Entertaining

I have recently figured out that I love to have people over and entertain. I love the inviting and the having people over for some good conversation. Right now the people I invite are more the wives that I have stuff in common with ie:our husbands are all deployed.

I had a get together last night and have to say it was a blast!! A couple women came over who mind you each have four kids themselves. The kids all played and we had great conversation. It has been a long time since I have had a really good close friend, but we are all looking for that connection. Conversation was great and we all try to stay away from drama or negativity so that is exciting to have a group of friends like that.

I had the opportunity to share the gospel in a small way by the way I have my house set up so that is something I was also excited about.

I actually did not mind the prep and cleanup, as long as they know my house will never be completly spotless, we are good!

When Toby gets home I would like us to entertain alot and have a house that people can go to for wholesome fun!

Don't tell me what to do

So my mom came last week and we had a great time. In correspondence afterward she gave me some great advice that I shouldn't care what people think of me. Usually I don't, but because of this deployment and the fact I live on post, people think they have the right to tell you how to feel. What?

You know how annoying it is when someone touches your child just because they think they can? If I am crazy, and you have never had this happen then slowly move away from the computer and never read my blog again.. ok beecause for some reason people invade personal space without either the knowledge or the care that they are doing it.

I know that there are many people that have gone through deployments and some of them a couple of times. I know that they may have found some great coping tactics that worked for them. I understand the fact that people really do want to help. But come on..leave me alone for now. I will first say that I am extremely proud of how this experience has been for me and my family, and will probably have a bad day someday, but everyone is trying to create that feeling for me?

For instance: I go to church on Sunday and realized the month got away from me and I missed one sister that I am supposed to visit during the month. Just so happens to be the Relief Society President. It is not because I am depressed, or having a bad life, she had rescheduled our appt from the first of the month and then we had to cancel for some other reason. I just didn't make it. Why because my husband is deployed is it now a sin? If anyone else with a husband at home missed they wouldn't bat and eye, but my husband is gone and I am on a new project list.

This is more of a personal rant, but seriously. I understand that it is good to have things in place to make sure the women are taken care of when the husband is gone, but why because my husband is gone, do I have to be depressed and need some help? i will ask when I need it, I promised my Heavenly Father and Toby before he left that I would humble myself when necessary and ask for help.

Why can't we just inspire people to be better. Why because I have four kids is my life so doomed. i love being busy and involved in everything. I love helping people out and forgetting about myself.

I had a friend who was in desperate need who called me last minute. Crying because she felt so bad to ask if I could run and get her and her kids some meds from the clinic. Why was she crying? To me that is stupid. yes, I have added responsibility, but I am the same Liz that will do anything for a friend!!

If you have continued to read to this point you will see that my new motto for March is "Don't tell me what to do, or how to act"

I thank you for all your prayers and support because that is all I really do need. The Lord blesses me with angels daily to help me on my way.

Garbage Night

Ok, wednesday nights make me laugh. They used to make me crazy but I can't change it, so now I laugh. Thursday is garbage day, so wednesday night is my garbage night. I gather all my random garbage in the house to make sure it gets to the curb so I can have garbage space for next weeks crap.

In El Paso it is pretty windy. Ok, we call it our own little wind tunnel, but really it blows really hard sometimes. What makes me laugh is that the one constant thing i can count on here is that on wedneday nights the wind will blow. Sometimes we go the whole week without any wind, but never since I have lived in this house have we missed a wednesday night.

After picking up my trash from down the street a couple weeks in a row, I decided to wait until the morning to put it out. i am up early and then it can't blow away was my reasoning..two weeks ago was the first day I missed the gym and my alarm. I had two weeks of trash for the next week and decided to never do that again. I purchased an extra garbage can and now have rejoined the neighbors who randomly set their trash out on Garbage night to blow away.

Thinking about it, maybe the garbage guy never comes, it really does just blow away? Ha Ha

Socks

Tonight as I was getting home for our crazy wednesday runaround schedule. I have found I have a routine starting. As soon as we get home for the night, I quickly run to my bedroom and change whatever pants/capris I have on to something more comfy. Alot of my clothes do not fit anymore, so I am finding my running pants to be the best choice as of late.

Tonight something surprised me about myself..it was not the fact that I didn't have a clean pair of matching socks or even the lack of effort I put forward to find some in my drawer. What surprised me was the hour after I had just put two different socks on affected my whole night.

Yes, I was a little tired tonight, but to be affected by a two mismatched socks is just absurd. I found myself thinking of the lady I used to visit teach from church and how she never had on matching socks and that bothered me. The fact that one of the socks I was wearing was one of Tobys' "left behind crap" I still haven't put anywhere. It really was bugging me, but yet not enough to just take off the stupid socks and find a match. All the laundry is done, they have to be somewhere.

i just thought it was funny that I am a freak about the weirdest stuff..socks!!

March

This month starts some new excitement with me. I am going to hit my weight loss goal and my mile run goal this month. My home should finally be put together enough that I can have people over and not feel like a dirty army wife.

I am so excited for a new month and new week. We got tobys dates and although I cannot post anything official on the web, we have less than 30 weeks. Yeah. I have so much to accomplish by then.

Cera is going to start to walk this month. Carmen will be potty trained for good and actually thinking about it, cera will go off formula and the bottle. What an exciting month. This could actually mean..i could almost get rid of the big diaper bag and just get a big purse to fit a couple diapers for cera. Oh wow..my life is changing so fast.

I may even try to give up soda for good..well, we will see what the tests show up as from the doctor. I may put that one off a bit.

The kids are finally in there designated sports..cy is in a gymnastics/football conditioning class, and the girls in gymnastics..cy is also in guitar..with scouts and activities on post, we rarely have time at home, so hopefully i can keep it clean this month!

I have been selling more mary kay and plan to boost my sales in the month of march and uppercase living also..i think I am going to venture to enter the craft fair with my uppercase living stuff.

I have made a list of things I want to learn in the next year, and a couple things I added are: learn how to change the oil in the car and learn how to cut decorative wood for frames and wall hangings.

I am so excited for this month!! I better get to bed, to be on my game at church tomorrow. Fast sunday so the missionaries always have new people to introduce me to.

Did I mention how excited I am for March!!

Grandma comes to town

I was so fortunate to have my mom come visit this last week. She came in time for Carmens birthday on the 25th.

She did however get to take the role of babysitter a couple times. I ended up in the hospital sunday night for a really bad headache and toothache. Then monday, it was still hurting so bad, I finally just called and oral surgeon. We went downtown, and mom watched the girls while I had my wisdom tooth pulled. Bless her heart..it was like an hour or so for the appt and pull.

We went shopping for Carmen afterwards and then we took the kids to gymnastics. We had a great dinner at Olive Garden that evening. It was so fun..probably not for my mom, but I love being busy and running around.

Cera is still having a hard time taking to people (anybody really) but seemed to do ok with mom for the few times I left.

We had a nice week (well at least I did) mom got a stomach ache for the last part, but we had fun and enjoyed her being here.

I will have to say that I forgot how much less effort it takes to do the little things like run to the store without kids. I am so used to taking them, that this week was really almost hard for me. I felt lost alot of times, but relieved at others.

Thanks mom for your support and awesome help while you were here. I love you and appreciate you so much.

Playing catch up

This week we will be playing catch up for the last couple weeks. First off, my dog chewed the computer cord, so internet access has been limited. Yes, I was really mad, but it really was my fault for leaving the dog with the computer in the first place.

Update on Carmen.. we had great success the week I stayed home from everything. Last weekend we were busy running around and regretably threw a pullup on her because I had no time for an accident. Now, we are back to square one. Not one I guess, but maybe three? She goes every once in a while, but loves her pull ups.

Cera is still sleeping thru the night and bedtime is pretty good.

Workouts have been on the downlow lately because I have been sick again!!! I hope to start back up monday morning.

Toby is doing ok in Qatar but missed us really bad. We got to telecomference with him last weekend and that was awesome. He is still so funny.

Seems like my list of stuff to do gets longer and longer, but my mom was here this week, so i crossed some off..that felt good!!