March 4 - March 10

Mar 4 - Last weekend, I decided to throw together an impromptu block party tonight. The kids helped me pass out fliers on a really windy day, so I'm not sure many of the neighbors even realized they were invited. Only 5-6 families showed up, but we still had fun enjoying the cool evening and eating great food together!

Mar 5 - I'm not sure if I can do it or not, but I'm going for our Gold Leaf trip to Quebec City this year. I am coming out of a really dry few months of sales, so I really need to step up my game, not to mention help two more of the girls on my team to get promoted.  I have 5-6 on my mind that I think could promote by June, so we'll see if it works out.

Mar 6 - Kaylin celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday at school today. Her Kindergarten teacher is the best when it comes to sending the kids home with hats to commemorate a special school day. Kaylin proudly wears it home on the bus and can't wait for me to take a picture (I always do!) when she gets home.

Mar 7 - When Jason sees me taking pictures of the other kids, he always seems to shout, "My turn!" After snapping a picture of his cheesy grin, he says, "Can I see?" I barely remember the days when we didn't get instant reviews of photos taken. It saves so much money on unnecessary developing, film, missed memories, blinking subjects, etc. I love digital photography!

Mar 8 - Yesterday, Ryan asked if he could be in Cub Scouts with his friend, Kyle. Mike and I talked briefly and by the end of the day, he was signed up. We went to the Scout Shop today to gather all of the pieces for his uniform. He has never been this excited about something...ever. He carries his book under his arm, stands at attention for no reason, it's really adorable.

Mar 9 - Somehow, we were talked into having a movie night with our neighbor tonight. I went with a friend to babysit for our other sweet friend who currently has EIGHT kids under 9 years old in her home (half are foster children) while they went on a date night. I came home to the big kids, still up at 9:45, watching Harry Potter. Apparently, Mike lost track of time while he did the taxes.

Mar 10 - With the kids independently playing in the front yard every afternoon, the garage gets cluttered and littered with paper, granola bar wrappers and water bottles. I pulled everything out today with the intention of making more room to open my van door so I don't run into bikes. This was the "before" picture, which doesn't look too bad from a distance.

February 26 - March 3

Feb 26 - We spent the afternoon at an ice cream social in our neighborhood with most of our friends. The adults played volleyball, the kids threw around footballs and jumped in the bounce house, and I caught Kaylin coordinating a game of some sort off in the distance. I just hope she wasn't being too bossy with the littler kids!

Feb 27 - Jason doesn't always enjoy our morning smoothies...especially when they have more veggies than fruit. We ran out of straws this week, which made "sipping" his gross-looking, green breakfast a little challenging.  The whole thing plopped onto his upper lip creating a crazy mustache. As the morning went on, it turned into a dripping goatee.

Feb 28 - For Ash Wednesday last week, Mike and I came up with the idea to eliminate arguing and raised voices in our home. We added on the new rule of "no request" for the kids and have them pay us a quarter when they mess up and we pay them $1. I also wanted to work on silliness at the kitchen table, and asked each kid what their punishment should be? They were much harder on themselves than I would have been!

Feb 29 - One of my oldest childhood friends came to Phoenix for a business trip today and we got together for drinks. Michelle and I were in pre-school together when we were two years old! Our parents were both going through a divorce, so our moms became friends. We'd lost touch over the last decade, but reconnected through Facebook. We still have SO much in common...I could have hung out all night!

Mar 1 - Today, Ryan spent all afternoon helping me prepare recipes for my Tastefully Simple Open House tomorrow night. He genuinely loves to help in the kitchen and can't wait until he can create whole meals without assistance. And let's be honest...I can't wait, either!!!

Mar 2 - This is a picture of me with a couple of girls on my team. About five of my consultants came to my Open House to take notes for their own upcoming events. I love that they're so eager to learn and it's so rewarding helping them with their own businesses. It was also helpful having extra product experts lingering around the kitchen all night!

Mar 3 - This afternoon, we celebrated cousin Ella's birthday with a local comedian/magician who is a huge hit with the kids. Both Ryan and Kaylin were called up front at various points in the party to be his assistant. Ryan's past frustration with his "broken" magic kit was dissolved today and he busted it out in an attempt to wow his family and friends with his trickery.

February 19 - February 25

Feb 19 - After 3 years of being on my to-do list, and a full year of having a membership (it expires next week), we finally finally took the family to the Desert Botanical Gardens. I really wanted to go during the Butterfly Exhibit or take the kids to a "flashlight tag" night, but instead, we just went and walked around. Mike loved it and wants to go back for a date night sometime. Men!

Feb 20 - One of our new 3:00 traditions has been to watch Food Network together. Ryan and Kaylin rarely come straight home from the bus stop anymore (the stay at the park to play with other kids) so Jason climbs onto my lap and we watch Pioneer Woman and Paula Deen. He is completely fascinated and I love the snuggle time with my baby!

Feb 21 - The weather has been beautiful lately and we've been taking advantage of playing outside quite a bit. I've incorporated "recess" into our school days and Mike and Ryan have been going down to the retention area to play soccer and toss the football around.

Feb 22 - Kaylin's reading abilities have gone through the roof lately. Suddenly, she's reading full books to herself and others with ease. I can't help but think that her Phonics workbook has been helping the process! She barely needs help reading instructions anymore and she can sound out simple words without struggling. My big girl!!!

Feb 23 - Ryan set up camp in the laundry room today and was determined to fix broken electronic toys around the house. He was armed with various sized batteries and screwdrivers, had his own little stool and even a clock. The fact that he made a sign and included "Closed on Sundays" absolutely warmed my heart.

Feb 24 - I am beyond excited that we bought a Vitamix blender. We've been having smoothies almost every morning, I've made soup, strawberry frozen yogurt, even breadcrumbs. The kids love helping and I love that they're getting the nutrition from whole foods that would otherwise need to be cooked to be considered consumable.

Feb 25 - I made the decision this weekend that the kids are not allowed to ask for things anymore. We need a serious lesson in contentment around here, so they're only allowed to ask for more food at meals, to be excused from the table or for water throughout the day. They need to learn to trust that I will provide for all of their daily needs and that they needs to get their "wanters" under control!

February 12 - February 18

Feb 12 - I spent the first half of our anniversary on a plane on the way home from Anaheim. Mike did great with the kids while I was away and my marathon of 3 trips in 6 short weeks has finally come to an end. I'm excited to get back to normal, but seeing Ryan like this makes me realize that "normal" is all in your perception...

Feb 13 - Our homeschooling project for History today included making pyramids out of sugar cubes. Ryan absolutely loved this! Kaylin loves to do anything crafty, but Ryan really "gets" a concept if he can create something with his hands. I really need to incorporate more fun hands-on activities into each school day.

Feb 14 - We spent most of the day today baking Valentine sugar cookies and making white chocolate popcorn with red drizzles for our friends and neighbors. I'm calling this school day a "home economics" training day. We talked about weights and measures and fractions...it's totally learning!

Feb 15 - My sweet girl turned five and a half today. I love that we celebrate half birthdays in our house. One special day to recognize each person just doesn't seem like enough. She asked for Apple Fritters for her birthday breakfast, which I balanced with eggs and served her on our You Are Special red plate.

Feb 16 - Another big day around here this week: tonight was the Daddy/Daughter Dinner Dance at our church. While Mike and Kaylin danced the night away, my mom had a special date with Jason and I took Ryan to the famous Smash Burger then to Jump Street, an indoor trampoline park. Next year, I'll bring Jason along for the fun.

Feb 17 - Whenever Mike sees Jason kicking a ball, he swears he's going to be his "sports kid." But mark my words...this child is going to be in a band. Not that I wish that on him, but he is constantly playing the keyboard, guitar and shouting into our plastic microphone. I just pray it's a worship band and not some rock band that never makes it out of the garage.

Feb 18 - Hunko Bunko...in February! We usually do this tradition in December, but we moved it to Valentine's week this year. Good food, good friends, so much fun...tickets on our cars for parking all over the street...a great time was had by all.

February 5 - February 11

Feb 5 - Super Bowl Sunday! This is the first year we haven't gotten together with friends for the Super Bowl. We took the kids to the grocery store, bought tons of disgusting party foods, and celebrated with just our little family of five. I think it made the kids feel a little more special with it just being us.

Feb 6 - I just can't keep up with the paperwork and projects that come home from school...and it's only back to one child! So I take pictures of the bulky craft work to keep for Kaylin's reference. This snowman was adorable, but the dried pieces of shaving cream were falling apart as the week went on. I snapped this picture and passed it on to Grandma!

Feb 8 - This was supposed to be our picture of the day today.  All three kids at the dentist, Jason for the first time, watching a movie on a flat screen in the exam room. They all did great and I love that they are having good first experiences with the dentist!  He showed the big kids their x-rays and even explained what's going on in their mouths.  Unfortunately, Ryan has his first cavity.

Feb 8 - This is a more appropriate picture for how we spent our day. Jason slammed his finger in the front door, severing it nearly in half. I called 911, who also didn't see the true injury...it was Julie who noticed that he might need stitches. A day in the E.R. turned into Jason's first surgery. He was so brave...I lost it once he drifted off under anesthesia.

Feb 9 - The plastic surgeon preferred to put a cast on Jason so he wouldn't pull off the thumb splint. As it turned out, the cast irritated him and he yanked it off in his sleep. We discovered this fun fact as I was walking out the door to head to the airport for a Tastefully Simple conference. This kid's a tough one!

Feb 10 - Day one of our conference was a success!  We talked the front desk guy into upgrading us to a suite, roamed around Downtown Disney and got to try some of the new Spring/Summer products that will be coming out in our new catalog. I could get used to traveling for "work"!!!

Feb 11 - I was warned that I would likely be recognized on stage for a successful 2011, but I had no idea that I would be #1 in Sales for our region! I danced my way up to the stage and made a complete fool out of myself...I didn't care. I was SO stinkin' shocked and excited!!!