Another Move

Our apartment is not the best. The downstairs neighbors smoke so much that our apartment smells like smoke and even our clothes. It is embarrassing to go to church activities smelling that way. Our roof leaks every time it rains (or snows) and we now have mold growing in our walls and ceiling. Our dishwasher hasn't worked correctly since we moved in. They recently changed the washers to cards (not credit cards, specific cards), but didn't tell us and also upped the price. Our wagon got stolen when we first moved in, Andy's bike tire got stolen this week and Andy witnessed a murder, kind of. In short we are out of here. But, there is a problem.

We want Marcus to stay in the same school. He has been in 4 schools in 4 years. The school he is in has no warning signs and is great. Marcus loves it and we love it. However, the new place we are looking at is in a different school zone. Those schools are awful and according to the "report card" are all in the red and under warning. Great! We also don't want to leave the ward. However, that gives us a very small area that we can move to and the only apartments in the Rowe school zone/Tropicana ward are ours. Any suggestions?

Wii Fit

I have been wanting a Wii Fit since I heard they were making it. I have been saving my money, but figured that the money would be better used elsewhere. My husband convinced me that I should get it. So, this morning I took Luke to Target and bought one.

Andy loves "toys" so he felt the need to set it up himself. I admit that I was nervous to do the game. I am happy to say that I am NOT overweight. I am in the normal range barely. Also, I am very well balanced normally, but lean back too much. But, my age is 46. How am I older than Heather? you may be asking yourself. Well, that is easy when your 4 year old daughter helps you in the balance exercises. Oh well, I can only improve, right? So far it is fun and I am glad that we got it. Since it has only been one day we will see later. I love that I can set a goal. My goal should be reached in 3 months just in time for my 10 year class reunion.

Utah Trip

This is long because of the pictures, so I will try and make the text short. If you want to know about Andy's side of things, check out his blog. Here is my side of the trip.

The kids were very excited about the snow and began playing in it at BYU. Then Marcus found this sign and the playing was done. The sign says, "I'm trying hard to grow, so please don't walk on me."
Friday morning I took the kids to the Draper Temple open house. Marcus did great, asked questions and felt the spirit. Anneke couldn't wait to get to the cookies. Luke was HEAVY and ate my pamphlet. But, I am glad we went.
These next two pictures are of the kids at Color Me Mine. They are painting ceramics. Anneke chose a mermaid.
Marcus chose a pirate. The store said they had to "fire overnight". In actuality that means 5 days. I am no English major, but that statement needs to be changed. Overnight does NOT equal five days. I had to pay to have them ship them to us!
Saturday we met up with our friends, the Skinner family. We went to the Living Planet Aquarium. There is a store just down the road called "The Aquarium". We went there first, but eventually found it. This is Anneke driving a pretend boat.

Luke was trying very hard to get to the water.

This is a picture of Marcus and Katherine. Katherine is a year older than Marcus. I can't find a good picture of them when they were younger, but when I do I will put them side by side.

After this my camera batteries died. I did not get any pictures from my wonderful visit with my aunt Marianne, Uncle Frank, and my beautiful cousins, Christina and Sara. I also got to meet my cousin's husband, Dallin. I had a great time and was so glad we got to meet up. The kids loved it and Anneke drew a picture of our family including Luke. She had him crawling and he looked like a Chihuahua.

Last, but not least - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Hmmm

Have you ever been craving something, but you can't figure out what it is? I have really wanted something for a few days, but i haven't figured out what yet. (No, I am not pregnant!)

We made it!

My loving husband managed to fix my computer. I will post about my trip to Utah later, but first a celebration. We made it 3 whole weeks without TV/video games/movies/etc. It doesn't seem like it was that long either. Andy and I decided to pick only a few shows that we enjoy so we don't get caught up in it again. I am not sure that I accomplished more in the last 3 weeks, but that is okay. I learned that you don't need movies on long car trips, audio books are great. That is not to say I won't use movies in a week and a half when we head to San Diego, though. Life can continue on now.

Argh!!!

I am home and very tired. I loved seeing so many dear friends and family. I need to do more of that. The temple was great and we had a good experience. I did realize I am not cut out to be a single mom. I learned many other things as well...

*Being short is great when you need to rescue a 15 month old from the McD's playplace. (Thanks Melissa.)

*Marcus has a long memory. He loved playing with Katherine even though it has been about 3 years since we last saw her.

*Anneke is fearless when she sees children smaller than her do things.

*Luke doesn't sleep well when we travel.

*Technology may be advanced, but batteries still die when they shouldn't.

*I don't want a new house. I want one that I can fix up myself.

*It is always comfortable with family, no matter how long it has been since you have seen them.

*People don't change much over time. (Claire still loves to eat, talk and be in control.)

*Aleta thought Anneke looked like Heather at one point.

*I reminded Aunt Marianne of my sister Carianne, even the way I laugh.

*Snow is fun (no matter how old it is) when you are a child.

*Dollar theaters are very popular entertainment in Utah on a Friday night.

*I am proud of my husband for presenting by himself at the conference. (He was on a panel by himself and answered questions pertaining to his paper.)

*BYU maps do not tell you some things and you get parking tickets if you are not careful.

*My children do not like art museums.

*I am older than most college students now!

*It is nice to have family all over so when you can't make the drive all the way home you can sleep at someone's house.

*Andy's brother wants the same motorcycle that Andy wants and they will probably get them around the same time.

*If you are offered two elephants for a dollar it's a good deal. But, only if you have a dollar and need two elephants.

*When you check blogs once or twice a day, there are not many to read. When you check them once every 3 days there are A LOT.

*Gas is more than 50 cents cheaper in Utah.

*Books on CD are fabulous at keeping you awake when driving in the car.

*Frindle by Andrew Clements would make a great movie.

*It is hard to not watch TV while at other people's houses, but not impossible. (Only 3 more days.)

My computer is being stupid! I am so frustrated. I can't upload pictures or get online. (I am using Andy's while he is at work.) So, I may not be posting for a while. Even Memory Monday, but I will sure try.

Some things

So, I have gotten a few new things lately that I saved up for.

Electric knife -That seems so odd, but since I make homemade bread and don't seem to be able to cut that well, it helps. I still am not the greatest though. Sometimes we end up with lopsided sandwiches.

Food Processor - We make potato latkes and lettuce wraps a lot. This has been a great help for that. I got a bigger one and am thinking that was unnecessary, but still good. I can help out with any Hanukkah parties now. ;) And Julie making carrot cakes for Matt. Come down and borrow it any time, but the Miller's are closer.

Earrings and necklace - Many of you know that I cannot wear non-precious metals. (Andy thinks it's a ploy to get nicer jewelry.) I figured out it is the nickel, so I can wear nickel-free stuff. That is getting harder to find. But, I am happy to say Target has a wide selection. I was trying to find earrings for Anneke next week and came across a nice red set. (On Friday the 27th she gets to take her earrings out. Yeah! And only one incident.) Andy surprised me with them and I am wearing them today.

Sam's Club Membership - It is different than Costco, but we are enjoying it. After seeing a lot of people we knew Marcus said, "This really is where Mormon's hang out."

I know most people don't care, but I thought i would share. (And make a rhyme to pass the time. All right, I am done, but it was fun.)

P.S. As you read this we are in Utah. I will post when we get back. I hope to visit family and friends and see the Draper temple, so next week's posts should be super exciting.

Weird girl

My daughter will not pick up her toys. It is like torture to clean each night before bed. But, when I sweep, mop, cook, wipe the table, wash the windows, etc. she is very excited to help. Many people wonder why I like Cinderella. I love to clean. It is fun to scrub the floor and sing. (Not necessarily "Sing sweet Nightingale", though.) Anneke must be my child in that way. Her favorite job? Scrubbin' toilets. Awesome!

Ice

Isn't that a beautiful image?

Am I so 80's that when I see the title I start singing, "Ice, Ice Baby..."? Anyway, Andy and I went to see this show at the Riviera. It is all on ice and based on Russian Ice dancers or something like that. I have mentioned it before, but here in Las Vegas it is hard to come by clean blood so they give you incentives to give blood. Ice tickets were the gift in November. Everyone we sat with had given blood and 2 of the other couples were LDS. (One from Colorado and one from Milford, Utah.) After seeing Ka I was probably expecting too much. Let's just say it was worth the money we paid. It also got scary a few times because it was getting "Too Vegas", but I am happy to report clothes stayed on. I can also say that I will be more careful with the shows we attend, though.

P.S. La Reve is too Vegas. (Luckily not from my own experience, though.)

On a side note, did you guys know that the main character in Freckle Juice by Judy Blume is Andrew Marcus? That was fun.

Pay it Forward

My friend Melissa, my "cousin", Elise, and my sisters, Heather, and Carianne did this, so I figured that I should do it, too. I don't know what I'll make you, but it seemed fun, anyway. Don't be upset if it is a popsicle sled ornament or something. :) Also, don't be afraid to participate. I was and that is just plain silly. We are all friends here, right?

Pay it Forward
The Rules
1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.
2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it!

If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

I think I have contact information for anyone that reads my blog, but if not I will let you know.

Memory Monday

A view that I miss, the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado.

Our first home in Boulder. I cried when I saw Newton Court the first time. Top floor directly in center was our balcony. (two from the left, one from the right.)

Current circumstances have me a little down. So, with some prompting I am going to repost an old blog and then add a couple of memories.

Wednesday March 15, 2006

Andy got accepted to Boulder, Colorado for grad school. He is actually upset because they accepted him but did not offer him a teaching assistant-ship. This means if we do go to Colorado we will be shelling out about $24,000 a year for out of state tuition. OUCH! (With an assistant-ship there would be a tuition waiver.) It is still a matter of prayer where we are heading to school.

Tuesday May 30, 2006

We are here. We squeezed all our stuff into this 2 bedroom apartment. We had a bunch of people here to help us move in even though we were late and I had a migraine. Our house was in disarray until today. Anneke asked to go home a few times and Marcus asked for Katherine and Emmalee. I guess he thought that moving means going to the same place as everyone else that moves.
The mountains here are on the other side so, the sun comes up at like 5:30am. That is not an exaggeration. I have never seen so much water or green in one place. We are within walking distance of a river and there are several playgrounds by our house.

I was not the best company our first month in Boulder. I was bitter and annoyed. It was not at all what I had planned for my life. I wanted to be done with school and settled. Then one early morning at like 5am when everyone else was asleep I realized that I was not at all me. That day we want on one of our many walks to King Soopers (a local grocery store). When we were coming back I stopped on the sidewalk by Home Depot and said, "I'm stuck." Andy looked panicked, Anneke and Marcus were confused. Then I said, "Look, lego. I am stuck to them." After that things were better and we still play the lego game when crossing streets. (On a side note Andy thought he had finally broken me and that I had snapped.)

My point is that life is what you make it. This may be a bit of a downer of a blog, but I don't mean it to be. It has been reemphasized to me over and over lately that happiness should be a priority. Things may not be going the way we think they should, but we can decide how to view things. Abraham Lincoln said, "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Happy Heart Day

Marcus had "Fine Arts Night" on Tuesday and was selected to recite a poem with a few other children. He was so excited and we bought him a new red shirt to recite his Valentine poem. The librarian that chose him let each child pick a new book. She picked out the Magic Tree House book just for him. He had already read it, but chose it anyway. That made her quite happy."Cupid" came and brought everyone books. The children saw the wrapped packages and Andy knew about them. So, after begging everyday to unwrap them, I relented a day early. When they woke up this morning I had used the left over construction paper hearts to make a trail from their beds to the dining room table. The older two each got a box of chocolates. Marcus came running into my room, "Cupid came, MOM!" Later when I realized what time it was I was not happy, though. (Andy was still at work for all of this.) May cupid bring you some good stuff, too.

Book Review

After my last book review I didn't think I would do it again, but I feel that I should do this one at least. I had never read To Kill a Mockingbird. My little sister did a Scout monologue for a long time and I still have part of it memorized. I remember a bit of the movie, but I never read the book. Andy had never read it either, so I bought it. Since the book group I am in here reads "safe" books this was the one for February.

It was very hard to get into. I still do not see the purpose to the first almost 200 pages. Setting up the mystery of Boo Radley and the relationship between Jem and Scout did not need to take that long. After they set up the trial it got interesting to me and I enjoyed it. When I finished it this afternoon I can honestly say that I was glad I had read it. I have read a lot of "classics", including Gone With the Wind and Wuthering Heights. After I was done I usually thought something like, "I can now say I read it, but I am not sure what the big deal about it is." With To Kill a Mockingbird I was quite impressed and had no such thoughts. I am glad I didn't have to read it though, I probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. Too bad Harper Lee never felt confident enough to write anything else.

I will probably write one other review at least. My 15 year old brother-in-law is getting his book published. They are going to publish it and push it this June. The publishers are hoping his age might sell it similar to Eragon. We will see. It is a fantasy genre book. Congratulations, Brian!

Huh?

Marcus and Anneke really wanted to make their Valentine's this year. So, I cut out 12 pages of construction paper hearts in varying sizes, bought stickers and cut out squares of paper using my scrapbooking paper cutter. They had a lot of fun. Since we weren't doing candy we made sugar cookies for the party(s). Anneke helped me cut them out and it took longer because of that, but an hour later we had trays of heart cookies. Last night they decorated them. Today, Anneke's teachers told her that because of allergies she couldn't pass them out. Yet, they could put whatever candy they wanted into the bags. Huh? Store bought cookies are okay, but not homemade? Anneke brought her cookies home, so now we have a lot. Oh, well. At least I know Marcus's school will eat them.

My youngest child and son

I have actually been kind of dreading this one. I am worried I won't be able to come up with 25 things about my baby. Well, here goes nothing.

1. He is in fact named after Prince Caspian from the Narnia books. His brother and sister named him.

2. I chose his middle name while reading in the Bible and I wanted him to have a normal name to go by. (Marcus wanted to name him Caspian Lester, but Grandpa and I put our feet down.) Plus, he is named after my mom and his Aunt Heather whose middle names are Lou.

3. His initials are CLB like his Grandpa which was the intent. Instead of being Clyde Lester IV he is CLB IV.

4. My dad called him Luke when he visited, so I started it and it stuck.

5. He is my only child to be born outside of Utah.

6. He will climb anything.

7. The day he was born I was supposed to be induced because he was getting so big.

8. He peed on me before he would cry.

9. We had a lot of scares with Luke in the hospital that no one informed me about until later.

10. My only child to have had RSV.

11. He will now hold up his hand like he is telling you to wait and babble what sounds like, "I will be right back."

12. If I refuse him anything he babbles at me, smiles and then nods his head.

13. He can climb onto the top bunk and visit his brother anytime he wants to.

14. He loves to help Marcus clear the dishwasher. He takes things out and hands them to his brother nicely.

15. He throws away his own diapers for me.

16. He is obsessed with trash cans and will throw anything away. I have had to fish out the remotes, library books, shoes, etc.

17. He also takes things out of the trash like shiny tin cans. Yuck!

18. If you tug on his ear, he will tug on his ear.

19. He loves baths and has gotten in a few times with his siblings fully clothed.

20. He loves his dad. In fact, last night i told him we were going to get Daddy and he stood at the door yelling at us until we opened it.

21. He is very good at sharing his food. Even when it is his favorite he will share a little.

22. He loves to eat and it feels like he is constantly doing so.

23. Luke has a special friend that sits behind us in church. He loves to sit with her and she has started bringing treats and toys for him to play with. She is probably in her 60's or 70's.

24. His special friend is baby Marcus and he cries each time BM leaves for the day.

25. He has never been a good sleeper, but I enjoy holding him and having no other obligations anyway.

Wow, I did it and could have kept going. Phew! Now, I have done all three of my amazing children.

Saturday I cried

After Dad buzzed the hair

We finally cut Luke's hair. Not that there is a lot yet anyway, but it was all uneven and he looked old manlike.
With both of my boys I have been adamant that they do not get a hair cut until they are one year old. With Marcus Andy cut his hair the day after his first birthday. We lasted longer with Luke. He loved it by the way. Sorry the pictures don't show it well. I bagged his hair and went around picking up any large groups I may have missed. His hair is a lot darker than it looks on his head.

(Bottom 2 pics) Before the clippers hit his head.

This is acting weird. Check out my Memory Monday below, by the way.

Memory Monday - Valentine's Day

I have honestly never been a huge fan of this day. I have done some fun things for Preschool with it, but I think it is for children anyway. (Sorry, Pam.) I remember the time when I was little and my dad gave us each a small box of chocolates. He had them on our pillows when we got home from school. He also gave me a pink flamingo one year that I still have and MArcus loved calling it a "flabingo".

When I was little I loved going through my Valentine's and seeing what they said. I remember my favorite one in 4th grade was from my best friend, Cody. He gave me one with a skunk smelling a flower that said, "You smell...". I laughed for a long time.

My most memorable Valentine's Day was when Marcus was exactly one month old. We were in Cedar City looking for apartments with some friends. Marcus' umbilical cord finally fell off and I gave him his first real bath in the sink. We decided to go out for dinner and couldn't get into a nice restaurant. So, we went next door and got food poisoning. For the whole time we lived in Cedar we never went back to that restaurant. I am not sure if it was fluke or not.

In Boulder my preschool class had a Cinderella ball and decorated cookies. It was great fun. I wore my "glass slippers" and Cinderella Around the World shirt. That was also when I made the mistake of trying on my wedding dress and cried a bit.

I hope your day this week is fun. I bought books for everyone in my family and Andy and I are going to see Ice at the Riviera, if we can get in.

P.S. Anneke picked the blog background and has given me permission to change it only after Valentine's day. Sorry. ;) She keeps kissing the computer screen, too.

My oldest daughter

My sister tagged me. Yesterday I did 25 things about my oldest son (to see Andy's effort of 25 Marcus facts, click here), so I am doing 25 things about my oldest daughter. I just blogged about Luke, so no one should feel left out.

1. Anneke will only wear dresses or skirts. I have to fight to get a pair of pants on her. (It's a good thing we live in a warm climate.)

2. No potatoes in any form. (french fries, baked potatoes, tater tots, mashed, etc.)

3. Her favorite book is "Pinkilicious" by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann.

4. Her favorite color is pink. (Pink matches pink in any shade.)

5. She is named after her aunt Carianne, Great Grandma Anne, Great Grandma Anneke, Andy's Aunt Susan, my Aunt Susan, several other family members and 2 literary characters. (Annika from Pippi Longstocking {which is where I got the name in the first place} and Susan from Chronicles of Narnia.)

6. Books are the best.

7. Mattia is her best friend.

8. Anneke loves to draw and write things.

9. She is currently making Valentines for her classmates. (see photo)

10. She is constantly moving unless she is asleep.

11. Her favorite princess is Cinderella and she wants to have a sister so she can name her Cinderella.

12. She doesn't think that it is fair that I had 3 sisters and she doesn't even have one.

13. Her names for her toys are very interesting. (ie Sarrah, Puntli, Lawnie, Cleena, Jeega, etc.)

14. Her favorite hair style is a "pup". (A puff, hair not quite pulled all the way through the ponytail holder.)

15. No matter how hard she tries she looks a mess about an hour after getting ready for the day.

16. Macaroni and cheese is her favorite. She will ask for it at any meal.

17. If Marcus doesn't like it, she doesn't. With only one exception, she loves black olives.

18. Anneke loves to dip things in ketchup, ranch, her water cup...

19. She loves pretty shoes and dressing up.

20. Her favorite toys are her babies and Loving Family dollhouse.

21. She loves being outside. In the heat of the summer she will play on the back porch for hours.

22. She loves camping out.

23. Overnight she learned how to play the computer and use a mouse.

24. She is the only granddaughter on her daddy's side and gets spoiled. (After having 6 boys and 4 other grandsons I think Grammy likes to shop for a girl.)

25. She used to get hand me downs from her cousins, but now she is almost their same size. (She is 4 and wearing size 7!)

Look at the Marcus tag below to see who I tagged.

My oldest child and son

1. He loves anything his Daddy loves. (Star Wars, Batman, swords, etc.)

2. Is very sensitive. When he gets in trouble you just say how sad it made you and he is reduced to tears. (It usually makes me cry, too.)

3. Loves to read, especially series books. Has read all the Magic tree House books, Junie B. jones, Fudge, Bunnicula, and is now working on The Bailey School Kids.

4. Is on a 5th grade reading level.

5. Has earned the reading medal at school twice. (No one else in his class had earned it yet when he earned it the second time.) He has read over 6,000 minutes since the beginning of the school year.

6. He loves to draw and is pretty good.

7. You can tell when Marcus is in the bathroom because you can hear him singing.

8. He is named after his daddy and the Queen Mab speech (his initials) in Romeo and Juliet. (It is given by Mercutio Act I scene iv. and that was Andy's idea, not mine.) Andy's middle name is his dad's name and Andy's dad's middle name is his dad's name, etc. So Marcus's full name is Marcus Andrew Robert Dirk Bahlmann. ;)

9. Right now he is writing all his own Valentine's. HE personalizes each of them. For one he drew Batman, another Yoda. My favorite is to a girl, "Happy Valentine's day. Stop hugging me."

10. He considers everyone his best friend.

11. His favorite food is chicken.

12. When looking for Marcus find the youngest child in the room and that is where he is.

13. He loves animals and really wants a pet.

14. His favorite color is blue or black.

15. He named his baby brother before we were even pregnant.

16. He is a very heavy sleeper and I thought that was normal.

17. Marcus helped a girl in his class learn the alphabet and to read.

18. He likes sets of things.

19. He has a rock collection and is not picky about what is in there. A piece of concrete, gravel, etc.

20. He buttons his shirts all the way up. It annoys his mom that he looks soooo stuffy.

21. He loves everyone and is good at problem solving unless it is with Anneke.

22. He loves to go to the playground.

23. He is the tallest in his class and the skinniest.

24. Marcus is the teacher helper a lot.

25. He illustrates his spelling test because he gets done so quickly.

I tag Marisa (again), Melissa and Julie. 25 random things about your oldest child. It is pretty fun and different.

Twilight me

This was fun. Even if I don't match Andy's guy. Doesn't she look like me?

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

My little man

(Photo - I was not getting food fast enough for him, so he found old pizza and shared with his sister. Gross!) My youngest is quite the hand full. He is interesting and I am not sure I "get" him.

Luke has started using his own words for things. "Peas" = Please "Dada" = Dad "Em Em" = Mine or food (This started after he had M&M's for the first time a couple of weeks ago) "Men" = Amen and so on. However, he will not say my name or any equivalent to Mom. The "Em Em" I thought was me for a while until I realized that I was carrying cookies for a YW activity. I know that it will happen someday and then I will be tired of my name. Right?

Also, he is a very physical child. He was walking at 9 months for heaven sakes. Now, he can climb the stairs, cabinets, and most importantly the ladder to Marcus's bunk bed. Ugh! He thinks that it is okay to climb onto the kitchen table to investigate as I put dinner on the table.

Since I was tired of Luke dumping his bowl on the floor I splurged and got the bowls with the suction cup bottoms. It seriously took him less than a minute to figure out if he can't pull up to unstick it he just has to pull it towards him.

When I ask him to give me a kiss he offers me his forehead. He also loves to dance to any music and now leads/conducts the music in church. Books of any type are nice. He still can't sit still for long stories, though. If they have flaps or pop-ups he tears them. Oh, well. He is getting big and I am a lucky mama.

What?! No TV!?

Our stake president gave us all a challenge to not watch TV, movies (DVD's), or play video games for 3 weeks. It started this morning. So far so good, but I usually only watch at night. I may go crazy eventually, but I hope it is a refreshing break. So, we will dust off our board games and perfect our Hand and Foot technique. Andy will have homework time. I will catch up on reading the many books I have started. Here we go... Day 1.

P.S. Anneke is already having a hard time with this. Luke just doesn't like the sheet over his favorite shelf. He likes to pull all the DVDs off.

Resolution Update

I decided that I would update at the beginning of every month how I am doing on my resolutions. That way I have accountability. You can read or skip this as you wish. The italicized part is how I am doing now. If I completely fall off the wagon I will either delete it or forego this practice. Also, if I am successful on all or most, I will discontinue this practice.

1. Find a work out program and do it at 6am, 5 days a week. I found a program. I am not a huge fan and averaging 3-4 times a week. I am hoping to find something to alternate it with.
2. To go along with the previous resolution - No food after 8pm. I am doing very well at this and only broke it once when I had an early dinner.
3. Write in my journal daily. I am not doing it every day, but am at least every other day.
4. I have a hard time remembering personal morning prayer. Still a struggle and hit or miss.
5. Be better at saving money. Yes.
6. Type up my favorite recipes for family cookbook. Done. I am just writing personal antidotes and such.
7. Have a cleaning schedule and stick to it. Oops! I totally forgot about this one and will try to remedy that soon.
8. At least 50% Visiting Teaching. I just got a new route and companion, so we will see how it goes. Most of the women are inactive and we have never met. We have been advised not to go to them until we have made contact and are sure it is safe.