Fun Weekend

We went to Chico last weekend for a fun filled packed time. We went up to Butte Meadows with my Dad and sista Lindsay to play in the snow. Luke looked divine in his borrowed hot pink snow outfit.





We then had a yummy Valentine's dinner with my Mom.

Letter from my Mom to her daughters

Oh my! To my daughters...who are born of a "grasshopper"...who always wished she was an "Ant". But, now at almost "50" am embracing my "grasshopper-ness" And if we could change the ending of the infamous fable, it would go like this...The grasshopper is on her way home, it is winter and snowing, and the grasshopper is having conversations in her head and is wearing a light jacket, because she can't find her coat(which is burried under the debris in her room and there was no time to look, because she stayed up too late talking with friends and helping them and connecting with them) therefore leaving no time to get organized for the next day. She grabbed a piece of cold pizza and soda as she walked out the door because she didn't stop at the store the night before....she didn't "feel" like it.(you see grasshoppers do what they "feel")Then suddenly the door opens where the "Ants" live and the Queen Ant appears and says to the Grasshopper, "We are bored to death" can't you plan a party or read us a story? And our teenagers are trying to decide what to do, do you have any ideas?? The grasshopper replies that she has lots of ideas for all of them and would love to stop her day and come inside to "talk" and "share" her ideas! So, the ant invites her into a spotless kitchen table with paper and pencil(she didn't even have to look for it) the ant also offers her some "home-made" bread fresh from the oven! The Ant asks the Grasshopper how do you come up with all these ideas? "They come to me while taking long hot baths, or I find them on the internet while searching for something "new" and "Fun".(when I actually should be doing the laundry) Girls- I am a "Grasshopper"-I work hard at relationships, teaching, performing to you when you were little, and learning about stuff. I am a grasshopper-It takes me months to dismantle Christmas because its more fun to bring out than put away.(my tree is still up as I write this) I am a Grasshopper- preparing for the winter is hard for me, I don't want to give up everything for a long period of time for the future when I am not certain of the future. I am a grasshopper- I like to watch people and to read "real-true" stories! I like to figure out why people are the way they are....I like to peel onions. :) I like to dance, I like to sing(other people don't like me to sing)but when you guys were little you were my favorite audience! Now, I have had to embrace and learn some "ant" traits to survive and to raise a family. Did I teach you how to be real organized-NO :( Did I teach you how to bake fresh bread-NO :( Did I show you how to have real cute, matching containers in a well decorated home-NO :( I haven't always been comfortable being a grasshopper. I always wondered if I fit in with a community of ants, or a church family of ants, or a family of ants. My discomfort I have realized came from fear of rejection, fear of disapproval, fear that the "ants" would not accept me unless I was just like them. So, I tried real hard to be an ant...most of the time. But, you know what I learned, we are all "equally human", without the atonement of Jesus Christ, our "virtues" whatever they are, whoever you are...Grasshoppers or Ants...are meaningless. Embrace who you are, play with the "Grasshoppers" and learn from the "Ants"! Don't be jealous, don't be discouraged, there is a "time and season" for everything. My prayer for my children is that they continue to take every opportunity to "become" (over time) the best "grasshopper" or "ant" they can. It's ok to be a grasshopper at times and an ant at other times. :) Just be true to who you are and to those talents and gifts that are designed just for YOU! I love you!
-MOM

Ode to my MOM

I have the best Mom anyone could have. She is a perfect Mom to me. She has always listened to me, comforted me, and is the one woman I can ALWAYS count on to do whatever I need. I can call her at anytime and can seek advice without feeling judged. Even when what I want to do or what I am doing is not something she would do or approve of. Her quirks bring smiles and her so-called grass-hopperness make her...well her. The memories I have of her are ALL good. I have no bad memories...only a few times she over-reacted to something that was later apologized for. (Hey, I am keeping it real) All my friends love her and she was the mom everyone wanted to drive with on field trips; she always stopped thru a drive-thru on the way back to school. I love to make fun of her sentimental-ness...I was given a statue of a mother and daughter for graduation and said in all seriousness, "no really where is my real gift?" That one makes me laugh even as I write this! How do I put in words how great she is?
Dear Mom,
You were the best Mom anyone could have. You did your job well. You taught me of Christ and his infinite love for us all. I was/am loved. I was prepared for life (as much as one can be) when I left home.
Thank You,
Stacy

thoughts

I have lots of thoughts spinning right now and so this is a warning that this post will most likely not make any sense...maybe not even to me.

Life is hard. No matter who you are. Everyone has got problems, hang-ups, weakness's', trials...Everyone is trying their damnest to do their best with what they have.

It is a waste of time and energy to compare yourself to others.
Dear Self:
Please make note of the above mentioned sentence. You are you and can't be like anyone else. So stop trying!

Being a mom is the number one BEST thing I could ever do in this life. Soak up every moment.

I am very happy with my life so far. I have a great husband, 2 great healthy kids, and my needs are very much met with many of my wants as well. My big regret thus far? Not getting a degree. I will though someday.

Food change update:
I don't like soy milk. Neither do my kids. Jord refused to try it.
Vege-dogs are very yummy. I like the Smartdog brand. Kids love, I like, Husband hates.
Organic Sunshine brand vege-burgers are good.
I like the soy yogurt better then regular yogurt.
I like the homemade peanut butter but it is kinda of hard to spread on bread.
I have only cooked one meal with meat in almost 2 weeks. It has gotten easier to think of meals. Yes, I have eaten meat though. I have had some fish and a real bacon cheeseburger.
Will have to go to whole foods again next week and try some more new foods and let you know. I have to say though, last week was the most busy week for me in over a year and let's just say I ate my stress away. But with no meat I only gained 2 pounds. So I was eating a lot but a lot of better food for me. Lots of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. My kids do eat the vegetables that are put on the table, I was very surprised by this.

I don't want to forget...

Friday when the doorbell rang both kids ran to it on all fours. Barking. You see my kids turn into dogs on a regular basis. Scrappy and Snoopy is what they are called. They eat from bowls on the floor and bark, pant, and lick. I opened the door and they are both at my feet barking. The guy says, "who is this?" I reply, "these are my dogs, Scrappy and Snoopy."

I might miss the memory of hunting for toothpaste in the morning. Luke loves toothpaste tubes. He totes around at least 6 at a time. When I can't find one I get a new one out so we have multiple tubes being used at a time. As soon as he wakes up he goes to the bathroom and takes them out. They are NOT allowed downstairs. (I must keep the hunting area for them to a minimum.) Luke knows this and screams at the top of the stairs cuz he knows he can't descend with them.

I will miss the days when Lei would rather sleep in her tent then in her bed. She never wakes up in the best of moods though. This was taken this morning as I woke her up for church.

2010 Journey

Okay, so all month we kept and recorded every penny spent and....WE STAYED ON BUDGET!!!!! We didn't go over any week. We are living on a straight cash budget that is with drawled every Monday-but this week we are changing to Saturday. Feels good. Our goal for February is to spend $36.00 less on eating out. Yes we have budgeted in our favorite thing to do...Eat out! February will be a costly month with my hair getting done and new tires for Jord's car, but I am hopeful we can still save %10 AND pay the extra budgeted amount to the car loan. I will let you all know next month.

#Two big change
I am making a BIG effort to get healthier food in this house. And LOWER our meat consumption. No I am not going vegetarian but just think we are eating meat A LOT. I have gone 2 days without any meat and I really can't say I miss it. Not that I wouldn't pass up a good steak mind you. I have to say though it is hard to know what to cook for dinner. Like tonight, I had some red potatoes that had to be cooked for they were about to start growing. Normally that would be a side dish for chicken but not tonight. They were a side dish to butter spaghetti, broccoli, and peaches. And the entire meal Lei kept saying what a wonderful dinner it was-broccoli included. This coming from the child who hates dinner. Buddy was not touching the broccoli but had a good time feeding himself the spag.

I also went on a trip to whole foods for the first time this past week. MADE my own peanut butter-why wasn't I doing that before!? Got some vege-dogs. That both me and Buddy had for lunch, and I would buy them again. I don't buy hot dogs ever so Lei was like, "Mom what is that?" I also bought some soy milk, vegan pasta, and some soy yogurt. These have not yet been tried. We shall see.

So anyway that was January. And I am NOW gearing up for a VERY BUSY FEBRUARY!

Me and my Dad

And 2010 Begins...

So the other day I was venting to a friend and I had stated that I loved 2007. That was my year; for reasons A, B, and C. So she says, "so make 2010 your year and get back where you want to be." Interesting thought...I have kind of played that over and over in my head and have officially decided to take her advice and do it! 2010 is going to be my year!
2010 personal goals
1. Lose the last of my baby Luke weight
2. Draw closer to my Savior by making it a priority to read the scriptures and have meaningful personal prayers regularly.
3. Follow our get out of debt plan. We should be car and school loan free by the end of next year if we try REALLY hard. This year's budget and payment plan have been planned and implemented since January 3.
I was going to list a few more but want to keep it simple, if I can do these 3 things this year I will be very proud of myself for sure. I will just replace the weight goal with a new goal when it is accomplished.

The famous coveralls

These coveralls were a gift to Kaleia about this age from my dad. They now fit Luke. The overalls happen to be the uniform worn by my father everyday to work. I can't look at them and not think of him. And yes Luke is holding onto toothpaste, his favorite toy.

von Moos Christmas Party

The second annual von Moos/Richter party was a huge hit! Thanks to Grandma Moos and Aunt Linda. I really wish I had taken more pictures of it.