Happy Valentine's Day!!

We hope you all have a fabulous Valentine's Day with your friends & family!  I've always loved Valentine's Day!  I just love a day that celebrates love!  

And now, some funny valentines:

March of Dimes March for Babies!

Donate to my team by using the button on the right side... because seriously, who doesn't love babies?

On a more serious note, I was watching this week's episode of Teen Mom 2 (this isn't the serious note...) and Chelsea was raising money with the March of Dimes March for Babies.  I got online and read more about it and decided that we will be walking the March for Babies on April 21!  I know, I know... this was the whole purpose of that story line in the episode.  I kind of feel like this is a "I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flipflops" moment.

But regardless of where the inspiration for this walk came from, it is a subject that is near and dear to my heart!  I think that everyone close to us knows George's birth story.   He was born at 35 weeks.  He had a 10 day stay at the hospital.  I only stayed 2.  Leaving him there was probably the most difficult thing I've ever had to do in my life... and I had to do it over and over again for 8 days.  Hearing other people's stories about their premature babies breaks my heart... and it makes me realize that it could have been so much worse.  

Today, George is a happy, healthy (and husky) little boy.  He has come so far from the little baby that was hooked up to so many wires and tubes that I couldn't even hold him! I still don't get to hold him for very long... but that's because he's very busy crawling around like a mad man.

I really liked the statement at the bottom of the donations page on the March for Babies website, describing how your donation will be used.  It says:

Your gift will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care

So please, pretty please donate to March of Dimes by using the button on the top of the column on the right!  Donations start at just $5!  If everyone gives a little, we raise a lot of money for babies!!  Also, if you want to join my walking team, click the button and you can do so there!

George was Here

I was on the phone tonight while I was making dinner.  I didn't see all of this until after he was in bed.  I love that even when he is in bed, there are reminders of how funny he is all over the house!

Keeping a Schedule

Overall, I'm trying to be more benevolent.  Lately I've had a bad attitude about other people's successes... which is really dumb because it's not like I'm unsuccessful.  So anyway... before this gets too serious and awkward... 

I read a lot of blogs.  Blogs of people I know, blogs of people I want to know, blogs of people I don't know.

One of the blogs that really makes me feel crappy about myself is Organizing Made Fun.  I don't know about you, but I think it's only once a month where I really find organizing or cleaning fun.  The rest of the month, I dread doing laundry because I dread putting it away.  But this lady seriously seems to eat, sleep, and breathe organization.  I still read her blog even though it makes me feel bad about myself.  (You know what I'm talking about, girls... we all do this.)

But, in my new-found quest for benevolence, I'm happy for her successes in organization and instead of being annoyed by it, I'm trying to see if there's something that I can learn from her.  I think I found something.

I need to organize my time better.  I need to be able to account for my time and feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day.  I know this has been the subject of many General Conference talks, but I think Organizing Made Fun gave me an idea on how to implement this principle in my life.

Yup, at first I thought her schedule was ridiculous and even made fun of it to my husband.  But, I bet she can give an accounting of her time and even has things that she has accomplished at the end of the day.  So the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I want to keep a schedule (maybe not so exact--I mean her schedule is so jam-packed that she didn't even schedule herself time to use the bathroom--you're right... this isn't very benevolent of me).

So, as I am adjusting and adding-to my resolutions for 2012, I'm going to start keeping a daily schedule to keep me on track.

UPDATE:  I printed up nice little to-do lists with my daily to-dos already on them and plenty of lines for extra tasks.  I am not at a season in my life where I can schedule every minute (and I won't be until all of our kids are at least in school).  I found that to-do lists may work better for me right now!

Friends in My Head

A short list of people on reality tv who I'm pretty sure I would be best friends with if I knew them in real life (in no particular order):

1. Khloe Kardashian
2. Adrienne Maloof from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
3. Kyle Richards from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
4. Vinny from Jersey Shore
5. Pauly D from Jersey Shore
6. Lo Bosworth from The Hills

Update:  I can't believe I forgot Wendy Williams!  Does a talk show count as reality tv?  I want to watch reality tv with her... is that close enough?

Warning!

Every once in a while, I go through my "Spam" box just for laughs.  My favorite is when I see an email that says it's from "Me."

Even better is that when I click on these (they are usually about "job opportunities"), Gmail has a box that says "Warning!  This may not be from you!"  I don't know if they're being funny or what... but thanks, Gmail... for letting me know that I may not have sent this email to myself about a job opportunity.

But yes, I do email myself other things frequently.

Simple Math.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a mathematician.  (I can't even spell mathematician.  Seriously--I tried 3 times before letting spell-check fix it for me.)  But let's do a little equation:

I took out a total of $40,615 in student loans for 1 year of law school.

I have since paid back $7793.17 over the last 22 months.

So how does $40,615 - $7793.17 = $41,986 ???

How have I paid back almost $8k and I owe more than I originally took out?

Interest is the worst.  I have seriously paid $0 on the principal this year and $3066.00 interest.  How is this legal???

I think I am going to find a way to get really rich and offer student loans at 1/2 of the interest.  I would still make a killing. 

Funny Story

Today, I was babysitting.  I put George down for a nap and went downstairs.  I reached into my pocket to find my phone and it wasn't there.

I looked all over and then called it.  It rang once and then it said I was connected, but I couldn't hear anything.

I hung up and called again--retracing my steps.

It fell out of my sweatshirt pocket when I put George down and he was sitting there with my phone.  Answering my phone.  Silly baby.

Also, I know most babies do this a lot sooner, but George finally started clapping today.  He's a little boy that observes everything and then does things on his time (examples:  he didn't crawl until almost 9 months and is now 13 months and is not interested in walking on his own).  Well, I guess he thought it was time to clap today.  It's precious!

Little Miracles

I think today might be the day that goes down in history as being the day where my prayers were answered faster than any prayers have ever been answered... ever.  But let's back up.

Steve left his lunch on the counter, so I decided to take it to him.  On the way back, I decided that we would go to story time at the library.  We get there to find out that story time is on hiatus until next week. Instead, we picked out 3 books to check out.  We headed to the car.  I was so ticked off that they took 15 perfectly good parking spots in the shade (very important in the summer... especially with my black car) and turned them into 6 more handicapped spots!  In my fury, I texted a friend and drove home.

I got home and put G in his crib for his nap.  Then I remembered... I put the library books on top of the car.  This is not the first problem I've had with that this year.  This is not the second problem I've had with that this year.  WHY DO I KEEP PUTTING THINGS ON TOP OF THE CAR?????  I figured they were gone and went about cleaning up.  It wasn't going to be cheap, but it wasn't the end of the world.  A few minutes later, G was crying in his crib.  I got the feeling that I should go back to the library.

So I got in the car and drove to the library.  I said a prayer on my way there.  I was scanning the other side of the road almost my entire drive.  I was really praying that they weren't on the interstate!  As I turned into the library, something yellow caught my eye.... one of the books!! I did a quick scan and didn't see any more.  I ran out into the middle of the road and grabbed it.  I went in to the library to make sure no one turned in my other 2 books (and checked to see how much it would cost if they were gone).  We went back outside and walked the way that I drove to the street.  Nothing.  We got to the street and... there's a second book!  I ran and grabbed it!  A few feet away.... the third book!  Two of them are in the same condition as when I checked them out and one has a little crack in the cover. (Side note:  I kept George safely on the sidewalk.)

Lucky?  No, it wasn't luck--my prayers were answered!  I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.  Even when it's something as insignificant as a few little library books!  This is a long post about a seemingly silly subject, but it is just a reminder that Heavenly Father is looking out for us!

Baby Jesus Goes to School

Our Little People Nativity sat in the center of our mantle all Christmas season.  The last few days, George noticed it and started to be really interested in it.  Any time we would walk into the living room, G would yell and point!  He liked to look at it and touch all of the pieces.  I would say, "pick one!"  His favorite piece was Baby Jesus.  It was really sweet.  Baby Jesus went everywhere with him!  On this day in particular, Baby Jesus even went to school in George's Little People school bus!  He was gently placed in the wheelchair area of the bus (yes, the school bus came with a wheelchair!  The best part is that the wheelchair can fit any of the Little People--so you get to choose who is crippled that day!)

Anyway, now the Little People Nativity is all boxed up for next year... but G still yells and points when we enter the room... and is totally disappointed when Baby Jesus isn't there!