October 2013

Just finished this page the other night of my sweet little girl. I did a page like this a few years ago. Most of these pics are her school pictures over the years. She is my little buddy and helper...I don't know what I would do without her!

 It's Fall so that means I basically live either at the school, my mini van or on a field. It's been such a fun season. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else! I enjoy watching my kids do their thing and supporting them. Heston is playing machine pitch baseball on the Yankees (his favorite team! That worked out great!) with CYBB this year. He has been loving it! He's played different positions but he plays 1st base the most.

My manchild a.k.a. Braden is playing AYSO right now. He'll be trying out for the high school team in December. He learned so much from the BYU Soccer camp he attended this summer. The picture below was taken at his last game. He usually plays defender but he's been playing more offense lately. 

Fall Break was last week and it was so nice! The weather has been awesome! My parents came down for a few days and we had fun with them. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving. 

Soccer!!

 

Braden is now playing U-16 this year and loving it. He has improved so much over the year, I love watching him play :)

 

accepting yourself

I love this article! It was just what I needed...

 How to Accept Yourself When You Feel Like a Loser

I was always scrawny kid.
Instead of blossoming into a supermodel body, I felt more like a teenage boy.
Flat chested. Skinny legs. Weird shaped nose. Frizzy hair.
A really hot guy told me in junior high I looked like a guy with a girl’s face. Nice.
When all the girls in my class started showing off their cute butts in their Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans (Am I aging myself?), I looked like Kermit the Frog with a crap in my pants.
Yeah, life wasn’t easy.
I never had body image issues the way a lot of girls do. Even though I got made fun of, I was comfortable with my scrawny teenage body and knew that, one day, I’d grow into myself.
Pretty much everyone (especially women) has something about themselves they wish they could change. If we’re not careful, those dislikes can turn into full-blown self-loathing.
It’s not always easy to accept yourself when you see or feel aspects of your personality or physical image that you do not like. But rejecting yourself isn’t the answer either.
When I get all down on myself, feel fat, slow, out of shape, or hear the ranting of the sometimes crazy person inside of me, there are three little things I tell myself that I believe may serve you to post on your bathroom mirror or computer screen.

1. You Are One of a Kind

Every single one of us is unique. We all have special gifts. You may have a head for math, an inquisitive mind, a talent for singing in tune or playing a musical instrument. Maybe you’re the quickest runner around or have the best splits in the pool. Perhaps you’ve been born with the grace of a dancer or the patience of a saint.
Whatever it is, you are one of a kind.
You’ve got something to offer than no one else has. And if you don’t see this, no one else will.

2. Love What You Got

You were born with what you’ve got. And sure, you can clean up your diet, get on the treadmill, and shop in the self-help section of the bookstore, but the bottom line is that you can’t change the hardware.
Get that negativity out of your head and never feel envy toward someone who has the job you want, the relationship you think is better than yours, the nicer house, the longer legs, the bigger boobs, or the killer abs. It’s an epic waste of time.
Even if you don’t feel all that special, you are.
It doesn’t matter what someone else has. All that matters is what gifts you have been brought into the world with and what you plan to do with them.
You can either choose to spend your time obsessing about what you wish you had, or you can accept what you were given and work within the perimeters of it.
You gotta love yourself for who you are. Period. If you don’t, no one else will be able to love or accept you either.

3. Write Yourself a Love Letter

It’s so easy to focus on the negative.
In fact, I bet many of you, whether you know it or not, actually thrive on the negative.
Next time you are having a hard time, are feeling down in the dumps, or not accepting of yourself, write yourself a love letter. Include everything you love about yourself and the world you’re living in.
Dear Me,
I love you because you are so compassionate. You care deeply about everyone around you. You take such good care of your body and your family. You find time to exercise almost every day, even though your life is busy and chaotic. You have a thriving career. You are a fabulous mentor to many entrepreneurs and health coaches worldwide. Oh, and you have a really cute puppy and awesome kids. 
Love, Me
Then, take your words and turn them into post-it notes and colorful cards and place those words around you. Notice how those few words make your feel.
Spending time hating yourself can only be a hindrance. It won’t help you grow. It will only make you more miserable.
If you want to feel good, you have to train yourself to feel good.
A love letter is the perfect reminder of how incredible you are.
I have just shared my three little things I do to accept myself when I’m not feeling so accepting. 

Motherhood

It's officially Fall and it's pretty crazy around here. A good crazy, with lots of activities, sports, school, work and just good stuff. I'm constantly reminded how humbling motherhood is. I found this quote on Pinterest and I really love it. We're all trying to do the best we can and all of our situations are unique. I feel it's so important that we as women work to uplift each other as we navigate through motherhood instead of judging and tearing each other down. 

I need to do a better job of telling my friends what awesome Moms they are and what great examples they are to me...

Happy

A little scrapbook page about the things that make me happy. I bought this template from DD because its a different style of scrapbooking. I've tried to do this "cluster style" but my brain likes nice clean lines and minimal elements :)

Life is going great. Working part time has been a nice thing. I'm enjoying more of a balance this year. All 3 kids are participating in activities after school so it's been keeping Aaron and I on our toes. Fall is such a fun and busy time and I'm already looking forward to the holidays. It's pumpkin chocolate chip cookie season...doesn't get better than that :)

 

H turns 7

 

A couple of pages from Heston's birthday :)

You are still a good person

This summer, I got a chance to meet up with my former roommate Cindy. I still remember that day back in July 1996 when we met like it was yesterday. She's one of the sweetest people around and it was so much fun to reconnect with her. Back in the day whenever something would go wrong or we would make a mistake she would say,

"It's okay! You are still a good person!"

We would laugh and then that phrase became our apartment motto. It's such a simple statement but there's some profound truth there. I had some not so good days this week and I had to tell myself that everything is going to be okay and you're still a good person.

So thank you Cindy!

When I saw this on her car, I think it quite possibly made my summer :)

Go Jasmine and Aaron!

My favorite guy and favorite girl are in the finals!!!!

I do love Fik Shun and Amy but I've loved Aaron and Jasmine from the beginning.

Let's hear it for the tall dancers :) 

Mom surprised Paige and I with tickets to see SYTYCD here in AZ. We can't wait!

1993

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years...

I love the 90s! 

bad day

I've had a bad day today. 

One of those days where I either want to curl up into the fetal position in my closet or eat my weight in cookie dough. 

Got to take the good with the bad, right?

Tomorrow will be better...

Summer in Utah 2013

Finally finished this album from our adventures in Utah this summer. I just put the pictures in these templates, did a little journaling, a few elements and done. I took a lot of pictures so it's nice to have them somewhat organized. It was an especially awesome summer and we had a lot of fun. The only bummer part of it was my 20 year high school reunion was cancelled :( How lame is that?! I did however get together with some close friends that I haven't seen in a long time so that was awesome.

{Supplies}

Paper and templates- Crystal Wilkerson

Word elements- Ali Edwards, Designer Digitals, Kara Dudley

seven

Happy 7th Birthday Heston!

We are so grateful for this kid. He's been mellow and chill since he was a baby. So mellow and chill that it worried me. But no, that is just his little personality, he just goes with the flow. I admire his determination and how hard he works in school...and this kid can swing a golf club! :) 

We love you Heston! 

I think H looks like Aaron...with brown eyes :)

fourteen

Happy 14th Birthday Braden!

Of course, I love this boy. He's my eldest son and I'm his mom so of course I love him. However, I have to say that I really LIKE this boy. He laughs at my jokes, and I laugh at his. He keeps it real and lets me know, in a polite way, when I need to stop and take some deep breaths. I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong and I apologize. He does the same.

 I enjoy his company. He's a great young man and I'm honored to be his mom.

 We were poor college students and I had a coupon so I went to JCPenney and had these pictures taken. It was a huge sacrifice at the time but I'm so glad we had these taken!

 

This is us at age 14 :) 

 

give it your all

back to life, back to reality...

Just typed the title to this post and now I have to include the song because I can't get it out of my head :)

I still love this song! I've already accepted the fact that when I'm an old lady, I will listen to and talk about the "classic music of the 90s" :)

We are back from our month long vacation in Utah. It's always great to catch up with family and friends! I love Arizona but I am a Utah girl at heart. Braden starts high school tomorrow and we need to get him a few more things. The kids and I go back on Monday. Our new campus isn't quite ready so our start date was pushed back a few days. Lots of exciting changes this year...should be a fun year!

 

golf buddies

 

I just love this picture of Hes and Aaron!

 

Paige is 11 today!

Happy 11th Birthday Paige!!

She is such a sweetheart and helps me so much with all kinds of things. She has so many talents and I love her positive outlook on life.

Love you Paige!

SYTYCD time!

Summer is here and guess what time it is?

I'm so excited that the top 20 have been chosen and we can get on with the competition. There are 4 dancers that are my favorites:

Malece! We have to cheer for the Utah girl!

Mariah! I love Hip Hop and she's from Chandler!

Aaron! Love the name and love that he's a tap dancer!

If I had to chose my favorite, it would be...

Jasmine Harper! She's a powerful dancer and I love that she's tall :)
My favorite dance tonight was the jazz dance by Aaron and Jasmine. So excited for this season!

99 lessons

I read this today on Positively Positive and it's full of "A-ha" moments!

  

 99 Lessons for Living a Life You Won't Regret  By Bassam Tarazi

1. No adult ever mentally feels grown up.
2. You will always doubt yourself, get used to it.
3. Permission has already been granted to you. You just have to take it.
4. The timing will never be as perfect as you want it to be.
5. You won’t know what you’re doing when you start doing what you think you want to do.
6. So choose to make every decision the right decision, even if something doesn’t go your way.
7. Because success is a mindset.
8. But success is also dangerous. The more you have, the less support people think you need.

9. There’s no such thing as making it, only making it further than where you were yesterday.

10. Starting a business means you’ll have less free time, not more. A lot less.
11. If you can’t figure out how to market yourself in this world, you’ll always be paddling upstream.
12. Everything is selling. But now we’re selling ideas and opinions, not only gadgets.
13. Older does not equal smarter.
14. Not everyone has experience, but everyone can have initiative.
15. The best skill to have is one that is rare and useful.
16. If you knew how much work it would take to get your dream job, most of you would run for the hills.
17. And anyway, it’s only a “dream” job until you get it. Then it’s reality. And reality has its ups and downs.
18. You choose what kind of mood you want to be in when you wake up.
19. Don’t hang up the phone angry with your mother.
20. Foster the relationship with your siblings. You’ll live with them a lot longer than any other family member.
21. A strong handshake and solid eye contact will change your life for the better.
22. Image is everything, at first. Don’t pretend that it’s not. Being well dressed and decently groomed is a form of politeness.
23. There are no re-deals in life. The faster you accept that, the sooner you can excel at playing whatever hand you have.
24. So often, what we say inspires us also makes us feel inferior and paralyzed. The trick is to find the inspiration that stirs action. Otherwise, it’s not inspiration; it’s comparison.
25. Aspirations are wants based heavily on outside factors. Goals are wants based solely on your efforts.
26. For all those instances you think you just can’t do it, maybe you just should do it.
27. You live up to your own expectations.
28. Ignorance is bliss, but it’s not allowed to vote. If you don’t want to be informed, don’t complain.
29. Speaking of complaining, it’s easier than succeeding. Be careful what you whine about.
30. Owning memories beats owning “things” every time.
31. Except maybe if that thing reminds you of that memory every time you look at it.
32. Don’t be afraid to be broke. Be afraid to stay broke.
33. Helping others is noble, but be sure to take care of yourself too. It’s not selfish if it’s growth.
34. Embrace the suck. Your story is in the grit beneath your fingernails.
35. Because in the end, it’ll be the stories you tell and the people you tell them to.
36. Great days = (luck) x (a bunch of average days). Let the great days take care of themselves.
37. Stress = reality not matching your expectations. It’s harder to change reality than your expectations.
38. Fear is a choice, not a mathematical constant.
39. We often don’t want to accomplish our goals; we just want to be liked by our friends.
40. Independence isn’t free. The more you have of it, the more you’re paralyzed by it.
41. We do care what people think.
42. Don’t change the world, change the moment.
43. Don’t strive to be the best. Strive to be your best. “The best” is insanity.
44. Death by research is no way to die. Start already.
45. In five years, you’ll be wrong. Start already.
46. Successful people finish shit. Finish already.
47. Don’t go the extra mile until you go the last mile. Finish already.
48. If you can put yourself in the shoes of an outsider, you win.
49. Passions are your selfish desires. Purpose creates value for other people. Do something for other people and figure out how to tie your passions into it.
50. Because how you treat people is more important than what you do.

51. In fact, don’t treat others how you want to be treated, treat others how THEY want to be treated.

52. While you’re at it, you’ll need to figure out how to pay your vulnerability tax.
53. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’ll always be that dumb.
54. Exercise. No seriously, get off your ass.
55. But if you’re only going to the gym because your friend is going, it’s not going to work for you.
56. You are not right just because you speak. Give people a choice and a chance.
57. Follow up or die.
58. Know when to let go.
59. Keep your digital self fed, but don’t let him/her rule the show.
60. Create more.
61. Tweet less.
62. Craft first, community second.
63. It’s not who you know. It’s who you know once you know what you need to know.
64. Emotions are contagious. You are in control of what you are spreading and what you are susceptible to.
65. Stop apologizing for not knowing. Everyone was a rookie once.
66. All that evil needs to flourish is for good people to see nothing—and get paid for it.
67. What makes people happier is other people.
68. Have longer dinners with friends.
69. Happiness isn’t reached; it’s tended to.
70. Take that trip you’ve been thinking about. (See #4)
71. If you only have a backpack, board the plane last. No sense in standing in line or sitting on a cramped plane for longer than you have to.
72. Perspective is one simple thing that can make you more likable.
73. If tuk tuk drivers speak English too well, don’t trust them.
74. Partying is worth it while you’re in it, tragic when you miss it, regrettable the morning after, epic the day after that.
75. Party your ass off every now and then, but wake up sober on Saturday more often than not.
76. There is no such thing as “the one.” You don’t have time to meet all the candidates.
77. Marriage and commitment is not about riding off into the sunset together; it’s about jumping in a foxhole together.
78. Ladies, you hold all the cards. Own that.
79. Guys, less gawking at ladies, more hellos.
80. No one is thinking of creative ways to give you money.
81. A service business is convincing someone you know more than them about something they value and getting them to pay you for that knowledge.
82. Know the answer to “What are you working on, and how can I help?”
83. When it comes to a potential new customer, nothing is nothing until it’s something.
84. No one’s going to steal your idea.
85. You’re not stuck in traffic. You ARE traffic.
86. When you give someone change, don’t put the coins on top of the bills. This drives people crazy.
87. You have to enjoy the process somehow.
88. Sadly, we spend most of our time worrying about what the people who don’t ever think about us think about us.
89. Do something you hate. It’ll make you appreciate the things you love more.
90. Build something you can point at.
91. Efficiency runs businesses; inefficiency starts them.
92. You don’t make money from a blog; you make money from a business.
93. Piss someone off. You can’t market to everyone.
94. You can’t outmuscle being tired. Go to sleep.

95. You can’t outlogic your goals. You have to understand emotion.

96. Having no social awareness will be catastrophic for your career.
97. Rinse the sponge out after you use it. People don’t like smelling mold on their hands.
98. Have a hobby that entails you actually learning something new.
99. The world owes you nothing. It gave you life. Let’s consider that “paid in full.”