If Heaven Was Made Out of Cheese...

It would taste like my new pizza recipe. I'm not bragging. I didn't invent cheese or pizza or heaven, but I experimented in the kitchen last night and come up with a recipe that so impressed the judges that an encore performance was requested.

I've been testing pizza dough recipes for a while. Some of them are basic and quick, some are complicated and time-consuming, but not one of them has been truly satisfactory. Then I heard my boss say that she puts oregano in her pizza dough, so I thought I'd give it a shot, except that I didn't have any oregano. But I do have Epicure's Pizza spice, which is super yummy but almost too much for my kids when I dusted the pizza with it. So here's the recipe I came up with.

1 cup of warm water (warmer than body temperature, but not hot)

1 pkg. or 2 tsp. of yeast

1/4 tsp sugar

2 1/2 cups white flour (or a 50/50 blend of white and whole wheat)

1 tsp. of pizza spices or dried oregano

1 tsp. of coarse salt

1/4 tsp. of cracked black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup spicy red pepper spaghetti sauce

3 cups mozzarella or blend of cheeses

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to the lowest setting, then turn it off. Whisk together the flour, spices, salt and pepper. When the yeast is ready, add it and the olive oil to the flour mixture. Blend either with a fork or in your mixer with the dough hook. If using a fork, turn onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning so the entire ball is oily. Cover with a clean dish towel and place in the warmed oven for 30 minutes.

After the dough is risen, remove it from the oven and pre-heat to 400F. Roll the dough out and place on your pizza pan, pushing all the way out the edges and forming a crust. Then put on your toppings and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and brown.

The only think-ahead part of this recipe is the time the dough takes to rise, but I usually do the dishes or get my toppings ready. Both of my kids only like cheese, but this time I used the Classico Spicy Red Pepper sauce and I think it made the pizza. I also really like the pre-shredded cheese packages. Not only are they easy, but the blend of cheese is always something I would either never think of or wouldn't be available up here. Either way, you can use pretty much whatever cheese you have in your fridge.

Some other yummy toppings include:

1. Pesto (as the base), prosciutto, pine nuts, and bocconcini
2. Caramelized onions, portabella mushrooms, and sage with ricotta cheese and no sauce.
3. Back bacon (Canadian bacon), peppers, olives, and a little cheddar mixed in the the mozzarella.

The kids still pick everything off, but at least we enjoy our half of the pie. I love to eat, and I love to cook, so I'm going to start posting some of my favourite recipes. Not that I have time to make them...

Pixie Dust

I love this picture. I can't believe the sun hit the bubbles so perfectly, so precisely. Thank you, Nikon, for delectable digital wonder. Thank you, God, for the sun and for the precious gift of Felicity.

A Week of Firsts

This is how our week went:

Monday - Felicity spends the day at Grandma's. Xander spends the day trying to blacken his other eye. David spends the day wondering why God "blessed" him with a crazy wife. Hannah spends the day getting ready to launch her oldest child into the scholastic world. Also spends the day trying not to scream into the heavens "MY BABY!!!" or burst into tears. Fails miserably.

Tuesday - Hannah wakes up at the crack of dawn and spends way too long blow-drying then straightening her four-year-old's hair. Kicks herself several times for not buying Felicity a new backpack, and stresses to David several times the importance of a First Day picture. First Day pictures have to feel somewhat forced with the child looking blankly into the camera. Mission accomplished. Felicity cries when David drops her off, which Hannah hears over and over again from every parent who comes into the clinic. Xander also cries when David drops Felicity off, which Hannah hears over and over again every time she calls home. The day ends with Hannah trying to squeeze Felicity for information about her new school only to realize that the only answer she's going to get is "I don't remember". Like this:

me - Felicity, how was your first day of school?

F - I don't remember

me - Did you cry? (simple question to which I already know the answer)

F - I don't remember. Oh, yeah, I did, but then I didn't.

me - Did you have fun?

F - *shrugs her shoulders* shrugs her shoulders?? Did I blink and she turned 13???

me - who's in your class? any new kids?

F - I don't remember

Do you get where I'm going with this? That was the entirety of our conversation. I fed her pasta and put her to bed.

The rest of the week pretty much went like that. Work was insanely busy, plus I had to go in early every day so David was acting chauffeur for the week. Felicity was tired and Xander kept peeing everywhere (seriously) but we were getting into a groove. Then FRIDAY happened.

Now, I wasn't there, but picture in your mind the most epic tantrum you have ever seen your child throw. Now imagine you're in front of an audience of parents and teachers, and when your younger child sees how much fun your oldest child is having, decides to join in on the tantruming. That was the start of David's day, and it wasn't even 9 o'clock. I honestly could not believe it, especially since Felicity is not our tantrum thrower. That would Xander's job, Tantrum Thrower Extraordinaire, or at least that's what it says on his resume.

Anyway, David had her apologize to her teacher when he picked her up from school. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but we both felt she needs to know that her actions affected the people around her. We then talked to her that night and told her it was okay to be sad, but screaming was absolutely not okay. She seemed to understand, so hopefully next week will go more smoothly. Then she went off to Grandma's to end the week the way she'd started it, and I took a nap. A long nap, with Lilo & Stitch playing in the background, so I dreamt of Hawaii and Elvis. Could have been worse.

Here's a few pictures.

Felicity's first day of kindergarten:

Xander's first black eye:

I think the most surprising part of this whole week was the fact that this wasn't just hard on me or the kids, but David was really affected by watching his little girl head off into the world. We realize that she's a few decades away from truly leaving the nest, but we both felt that in some ways we're going to have to start letting her go. I think the hardest moment for David was on Wednesday. He'd gotten to school a little early so her teacher told him she can just go to the playground, and they would call the kids in for school. So he walked her over, gave her a kiss and off she went, on her own, into the sea of children. There was a moment where he couldn't see her, so he walked to the end of the fence and there she was, playing all by herself on the jungle gym. She wasn't worried or looking for him or anyone else. She was completely content and she was FINE. Which tells us that so far, we're doing okay.

Sound Bites

So Xander has discovered "cuzzles", which loosely translates from Xander into English as puzzles. When we delve a little deeper we discover it is also defined as: I can ignore my mother because I'm doing something "brainy" instead of doing something "destroy-y".

Felicity starts Kindergarten on Tuesday. The entire summer has been building up to this moment. In fact, I feel now like that moment, over six years ago, when I decided to move to Chilliwack and fell in love with my husband and he went to Depot and we moved to Gibsons and now we live here? The circle will be complete on Tuesday when Felicity walks into that sacred classroom for the first time with her I-cheaped-out-so-she's-stuck-with-an-Ikea backpack and her $40 sneakers (I get the irony) and her recycled DuoTang and pencils in her Disney Princess pencil case (again, more irony) all held together with a sturdy box I brought home from work and then stamped - STAMPED! - and glittered and ribboned. Seriously. Kindergarten has brought out my crafty side. David kept feeling my forehead and checking my iPod for devil music that may be affecting my mental state. The dining room table was covered. It was a crafty, stampy, glittery, ribbony warzone, and for a moment I felt like those moms you read about who make their own bread and grow their own carrots and milk their own grain-fed goats so they can make goat cheese for the PTA meeting over which they will preside as President of the Mommy World. I even cleaned up after myself.

My first thought when I got home from camping was winter gear. My head was full of parkas and -40 rated boots and mittens and mitten liners and long underwear. And not just because it's freezing cold here, but because having spent one winter here I know that winter will soon be upon us. I have to admit that even though I'm not looking forward to the darkness, I'm really looking forward to the snow. It stays for a long time, and it's really cold, but it transforms this ugly little town into something beautiful, and for over half the year this is not a bad place to live.

The only thing I want more than to be able to quit my job now is to be able to get the job I want when we move. I've actually started my degree three times but apparently that doesn't count for three years of study. I've really only got about one year of music classes left, but in order to do that one year without driving my family crazy I need to do work-work and school-work all at the same time. I know see why, when my parents were both working, in school, and raising four kids, my mother said "don't EVER do this". Sorry, Mom.

I have camping pictures. I will post my favourites soon. Okay, soon-ish.

The Great (Freezing Cold) Outdoors

Here are a few pictures from our camping trip to Kinaskan Lake last weekend. I can honestly and without sarcasm say that it was the most fun I've ever had while freezing my tail off. I love when my kids don't watch TV or movies for three days straight and just play. Do I love it enough to not let them watch TV or movies ever? Be serious.

I came to realize that Kinaskan Lake is not unlike seeing a polar bear on the Discovery Channel. A beautiful testament to God's design? Check. Gets its water mostly from glacial runoff? Check. You could lose a limb if you accidently fell in? Check.

This was the view from the doorway of our impossibly large tent. Xander played at the beach non-stop. Just throwing rocks into the water, then finding more rocks and throwing them, then wading in just to make sure we truly meant no you may not go in the water.

During our "nature walk" we discussed what to do if confronted with a bear. Who takes the kids? Do we offer up the dog as bait? Who can share the scariest bear/cougar attack story from November 1988 Reader's Digest? Whose idea was it that the parameters were that the story had to include either a two- or four-year-old child who miraculously survived the attack?

Yes, this nap was as good as it looks. I followed it up with a s'more made out of a perfectly roasted marshmallow sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies. Seriously.

The reason this picture was taken from the back is not just because David has an awesome bum, but also because I enjoy looking wider than the rest of my little family combined.

Only a four-year-old can live in the wild, go camping in the even wilder wild, and yet deem a tiara that says "Modern Princess" as appropriate headwear.

Home Alone

Except for a few days here or there, I have not been without child/children for the last four and a half years. Every day I have awoken to little voices, been greeted by little smiles, felt little arms around my neck. I am a mother. That is what my life consists of, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. So imagine my distress when I came home on Friday afternoon from work to discover the little voices, little smiles, little arms were gone. I knew they weren't going to be there; I packed their stuff, for heavens sake. So the distress wasn't so much over the fact that they weren't there. It was more because I didn't quite know what to do with myself. David was at work and I wasn't hungry yet so there was no point in making dinner. So I sat down and watched TLC. For three hours. Then my slightly confused husband called wondering when dinner was going to be; it was, after all, eight o'clock. Over dinner we discussed the kids - what were they doing, were they driving his parents nuts, why didn't you put them in their sweatshirts like I told you to. Important stuff. It was then that I realized that not only were my kids on vacation with their grandparents, we were on a vacation from them, which sounds awful and terribly un-motherly. But I know my love for my children, which is why I can say that they are wonderful but exhausting. If a few days apart means we come back to each other rested, more organized, and missing each other, then a few days are not only a good idea, they're necessary.

So Saturday morning, I woke up when I wanted to and looked at my To Do list I'd written almost a week before. Thankfully, "sleep in" was at the top of the list, so I crossed that off and went on to the next task. And for the first time in, well, forever, I got absolutely everything done on that list and I wasn't a sweaty, stressed-out mess by the end of the day.

On Sunday I went to church, then came home and relaxed. ALL DAY. WITHOUT GUILT. And I wasn't a sweaty, stressed-out mess by the end of that day either.

So today is Monday. On Thursday I leave for what promises to be an amazing vacation full of great laughs, great food and a million little voices and smiles and arms. I have an ocean of tasks to cross between here and there, and I can't wait to see my babies again knowing that I used the time without them to make life better for them in ways they'll never even see.

Big Girl

This Thursday was a Very Special Occasion, Felicity's Preschool graduation. The two responses I've gotten from people upon telling them of this Very Special Occasion, or VSO as it shall heretofore be referred, are a bit polarized. Either "OMG THAT'S FANTASTIC WHAT IS SHE GOING TO WEAR?!?" or "her what?". In the days leading up to her VSO whenever I would refer to The Event, she would either give me a blank stare or pointedly remind me that she was not in the mood for Kindergarten today. But I still wanted her to know it was coming so that if there were any histrionics, I would be able to nip it in the bud with a well-timed "I told you so". Because that's what mothers live for.

Felicity has led a bit of a charmed life. Not only does she have golden locks, sea-blue eyes, rose-bud lips, and a fantastic sense of humour, but she has unwittingly chanced upon some very amazing people to help her along the way. First, while she was refusing to exit the womb, was my OBGYN, who according to the nurses (they know everything) was THE BEST ONE. Since then we've had a string of amazing doctors and pastors and friends, and the latest in this parade of wonderful are Miss Kristi and Miss Hazel. This is Kristi:

She is wonderful. She is patient. She is creative. She is everything you wish for in a child's first teacher. And next year, to thank her for all of her amazingness, we are going to reward her with Xander. She can't wait.

This is Nia, Kristi's daughter and Felicity's favourite little buddy. If she could, she would fold Nia into an origami crane, put her in her pocket, and bring her home every day. Then they could bicker at school AND at home, and that is what we call heaven.

This is what Felicity looks like when people are saying wonderful things about her. Confused and wondering when the food's gonna come.

This is Felicity and Tahlea comparing diplomas and talking about their wicked summer plans.

A rare mother/daughter photo. See? She kind of looks like me...please, somebody say she looks like me.

My goodness, I had to threaten everybody with timeouts just so they would take a picture. And I'd like to say Felicity was the worse one, but I would just be covering for the ADULTS.

This is Hazel, Felicity's other amazing teacher. Hazel is calm, thoughtful, and has a fantastic laugh. She, like Kristi, loves these kids as if they were her own. What more could you ask for?

I hope that just because a teacher of Felicity's - who shall remain unnamed - spelled her name wrong doesn't make it official and for the rest of her life people ask her if she's part Japanese. Or we could just send her to Japan where she'd fit right in.

Where Do I Even Begin?

We've been back from our trip for over a week, and although we're just getting over the virus we brought back with us we are glad to be home and settling back into normal life. I've never had such a great time doing absoutely nothing with the people we love. I loved the shopping - of course I loved the shopping - but missing our friends and family has been the most painful part of living so far away. So now that we're back we feel refreshed and renewed in our purpose to put in our time here, knowing what's waiting for us when we finally come home.

Because what we filled our time with was mostly conversation I don't have any super-amazing stories. Also, the people who read this were the people we were visiting, so I decided to put up some pictures instead. You can tell right away that Xander especially had been missing the sun. As soon as we got to Paul and Em's house he played outside and we had to straightjacket him in order to get his scrawny pale bum back in the house. Paul and Em, we miss you guys and so enjoyed our time at your home. Hopefully we'll be able to return the favour someday.

This is the foot of one Lucas Johansson. He has the biggest brown eyes you'll ever see (two pictures down) and is all boy down to his little toe.

This is Tobias, Lucas' older brother. I always think that we could exchange him and Felicity because he looks so much like Xander and she looks more like Lucas. Plus, then Suzi would have a girl to play with and I would have a boy who would actually sit still and read a book with me for longer than 2.3 seconds.

See? Puppy-dog eyes. Don't say I didn't warn you.






This is Paul and Em's SAM! For some reason in my mind SAM!'s name can be spelled no other way than in all caps. With an exclamation mark on the end to go with those striking blue eyes.




Once we got back to Grammy and Grampy's house Xander spent most of his time as God intended for boys - naked and running.

I just loved this picture. This is the perfect depiction of the stage Felicity's in right now, and actually, stage is even the perfect word, since she is always putting on a show.

Another one of my favourite things about my visit is spending time with my girlfriends again. Growing up, I never had really close, best friends until I was in college. Now, I don't know what I'd do without them. Christina, Tamara, Angela, Suzi, and Em, thank you for listening to me whine and complain about how beautiful it is up here and how much money we're making and how much time I have on my hands with nothing to do except play with my kids, love my amazing husband, and clean my house. I just know you guys understand my pain.

Last but not least, we shopped. A lot. An embarrassing amount, actually, and it felt really really good to be that embarrassed. One of the treasures we picked up besides blackout curtains is this little green fairy dress for Felicity. It was the only one left in her size among a sea of XS and XL, as though it was calling out her name from the moment we entered the mall. I wish I had a better picture of it, but whenever she wears it you hardly see the dress for the big smile and the big blue eyes. Which may have had something to do with us buying the dress in the first place.

Some Things Never Change

This sort of reminds me of his baby hair, except that now he's got a whole lot more of it. However, when I look at this picture I think of all the things I should have been doing instead of using a $200 blowdryer on my two-year-old.

See? Still cute!

Highs and Lows

When we lived in Gibsons, I went to an awesome Moms-and-tots group that I would have insisted on having every single day if I'd known how much I would miss it. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, I KNOW!! Anyway, when we'd finally get our kids settled and our coffees stirred, Susie would say "okay, let's hear everyone's highs and lows for the week". Then we would start and not stop until the kids were begging for nourishment in the form of McNuggets.

So if I were still sitting in that precious circle, this is what I would say.

Highs:

1. Our computer got fixed!! For only $30!!! Seriously, the only guy in town who fixes computers got back from his six months in Palm Springs and had our computer fixed in half an hour. Not only is it back on, we no longer sound like a jet is taking off in our living room. Bonus.

2. The kids are still cute. Phew!

3. I finally lost a pound. Actually, I've lost three, which I attribute to my shiny new iPod. Not hearing myself clunk, clunk, clunk on the treadmill is a big help. I'm trying not to think about how much I would have lost if I'd asked for one for Christmas, but anyway, again about that hindsight...

4. Our vacation is so close I can almost smell that Chilliwack smell. You know what I mean.

Lows:

1. If you'd asked me about our vacation this morning, I would have been sobbing into a protein shake, but thankfully it seems as though it's fallen into place. There were a few days where we were not sure if David would be able to have a vacation at all but THANK GOD it worked out. So far. We'll see.

2. Our sleek new rowing machine that we purchased with our tax return three weeks ago has still not arrived. Grrr. The hardest part is that I'm the one that ordered it along with another piece of machinery for the clinic, and I'm the worst at being hard-nosed with salespeople even when I can feel I'm being screwed. So here's what I would say if I had the cajones: Brad at Rocky Mountain Fitness, I know you screwed up this order somehow and you're not being straight with me, so you're either going to pay for the shipping or drive the thing up here yourself. Yes, I know Prince George is a long way from here, but you're going to make it happen. Oh, and I want a free exercise ball.

So that's pretty much it. As alway the highs outnumber the lows, and God is on His throne.

Quick Update

Okay, so we're without a computer for the time being, and unless a Future Shop opens up in our area we will have to wait until we go South to get it fixed (which is in 3 weeks and 6 days, but who's counting?). So while I'm furiously typing at my in-laws' computer, here's everything that's coming to my head.

1. I STILL have not lost a pound. Insert head banging into brick wall here.

2. The kids are STILL cute. Even with the growling and smacking.

3. We might be getting a new puppy. Why, you ask? Well, because it's free, and because that's what you do when you move North. Lose your mind and gain a puppy.

4. As I mentioned, we are coming South in 3 weeks and 6 days. Yes, I'm counting. Yes, when I'm on the treadmill each day, the only distraction from the pain and rivers of sweat running everywhere is the thought that I will see some of you very soon. The new iPod helps, too, which leads me to #5:

5. David somewhat surprised me with an iPod for my birthday. It's small and shiny and has 8 gigs of crisp sound and clear pictures. If it were pink I might feel like a very spoiled teenager, but because David, in his great wisdom, bought me silver I only feel like a mildly spoiled adult.

So that's pretty much it for now, unless God drops an IT tech into our laps between now and May 3rd. He could, but will He...we'll see.

You Know You're Old When...

I was curling when it suddenly hit me that I was turning 29. Not because curling is for old people; it's a surprising amount of fun and requires remarkably little in the way of athletic ability. It may just be my new favourite sport. But has anything ever just hit you before - or after - it actually happened? Tomorrow is my birthday, but in my mind, I am already a year older. It's like when Felicity was three days old, she and I were both sound asleep in our dark hospital room. Suddenly she gave a little cry, and without even thinking I picked her up and started to feed her. That's when I realized "Okay. I'm a mom". You'd think I would have realized that when I found out I was pregnant, or when she kicked for the first time, or after 20 hours of fruitless, irritating labour. As I sat there stroking her hair while my eyes filled with tears from the pain - oh the pain - I knew I was not just any mother, I was hers.

So what does 29 mean? It's not scary, not coming too fast, not unexpected, after all, it is next in line after 28. I think more than the age is the stage I am in right now. My children are still young, but they are not babies. My husband and I still feel like children ourselves in that we don't have to take care of our own parents, yet we feel an incredible amount of responsibility and each step we take requires a heavy measure of forethought. I do feel that since I was 24 and got married, had babies, started following my husband instead of my own wims, that I have been in a bit of a fog and now that fog is lifting.

And I am lucky. SO lucky. I love my husband, my children, even this God-forsaken village that God Himself brought us to. I see so much in our future but I recognize that there are chances that are no longer mine to take, and that's just fine with me. I am proud of the life we live, and even though I am far from the perfect wife and mom the relationships I share with those I love most are more healthy, richer, deeper than I ever imagined. So far, 29's looking pretty good.

Overturned Truck = Free Stuff

Imagine you're at home, listening to the morning news while you get ready when they announce that a produce truck has turned over on the highway. Now, imagine that instead of thinking "I should probably leave a bit early since traffic will be crazy" you think "I hope I get to the truck first so the good stuff isn't gone". That is life in a northern town. Overturned truck = free stuff. This week we got more avocadoes, lettuce, peeled garlic, ginger, shallots, and pineapples than I would buy in six months. The downside of free stuff is you have to figure out what to do with it all before it goes rotten. You'd be surprised what you can freeze!

In other news, I haven't lost a pound! Not a pound. My life has consisted of fruits, veggies, lean protein, zero ice cream, five small meals a day, no skipped breakfasts, daily exercise, and still no pounds dropped. I do feel better, and I can tell my body has toned up a bit, but it's still really frustrating, especially since I'm trying to drop pounds. So I'm going to try a few new things with my exercise routine and see if I can't get my body to drop pounds.

Xander and Felicity are doing wonderful. Xander's favourite thing to do is run around our house. That's it. Just run and run and run for about 10-15 minutes without stopping. Then he bugs Felicity for a little while, and when that stops being fun he runs some more. Felicity, when asked, enjoys "dress-ups, games, princesses, and school". In that order. I have to say that it's amazing how much they have started to act like siblings. Their interactions have really changed and they seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company when they're not kicking or smacking each other.

What can I say? It looks frightening, but I found it surprisingly, um...sexy? Are we still allowed to say that about handlebar moustaches?

Sheesh...

Once again I have managed to ignore this blog for too long, and now I don't know where to start. While I ponder you all can enjoy these lovely pictures of my kidlings.

Who needs sleep...

when we could be watching Cinderella III? At six in the morning? Actually, we woke up at 5:20 this morning, but it us took until six to get the movie started. In the meantime we (meaning me) cleaned sheets, changed a diaper, cleaned more sheets, changed another diaper, wiped down a mattress, changed another diaper...do you see where I'm heading with this? Just when we thought Xander was over his stomach flu it's taken a nasty turn south and is trying to force his tiny little body to do things it was never meant to do. I was lucky, though, because as I was cleaning I kept thinking "this could be SO MUCH WORSE". I know what Worse looks like, and fortunately this wasn't it. I'm also very glad that not only did Mom make a new set of sheets for Xander's bed, but that they weren't on his bed when his butt exploded.

A lot of you (okay, all three of you) have asked about how I plan on working out indoors. At my job we've talked a lot about having a workout room put in for the employees and their families. After Christmas we ordered this ridiculously large treadmill which should be coming this week, and hopefully other equipment will be following soon. Because I get off work half an hour before everyone else does I'll be able to work out in the afternoons, except for on the days that David works at 4:30. David also set up a little "guy corner" downstairs where he has a TV, XBox, stereo system, and his guitar. There's even a little area rug (to give it that home-y touch), so on the days I can't exercise at work, I can do core exercises or yoga downstairs.

Again, the big hurdle in all of this is me. My laziness, my busyness, my love of all things food. The weirdest thing is that I have never really tried to lose a specific amount of weight before, so this is feeling like a larger task than it really is. If only I could get the stomach flu, that would make this all so much easier!

Speaking of well-rounded...

Wow. That's a "Before" picture if I've ever seen one. I'm not a huge believer in New Year's resolutions, but seeing this picture on January 2nd has inspired something within me. Well, first I threw up in my mouth a little, but afterwards while brushing my teeth I thought to myself "I could probably do something about that". Then we watched Dr. Phil, and although I generally find him overbearing and self-righteous I genuinely enjoyed the episode. It was about New Year's resolutions (shocking!) and he gave a sort of checklist for people who seriously want to make a change in their lives. Besides something about willpower I don't actually remember what was on the checklist so I made my own, which I'll share with you in a minute. I also told Dave, which is great but also stinks because unlike that stereotypical, in-one-ear-and-out-the-other husband, he actually heard me and will actually hold me to it. Which will be awesome. Most of the time. Anyway, here's the list:

1. Keep a realistic food journal.

2. Always eat breakfast before walking out the door. This means getting up earlier.

3. Develop a realistic indoor exercise routine.

4. Decide to be okay with sweating, hurting, failing, and standing up again.

5. Tell everyone! Nothing like a little global accountability.

6. Ask for God's help every single day. He knows me best, He know what will trip me up, and only by His grace will I have any sort of followthrough.

My other brilliant idea, besides telling David, was to create some sort of "contract" that included a little motivation. So, here's the motivation: I have until April 28th to get to my goal weight. I will not buy any new clothes until April 28th (seriously). If I don't get to my goal weight by April 28th I will not buy any new clothes for myself until AUGUST (seriously). And in case any of you are wondering if the pink-eye has spread to my brain, we're only talking about 15 pounds. That's enough to be a challenge, but not too much considering our limited resources. Wish me lunch, I mean, luck!

And the beat goes on...

So, yes, it has been almost a month since my last post. In the meantime we have had four birthday cakes, one Christmas, one foray into ice-fishing, and TWO trips to Whitehorse, not to mention pink-eye, the stomach flu, runny noses, and topped it all off with a plethora of presents, laughs, and yummy food. We had SUCH a good time with Mom and Dad. We sewed, we ate, we played a kickin' game of Canasta, we ate some more. They were surprisingly relaxed for the over-achievers we all know they to be. It was a dream come true to spend Christmas with them, considering that I went through all the trouble to guilt them away from Sarah and her oh-so-boring Japan (yawn) so they could truly experience our Winter Wonderland. However, I have to admit that as I was making my first trip up to Whitehorse through a snowstorm with my precious Felicity watching Shrek in the back seat I wondered to myself "was it really worth risking my life and the life of my children so that I could have the Christmas I wanted?". Turns out yes, it was. Also, I may have been a teensy bit overdramatic, as the drive to Whitehorse is actually quite lovely.

Felicity turned four on the 18th, and she is four with a vengeance. Being right all the time never felt so good. Xander also feels the same way about being TWO. I mean, why do anything half-baked when you can really throw yourself into tantrums, throwing food, and smacking your sister every two and a half minutes? Seriously, he is committed to experiencing ALL that TWO has to offer, and he's going to come out the other end of this year a more diverse, well-rounded individual.

Here's some pictures from our various adventures.

In case you're wondering, that's not dirt. It's blood.

This picture was taken at noon, when we have the most light.