Grocery Money

           Trying to feed a family of 6 now on a limited budget has it's challenges sometimes. I try to cut back on extra spending on food and we don't eat out much at all, but then it seems like sometimes we go over too. I can't decide if we are just spending too much, or if our budget for food is just not feasible for a family this size and if I need to increase it.
           Which gets me wondering what do most people spend for food a month? Would you mind telling me. I set up a poll on the side for anonymous answers. But I'd really like to see the average. I had a friend who had food stamps and I asked her what the government saw as the amount of money a family of 5 would spend on food, and it was quite a bit more than what we have budgeted. She felt like they could eat for less than what they give you, but that had me thinking maybe I'm just being unrealistic in our budget, but then the tightwad part of me thinks it's completely possible too if I had a little more self control sometimes! :)
           So are you willing to share? How much do you spend for groceries a month on your family.

We are getting close

To finishing these things:
- unpacking
- my BIG Scrapgirls project (which has taken any extra time I have lately)
- laying carpet so Isaac has his own room
- summer (which I'm not ready to finish up yet.)
- 2 books I'm in the middle of
- Caitlyn's Jaundice
School
           Is it already that time. Savannah starts Kindergarten here in about 3 weeks, and we are in need of doing some school shopping and having lots of one on one fun time before I let her go... sigh. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. Beau luckily doesn't start till the first of September, yeah!
My silly kids
           Mirian loves to wear this witch hat around all the time. She loves it for the long hair. Flipping it over her shoulders and putting it in pigtails and buns. She's just so cute. Yesterday we went to the thrift store and they had a toy lawnmower, shopping cart and stroller for a $1. They kids were in heaven and have been playing with them ever since. Mirian keeps referring to it as the "mow lawner" though, and with her little accent it's just too cute!

Pioneer Day
           Today is pioneer day so for a few hours we'll be hanging out at the local park checking out the pioneer museum, pioneer town, making free crafts and eating cotton candy. (And roasting to death in this horrible heat!)

Life with Toddlers: Doctors

           I didn't mind going to the doctor when I had one kid, I could relax and read a magazine. Two kids wasn't so bad, the baby could stay in the carrier and I could take care of the other one. Three kids was more of a challenge and so most of the time I arranged for them to play with friends so I could take only those that really needed to go. Today was our experience with 4 kids.
           They did well and were on good behavior. Our first stop was the hospital for another Jaundice test. Poor girl. Her heels are so tender. I decided it was easier to carry her in rather than try to juggle the car seat, so with her in the left arm and Isaac in the right arm (because he refused to walk), and two girls hanging on to the side of my pants and holding hands so they were out of the way of cars.
           People kept looking at us and smiling. I'm sure it was a site to behold. I had lots of people make the comment "You've got your hands full!" After about the fourth person who said this, Savannah asked me "Why do people keep telling you that you have your hands full?" Well it's because I have a lot of kids and because my hands are full with Isaac and Caitlyn.
           We made it through the first visit and then had the regular doctors visit later. The kids love the lobby because there is a big neat fish tank and they play a movie. They are always good in the lobby. Today we sat there for quite a while and Mirian was saying she was hungry the nice nurse got her some crackers, which she assumed were just hers and didn't want anyone else to eat. I finally convinced her she could hold the package but she needed to share with everyone. Normally though you are in the lobby for about 10 minutes, and then you're sent back to the examination room where you can sit forever! The whole time trying to keep kids from pulling out all the red / hazardous material boxes, bandaids, etc. They have one kid book you can read to them, and then lots of magazines which they aren't interested in. The only thing they are interested in is a sticker at the end of the visit. If the nurse forgets to give them one then the world ends.
           Today they were good, we've enjoyed our couple of days together and they've been really good for me. I think it all has to do with my attitude though.

My To Do List...

contains one thing.
           Don't have a breakdown. :) Beau has left for Scout Camp for the next two days, which leaves me for the very first time since Caitlyn's birth with the 4 little ones. Lately if I'm tired and exhausted then the emotions inevitably come. I have been wondering how I was going to handle all of them by myself especially with visits to the hospital for Jaundice and a regular doctors appointment. Hauling all of them is exhausting in itself! :) So the plan? Nothing. Don't plan on getting anything done, just take it as it comes. So far so good.           We've even been able to make it to the park, and made a trip to the grocery store to pick a few things up. All I can say is they don't make shopping carts large enough for 3 kids, a baby seat with a baby, and groceries for family of 6. But they behaved themselves and we now have something to eat!           This last weekend I was able to play with my sisters new camera and zoom lens. Not a good thing! It just makes me want one so bad! The pictures you could take! :) I love these flowers!

Family Time

Family Reunion
           This last weekend we made a trip to Wyoming to go to my immediate family's reunion with my siblings and their families. We weren't sure if we were going to go because we have still been battling Caitlyn's Jaundice. Luckily we were given permission to leave for the weekend without having to put her back on bilirubin lights and enjoyed the couple of days with family.

           We did some projects for my parents - cutting wood and building a shed, played games, had a treasure hunt, hung out with the cousins and got to bed late every night. Can I tell you how sleep deprived I am between a newborn and family?Photo shoot
           We were scheduled with a photographer for a photoshoot. It's been two years since our last family shot and we've added 7 more grandkids to my parents family since then. She cancelled and so we were left to ourselves. So late that night before the sun went down, we decided to quickly do one, so with 10 minutes to throw white shirts on 22 people, clean up faces, run combs through hair, and trying to look presentable with our sunburned faces. Word of advice. The evening is not the best time for little kids to be snapping their pictures. We had kids crying, crying and not too happy about sitting down. But overall we ended up with some good ones actually without having to pay for them! Here's our lastest family photo with the newest addition.

I just saved myself $300!

Happy Day!
           My hair has been getting to one of those stages of being bushy and sticking out in weird spots. It was definitely time for a haircut. We were also going to be taking family pictures at my family reunion in Wyoming this weekend, and I could not get a picture looking like this.
           So I called up the girl that's been cutting my hair for about 6 months and got the horrifying news any woman hates to get... "she just had surgery on her hand and won't be back for 6 weeks." What?! Could she make an appointment with someone else? No... not right now. What was I going to do. I get way too nervous about people cutting my hair, I know they've all been trained but there are some that just don't quite get it though and it makes me extremely nervous. Especially since my hair is already short, and can't get a whole lot shorter. If they mess it up the only other option I have is to buzz it.
           So for the last week I've been stewing about it. Do I just go to someone else, I can't wait 6 weeks, it'll look horrible. Maybe I should just cut it myself, for some reason that one doesn't scare me as bad as having someone else cut it. It's that visual, and artist part of me. My head is just another sculpture. I know what I want, and visually I just have to cut here and there to get it that way right? I actually ended up cutting my own hair for the year I lived in Vegas right before I met Beau. I went and had someone else cut it, and they slaughtered it, so I had to go home and try to fix it. I didn't do too bad and so figured I could do it from there on out, and I did.

           In fact right before our wedding, I needed another haircut, but I was in a different apartment that didn't have mirrors where I could see all sides, so I got Beau to cut it for me. It's the biggest day of my life and I give Beau the scissors. He didn't do too bad for his first hair cut! After we were first married he cut it a couple of times and then I let it grow out, and after that he refused saying it stressed him out way too much. Well here we were this week... my hairdresser unavailable. It's been 6 years since I've cut it myself. But the cheapskate part of me really wants to just cut it myself and save that $25. So I bought a razor to thin and even it out, and after a family night of haircuts and trims for all, I attacked my own hair. The result? Not too bad of a job! Even Beau agreed. So I'm all pumped, it looks good and now I'm saving myself $300 dollars this year just in hair cuts for me! Do you know how much that will be in a lifetime? A lot! Happy Day for me!

Good Morning!

Little Girl
           Well yesterday she officially dropped below the mark she needed to be to be taken off the bilirubin lights! Yeah. She can now officially wear all these cute clothes, be held and cuddled and mom and dad finally had a great nights sleep in the dark! (With family in town for the last week her light box has been in our room at night, and let me tell you we might as well have slept with the normal house lights on.)
Design Time
           My husband is out running errands for me, and so it's just me and the sleeping baby hanging out. Yeah! So I'm squeezing some design time in, which feels good since I've finally figured out the direction I want to take on this project. So here's to hopefully getting a bunch of stuff pumped out.

Post Partum Thoughts

Postpartum Thoughts
           There's something about postpartum that really starts to make you think about what your priorities are. If you're really giving your time to those things that matter most... these little ones.

           We've have a good recovery, but as I've told Beau lately, someday I hope my emotions level out here and I'm back to normal. I tell him it's a no win situation sometimes. I'll tell him one thing, which I sincerely want him to do, but if he does it I'll cry. If he doesn't do it I'll feel bad he didn't do it and cry too. Either way he's out of luck. Poor guy. :) Luckily it hasn't been too bad yet. Just when I'm tired and exhausted it kicks in. Hmmm... seems like exhaustion and emotional breakdown are related. Luckily they aren't very often, it happens about once a day - Beau sends me off for a nap and I return feeling better.
           But it makes me wonder if we have post partum for a reason. As women we go too fast, try to do too many things and are just too busy. It seems that during this post partum part of a new baby it has slowed me down, nursing slows me down. It makes me stop what I'm doing multiple times a day and I have time to sit and think, or read. It makes me realize how fast my kids are growing up. How I'm missing the little moments in life when I make myself too busy to enjoy small moments like the photos above. I realize they won't be this age forever and I want to soak it all in. I don't want to live with regrets of wishing I had spent more time with them and less time on my to do list. I realize how much love and attention they really want, need and deserve. I read some great quotes the other day...           “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.” Professor Harold Hill, in Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man,           "Each one of you is living a life filled with much to do. I plead with you not to let the important things in life pass you by, planning instead for that illusive and non-existent future day when you’ll have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now." President Thomas S. Monson           "There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today." President Thomas S. Monson.
           We just need to slow down more and enjoy the journey now. Enjoy them. They won't be here forever...

Today...

Celebrations
           Well yesterday was a packed day of celebrating. Here's a few layouts of our fun day. Here the girls are eating their snow cones after a very hot morning walking around looking at booths, getting fingernails painted, making fourth of July wands, etc. It was a packed but good morning.
           Later that night we lit a few sparklers at our house. The girls wouldn't touch them or even get within 5 feet of them. They were just too scary. Isaac on the other hand couldn't get enough of them. He wanted to hold one and would just sit and watch it burn while squealing and then once it finished go for another one. He got too excited about some very simple spinning fireworks too that Beau lit off in the road. He is definitely a boy. What is it with boys and fire.

Layouts
           My sister called today and was talking to me and then asked me, where do you find the time to scrapbook a layout. How did you already have time to scrap one of Caitlyn. Well. The answer is 4x6 layouts. I'm serious they are fast, easy and I can get one done in about 10 - 15 minutes. It's one of those things that I enjoy, doesn't require lots of thought and I can use it to wind down at the end of the day. I usually scrap them at the end of the day, when the kids are in bed and I'm exhausted. Beau has lots of church meetings sometimes, so I'll do it then. Or sometime during the slow part of the day when the kids are playing, I can sit down for 10 minutes and do a fast one. Between the 4x6 templates and the 4x6 Assemble Your Own's I can get one done quick. The kids love them, and are always asking me to pull out the 4x6 album and wanting me to read it to them like a book. The only difference is the story is about them.

Temple Sealing
           This morning Beau and I were able to go to the sealing of his cousin at the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. It was such a beautiful and amazing ceremony. It reminded me so much of my wedding day and the amazing feeling of gratitude I felt during the whole day to be marrying Beau.
           I believe that God has provided a way for families to be sealed beyond this mortal life. I believe that this life is not the end, but that life goes on after this life as well. That we can have the same wonderful and amazing relationships that we have with our spouses, children and parents beyond the grave that we have here. Today I realized even more so how amazing it is to know that we have been sealed to each other for time and all eternity and not until just "death do us part" like the civil marriages. Many people do not have this amazing blessing, nor do they know that it is available, that God did not intend for our family to end at death.
           Today I have been overwhelmed by gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord for the Priesthood. For temples. For sealings. For my family. For Beau. For the atonement of Jesus Christ that made it all possible. I left wishing everyone wanted to be sealed together, wishing everyone knew that they could be sealed together for eternity, and wanting everyone to know that there is more out there available than just what many believe will end at the death of their spouse, children, or families. God has a plan for mankind, and it's all about families... his family - you and me.

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!
           We had a packed day filled with Provo's freedom festival, as we took a walk downtown to all the vendors and booths. We then did some cleaning up around here, played around taking pictures, had a cook out with Beau's family who came into town and went and watched some fireworks. As you can imagine, I'm exhausted. We'll post some of our fun pictures and celebrating tomorrow! I hope you were able to enjoy your day as well!

Home

Home
           Well we've been home for the last 4 days roughly getting used to the new addition to our family. For me recovery has been SO much better than the last three. That has been such a relief and I'm so grateful. My mom has been here helping out with the kids, cleaning and cooking. Doing dirty work for me... even had her doing some stuff for me for a big project I'm working on for ScrapGirls right now. It's always nice to have help and I appreciate her willingness to come and give up her time to help out. It's also nice to have things get back to their normal everyday. The kids have really needed life to return to normal as much as possible. They've had a hard time here and there. Today was a good day with all of them. Life felt back to normal, they were happy and it ended on a good note.

Jaundice
           This poor girl has had her billirubin results rising for the last 3 days which resulted in putting her on the lights yesterday afternoon. You just feel so bad for them having to lay there as much as possible only being able to get out to eat and get changed. Plus it's hard on mom, just wanting to hold her, cuddle her and enjoy these precious moments at the beginning of her new life. I am grateful though that this is the only health problem she's got. She was born healthy, with all her parts intact and working. That is a huge blessing.
           So for now we're recovering trying to get home life back to normalcy and enjoying the time we have to be together and this new little life that we've been blessed with.