and we get to spend more time together before Jeff goes to work. After we took Jeff to work we came home, and got ready for the day. Grace has been so clingy lately, so we spent most of our day just sitting together, on the couch, outside on a blanket, on the floor with some toys. We had to make 4 trips to Jeff's work, which got old really fast. He didn't bring a lunch, so we had to bring him something, and then he stayed late to study for the CPA with a coworker, so we brought dinner, and then we picked him up. After that I had an appointment with the bishop. He said that he's been considering a calling for me, and wanted to know if I was available for a teaching position. Please don't let it be primary. I have a feeling it's going to be primary, and I think I might die if it is. After my appointment we came home, and watched some say yes to the dress. The best show ever. Grace for some reason wouldn't go to bed until 11:00, so we had a late night. Our late night made for a late morning, so now at 8:55 Grace is still sleeping. Jeff took himself to work, and I've been laying in bed finishing this book. It was so good. It strengthened my testimony, and gave me a greater appreciation for my family and my body. It also inspired me to work on this goal of blogging regularly. You'll read it if you know what's good for you.  

Can I get a what what? Or an SB loan?

A few months ago I bought this sewing table at D.I. for $15

I came home, and posted it on ksl, and a few days later I sold it for $85. This event has sparked something in our family. I went back again a while later to see if I could find any other cool stuff. I bought another sewing table for $15, and decided to paint it this time.

I sold this one for $85. Then I bought and painted this, and put new nobs on it...



And I can't bare to part with it. I put it here, and threw some stuff on it to make it look inviting to potential buyers, but how could I sell it now? It was made for my living room. I denied an offer for it, and agreed to make another one like it. Jeff got jealous, so he bought this (I don't have a before picture).

He sanded it, and painted it, and bought some hardware to fix certain parts. During this project he got paint on everything. I scrubbed it off our kitchen table for an hour yesterday, and there's still big spots all over the floor and Sadie. He cannot be trusted with messy things. Anyway, what was once a hobby is quickly becoming a small business.

On our D.I. trip today Grace got this doll. It's not much to look at, but she loves it, and carries it around with her everywhere.

Did I say Grace? I meant Sadie.



Pranayama

In yoga we've been learning about Pranayama, which is energy control. It encompasses alot of different things, but the main idea is to be in tune with what your needs are, and have the control to give yourself what you need. It sounds easy, but it takes quite a bit of control, and that's something most people are lacking. Myself included. It can be as simple as stopping eating when you're full, or taking a little nap when you feel tired, or as complex as recognizing emotions, and allowing a healthy expression of them. It's sending out what you no longer need inside (pee, sweat, tears, vomit, sexual discharge, angry feelings), and taking in what you do need (food, water, oxygen, sunlight).

I've been recognizing for a while that some forms of technology make me really upset, and I keep using them, and making excuses for why I need them. TV, because it causes my whole family to be lazy, and it allows things into our home that we don't want to see or hear. The only time we've had cable since we've been married was this week for conference, but we do have netflix and all that other stuff that comes on the TV. Social networks on the internet are something I definitely need to eliminate. I don't ever have anything nice to say on there, and most of what other people have to say just ticks me off. I don't think it's healthy to be so involved in the lives of people who you don't know all that well, and I don't like seeing all the awesome things people are doing when I've been home all day with a sick baby, and an awful dog, and our house is a mess. It makes me feel like I should be doing something besides staying home with Grace, and I don't need to be feeling like that. I have an awesome life, and it probably doesn't look very exciting from the outside, but I have a happy family that works on things together, and loves each other. I get to exercise and learn new things at yoga every week, and go to church and feel the spirit every Sunday. I'm happy that I can watch a full session of conference without getting on facebook to talk about it. It's great to be so excited about it, but if you love conference so much, what are doing on facebook?

So I'm going to start practicing pranayama and stop taking things into my body and spirit that are not beneficial to me. Starting with food and media. I'm also going to try to be more in tune with my own needs.

Namaste! Whatever that means.

Grace's Birthday Party

Grace's birthday party turned out super fun. Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate!

 



Oh and P.S. I took this picture to Smith's to see if they could make it. They said yes.

This is what jeff came home with...

I hate them.