Like I said, Devin's watching the game so I'm not doing much other than posting random things that come to my mind. So, I was watching the season premier of Gossip Girl last night and I didn't like it very much. I have been watching the show since it started last season with a couple girl friends of mine. I know, it's not the best quality show on television, but us girls have a good time watching it together. Anyway, this week there was so much backstabbing girl drama that I didn't really enjoy watching it.
Plus, it's ridiculous how much money these kids have and what they spend it on. So much worldly priorities and it doesn't have good consequences for them. This isn't the case for all the characters, it's just hard to watch the ones where it this is the case. At the end of the show, there is a good lesson and there are good people doing good things too...but I don't know if that outweighs it enough. Since I'm not in school anymore, I have more time in the evenings and therefore, have gotten into a few shows (The Office, American Idol). Gossip Girl was one of them on the list, but I don't know if it will be for much longer...
This is a different topic, but to avoid posting 3 times in 1 night, I'll just add it here:
I've started going on morning walks usually everyday. Normally I would run, but the little baby growing inside me makes it tough to do that. So, to get at least some exercise, I have been walking. Jaxon loves riding in the stroller and if we go close enough to his nap time, he'll fall asleep! Almost every time he sees a car go by he makes his car noise and wants me to name it car or truck. So, we were on a walk last Friday when the garbage man was picking up the trash. Jaxon LOVED the garbage truck! The whole rest of the day he wanted to go outside and see the garbage truck and he told Daddy about it when he came home from work. It was really cute. He is even still talking about it!
Today, Jaxon got his first helium balloon. He played with it in the car and when we got home, I opened the door to take him out, and it flew out of the car and away into the sky. He watched it disappear and then cried about it for 20 minutes! I felt so bad he was devastated! Of course, he told Daddy about his balloon when he came home from work and kept talking about it until he went to bed.
From these 2 events, I can see he is growing and getting excited about a lot of things. His little personality is really shinning. He is such a sweet spirit in our home. We love him so much and are so blessed to have him as our son.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
How Many of Me?
I found this info on: http://howmanyofme.com. I know it's not 100% accurate, but I thought it was fun (and my husband is off watching the Suns playoff game, so I didn't have much to do...) so I wanted to post it :) It's our first and middle names.
- There are 6,078 people in the U.S. with the first name Ruthann.
- Statistically the 2,397th most popular first name.
- More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Ruthann are female.
- There are 569,836 people in the U.S. with the first name Frances.
- Statistically the 91st most popular first name.
- 98.67 percent of people with the first name Frances are female.
- There are 48,626 people in the U.S. with the first name Devin.
- Statistically the 800th most popular first name.
- 87.5 percent of people with the first name Devin are male.
- There are 832,720 people in the U.S. with the first name Scott.
- Statistically the 51st most popular first name.
- 99.64 percent of people with the first name Scott are male.
- There are 0 people in the U.S. with the first name Jaxon.
- This name is not found in our database, this means the name is relatively uncommon.
- There are 0 people in the U.S. with the first name Judd.
- This name is not found in our database, this means the name is relatively uncommon.
- There are 1,288,589 people in the U.S. with the last name Miller.
- Statistically the 7th most popular last name.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Oprah's Challenge
K, I really don't watch daytime TV very often, but yesterday I caught a little bit of Oprah. It was a great show. She gave this challenge to a couple families:
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200804/tows_past_20080417_b.jhtml?promocode=HP34
Dear Family,
Thanks for agreeing to live with less for a week. Your challenge starts now!
This week, you will be eating at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers. If you throw food in the trash, you've got to 'fess up.
For one week, you're going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.
No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
For entertainment, you'll have to rely on each other. For one week, I'm asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.
Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
Showers are going to be shorter—eight minutes max. Use a kitchen timer to help you keep track.
Want to go shopping? Head to your closets. That's your wardrobe for the week. The mall is off-limits.
You final challenge—no buying anything other than food for seven days.
Good luck,
Oprah
I was surprised how taking this challenge impacted these families. One of the little boys was "suffering withdrawals like a drug addict" when he couldn't play on the computer and video games. Both families said they wouldn't go back to how they were living before the challenge and it was embarrassing to see the things they were doing before.
One family said it was probably $700 in savings a month, just in food! Besides all the money they saved on not wasting food, electricity, and other resources, I believe the most important thing they learned was how to spend time together.
It brought the families closer. They spent time doing activities together rather then having individual forms of entertainment. One of the dads said they used to climb into their bed with their kids before going to sleep and watch some TV. He said he was embarrassed to admit it, but he would normally shh his kids because he was more interested in the TV program than listening to what his kids wanted to tell him. Now, he loved listening to his kids and treasured those moments. It's great that he recognized it and decided to change. The families went on bike rides, they read to each other, and ate dinner together.
Not only did Oprah challenge these families not to be wasteful, she asked all the staff at her company to conserve as well. The company's annual budget just for cups was $41,000! Oprah installed hidden cameras at all the coffee stations in the office to see how wasteful people were. Some people used 4 or 5 cups a day,m just for water. So, Oprah made a new rule for all the full-time employees that they were no longer allowed to use the cups; they have to bring their own mugs from home. I'm not a huge Oprah fan, like lots of people, but I really think it's great that she's trying to do something to help too.
I want to be less wasteful. These families Oprah challenged were very wealthy and didn't have to conserve for financial purposes. I feel like our family does our best to conserve, partly becuase we have to stay within a budget, but, I know we can always do better.
All this reminds me of the talk by Elder Ballard in conference when he said that we only have our children at home for 1/4 of their lives and the time they are the most impressionable is only 1/10 of their life. Something like that. He said it much better of course...so I found the quote:
If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes.
I will try to treasure every moment with Jaxon, and our children to come, becuase I know in a few years, I will have no idea where the time went and I want to have no regrets about how I spent that precious time I was given to care for them.
Having family here on this earth is such a blessing and having the opportunity to be with them forever is truly the greatest gift. I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who gave us the knowledge of how this is possible and teaches us what we need to do to partake in these eternal blessings.
I didn't quite mean for that to sound like a church talk, but it sorta does, oh well...those are my random thoughts I guess! Hope you enjoyed!
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200804/tows_past_20080417_b.jhtml?promocode=HP34
Dear Family,
Thanks for agreeing to live with less for a week. Your challenge starts now!
This week, you will be eating at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers. If you throw food in the trash, you've got to 'fess up.
For one week, you're going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.
No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
For entertainment, you'll have to rely on each other. For one week, I'm asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.
Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
Showers are going to be shorter—eight minutes max. Use a kitchen timer to help you keep track.
Want to go shopping? Head to your closets. That's your wardrobe for the week. The mall is off-limits.
You final challenge—no buying anything other than food for seven days.
Good luck,
Oprah
I was surprised how taking this challenge impacted these families. One of the little boys was "suffering withdrawals like a drug addict" when he couldn't play on the computer and video games. Both families said they wouldn't go back to how they were living before the challenge and it was embarrassing to see the things they were doing before.
One family said it was probably $700 in savings a month, just in food! Besides all the money they saved on not wasting food, electricity, and other resources, I believe the most important thing they learned was how to spend time together.
It brought the families closer. They spent time doing activities together rather then having individual forms of entertainment. One of the dads said they used to climb into their bed with their kids before going to sleep and watch some TV. He said he was embarrassed to admit it, but he would normally shh his kids because he was more interested in the TV program than listening to what his kids wanted to tell him. Now, he loved listening to his kids and treasured those moments. It's great that he recognized it and decided to change. The families went on bike rides, they read to each other, and ate dinner together.
Not only did Oprah challenge these families not to be wasteful, she asked all the staff at her company to conserve as well. The company's annual budget just for cups was $41,000! Oprah installed hidden cameras at all the coffee stations in the office to see how wasteful people were. Some people used 4 or 5 cups a day,m just for water. So, Oprah made a new rule for all the full-time employees that they were no longer allowed to use the cups; they have to bring their own mugs from home. I'm not a huge Oprah fan, like lots of people, but I really think it's great that she's trying to do something to help too.
I want to be less wasteful. These families Oprah challenged were very wealthy and didn't have to conserve for financial purposes. I feel like our family does our best to conserve, partly becuase we have to stay within a budget, but, I know we can always do better.
All this reminds me of the talk by Elder Ballard in conference when he said that we only have our children at home for 1/4 of their lives and the time they are the most impressionable is only 1/10 of their life. Something like that. He said it much better of course...so I found the quote:
If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes.
I will try to treasure every moment with Jaxon, and our children to come, becuase I know in a few years, I will have no idea where the time went and I want to have no regrets about how I spent that precious time I was given to care for them.
Having family here on this earth is such a blessing and having the opportunity to be with them forever is truly the greatest gift. I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who gave us the knowledge of how this is possible and teaches us what we need to do to partake in these eternal blessings.
I didn't quite mean for that to sound like a church talk, but it sorta does, oh well...those are my random thoughts I guess! Hope you enjoyed!
The Office...Again!
So, this week's episode was so funny! I don't want to give too much away, in case people haven't seen it yet, but I am so excited for Jim and Pam! He adores her and it's so cute! A week after they started dating? Wow! I hope it happens!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Just Like Daddy
Devin sat down here and Jaxon did too. He is always trying to be like Daddy and do what Daddy does. It's so cute!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Mother's Intuition
Recently, I had a neat experience about listing to that quite voice of warning that we sometimes hear.
Jaxon was playing outside and had been for a few minutes. I don't usually check on him very often, becuase I can hear him and can tell if he needs something that way. Also, the dogs were out there with him and are good at warning us if there is anything suspicious going on.
I was in my bedroom and I had a thought to go check on Jaxon. I thought to myself, okay, I will in a minute. I immediately had the thought again to go check on him now. I looked in the backyard and didn't see him. I went out looked for him and he wasn't there. I checked all over in the house thinking maybe he came inside, but I couldn't find him anywhere (panic now setting in). I went out the front door to see if he was out there and sure enough, I have no idea how, but he was in our side yard by the back gate. I had gone through the gate earlier that morning, but doubled checked to make sure it was latched since he plays out there so much. I don't know how he got out, but I am so thankful I listened to that voice urging me to go check on him. What a blessing it is to have the Spirit to guide us if we just take the time to listen and obey.
Jaxon was playing outside and had been for a few minutes. I don't usually check on him very often, becuase I can hear him and can tell if he needs something that way. Also, the dogs were out there with him and are good at warning us if there is anything suspicious going on.
I was in my bedroom and I had a thought to go check on Jaxon. I thought to myself, okay, I will in a minute. I immediately had the thought again to go check on him now. I looked in the backyard and didn't see him. I went out looked for him and he wasn't there. I checked all over in the house thinking maybe he came inside, but I couldn't find him anywhere (panic now setting in). I went out the front door to see if he was out there and sure enough, I have no idea how, but he was in our side yard by the back gate. I had gone through the gate earlier that morning, but doubled checked to make sure it was latched since he plays out there so much. I don't know how he got out, but I am so thankful I listened to that voice urging me to go check on him. What a blessing it is to have the Spirit to guide us if we just take the time to listen and obey.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Jaxon's Vocab
Jaxon really has 2 first words. He started saying "mama" and "dada" at the same time. He started doing that at about 15 months. These are the words he can say now:
1. Mama & Dada
2. Woah
3. Wow
4. Oh
5. No
6. Amen
7. Jo Jo (One of our doggy's names is Joey)
He also signs. We started showing him signs long before he would have been able to understand and do them himself. I think he started signing about the time he started walking--9 months. Here's some of the words he can sign: more, please, baby, food, water, Jesus, prayer, toothbrush, corn, excuse me, bird, butterfly, book, phone, and come here.
People have asked me if I think signing delays the child's speech. I say NO WAY. Well, I think there could be a very rare occasion where a child is so comfortable signing his or her wants and needs they do not get frustrated enough to try to speak--they may not feel a need to learn to talk. BUT, there is no way I would not teach a baby to sign becuase of that reason. Jaxon was able to sign, and therefore communicate, months earlier than he could have physically said words. I would not trade months of communication through sign for a frustrated baby who can't talk. I am grateful Jaxon can sign. It's so easy to know what he wants. I can't imagine if he had no way to communicate besides whining and crying.
That is all my opinion, of course. None of that is based on any scientific research; it's just based on my experience. But, I know that it has been said that babies and children who can sign are more calm and better behaved becuase they do not get frustrated that they can not communicate their needs.
Anyway...I don't know why I even thought to post about that, but there it is!
PS: Jaxon has had a runny nose from teething lately, and his new favorite thing to do it wipe his boogers on my shoulder when I am holding him. I don't know where he learned it, but he thinks it is so funny.
1. Mama & Dada
2. Woah
3. Wow
4. Oh
5. No
6. Amen
7. Jo Jo (One of our doggy's names is Joey)
He also signs. We started showing him signs long before he would have been able to understand and do them himself. I think he started signing about the time he started walking--9 months. Here's some of the words he can sign: more, please, baby, food, water, Jesus, prayer, toothbrush, corn, excuse me, bird, butterfly, book, phone, and come here.
People have asked me if I think signing delays the child's speech. I say NO WAY. Well, I think there could be a very rare occasion where a child is so comfortable signing his or her wants and needs they do not get frustrated enough to try to speak--they may not feel a need to learn to talk. BUT, there is no way I would not teach a baby to sign becuase of that reason. Jaxon was able to sign, and therefore communicate, months earlier than he could have physically said words. I would not trade months of communication through sign for a frustrated baby who can't talk. I am grateful Jaxon can sign. It's so easy to know what he wants. I can't imagine if he had no way to communicate besides whining and crying.
That is all my opinion, of course. None of that is based on any scientific research; it's just based on my experience. But, I know that it has been said that babies and children who can sign are more calm and better behaved becuase they do not get frustrated that they can not communicate their needs.
Anyway...I don't know why I even thought to post about that, but there it is!
PS: Jaxon has had a runny nose from teething lately, and his new favorite thing to do it wipe his boogers on my shoulder when I am holding him. I don't know where he learned it, but he thinks it is so funny.
Canning...Twice
This week, from Bountiful Baskets we were able to get strawberries for really cheap so we bought a lot of them. Joy and I planned on making jam. We worked for 4 hours on Conference Saturday (still listening) and canned around 15 pint and 30 half-pint jars! (From 4 8-pound flats of strawberries!)
When Monday came, the jars hadn't set so we decided to redo them! Yesterday we worked from 11:30 until 4:30 with our last batch coming out of the pressure canner at 5:30. It was a lot of work. It was fun and not very complicated, but a lot of work! Joy and I both really enjoyed doing it, but it was exhausting! The jam is so yummy and is a great addition to our food storage. We both felt like such Molly-Mormons! And were proud of it too!
That night I slept, without even waking up to pee (don't forget I'm pregnant), from 10:00 until 5:30 when Devin's alarm woke me up. I was exhausted!
When Monday came, the jars hadn't set so we decided to redo them! Yesterday we worked from 11:30 until 4:30 with our last batch coming out of the pressure canner at 5:30. It was a lot of work. It was fun and not very complicated, but a lot of work! Joy and I both really enjoyed doing it, but it was exhausting! The jam is so yummy and is a great addition to our food storage. We both felt like such Molly-Mormons! And were proud of it too!
That night I slept, without even waking up to pee (don't forget I'm pregnant), from 10:00 until 5:30 when Devin's alarm woke me up. I was exhausted!
I've Been Tagged...
Tag I'm It...
Well, I've been tagged so I'm passing it on...
4 people who email me regularly
1. Devin
2. Online stores I have purchased things from
3. Copper Basin Relief Society
4. Friends living out of state
4 places I would like to visit
1. Hawaii
2. Victoria, Canada
3. Caribbean Islands on a cruise
4. Alabama
4 favorite restaurants
1. RigaTony's
2. Cracker Barrel
3. Tom's BBQ
4. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida
I have to add another:
5. Quisnos & Subway
4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year
1. Having another little boy!
2. Devin graduating
3. Landscaping our back yard
4. Getting skinny after having my baby
4 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year
1. Sleepless nights
2. That's all I can think of...
3.
4.
I tag: Brooke A, Joy, Kiera, and Jen S.
Well, I've been tagged so I'm passing it on...
4 people who email me regularly
1. Devin
2. Online stores I have purchased things from
3. Copper Basin Relief Society
4. Friends living out of state
4 places I would like to visit
1. Hawaii
2. Victoria, Canada
3. Caribbean Islands on a cruise
4. Alabama
4 favorite restaurants
1. RigaTony's
2. Cracker Barrel
3. Tom's BBQ
4. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida
I have to add another:
5. Quisnos & Subway
4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year
1. Having another little boy!
2. Devin graduating
3. Landscaping our back yard
4. Getting skinny after having my baby
4 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year
1. Sleepless nights
2. That's all I can think of...
3.
4.
I tag: Brooke A, Joy, Kiera, and Jen S.
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Office
Any of you Office fans might be interested to know that new episodes start this Thursday, April 10! I believe the time is 8:00...please correct me if I'm wrong. I'd hate to miss it!
Here's the plot:
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - Pam and Jim find they have run out of excuses and are forced to go to Jan and Michael's house for dinner. When Andy and Angela are also invited to dinner, Dwight's jealousy gets the best of him.
I'm so glad the new episodes are starting!
Here's the plot:
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - Pam and Jim find they have run out of excuses and are forced to go to Jan and Michael's house for dinner. When Andy and Angela are also invited to dinner, Dwight's jealousy gets the best of him.
I'm so glad the new episodes are starting!
Hugs
I was reading an article about Hugs this morning and thought I'd pass some of the info along:
Virginia Satir, one of the key family therapists of our time, suggests that we need to get four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for growth.
A study done at Princeton University confirmed that babies and toddlers who are frequently touched in a loving manner until they are 12 years old are much more likely to be intimate and loving in future relationships. These children, when grown, found it easy to snuggle and cuddle, hug and touch, and hold hands. Those who didn't receive loving touches as children tended to be distant and uncomfortable with such contact with other people.
I think that's so interesting. The whole thing isn't very long if you want to read the rest:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-135425400.html
I love hugs and hug my family often, but I'm kinda shy to hug even close friends. I should work on that...every one would benefit from a hug!
Virginia Satir, one of the key family therapists of our time, suggests that we need to get four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for growth.
A study done at Princeton University confirmed that babies and toddlers who are frequently touched in a loving manner until they are 12 years old are much more likely to be intimate and loving in future relationships. These children, when grown, found it easy to snuggle and cuddle, hug and touch, and hold hands. Those who didn't receive loving touches as children tended to be distant and uncomfortable with such contact with other people.
I think that's so interesting. The whole thing isn't very long if you want to read the rest:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-135425400.html
I love hugs and hug my family often, but I'm kinda shy to hug even close friends. I should work on that...every one would benefit from a hug!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
It's A...
GIRL! Yea! We are so excited we're having a girl!
APRIL FOOLS!
We're really having a BOY! I think a lot of people wanted us to have a little girl, but Devin and I both really wanted a boy. We are so excited to have another little boy in our family! Jaxon will have a little brother to be his playmate and best friend! I love Jaxon so much that I can't imagine having more love in my heart, but I've heard it happens. I've been told that with each child the love doesn't divide, it multiplies. What a blessing it is to have these sweet spirits in our home and in our families forever! They truly are what this earth life is about: coming here to have families and earn the gift to be with them in the eternities. I can't think of anything better! Yea! Another BOY!
APRIL FOOLS!
We're really having a BOY! I think a lot of people wanted us to have a little girl, but Devin and I both really wanted a boy. We are so excited to have another little boy in our family! Jaxon will have a little brother to be his playmate and best friend! I love Jaxon so much that I can't imagine having more love in my heart, but I've heard it happens. I've been told that with each child the love doesn't divide, it multiplies. What a blessing it is to have these sweet spirits in our home and in our families forever! They truly are what this earth life is about: coming here to have families and earn the gift to be with them in the eternities. I can't think of anything better! Yea! Another BOY!
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