A new idea

Tonight while we were getting ready to read scriptures (on our bed) the kids were a little crazy. They love to 'try' and jump on the bed (the younger ones). They were doing all sorts of tricks and summersaults. I knew we had to get them to settle down without yelling. So while we were waiting for Don I decided to play a game with them to see if I could get them all sitting still and ready to listen.

We watch Brain Surge at 4:30 each day. It is just a cute little game show that features young kids. My kids enjoy it and they try to answer the questions. There is one section in the show where the host tells a story. The kids have to listen closely and after the story they have to remember key words that were mentioned. SO I decided to try that. They were all sitting on the bed and I told a story trying to use a lot of descriptive words. As soon as I was done we went around the room and each person could only say ONE word that they remembered in the story. They could not use simple words like the, I, he, she, you, and, it...you get the idea. And as soon as one person repeated a word that had already been said they were out or if they could not think of a word or said a wrong word they were out. I went around the room until only one person was left. The stories were not long but it really helped to calm them down and it got them thinking. We did it with three different short stories.

Then it was time for Scriptures and the kids were sitting quiet. The idea popped into my mind to do the same thing with the Scriptures. So I read a few verses and we did the same thing. WE went around the room and they had to say what word they remembered. I was impressed when Mayah said Lamanites. WOW. She actually heard something. It was fun to hear what word they remembered and it was fun to see them sitting there listening to the story and really trying to listen to what was said. They may not have gotten the full story but they pulled out some really good key words that will hopefully get them thinking.

I LOVE this idea and we will be using this for awhile until it doesn't work anymore. We are coming up with a lot of different ideas for different things until it gets old and doesn't work anymore. Then we have to think of something new. That really helps so they don't get bored. Sometimes we read in different rooms. Sometimes we read at the table when they have their mouths full of food (LOL). Sometimes we pull out the kids verson with pictures. Sometimes we have the kids say an Article of Faith. Sometimes Don will tell a Scripture story. One time we had a Scripture chase and the kids had to see who could get to the scripture first and whoever won got to read it. The older two had TONS of fun with this. We lost the younger ones. We have even pulled out a Gospel Art picture and read the scripture on the back or had the kids guess who/what was in the picture. Whatever we decide to do it is all about reading as a family and making sure it is done EVERYDAY. I love that the kids will remind us each night (even though we have plans to do it). They make sure we don't ever forget. What a blessing to have these words in our home. I am truly grateful for the scriptures and the messages they give to us. How lucky we are.

I LOVE IT

A few months ago I was looking through one of Don's woodworking books. I saw some folded paper and so I opened it up. It happened to be some plans for a headboard. At that point I figured he was going to make it for me for Christmas. He had been in the garage alot building 'something'.

So one day he asked me.....Lisa....you know what I am getting you for Christmas don't you? I just said WHY? I don't think I put the papers back exactly where I found them. OOPS. Look at that detail.
Here is my wonderful husband working really hard to get this done. He was pretty disappointed because the wood had warped from leaving it out in the garage when it was soooooooooo cold. We decided to move his tools and wood in the basement so it would stay warm. It wasn't easy working with the warped wood but I LOVE IT. And I am very happy with it.

OK so Don really loves wood that you can see the grain. SO he wanted to stain this a cherry color. I kept telling him I wanted it to be black but he just kept rolling his eyes and not understanding how I could cover up something that could look so natural. I just LOVE black furniture. He didn't want to paint it black. I kept telling him I wanted it black. This happened quite often throughout the time he was building it. It was more of a joke and I knew he would stain it. It didn't bother me.

He painted it black. YEAH. I LOVE IT. Everytime I walk up our stairs it is the first thing I see in our room. I can still see the pretty detail on it. Thanks so much Don. You really are the best. And thank you for giving in (even though you hated to cover up the grain) and painting it black.

I think I need some pictures on the wall and some red throw pillows. The curtains are the same color as the lamps but we need something more. I mean, we have only lived in our house for 15 months......we still have alot of time to find some pictures. :) You can see Ethan in the picture in front of the bed. He tried to get in the picture but I guess I snapped it too fast.

Gotta be something..

There has got to be something to blog about. How can can it be possible that I do the exact same things everyday. Pretty much nothing. And this whole week I haven't even gotten up early to get in my exericising. I am telling ya. I haven't done much.

1. Wake at 6:30 to make breakfast and get kids out the door to the bus.
2. Some days having to drive them because 'someone' can't get up and ends up missing the bus. It is NOT me.
3. Come back in and check email and blogs and facebook.
4. Do a bit of housework and try to get the younger ones to help.....that is a funny thing. Mayah keeps telling me how she can't do anything because she is sooooooooo small. But she is a big girl when it comes to wanting fingernail polish or when she sneaks my makeup. BUT MOM...I am big. :)
5. By this time it is about time to make lunch. But wait. I haven't gotten around to cleaning up the breakfast mess. Dishes always get put in the dishwasher right away but it is the crumbs. The terrible horrible no good crumbs that always fall to the floor BUT that NO ONE ever puts there. And sweeping is WAY down low on that list of things that should get done more than once a day. If it gets bad enough, I atleast know that Don will sweep. If Don would only go without his shoes more often he would sweep alot sooner. My sister tells me that sweeping is only a once a month job. And I have already swept this month so I am good until February.
6. So now that lunch is over and there are more crumbs on the floor...we leave the dining room really fast.
7. If the weather isn't too cold we head out for a little walk up our hill. We just need fresh air.
8. Kids are always asking to watch t.v. But we can't let them do that all day. SO we have to think. WE have to think really hard what to do next. Sometimes we read. Sometimes we do a craft (not often). I am not crafty. Sometimes I have them clean their room or help with other things. Sometimes we go window shopping. Sometimes we just have to get out of the house.
9. Time for afternoon snack. It is too messy and sticky to eat in the dining room. The table has crumbs. Did I mention that there are also crumbs on the floor? And I don't like to wear shoes inside. I really don't even like to wear shoes outside. IN fact, I try to get away with wearing my flip flops in the winter. I know..crazy. I love being barefoot. Snacks can always be eaten in the kitchen.
10. Now it is time to get the kids off the bus. We get the younger two at 4 and then wait another 15 minutes for Caleb.
11. Now time to figure out what we are having for dinner. Occasionally I will have something planned out. Make dinner and help kids with homework. The kids and I watch Brain Surge at 4:30. It is cute.
12. Now time for dinner. This is hard work at our house. This time takes a lot of patience that I don't have. Someone will start eating before the prayer. Someone else is clicking their fork on their plate. Another is moving their plate back and forth. There is turning cups over.....getting out of their chair....dropping a utensil.....might as well walk across the table and hang from the curtain rod. That is how most of our evenings go.
13. Depending on the day we do baths. That just means puddles on the bathroom floor. And more laundry. And it usually comes on the day when all the laundry in the house has been done. You know the feeling. You breath that huge sigh of relief when the laundry is all done and even folded and put away. Then you go look in the laundry basket after kids take their bath and it is completely full. How did that happen? That's it. No one is allowed to change their clothes again.
14. Scriptures and family prayer. They do fairly well. Someone is always peeking or noisy but it is getting better.
14. OK now it is time for kids to go to bed. Now I thought dinner was hard. PHEW...dinner is nothing compared to this. Kids are all tucked in but WAIT someone is thirsty.....someone has to go pee AGAIN......they aren't tired YET. They want just ONE more book. I promise....just one more. They can't sleep....they are afraid of the dark.....they want me to scratch their back.....they can't sleep unless I am in the room.....we forgot to give them their seal hug.....the light in the hall is too bright......and on and on and on.
15. Finally everyone, including Don is asleep. LOL. It is quiet. I used to do my personal scriptures in the morning but for some reason I just can't get up earlier than 6:30. So now I do it at night when everyone is asleep. The soft music is playing and I reflect on the day. I think...those poor kids....they have to live with me. :)
16. And then I get very tired and hit the sack around 10ish or 10:30. YIKES..it is already past my bed time.
17. And you thought it ended there. HA WRONG. That would be too easy. Mayah ends up in our bed pretty much every night. And sometimes Rachel too. Good thing Don wakes up at 3 and goes to work. Normally Rachel doesn't come in before that time. But she jumps in on Don's side. At times you can find one of the boys in our rocking chair. Caleb HATES the thunder so on those scary nights he is in there. If Zach can't sleep we find him there. And very very rarely will we find Ethan there. He is our best sleeper and usually sticks to his bed with his thumb and favorite blankie. I am thinking I need to teach the other kids to suck their thumb and maybe I should go buy them a blankie.

I am told this will all go by so fast and that I will miss these days once the kids leave home. WILL I? Atleast I have it all documented just in case I forget any of these details.

I know I will miss them. Sometimes when I am in the middle of it I get overwhelmed but when all is quiet I usually can only think about the kids. They really are a blessing. I am thankful for them.

Now off to bed to do this all over again tomorrow. Could this be why I have daily headaches? :)

A whole lot of laughs

Yesterday I cut Ethans hair. We went to Walmart and he kept talking about his new haircut. The conversation went something like this:

Ethan: Mom..everyone is going to look at me and tell me how cool I look.

Me: REALLY?

Ethan: MOM...can we go over to someone's house so they can tell me my hair looks cool.

A lady that was shooping then looked over at us and said to Ethan: WOW...your hair looks so cool. She was so funny and she picked up on things very quickly. She then told me she had just saved me. YES SHE DID. PHEW. Someone noticed his hair and told him it was cool. He didn't mention it after that. YES!!!!!


Mayah, at one time, was potty trained. She does pretty good during the day but almost always pee's at night. SO we have to keep her in pullups. She hadn't yet changed into her pull up and I was laying with her in her toddler bed (I know..funny sight) when she said: Mom....I pinkie promise not to pee the bed tonight (she really wanted to try going without her pullup). She had her hand in a fist and used the other hand to pry her pinkie away to show me it was really a serious pinkie promise. So I couldn't resist a pinkie promise. AT 2:30 in the morning she came in my room crying and telling me she had pee'd the bed. :)

Last night we were talking about haircuts. A few weeks ago Don gave Caleb a haircut and well....ummm....it was a little rough. Caleb didn't want it short but somehow Don messed up and HAD to cut it short. Caleb wasn't too happy. SO last night Zach was asking for a haircut and Don said he was done cutting hair. He wasn't about to cut anyone else's hair. Then Zach said: But Dad I thought you said we weren't supposed to quit or give up (ahhh good one Zach). Then Don asked Zach if he was going to be his guinea pig. Ethan got really excited and ran over to Don and said, "I WILL BE YOUR SKINNY PIG. It was hilarious. Ethan didn't quite get it when we were trying to explain to him what a guinea pig was. Too cute.

Last night I made some homemade pot pie. Don loves it and it is one of his favorites that I make. I actually made two. I was all proud of myself because I had done something different this time. I used part of the extra dough from the crust to make a design on the top. I made it and put it in the oven to bake. When it came out I was very pleased with the results. I called Don over to take a look and it surpsrised me when the look on his face was a bit of a shock. I thought he would really compliment me on it. But his eyebrows kind of raised and his eyes got a bit bigger than I expected. Then he asked "what is that supposed to mean?" Little did I know was that he had forgotten that I was taking food over to a family in the ward.

There is a couple in our ward who has been trying unsuccesfully to get pregnant for 7 years. Finally, they were chosen as adoptive parents. They were able to adopt a baby boy last week. I had written BABY on the top of the pot pie. I didn't even think twice that this could have been a huge misunderstanding. Don thought I was making an announcement. So funny. I got a good laugh out of that one.

I read online that laughing causes you to lose a few calories. It said it wasn't good enough to skip the gym or to dig into an icecream cone but it did say 10-15 minutes of laughing would burn the amount of calories that are in a small square piece of chocolate. YUM.

The girls

Here is Rachel doing the little dance we made up. She loves being the center of attention and now that I have figured out how to video them on the camera she wants it too often. :) Take note of the vacuum off to the left. That is not a prop. It actually gets used sometimes.

Wii tournament

We had a Wii bowling tournament tonight. There is no need to say that I came out on top with 179. But I thought this video was so funny. Ethan gets so serious when we play any game. He HAS to win. And boy was he happy when he beat Mayah. In this video I think he hit all but one down. And then he went for a spare but didn't get it. I think it is so cute how he is moving his hands all over the place. UH OH there is NO sound. I guess I am not so great at taking directions. BUMMER>

Thanks Melissa for explaining how to put this on here.

The new year....we had two of them.

Here is Rachel and Mayah playing. Those two are such great friends. They rarely fight. It is sooooooo nice. I hope they continue to stay close. Now the boys and girls fight but these two girls love each other and take care of each other. I often find Mayah crawling into bed with Rachel if I leave her before she falls asleep. Playing games. We did a lot of game playing. Caleb, Zach and Sami.

Don is Simon for Simon says. They actually played that for quite awhile.

This is our first round of New Years. We made 9 pm. the first celebration for Rachel, Ethan and Mayah. They didn't know any better. I filled up our cups with pop and then we blew our noise makers. Then Don took them to bed. They had sooo much fun playing and eating treats.

More of us making noise and bringing in the EARLY new year.

Here is Don with Mayah and Rachel. They got out pretty early in the game.

On Christmas for the last two years I have done a Pillsbury Christmas tree. It has a cream cheese type spread served on crossoints and then topped with carrots, brocolli, green peppers (you can do red also) cucumbers. IT IS THE BEST. SO I decided to do this for the new year.





More Simon says.

More game playing. Looks like they are playing spoons. Nadia was such a good sport. She played a few games with the kids.

YUM so there is some of our food.....spinach dip with crackers....pizza.....veggie tray......pop.......deviled eggs.......meatballs.......little smokies.......chip......chips and salsa........and my veggie 2010 thing.








And then on to the 'light' food. We wanted to be careful with our diet. Popcorn wreath....pretzel rolo candies....7 layer magic bars......and white choc. chex mix.

We have a good time. We brought in the new year again with the older kids at midnight. I couldn't believe it when they wanted to stay up even later. Are they crazy? It was so nice to spend time with family. I am not so sure they would say the same about us. LOL. We are quite the noise makers and I have come to the conclusion that we just make them appreciate their quietness even more. So if anyone needs that reminder just give us a ring. We will be right over.

This new year has come upon me so quickly. I normally try to stay away from making too many resolutions. And I have read that it is much better to be specific if you do make them. I have a few in my head. I haven't written them down. If they are not written down they can't be broken right? But if I do accomplish them I will take the credit.

Hoping this year brings just as much fun and memories as last. And if there are a bunch of lessons to be learned I hope I can endure and learn something from them all while keeping a good attitude.

A little late

Finally I am getting around to posting a few Christmas. Better late than never right? Here is Caleb with a Wii game he really wanted. Ethan has to check it out too.

Santa knew if he wrapped Zach's fishing pole he would know what it was right away. So Santa rolled up this piece of wrapping paper like a scroll and wrote a special message inside that read something like this: Zach....hmmm this is empty. I hope this is not an indication of how you have behaved this year. NAH. Go look in the coffee table for your gift. He loved it.

Here is Mayah and Rachel in their dress up clothes. Santa is SO smart to shop the after Halloween sales at Walmart scoring these for only $5.

Ethan with his remote control car. It was really sad that it didn't work well to begin with (I didn't have the receipt either). And then to top it off one of the other kids accidently broke it when we were getting into the car to go visit family. So now....poor Ethan doesn't have his car anymore. Maybe we will have to look for another one.

That purple item to the left was a some furniture we had been given. We kept it in Ethan and Zach's room to hold all their items. It had two separate doors in the front that opened. I took the doors off and Don spray painted if for me. I turned it into a barbie doll house for Rachel. Then I made some homemade doll furniture out of boxes. I made a refrigerator out of a small butter box. A table out of a box. I used two boxes together for a cute little couch and then a macaroni and cheese box for a bed. I wrapped them all in scrap material and I think they turned out pretty cute. She enjoys it in her room and has spent quite a bit of time in there. WE just need to find her some more barbie doll clothes so that her barbies stay modest.

Jaeley Elizabeth McHargue

Here is my new niece. She was due on Christmas day but born on New Years (01-01-10). Such a cool birthday. I have another niece who has the birthday 10-01-01. And funny how they have rhyming names. My new niece is Jaeley and my other niece is Hailey. Isn't she so cute?

Here is mom and baby. Look at all that adorable dark hair.

And what a great looking family. My brother and his wife, Lacey. Jenna (4) and new baby Jaeley.