My latest endeavors

I feel like I have a lot of balls up in the air right now. Besides the everyday task of taking care of kids, shuttling them to their various activities and school, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and everything that entails being a mom, I have also been busy with lots of other things.

For example, things are taking off with our support group. We are growing and starting to gain momentum. We are doing things in the community such as lobbying for the legislation that would ban minors from using indoor tanning beds and teaching community education classes. Along with that, we are starting to work on building our foundation, or our non-profit status. So, we are coming up with website templates, writing the content for the website, getting our paperwork started, coming up with logo ideas, etc. As you can imagine, it's A LOT of work and it will take MONTHS to complete, I'm sure.

I'm also teaching spin classes at the YMCA here and that has been fun for me to teach again. I also do the occasional Twisted Silver party. And then as of recently, I signed on to be an independent consultant for the companies Norwex and doTerra as well. Norwex is a company whose mission is "Clean Without Chemicals". My sister-in-law introduced me to these products several months ago and I absolutely LOVE them. What I love most is not having to buy any household cleaners anymore (which are toxic and chemical laden), which save me so much money and are better for our health and our home. But I also love that these products often clean my house more effectively, with JUST WATER. I am slightly obsessed with cleaning with these products because they make it so easy and simple!

The other company I got involved with, doTerra, manufactures Certified Therapeutic Grade essential oils. It is very seldom that I endorse any kind of health related products because I am generally very skeptical when it comes to this kind of stuff. But I can honestly stand by these products because I have done my research and have seen first-hand what they can do. A dear friend of mine introduced doTerra essential oils to me about a year ago and after a few months of using them, I quickly saw how beneficial and potent they were. I use them for everything from preventing and treating colds, to natural remedies for sleep and anxiety, to increasing energy and reducing appetite, to general overall wellness and nutrition. My kids equally love them too, and beg me to give them massages practically every night. Since I started using essential oils, no one in our family has gotten even a cold this year/winter. Now that is amazing! I cannot say enough about essential oils, they are truly life-changing!

Austin skiing

We played hooky from school (really we just took out Austin the last few hours) and went skiing as a family one gorgeous, sunny day this week. The best part about it? No crowds or lines, nice snow, and lot of runs.

The kids had a blast. It was so much fun to ski together. Both Austin and Carson are improving so much. Austin is getting good at making turns, getting better control of his skiis (especially going faster), and loves speed. Carson, for only going a small handful of times and being 3 years old, is catching on fast and really getting the hang of it.

There is simply no better way to spend an afternoon as a family.

Carson skiing

This litte bugger is doing so good too!!!

GOOD, BETTER, BEST

Over the last couple of years, with everything going on with me, I kept getting the feeling that somehow I needed to SIMPLIFY my life. That meant doing less extra "things" and spending more time just being with my family, doing the most important things (honestly, it was a good lesson to learn). Simplifying meant cutting out some activities, having less "friend" or "me" time, and having more "family" time. I'd like to think I succeeded (at least, partly) in those things.

You see, ever since I read the church talk, "Good, Better, Best" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, I have always had the resounding thought in my head that I need to re-prioritize the things in my life. Let's be honest though--this isn't anything new to me. Fortunately, (or unfortantely), I am one of those persons who likes to do everything, be everywhere, and say "yes" to everyone. Why? I am not really sure, that is just the way I roll. All I know is that I am a busy person, and I like to be doing lots of things. I am also a people pleaser and I enjoy helping others. And, I also don't like missing out on things (which was a hard lesson for me to learn going through cancer. I missed out on a LOT of things).

It's this constant battle in my head of on one side, trying to maintain balance in my life so that I am happy and satisfied with myself, my family, and my accomplishments. On the other side, this need to "do everything" racks me with guilt though because I know that I can't do everything that I want to do and be everything that I want to be. I know that I CAN'T BE PERFECT (nor am I expected to be or even want to be).

When I look at everything going on in my life, and trust me, I have LISTS of these things, the first thought that enters my head is, "Well, Christina, you have a lot of GOOD things going on, so what can I cut out?" This is the part that I still struggle with they are ALL good things! Is it bad that I want to do everything and be good at it? Going back to the talk, "Good, Better, Best". Not too long ago, when I felt like my life was getting too crazy, I decided it would help me de-clutter my brain if I made a list (here goes that list again). I put three columns on a sheet of paper and labled them, GOOD, BETTER, BEST.

I then proceeded to fill in each of the columns to get an idea of how my life is filled with a lot of great and worthy things, but to break it down into what is most important. I figure that when the things in the BEST and BETTER columns aren't getting done, than I need to take things OFF of the GOOD column. It sounds much easier said than done, but it is not for me. I have a really hard time with this actually. I feel like the BETTER column I do pretty well on because those are things that are fundamental and necessary in our life, but often I spend time doing the GOOD things when I should be doing more BEST things.

I'm sure I am just hard on myself. Actually, I know I am. And don't get me wrong, I know I am never going to be perfect and that is more than OK. I just want to do better at keeping my priorities in check. I want to feel like I can check off most of these BEST things off my list, not because I should do them, but because I WANT TO. I want to know, at the end of the day, that I'm doing the best that I can and that Heavenly Father is pleased with my efforts.

Do I think I am doing my very best? I'm not so sure. The past few months or so have been crazy and hectic. I have been working a little on the side, I have been heavily engaged in our support group, the Idaho SOL Survivors and in trying to get our foundation up and running. Those have been some big time suckers. But it's hard for me to cut these things out when I KNOW that I am supposed to be doing this. I KNOW that this path has been laid out for me and that it is the right thing to do.

But how do I do these things and still manage to be the best mom, wife, daughter/sister, friend and person that I can be? I cannot. What I do know and have found great comfort in is knowing that our Savior, Jesus Christ makes up the HUGE difference that we lack. I know that I have the beautiful gift of the Atonement to lean on--for my weaknesses and short-comings. I know that I will always struggle with balance my ENTIRE life. And if anyone feels they are good at this, pleae by all means, impart your great wisdowm and advice on how I can juggle all of these things and not feel guilty!! For now though, I will continue trying to do my best, knowing very well that I will fall down, and waiting for the Savior to pick me back up.

Love Day '12

Although I have never been a big fan of Valentines Day, I will admit that it is nice to look forward to a little somethin' special on that day. Nothing big and fancy though...I wish I could say that I heart-attacked our house, baked delicious desserts, or spent all day slaving away in the kitchen cooking up some elaborate, romantic Valentines dinner for my sweetie.

Nope. Didn't happen. All of my great "Pinterest" ideas went out the door this year. Like this idea. Red velvet cupcakes in a jar anyone? Yep. Didn't happen.

Or these tasty treats. Don't they look good? Nope, these either.

I loved this idea of making a cute Valentines holder for each of our chairs. BUT, no, that one went out the door.

And of course, this looked like the perfect Valentines dinner setting. Romantic, right? Whoa. Too much work (not to mention money)!

But maybe if I was feeling really ambitious, I would've tried out this idea. I loved this table centerpiece of pictures of your family members hanging from it. So cute!!! Yeah, you guessed it. Didn't happen.

Ok, but really, who are we kidding? I did NOT inherit the crafy gene. More importantly, who has the TIME to even think of this stuff, let alone, DO IT?!

This year Valentines landed on a hectic week (make that MONTH) and so I was lucky to even cook any kind of meal that night. The thought entered my mind to bag it and just go out to eat, but then my practical sense rescued me from that idea, along with the thought of being in a crowded restaurant with everyone else and their dog, and so I opted for a simple stay-at-home meal. The best part was just staying at home with the fam, eating dinner together and going around the table telling each person why we loved them. I always love hearing the things the kids say. For example:

Austin to Carson: "Carson, I love that you like to suck your thumb and let me decide what to do most of the time." Yep, sounds about right.

And then there was Carson to Dad: "Dad, you are super silly and I love you because you are SOMETIMES fun." (key word=sometimes)

My personal fave was Austin to me: "Mom, I love that you think I'm smart and I also love that you come to my class sometimes to help out. You are a fun mom, except for when you make me eat things like quinoa." HA HA!

I guess we were sort of on the ball this year. SORT OF. We did make homeade Valentine cards for each other during FHE the night before (sorry, no pictures), and so we gave each other those after dinner. I got the kids a sugar cookie from the bakery (they don't care where it comes from, right?!), and then once the kids went to bed, Eric and I shared a little (store bought) berry cheesecake and some chocolate covered strawberries with sparkling apple juice over candlelight. Oooh la la! Of course, nothing like I had planned it or wanted it to be with all of my fabulous ideas (Damn Pinterest! ;), but it was still SOMETHING, right?!

I guess in our own special, yet simple way Valentines was memorable, fun, and dare I say, romantic?? I'll tell you what, even though I accomplished NONE of my so-called plans, it still turned out PERFECT and staying at home beat going out to dinner ANY DAY.

Next year, I think I will attempt this though. How fun would it be to have a little Valentines dinner in a candlelit tent?! (wink, wink)

Aquarium Fieldtrip

Idaho got their first Aquarium and although it is QUITE dinky and cheesy (especially if you've been to a real aquarium like the Monterey Bay), I must say it's perfect for little ones. We got to go with Carson's preschool on a fieldtrip last month and it was very hands-on. The kids could touch just about everything--from starfish, to sharks (tiny ones), to sting rays, to an iguana. Carson was FASCINATED with the octapus especially! We had a good time!

Future Engineer on our hands

This kid is amazing at building things. Legos, magformers, kinex, tinker toys, erector sets, lincoln logs, you name it. What amazes me is the patience that he has to build these complicated things, some that are intended for 10 or 12 year olds. And he does it all without any help (most of the time)!!!

I know every parent thinks that their child is brilliant. But Austin really is something else. We have always known that about him, but now others, like his school teachers are also seeing that about him. He excels at reading, math, comprehension, and science, but what really impresses me is how he connects the things he is learning and applies them to everyday life. His creativity, his "outside the box" thinking, his attention to detail, are qualities that will get him far in life.

It won't be very much longer before he has surpassed his mom and dad on many school subjects, particularly math. That will be a sad day, but I am so proud of him and know that he has a bright future ahead of him.

Perhaps as an Engineer??? We shall see.