I'm back on the treadmill!

I'd rather die without back fat, thank you!

After a hideously long hiatus from regular exercise, I'm back on the wagon. My brother Joe agreed to meet me at the gym at 7 in the mornings to work out. I really need to feel that someone is counting on me to let them in to our neighborhood gym. This is why it doesn't work for me to workout with my neighbors. They have their own key ;-)
I have completed a full week of regular exercise and feel a little stiff, but triumphant. The side bonus to this is that my kids are really late sleepers, so when I come home at 8 the house is quiet and I can read my scriptures while I eat my cereal. See how I have maximized my habit development here? Now if I could just figure out how to incorporate flossing to the new routine, I'll be "practically perfect in every way."

June Mavens

Ahh, the wonders of Vinegar!

TOP TIP! Valerie – Freeze leftover soy sauce or other packets for mini ice packs for kids boo – boos. Put left over dryer sheets under car seats for a fresher car experience.

Jennifer – Vinegar removes hard water, disinfects, cleans windows, cleans out naughty mouths and can be used to rewash stale laundry.

Shimber – to keep lettuce fresh put a paper towel in with the lettuce in a Ziploc bag. Fabric softener also gets the onion smell off of hands.

Ranell – Her favorite cleaner for laundry / carpet stains is “Awesome” from the dollar store.

Amber – Put Vicks on the bottom of children’s feet and cover with socks to keep kids from coughing in the night. Also use newspaper for cleaning windows.

Mikelle – Direct Buy, saves you money if you’re building or remodeling.

Becca – Swiffer duster!

Jana – Schedule a private party at Graples and you don’t have to fight for stuff.

Susan – Monster sale at Childrens Place, and 75% off Toys R Us Online.

Julie – Her friends amazing web site http://www.executivehomemaker.com/ & free newspaper rolls for cleaning or packing from Julie.

Which Housewife are you?

This is a fun little quiz. I have taken it 3 times and the questions vary, but I always end up Lynette. I originally took this quiz with 3 other girls. One was a Bree, one a Susan, and one a Gabrielle. We thought about making t shirts, but never were that ambitious. http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/quiz/index.html

Four Favorites

I can't sleep tonight, which is good for my blog because I never seem to have time to do fun little ditties like this. So here we go . . .

Four Jobs I've had:
Farm Labor, Potato Harvest (I did this four year in a row, 5 weeks in the fall, all through high school and didn't work the rest of the year) CRAZY, in a sick way.

Nanny in Pacific Palisades California. One 3 year old boy whose mother didn't work and they had a maid. This was the summer before college and when I met Richard.
Travel Agent, thought I would love it. Ended up hating it, as I did all jobs except the best job of "mom."
Loan Processor for Trans coastal Mortgage

Four Movies I watch over and over:

Pride and Prejudice
Princess Bride
Far and Away
The Notebook


Four Places I have Lived:
Fairfield, Montana
Blackfoot, Idaho
Denver, Colorado
Fort Worth, Texas

Four TV shows I watch:

Lost
So You Think You can Dance
Desperate Housewives
The Office

Four Places I've been on Vacation:

Yellowstone National Park, the family vacation, almost every year
Los Angeles, my first real vacation, age 16, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and my first real Broadway play "Phantom."
Lake Tahoe, Valentine's weekend, ski getaway with hubby
England, what more can I say, this was my dream vacation.

Four Favorite Foods:

Soup

Sandwiches

Cookies

Diet Coke (is this technically a food)

Four Websites I visit:

http://www.executivehomemaker.com/
http://www.familyfun.com/
http://www.myfamily.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/

Four Places I'd Rather be right now:

Asleep

Fort Worth at a girls night

At the spa getting a massage, my back is killing me!

At a sleepover at Chatsworth house with my BFF what's her face.

Valerie's Big Day

So my birthday tribute is a few days late, but still heartfelt. My lil' sis just turned 30. She was having a little bit of a hard time during the few weeks previous to the big event. The good news is that on the eve of the big day she was watching a TLC program about a paraplegic, pregnant woman who was on bed rest, flat on her back the whole pregnancy. :-( Suddenly being 30 and gorgeous with 3 1/2 super cool, zany kids, a terrific husband and the home of her dreams, didn't seem that much of a hardship :-) We celebrated the day as the tres sisters with mani/pedi's and lunch out sans kids (of course little Deakan tagged along and was a perfect gentlemen.) Our own Mr. Ross acquired the most wicked chocolate cake I have ever encountered, and we finished the day with a round of Rumicub which the birthday girl fittingly won. Good times, I'm glad I was with her to enjoy it.

One of the reasons I haven't been posting much lately is because I have been out having so much fun. Richard and I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace at the Shakespeare Festival. Didn't think Arsenic was a Shakespeare play? Well you were right ;-) They mix in a few modern plays to lure in the more low brow crowd. I had really wanted to see "The Tempest," but it wouldn't have been Richard's cup of tea. We both really enjoyed Arsenic and even laughed out loud. They did a fabulous job of it, and the venue is just beautiful with the mountains in the background. Before the show started we had a light sprinkling of rain that cooled things down beautifully and made for a pleasant night. If you live near or are ever in Boise please check this out, we can't wait to go again. http://www.idahoshakespeare.org/

American Idol Concert!

Richard surprised me with tickets to the American Idol Concert. It was so much better than I had anticipated. Blake was so, so awesome in such a cool way. Richard and I both agreed that he stole the show. Jordan, Lakisha, and Melinda were very good as well. Chris Richardson was very enjoyable. I liked him better "in person" than on TV. I would totally recommend this concert, and can't wait for Blake's CD to be out. You can check out clips at http://www.poptarts.com/americanidolslivetour/#home