Spring Fling Goal #1

If you were here last year and remember anything I typed at all then you'll remember that I like to make spring goals as opposed to New Year's resolutions. The reason is simple: in January and February I go into a bit of a slump (you may have noticed by the tone of recent posts) and with the lengthening, warmer days my motivation seems to return and feel excited again about renewing and reviewing my life. Hence the spring fling goals and since spring is almost upon us I'm beginning to think of all the things I could improve upon and here is the first thing that comes to mind:

 STOP APOLOGIZING

I do this all the time and even I'm annoyed by it.I apologize for a variety of things but most recently it's been my house. Someone, anyone, walks in and the first words I utter are an apology for the way it looks and a plea that they won't judge me (just ask my sister's friends who were here for a brief moment on Saturday). I come by this behavior honestly. My sister does it, my mom does it, my grandmother does it. We're a family a habitual apologizers and it's really quite ridiculous.

Why am I apologizing? Well, the things is I've got two little kids and one of their favorite activities is to throw things out of drawers, baskets, boxes, and bags. They also like to draw on the wall to see if the writing utensil is really working. And they enjoy taking freshly folded laundry and scattering all along the way ( I wouldn't mind so much if it were sunshine they were scattering...) Plus, they have sticky hands and they  like to touch things: doorknobs, chairs, cabinets, walls, etc. In short, my house often looks as if a bomb (or Hurricane Hayden) has gone off.

 It's frustrating because this is not how I'd like my house to look, but I really just need to accept the fact that at this stage in my life my house will not look perf if someone happens by (it won't look perf even if they give me hours of notice be before they stop by) and with this acceptance I must stop apologizing. Good grief! If someone who comes here loves me less because they stick to their chair at the kitchen table, well then, I do not want them in my life--or at least not in my house. So, folks, there you have it. Spring Fling Goal #1. I will no longer apologize for my house, or my hair, or my kids runny noses, or my gold fish ridden car. There will be a time when I will keep up on all of this better, but that time is not now so love me or leave me that's how it's gonna be.

The Man's Side of Things

That post title makes this sound serious. It's not. Just some pics of the B's side o' the fam.

This is B's mom (mimi) and the grandkids.Yup. Pretty Cute.

Here's the whole fam damily. Good lookin' bunch.

 In this pic you have 2 Brents, 2 Brandons, 2 Julies and 1 Julia, and a bunch of other people.
(Top L-R: Megan, Luke, Emma, Brent, Brandon, Julie M, Julie, Michelle, Taytum, Brandon, Melanie, Tag
Bottom L-R: Julia, Scout, Sawyer, Hayden, Noah, Tucker, Mia, Brock, Brent, Kate
The front of the front: Dylan)

i have followers. what does this mean? do you get updates of when i post? if so, i'm sorry. there should be a setting for updates only on good posts. if not, then what do  you get? do tell. i'm dying to know.

 it's a good thing i don't blog for a living. i am only occasionally clever and witty, it would be such a burden to have be such every day.

i just finished writing the roadshow for our ward. it's kind of funny. i say "kind of" because it will either be really funny (depending on the players) or fairly lame (depending on the players). i'm hoping for at least mildly entertaining. first read through is tonight--if people show up, that is.

hayden has been a cranky pants since he had a sleep over with cousins. i'm not blaming that. okay, i am, but i'm not blaming the cousins i'm just blaming the lack of sleep and the amount of time it takes him to recover from such events. this is, truthfully, why i hate taking him anywhere besides home to sleep. he's just a pain in my a #% for at least a week afterward. so if i ever turn you down for a sleep over occasion this is why. it's not because your children are a bad influence.

hayden's favorite phrase this week: " i don't have to." nice. real nice.

scouters is sick with a cold. this is crappy for everyone in the household because she can't breathe and probably aches all over which, consequently, means she wakes up about every two hours. this translates  to no sleep for the parentals which in turn tranlates to grumpy mom and dad.

dear february,
i know you're the month of love but i do not love you. at all. you are grey and dull and i'm so over winter by the time you roll around. my kids need out. i need out. and thus, we need you OUT!!

dear march,
please, if you value a sane me, bring sun and at least 50 degree weather.
much obliged,
julia

this is the end of this rather pouty post. don't worry as soon as it's sunny again my mood will lift. cloudy days this time of year only dampen my demeanor.

xoxo,
j

ps: dearest melanie and mimi. i don't necessarily regret h. sleeping over. he had a fabulous time and has talked non stop about his cousins (so glad you have good kids for him to look up to, mel). i just regret that he has such a hard time dealing with sleep deprivation.

Always On My Mind

Okay, maybe not always...

* The Duggars. Why are people getting all fussy about how many kids they're having? They take care of/pay for them, right? They educate them, right? It's not like they're raising 20 Paris Hiltons or Lindsay Lohans or my down the street neighbors --now that would be a travesty--so get off their backs. (i had a whole post dedicated to this then deleted it. i figured no one really wanted to read a rant concerning this mega family.)

* I think it's funny that when you write something on facebook or a text or a comment that may be interpreted as slightly rude or off-putting all you need to do to soften the blow and make it okay is to follow it with a smiley face :) somehow that makes it all better. Kind of like the "bless his/her heart" of the typing universe. You know, "She is so creepy, bless her heart." or in textiverse: "She is so creepy. :)"

* I think it's sad that Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie passed away. My heart goes out to his family and fans. --if you know what i'm talking about then we are instantly better friends.

* Stephanie Nielson. I'm grateful for her blog and I'll tell you why, even though I've mentioned it briefly before. We often read or hear stories  that give you the beginning and end of someone going through a difficult time, but rarerly, if ever, hear about the middle. What is often missing, and what you get from nie nie's blog, is the constant struggles of overcoming adversity. She writes, rather poignantly I might add, about all of the day to day issues and struggles and pain and frustration that you don't get in a second hand version of her story.

* What to do for my husband for Valentine's Day. I want to  do something fun and romantic, but I'm drawing a blank. I really hate when that happens. I'm running out of time. I hope I come up with something soon.

* I often edit my posts three or four times--even after they've been up for days. This is actually kind of ironic since I rarely, if ever, proof read or edited my papers when in school.

Sorry. I'm Pretty Much Required to Post This

Yesterday H. hands me the cell phone and tells me to call Henry (a Thomas Engine --he's green and number 3, by the way). This is a game we play fairly often, so I dial and "chat it up" with Henry before turning the phone over to H. He takes the phone puts it up to his ear and starts walking away while he says, "Hi, Henry. How's your boilerache? Did you get your special coal?"

Before he could talk and I'd read/hear about all of the hilarious things my nephews and neice said I would often reflect on what Mr. Hayden would say. I guess now I know. Funny. Funny, kid.

When I Grow Up

I want to be an inspirational speaker. Maybe a speaker for youth groups. You know, CES or EFY or something. I think I'd be pretty good. Sure, that may sound like tooting my own horn, but it's only fair since I spend a disproportionate amount of time writing about all of the things I don't do well. Worse case scenario I try it and crash and burn. No big deal. I'm totally okay with changing  my name and moving to Alaska.

So. How does one get into this arena? Do you know?

Three words I loathe:
* Boob (i don't care if you are talking about the "body part" or if you're just being one i HATE it all the same)
* Lethargic
* It is what it Is (i know, it's not a word, but a phrase. i still hate, hate, hate it)