The Biggest Loser-ZoBell style

My good friend let me borrow her Jillian Michael's 30 day shred work out video. Guaranteed to work if you faithfully do it everyday. I did day one tonight. Tyler did it with me and the kids joined in after dessert. There the 5 of us were. Doing jumping jacks, leg kicks, and fake jump rope. Then down to the floor for ab crunches. And now I will see if I can make it to the bathroom for a tub. I shouldn't have sat down.

oohh I feel a long one coming on....

I feel a long post about to come blurting out of my brain and onto the screen. I can't help it though, because I have some things to share. I guess the main name for this entry is choices. We had our home teachers over a couple nights ago, and the message they shared was on making good choices. I was sending the vibe to the kids via brain waves, that the BEST choice they can make is listening to their mother! After they went down to bed I was thinking more about choices that I want them to make. Good ones of course, but it boils down to me. Explaination- and I'm going to keep it simple.

My lovely sister has introduced me to Jamie Olivers Food Revolution. This guy from England is on a mission to redo the school lunch system. He is in West Virginia right now in a town whose name I am sorry to say I forgot. But the town has the highest number of death rates, obesity, and diabeties. And the kids are eating pizza for breakfast and corn dogs and chicken nuggets for lunch almost everyday. Blah, blah, blah, I don't want to go on and on, but after watching a few episodes, and listening to home teachers, here's what I had it all come down to. If I want my kids to eat healthy, avoid obesity, and really avoid becoming diabetic (which runs in my family), then the choice is mine to serve healthy foods. They can choose not to eat it. And they will go to bed hungry. I am not a restaurant people, and what I make for dinner and lunch is it. Oh Beck you sound so harsh!?! Well, listen to this.

The choice is mine what I put in front of my kids to eat. Me, Beck, it's up to me. And last night I chose a nice fillet of fish, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and whole grain brown rice mixed with a little olice oil for taste. And I thought, well here goes nothin. I couldn't have been more pleased to watch ALL of my kids eat it up. Mason had 2 fish fillets, Dallin ate a good share of rice, and even though Nat took a few minutes, she ate her broccoli. Proud mom moment. Does this mean we will never go to McDonalds again? No, don't be silly. Pizza? You bet! But moderatly my friends, moderatly. Enough! I'm preached long enough!!!

After dinner, Mason and I went out for special time with mom. He chose mini gold and Tyler found a place that is outside. I was happy because yesterday was gorgeous! We went to the mini golf place and we were the only ones there. This place was so awesome!!!! Waterfalls, and rocks, and just the perfect place. We had so much fun!!!

It's so great to spend time alone with each one of the kids.

Afterwards, we hit Coldstone for a chocolate ice cream with M&Ms. What a great way to end the day. Thanks pal for the fun date!! I sure love you!

Nat did some wonderful spring painting at her preschool. So wonderful in fact that she thought she would share it with those passing on the road.

Man oh man how I love that girl! And that is the end of my saga. Whewww, I told you this was a long one!!!

Dear wildlife.....

Dear 4 a.m. bird. Usually when I hear your melodious chirping around 4-4:30 a.m., I get frustrated because NO HUMAN in there right mind wants to be up that early. However, I have discovered that you are back, chirping away in the trees outside our window. This can only mean one thing. Spring is coming!!! I welcome you back with arms wide open and perhaps I can scrounge up some bird food so that we can be friends and you won't leave. Thank you for returning. Thank you for being a happy reminder of what is to come.

8 years baby!!!!

Warning!!! Although I don't consider myself sappy, this may be a little on the really sappy side. Today is our anniversary! 8 years baby!!!! And 8 years later, we have 3 kids who we love insanely... most times. And who we stick outside in the cold the rest of the time when we need a time out. We have a house, a mortgage, and I drive a mini van. Your basic family. I remember our wedding day. It's tricky in Utah with April weather. But we had a gorgeous day, not too hot, not cold or rainy. The Temple fountains were on, which for some reason was a big deal to me. And I married my best friend. My Love. My eternal companion. The greatest dad and husband ever!!

Thank you Love for being my everything. Thanks for not being "one of those husbands". Thanks for the little things you do that may not mean anything to you, but mean the world to me. I am, truly, the luckiest girl in the world.

It's official...

It's official.... I DO NOT like running!!! In my quest to lose weight before Hawaii, I have been running lately. Not faithful everyday, but when the urge comes, I go for it. And I dread every step. Running is not for Beck. I find zero satisfaction in it. Others pound the pavement to collect thoughts, relieve stress, get away for awhile. I run because it's good for your whole body. My comment to Tyler was,"It's to bad running is so good for you. I don't like it." He said that I need to find something that I enjoy that's still giving my body a workout. Well, we need to find that enjoyment somewhere.


It's official....I never liked math in school, and I still don't. Math was so stinkin hard for me! Maybe because numbers and me do not click. Maybe because I never had a teacher patient enough to tell me what it all meant. But tonight I was helping Mason with his homework. I was trying to explain the addition and subtraction to him. Tyler stepped in because he (get this) actually LIKES math!!! He worded it so much better than I. He started to explain something to me and the next thing I know he pushes this paper in front of me.

x+y=11
2x-3y=7

HUH??? He says,"This will be fun! Solve for x." Rats and Rats! So there Mason and I sat doing our math. I wanted to trade but it wasn't going down. And I needed help. I remember- what you do to one side you have to do to the other. And I can subtract one number and move it to the other side. But this was not without help. Rats. I guess I still don't like math. But the teacher this time was very helpful and cute too!! Mason might have to go to him for help once we hit the third grade. :) (By the way...x=8 and y=3.)


It's official....I registered my sweet girl for Kindergarten. She still seems so small to me to be going to school. But she is excited. I guess I can't believe it's here. I was amazed at the things I got done with one child gone.... think of what I can do with 2!!!! Think of the spoiling time Dal will get.

It's official....I am looking forward to a weekend of sweats and ham dinner. Oh, and chocolate bunnies.

And I am now officially ready for bed.
Beck

Nada...

I have no title because nothing earth shattering or neat really happened this week. Just regular days. Same thing, laundry, dishes, dinner, blah, blah, blah.... It was parent teacher conference this week so Mason got out of school early all week. He is doing really well in school. And I'm proud of him. O.k. well, here's maybe a lesson I believe in. Mason came home from school and said," The Book Fair is in the library and I need some money." When I asked him how much he had he said "None." Hhmm said the smart mother (me) thinking of ways she could get her boy to do some work. "You'll need to do some chores around the house to earn money for the book fair." He agreed with no problem. Clearly he had his mind set on something. Well, it just so happened that we had some dead trees come down in the front yard. Tyler called the missionaries over to get some service in and to help. Mason jumped right in with the 3 of them and started working. He was hauling twigs and sticks and moving wood around. I was proud to see him work so hard.

The next day we went in the library as promised. I was right in thinking he wanted something, and it was a poster with a orange and red car on it with purple flames. They had about 30 posters hung up with the display number in the corner. He took me over to his poster and said ,"This is the one I want." O.k. replies the smart mother (me). I started looking around at all the books, just browsing, when I noticed that Mason wasn't to be seen. I asked Nat where he was and she pointed to the poster area. Bless Mason's pointed little head!!! He didn't know that the poster was a display so there he sat, underneath his poster, with one hand holding onto the corner. I smiled and told him to tell the lady helping which poster he wanted. Then I watched him pay with HIS OWN MONEY. He has proudly put it in a spot where Dallin cannot reach it or destroy it in any way. And that my friends is the lesson I think. Maybe he wouldn't be so careful if he knew that I was going to pay for it. But he is being extra careful with his hard earned, wood hauling money. Way to go smart mother (me)! May the lesson stick.

Simple things

I shall call this entry simple things, because sometimes it's the simple things in life that make me the happiest. For example, I am thankful for my sister changing my blog background because I don't know how to do it. Simple, yes. And it is exciting for me to see what she has come up with. Thanks Ems! We don't get the newspaper, and I don't stay up to watch the news. Yet somehow I catch myself thinking,'How much worse is it gonna get?'. I was thinking about that on one of my runs this week when I passed the following things. Neighborhood kids riding their bikes around the street. The pink and white cherry blossoms that have covered the trees. And I watched a mom playing catch football with her boy. He couldn't have been older that 7. But I watched as she threw him the ball, and then tried to catch him as he ran past her. Then they high five and she gave him a hug. And I thought to myself,'Maybe it'll be o.k. after all.' And I smiled to myself and kept on running. Please be advised to those of you who aren't family and maybe don't know this, that when I'm tired, my emotional tiredness comes out and I end up feeling like the world is a horrible place and usually start crying over little things. Like a pink and white blossomed tree.


But things will be o.k.!! Take my Dal Pal.
He's quite happy with something as simple as a red balloon. So happy in fact that he took it to bed with him. Life couldn't be sweeter. Simple.

On St.Patricks Day, I put green sunscreen on the kids noses before they went to school. Simple. Yet you wouldn't believe how excited they were to have it on. For dinner we had green eggs and ham(bacon-which just had to be regular color because I couldn't bring myself to putting green food dye on it.) Again, pure happiness from eating green eggs.

Yesterday I took Nat to see the play Cinderella that was being put on by the Elementary kids. It was just o.k. for me, but Nat dressed up in her Cinderella costume right down to the shoes. She enjoyed herself and that's happy enough for me. Just spending time with my girl, or any of my kids, couldn't make me happier. Simple.

Taking the kids to the park is so simple. It's so great to watch them play in their own little world without a care. I eagerly look forward to spring and summer for lots of park days. And this is the end of my simple blog thoughts. Feel free to leave simple answers.:)