The kids and I spent a few days away in CT this week and it was SOO NICE!! I haven't been out of the city since Dec so it was much needed. I seriously love beauty and nature so much and this week was SOO beyond amazing. The kids ran around, they went in and out, they were loud. It was great. I didn't miss the city at all and when we came back Cannon asked if I was glad to be home and I said, well I'm glad to be in MY apartment (which feels like home) but not the city. Sigh. We only have 9 months to go, I know it sounds awful to wish this time away but this winter has been long and miz. I really love the city when the weather is nice but otherwise it really is such a drag.
If you don't live in the city then you cannot understand what my daily life is like. Always yelling at the kids to stop running, don't yell, don't jump and most definitely do NOT bounce that ball. We don't even own any balls. Sad right? I was visiting a friend who lives in an awesome building with good solid cement sub floors (we live in an old creaky building where I can hear my neighbors cough and talk and kick off their shoes) and her kids were going to town bouncing basketballs. I came home and cried. I told Can, I want our kids to be able to bounce balls in the house! Seriously 7.5 years is just too long for this woman. I am really at my breaking point. I know things will get better once the weather is nice, but I am just so over it.
LOVE HATE is what the city gives you. I love that when I crave ceviche I have my pick of 50 restaurants. Ethiopian? No problem there are at least 4 great ones that I love. I most definitely don't want to go to Applebees or Olive Garden for special occasions, but really I will take lame o restaurants for some space and privacy. I also hate however that if I want to see a friend in another neighborhood this takes a lot of effort. Bumping a stroller on the subway or wearing a squirmy head butting toddler in a carrier to go on the bus when said bus doesn't come for 15 minutes and I'm standing in the freezing rain. Those are the awesome times that NY gives me.
But, until next January I will *try* and be positive and absorb all of the amazingness of NYC. Soaking up the sun at the beautiful beaches and parks, eating amazing food and inhaling all of the incredible energy that comes with the Spring and its warm weather.
Rant over. Peace.
3/29/13
3/25/13
Changing it up.
I realize that my blog is fun for some to read because it lacks much of my real opinions (which I know many don't like slash agree with) and it is short and to the point. Honestly this is much easier for me to do because then I post pictures and write hilarious captions and I'm done. But this is also a great platform to discuss my beliefs both religious and secular.
I also want this blog to be a journal and it has really been more of a travel log as I keep record of things we have done rather than feelings I have had. So I will still do my short and sweet posts but I also want to do more opinion pieces and real life stuff too.
Post #1
I hate the winter and this winter has been the worst. I mean the worst. I have been sick, it has been cold, I've had no motivation for doing anything. Literally nothing. Like brushing teeth, washing hair or body etc. I am feeling much better now and am functioning at about 85% but prior to this week I was laying on the couch feeling gross and watching the baby destroy the house and asking myself "what are the kids going to feed themselves for dinner? Hmm....well good thing that's not my problem" Yeah, it was bad. And thankfully our start of homeschooling coincided exactly when I needed Elyse the most. She has been my right hand girl these past months and has helped with cleaning, cooking and with Evan. Cannon, who is always amazing anyway, really shined in his awesomeness and let me sleep when I needed, always scrounged up food for the kids and cleaned the mess when it got out of control.
Speaking of messes, if you know me then you know that I LOATHE cleaning. I don't even think I can describe how bad I hate it. So I really loved the hiatus I had but I also hated the mess that was constantly there. The constant crumbs and mystery crustiness on the counter. The crumbs on the floor. The crumbs on the table. I had a friend once tell me that my house wasn't really that messy there were just a lot of crumbs everywhere. Awesome. Whenever I see a fellow mother whose house is spotless I ask "how is your house so clean?" Inevitably the response is "oh I'm just so compulsive about cleaning. I put every toy lovingly away, after I wash sanitize and spit shine it that is, when my child is done playing with it" I WISH i had some of their compulsivity! (is that even a word?) I almost immediately know if I will be able to be friends with someone when I first walk in their apartment. Is it clean? Sorry sista things ain't gonna work out. Messy. BFFF's! When I first went to Karley's house i was SO disappointed to find a clean house. Seriously. Things had been going so well, I just assumed she would be like me in the mess department. Thankfully about 5 minutes into the visit I asked my question "How is your house so clean?" she graciously admitted straightaway that she had a cleaning lady....2x a week. Phew! ;)
My biggest fear is that people will pop in! Thank heavens for living in an apartment! If someone buzzes the front door I know I have at least a minute or two before they are knocking at my apt door. That gives me time to throw crap in another room and swish the toilet brush around the toilet. My dad was visiting once and brought an business associate over unannounced. And of course he asked to use the bathroom....the dreaded question in this house. So I told him "well actually, um you can use it but I have to clean the toilet first" Yeah that's super awesome and not at all embarrassing to admit. We had an Elder in our ward for months and our running joke was "Is it safe to use the bathroom" Someone on Facebook posted a picture of her house after not cleaning it for a bit and it really warmed my heart. To think that someone out there is like me and actually admitting it!!
My biggest fear in life is that I will never have the money for a cleaning person. I have gone 12 years without one but there is still hope in my heart that it will happen one day.
And how we got from the winter to cleaning is beyond me, but bottom line is that the sunny warm weather cannot come soon enough as with it will come motivation and *hopefully* a cleaner Anderson home and a much happier mama. Peace.
**Question: Are you messy or compulsively clean? Do you know of any procedures that would allow a transfer of compulsiveness to me? Discuss.
I also want this blog to be a journal and it has really been more of a travel log as I keep record of things we have done rather than feelings I have had. So I will still do my short and sweet posts but I also want to do more opinion pieces and real life stuff too.
Post #1
I hate the winter and this winter has been the worst. I mean the worst. I have been sick, it has been cold, I've had no motivation for doing anything. Literally nothing. Like brushing teeth, washing hair or body etc. I am feeling much better now and am functioning at about 85% but prior to this week I was laying on the couch feeling gross and watching the baby destroy the house and asking myself "what are the kids going to feed themselves for dinner? Hmm....well good thing that's not my problem" Yeah, it was bad. And thankfully our start of homeschooling coincided exactly when I needed Elyse the most. She has been my right hand girl these past months and has helped with cleaning, cooking and with Evan. Cannon, who is always amazing anyway, really shined in his awesomeness and let me sleep when I needed, always scrounged up food for the kids and cleaned the mess when it got out of control.
Speaking of messes, if you know me then you know that I LOATHE cleaning. I don't even think I can describe how bad I hate it. So I really loved the hiatus I had but I also hated the mess that was constantly there. The constant crumbs and mystery crustiness on the counter. The crumbs on the floor. The crumbs on the table. I had a friend once tell me that my house wasn't really that messy there were just a lot of crumbs everywhere. Awesome. Whenever I see a fellow mother whose house is spotless I ask "how is your house so clean?" Inevitably the response is "oh I'm just so compulsive about cleaning. I put every toy lovingly away, after I wash sanitize and spit shine it that is, when my child is done playing with it" I WISH i had some of their compulsivity! (is that even a word?) I almost immediately know if I will be able to be friends with someone when I first walk in their apartment. Is it clean? Sorry sista things ain't gonna work out. Messy. BFFF's! When I first went to Karley's house i was SO disappointed to find a clean house. Seriously. Things had been going so well, I just assumed she would be like me in the mess department. Thankfully about 5 minutes into the visit I asked my question "How is your house so clean?" she graciously admitted straightaway that she had a cleaning lady....2x a week. Phew! ;)
My biggest fear is that people will pop in! Thank heavens for living in an apartment! If someone buzzes the front door I know I have at least a minute or two before they are knocking at my apt door. That gives me time to throw crap in another room and swish the toilet brush around the toilet. My dad was visiting once and brought an business associate over unannounced. And of course he asked to use the bathroom....the dreaded question in this house. So I told him "well actually, um you can use it but I have to clean the toilet first" Yeah that's super awesome and not at all embarrassing to admit. We had an Elder in our ward for months and our running joke was "Is it safe to use the bathroom" Someone on Facebook posted a picture of her house after not cleaning it for a bit and it really warmed my heart. To think that someone out there is like me and actually admitting it!!
My biggest fear in life is that I will never have the money for a cleaning person. I have gone 12 years without one but there is still hope in my heart that it will happen one day.
And how we got from the winter to cleaning is beyond me, but bottom line is that the sunny warm weather cannot come soon enough as with it will come motivation and *hopefully* a cleaner Anderson home and a much happier mama. Peace.
**Question: Are you messy or compulsively clean? Do you know of any procedures that would allow a transfer of compulsiveness to me? Discuss.
3/23/13
Orange Rhino Challenge
I'm sure you have all seen the blog post going around Facebook about the 365 day no yell challenge. I read it and was inspired! It has been 2 days and I have yelled one time and that was because Levi was sitting all over my hair on the couch....ouch!! But I was seriously exhausted from it, but then again it could have been this little bitty fetus (who is only as big as an apple BTW) who is literally sucking the life out of me. Anywho check it out if you haven't seen it.
http://theorangerhino.com/10-things-i-learned-when-i-stopped-yelling-at-my-kids/
http://theorangerhino.com/12-steps-to-stop-yelling-at-your-kid/
http://theorangerhino.com/
And remember that I am accountable to you my loyal readers. If you see me yelling just tell me that I look like a fat orange rhino and I promise to stop :)
3/21/13
3/18/13
Christmas in NYC
When we got home from Mexico we discovered that Santa had been there! Of course we had a few festivities in Mexico but since we didn't do presents (except of course Mia because she can't resist!) we were hoping that Santa had visited at home.
Notice Levi throwing off his jacket!
A teddy for Evan, Santa went easy on him since he's not too particular.
Levi got some spy gear and winter gear and he was in heaven!
Elyse got exactly what she wished for...a ukulele! She is really getting good.
Can and I got some cash from Santa since trips to Mexico don't come cheap. I hope the kids understood....
3/15/13
Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico
We spent 3 days in Isla Mujeres. We were in a teensy tiny hotel room with no place to fit the crib that they had provided us with, but they did have a walk in closet...perfect!! We rented a golf cart the first day we were there which worked out great because it was a cloudy drizzly day. The rest of the time was spent at the beach or meandering through the small little town. The water there is so incredibly shallow the kids could go out super far and we never had to worry. The water is crystal clear and there were plenty of fish to keep them busy. It was lovely and now 3 months later we are as pasty as ever and ready for another sunny vacay!
It's ok for babies to drive on Isla.
We went to a turtle farm. It was fun.
They had sea creatures to touch and hold like this horse shoe crab....
Conch slug.....
And sea poo.
Please view these next photos as a progression of time:
This is just a cool photo.
Obligatory sibling photo.
C'mon guys act like you like each other!
No really. Please?
That's the ticket!
Ok enough is enough, I think we tricked 'em good.
Levi was very serious about driving.
Some selfies.
Glad she included the little one.
The kids were acting beastly so I went to the wall to relax and have some serenity. Lasted about 1.3 seconds. Oh well, I think they redeemed themselves.
This was at Punte Sur. The southern most point of the island.
My sand monster!
Everyone ended up a sandy wet mess and I was freaked thinking about all the smelly, mildewy clothes I was going to have to trek home, but then I realized we were in the land of the cheap and we had a whole load done for us for less than $3! Saweet!
He's a very talented break dancer.
Saying goodbye to Isla :(
Peace out Mexico. Till next time!!
3/11/13
Christmas in Mexico!
We went to Mexico for Christmas!
The beautiful view from our room!
We stayed in Playa del Carmen which is such a cute town.
Baby Newt
Mia and Alicia's baby Haven
Elyse and cousin Sage.
They picked up like they've never been apart...it was so fun for them to hang with each other.
Birds at Tulum
Nee Nee!
Evan and cousin Micah
Amazing ruins at Tulum
Just one of many family shots. Please note Evan's hair.
Yay...Can is smirking!
Oh wait...he's smiling! Maybe it's because it was our 12th anniversary and he just loooves me so much ;)
Our anniversary date only lasted about 1hr because poor Hyrum got sick so we had to rush home.
Gorgeous beach
Can is like a kid in a candy store at the beach.
Evan sort of liked the beach
Notice the lip marks above? He face planted many, many times.
We had lots of these yummy pina coladas in which I'm sure the pineapples were NOT from California. But seriously, many of the fruit and vegetables at the store were imported from the US.
We almost forgot that it was Christmas! Thankfully Mia was prepared!
Mr Micah
And finally one of Alicia! I feel so bad that she and I don't have one picture together!
Another family shot, this was the best one that we got.
The last day as a family! Thankfully we extended our trip so that we could go stay on a cute little island called Isla Mujeres. You might remember it from this post 2 years ago. More on our trip to Isla to come!
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