I love my crockpot!

Well, I think mine is technically a slow cooker, like this one. Today was a nice, peaceful Sunday, and I think it turned out that way mostly because dinner was ready in the crockpot when we got home from church. It's so pleasant to walk in the house and smell dinner already cooked! This time I even went to the effort to put the chicken and the barbecue mix in the crockpot Saturday night, so I didn't even have to stress about getting it ready before 9 a.m. church. I just pulled it out of the fridge and plugged it in before we left. If only I could be that on the ball all of the time...

On a different topic, we spent Saturday evening with Jeff's family in Kaysville celebrating Jeff's mom's birthday. We ate a delicious dinner made by Jeff's dad, opened gifts, then the women retired to the TV room to watch the broadcast of the annual Relief Society general meeting. It was wonderful! I especially appreciated the power and straightforwardness of Sister Beck's message. I always come away from those meetings wanting to be better, and usually feeling motivated and capable of becoming better. There have been many years when I have watched the Relief Society broadcast in a chapel full of women, but felt lonely because we had just moved to the area and I really didn't know anyone. This year might have been the same, but was so much better because I got to watch it with some of the best women in the world--Jeff's mom, grandma, and sister-in-law. The only thing I would do different next time is make the effort to go to the church to watch it. You'd think that I could have an hour and fifteen minutes to myself--i.e., away from the kids--just this one time a year, but it didn't work because they knew where I was and I was too accessible. Live and learn!

Did you know?

That if you start a blog clear back in August, but don't post it until late September, it still shows up in your blog in order as if you posted it in August. Somebody tagged me, I think, to write "100 things about me." I did it, but it took several weeks. So if you want to read it, you'll have to go back to this post.

A day in the life...

Sometimes at the end of the day I have to stop and think about what I've done, just to give myself credit for actually accomplishing something.

So here's today:

4 a.m.
Adam woke up and crawled into bed with us because he had a bad dream.

4:30 a.m.
Woke up to Dallin crying--stuck the binky back in and it worked. We both went back to sleep.

5 a.m.
Alarm goes off because Jeff needed to get up early to write a test. I roll over and go back to sleep.

5:45 a.m.
Woke up again and decided not to get up and do yoga at 6 a.m., since I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.

7:05 a.m.
Rolled out of bed, woke up Adam and Ryan, and started the morning routine. Put cereal on the table for breakfast, fixed three lunches, tried not to nag the boys too much to get their clothes on and get ready for school. Looked unsuccessfully for gloves for Adam to wear--it's chilly in the mornings.

7:45 a.m.
Sent Jeff and Adam out the door on their bikes to school. Adam has choir before school on Wednesdays and Fridays.

8:15 a.m.
Sent Ryan out to walk to school with the neighborhood kids. Got Jared out of bed and started him on cereal. Got Dallin up, changed him, and nursed him.

Morning
Helped Jared get dressed. Folded laundry. Unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, washed pots and pans by hand. Fed Dallin some cereal and fruit. Put him down for a nap. Finished cleaning the kitchen. Took a shower while Jared watched PBS. Moved eleven boxes from the living room to the basement. Moved two boxes from the living room to bedrooms. Unpacked one box. (I'm hoping to have the upstairs settled by Christmas. The basement could take years still.) Dried and curled my hair. Changed a couple more diapers and helped Jared use the bathroom several times. He's not quite completely toilet-trained. (Last night he was saying the prayer for dinner: "Heavenly Father, thank you for the food. Wait, I need to go to the restroom first." I almost fell off my chair trying not to laugh while I told him to finish the prayer first, which he did, then ran to the bathroom.)

Afternoon
Warmed up leftovers for lunch. Fed Dallin some veggies and applesauce. Loaded up the kids in the van and mailed some letters at the post office. Spent $125 on food storage items at the Macey's caselot sale. (The empty shelves in our food storage room and in our new freezer have been begging to feel useful.) Got a workout hefting 20 lb. bags of rice and cases of canned goods. Got home just in time to put the case of frozen orange juice in the mostly empty freezer before putting Dallin and Jared in the jogging stroller to go pick up the neighborhood kids at school. (I take turns with four other moms in the neighborhood. It's a pretty good system.) Gave the kids a snack, then forced them to turn off the TV and go to the library with me. Fed Dallin one more time before we left. Herded four kids through the public library for 30 minutes. Returned home, put Dallin down for a nap, and let the kids go play. Sat down on the couch to read the Ensign magazine that came in the mail.

Evening
Fixed burritos for dinner so we could try out the brand of refried beans that are available at the caselot sale before we buy a whole case of inferior refried beans. Ate dinner, then fed Dallin again. Cleaned up the dishes and kitchen again while Jeff played computer games with the boys. Swept the kitchen floor. (I'm still not sure I like the hardwood floor. It looks really nice, but seems to take more time to clean than linoleum or carpet.) Did the whole bedtime routine and got the bigger kids in bed--late, it's Friday. Sat down to watch TV with Jeff while I nursed Dallin. Put Dallin to bed. Got the modem reset and the DSL reconnected after Dallin pulled the phone line out of the wall. Blogged all of this just for the fun of it. Headed to bed about midnight so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow. Isn't life wonderful?!

100 Things About Me

1. When I eat ice cream I almost always make a milkshake out of it.

2. I love chocolate milkshakes, especially with chocolate chunks, candy, and/or nuts.

3. My favorite color has been green for as long as I can remember.

4. I don't like to shop. I try not to even go to the grocery store more than once a week.

5. I like to watch movies with my husband--mostly action/adventure and sci-fi/fantasy. I like dramas and some chick flicks too, but we don't watch many of those....

6. I like sports, but I'm afraid I've become more of a spectator than a participant.

7. I served a LDS mission in Japan, but I'm not very fluent in Japanese anymore.

8. I read the Book of Mormon in German with my husband every other night before we go to bed.

9. I share a love of genealogy and family history with my mom.

10. I load a mean dishwasher. I don't like washing dishes by hand, so I'm really good at fitting as much in the dishwasher as possible.

11. I don't like to wear high heels or panty hose, if I can avoid them--which I usually do.

12. I love my four boys very much and wish I was a more patient mom.

13. When I was 19, I swam in the Dead, the Red, and the Med--seas that border Israel.

14. I still bite my nails when I am stressed, but only my pinkies.

15. I'm a night owl, but I wish I was a morning person.

16. I'm an alto, I love choral music, and I love to sing in choirs.

17. I got my bachelor's degree in Family Science from BYU. Go Cougars!

18. When my kids are older, I think I'd like to go back to school to study either physical therapy or social work/counseling.

19. I'm short (5'3"), but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to when I played basketball in high school.

20. I was a tomboy as a kid. I thought it would be cool to earn my Eagle Scout at the same time as my younger brother.

21. I love fresh raspberries and raspberry jam and homemade raspberry ice cream.

22. I like to organize things--a place for everything and everything in it's place. I think it's a Seegmiller gene.

23. I have a weakness for my husband's chocolate chip cookies--and the dough.

24. My dream house has a wraparound porch.

25. I love the smell of lilacs and honeysuckle.

26. Bike-riding is fun.

27. Some of my favorite "classical" composers are Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Haydn.

28. I still like 80's music--it energizes me and makes me sentimental.

29. Deep down I'm a sappy romantic at heart.

30. I love to read, especially fantasy and historical fiction.

31. I want to be a scriptorian--I love the scriptures.

32. I love having good, close friends to share life with.

33. I do yoga for exercise and stress relief.

34. I have lived in seven different states and three foreign countries.

35. My husband and I have lived in eleven different homes in 15 years of marriage.

36. I enjoy camping, hiking, and just spending time outdoors.

37. Someday I'd like to have a green thumb.

38. I've survived two episodes of major depression. I believe in antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy.

39. The only child I've had that weighed less than 8 lbs. 13 oz. at birth was born three weeks early.

40. I'd rather clean than cook.

41. I love mountains.

42. I like to hang out with people who make me want to be a better person.

43. Some of my comfort foods are chocolate, graham crackers and milk, and home-canned pears and peaches.

44. I've never been to Yellowstone.

45. I don't mind doing laundry.

46. I like to learn how to do new things.

47. I'm a perfectionist, and sometimes that gets me in trouble.

48. I've had knee surgery twice--on the same knee.

49. I tend to be chicken--just a bit on the risk-averse side.

50. As near as I can tell, I've visited 649 of the 3141 counties in the United States, about 20%.

51. I can only recall receiving three speeding tickets in my life.

52. I am not a pet person.

53. Waterskiing is a blast.

54. Ironing is not my idea of fun.

55. When I was a kid I took piano lessons, and I played the trumpet and French horn. Piano is the only one I really wish I'd kept up with.

56. I have a sweet tooth. I usually crave chocolate or ice cream, sometimes candy--but almost anything sugary will do when I get those cravings.

57. I like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

58. Milk--it does a body good!

59. I don't have a gall bladder any more. It was "delivered" the same day my youngest son was.

60. I'm not a big fan of TV. It's nice to veg in front of it occasionally, and there are a few shows I like--Jeff and I are kind of hooked on Lost--but mostly I think it's a waste of time. There are just too many other things I need or want to do to sit in front of the tube. And I wish my boys would rather go out and play with their friends instead of watching it every single minute I let them.

61. I like to mow the lawn.

62. Kroger brand Death by Chocolate ice cream is to die for. (But Graeter's ice cream is still the most heavenly thing I've ever tasted.)

63. Jeff and I read out loud to each other when we travel in the car and occasionally when we do dishes.

64. I've ridden on a camel. They stink.

65. My dream house has a spacious, open floor plan with lots of natural light.

66. I like a lot of ethnic foods.

67. I don't do polyester. I can't stand to wear synthetic fibers unless they are mixed with natural fibers.

68. The Swiss Alps are one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.

69. I prefer a dry climate, even though it means I'm addicted to hand lotion.

70. I played Little League baseball when I was a kid. I only hit one home run, but I could throw hard so I got to play pitcher for a couple years.

71. Some of my favorite nicknames are Harm, Harmdime, and Gumi-chan.

72. I'm practical to a fault.

73. I like a four-season climate.

74. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the carols, the colors, the cold & snow, the food & treats, the spirit, the anticipation, the good cheer, the celebration of Christ, the gift giving and receiving--everything but the shopping!

75. Snow skiing is fun, but I've never done it enough to get past the sore muscles.

76. I think recycling is a good idea.

77. I love my family. My parents taught me righteous principles. I am so thankful they raised me to live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ. My siblings are some of my best friends.

78. I married into an awesome family too. I'm proud to be a Packer.

79. My husband gives great backrubs.

80. I love fresh fruit.

81. Blogging is fun. I love keeping up with my friends and family this way.

82. My four boys are cute, smart, talented, and wonderful. If only they didn't know how to push my buttons.

83. I have a hard time doing nothing. If I take a break, I'm either sick, or I'm just trying to think of what I need to do next.

84. I like to be frugal, and I like to find or stumble on good deals without shopping around for them.

85. I'm a lot more comfortable with myself than I was when I was younger.

86. In high school I played basketball, softball, and volleyball, and ran track and cross country. Basketball was the only sport I did all four years though.

87. I love being a member of the Relief Society.

88. I'm not afraid of heights, but I don't like falling or jumping from them. I tried repelling once though--controlled falling is a blast.

89. I hate roller coasters, but I like the rides that spin fast in circles. Actually, I think amusement parks are overrated (and overpriced).

90. I hate snakes and spiders.

91. My first few jobs as a teenager were babysitting, delivering newspapers, and working at Arby's. I never did like the roast beef, the Arby's sauce, or the horsey sauce though.

92. I would love to sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

93. The most difficult church calling I've ever had was teaching the 14- to 18-yr-old Sunday school class--in German. I don't know that I will ever be intimidated by any other calling as much as I was by that one. Thank you Bishop Ruetz.

94. Snowboarding looks like fun.

95. I'm proud of my husband--for his career accomplishments, for being a great dad, and for being all-around wonderful.

96. I like to work hard and smart. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment.

97. I like to do nice things for other people.

98. I cut all my boys' hair.

99. It only took me like two months to think of 100 things about me!

100. I've made awesome friends everywhere I've lived. My friends, my cousins, and my family (i.e., the people reading this blog :-) are the coolest people in the world!

Overscheduled vs. Bored

So Ryan and Adam both wanted to play soccer this fall. Ryan was particularly looking forward to it. I printed the registration forms for one league off the Internet back in August, but since it wasn't a city-sponsored league, I wanted to get to our neighborhood and check with other moms to see if their kids played in it before we signed up. So this weekend I finally figured out that it is the league that most kids around here play in. Unfortunately though, I waited too long, the league is halfway through the fall season, and they aren't accepting late registrations at this point. Ryan is so disappointed and I feel really bad.

I feel bad that Ryan's disappointed, but I also feel bad that it's my fault that my kids aren't involved in anything yet. I really don't want to be one of those parents who overschedules their kids with teams and lessons and classes, etc., etc. Doing just baseball in the spring for the last two years made our evening family schedule just crazy. I don't know how parents with more kids, or with kids involved in more activities, do it all.

On the other hand, I want my kids to have the opportunity to try different activities and have the experiences of playing on teams and learning to play musical instruments and all that good stuff. They were an important part of my childhood. And when my boys aren't involved in anything, they watch TV and play video games constantly, and still complain about being BORED. Aaaagh! How do I find a happy medium?! So now I'm thinking about signing them up for a karate class at the rec center....

Connected again!

Thanks to hard work by Jeff, a super nice Qwest repair guy, and 3 hours of phone calls with 5 different service techs, we are finally back online!!! It's amazing to me how much we rely on being connected to the Internet. I know I can live without it, but I sure don't want to anymore. That would be like regressing to washing dishes or even clothes by hand. Nope, don't want to go there either.

Still alive, but up to the gills

Wow, a whole month since I've posted. I didn't realize it had been quite that long. I've missed it. We moved into our house two weeks ago and things are still just crazy. I hope I'll feel settled by Christmas. The boxes and cleaning and trying to potty-train Jared are all bad enough, but I haven't even had the Internet to give me a break when I just need to sit down and escape for a few minutes. First we were debating where exactly to put the computer. Then when we finally decided to put it in the family room in the basement, we realized that only three of the seven phone jacks in our house are working, and they are all upstairs. I have DSL ordered, but we're going to have to call in a service tech to fix the jacks next week. I hope I'll be back online by a week from today so I can catch up on my e-mail and blogging and the outside world in general. It's been nice to just hide in my house for a couple weeks and try to get it clean and organized, but it's getting old fast. I'm feeling a little isolated from my "old" friends and feeling the need to get out and make some new ones too. Enrichment Meeting in our new ward is this coming week, so that ought to be a good opportunity. The house will just have to come together eventually. Jeff's new job is going well and keeping him plenty busy. The kids all seem to be adjusting well to their new circumstances also. We really like our neighborhood and they are making friends. More later when I'm connected again!