Tipful Thursday September 5, 2013

It's my first Tipful Thursday! Yay! I made it to Thursday! This week's tip is brought to you by Michigan humidity.

This week's tip: Don't Overreact!!

 

I have a terrible habit of overreacting . . . especially now that I'm a mom. So, what have I overreacted about recently? Well, it doesn't involve Lydia. What? An over-reactive mother not overreacting about her child? Shocking!

So what DID I overreact from? Well, it's a long story...

While in Michigan, I noticed a few red bumps on my feet that looked like bug bites. At first, I thought, "oh great, a spider." And I assumed they would go away soon.

Well, as we got home, I realized they weren't going away. In fact, they were multiplying. I remembered a warning from Jessie, "Watch out in Detroit. There are a lot of bed bugs in Detroit." I knew Bryce and Jessie didn't have any bed bugs in their house. They're very much germ-o-phobes, and recently had their house sprayed for all kinds of bugs. 

But I couldn't get the thought of bed bugs out of my mind. I thought that maybe one had hitched a ride with me after somehow brushing against someone at one of the places we visited, or that our luggage was next to another person's luggage who had bed bugs on the plane, and one of the little creeps decided to pay our luggage a visit. Or maybe someone before me on the plane had bed bugs and left one behind.

 

Alas, I had to wait a while to see if it really was a bed bug infestation, because they obviously hadn't been established long enough yet to tell. They're sneaky little buggers.

Well, by Wednesday, I was frantic. I was absolutely convinced I had bed bugs, but not 100% sure. I had washed all of our clothes and stuff in hot water, some loads twice, and dried each load twice upon arrival home. I changed our sheets, twice in one week, vacuumed out ALL of our bags, vacuumed our carpet, vacuumed our mattress, and did everything else I could think of. But I still couldn't get the creepy-crawly feeling out of my skin. And the bites kept coming.

I literally made myself sick thinking about it. I wondered how on earth we could get rid of bed bugs. What if one sneaked onto something I had overlooked, and we would have to fumigate over and over again? I worried about how I would have to call everyone we had come in contact with that they may have to watch for bed bugs. I was especially worried because we had visited our newborn niece in the hospital on our way home from the airport. "Welcome to the world little one, how about you get eaten alive by bed bugs!" Yeah, I was sick over it. I felt like the plague.

 

So, Wednesday, I made an appointment to get my "bites" checked out. Guess what... NOT bed bugs! The doctor was sure about it. Ah! I was so relieved! I was a little slap-happy. I didn't even care that I had a rash. I figured that a rash was much, MUCH better than a bed bug infestation. I was so happy. I felt pure bliss.

So, now I have to put some ointment on the red bumps, which by now are pretty much gone. I also have to be confined to using boring, unscented products (body wash, lotion, etc. Although, I still use perfume, lightly.) So, we spent a little extra money buying some fancy products just for me, although they shouldn't be so expensive since they don't use fragrance... But I'm doing much better. What really triggered it was the humidity and the heat. I guess I'm stuck living in the dry desert of Utah my whole life...


Looking back, I realize I was really crazy. Like, REALLY crazy. I was not too far from going to the loony bin. But here are some reasons why I should have known it wasn't bed bugs: Lance didn't have any "bites." I never actually saw a bed bug. The "bites" didn't look as bad as a bed bug bite. The "bites" were on my feet and my lower legs, nowhere else. Bed bugs like to bite the back and neck.

 

What good came from this experience? Well, I learned a lot about bed bugs. I also cleaned some things that probably wouldn't have been cleaned quite so soon. And I learned to have faith. There was a point in time when my faith wavered. Well, actually, I just pretty much disregarded my faith, but then I was set straight. So, there was a little good from this experience.

So, yeah, tip for today, don't overreact! It's not worth it. How would it have helped me if it had been bed bugs? Not much, because I didn't have enough information yet. I made myself sick and lost a lot of sleep for nothing. Oh, Michelle...

Michigan August 2013

We recently visited Lance's twin brother and his wife, Bryce and Jessie, in Michigan. We had a blast! Lance and Bryce loved spending time together. It's tough on twins to be so far apart sometimes. For me, it was fun spending time with Jessie. She's like my best friend, and yet, we're sisters-in-law!

While we were there, we did tons of sight seeing. We also helped a little with Bryce and Jessie's house. Lance did some of the tough work (he installed a garbage disposer and built some shelves), while I helped with some decorating. They were going to move recently, but then they didn't because they bought the house they were renting, so their stuff had been put away.

Here is a list of the things we sight-saw:

Belle Isle: This is an island in the Detroit River. We went into a museum, an atrium, an aquarium, visited a lighthouse made of marble, walked on a dock, saw a beautiful fountain, saw a bell tower, and saw part of Canada. All on one island! Oh, and there were tons of BBQ's all over. It made me very hungry.

 

Bell tower at Belle Isle

"The Cruise:" Every year on a certain street, there's an even called The Cruise. People come from all over just to drive it. There are really nice cars, old cars, and just whatever cars. We drove in it for about an hour. The speed was about 5 mph max. It's great for car lovers.

Detroit Temple: We just saw the outside of the temple, but like all other temples, it was beautiful.

All of us at the Detroit Temple

Mexican Town: This is a little area of Detroit where there are a lot of Mexican restaurants and stores. We got dinner and just drove. It was a little bit of a sketchy area, so we didn't want to linger. But the food was delicious, and the Horchata was delightful.

Drove around Detroit: There are a lot of burned houses in Detroit. People just burn houses. It's weird. I am sad for the houses. Some were pretty amazing back in their day. But there was a tiny part of Detroit that was pretty fun. It was where the Lions and Tigers stadiums are. The buildings were huge around there! We also went inside the GM building. It has a glass elevator that overlooks the Detroit River. I'm bad with heights, but I was very brave.

 

At the top of the GM building

At the top of the GM building in a high class restaurant. This is their wine storage.

Greenfield Village: This is a village that Henry Ford put together. He got a bunch of famous houses from all over and put them in one spot. Thomas Edison's house and laboratory were included, as well as the Wright Brothers' house and cycle shop. We got to ride in a Model T. All of the workers were in period dress. It was so much fun! Bryce and Jessie were working that day, so we went with their good friends, the Crofts.

 

Cute little hat shop in Greenfield Village where we could try on hats

 

Riding in the Model T

Henry Ford and Edsel Ford houses: We saw these mansions from the Ford founder and his son. Wow! Amazing!

Henry Ford House . . . HUGE!

Edsel Ford House . . . Also Huge!

Port Huron: Who can go to Michigan and not see at least one great lake? We went to Huron and saw a lighthouse. It was awesome! I love lighthouses! It was sunset while we were there, and overlooking the lake was beautiful. We also got to see Canada from there.

 

All of us at the Port Huron Lighthouse

F-150 Factory Tour: We were able to take a tour of the F-150 factory. We saw the assembly line and everything! We couldn't take pictures inside, but here is a picture of us on the shuttle there.

Frankenmuth: This is a German inspired town. Lance was so excited! The shops and restaurants looked like you were in Germany, or another European town. The actual shops were American, though, so no authentic German garb. But we did have some weinerschnitzel, sauerbraten, and sauerkraut for dinner. Yum! They also had a HUGE Christmas store. My brother, Paul, and Lance's brother, Blake would have been in heaven. It was a little overpriced for us, though, so we didn't get a souvenir, plus, we wanted to see the rest of the town. There also was a Silent Night chapel. So fun!

 

Our Bavarian Cupcake

 

Cute town!

We had lots of fun and miss Bryce and Jessie already!

Tune-up Tuesday September 3, 2013

Well, I have been MIA the past little while. The excuse will be revealed in my next post. It's Tune-up Tuesday!

So, what do I need to work on? How about EVERYTHING! Ha! But really...

Wake up early. I know this was on my last goal list, but I am shamed to say I did not achieve my goal yet. (Key word, "yet") How am I ever going to do this? Well, I will take it one day at a time. And by waking up early, I will be showered before Lydia wakes up, and be ready for the day, and maybe even get something accomplished during her naps rather than getting ready for the day.

Organize. Oh, the eternal struggle to get organized... Good news, though. A friend of mine is having a yard sale to help pay for IVF, and I have already got two boxes full of clothes. I need to look through other items, but hey, it's a start! Other organizational goal actions include: finding places for things to go. If I don't have a place, make one!

Exercise. Yes, this one has not gone as planned either. I did, however, exercise once last week, having a mini dance party with Lydia. She loved it! So, my plan of action is to exercise somehow, at least once a week. I guess two to three times was too much to ask right now. Once I get a solid one time a week, I can maybe think about adding another day or two to the mix.

Well, that's enough goal setting for today. I don't want to overwhelm myself.

Movie Monday August 12, 2013

Hey everyone, sorry about the no Thursday thing.  I warned you it wouldn't be consistent. 

Anyway, it's Monday!  I like my new Monday posts the best.  I love movies.  So, here you go!

Charade

Charade is an old movie.  Who doesn't like Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn?  It's not your typical, happy-go-lucky old movie.  No.  It is a thriller.  Reggie's (Audrey Hepburn) husband has been murdered, and she has to find out who did it before they get her.  Is it one of the three strange men who came to the funeral?  Or is it her new, incredibly handsome friend, Peter Joshua (Cary Grant)?  Or was his name Dyle?  I can't keep track!  You'll be surprised in the end who did it.  I love this movie.  Yeah, I'm an old movie-a-holic.

The Host

The Host is based on the book by Stephenie Meyer.  Yeah, she's the author of Twilight.  Yep, I like Twilight, too.  A lot of people would if they didn't keep comparing it to Harry Potter, an entirely different genre.  Yes, they're both fantasy, but one is intended to be a romance, and the other is purely fantasy.  Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.  Anyway, enough of the tangents.  The Host is about an alien race that inhabits human bodies.  One of the aliens runs away because her host body is rebelling against her, the mind of the human refuses to give up.  Don't let the story line fool you.  It's a romance as well.  Well, it's a love triangle romance.  Honestly, I liked the book tons better.  Isn't that usually how it goes?  I thought that for being such good actors in other things, this movie wasn't acted as well as I expected.  They left out a ton of stuff that made the characters likable.  So, my suggestion, watch the movie, then read the book.  You won't be so annoyed, and the first five chapters of the book won't be so "out there."  (It took me a few chapters to really get into it.)

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies is not really a horror film. I know, you're thinking, "Why did she watch a zombie movie?  She hates horror!"  But yeah, it's more of a romance.  I did, however get small nightmares because of the "bonies."  Yeah, I'm a sensitive girl.  But whatever.  I got over it quick.  So, it's the zombie apocalypse and the humans are trying to fight off the zombies.  One of the zombies falls in love with a human girl, and sort of kidnaps her, but it's really to save her life, even if he has ulterior motives.  With her, he starts to talk again and feel again, and eventually gets cured of his zombie-ness.  If it's not really a horror film, and I like it, you know it has a happy ending, right?  Sorry to spoil it for you, but I don't like to watch or read things unless I know they have a happy ending.

Enjoy your movie night!

Welling Wednesday August 7, 2013

So, updates...  Wow, it's been a crazy past little while.

Last weekend, we went to a cabin in Oakley with Lance's family.  13 people and one bathroom was interesting.  On Saturday, it was 15 people and one bathroom.  Okay, technically minus one person, because Lydia doesn't need to use the bathroom yet.  But still...  Wow!  It worked out okay, though. 

 

All the kids ready for church

The boys and 9 year old Savannah went on a 10 mile hike on Friday, while the rest of us relaxed and had fun at the cabin.  I took some of the kids on a short walk with Grandmacita.  They started singing "If you're happy and you know it stop the stroller."  Then it went to, "If you're happy and you know it go."  Then it finally evolved into "If you're happy and you know it run the stroller." It was a fun game, but we were very tired after running the stroller so long. 

 

Out for a walk

We also spent some good quality time in nature, saw a moose and a deer close to our cabin, played some funny games, and went for some off-road drives.  Well, I didn't go off-roading.  Lydia and I were lucky enough to get the cabin to ourselves while the others went off-roading so she could go to bed.

 

Hangin' with the girls

Fun weekend!

So, while we were at the cabin, my parents planned on going to Monte Cristo to camp.  Well, Thursday they had a little incident.  My dad poured gas onto some coals to get them hotter.  Well, bad idea.  The fire exploded and went everywhere.  A tree caught on fire.  No worries, they got the fire out with the help of some very nice neighbor campers.  My dad ended up burning his leg severely.  He will need a skin graft.  Ultimately, he will be okay, but yeah, it's not cool.  I'm so grateful that my family is okay other than the burned leg.  My mom said that there were a lot of little blessings that came their way.  The story is much better from someone who was there, but what you need to know is that they're okay, but my dad has a burned leg.

Lydia turns ten months tomorrow!  Can you believe it?  She's getting so big!  At the doctor, her height was in the 50th percentile, weight 40th percentile, and head circumference 95th percentile.  What can I say, I've got a brainy child.  Ha ha!  She is a happy kid most of the time.  Still toothless.  LOVES food.  And she's very personable.  She will wave at random people.  It's cute, but I'm starting to get a little parental embarrassment.  She also points at people.  Oh dear...

 

Lydia.  She's waving

Well, that's our update.

Tune-Up Tuesday August 6, 2013

Today is Tune-up Tuesday.  So, I will share some goals I have been or will be working on this week.

Exercise!!!  I have gained a couple pounds in the past couple of weeks.  My diagnosis: no exercise.  After taking care of an almost ten month old baby, I'm exhausted!  But seriously, I have no GOOD excuse.  Don't you have to expend energy to get more energy or something like that?  Well, I started a little exercise at a cabin last week.  I was fortunate enough to get a little solitude there (we were with family, which means LOTS of people) while the others went off-roading and I put Lydia to sleep.  While she slept and I was alone, I did some yoga.  Oh, it was wonderful!  I felt so relaxed afterward.  The next day killed, but immediately after was heaven.  So, my goal for this week is to do yoga at least twice.  I am also working on doing small strengthening exercises every day.  So far, I've done crunches every day, worked on my glutes, legs, and arms, adding a little bit each day.  So far, my goal is going great!  Let's hope I keep this up!  I lost all my pregnancy weight several months ago, but I can't seem to shake the flabbiness.  Hmm, maybe because I haven't been extremely active?

 

Organize!!!  I always need to organize.  My problem is I don't know where to put things.  Also, we have way too much junk.  Honestly, we really need a scanner so that I can recycle a lot of papers we have lying around.  Our old scanner died.  Yeah, we get used stuff/hand-me-downs, and it doesn't last very long.  But this week's organizational project is our attic.  The playroom is great, but the other room is a disaster.  It seriously looks like a tornado came through.  That room's purpose is a craft room, library, and storage.  So far, I've rearranged a couple things to give better places for certain items.  It looks a lot better, but it still needs much more work.

 

Wake up at 7 am two times this week: If I don't wake up early enough to take a shower before Lydia wakes up, I don't get a shower until her first nap, which is around 10:00.  Then, the curtains don't get opened because I'm hideous.  I waste nap time by taking a shower instead of accomplishing tasks around the house.  Etc, etc, etc.  I just need to buck up and get over sleeping-in.  Sleep is overrated anyway, right?  Ha ha!  But really, 7:00 should be reasonable, so I just need to do it, but I'm starting with twice this week, to work up to every day.

 

Main Goal: take things little by little: So, I've had a lot to get done.  Before Lydia came along, I could do tons of things in one day.  Well, our tiny dancer makes accomplishing things difficult, so I think my new rule is to do things one at a time.  I get overwhelmed with how much there is to do.  Accomplishing things during nap time is very difficult.  I never know how long she will actually nap.  It's on average 1 hour, twice a day, but she has a habit of waking up right as I get into the groove of something.

Well, there you go.  I'll give you the update next week.  What are your goals for this week?

Movie Monday August 5, 2013

So, I think I'm ready for a slight change, a scheduling change.  I've been getting used to having a schedule again (babies sort of force that onto you), and I may or may not be going a little overboard with it...

So, with my blog, I'd like to do a few new things: Movie Monday, Tune-up Tuesday, Welling Wednesday, and Tipful Thursday.

Movie Monday: Talk about recent movies I've watched, sort of like a review.  We watch a lot of movies.  We don't go to the theater often . . . hardly ever, but we're constantly borrowing movies, renting Red Boxes, etc.  We're movie fanatics.  A little side note, as most of you know, we don't watch R rated movies, so if you're wanting my opinion on one of those, tough luck.

Tune-up Tuesday: This will be a day where I talk about my weekly goals.  What good is a goal if you don't share it?  I'll be more accountable for it and more likely to achieve it.  Thanks for listening!

Welling Wednesday: Obviously, this is our weekly family update.

Tipful Thursday: I'll post fun little tips I've discovered, kid ideas, cleaning/organizational tips, exercise tips, crafts, recipes, etc.

Okay, now, nobody has time to blog every day.  Obviously, these won't happen every single week.  I know, you're rejoicing that you don't have to read this every day.  Lucky you.

Now, what's today again?  Oh yeah!  It's Monday.  I have three movies I'd like to recommend:

Beautiful Creatures

I'll be honest, I was a little weary of this one, but I ended up liking it a lot.  I thought it might be scary, but it really wasn't.  It's about a mortal guy and a castor (witch, but don't call her that) who fall in love.  She's not supposed to fall in love with a mortal because bad things could happen.  Oh, and on her sixteenth birthday, she finds out if she's a good castor or a dark castor.   The only thing I didn't like about this movie was all the profanity.  Come on writers, can't you expand your vocabulary a bit?

Jack the Giant Slayer

I loved this version of the classic tale.  It was adventurous and entertaining, with a little bit of romance mixed in (not graphic romance, either).  The violence is a little graphic, but other than that, very entertaining.  Don't let your kids see it unless they can handle violence.  P.S. I loved that the princess wasn't completely helpless.  She had spunk and determination.

What's Up Doc?

This is an old classic, not black and white, though.  Oh, I can't tell you how much I love this one!  There are four bags that look exactly the same at the same hotel.  One has igneous rocks for a musician's research project, one has women's clothing, one has very expensive, fine jewelry, and one has top secret government information.  You do the math, and try to figure out how crazy and mixed up this can get.  It's hilarious!  Also, Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal are fantastic.  Who doesn't love a little Babs in their life?  Ha ha!  P.S. Ryan O'Neal rocks the "hipster" look.  He was nerdy back then, but isn't that what is popular right now?

Well, I hope you enjoyed my recommendations!  Happy movie night!  What movies have you recently watched that you like?