Day 28: Pictures only

Day 27: Dear Readers

Dear whoever reads this blog,
     How are you?  Thank you for coming by to my blog.  I really write this to make sure that I have some family history written down.   I love blogging about my family, and especially my kids.  Being able to record all of our little family's experiences, is so important.  I love being able to blog!  Feel free to leave comments.  I don't mind stalkers as long as you're my friends.

   Love,
        Rachel 

Day 26: Something that I read online.

http://anxiouswhitevirgin.blogspot.com/2013/05/is-beauty-like-art-or-nba.html

I read this a day late, but I really enjoyed it.  Great post on how superficial this world is about beauty at times.  

Day 25: Something that someone told me that I will never forget

1) (NEGATIVE) When the doctor I went to about 4 1/2 years ago, told me that I was morbidly obese.  I was not that overweight, and I was so mad when she told met that.  When I think "morbidly obese" I always thought of contestants on Biggest Loser. 

2)  (POSITIVE)  The first time that Rick told me that he loved me.  I still remember, and I still love him so much.

Day 24: My Top 3 Worst Traits

1)  I am quick to judge other sometimes.  I have to remind myself to try and find the best in others. 
2)  I lose my temper too easily sometimes--I am trying to work on being more patient.
3)  I swear too much, especially when I get upset or stressed out.  Thankfully, praying about it is so helpful.  I've cut back a lot on it, thankfully, and I  feel so much better because I don't do it anymore.  Plus, I had to stop swearing so much because Evan and Logan would pick it up sooner or later... yikes!  I don't want them to be those kids!

Day 23: Something that I learned from the school of life

I think the main thing that I've learned about in life that I didn't learn in school is my organizational skills.  I really learned a lot since after I graduated college.

Another things that I learned?  Not to sweat the small stuff and remember that I don't have to be perfect.  I just have to try my best.

Sorry this is short.  I really am brain-dead at the moment.

Day 22: A Rant

Annoying Pinterest captions and hashtags

I love pinterest, but the captions that people sometimes write really bug the heck out of me.  Examples include:  "Pin now, read later" and bad grammar or spelling.  I know that I am not perfect with writing and grammar, but so many of those captions really just make me mad.  And then there's the self-promotion for blogs.  It honestly drives me crazy when people pin their own stuff, from their own blog.  I know they're trying to market their blog and get an audience going, but I feel like it would be more meaningful if somebody else did it for them.  Oh, and don't even get me started on hashtags.  Since when has # before a sentence ever signified something super important or meaningful?  NEVER!  If it's important, you use a bold print or underline it.  Those hashtags drive me crazy.  I have facebook friends that use them, and I really just try to ignore it, because I like those friends of mine, but I really hate hashtags.  Yuck.  I feel like it's just another way to demean our English language.  Blah. 

Day 21: Links from Favorite Posts

Since I have converted to a new blog (trying to maintain some organization for printing out blog books), this is my newest blog so not so many posts as of yet. 

Here are some of my favorites: 

http://rickrachelevanlogan.blogspot.com/2013/02/mardi-pardi-10k-bay-st-louis.html

http://rickrachelevanlogan.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-orleans-trip-1.html

http://rickrachelevanlogan.blogspot.com/2013/01/christmas-in-southwest.html

http://rickrachelevanlogan.blogspot.com/2013/01/redo-ots-graduation.html

Now you can revisit all of my posts within the last 4 months or so.  You're welcome.

Day 20: What I am struggling with

I am a young mom and military wife, what am I not struggling with?  But seriously, my lot in life is not bad.  I have so many blessings to count.  I think my biggest struggle at the moment (besides trying to lose weight, which, in the grand scheme of things, is not the biggest thing I should be worrying about) is learning how to be a good mom to my two rambunctious little boys. 

I think sometimes I compare myself to other moms, and I'm like, "why are my kids so crazy?  why can't my little boy talk like those kids? etc".  But I am learning to stop that, because I have two awesome kids.  I think learning to be a mom with your first few kids is the hardest, because you're learning together.  I really love my two little guys, but sometimes they wear me down.  And that's okay, because those days are really only once in a while. 

I am always trying to find ways to help them and keep them entertained, but a lot of the time I don't have the energy to follow through my plans and ideas.  Maybe it will get better once they get a little bit older and understand a little bit more. 

And I am finally starting to pray a lot more often for help with being a good mom and understanding the needs of my boys and how to address those needs.  And wow, I really don't know how I've gotten by without praying so fervently about it in the past.  I guess I just rolled with the punches and was hoping that I didn't screw them up too badly. 

Overall, I think the hardest thing that I have to deal with is not judging myself, or comparing myself to other moms.  Sometimes I wonder how some women have time to do all of it:  work out, craft, make homemade dinners, home school, etc;  especially when all I want to do is rest with my feet up.

I just want to make sure my priorities are right.  I think learning to prioritize my time and make a list of my top priorities is the most important.  Family and church, followed by taking care of myself is probably what I am going to go with for now.   

Day 19: 5 Favorite Blogs and Why I like them

Seriously, So Blessed!:  Any blog that makes fun of the awesome, crazy Utah Mormon culture, is awesome in my opinion.

Skinnytaste:  She has healthy food, that tastes great and she has Weight Watchers points included.  I am kind of lazy, so that's nice.  Plus, she makes "lightened up" versions of classics that usually taste really good.

I Heart Naptime:  I like seeing all the recipes, crafts, etc that she does on this blog.  She's super creative.  I just like sleeping during naptime though, so I lack her motivation.

Mom, the Intern: She writes about whatever she wants, and I really like that she "keeps it real" instead of some other bloggers that are just so happy-go-lucky they make me want to barf. 

Runs for Cookies: She lost a ton of weight, and still eats cookies and stuff.  I really like that she included how she lost most of her weight and she admits that she runs so she can eat stuff now.  I want to be like that. 

Day 18: A Childhood Story or the road trip that was super long, but I still remember some of it

We went on a family road trip in 1993 (yikes!   that was a while ago!) to visit my grandpa in Texas.  He lived in Texarkana (sp?), and my Dad decided to stop a whole bunch of places.  A few places I remember seeing were:  the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and Carlsbad Caverns.  Those are really only a few places I remember.  I was also hauled to Jurassic Park, and I remember the sounds of crickets (or were they cicadas?  Don't really remember) all night long while we stayed there.  I remember when I was younger, I thought it was so long and boring, but I am glad my parents made me go on those trips.  The coolest part was Carlsbad Caverns.  I remember that I was probably super scared of it when we were going, but I want to go back with my own kids sometime.

Day 17: A favorite photo of myself and why

I have two.  And I only tried picking ones with me in them.  Funny, both of them are when I was in Utah.  Apparently, I am awesomely photogenic there, even though I didn't really want to live there longer than the five months we were there! 

I love this shirt.  I love my hair.  I love making ice cream pies to share with friends.  And I also love how skinny I look.  If I could get back to what I looked like in college...

I love this picture.  First,  I am wearing flip flops in March, in Utah.  I'm a California girl.  And, this pose really shows how much I love history, with my Lewis and Clark wannabee pose.  I've just always liked this picture of me.  I'd like to redo it again sometime.

Day 16: Something difficult about my life or in other words a "WAH!" post

I have hard days and trials, but I really don't like talking so publicly about them.  But, this is considered a challenge for me.  There are quite a few things that I struggle with, but I decided to go with my body image and self-esteem. 

I was really tiny until I hit puberty, and then my flips started flaring out and I couldn't fit into a lot of the clothes that I had.  My weight wasn't really an issue in middle school or high school.  I gained weight due to puberty and growing, but it wasn't too drastic, mostly, I think, because I was active playing soccer and volleyball.  In high school I dropped club soccer, and played volleyball and soccer in high school for three years.  I still was never really heavy, but I had more fat on me than was normal for an average person my height. 

In college I wavered between 145 lbs-163 lbs.  A couple of years I did nothing but eat and study and a couple of years I played soccer, ate, studied, socialized and worked out.  Honestly, at the highest weight ( around 163 lbs), it didn't really bother me.  I was young, and I had plenty of energy. 

Enter my first year teaching, when I proceeded to gain about 10 lbs in the course of 5 months.  It was a really stressful year.  Add on to that starting birth control and getting married.  I will always attribute the huge amount of weight I gained (I went from 155 lbs to 183 lbs in about 8 months) to three things:  the major factor was the birth control.  I've learned that I am really sensitive to extra hormones in my body.  The second factor was the stress from teaching caused me to overeat and have a bad diet.  And the last factor was that although I was on my feet all day teaching, I did not work out at all once the day was over. 

Anyways, I got pregnant, gained more weight and had the baby.  Gained more weight after that, got pregnant again, and had another baby.  When I came home from the hospital, I weighed about 227 lbs, which was never a weight I ever wanted to be at.  Still, I always look on the bright side of things.  After I had Logan, I knew that I wanted to get my weight lower, and that I was capable of doing it.  Right now, I've currently lost about 37 lbs of that weight (it was more, but I've put on a little bit of weight since I moved back in with Rick). 

The hardest time that I have with losing weight is the desire to lose it all really fast v. a lifestyle change.  It's a fine line to walk, making sure you're eating well (not just on a diet), on a budget and feeding your family food that they actually like to eat.  Overall, I consider myself a happy fat person (even though my body fat has reduced dramatically due to lifting weights and exercising) and I just want to be healthy with my family.  I want to wear pants that aren't plus-size, I want to have energy to keep up with my boys, I want to be able to run races, and I want to feel good about myself. 

Day 15: A Day in the Life

Okay, so this is 5 days late, but I am so happy to say I remember something that happened this day.  Since Evan has a speech delay, every time he says something new, I get really excited and encourage him to keep saying it.  So, this day, he started saying "Excuse me".  Over everything, like while pushing his brother or I out of the way so he could go and do stuff.

And, little brother Logan is the over achiever in the family.  He says, "go," "hi", "Logan," and "Dadda". 

Day 14: 10 Things that Make Me Happy!

1) Family-  Rick, Evan, Logan, my family, Rick's family.  We love our families. 

2)  The temple-  I have never found a place where peace and a wonderful feeling that even compares  to what it feels like in the temple. 

3)  Beach-  I never went to the beach constantly growing up, but I really love them.  I don't know if it's the sand or the ocean, but I really love turning onto the road leading to the beach and seeing so much ocean expanding into the ocean.  A really lovely place. 

4)  Good books- I don't mean all books.  I don't mean  Twilight or Beautiful Creatures.  I mean, the books that really have great development, believable and likeable characters and that are all either uplifting or thought-provoking in the end.  Sometimes the kids' books I read are just humorous, but that is uplifting to me. :)

5)  Hard workouts- I hate them if I think about them.  But I seriously love how I feel after.  I've been sick lately, and the hardest thing for me to do is to just back off of working out.

6)  Losing weight-I love it when the scale actually starts losing weight.  I lost a lot of inches, gained a lot of muscle this past fall, so I know I have lost weight.  But I love seeing it on the scale as well.  I'm probably too obsessed with it sometimes though.  

7)  Helping others-  I love lending a helping hand.  I like to volunteer to bring cookies or brownies to events.  I like to volunteer to babysit someone else s' kids at no extra cost (we usually just swap babysitting).  Finding ways to serve others is a big deal for me. 

8) Teaching others- I love teaching.  It's one of those things that is incredibly fulfilling to me.  I definitely miss teaching in the traditional sense at schools, but I really enjoy teaching my little guys everyday something or another. And in the church, there are so many teaching callings.  I really enjoy teaching truth to others. 

9) Learning new skills- I love trying new things.  Whether it's a new recipe for baking or it's learning to sew, there are so many things out there to learn.  I really need to make a list of all the things that I want to make/create/experience on this earth. 

10)  Planning-  I am such a planner.  Whether it's planning an itinerary for a vacation or a day trip or a birthday, I just love to plan things out.  I also love planning out meals and grocery shopping (I know most people think I'm weird about that) and I enjoy planning out our budget as well.  With all this planning, I actually always have a college-ruled notepad for all of my plans.  It is super disorganized, but it's a place that I just dot down all of my thoughts.  I really need to try and find a better system for my note-taking, but I will just keep going with what I have.

BONUS:  Puppies.  Someday, I will have a puppy.  And if I get my way it will be a corgi, because they are just too adorable.  But, probably after my kids are older.  I don't think I can handle young kids and a dog at the same time. 

BONUS 2:  Disneyland.  I think we went once a year growing up (or once every two years) and I can't say enough how much I love Disneyland, even now.  I hope we can go often with our kids too, because it's such an uplifting, fun, family place. 

Day 13: Public Apology

I'm sorry to anyone that I may have come off rude to. 

I think I may have a little bit of a focus problem, so sometimes when people start talking to me, I distract myself (I try to stop myself or I don't even realize I'm doing it honestly).  Most of the time, however, the kids distract me.  I hope nobody takes offense that it appears that I'm not interested in what they're saying.  I just tend to be a bit absent-minded.  Sorry. 

Day 12: What do I miss?

You know, this one is tough for me.  I have really enjoyed most of the stages of my life already.  (except dating, I'm really glad that I'm married now).  But, there are a couple of things.  First, I miss my family.  I miss living closer to my family.  Hopefully, sometime, we'll be able to move back a little bit closer to them (within a day's drive), so we can visit a bit more often than once or twice a year!  Second, I miss college.  College seemed so hard, but was really easy compared to the real world.  I loved BYU-Idaho, and I miss my good friends that I made there.  I don't miss Rexburg cold, though, so at least there's that.  Third, I miss soccer.  I know soccer is still around, but I really don't play it anymore.  I really miss playing soccer all the time.  I know there are more important things, but I loved how it made me feel.  Trying to replicate running, walking, and exercising with weights doesn't even compare to the awesomeness of playing competitive sports in my opinion. 

Day 11: Why I'm Awesome (using only ten words)

If I put a hyphen in between words, can I really do 20?

Smart
Semi-athletic (see, only 1 word)
Happy
Optimistic
Social
Bibliophile
Rad-Family (LOL I know that doesn't work...)
Learner
Organized (at least to me...)
Cute 

OR maybe I could do it like this.

R esponsible and Rad (Responsible by itself is boring)
A uthentic.  I don't pretend to be someone that I'm not. 
C ute with a cute husband and kids.
H appy.  There isn't much that gets me down.
E mpathetic.  I know how to relate well to others. 
L  ife-long learner.   I always enjoy going out and learning knew things. 

I love acrostic poems.  I guess you can choose whichever one to be the "Why I am awesome".

Day 10: Most Embarassing Moment

I have so many.  I tend to blush easily.  What I can remember clearly though. 

In high school, falling down a flight of stairs in front of people.  Thankfully the staircase wasn't that long!  (I think this was my sophomore year)

Telling my teacher in Spanish that I was "embarazada" (which I thought was embarrassed, but actually means pregnant and then I became embarrassed after that). 

Running over a curb coming out of my apartment complex and taking out a bush.  (2008--Rick saved the day with this one and changed my tire while I was hysterical).

Tripping and falling numerous times while running.  Especially at Fort Meade.  The sidewalks there are terrible.

Trying on wedding dresses.  I didn't like this experience.  Because I have a bigger bottom, and a smaller upper body, my dresses were a larger size but the shoulders made me look like a football player. Seriously.  So embarrassing trying those things on.  

After delivering Evan, Rick told me some of the stuff I said while doped up on Stadol.  I don't even remember what they were, but I really hope that I can avoid that stuff when I have future babies. 

I've noticed that the older that I've got the less embarrassed I get about things.  Probably because I don't care as much anymore and partly because I have kids that are embarrassing enough. 

Day 9--A Moment in my Day

Well... On Thursday I wasn't really feeling all that well.  So, I didn't get around to taking pictures.  Or cooking.  Or folding and putting away laundry.  Or doing anything productive besides making sure that my kids survived the day and laying on the couch trying to ignore my throbbing head. 

A moment from that day that I didn't snap because I was too busy enjoying was when both boys crawled into my lap and snuggled against for a few minutes while watching Mickey Mouse.  I also enjoyed eating lunch at Sicily's (before I started feeling really crappy).

No pictures though.  :(

Day 8: Advice from me to you

Today's prompt is advice that I have for others.

The main thing that I think is important advice for anyone to hear is this:  attitude is everything.  Lots of things happen in our life that are completely out of our control.  But we can control how we respond to it.  Count your blessings, and look at things in a hopeful light, and all will be okay in the end! 

This is huge for our family.  One of the biggest things that attracted me to Rick was his super optimistic personality.  He always looks on the bright side of things and I am the same way for the most part. 

Day 7: Spiders and Clowns and Mops, Oh My!

Okay, so today's prompt is:  Things you are most afraid of.

Well, if I have to say I am really afraid of something, there are three things that come to mind: 

Spiders:  Hate these suckers.  We have a love-hate relationship though.  I do realize that they keep other bugs away.  And the wolf spiders that we get down here are good at keeping worse spiders away.  As long as it's not crawling on me or my children or I can't see it, then it can stay alive, no problem.

Clowns:   This fear stems from my older sister making me watch the movie "It" when I was younger.  What a freaky movie.  And I hate clowns. 

Mops:  This is another strange fear.  And I actually has a semi-rational reason for it.  When I was about 9 my family moved into a new house.  I don't remember much, but I went downstairs and in the kitchen was a mop.  One of the ones with the wider mop thingys.  And sitting on it was one of the biggest spiders I have ever seen.  Looking back on it, I think it may have been a Brown Recluse, but I am not sure.  I've been afraid of old-fashioned mops ever since.  I have to use a swiffer mop, and if I don't have one of those and the kitchen is small enough, I will just spot clean with a sponge. 

***********************
Something else that I am afraid of isn't really an object.  It's a feeling.  I am afraid most, even above all those other things listed, of disappointing my loved ones. 

THE END

Day 6: My Job or What I do all Day

What do I do all day? 

I cook.  I clean.  I do dishes.  I change diapers.  I try to teach my boys how to play nicely and share and how to say sorry.  I try to teach the boys that there are consequences for the things they do.  I try to make sure our budget is balanced and I pay bills.  I plan out menus for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks and I make sure that we have plenty of food in our house.  I try to exercise so I can be happy and show the boys that I love praying and reading my scriptures.  Most of all, I try to remember, every day that the most important thing is my family.  And that some days and periods in life are harder than others.  And right now is that period of time for me. 

Also, I go on pinterest.  Now you know what I do all day. 

Day 5--Publicly say "I LOVE YOU" to a blogger friend

Let's see. 

Honestly, look to the right and you'll see all the blogs I follow.  I follow these blogs all for the same reasons:  friendships, family, uplifting, inspiring and well, just fun.  So, I'm not going to narrow it down, because I don't want to appear to stalkerish...

Day 4: Favorite quote and why I love it

Uh...  I have a lot of favorite quotes.  But I think this is the shortest one that I can think of off the top of my head. 

"KEEP MOVING FORWARD" Meet the Robinsons

Have you ever seen the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons?  I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it.  A lot of the Disney movies lately don't seem all that good (there are a few small exceptions).  But the main mantra repeated over and over in this movie by a famous inventor is this.  Keep moving forward.  Even after all the defeats with his inventions, he learned from his mistakes, changed things around, and moved on. 

I think that's one of the best things that we can learn to do in this life.  There are so many things that are out of our control.  It's no use stressing about it.  And, there's no use stressing about any past mistakes or sins.  Make amends and make peace with yourself and others.  Then move on. 

 

Day 3: Things that make me uncomfortable

I think of myself as a pretty accepting person, but there are definitely a few things that me feel super awkward. 

1)  Overt PDA--I don't think I really need to explain this.
2)  How to greet people when you're running---  Seriously.  Most of the time, I have no idea what to say when I run past someone.  Do I just look straight ahead and pretend that I don't notice them?  Or do I say hi awkwardly.  Everyone has headphones on, so it's not like they can actually hear me when I say hi...
3)  When people think that my boys are actually baby girls.  Even when they're wearing super boy colors (like navy). 
4)  Showing up at a new ward at church and not knowing where to sit. 

Day 2: Something that I'm good at or know a lot about....

I was thinking about this post, and I was like, "what?!"  I have pretty high self esteem, but a lot of my "talents" are not of the crafty or sewing or anything that I can teach variety.  In fact, the one thing that I am positive I am good at is teaching, and I guess I could educate about teaching, but to be honest, I didn't want to put in the effort. 

So the only other thing that I can think of right now that I am good at or that I like to do is: 

SLEEP

Ha Ha.  I am seriou.  I love sleeping.  I love taking naps.  I love sleeping in.  I am so not a morning person.  And, if I don't get enough sleep, I get awfully cranky.  Really, just ask my family, husband, and college roommates.  They can attest to the major crankiness. 

Why do I love sleeping so much?

1)  It gives me a chance to just forget about things and rest.  I think a lot of people underestimate how much GOOD sleep does for you. 

2)  I have more energy the better sleep I get.  I am also a lot more aware of my surroundings and a much happier person.

3)  It helps aches and pains go away.  Whenever I get a headache or anything else that is painful going on, I usually curl up on the couch or in bed (depending on whether the kids are in their rooms for naptime or not) and I try to fall asleep. 

How do I go to sleep? 

I know that some people have a hard time falling asleep and I am like that also sometimes.  But, I think it's all about routine. 

1)   I turn the fan on.  I know some people can't sleep with any noise or air blowing on them at all, but it has to be cool for me, because I love snuggling in my blankets.

2)  I read.  I always start with reading my scriptures.  And then I pick up whatever book or kindle, and I just read with my little lamp on.  It really helps me relax.

3)  If I have a hard time falling asleep, I'll take a warm bath to help me relax.  And that usually helps.
 And, if for some reason, sleep doesn't come easily that night, then I'll just browse pinterest until I am tired.

THE END.

By the way, in case you didn't notice, I am NOT an expert on sleep.  I'm just writing about something that I am good at, and I am a pro at sleeping.  :)  

Day 1: Story of my life in 250 words or less

I'm Rachel.  Born and raised in So Cal (Rancho Cucamonga).  Besides California, I've lived in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Mississippi and Maryland.  Soccer and volleyball player in high school (and a little in college for fun).  Avid reader, especially of teen and children's books.  History lover and former 7th grade teacher.  Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka  Mormons by some).  Love spending time with my family, including my amazing, and so-young- looking-that-people-think-I-robbed-the-cradle husband of almost 5 years, Rick, (he's older than me...by 3 months) and our two little guys, Evan (3) and Logan (1).  I now stay at home with my boys while Rick brings home the bacon.  I spend my time, besides just trying to keep a grip on my sanity, playing with the boys, exercising, trying to eat healthy, cooking, baking (one of the reasons why I'm not as healthy as I'd like to be), sewing, organizing and trying to catch up on sleep. 

I'm pretty sure that wasn't 250 words, so I passed!  A facebook friend is doing this on her blog, and I thought, "hey, what the heck!"  I am kind of in a slump on what to write about on this blog, because there is so much going on at the moment and things are a little crazy.  Maybe this will kick me back into writing more often on this thing? 

The daily prompts are here:

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/blog-every-day-in-may-challenge.html