Smallville

Anyone else a fan of the show Smallville?  Devin and I love it!  We started with season 1 a couple weeks ago and have watched an episode almost every day since.  We weren't into it when it started so we aren't current, but we'll get through the series eventually.

The music from seasons 1 and 2 really reminded us of high school.  It took us back to the memories of when we first met and were starting to get to know each other.  Besides how great the show is, that was a fun part about watching it too.

Oh, and I have so much to blog about, but hardly the time to do it.  I really miss writing.  I don't really know how many people read our blog regularly, but I like to make the posts be about more than just pictures of the kids.  I think it's fun to write about random stuff and I usually get fun comments.  Anyway, I hope to get caught up soon.  I forgot how time consuming a newborn is.

Shark Week & Coconuts

A couple of weeks ago on the Discovery Channel it was shark week.  One one of the episodes, the narrator said sharks kill 15 people a year around the world.  He then went on to say that falling coconuts kill 10 times that many people a year!  Really?  150 people die every year from falling coconuts?  I never knew.

I debated whether I should post this or not, but then I decided, sure, why not?  It's a little embarrassing, but whatever.

So...
One night after watching a show from shark week Devin and I were kissing before bed.  It looked like things might be going somewhere, but then Devin said, "I keep thinking about sharks."

Really?  That's too weird.  Yeah, I wasn't really into kissing after that.  So we went to sleep.

Guilty Pleasure

Earlier in this pregnancy when I was put on bed rest for a little while I borrowed some DVD's from my sister in law.  One of them was the first season of the OC.  The first episode didn't have me hooked, and I didn't love the second either, but by the third, I couldn't stop watching!  I have finished through season 2, but she doesn't have season 3, so I'll have to Netflix it.  I know it's a trashy show, but I think the drama is great and it's so NOT my life, so I enjoy watching it.

And, popsicles are my new favorite treat.  Oh yum they are such a good summer treat!  So, eating popsicles while watching the OC is my current guilty pleasure:)  (I only indulge while the kids are napping of course.)

Anyone else love the OC?  The only other person I know who was into this show is my friend Michael.  I don't know why I remember that, but anyway, he's the only one I know of.

Alcohol Budget

I love me some Bachelor/Bachelorette.  I try not to get sucked in, but I like watching it!  But, I really wonder what the budget for alcohol on the show is.  They are ALWAYS drinking!!!  I wouldn't want to be drunk when there are cameras all over the place and can put anything on national television they catch on film...

American Idol Hallelujah

This was an amazing performance!

I hope Lee wins!!!

Nooner

The other night during one of my favorite shows, Parks and Recreation, I had another interesting discovery.  Who says prime-time comedies aren't educational?!

Leslie and her boyfriend, Justin, went to talk to her boss, Ron.  This is how the dialogue on the show went:

Leslie, "Ron, I need a half a day off for a secret mission of love."
Ron, "You're asking my permission to take a nooner?"
Leslie, "Sure, well, I don't know.  Maybe.  Justin and I need to go on a romantically inspired road trip."
Ron, "So it is a nooner."
Leslie, "Well, we're planning to leave around noon so I'm not quite sure..."
Justin, "Leslie, it's not a nooner.  [To Ron...]  I tracked down this old fling of Leslie's mom.  We're gonna go pick him up.  We're gonna reunite them on Valentine's Day.  Is that a great story or what?"
Ron, "Yeah, great story indeed.  Enjoy your half day off."
Leslie, "Thank you."
Justin, [to Leslie] "Pick you up tomorrow around noon."
Leslie, "For our nooner." [Turns to Ron.]  "Which is a cute word!"
Ron, [to Justin] "Explain it to her later."
Leslie, [to Justin] "Explain what?"

Yeah, so I was totally Leslie.  I had no idea what a "nooner" was.  I really thought it was a fun made up word for when people want to leave work early.  Devin was laughing at me and didn't believe that I didn't know what that was!  Well, now I know!

Read the definition of nooner here or here.

TV Antenna HELP!

Does anyone have experience with new TV antennas?  We hardly ever have time for TV and don't want to pay $50 a month for it so we were thinking about getting an antenna.

I called the FFC (Federal Communications Commission) and Charlotte was very helpful to explain some things to me.  (1-888-225-5322)  She is going to mail us a magazine that shows how to hook it all up.

The lady at the FCC said you can buy an antenna at like Target or Best Buy and the outdoor kind is best.  Then, you need a converter box for older televisions, but not the new ones that can receive a digital signal, or something like that.

We want to record our shows and the lady said we could get a TiVo for that.  Then it would be like $12 a month for the TiVo service, but that would be the only monthly charge.  And, with a TiVo, we could stream videos from our Netflix account online to watch on our TV.

So, the upfront cost can be something like this...
antenna - about $100
converter box per tv (if you have an older tv) - about $50
(If you want DVR - $250)

The initial DVR cost is a lot.  There are websites that claim to have free monthly DVR service, but I don't know if they are good or reliable.

We know it's the cheapest way to go monthly and we might wanna do it so please let me know if you know anything about which brands of equipment to get or any useful information to help us decide!

All of this started because the speakers on our TV went out (we got it for $35 at the Mesa Auction so it we got our money out of it for sure).  So, we got a new TV.  Well, without a HD receiver for our Dish, the picture is not good at all, pretty much worse than the old TV.  So, we called up Dish and wanted a new HD DVR.  Well, they wouldn't give it to us unless we upgraded our plan, which we don't want to do because it would go up to $57 a month.  If we wanted to buy their DVR it would be $500!  Yeah, right!  So, we started looking into the antenna option.  Please let us know any suggestions!

Simple Way to Lose Weight

Food Network star, Alton Brown, followed these lists and lost 50 pounds!  He didn't just eat these foods and nothing else.  He just made sure to eat each food listed the number of times for the list they are on.  Does that make sense?  Like, he made sure he only ate red meat once a week, but he had carrots daily.

I can't imagine following a diet with lots of rules where you can only eat a few things.  That's why I think this is so great!  Oh, and with Alton's extensive food knowledge, I trust that it's healthy.  So, I wanted to post these lists he gave...

First, he said always eat breakfast!  He has a smoothie everyday.  Here's what he does:
24 ounces total, 4 ounces each:
juice
milk
banana
strawberries
peaches-frozen
blueberries-frozen

Put together the night before and keep in fridge.  In the morning, blend it together and enjoy!

All the ingredients have special reasons why he uses those specific fruits.  He didn't just randomly pick any variety of fruits.

So, here are the lists he presented...Eat the following:

Daily:
fruits
whole grains
leafy greens
nuts - almonds especially, 1 to 2 ounces
carrots

3 times a week:
fish
yogurt
broccoli
sweet potato
avocado

Weekly:
red meat
pasta
dessert

Never:
fast food
soda pop
processed meals
canned soups
"diet" anything

He didn't mention anything about poultry or pork which I'm interested to see how often he recommends it, or dairy either.

He also didn't mention what kind of exercise program he did.  I'm sure he did something to workout because he did lose a substantial amount of weight.  I can't imagine it was all just from following these guidelines.  Unless, maybe before he always ate huge portions of totally horrible foods.  But, I wouldn't think so.

Pushpin

I try not to get into too many shows because I think most of the time, television is a waste of time.  However, I do have a few shows I'm in love with.  I'm a big Office fan, but I think I'm starting to like Parks and Recreation more.  I know, I know, blasphemy to some of you, I'm sure, but don't hate me.

One of my favorite quotes/convos was with Leslie and Ron:

Leslie, "There's  pushpin in your face."

Ron, "Leave it in."

If you saw it, you'd know.  It was classic!

Gym Pants, Friar Tuck & Alton

I just love these little pants on Henry! I think they are so cute!

Cutest little profile!

Those lips!

I love noodles. They are one of my favorite foods and they are one of Jaxon's favorites too. I think it's safe to say Henry will be joining the club with his mama and brother.

Isn't this a neat pic? I was trying to get one of Henry and he grabbed the camera. What a perfect little frame!

We got some Utah cherries and while Devin made a pie Jaxon said he was "Friar Cook" (Friar Tuck from Robbin Hood) because there is one scene in the movie where the Firar uses a spoon like this to taste soup.

Then after baths we usually read stories before putting the kids to bed. Jaxon had a good long nap today so he wasn't quite tired enough for bed yet. Daddy asked Jaxon if he wanted to watch a show with him and Jax said, "Yea! I wanna watch the one with Alton." Following in Daddy's footsteps...they both enjoy Good Eats with Alton Brown.
On a sad note, take a look at what's left of the fudge I got from Disneyland. It's not the best fudge I've ever had. The fact that it's still soft after being open for a month proves that it has more preservatives than any other fudge I've ever had. But I have been enjoying it a little at a time to make it last and it's almost gone:(
Now I'm off to enjoy some cuddle time with my hot husband! Yea for Friday nights!

Wes is a J-E-R-K!

Wow, if she picks him I will feel really bad for her. At this point, if I were one of those guys who Wes said all that stuff to, I would say something to Jillian now. Next week looks like he just gets worse!

I can't believe she let Jake go! She's so sweet and was totally falling for her! Maybe he'll be the next Bachelor...

Love My Girls!

I just gotta say I LOVE how all the girls commented on the Bachelorette!  Haha:)  

Oh, and I leave tomorrow to go see my lover!  Yea!  I'm SO excited!!!

Bachelorette

First off, I got a GPS...Garmin 885T.  I really like it, but because much of the area where we live is new, the data isn't updated.  I even downloaded the most recent map update and it's still not current enough.  The hospital where Henry was born was built over a year ago and it's not listed!  I figure maybe it's okay that my Target isn't listed, but a hospital should be updated!  

Anyway...what I really wanted to talk about is...The Bachelorette!

I like Jake, Michael, and Ed.

Jake is a pilot.  He's the one who got to see Martina McBride with Jillian.  He is just so cute and he seems so genuine and nice and like he would just treat her so sweet!  He seems like such a gentleman.  I like him the best.  He's got the cute side smile goin' on.

Michael is the breakdance teacher from New York.  He's a cutie and I think he seems like such a nice guy and really  funny too.  I think they would have a lot of fun together.  She hasn't had a one-on-one date with him yet though, so I need to know more about him still.

Ed is the one who did the rope climb off the building.  He seems fun and pretty nice.  But, I think he might be a little bit too wrapped up in his career.  He did say it was something he was working on though.

Oh, and Kiptyn seems pretty cool too, but I need to know more.

Okay...on to who I don't like...Tanner P, Wes, Dave, and Juan. 

Tanner and his feet fetish...crazy!  I understand liking feet, but he is so obsessed!  He said he wanted to suck on her toes...gross!  It's a little weird, actually, I think it's a LOT weird!

Wes is the country singer.  I think he's kinda cute, but I don't trust him.  There's just something about him.  I can't realy put my finger on it yet.  He is also very possessive of her already, which is a little much.  Sure she is flattered by the song, but he might just want the exposure for his career.  I say no more roses for Wes.

Dave is the one who hates Juan.  Enough drama already!  Geez!  You are like 100 times worse than a girl!  He has such a temper and swears like crazy.  Not really a gentleman.  Let him go!  Oh, and just a side note:  when he gets mad his eyes pop out like Molly's from Bachelor's last season!

Juan is the guy Dave hates.  He's just not very manly.  He seems kinda sissy to me.  He can go too.

So...who do you like and not like???

Bachelor - My 2 Cents

Okay, I don't want to waste too much of my time on this, but I do have a few things to say...

First, poor Melissa!  Obvious reasons, I don't need to list them.  She's super sweet and she'll find someone.  She did a great job of sticking up for herself and bringing up good points like, "You chose Melissa, but you're not willing to fight for Melissa."  Good girl!

Second, I was SO mad at Jason when he broke up with Melissa and said he loved Molly, but after thinking it through, I'm not so upset.  

Here's why:  

I think it's lame he says he's just "following his heart" because that really isn't the reason.  Anyone who says the aren't in love with someone anymore, whether it be a girlfriend or wife, might say that.  That's just an excuse that people don't really like to challenge, "Oh, following your heart, huh?  That's stupid."  People don't think it's bad to "follow your heart," so that's just what he calls it.  Their (Melissa and Jason's) relationship just wasn't what he thought it would be, so his "heart" changed his mind.  And, I thought it was dumb for him to say he can't control his mind from having thoughts about Molly.  Um, married men better know how to control their thoughts!  So he better learn how if he wants to keep a wife.

Truly, and Jason did say this one time in one of the after interviews and I totally agree with it, he said something like, had this been real life, he would not have stopped dating any of the final 3 girls when he was forced to because he wasn't ready to make the decision, but of course, there were time constraints on the show.  He said he would have kept dating them until he was ready to make a good decision.  I agree.  I think the show, which it's not the show's "fault," it's just the rules, forced him to make a decision before he was ready and it was such an extreme decision, when he realized it wasn't the right one for him, he needed to go back on it.  

Of course it sucks he didn't make the right decision the first time, but I do think it's better he fixed it sooner than later.  I don't know if he really gave Melissa and his relationship a fair shot (being in a long distance relationship is tough enough, let alone having to keep it a secret), but he thinks he did.  I don't quite understand how the "chemistry changed..."

I don't know, it can be argued either way.  "He should stick with Melissa, he proposed to her."  Or, "It's better he didn't marry her and then change his mind."  Though, I partly think he proposed because that was his purpose, to find a wife.  His plan was to propose, not just find someone to date.  He carried out his plan in the amount of time the show allowed, but it wasn't really enough time.  But, once again, had it been in the real world, he wouldn't have chosen so quickly.  

I don't know if I explained what I really mean clearly, but I shouldn't spend too much time on this!

Anyway, why do we all care so much???!!!  Dang reality tv, sucks me in every time!

Anyone up for America's Next Top Model?  Season premiere was on tonight!  Oh, and American Idol--love it!

Gossip Girl

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.

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!

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!

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!