A good scrapbooking convention!

This weekend I had fun at the Creating Keepsake's yearly Mesa Scrapbook Convention. I'm so fortunate that I only live about 5 minutes away. I took 8 classes, all in a 24 hr. period from Thurs. night to Friday night. I have a table full of my projects, not to mention I brought home extras, goodie bags, prizes and others stuff worth more than I spent to go - so it was a good time.

I also met a new friend named Serena. She lives just a few minutes from me and now I have someone I can scrapbook with. She's not married, has no kids, but she's older than me by a few years. She's a lot of fun and we have so much in common. I homeschool and she's working at a local community college while earning her degree to become a teacher. We even jumped out of our seats at the same time to teach others around us how to do a difficult project in one of our classes.

So here's what I made:
An accordion album, covered front & back with great paper and lots of the new velvet paper. A rolodex-type system scrapbook, 3 photo clip stands (made from binder clips), 3 solid, heavy, wood photo blocks I'll cover with photos, 5 great layout pages with photo matte cutouts, and even 2 with moving parts!, a travel tag mini book, a see-through acrylic mini album, a FRIENDS shaped album, and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting.

I only do this once a year, and the homeschool convention once a year. Those are my 2 to 4 days a year I take for me. The other 361+ are for others.

Monthly and Weekly Goals

How many of us have set yearly goals only to forget what they even were by the time March rolls around? I usually find forgotten lists around August and then scramble to see what I still have time to complete. I'm learning to break it into smaller pieces to get more done that's truly important.

I now set monthly goals in several areas: my work (can be your job, home business, even stuff to get done regarding housework if that's your daily job), my health, my mind (what I'm going to read to get better), my friends, my family, (who I'll connect with that month), my finances, my faith, my recreation, and my renewal (what I'll do for me).

After you figure out some things you'd like to get done, then break it into weekly goals - week 1, week 2, etc.

If you need to, you could even break it into daily bites, like to read 10 minutes, or 1 chapter every day.

Here's an imaginary list to get you started:

May:

1. Reach the next level in our company.
2. Order next year's Math curriculum.
3. Donate all outgrown and unwanted clothes to the Goodwill bins.
4. Drop 5 pounds by walking 3 times a week and eating healthier, smaller portions.
5. Read The Eighth Habit by Stephen Covey.
6. Call Elaine in CA.
7. Talk to Lynn on the phone again.
8. Take kids to a movie.
9. Date night with spouse.
10. Get started on Sharon's gift.
11. Stick to $100/week grocery budget.
12. Read Psalms 1 - 20.
13. Enjoy going to Scrapbooking Convention just for me.
14. Take a trip to a nearby lake.
15. Write the next chapter in my book.

Now 15 things may seem like a lot to work on in just 30 or 31 days, but if you break it down to Weeks 1 - 4, it's not so bad:

Wk 1: Find 2 new businesses, go through drawers for unwanted clothing, walk MWF, read first 1/4 of book, email Elaine to set up time to call her on the weekend, check out movie lists, plan date with spouse, buy items for gift-making, read psalms 1-5, attend convention, pick a lake to visit, write 5 pages this week in my book.

See, now it's manageable, not to hard, just break it down and get more done. Even if you don't get it all done, you'll get more done than if you hadn't planned, right?

Beginning Soccer season

This week is Jordan's first time trying soccer. She's been a dancer 5 years. She can do ballet, tap, jazz, and now she has to learn to be more aggressive, and play as a teammate. Yes, she can do all the stretches, and she's got strong legs, but the whole concept is so different.

When she was in dance, it was a lesson in personal responsibility. The challenge with soccer will be if she accept her mistakes, own up to them, and not blame her faults on her teammates. I suspect the first time she takes a soccer ball to the face she'll ask to quit, but she'll need to learn the term "recovery time". You know, how long it takes to get over doing something wrong or embarrassing and to get back to playing your best again.

She's got the best coach in the league (in my opinion). He loves the kids, he's more concerned about their fun than fierce competition, and is careful they don't sustain any serious injuries this young. He'll push her further than she thinks she can go, but she'll learn that mistakes are part of learning.

I'm looking forward to it, and when the season's done, I'll look back and tell her how proud I am of her.

Before I turn 40...

After recent commercials for The Bucket List movie, I've decided to come up with a

Before I Turn 40 List

Here's what I have so far:

1. Build a successful Monavie business to the level of Diamond (or above). This will allow for the other things on the list.

2. Pay off all credit card debt, the minivan, and get Tim a new bike.

3. Donate money to the Africa Hope Center, the M.O.R.E. Foundation, e3 Ministries through donating to our friends the Berrymans and their children, the Brooks'.

4. Take the kids to the Grand Canyon.

5. Visit my Grandmother in Boston.

6. Drop 30 pounds.

7. Go on a family cruise at Christmas.

8. Move into our new house.

9. Plant a garden.

10. Help 6 people in one year to become self-funding, financially free. We've already hand-picked 4, have an idea for the 5th, and the 6th, I don't think we've even met yet.

So, the clock starts ticking today - one year to make all this happen.

My Birthday, already?!

My birthday is Sunday the 30th but I got to celebrate early. Tim's parents gave me a few more pieces the the bathroom set they gave me for Christmas. It's for the new house and will match the 50's decor very well. I also got a card, cash and a purple shirt/pants set.

Last week, I was taken to lunch by 2 of the drama mama's (our kids are in plays together). We went to Abbey Gardens, my favorite tea house/restaurant.

Today, my friends from Bible study took me to Mimi's Cafe in Scottsdale. I spent time with Cathy, Pam, Stephanie, Elaine and her kids (visiting from CA), Tracy, and Sallie. They blessed me with their company, words, cards and gifts. I'm so blessed. I hope they know how special they are.

My best friend EVER, Michelle, also remembered my birthday and wrote me a sweet card that said all the things I feel for her too. I treasure it.

Tuesday I got another little gift from my friend Virginia, and the other ladies at bible study signed a card for me. I look forward to it the most every year. It reminds me why I do what I do when it's hard.

My mother sent me a card with a dollar for every year that I am - very cute, like a little kid - but I'd guess she had to really scrimp and save for it, so it's also greatly appreciated.

I got another card from my Aunt Brenda. She and I were close through my teens/early 20s. It means a lot that she remembered.

As for the rest of the family - they always let me know I'm loved, so I miss them, but don't expect anything from them - they've all given me something I needed - to belong.

I'm so happy.

Spring Break's here (sort of)

The next 2 weeks will be a little more fun than usual. I purposely scheduled the kids to have less work and a few less classes for the next 2 weeks. This week is spring break out here and since some of their friends are in the public schools, I wanted them to have time to play with them. Next week, the kids all go back to school and our favorite places won't be so crowded - so we'll have a 2nd week of lighter classes so we can fit in a trip to the zoo, the science center, and maybe a place we haven't been yet - like to a lake, or a new museum, or a play or something.

The weather is in a state of change here. We hit 83 a few days, it was only 60 yesterday, cloudy and very windy, and today should be in the low 70s but sunny. I'm thankful for every cool day we have before it gets into the 90s, and then the 100s. We usually hit 100 around Mother's Day, and it stays over 100 until September/October. It's still okay til about 107, then your eyes hurt going to the mailbox. (hard to explain)

Anyway, for those of you in a cold climate, you'll be seeing grass and flowers before you know it...just hang in there...winter can't last forever.

Our new adventure!

On March 1st our family joined up with the Monavie company at www.monavie.com.
We've been around MLM's for 20 years, but OMG is this different! In the very first week, we're making hundreds of dollars, it's easy, and we haven't sold a single bottle. It's just $39 to join, and you drink healthy juice made from a blend of 19 fruits, leading the way with the acai berry - the number 1 free-radical warrior, the most powerful antioxidant food source known to man.

We get healthy, the company lets us join in for next to nothing, and no one recommends we go to lots of meetings or sell stuff. Making money was never this easy or this much fun.

Anyone that knows us, especially Tim, knows that we make every decision with logic, not emotional hype. If you know us, you also know we don't waste money and always look for the best deal. Trust me when I say, you can do this too.

They pay weekly, their only a binary (2 legged) system, so everyone grows fast, and everyone gets to benefit from not only their own work, but that of others as well.

A big plus is that the company runs the M.O.R.E. Foundation, which is a non-profit foundation to build orphanages in the slums of Brazil. They currently feed, clothe and educate 800 kids daily in a land filled with daily murders and streets run by drug lords.

Check out their site, watch their videos on the acai berry product and the compensation plan. It just may be the answer you were looking for in an unexpected source.

Our latest venture...

This week Tim & I signed up with the company Monavie. With so many people fighting health issues and especially cancer from free-radical, abnormal cells, their product makes sense. It's from the acai berry, preserved by a procedure that retains 99% of the berry's nutrients. (Most store-bought acai berry drinks aren't as healthy, since the berry loses all but 12% of it's nutritional value in the first 24 hrs. of being picked). Their flash freeze process done on-site in Brazil makes all the difference.
You just drink the Monavie juice, just 2 oz. twice a day, and it's a blend of 19 fruits from the 4 corners of the world, and has the anti-oxident and nutritional value of 7 - 9 servings of fruit. It's not a cure, not medicine, but it's a superfood, which means it can sustain life on its own. How cool is that in a society where we never eat enough fruits and vegetables, and those we do aren't natural anymore unless you buy organic?

The best part is the money. We've been involved in other systems before, but they never had this kind of money, especially this quickly. I had the opportunity to meet people making thousands of dollars a WEEK and they aren't superstars, or the unusually successful type, and they've only been in a year or less! The cool part is, we can start for just $39, not hundreds and hundreds.

Finally, there's light at the end of the financial tunnel and it isn't a train!
It's good to have hope again.

What did the world do before video games?

I've spent most of the day watching my son and my husband playing video games. I enjoy using the wii as much as the next person. It's fun to play tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, shooting, billiards, and more - and the mii people/characters are so cute! I love creating them and downloading cute ones like Chicken Little, Yakko Warner and Snoopy. But the system's been on at least 8 hours today. First Adam plays online against people in Guitar Hero III, then in Medal of Honor 2. It's very different from playing against a computer, or someone in your house. But now even my husband's addicted to playing the online WWII game! It's kind of funny when Tim says, "You know, Adam, you've been playing for over an hour..." Then he proceeds to play for the next hour and a half himself!

Meanwhile, I sit here in our tiny living room wishing we had the new house already. I'd be in my room away from all the noise, or relaxing in the swimming pool, or enjoying the clear, warm, night sky, or making something in my beautiful new kitchen.
But here I sit, wondering, "What did the world do before video games?"

I remember growing up, my parents would put me on the back porch, threaten me if I left the yard, then locked the door for the next 3 or 4 hours. I spent so many hours on our postage-stamp sized yard in the city with nothing to do but draw, read, and occassionally exchange a few words if a neighbor came out.

My kids used to always play outside riding bikes, climbing trees, playing on their swingset, digging in the mud, you know, outdoor stuff. Here we don't have a yard, so they can sometimes play a sport in the grassy common area, or ride their bikes, but I can't wait til we're in a neighborhood where they can walk around, explore, meet the new neighbors, and play at friends' houses.

Anything but waste hours on end playing games and staring at the TV. The part that really gets me is that the war game that they spend hours playing doesn't involve activity like other wii games - it's just like all the rest - great for building couch potatoes.

I hope we get the house soon!

I can't wait til late March/early April !!!

My friend Michelle and her husband Elio are moving here from MA in August (or sooner, if possible). Her Mom, Ginny and her husband Steve are moving out here too! I've had so much fun this past week taking pictures around town to send them to keep them motivated during those long, gray, cold, winter days back east. I can't wait til they get here and see how pretty and colorful and sunny it is here. They're going to just love it, I know it. Their cost of living will go way down so they'll have tons more opportunities once they're here. I'm so excited their coming, but I'm also very excited FOR them and all they great things that they in store in the near future.

To be reunited with Michelle like this is a long-time dream come true.

Adam's cool weekend:

This weekend will be pretty cool for Adam. Friday night is a sleepover with a bunch of friends for a birthday party. They're going to stay up most of the night playing video games. They'll be leaving for their own homes mid-Saturday.

Sunday, Adam will be at church, as usual.

Sunday night, the church where Adam attends his Bible Study (and played sports) is hosting an all-niter at Amazing Jakes from 11pm to 6am. (Yes, there's church chaperones and his friends are all going and the doors get locked so no strangers get in. Only church-invited people can attend.) They get video games, a pizza buffet, go-kart racing, laser tag, bowling, rock climbing wall, karaoke, bumper cars and snacks! Oh, to be 14 with so little responsibilities again!

But to do the right thing, Adam did both Friday's and Monday's schoolwork early so that he can sleep in Monday and not get behind on his classes. A motto in our house is "We do what we HAVE to do before we do what we WANT to do."

The Adam Fan Club

How funny is this? Jordan and her friends started an Adam Fan Club and so Jordan set up a blog where his members can keep up with what's going on in his life, see pictures of him, and learn more about him.

Maybe it'll be a good experience for him to learn to model good behavior, and be a good example because people are watching his every move. It could be an important lesson if he's going into law or politics.

The website is www.adamtowerfanclub.blogspot.com

Logan & Adam's Birthday songs

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Logan turned 12 on Friday the 8th. Adam turns 14 on Sunday the 10th.

Adam goes to Washington?

Well, not exactly...but he IS spending this week in downtown Phoenix learning how government works. He's part of a group that does one week a year together, called Teen Pact. Christian, homeschooled students get together to learn how to write bills, how they're turned into laws, Parliamentary etiquette (rules used in government, like you see on C-Span), etc. They deal with issues that are important to the values they hold, as well as funny ones. He's learning a lot and spending all week with highly intelligent people who plan to make a difference and change this country for the better. They are the leaders of tomorrow, and I'm really proud of him.

Who said life was fair?

Last night I mentioned to Tim that I'd like a cookies n' cream shake from Chick-Fil-A next to our house. As soon as I said it, he was out the door to get one for me, himself and Adam, since he stays up with us later than the other two.

In the morning, I come downstairs and I'm greeted by Logan & Jordan. Not by "Good morning!", but by "so, did you 'eat more chicken' (Chick-Fil-A's slogan) or did you drink more shakes? We found the containers in the trash."

Okay, so where do we get the idea as kids that life is always fair? It never is. There's lots of times when good stuff happens to bad people and bad stuff happens to good people. Many times the people that stay home collecting checks have nicer lifestyles than those who work hard at 2 jobs. The short lines take longer than the long lines at the grocery store. The snobby kid gets all the recognition. The spoiled kid keeps getting more and more. The poor kids struggle day after day, grateful for what little they have, and can't seem to get ahead. So where does this idea of fairness come from?

Maybe it goes beyond this world...When you get good things in this world, but aren't a good person, you lived selfishly for yourself and not for others, you never needed to be "saved" since you didn't seem anything you did was wrong, than what you get here on earth is ALL you get.

When you lived your life for others, but still made mistakes, still lost your temper, still made some bad choices, but you understand that, you realize you need someone to save you from the bad things you've done, and you trust Jesus, you may not always get a lot here on earth. Here's where the fairness comes in - you get eternity without tears, pain, mourning, death, problems - forever! So maybe the fairness thing is instilled in all of us before we're born, and we spend our time trying to figure out what's fair and what isn't.

Free Rice while Learning

I got this link from a friend. Play for free, no sign in required, build your vocabulary, and the advertisers donate money to buy rice for the hungry. Please Play, then bookmark it to play often.

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

It's been a good week for Adam.

In the last 4 days, Adam got a wii, got to use his Subway giftcard for their "sub of the day", got a Starbucks Strawberry Frappaccino with another gift card, bought Metroid Prime 3, and pre-ordered Brawl that comes out, oddly enough, on his birthday in 3 weeks.

For Tim, it's a time of him changing jobs soon, so we're not sure how his schedule will look. Fortunately, we have activities to a minimum, so whatever it turns out to be, it shouldn't be too hard to adjust to.

For me, this week is a time to focus on praying for my ladies' bible study friends. Our group has grown to almost 30 women, so praying for each of their requests is pretty time-consuming. Our latest study is laid out with every other week off from homework. That gives us all plenty of time to pray for a few friends per day, at least every other week.

For Logan, it's been a tough week. He's been in an arguing mood all week. He argues over everything, no matter how little or stupid. Not like he wants to be confused with the facts or anything!

And then there's Jordan. The smallest in a house of all Type-A personalities with attitudes and stress. She spends a lot of time doing girly things in her room...makeup, hairstyling, playing with Barbies, re-decorating her 8 X 10 room...just trying to stay away from everyone til the air gets a little more breathable.

Next week's goal: To get outside more, walk, take in more sun and fresh air, bringing the kids with me. I bet it'd do us a world of good - but the wii's still new, so the kids stayed in all week.

Adam got a Wii - finally!!!

Today was a great day for Adam. He worked outside, in 100+ degree days in the middle of summer, outworking the adults. He earned hundreds of dollars. He spent the next 5 months debating if he really really wanted a Wii or not. After much deliberation, he decided he wanted one, and as you probably know, it was sold out EVERYWHERE !!!

Enter my childhood best friend, Michelle. She lives in Massachusetts. I told her how frustrated Adam was at not finding one, so she decided she'd find him one back east, even if she "had to go to China to get it!" Her relative had one he never used beyond the first week he bought it, so she got it from him, boxed it up and sent it to Adam, paying for the shipping herself.

We never told Adam it was on the way. (Michelle and I love fun surprises for other people!) The box came in today. I said to Adam, "Could you unpack this box for me while I do something?" His reaction was just as expected...he kept saying "OMG! It's a Wii !!! I can't believe it!" I've never seen him so happy.

I'm also beaming from ear to ear, not because I got to help make him happy, but because now I don't have to hear how frustrated he is every single day about not having one, stupid Japanese marketing, and artificial supply and demand. Yes, he really talks like that.

So today was a very good day.

Boys and Weapons

You teach them right, you tell them to appreciate peace, and by the time they're 4, they bite their toast into the shape of a gun! My boys aren't the type to enjoy jumping in mud puddles, skateboarding on guardrails, or wrestling each other. They ARE the type who:

- raced down a huge hill from the barn to the driveway on anything with 2 wheels while dragging their feet, putting new holes in the toe of new shoes every few weeks
- took off at 2 years old during a party to drive a tractor away from the house into the center of Papa's yard while all the men looked on and the women were busy in the kitchen
- while the adults were giving supervised horse rides around the arena, one boy took off on his own horse to the other end, a good 200 feet away!
- went out for a day with Papa at the horse farm and came back with blood all over his chin and shirt because he wanted to "swing on the electrical tape"
- now in their teen and pre-teen years, they still play with toys - like a blowdart gun and air soft rifles

And that's just the way they were made - I wouldn't have it any other way - Ahhh, fond memories.

Say it isn't true!

Is the football season really almost over? That's so sad. I wait all year to watch football on Sundays (and Mondays, and Saturdays...), then it's gone so quickly! All in all, it's been a good year. The Cardinals did better than most people expected. Before the pre-season got started, I called that they'd end about half wins/half losses. I was pretty happy. I also still like the Patriots. I figure if I had to live through 30 years of them being so awful - I can live out of New England and still share in their victories. But my favorite team of all - the Indianapolis Colts - did great this year! #2! Thier coach Tony Dungy is great. I was thrilled when Payton Manning finally got his superbowl win last year. The guy next door roots for Dallas (I can't stand their coach, therefore, I don't like them). Last year he told me they were going all the way and I told him it'd be the Colts. This was about 2 weeks into the season...I was right! Woo-hoo!

I've loved watching football as long as I can remember. I think it's because it reminds me of happy times. My family never watched football. I used to watch with my friend Sue's family when they'd gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and the SuperBowl. We even followed Boston College when Doug Flutie was their quarterback! As I got older, my best friend Michelle and I used to watch football together too. She liked the Steelers and either the NY Jets or the NY Giants. I like the coming together for a common cause, I guess. It never was about the cute little pants they wear like some girls. It's all about the game.

Now in my house, I watch my 3 favorite teams and whoever else may be on (except Dallas). The rest of the family isn't into it like I am, they just "tolerate it" I guess. I'm the only one yelling at the TV and coming unglued over bad calls made against "my" team. And now, it's almost over.

What am I going to do on Sunday afternoons for the next 6 months?