and then some

I need to be doing more of it but daily life seems to suffocate me right now.

18 days till the Northern Colorado Writers' Conference. I'm nervous and excited to see how it goes. I'll be pitching my story and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that plus polish the first 30 pages in case I get a request. And then 18 days doesn't feel like enough time. So my stomach flips.

hot tub time machine

I really need one today. I'd be so much more productive...and relaxed.

Hot water bubbles massaging my back. Tim travel. Good.

eye on the prize

I'm not a huge spender (although, when I do, I binge), but on occasion I splurge on a few things that thwart my desire to spend less. These are not big tickets but they add up over time. Swine splurges:

• Books (especially if there is a good one out or I find it on sale)
• InStyle Magazine (just fashion, no sex)
• Monster Trail Mix from Target
• Chick-fil-A side salad (it's the honey roasted sunflower seeds that make me crave it.)
• Chocolate croissants

Not a huge list but I bought one of each within the past three days.

Thirfty is not one of my character traits. MMMmmm, remember Thirfty's ice cream: chocolate malted crunch. Best ice cream flavor ever. I remember when you could get a single scoop for 15 cents. Crap I'm old.

goal achieving sidebar: I'm officially sucking at getting my goals done. My laundry room...only half done, and look at my blog entries. I sucked it up in Feb but have renewed my motivation. We'll see how it goes.

you can get with this or you can get with that

The other night we were reading the scriptures and we got to a verse about feeding and helping the poor, sick, and needy. (I'm paraphrasing obviously.) And Lauren in her quest for heaven says, "So to get into heaven, you have to help people."

I respond, "Well, if you love people as Christ loves them, then you'll want to help them. Remember, love one another?"

"Yeah. So after you're baptised, then you just have to keep the commandments and help people to get into heaven."

"Sweetheart, if you believe in Jesus Christ then you'll want to keep the commandments and help others."

"But that's what gets you into heaven, right?"

"Yes," I concede. And I watch her as she prepares a mental checklist of getting-into-heaven requirements. (So my child.)

Then yesterday, I got two bags of baby clothes together to donate to a pregnant teen crisis center. And Lore asks, "Mom, what are you doing with those baby clothes?"

"We're giving them to people who need them."

"Are those our old baby clothes? Why do you have to give away our stuff? Why can't you just buy some new ones to give away?" (So Aaron's child.)

"Do you still wear baby clothes?"

"No."

"Well there are other people who need these. And I want to give them away. Remember the scripture about clothing those in need?"

"Oh yeah. So you can get into heaven."

do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?

It is friday but it feels like Monday. The girls had both monday and tuesday off of school, so last weekend we went to Utah. (Sorry Utah friends, we only had time for family and snowboarding.) It was a fun weekend. And little Lore and Bryn tore it up on the slopes. I think we've officially graduated from the bunny lift. Of which a nice kid from Ghana took me and Bryn out getting off the lift. I've got a sweet bruise as a souvenir. It was a fun weekend of grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Good times. Good times.

So we return to life that started like a Monday but it was Wednesday and yesterday felt the same. And today still feels like a Monday. The girls are definitely thrown off because I'm fighting to get stuff done. I'm ready to scrap the week and start over. It probably doesn't help that Aaron has been in TX and gets back tonight. (Of which, there has been an uncomfortable amount of moving-to-tx jokes around his co-workers. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking of the possibility.)

I should order a babysitter. I'm sure everyone is taken but I guess I can try.

That's my nutshell. Now I gotta go help Bryn finish her homework.

Percy Jackson sidebar: the movie was a complete failure. Except for the casting, that was pretty good.

Hunger Games sidebar: I just swam through this book and its sequel this week. So good. Brutal, but gooood. Aaron is reading it now, and while he's having trouble putting it down he claims he's not feeling it because he doesn't like reading through a girl's eyes. For being the type of man that he is, it is ironic that he has all girls. Brings a smile to my smug spiteful face.

it's a toofer

What's a girl to do? Valentine's on Sunday and Aaron's 36th birthday on Monday. I'm drawing the biggest blank. I have no idea what I'm doing for him for either. Well, we're taking the girls snowboarding on Monday but that's it. Annnnnnd, I'm having the girls make little love notes for Aaron too, but that's really all I got. Technically none are presents or really from me. He has everything--accept for new garments and a white shirt. But I'd feel like I was his mother if I bought those. And those don't exactly say Happy Birthday. If anyone has an idea, call me. I need all the help I can get.

t-t-t-t-today junior

I'm just 3 hours away from picking up our babysitter and time is melting at an excruciatingly slow pace. I need out of this house. I need to escape my lovable but crazy banshees.