My gifts

My kids were funny this morning! The boys and Maddi needed new tennis shoes, so late last night I hit Payless and picked up each of them a pair. (Didn't think to get a picture before they ran off to school to get them dirty. Oh well.) But I had bought Kylee a pair of American Eagle black ballet shoes and me the matching brown ones as well. When I opened up my box to put them on this morning (they didn't see mine when I brought them home because I hid them in the garage so Geoff wouldn't see. :)), Maddi said "Is that one of your Christmas presents?" Then the older kids starting chiming in about how Mom and Dad don't believe in Santa and so they don't get Christmas presents. And how they spend ALL their money on us, so they don't get Christmas presents for each other either. I let it go for a bit but then I had to interject. I set them straight by telling them: First of all - YES we do believe in Santa!! What's our family's motto? If you don't believe, you don't receive! Then I proceeded to:
See that piano in the front room? That really nice, beautiful dream that your Mom has always wanted? Your daddy bought that for me last Christmas but it cost so much that I told him we could count it for this year too!

And see that nice arrangement on the mantel? Didn't cost a lot but I really liked those things and your Dad just bought them for me a week before Christmas! It was an early gift to me. And I got to pick it out!

And last but certainly not least, I told your Dad that I wanted to get some more nice arrangements for the house and he told me at Christmas that I could get a few and pick what I wanted. I bought the one on the table just the other day and I love it! Even though he didn't pick it out - I consider it from him!

We talked about how Mom's and Dad's do things for each other all the time - gifts of the physical and spiritual and emotional kind. And sometimes for reason at all, but because they care. Just like how I am going to buy Dad some new work boots because he needs them, not because it was a holiday. They asked if they could have something like that - I had to remind them to all look down at their feet!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY . . . kinda!

I am copying others (sorry) but I finally figured out how to get pics from my camera onto the computer (thank you Julie!) and wanted to share a few. I will post a little sumptin' under each. Love to all!


This is my new nativity! I have been collecting pieces for the past 2 years and my sweetie, Geoff, bought me the last set this Christmas!

The boys' Christmas loot!

The girls' Christmas goodies!


The loaded tree on Christmas Eve morn!


Cutest lil' monkeys in a tree! (l. to r. Jonathan, Dakota, Kylee and Maddisen)


The cutest puppy-dawg ever! This is our little Lady.

That's all for now!! YEA!! I'm accomplishing my New Years goals - I figured it out (well, with my bestest Walmart buddy's help! lovin' the reader! :)) how to get pics on the computer and post them!! YEA FOR ME!!!!

Just do I. T. !!!

Ok - everyone is talking about their one word for the new year. I have found mine but it's an acronym.
I . T . which stands for IN TUNE.

I have recently been called to the RS as the "Teaching For Our Times" instructor. And then this week I was asked to be on the committee for the Laurel Retreat "Even as I . . ." I have been to meetings, been on my knees and been humbled beyond belief this past month! I have come to realize that none of this can happen without being in tune to the spirit. I must be willing and when I am, I need to then go to the Lord for direction. I must be willing to open my heart and mind to what the Lord wants me to do. HE will guide me to what the sisters in my ward need to hear. HE will guide me in the planning of this incredible venture the Laurels will take.

We are taught (when raised in the gospel) this principle all the time. But tonight, as 4 sisters in the gospel sat and discussed the spiritual journey we want these girls to feel over 4 days and 3 nights; the events that will take place, both physical and spiritual, I was overwhelmed with the spirit and how I must be IN TUNE to what He wants these girls to experience. . . NOT ME! Not what I want or what I think they need/want, but what the Lord wants for them! I must be willing to submit my soul in fasting and prayer to hear the promptings.

As I prepare myself for the next RS Lesson I am to give, that I must again be IN TUNE to what the Lord wants the sisters to learn, give, share and feast on! I am just the instrument through which they will receive it. "Behold, thy handmaiden!" I am here and I will be . . .

IN TUNE!

This can also help in our homes, as mothers of the the chosen generation! If I am in tune to my Savior, He will help me to further teach, uplift and spiritually guide my children in a manner that is pleasing to Him.
I pray for my kids - believe me I do! But do I pray for what the Lord has in store for them? Do I keep myself "in tune" as the day progresses and I am just frustrated with them and their lack of finished chores or their unwillingness to get along with others?
Maybe then the Lord will allow me to see what they really need! A smile instead of a "don't bother me" smirk - to let them know I love them. A hug instead of a wave of the hand to say "not now - I don't have time for this".
I have always considered myself to be a good mom - a busy one but a good one. I felt I really knew my kids and could tell when they needed me or desired that one-on-one time. But today it was different. I am going to start NOW and make sure that I am truly in tune to be able to know when they need me!

I am on such a spiritual roller coaster today! I know I can DO I.T.! And I know with His help I will.

JUST DO I.T.!!!!

Pictures don't lie!

It's been awhile since I've blogged . . sorry.
The holidays are over - the family has all gone home (some here in AZ, some in CO, and some in OR). Gone from one show to yet another and still another in rehearsals. I'm stressing over yet another RS lesson at the end of the month (that I still don't have the topic for!!) and Geoff is working ODD hours at his new job. And I'm back to teaching 6 days a week.
We are all somewhat "normal" now! :)

We met with family last Sunday and had our Whiting Family Christmas Party. We exchanged cousin gifts, did the nativity (now that was a HOOT!), ate the traditional Posoli and nachos and took the family pictures. I was pleased with our family's outfits, even though I was NOT thrilled with the choice of pink for girls and blue for boys. There were lots of different shades among all of us but fun to see all the blue; at least for my dad who had 5 daughters and only 1 son but now has it reversed. Out of 22 grandkids there are only 8 girls! He loves that! :) My girls matched, boys matched and Geoff I were in the same shades as the kids. Looked nice at home in the mirror but when I looked at the final pics- UG! I'm HUGE! I didn't think I was that big but pictures don't lie! I've already started on my regime, but now I'm even more determined! I have set 4 daily "weight" goals and if I can accomplish them each day for a week - I give myself a prize. This next week I am giving myself a much needed pedicure if I make it. I just can't describe the horror when I was looking at the digital camera screen at the pics my sister-in-law took! Don't get me wrong - the pics are good but I looked awful!! Needless to say, I will keep a copy of the "big" group and then my kids but nothing else! EW! I thought of putting one of me up on the mirror as a daily reminder but I vomited everyday of each pregnancy (I'm an awful pregnant woman - pic line and all!) and don't need something to make me feel like that every morning while I'm brushing my teeth! I may gag on my toothbrush as I did before! HA! I will just have to be happy with my rewards and hope that helps to keep me motivated! Geoff will just have to deal with a shopping trip when I get to the size I want. :)

I found this awesome website about what your ideal weight is. Check it out!
http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

LACK of communication!

Today we spent most of the day with my family. My baby sisters are in state (Colorado and Oregon) and we all got together at my brothers to make gingerbread houses. This is usually a tradition we do when we have our family Christmas party but since the 2 youngest have moved away - we have to wait and separate all the activities when they get here after Christmas. So . . . we did the houses today. Since I had to be at the theatre by 1:45pm to have mics out - I had a few things to do around the house before the party and the kids weren't moving very fast with chores either. So we arrived around 11am - an hour later than we were supposed to be. When we arrived only 3 (including us) out of 6 kids and families were there! I was surprised and a bit unhappy - simply because I thought we'd be late, have the kids get right to their houses and get out in time for me to get to the theatre. BUT . . . nope. We left the kids for about 30 minutes and ran to Target to get Geoff and I shirts for the big family picture tomorrow. I had already gotten blue rugby's for the boys at Old Navy and pink sweater hoodies at Target for the girls for Christmas. But since some genius picked the girls to wear pink - I had to buy one. I don't wear pink! My hair (auburn) always looked goofy with most shades of pink. So I never bought one. Sad - 3 closets and TOO MANY clothes and NO pink shirts! I found a pink and navy stripe rugby shirt but it's not my fav. I bought it and a blue stripe sweater for Geoff. We headed back to my brothers and by then the 'lost' siblings had showed up. One said she had heard 11am, the other said the same with lunch. We all decided to go ahead and order lunch from Ned's Krazy Sub. By the time we all finished eating (12 adults and 22 kids) it was about 10 minutes from when I needed to leave. We made arrangements for my mom to bring the kids home and Geoff and I leave. I drop off Geoff at home and run to the theatre. I get the mics prepped and in the dressing rooms 10 min. before cast call. I went to the box office to ask the stage manager when he was planning to turn on his computer so I could turn on the amps, laylas and sound board. He tells me . . . there is no matinee today. I FLIP OUT!! WHAT?!?!?!? NO ONE TOLD ME!! I could've been spending time with my family from out of state! Spending time with my own kids while they were building their houses! I'm so livid! I just gather my purse and say - "Mics are out - batteries will be fine through tonight. I'll be back at 7pm." I'm supposed to be there by 6:15pm but heck with that! I head back to my brothers and get there just in time to take some pics of the kids and their houses. We visit and enjoy stories and fun til late. So . . . although my bad attitude TWICE today was the LACK of communication - I feel it turned out ok and I enjoyed time with family and I still made it to the show tonight.
Family pics and cousin gift exchange tomorrow. Hopefully I'll figure out how to post the pics from this! Nighty night!

RESOLUTIONS . . . .

Julie posted about her resolutions today and asked everyone if we had any yet, how we keep them and any tricks of the trade. Truth be known - I am one who waits til the last minute to set or think about the resolutions. I was curious about New Years Resolutions and where it began. This is what I found:

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

I also found the top ten resolutions interesting:
1-lose weight
2-stick to a budget
3-debt reduction
4-family quality time
5-find soul mate
6-quit smoking
7-find a better job
8-learn something new
9-volunteer/help others
10-get organized

With that being said - I picked 3 of the 'typical' goals and then 2 of my own. Thanks to my friend, Julie, now I'm in the mood. Here is what I've set:

1 - WEIGHT! I've posted about this recently and I've already started, but I need to STICK to it! I need to make sure that I don't fall off the wagon completely! That I don't completely give up. I am pretty good at getting started and sticking to it for a month or even two or three, but after awhile I get happy about the results and start to slack. If I keep up with it - I'd stay thin. But if I continue to slack - I end up like I am now! About 40 lbs. over what I'd like to be! I am starting my hard-core rigor right after the first of the year!

2 - POST! I am going to combine 1 and 2 and post about my weight loss. This will probably bore you but I hope that it will keep me motivated. If we have to "check in" we always do better, right?

3 - PICS! I have a great little camera now so no excuses not to take pics anymore. I was so good when the kids were little but I've slacked over the last couple of years. Not good! I will take more pics - can't hurt to have too many, right? And I am determined to learn how to post pics and post them. I have such cute kids and pics and can't post them! :( I may even get daring and show pics of me in my swimsuit as I progress. EWWWW!!!

4 - FAMILY! I am horrible when I leave my house for the theatre - I get so involved with the atmosphere there that I forget to come home right away. Usually a late night visit is 'required' after each night. Sometimes it's work related, sometimes not. But when I do get home, I feel the guilt and miss the family and home so much. So . . . I am going to be better about saying "sorry guys - I really need to get going!"

5 - WHISPER! Plain and simple - I yell WAY TOO MUCH! I yell at the kids to clean, I yell outside for them to come in, I yell for them to stop arguing, etc. etc. etc. It's time for me to calm down or at least stop the yelling. :) I have experimented in the past and it does make a difference when you just make a choice not to yell for a day. I whispered pretty much all day one Sunday and in turn the tone and spirit in my home was so different! I know this goal is not just one to take lightly or that will happen overnight but I'm determined to remember to "whisper" as often as possible!

There ya have it! My top 5 resolutions - not too far out of reach (like Julie did!) but challenging enough to work on! Now I'll pass the torch and ask you - have you set your resolutions yet?!?!?!

MEAN MOM!

Ok - so I'm not the meanest mom on the block but I'm mean for making my kids clean "EVERY DAY - ALL DAY"! Well, at least according to them! All I want is the front rooms picked up of their "crap" so that I can vacuum and clean and their rooms cleaned. Geez! Is that too much to ask?
"Pick up your stuff!"
"Get dressed!"
"Clean your room!"
"Put your new toys away!"
It's always the same comments and they start out being comments then gradually get louder as the day goes on. By evening time, I swear the neighborhood can hear me yelling at my kids through the walls! I get so tired of yelling and screaming. I just want my kids to realize how important a clean home is to me. Every year for my birthday, Mother's Day, Anniversary and Christmas they ask "Mom, what do you want for your gift?" And I reply (just like my mother did) "A clean house and a happy family!" Is it that much to ask? I didn't think so. Get along, and pick up as you go. Not that hard. I'm not one to really talk as my parents will tell you that I had a disgusting room while growing up. I was the one who would rather live in filth than clean. I got allowance taken away. Clothes taken away that I had to pay to get back. Once, in college!, my dad came in and said "whatever is on the floor by 5pm is going away! I just assumed he meant in his closet til I paid my dutiful 25cents per item to get them back. I went to class and rehearsal and when I returned at 11pm - my room was cleared. Looked great and I didn't have to do it! HA! Well, when I went in to ask how much I owed - he looked at me seriously and said "I took them away", to which I replied "I know. How much to get them back?" He then told me how he took them to Deseret Industries! I FREAKED OUT!! "I'm 18 years old and I need my clothes back - you have no right to do this!" To which he replied, "You live in my house and I'm going to have a clean one. If you don't live by my rules, then there are consequences!" Needless to say, I bawled all night to my friends, who all brought me clothes to help me out. Some even stayed to help me clean my room and that was all it took. I had a very clean room from then on and I'm anal about my own house! To the point of driving Geoff and my kids nuts! I have to have it picked up before bed - I hate waking up to a messy house! I have to have the front rooms cleaned at all times (well, as best as possible) so that guests see a clean house! Especially now that I have students over. I love my Gold Canyon candles and the sweet smell of clean and a good scent! I can't relax until my house is clean!
Well, with that being said - I'm off to pour me a drink of soda with my Sonic ice :) and get down to the cleaning! Rooms are almost done and I can now sweep/mop and vacuum. Geoff is at work (yea!) and I have til 5pm to get it done! Then he has to keep it that way til I get home from the theatre at 10:30pm! HA!