Ever wonder how libraries stay afloat?

I mean have you seen our local library?

BEAUTIFUL front yard, cushy sitting spots for the teens and kiddos. TONS of movies to pick out and not rent, just to borrow! It is wonderful. colors, comfort, programs for the kids and the list goes on.

But have you ever stopped and wondered how on earth they can do it when nothing they do is for money?

Well I'll tell you. It is people like me. I could personally fund a year of new advancements to the library with all my fines!

Yep the good news is we check out books all the time. My family is a bookworm family. Right down to the last tot, the 19 month old even loves her books. So at any given time we have around 30 books in our house.

As I try to keep them in one spot, they seemingly try to take them any place but their one spot. Therefore I am always short a book or two. But I wish I could say that was my only excuse!

The problem with this picture? I have NO intention of renewing them or turning them in on time. Ok so I do HAVE the intention, I just never remember. The reminder emails always seem to come when I am not around a computer to renew or around the books to pack up and return. I forget and forget, and then at some point I am back to owing the library around 15$ (at its lowest!)

So the next time you go to check out a book, especially a mommy one or children's one, you can look at it, and if it is from the Sandy UT library, you can wonder if maybe just maybe my family "donated" it.

Note to self, maybe now after hitting the post button I better go renew this weeks overdue books!

Put your feet up, take a load off...

When you ask? Where? How?

Ever wonder how moms do that? Get a chance to relax, put their feet up, breathe, take a second to themselves?

I didn't think we got to do such a marvel, until I figured it out today. I finally figured out how and I am going to share my secret with you!

I was just wishing for a little time away from this...

Ahh yes, what happens to my pristine kitchen on weekends when the family is all home, all "off duty" and all in a rush for the caboodle of things on our daily lists....

So today I made that wish and got that wish! There I was, reading a magazine, feet up, no one talking to me but myself, just lounging around...a beautiful picture isn't it? One that we all beg for.

Well I am here to tell you the secret, but be careful what you wish for! That picture is in truth quite a bit different....

This...was my quiet place!

My feet, yes they are propped on a doctors table. And that my dear friends is my lovely hospital gown. I was "relaxing" at Instacare. See earlier today hubby made me finally go in to get checked.

I went last night to meet a bunch of wonderful ladies (post update to come) from the blog world. It was tons of fun, however my head felt like it was going to explode the whole time and I had to try to contain myself from sounding like I was death warmed over.

So after a miserable night and several soccer games and pictures today he suggested, um, insisted, I go to get it checked. My facebook update: "At instacare, hubby is makin me go....they'll probably tell me it's just a cold and to get over it...." As you can tell I didn't think it was much.

I was sure I was just being a baby. However the time started ticking on, they needed to check my ears, which was complicated to say in the least, and had to do an x-ray etc etc. So I got my everlong wish. Time alone.

With that wish I owed hubby a rare, "you're right". With that wish also came bronchitis, sinus infection and an ear infection.

So my suggestion to you? Watch what you wish for. You may figure out the secret, but you might just get more than you bargained for!

You'd think I was starting my first day of highschool...

I swear I have the jitters of the first day of school. I have decided to take a leap and go meet some wonderful ladies. Well I don't know them, not really, but I follow some of their blogs and they invited area bloggers to join t hem at the Cheesecake Factory...who can resist?! So I have decided to try to KEEP one of my never ending promises to you, I will give it a shot.

I am really excited

And really imtimidated

These women are awesome! To me they are super mom. I mean they make the coolest things, have such witty writing and are inspirational all over the place.

I have those first time wonders, will they like me? Will I sit kind of to my myself? Will I tell a dumb joke only I laugh at, will I wear the wrong thing? And the list goes on. But I am forging ahead, gonna try to make some new friends not only in blogland, but here in my new home.

Wish me luck.

And with this comes a promise. I know I know, NOT another one!? But really. I want to make this a fun, interesting, and HELPFUL blog. So I am going to try to do more, at least 5 times a week. I want it to be a tool for moms of daughters, moms of any little person (6 and under to be exact).

I swear I am trying. and I have a BUNCH of projects in the making for you! I was just crazy enough to try to start actually running this blog differently, move, have life changes and make something of myself all at the same time!

Anyhow this time I do have a legitimate excuse, if you read my post yesterday (here) then you know my family has been battling some sort of nasty bug for a few weeks now. It is all I can do to keep up with the laundry and sanitizing the house! But none the less, I am getting back on my feet. However I do need your feedback . If you are bored, TELL me, if the project is cheesy, TELL me, well ok maybe not in quite those words but suggest stuff you WOULD like.

I will tell you I hope tonight will make a difference. I am making the first step and it scares the heck outa me!

I can't wait though, I love all their blogs and am so excited to add some more to my Ipad reader!

I'll let you know all about it tomorrow!..

Never tell a child their prayers won't come true!

Rule #354 in raising a princess:
Don't tell her that her prayer is just a little out there to come true...

Ok so on this one you might need a little background.

It all started a few weeks ago. #1 ( as my husband lovingly has dubbed our children their birth order) ended up getting bronchitis. Not a big deal in itself. But #2 developed a cough. Again, nothing too serious though. So last week we headed out on a trip back to WI for hubby's class reunion. We left the oldest two home with a friend.

Friday night I get a call from her that made me feel like the worst mommy in the world. My sweet lil angel (#2)had just thrown up all over her husband! I ached to be there for her. But went on with the evening. That worst mommy moment lasted until I got another call the next afternoon. They were taking her to Urgent Care...ended up she had pneumonia. Great. Now I am not there in a serious time of need.

So, it keeps getting better. Saturday night after we got home at 1am, as if on cue, the sweet #3 started throwing up and well the other end, all over. For the next 7 hours I stayed up with her taking care of the poor lil thing. She seemed fine until we were about to leave for the plane back home, and it all started again.

The airlines were so accommodating that it would have cost us over 1600$ to change tickets WITH a doctors note!

Anyhow, Monday I got to be the lucky contestant...getting sick with the flu. I kept telling the girls not to come by me, I didn't' want them to get this. But my sweet compassionate lil #1 insisted.

And then Tuesday evening she became the "lucky" one. Somewhere between the toilet, and 3am she started praying;

"Dear God, I would really really like it if you could cancel the circus parade, so it's fair ya know"

*Footnote, the poor lil girl was supposed to go see the Circus parade and play in the fountains at the Gateway mall for a class field trip For those of you who don't know it, it is VERY cool.

Anyhow, she has been looking forward to this for over a month!

Upon hearing her prayer, I felt it the mommy necessity to inform her that those kind of prayers just might not be answered. That they aren't really possible for something so set, so big, to just change because she prayed for it.

Fast forward past a bunch of crying the next morning (after 3 hours puke free) that she was good enough to go and to "PLEASE PLEASE let me". Broke my darn (wow that looks like another word, it is DARN :)) heart. But she did realize she wasn't well when she couldn't even make the whole trip home from dropping her sister off. She was SO sad that there was no way out of this!

Then about 10 minutes before they were to leave my girlfriend called and said she talked to someone who said there was no parade. I couldn't believe it, so she got on the phone with the mall and then the circus themselves! NOPE there was to be NO parade. There was never one scheduled. Everyone had just assumed there was, since for years before there always was one.

I could NOT believe my EARS. Did her prayer REALLY just come true? I mean I know on one hand, there never was a parade. But we had NO clue about that. So yes in fact her prayers were answered. You should have seen the smile on her little face when I told her!

So my advice to you. NEVER ever tell a child their dreams, their prayers, are too crazy or big. They just might surprise you!

As I say so often...faith like a child!

Who here loves grocery shopping?

I used to...however that has changed since I have a family of 5 and usually try to go with OUT the kiddos.

See if you take three lil helpers a short list-20 minute trip takes nothing short of 3 hours! Really. Even with well behaved children.

So I play this game and try to wait out my fridge and cupboards and see how empty they can get before I go.

Now enter my most recent huge shopping trip, it was a few weeks ago now, but I don't think I have learned my lesson yet, as everything is looking pretty bare again.

I bet you are wondering, well I hope, what on earth I am talking about.

This trip was not fun! Out here in Utah it is different than WI. I loved going weekly back home because I got the weekly double coupon prices. Well they don't offer that out here, so your best bet is to price match at walmart. So after meticulously preparing my list and coupons and matches I headed on my way to walmart. Solo.

I was excited, and then I shopped, and shopped, and well my cart started to look like it was going to explode.

So I brought it up to the check out lady and said, "I need to get another cart, I have a lot of stuff to get, can I leave this here until I am done?" She said sure and I went on my merry way...dreading the ending price. So I finish up and head to my checkout line, it has been a LOT longer total than I wanted, so I was ready to head home. As I approach the checkout my hearts starts pounding harder, I must be missing it, I can't see my cart. I creep slower toward the line, nope not there. I ask the lady where it is. She says she doesn't know, she didn't think I was coming back.

In my most polite voice I say "I told you I was getting more stuff and I'd be back." Her response? Oh sorry she says. Ok now I can feel em...they are building, welling up in my eyes...I am gonna start bawling like a baby. She suggests going to customer service to check, it was there a minute ago. I head over...no cart to be seen. The tears are getting fuller. I head over to where the manager is setting up for night returns throughout the store. PHEW he is starting to take stuff out of this massively loaded cart. MY cart! NO I almost shout, that is mine...I am buying that stuff. He looks at me like I am that crazy lady. I suggest that I needed a lot of stuff and politely take my cart and head to the checkout.

So the rest of my shopping experience goes through a little slow, but with out mishap. Thankfully.

However the original question, will I ever learn my lesson? I doubt it, because if you remember my grocery cart spill fiasco, I should have learned then not to over stuff my carts!

Someday.... maybe :P