2012 Goals

Okay, I think I'm finished with my goals for the upcoming year, so here they are:

1.) Finish the Old Testament by February
This was one of my goals last year. I think I would have hit it if I had gotten so sick with my pregnancy. Now that the morning sickness is gone, I want to kick this in high gear and finish in two months. This equates to reading nearly 5 pages a day, but I'm hoping the loftiness of the goal will spur me to finish on time.

2.) Read the Book of Mormon
It's been a few years since I've read the Book of Mormon, and this year in Primary I will be teaching it to our Valiant 10 and 11 classes. I'm going to be encouraging them to read the whole book, so it's only fitting that I pick up my own challenge. I will start this once I finish the Old Testament, so it will equate to about 2 pages per day if I stay on task.

3.) Monthly Temple Trips
It's pathetic that we live so close to a temple so many temples and yet we hardly ever go! My goal will to be to go to the temple at least once a month, though I may give myself a pass in June depending on when the baby comes and how quickly I recover.

4.) Daily Gratitude Journal
I've had several friends talking about this on Facebook, and I think it's something I'd like to try this year. Every night before bed, I want to write down at least one thing for which I am grateful. I also want to do my best not to repeat anything, so hopefully by the end of the year I'll have 365 notes of gratitude.

5.) Read 25 Books
This is quite a step up from last year's goal of reading 12 books, but I'm really excited and I have a HUGE list that I want to read. In fact, I hope to shatter this goal. Here's the breakdown of what I hope to read this year:
* 12 YA fiction books for the book club I've joined
* 6 fictional books of my choosing (I hope to shatter this because I'm already planning on reading the Narnia series, which is 7 books, plus quite a few more)
* 3 nonfiction books
* 4 church nonfiction books (two at the top of my list are Jesus the Christ and Lectures on Faith).

So, all in all, some pretty tough goals, but I'm excited! Here's to a great 2012!

2011 Goals: Final Review

I know the year isn't quite over yet, but I wanted to give a final account of how I did on my goals this year.

• Goal 1: Complete P90X - hit it! This goal was completed May 14th.
• Goal 2: Run a half marathon - did it! This goal was completed June 11th.
• Goal 3: Get to 135 pounds - failed. I got so close! At one point in May I was 136.1. We went off birth control at the beginning of May, and I was assuming I would be pregnant by June, so I gave up trying. That didn't quite happen according to schedule, but I never did hit this goal. I officially gave up in early October when I found out that I was pregnant, and knew weight loss would not be in my near future.
• Goal 4: Finish the Old Testament - failed. I was on track until I got pregnant. The morning sickness was terrible, and reading fell by the wayside. I know, it's probably an excuse. I am almost done with Isaiah, so I still have a fair amount to go. I am rolling this goal over to 2012.
• Goal 5: Read 12 books, with at least 6 being non-fiction - hit it! I finished my last books this month, and ended with a total of 13 books this year: 7 non-fiction, 6 fiction. I found the non-fiction to be a pleasant stretch for me. Next year I have a much loftier reading goal, as far as numbers go.

So, overall, I did fairly well. I hit 3 of my 5 goals, and got pretty close on the other 2. I really liked having measurable goals this year, and I feel like I stretched myself further by doing this. I am working on my 2012 goals now, and will have those posted soon. Some of these are quite lofty, so I'm trying to make sure I'm not taking on too much.

Now, onto my resolutions...

• Resolution 1: Build an unbreakable habit of scripture study and prayer. I was doing really well with the scripture study, due to my goal above. However, that's a habit I will need to re-establish in the new year with my new scripture goals. As for prayer...well, I'm still really lousy with that.
• Resolution 2: Cultivate friendships. I feel like I have done really well with this. A large part has been me quitting my job, which allows me to attend play groups weekly. Just this regular contact with some of the women in our condos has allowed me to feel more involved. Plus, I've tried harder to initiate activities such as game nights and parties.
• Resolution 3: Love being a mom. This will definitely be an on-going resolution, as every day presents new challenges. I really felt like a great mom in the summer--we'd go to the park a lot, or head to waterparks or Trafalga. Well, then school started, and the weather turned cold, and now it's back to a whole lot of TV time. Not to mention that trying to fit in my part-time job has made it a little difficult. I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mom...most of the time. Sometimes I feel like my kids would be better off at a babysitter's house, because I fear that I'm too harsh and I yell too much (okay, I don't fear the yelling part--I KNOW I yell too much). Patience is definitely not a virtue I have right now. So, while I love being a mom (and I'd better, because we are adding another child to the mix), I think I have a lot of growing to do to become a better mom.

No Doubt About It

Today I finished my 5th book of the year, and my 2nd nonfiction book--No Doubt About It by Sheri Dew. Wow! This was an amazing book. Over and over I kept thinking there was a reason this sat on my shelf for so long--I really needed to read it now. Over and over again, I kept thinking, "This is great! I really need to apply this." I wanted to blog quickly on some stuff she said in the last chapter:

"How often have all of us made judgments that are...unfair? Why can't we resist the urge to second-guess and evaluate each other? Why do we judge everything from the way we keep house to how many children we do or do not have? Sometimes I wonder if the final judgment will be a breeze compared with what we've put each other through here on earth!

"...When we fail to champion one another, we in essence betray each other.

"...What if we were to each decide that from this time forward we would make just one assumption about each other--that we are doing the best we can? And what if we were to try a little harder to help each other?" (pg 225-228, emphasis added)

This is a new challenge for me. I'm pretty good about not judging people in a lot of areas. If anything, I'm harsher on myself than I think I am on others, except when it comes to certain categories. I don't want to list them just because I don't want anyone to worry that I've been judging them. Clearly, it's my problem, not theirs. But, I'm posting about this because I want the help of my friends and family members. If you hear me saying things like, "Why is she doing...?" (in a judging way and not as a means of gathering more information) or "I can't believe someone in her shoes would actually..." then I want you to smack me. Meanwhile, I'll try to keep all negative thoughts out of my head, including all the ones that sound like, "I wish I had her hair" or "Why is her son better behaved than mine?" or "Why can't I make my house as cute as her house?" I'll also try to be a little nicer, a little more concerned about others, and a little less (rather, a lot less) envious of the wonderful people that surround me.

Half marathon--DONE!

Last Saturday I ran my half marathon! I was really nervous about it. A few months ago, I started a training program that I found on Hal Higdon's website. But, I wasn't great at keeping exactly to the schedule. I missed a lot of the runs, including the last two big runs of 9 and 10 miles each. As my runs got longer, my body would hurt more after each run. After my 8 mile run, I had pain not only in my knees but also in both of my feet in the arches. Then, last week, about 5 days before my race, I came down with a cold--sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, you name it. I was so worried that I wouldn't have the energy to finish or that I would injure myself. But, with a little help from the Lord, I was able to finish the race! I had three goals with this race (the first was a goal I wanted to hit, and the other two were more like "It would be nice if I..." rather than "I WILL..."):

1.) Finish - that's it! Just get through it without quitting.
2.) Don't walk at all.
3.) Run in 2:37 or less (an average of 12 minutes per mile)

So, I finished. I did end up walking, but only barely. I walked at the drink stations just long enough to drink my water. I stopped long enough to pee in a bush (they did have portable toilets, but the lines were so long and I didn't want to lose time waiting in a line), and I walked about 10 seconds at about 8.5 miles into the race. Not too bad for my first race! And, my race time wasn't 2:37 (see below).

The race started at 6:00 a.m., but we had to be at the local mall between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. to meet the buses that would take us up the canyon. I spent the night at my sister's house because a.) it was closer, and b.) she's usually up early in the morning anyway to feed her baby. She dropped me off a little before 4:00, and my crazy morning began. At the start of the race, there were so many people! The website showed the final count of those running the half at 1,949. Plus, there were volunteers, pacers, and maybe some who were doing relay half marathons. We were all trying to stay warm, and I didn't know a single person there (I knew some who were running the race, but I didn't see them). As it got closer to 6:00 a.m., the sun started to rise, and we all made our way to the starting line. We didn't have a gun that went off or anything--I just noticed that people were starting. I hung toward the back because I didn't plan on running too fast, so I didn't want to get in the way of tons people who would be passing me. It took a few minutes to get my stride, and then I settled in. There were stations every two miles with drink, food (some stations had oranges and bananas, while others had GU gels), and bathrooms. It was awesome to hear people cheering each other on, whether they were going fast, walking, or in-between. I was most inspired by those who seemed like "underdogs" - those who didn't appear to be in the best of shape, or those who were getting senior citizen discounts at restaurants.

Once we got out of the canyon, the race became harder. It was all downhill at this point, but the beautiful scenery was gone and I realized we still had a long way to go. This was also at about the 8 mile point, which meant I was also running further than I had in my training. But, it also meant that family and friends of the runners could be standing by the course, and there were lots of people there cheering not only their friends and family but everyone! It was such a boost to hear those people cheering, even though they didn't know me. And then, I saw my family! B1, B2, D, and my mom had come to cheer me on. After I passed by, they all got in their car and drove a few blocks down and kept cheering! It was awesome that they did that, as it kept me going during the worst part of the race. Once I hit the 9 mile mark, it became a little easier to keep going. Then, I saw the Riv, where B1 and I met nearly 9 years ago, and I realized how close I was. I increased my pace just a little, and when I got to where Brian and I lived when we were first married, I could see the finish line 5 blocks ahead. When I was at 2 blocks away, I increased my speed again, and I sprinted the last 50-100 meters to the end. Then I thought I'd pass out. :) I could barely stay on my feet as I walked around trying to find something to drink, and then I went and found my family. Beez and HeyHey met up with us right after while I stretched and tried to get my strength back. My official chip time was 2:42:46. So, it was about 5 minutes slower than what "would have been nice" but I'm still happy with my time.

As I've talked with people about the race since then, I've found that the best comparison I can make is that running this race was like giving birth. At first, I thought it couldn't be that bad. After all, thousands of people run races like this, or even worse, so why shouldn't I be able to do it too? Once I started training (like once I got pregnant) I realized that this was more daunting than I had realized, but the training process helped me feel like it was still manageable. The night before and the morning of, I was nervous but excited. About halfway into my race (like labor), I thought that this was the dumbest decision I had ever made. What smart person really runs like this for fun??? And what type of masochist actually does it more than once? With the help of my family cheering me on, I saw the finish line and I was able to finish knowing that the end was in sight. Once done, it was a high--I had done it! I had done something that lots of people don't do, and I had survived! The biggest difference between the two scenarios is that immediately after B2 was born, I swore I would never have kids again, because there was no way I'd be that stupid as to put myself through that again. However, immediately after the race was done, I thought, "Yeah, I could totally do that again, and next time I'll do it faster!"

Update on goals

This past week I finished P90X! It's not as great a milestone as I had hoped. Once I started my half-marathon training, I wasn't as diligent with P90X as I was before. I replaced the cardio and Kenpo workouts with my marathon runs, but also had problems completing workouts when running-related injuries kept cropping up. And, let's be honest, it became easier to justify not doing a P90X workout because "tomorrow I'm doing a big run" but then life would happen and my big run wouldn't get done. But, I did more or less complete it, and here's my thoughts:

• I absolutely loved P90X at the beginning. It's a great workout that can be done in your own home, which is great when a.) it's cold outside, b.) you're out of shape, or c.) both a and b. I really think doing P90X prepared me to start my training for my half marathon. I would never have been able to pick up the running at the point I did if I hadn't been doing P90X beforehand.
• By the end, I got really really sick of doing the same workouts. Cardio, Kenpo, Core Synergistics, and Yoga are done every single week (and some twice a week!), so after some 8-10 weeks I just dreaded doing them again. Ironically, these were some of my favorite workouts at the beginning, but by the end I was happy to replace them with running...or just not do them. :)
• I would definitely recommend that those just starting P90X measure their body before beginning. I didn't really see any weight loss over the months (but I wasn't exactly great at eating really well either), but I did see quite a noticeable difference in some parts of my body. Specifically, I noticed that I lost almost an inch in my upper arms (and pretty much completely lost my "Relief Society flapper" that I was so self-conscious about when I was the Relief Society chorister), and I now have a noticeable beginning to my butt (okay, this is seriously TMI, but I've always had one of those butts that gradually grow into thighs--HORRIBLE when you play volleyball in spandex. While my butt definitely isn't as a cute as a volleyball player's, it's much better than it's ever been before!). I did take some before pictures, but I don't think I'm going to do after pictures. I think if I had been more disciplined in doing P90X every day, and not skipping the Ab Ripper workouts almost every time, I would have had some more noticeable results.

 Overall, I'm really glad I did it. I'll probably randomly keep doing the different disks, just picking my favorites or doing whatever I'm in the mood for, but I probably won't do the whole 90 day routine again any time soon. I just can't stand the thought of 13 weeks of cardio, core, yoga, kenpo, repeat. Now, if they come out with a supplemental series of different cardio, core, and yoga routines, I'll probably pick it back up. Maybe I'll pick it back up when it gets frigid again and I resume life as a hermit, but while the weather is at the least tolerable I plan to spend lots of time exercising outside--swimming, biking, and the likes.

In other goal news, training for the half marathon is well underway! I have less than a month to go before my race, and I'm so excited! I've really battled with some body issues -- at first, I was having really bad knee pain. After a new knee brace and (another) new pair of running shoes (and my bank account $120 less), the knee pain is essentially gone. However, lately a new "injury" has surfaced: toe pain. A few weeks ago I was (stupidly) running in flip flops, and I think I overexerted my big toe trying to run essentially barefoot but with the added stress of trying on hold onto my shoe. My toe would sometimes hurt and sometimes feel fine, but then I had an 8-mile run last Saturday and it was hurting pretty bad. Plus, I was having some pain in my arches after that run. *Sigh* Why can't running just be easy??? Anyway, I'm going to keep pressing on. This week is a little lighter of a run week, and then next week I have a 9 mile run, then a 10 mile run, and then my race! I'm just trying really hard to keep running without causing an injury that will keep me out of the race. Last night a friend was asking me if I was going to run a full marathon after this race is over. I told him to ask me after the race. I may find that 13 miles is good enough for me, and consider the goal I set for myself in high school as done (technically, the goal was to run a marathon, but in high school I also expected to get a Ph.D. and not get married until I was 30, and look how that turned out...).

I'm a little behind on my nonfiction book reading. Nonfiction books don't seem to hold my interest as well as fiction, but I'm trying to plow through them. I have a few lined up that I hope will keep my interest enough to allow me to finish them...not to mention a huge slew of fiction books that are just begging to be read. All in due course... However, on the bright side, I'm perfectly on track to hit my goal of finishing the Old Testament!

So, one goal done, another to be done in 3.5 weeks, and 2 more or less on track. As for my weight loss...well, we won't bring up that right now...

Knee Pain--Self-diagnosed

I'm just about 2 months from my marathon, and I've self-diagnosed my knee problems as <a href="http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee">runner's knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome)</a>. The symptoms all match up--pain in the knee cap, which is made worse when going down hill or using stairs, usually associated with an increase in running and more common in women. Blah! I decided that there really was a problem on Thursday. I bought a new knee brace this week in preparation for my 5 mile run. I wore the brace during my whole run (which, yay for me!, I completed without walking), and felt my typical soreness toward the last few miles. However, in the last quarter mile, I had a small incline (felt like a huge incline at the time) that really started killing my knee. I felt like I limped my last little bit.

After my run, I did my normal stretch cool down. However, this time I noticed something: my knee kept hurting even after I stopped running and after my body warmed up from being in the cold weather outside. In fact, my knee kept hurting all that night, to the point that I woke up every time I turned over because the process of doing so hurt my knee. Friday I wore my knee brace all day, and had really bad pain whenever I bent my knee--going up stairs, going down stairs, lifting my leg to move my foot from the gas pedal to the brake, etc. Today it's much better, but I still have some slight pain when going up or down stairs, or if I suddenly move my knee or something (like one of my kids) puts too much pressure on my knee.

So, after some internet searches, I realized that Runner's Knee perfectly describes the pain I'm having, and fits with the potential causes. As a result, I'm taking a break from my training routine. Yesterday and today I didn't work out at all (not even P90X). Next week I'll be back on P90X, and I'll try to be better about running nearly every day, but only short distances. Then I'll try to work back up to my schedule. I'm worried that I'm being forced into one of two conditions: 1.) not complete the training workout as outlined, so I don't ever get up to a 10 mile run before my half, and therefore not be as prepared as I would like, or 2.) try to jump back onto the training schedule too quickly that I just aggravate this problem. I think one of the biggest things I have to do is run more frequently. Mainly, I've been doing my big runs once a week and then expecting P90X to carry the rest of my training. I think that's part of my problem. Unfortunately, it's hard finding time to do my runs with my husband's work schedule. I think I'll be running more at night once he gets home.

As for my other goals, I'm doing pretty good. I'm back to calorie counting to try and hit that 135. I bought my new swimsuit for the summer, and I'd really like to drop these last 5 pounds before the summer heat hits. I'm on track to hit my goals for reading the Old Testament and 12 other books. I'm still doing P90X, though not as religiously as at first (I skip some routines and replace others with running), but I'm very excited about having the end in sight! Only three more weeks!! I think that the only goal I may not hit this year is getting to 135 pounds. Honestly, with P90X, running, and the weight I've already lost, I feel really good about how I look and won't be too bummed if I don't see that magic number. The exercise has trimmed me down a bit (even if the scale doesn't show it), but mostly I have more energy, I'm happier, and I'm more comfortable with myself, and that's good enough for me. :)

Can't sleep

Ug. I can't sleep. I hate it when I can't sleep. I'm not sure if I can't sleep because I took a 3 hour nap this afternoon (soooo good), or because of the nightmares I had while taking said 3 hour nap (not soooo good--mostly strange dreams about D drowning in pools and I can't swim to save him because of the surprisingly buoyant clothing I'm wearing *shivers*), or because... I dunno. Maybe if I get some of these random thoughts off my mind, I'll be able to turn it off and go to sleep.

I'm worried about B2. (Warning: this paragraph is highly TMI--if you don't like discussions about poop, please skip this paragraph.) B2 has had bowel problems since he was a baby. When we first introduced him to rice cereal, they cropped up. Basically, he can't seem to move his bowels on his own. We've given him Miralax almost every day since about he was about 6 months old. If we ever forget for a few days, it happens: the backed up, rock hard, bum-tearing bowels. In these cases, we usually have to give him an enema, which he of course hates, just to get it to come out. Our pediatrician told us that some kids just like to hold on to "it" and that he'd grow out of it. That was two years ago, and it's still not better. In fact, it seems worse, because now that I'm home I'm realizing how much of a problem B2 has. He's potty trained just fine when it comes to pee (even at night now--yippee!!!) but for the love of all that is holy cannot go poop by himself! Instead, he "stores" it in between his cheeks when he feels it coming on! It's so gross! We know he feels it coming, because a.) he'll still go and hide sometimes, and b.) he freaking squeezes in his cheeks! How can he not feel that? But, instead of just going to the bathroom, he'll stay like that, sometimes for hours until we catch the smell or undress him for a bath. It happened again today--third day in a row that he's done this, and third day without really pooping even when we make him sit on the potty. Plus, he's still on the Miralax. After 4+ years, shouldn't he really be off this stuff now? I'm close to my wits end. I'm tired to spending so much money on Mirarlax and multiple wash cycles to clean his underwear. Any help?? I'm definitely going to bring this up to the doctor when we take B2 in for his 5 year check up, but I'm willing to try just about anything before then--except taking him off the Miralax, because I just can't stand seeing my baby cry and scream in pain when he tries to have a bowel movement.

I guess it's time for a good update on my yearly goals:

Finish P90X
I'm getting closer to finishing this goal. I finished Week 5 this week (though I didn't work out today--sadness!). Legs & Back is my favorite workout, and I'm sad to see that I won't be doing it the last 4 weeks because it's not on my schedule. I started a new lifting routine this week: Shoulders, Arms and Triceps. Many swear words when through my head during this workout. Curse you Tony! I'm getting bored with the Kenpo routine (which was ironically one of my favorites at the beginning), plus it's starting to hurt my knees. I may stop doing this particular routine in favor of my new training (see goal 2). I measured again this week, but didn't see any difference that's worth mentioning.

Run a half marathon
Progress is being made! This week I registered for the Utah Valley half marathon, to be ran June 11th. I start my training next week. I alternate between really excited and freaked out of my mind. I think that as long as I can actually do my training schedule, I'll be okay. We'll see though. I just hope all that road running doesn't aggravate my old knee injury.

Get to 135 pounds
Let's be honest--I suck at weight loss. Not because I'm not capable, but because I seriously lack the discipline not to each an entire "family" sized bag of Doritos in one sitting. ("Family" sized my butt--what family would be satisfied with that teeny little bag??) Doritos are sooo good. Not only that, but now that I'm home more a lot of my meals are homemade (or leftovers of homemade), so I don't have good calorie counts. I've largely fallen off the calorie counting band wagon. I'm hovering right around my homeostasis weight of 140. Not bad, considering that I'm probably building a bit of muscle mass with P90X, but still not a great number.

Finish Old Testament
I'm finally making progress here too! I finished reading the Book of Mormon yesterday, and so am continuing my newly developed habit of daily scripture reading by finishing the Old Testament. This goal will take me the rest of the year to accomplish, so I won't really comment more on it in future posts. Just check the side bar to see how I'm doing. (I'll update those numbers soon--I don't have them all in front of me right now.)

Read 12 books
I'm not quite on track here. I'm finishing my second book of the year, a non-fiction book called Boys Should Be Boys. It's a book on parenting, so it's taken me longer because I've wanted to soak in what I was reading. Plus, my last few weeks have been spent making my little sister's baby shower gift (I still have a few more items to make before her shower on Saturday), and making a blessing blanket for my adorable niece O, who will be officially adopted, sealed, and blessed at the end of the month. So, I have some time crunches with those projects, which means reading has been pushed back in priority.

I love P90X

Okay, not every day, but today I'm loving it! This morning I decided to measure again to see if P90X has had an effect. I'm still battling with these last 5 pounds--this morning I weighed in just over 140 again. Though, to be truthful, I wouldn't be battling these pounds if I stopped buying Doritos and making cookies and s'more treats and all kinds of other goodies. I guess I'm battling less with the 5 pounds than I am with my own self-control, or lack thereof. But back to my brag moment. When I measured this morning, I found that I have lost 5/8" on my arms, 1/2" in my "love handles", and 1/2" in my thighs. Sweet!!!

OK, Tony, I'll stop cursing your name now...

Week 2 of SAHM

This past week was my first full week of being a stay-at-home mom. Life is starting to settle into a routine, which is nice. So, instead of a play-by-play of each day, here are some of the highlights from last week:

Monday - spent the first half of the day with my hubby before he went to work, and spent the second half with my parents before they went back to CA.

Tuesday - went to my first play group!! Woohoo! B2 had so much fun playing with the other kiddos, and I loved hanging with and getting to know some women in our neighborhood. That night, I had my first cake decorating class! Many of the topics were review (I already knew how to make a star), but there were a lot of tips and pointers that were new. This class meets every Tuesday in February, so I have three more classes. I'm really excited to learn how to make small flowers and roses!

Wednesday - spent most of the day recovering from the awful night sleep I had the night before, due to whatever I ate on Monday that made me sick.

Thursday - had a double workout--P90X in the morning, and Relief Society basketball at night. We only had 5 girls show up, so everyone played the whole time. I was dying by the end, but really had fun--even if the other team seemed to think that it was okay to slap, elbow, scratch, and run you over. Oh, and the refs thought that was okay too. *Sigh* I miss the days of high school basketball sometimes...

Friday - signed up to work a cannery shift in March to make beef chunks (yum!). B2 didn't have preschool (Miss A was sick) so we went down to CP to say hi to everyone. B1 got some great news--he got the new job!! He has been in the process of applying and interviewing for a teaching position at his company. He would be part of the team that trains all new pilots, as well as first officers who are upgrading to captain. It's a three-year commitment. He will still be flying a bit, as he'll need to keep up his currency, but mostly he'll be working days and off nights, weekends, and holidays. So, somehow in the last two weeks, we went from the "abnormal" family of me working full-time with B1 on call, working nights, holidays, and other random times, to me being at home full-time and B1 working a "normal" schedule. On the bright side, I get to see my husband a lot more and play the dutiful housewife in making him dinner every day. On the down side, now I have to keep the house clean daily instead of just cleaning it in the few hours before he comes home from a trip. :) So, Friday night we went to Cafe Rio to celebrate B1's new position. Yum!!

Saturday - B1 was off yesterday, so we both did the Yoga P90X workout in the morning, and then went to the temple. Between my cold, the workout, and just life, I was so exhausted when we got back from the temple that I crashed and slept for about 4 hours.

I can't believe I didn't post about our new hotness! When we first moved to EM, we didn't have a table (our previous apartment was too small for a table). B1's aunt donated her old table to us, which worked well for the last 5 years. Well, we had outgrown the table. B1 found a new table on KSL. It's solid oak, came with 6 chairs, and we only paid $100! We (and by "we" I mean mainly B1) sanded off the top, re-stained it, sealed it, cleaned the chairs, and bought chair pads. It has two leaves for when company comes over. It's awesome!

Here's an update on some of my goals:

Goal 1: P90X
I started P90X this week. I completed workouts on 4 of the 6 days. One day I didn't work out because I got really sick off something I ate, so I'm sure you can imagine why I wouldn't want to be doing an ab workout that day (I hope I don't need to spell out all the gross details). Once I got over my food sickness, I started coming down with an actual cold, which is why I didn't work out that other day. But, I'm working it. Let me tell you, I am S-O-R-E! I'm even modifying many of the exercises because I don't want to kill myself trying to do really advanced workouts. But, it's nice to be active again. Even though I hurt, I feel like I already have more energy and am (mostly) sleeping better at night. Today my cold is still mounting its attack, so I feel even worse today than I did yesterday. I'm hoping that by tomorrow I will be able to take on the next workout.

Goal 2: Get to 135 lbs
Man, I got so close to this... This past week, I weighed in at my new low of 136.1. Unfortunately, it didn't stay there long. This morning I'm back up to 139.3. I've already lost count of the number of times I've lost the weight between 140 and 137. I think P90X is affecting my calorie counting. Either my body is freaking out that I've actually started exercising ("She must be dying! Hoard those calories!!!") or I'm seriously underestimating my caloric intake and overestimating my usage. Before I started P90X, I took a series of measurements. I'm not going to post those, because I'm sure no one cares, but I'm going to also be watching those in addition to my weight, as I'm hoping P90X will build up some muscles. So, at this point, if I don't get all the way down to 135 but I manage to drop some inches, I'll still be satisfied with my progress (though I am still going to try to hit 135).

As for the other 3 goals, still no progress there. I'm surprised at how little time, or desire, I have to read now that I'm a SAHM. I definitely need to work on that area more.

As a reminder, this blog doesn't show any pictures of my family. There are some pictures on the private blog version of this post. If you'd like an invite to the private blog, email me.

An insane update

Wow, this week seems like it's been the busiest week ever, and that's saying something for me!! Let's review.

Tuesday was my last day working at CP--sadness!! I'm glad that I am able to keep working with CP now as an independent contractor, because otherwise I would seriously have been bawling all day. Yes, I am a crybaby, especially when it comes to big changes. Tuesday was a super busy day at work, too, which in some ways made it easier and in other ways made it harder.

Wednesday was my first official day as a stay-at-home mom! Let's just say it didn't go exactly as planned... So, my alarm went off at 6:30 so I could start P90X. Did I get up? NO! I instead battled with getting up and going back to sleep, dozing in and out of sleep, for the next hour. At 7:30, I woke up and started working. About 8:45 I remembered that B2 had preschool on Wednesdays, so I tried to hurry and feed him and get him ready for preschool. We were a few minutes late. :-\ Immediately after preschool, I came home, got myself cleaned up, and went to a visiting teaching appointment. After that was over, I came home again and tried to do some more work. At 11:15 I left to pick B2 up at preschool. We came home, had lunch, and I piled the kids back in the car to go to my in-law's house. I left the kids there and went to my hair appointment. When that was done, I picked up the kids, went home, made pizza dough, and finished my work for the day. While I was working, I got a phone call from my dad saying that my grandma passed away Tuesday night. My grandma has been really sick my whole life, and honestly we're all surprised that she lived as long as she did. She will definitely be missed. Once I was done with work, I threw everything I needed for pizza into the car, packed up the kids and the husband, and went back to my in-law's house. We started making pizza and my parents and siblings showed up. We ate, then watched the BYU vs. SDSU basketball game. It was great watching the Cougs beat SDSU!! Go Cougars! After the game, we packed everything up again, drove home, and put the kids (and adults!) to bed (late).

Thursday morning I woke up (I didn't do P90X because my brother J stayed the night and was sleeping in our front room), did some work, made breakfast for the family, got the kids ready, and...um...I forget. That day is mostly a blur. My parents were in town, so I know we did some stuff with them, but honestly I don't remember any details. Thursday night we drove up to Salt Lake to attend my sister's (final) volleyball banquet. She won the Coach's Award, which is given out by the head coach. I was so proud of her! But, of course, she totally deserved it. :) And, once again, the kiddos got to stay up late as we didn't get home from the banquet until close to 10:00.

Friday morning I woke up, did some more work, got the kids ready, took B2 to preschool, did some more work, and picked B2 up from preschool. I then went shopping with my parents to a place in Salt Lake called NPS Freight. It's a store that sells grocery items that are largely expired (but only recently) and some other stuff. I've heard people rant and rave about this store, but frankly I wasn't that impressed. After we went to NPS, we grabbed some lunch, and then went home. I stopped by Walmart and grabbed Despicable Me from Redbox. We watched the movie that night, and I put the boys to bed. I had decided a while ago that once I stopped working I would try to get B2 through the night without Pull-Ups, so we put him to bed in under. On the way up to the Salt Lake Airport to pick up my brother, who flew in for the memorial service for my grandma, I dropped off Despicable Me. When I got home, I woke B2 up to try and go potty, and then went to bed...late again.

Yesterday, I slept in! After this week, I was completely exhausted, and as I didn't have any work to do I decided not to get out of bed until 9:30. I then frantically tried to get the kids ready and we drove up to Salt Lake for my grandma's memorial service. After it was over, we stayed at the church for a luncheon, cleaned up, and went around the corner to my aunt's house. We watched the BYU vs. NM basketball game, and was heartbroken to see my Cougs lose. After the game, my aunts, uncle, and cousins went through Grandma's things and picked out some mementos. I got some awesome stuff that I'm going to put into a shadow box, and a few items I'll use. We put the kids to bed, and B1 and I actually crawled into bed around 9:00 p.m! Go us! I watched some M*A*S*H trying to stay awake for a bit so I could wake up B2 to go potty, but fell asleep and woke up at 2:00 a.m. B2 was still dry--two days in a row! I was so proud of him!

Wow, what a week! Add on top of all that my day-to-day crap like doing dishes and washing 4,000 loads of laundry, and it was quite a week! Hopefully this next week will be more calm. I'm planning to start P90X tomorrow, as well as a cleaning routine I've set up. I'll update this next week on how I'm doing on P90X.

Goals Update

Okay, so I thought I'd update everyone on how my goals are going. Yes, I know it's only halfway through January, but I'm pumped about knocking these suckers out!

Goal 1 - Finish P90X. I haven't started this yet, but as planned. I will be starting P90X in two weeks, so be prepared for the swear words that will be coming from that post...

Goal 2 - Half Marathon. I also haven't started this, as planned. I intend to start my training about the time I finish P90X, if not sooner.

Goal 3 - Lose 10 pounds. I'm doing really good on this! Okay, so I've pretty much been sucking the past few days. I got down to 138.7 by Wednesday this last week, and then went on our quarterly managers retreat. On the bright side, I think I kept my weight loss to the smallest amount ever on these retreats, but I did gain 1.3 pounds. I weighed in this morning at 140, so I am just a little way past the halfway point. If I stay motivated, I think I can hit this goal by the end of January. At that point, I just need to keep it down until we (hopefully) go on our cruise in March.

Goal 4 - Finish the Old Testament. I haven't picked up on that yet. I'm still working on finishing the Book of Mormon, and will start this goal at that point.

Goal 5 - Read 12 books, with at least 6 being non-fiction. I have started this goal. I'm currently reading Wizard's First Rule, which is obviously a fiction (fantasy) book. I want to have this finished by January 25th so I can return it to my coworker. My next read is a non-fiction book, Boys Should Be Boys.

Resolution 1 - Build an unbreakable habit of prayer and scripture study. I am doing much better on my scripture study, but not so great (okay, honestly, no improvement at all) on prayer.

Resolution 2 - Cultivate friendships. I really hope those in my ward didn't take my initial post as a pity-party or fishing for friendships, but regardless of their inference on my intent, I feel like more of an effort has been made by the women in my ward to reach out to me, and I appreciate it!!! I have also been trying to make an effort to accept those invitations and be someone that others would want to be around. Tonight I went to a girls night out with about 15 other women, and had a BLAST!!! It was such a good time, and I look forward to the next one.

Resolution 3 - Love being a mom. While I haven't yet gained any insight on how to keep my kids occupied all day (especially when it's cold outside and we can't play at parks or go swimming), I am seriously loving being around my kids and anxious for the time that I can spend all day long with them! Only another week and a half left!

D is giggling in the dark while I'm typing this. Silly kid. I should probably turn off the computer so he can sleep...

Time for New Years!

So, I got tired of the #Reverb10. This year's questions were pretty dumb. But, it's almost New Years Eve, so it's resolution time. But, instead of resolutions, which tend to have a negative connotation of vague intentions that rarely see fruition, this year I want to set goals, complete with action plans and deadlines. So, here it goes.

Goal 1: Finish P90X
Right now, I am planning on being a stay-at-home mom at the end of January. Once I am no longer losing 2 hours a day to commuting, I want to invest more time into getting back into shape--because, frankly, it's pathetic how much my kids wear me out. So, I want to completely go through P90X as my first part of getting into shape. I've realized I hate treadmills, and there's no way I'm running outside when it's this dang cold. I plan on P90X taking more than 90 days to complete, asI want to do the full 90 day workout without working out on Sundays (usually the 7th day is for stretching, but I don't want to skip that workout). If I don't miss any days and stay perfectly on schedule, I will finish May 10th. But, let's be reasonable and say my deadline is the end of May. I also have a plan of waking up every day at 6:30 to start my workout. That may seem early, but it's pretty much the time I'm waking up now, or earlier, so it's not that much of a stretch. We'll see if that remains the case once I try...

Goal 2: Run a half marathon
My bucket list contains as one of its items the goal of running a full marathon. So, why not buckle down and do it this year? Well, there's a fairly good chance that B1 and I will try to get pregnant some time during 2011, and I don't want this goal to get squashed simply because something more important comes up. My plan is to start training for the half marathon once I complete P90X, using the same hour in the morning as I currently have set aside for P90X (I'll have to figure out how to work this out on days when B1 is off flying). I want to run a 5K no later than the end of June, and run a half-marathon no later than the end of August. The only out I want to give myself for not completing this is pregnancy.


Goal 3: Lose 10 pounds
I think goals 1 and 2 will get me to this, but I hope to hit this goal a lot faster. I got on the scale today and saw an ugly number: 144.6. I haven't seen that number in a long time, and frankly, it sucks. I don't want to wear any of my shirts because of the muffin top I get. I want to get back to 135. Not 137 or 136, or even 135.8. I want to get to 135.4 or lower, where I can honestly say I weigh 135. Deadline: May 31st (again, I'm hoping to finish that sooner).

Goal 4: Finish the Old Testament
B1 and I have been reading the Old Testament for something ridiculous, like 2 years. This year, I want to finish what we started. No, I'm not going to be super ambitious and start over--I just want to finish. Deadline: December 31, 2011.

Goal 5: Read 12 books, with at least 6 books being non-fiction
I LOVE to read. Seriously, I do. But a few months ago my father-in-law told me that I needed to branch out from my fantasy genre. While I do love fantasy, I thought his comment was a little too global. For example, lately I've also read some classics (I'm currently reading Madame Bovary, and this year alone I've read Animal Farm, Great Expectations, Scarlet Letter, and Persuasion). However, I have not been reading a lot of non-fiction (other than self-help and business books), so this year I want to stretch myself a bit and read some more non-fiction books. I'm allowing self-help (or, as I prefer to think of them, self-improvement) and business books to fit into the non-fiction category, as I've been enjoying those. Deadline: December 31, 2011.

On the right side of the blog I will keep a list of these goals and update you on my status. This way, I have some accountability.

Now, for some resolutions. These are things I want to do that will take constant improvement and will never have a point where I can say "Done!"

Resolution 1: Build an unbreakable habit of scripture reading and prayer.
After our recent scare about maybe moving to Minneapolis or Houston (resulting in us being able to choose to stay in SLC or choose to move), I came to an unhappy conclusion: I can no longer complain about living in Utah, since I choose it. Secretly, I've been blaming Utah for anything unpleasant - Utah Mormons, Utah culture, Utah weather, and so on. I remember one sob-fest I had, a year or so ago, when I told B1 that I just can't be a good LDS member in Utah. Honestly, I don't remember the argument that I tried to make for that statement, but I've let it be an excuse for why I don't do the basics. A few months ago, our stake Relief Society presidency challenged us to read the Book of Mormon by March 19th. I'm a little behind now, but am on track to be caught up by Saturday. Reading the Book of Mormon has brought sanity back to my life. I'm more patient with my children and overall happier. I want to keep this up and not stop once I hit the short-term goal of March 19th.

Resolution 2: Cultivate friendships
Considering I've lived in my condo for five and a half years, I feel like I'm missing the friendships that others have created. Not to guilt-trip anyone who reads this blog and also lives in our condo community, but it's the little things that make me jealous of what I lack, such as people posting on my Facebook profile or inviting me to activities (granted, this latter one, I hope, has been largely due to my inability to attend since I've been working full-time). I'm not saying I want to be the most popular person in the ward (okay, I do, but that's not reasonable)--I just want to feel like I can go to church and sit next to someone without the feeling of needing to create, awkwardly, conversation. I'm not going to post here what I plan to do, because I don't want anyone to feel like they're my project or that I'm their project.

Resolution 3: Love being a mom
Of course, I love my kids. But honestly, the looming possibility of being a stay-at-home mom has me terrified. Here at work, I've coined a pathology: "What-the-crap-do-you-do-all-day disease." It's rampant at work--department A wonders why Department B can't help out with task C, because seriously, what the crap does Department B do all day?? I have the same problem with stay-at-home moms, but a different twist. I know it's busy being a stay-at-home mom, but what I wonder is what on earth do they do to keep their kids busy, without resorting to 5 hours a day of Spongebob? This is something I desperately want to learn. B2 will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and I don't want his last months of being at home all the time to be spent in front of the TV. I do plan to attend as many play groups as I can, and we bought the Pass of All Passes so we can spend lots of time at Trafalga, Seven Peaks, and sporting games. Seriously though, SAHMs, any feedback, advice, or tips you can give me would be warmly received!!!

Wow--these are some lofty goals and resolutions, but I really think I can do it!

#Reverb10

So, last year I did the #Best09 Challenge, where each day I had to answer the prompted question. I really enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again this year. This year it's called the #reverb10. So, I'm a little late getting started (I was supposed to start Dec 1), but better late than never, right? So, let me get caught up.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
For me, I think the best word is BUSY! This year has been busy, busy, busy. B1 has been flying like crazy, we've been working our tails off to get out of debt, I'm still working full-time, my sister finished her senior year of volleyball (so of course we were at every game), and so on. Next year, I want my word to be contentment. I will be making a major change, going from working full-time to being a stay-at-home mom. By the end of the year, I'm hoping to get some type of routine down and I'm hoping to LOVE being a mom.

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
Life keeps me from writing a lot. I'm sure I could spend more time writing, but then I'd spend less time with my kids or hubby. So, I'm not planning on making that change any time soon.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
Maybe this is cheating to pick a moment so recent, but last night was my company Christmas party. I've never had such fun. We started off with dinner. Then, my boss gave everyone $100 in gold coins and told us to go shopping for an assigned person in the company. The twist? We were playing a game of Assassin (with dart guns we had received from him the week before). So, we had to shop while watching our backs. While in Big 5, I had a fellow employee try to gangsta shoot me (with his gun held sideways) while he used his wife as a sheild. In Costco, I shot a fellow manager square in the back. Outside Costco, I had a dueling war with a different manager as we ran in circles to avoid the other's darts. In Sports Authority, I had a James Bond moment as a I shot at a coworker while running sideways. After the shopping and Assassin were over, we gave and explained our gifts, and watched our Christmas video. This was the first time I had some embarrassing footage in our annual video, and I had a great time laughing at myself while my coworkers teased me. It was just overall a great night.

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
Having young children, creating a sense of wonder is easy. All I have to do is sit down and watch or listen to them, and I'm amazed. I'm amazed at how smart B2 is getting. In fact, just today I picked him up from the babysitter's house and he started singing a song about the different kids in his preschool class. He is a sponge, so I'm very lucky to have him in such a great preschool.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
I let go of a very good friend this year. Without too many details, the relationship had grown unhealthy. For a while, I felt very lonely. But, the sacrifice was definitely worth it.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
The last thing I made was food--of course. I'm always cooking. I made thumbprint cookies that were rolled in pecans. They were okay. I think I can improve on the recipe. This next year, I want to learn how to edit videos, and start editing our home videos and burning them to DVDs.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
I have, even more so, developed community at my work. Now that we have passed the Christmas party, my resignation is looming near and it makes me sad. I will still be working there as an independent contractor, and will be in the office occasionally, but I will really miss the daily association with all the wonderful people there. In 2011, I really want to make friends in my home ward. Right now I feel like I get along really well with people in my ward, but I don't feel like we're FRIENDS. At best, I feel like we're neighbors. (I really hope this doesn't offend anyone!! Seriously, I know the problem is on my end--there are great people in my ward!) With my working full-time, I've missed out on a lot of opportunities like play groups, hanging out at the pool or parks, and so on. I'm super excited to jump into that as much as I can in a few more weeks.

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
This is really hard for me. First, I don't think I'm all that different, and second, I really have no idea what I do that makes people light up. The only thing that really comes to mind is that I love to serve others, and usually anonymously (I don't want to feel like I'm serving for the appreciation, so I like to do it anonymously). Unfortunately, I'm not so gracious about receiving service...

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.
As mentioned previously, last night's Christmas party for my work ROCKED!

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
I think the wisest decision we made was the preschool we chose for Bw. His teacher is amazing, and he learns so much. He absolutely loves learning. He's learning his letters, and learning to write them. He looks forward to his homework! He sings songs I've never heard that I'm sure he learns at preschool. That was the best decision we made.

December 11 – What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Wow...what a doozy! Here it goes.

1. Negativity. I have a very nasty habit of being negative, especially about myself. I'll complain about my stretch marks from my pregnancy (or the hundreds of other things wrong with my body, mostly pregnancy-caused or pregnancy-related), my loneliness, my crows feet that are growing around my eyes, my hair that never seems cute, my clothes that never seem flattering, my disobedient kids, my inability to control my temper...I could go on. My life could seriously do without all this negativity. My goal for next year is to curb my negative comments. I want to try to give more service, so I don't think about myself so much. I want to put a little more effort into my appearance. I want to spend less time in front of the TV and computer and spend more time with my kids (I get more frustrated with the kids if they interrupt me while I'm watching TV or working on the computer than almost any other time). I think this can change my life because I will be happier if I'm not focused on the negative so much.

This may seem silly, but that's the only thing I can think of right now. Maybe that's a good sign--my life is mostly going well. I just need to focus on what's right instead of what's wrong. :)

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
This is kind of a weird question. I don't know that I ever feel like I'm separate from my body. So, my answer is pretty much always.

December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
Oh dear, you're in for it if you start asking me plans. My goals next year are to get back in shape. I want to do this by completing P90X. By that time, it should hopefully be warmer, so I want to start running. I want to run a half marathon by the end of the summer, and hopefully a full marathon next summer. I think I can hit all these goals unless I get pregnant (no plans for that now, but you never know...).

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
Wow...there's a lot I appreciate. I think the one thing I've come to appreciate the most is living so close to family. We thought we were going to be moving out of state about a month ago, and I was so sad about the possibility of leaving my sisters behind, my brother, my in-laws, my extended family, and so on. So, as much as I hate living in the cold and I tend to complain about the state in which we live, I LOVE being near my family!


December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
B2 loves attention. We took him to Trafalga's and he loved being with his mom and dad and going mini golfing.

D said Mama first. He now gives me hugs and kisses. He's a momma's boy, and I love it. His new thing is he likes to wipe my nose with a tissue. He's so gentle when he does it.

Rinz finished volleyball. I got teary-eyed when the last point was scored. I'm so proud of her. And a little bit jealous, to be honest.

Beez is pregnant. She looked so pretty last night at the Christmas party. I never understood why people say pregnant women glow until I saw her last night.

B1 has been working so hard for our family. He's so excited about finally being the breadwinner. I'm so excited about being the happy little housewife.

B2 and D love their grandparents so much. I'm lucky they have one set who lives close and one set that visits often.

E and K finally got their baby. O is the most beautiful little baby. You can see in K's eye how much O means to her. I've never seen E prouder.

CP has been so good to me. I'm going to miss being there every day. I need to find more people I can refer to work there--anyone who doesn't work there is missing out.

Manners

I got on this new email distribution list at a website called iMom.com. The email list is called "Espresso Minute" - basically, it's an idea list of things you can teach your kids or play with them and so on. Today's minute is on teaching your kids manners, which a list of the top 10 manners your kids should know. I thought it was interesting, and I definitely want to work on some of these with B2:

1. Put others first: This could be the only point we need to make, because it's at the root of all the others. This principle is manifest in holding doors, stepping aside, offering the last cookie, giving up your seat, changing a tire, saying "no, after you…", carrying groceries, offering a hand.
2. Polite phone protocol: This item could have its own list! Turn the phone off during meals, movies, classes and conversations. This includes texting. Bottom line - give 100% attention to the people you are physically with. Your phone has a voice mail feature – use it!
3. The thank-you note: There are two kinds of people in this world: those who write thank-you notes for gifts or special occasions, and those who don't. Teach your kids to write thank you notes and they will have understood a foundational concept. Nothing elaborate is necessary, but the effect is always memorable.
4. Open the door for others: Contrary to popular myth, this is not a chauvinistic practice. Door-holders open for their peers, their mothers, their dads, and strangers. They also yield the sidewalk and hold the elevator. There's no stopping them. Good manners always say, "After you."
5. Use "Thank-you" and "You're welcome" routinely in conversation: Simple but powerful. Help the kids make it a habit. This is one you need to model at your end.
6. Shake hands and make eye contact: Teach kids to shake hands, to make eye contact and to offer a word of welcome when they meet new people or when others visit the home. It may be a cliché to say first impressions make a big impact, but it's a cliché because it's true.
7. Teach them to offer to serve people who enter your home: Make it routine - "May I take your coat?" "Would you like a glass of water?" "Let me take your bags…" People who visit are our guests.  This is a key lesson, no matter what a child's age.
8. Stand up when an elder enters the room: Many adults have forgotten this gem.  It's a sign of respect no matter what our age. Grandparents? Aunts and uncles? Teachers? Any visitor to the home. Teach children to stand as a sign of respect.
9. Be polite to people who serve: This means make eye contact and turn your phone off when talking to the cashier at the fast food restaurant or at the grocery. It means being respectful to the server at the restaurant. It means saying "thank you" when you're given food or change. Try thanking the bus driver for the ride home or a soldier for serving our country.
10. Practice manners at family mealtimes: Family dinners can be a perfect venue for manners. Demonstrate, practice, model, question, prompt. No TV, no phones, no distractions from polite interaction. "Please pass the potatoes…"  "Thanks…" "Can I get that for you?" "Mom, can I pour you a glass of water?" The family unit is the most important venue to learn social graces and family mealtimes are maybe our best opportunity.

What a gentleman my little boy could be!! Am I a nerd because I'm excited to teach my kids manners? :)