That's okay? Nope.

Savanna tends to use too much toilet paper. So this morning, I took it off the dispenser and put it out of her reach.

She said, "Mommy! That's o-not-kay!"

Twelve Excuses

I know this is bold, but I have to be completely honest with you.
Most people post pictures of their house after they clean, paint, upgrade, or decorate.
This post is not about any of those things.
My house is a mess.
And these are my excuses.

1. When I asked Bryan's aunt (who has 8 kids) for advice on raising children, she said,
"It's okay to have a messy house."

2. Although he can sit up, roll, and scoot, Joseph still likes to be held a lot. When he's awake, it is hard to hold him and clean anything below my waist level.

3. Paying attention to my kids is more important.

4. We really do clean up our clutter on a daily basis. But we really do have 5 people contributing to the clutter.

5. I would be cleaning literally all day if I wanted a clean house.

6. Caleb takes a long time (and a lot of encouragement) to get ready for school. This means we are usually rushing out the door to get him there on time, leaving behind our lunch mess to clean later.

7. Sometimes I don't have time to clean.

8. We can't work all day, we have to play too.

9. I took a short nap this morning.

10. Potty-training makes me pause whatever I'm doing and come running to try to prevent accidents.

11. Sometimes I don't feel like cleaning.

12. One mom vs. three kids. 'Nuff said.

Sweet Tooth vs. Pocketbook

I would like to be able to say I have always been frugal. As a child, my sister Sharley would hoard money, candy, and other various treasures. On the other hand, you would find me eating the candy as fast as I could, then spending my money to buy more.

I think I finally figured out frugality when I started earning money. No, probably when my parents promised to match what I saved for college. Then I got frugal, fast.

And I have been ever since.

I would also like to be able to say that I have never had a sweet tooth. Alas, we all know now that that can't be true (see above).

Since Bryan and I got married, I started buying groceries that two people could actually live on. On a budget that only one person could live on. So we have never been in the habit of buying junk food. We can truly say that we very rarely buy chips, soft drinks, candy, or hot dogs. (Now don't get me wrong, we still eat our fair share of homemade goodies and ice cream.)

The problem is when other people give us junk food. Don't get me wrong here, either. I love sweets.

I guess my point is, though I wish I had self-control over my sweet tooth, I do not. But I have plenty of self-control over my pocketbook. And that, my friends, is how I indirectly control my sweet tooth.

The end.

Valued

I have a vague memory of Kelly from my BYU choir days. She was in Singers, so we must have passed each other every day between Singers and Concert Choir. And we must have passed each other during every concert the two groups did together.

This Christmas season, she and I have been asked to dust off our talents and perform at several events together. (It really makes me sad that we didn't have the excuse to sing together before now. Six months wasted!!!)

We have practiced a few times together already, and performed one song tonight.

Singing with her is the funnest thing I have done in years!

Our voices match so well that when we are singing the same pitch, you can only hear one voice. When we practice, we don't have to learn notes or rhythms; we get to work on phrasing and dynamics and technique and interpretation!

Because she received the same degree from the same school from the same teachers (went through the same refiner's fire, the same heartaches), I feel valued by her in a way that no one else can. And because we became friends long after the fact, there is no competitiveness. Only camaraderie.

She also teaches me about great humility. She asked me to come listen to her practice an aria from the Messiah. She wanted my "expert" opinions and constructive criticism. LIKE SHE NEEDED MY HELP?! She has a beautiful voice and would do just fine without me. But she invited me anyway, and I felt valued.

She is a kind, gentle, spiritual, generous person. I really look up to her.

I guess I am still too prideful since I still need to feel valued and validated. But I feel grateful to now have a tangible example in my friend of confidence with humility.

This makes me happy...

This is what happens when...

...you roll to get around.

...you need new socks.

...your kids have nothing better to do.

Old Year's Resolution

I just ate 3 cookies. And no, they weren't the first cookies of the day...

So I'm making an old year's resolution to only eat one dessert per day this holiday season.

Anybody wanna do it with me?!

I'm also going to try to avoid handing out treats. Maybe I'll hand out homemade bread.