Happiness

So, you a know how I'm trying to eat healthy? Well... The other day I was running errands and I happened to stop into K-mart (which I don't do very often, and my experience confirmed why) to see if they had any good t-shirts for Ethan and Jonah. I have to buy them in Red and Blue and that often limits my options at other stores. While I was checking out (I found one red pair of pajamas and one t-shirt with equally blue and red stripes which neither Jonah or Ethan will wear) I spotted a bag of circus peanuts. Now, I am supposed to be eating very little sugar and a big bag of completely pure sugar, plus a strange orange dye, is NOT in my diet. But, somehow, my arm just reached out and grabbed it and bought it!!! I got home and put them away and hoped to not remember that I bought them. Then, one lazy Wednesday afternoon the kids were home from school early, we had just eaten some air-popped popcorn with a little bit of butter and some sea salt and watched Tin Tin (pretty...

from our Maryland Home   and chores I don't. * this post was written late in the evening, so please excuse any craziness.  I like making the kids beds but I don't like changing sheets.  I like doing the dishes but not after dinner.  I like giving the kids baths but I don't like cutting toe nails.  I like grocery shopping but I don't like putting the groceries away.  I like shopping with Josh but I don't like waiting for him to decide.  I like dusting but I don't like changing the vacuum bag.  I like filling the Church bag but I don't like cleaning it out.  I like doing the laundry but I don't like matching socks.  This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Chocolate storage via pinterest.com  I would love to have this in my home! I love pinterest! It's amazing what you can find on there, from yummy dinner ideas, to holiday crafts, to home decorating ideas and to family home evening ideas. Oh, and some good ideas for chocolate, too!  These Oreo cakes pops look so fun! Yes, they are Oreos, but they are great for a party! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

I woke up this morning, ready for a new day, and committed myself to having a good day. I had such a crazy, busy day yesterday that left me drained to the bottom of my dregs. I needed a day that would fill me back up. I had a half day substitute job in preschool already scheduled and I really wanted to have a wonderful day. Right away something happened that I did not like. It was some little thing that I don't remember now, 5 hours later, and I could feel myself starting to get annoyed. Then I stopped. No, I told myself. I would not let that little thing mark up my beautiful, good day. And the thought came to me. Our lives are like a beautiful painting. As we grow and go through each milestone, we paint on our paining- or it is painted on- good and bad things. As we make mistakes like getting upset and yelling, we put black, ugly strokes on our painting. When we repent of that, and ask for forgiveness, those ugly strokes are taken away and new, pretty ones are put in their plac...

(Blogger has been completely updated. Wow! It'll take awhile to get used to!)  The other day Ethan woke up with a scary dream. Now, I've heard a lot of things about scary dreams. Some say that it is not good to tell about them right away, because you will remember them more clearly. Others say to take the scary part and turn into something silly. For example, if someone is coming after you with a knife, turn into a carrot and it just makes everything seem not so scary anymore!  In my late night state, I couldn't remember what to do. I told him to tell me about it. He told me that there was a guy in a black hood (like a death eater) chasing him. My fuzzy brain searched for something to comfort him. I found it- tell him to change the scary thing into something funny. "Why don't you just imagine the hooded guy as someone different. Like maybe a clown."   Just as those words were leaving my lips, I knew I had said the wrong thing. Clowns can be even scar...

taken while we were in D.C There were quite a few quotes from General Conference that I loved. Here are a few: "Envy is a mistake that just keeps giving." Jeffrey R. Holland "Righteous longing and yearning will be fulfilled." Boyd K. Packer "Surely the thing that God enjoys most about being God is being merciful." Jeffrey R. Holland "Don't hyperventilate at something that happened at 9 in the morning when the lord is trying to reward you at 6 pm." Jeffrey R. Holland "We naturally seek to serve one another." Robert D. Hales "To pray and ask is how revelation is received." Richard G. Scott "You can't be right by doing wrong. You can't be wrong doing right." Ulisses Soares "The more we allow the love of God to govern our emotions (thoughts), the easier it is to love others." Henry B. Eyring "Our degree of Gratitude is a measure of our love for Him." Elder Russell M. Nelson "If you ...

The quote of the top of my blog (did you notice my new header? I made it while I was sick in bed last weekend!) reminded me today that I need to be grateful. After spending almost a whole week being sick (the stomach flu followed by a rough cold) gratitude is something I need a prescription for! I'm grateful for: -A soft bed to lay in, with clean sheets just washed the day before. -Hot, steamy showers, a humidifier and saline solution. Oh, and Tylenol. -A Nurse who commiserated with my plight of having a cold plus 4 grade school children and wrote a note for me to "take a break from activities" this weekend. It's been hard, but doable. -The fact that we do NOT own a guinea pig ( Elizabeth took her class Guinea Pig "Coco-Puff" home this weekend. It's cuteness did not outweigh it's smell, it's poop all over the cage or the fact that Sadie has been wanting to eat her ever since she entered the door.) -President Monson's thick Biography to read w...

picture vie nieniedialogues.com from 2008 Tuesday Morning, I woke up to see Mitt Romney's face smiling at me from The Arizona Republic. It made my day! I am so glad he will be running for President in Nov. 2012. Go Mitt! www.mittromney.com This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

This picture was taken 3 1/2 months before my Bipolar Journey officially started. I have a few posts that I want to write- one full of my favorite quotes from Conference, one about our foster/adoption class experience *edited * But something else has been on my mind. I feel a special connection to NieNie- Stephanie Nielson. In 2008 she was burned in an airplane crash all over. In 2008 I also went through a life changing experience. I became severely depressed and then quite manic and diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Just like Nie, I had to have some time to recover. I tried several different meds, until we found the one that was just right for me. I went through a time where I was zombie like, on two different meds and needing to nap or eat all the time. It was not a happy time in my life. Just like Nie, I had wonderful family and friends that supported and loved me. Josh was there for me all the time, his family and my family supported us and gave us love and kind words of guidance. ...

Top Ten Things I love about having a newborn: 1. Seeing them for the very first time. 2. Kissing their soft, sweet cheeks. 3. Changing their diaper and patting their now clean, even softer bum. 4. Taking pictures of said newborn (with Dad, with Siblings, with Me, of their toes). 5. Sending out little baby announcements in the mail. 6. Folding little tiny clothes *did I mention I love folding laundry? Mostly because it makes me sit still for a while, and I can watch a show----Sometimes! 7. Getting to walk down the baby aisle in the store and seeing all the new creams and lotions out there. 8. Picking out cute, baby clothes and dressing them. Especially on Sundays! 9. Seeing your older children coo and smile at the new little one. 10. Playing/holding the baby during Church. Ok. I can think of a lot more than this, but I'll stop. I'll end with one of Mom Abbott's favorite quotes: "Babies are such a nice way to start people." And since I've been on a nienie kick- ...

Our new Betta fish- Bob I'm at home again- sick with a sore throat- so I thought i would write a little about Mania. More specifically, about Manic Mommies. There's a podcast that i found called Manic Mommies. I listened to it for a while there while I would run on the treadmill. Mostly it was two women chatting about how busy they are and how much they do as moms. they weren't really manic, but I'm sure a lot of Moms feel the same way: sometimes overwhelmed with all they have to do in one day: making lunches, changing bed sheets, volunteering at school, putting kids down for naps, supervising homework and play-dates, dinner, etc. It seems like you could be manic, but mania is a little different. I woke up on Monday morning, feeling quite "energetic"- the nice term I use for mania. I felt driven. Driven to get up and go, there was nothing that could stop me. I went for a run with Sadie, made smoothies for breakfast, ran to Wal-mart to get a bookshelf, Barnes ...

Jonah, at a neighbor/ward egg hunt Asher, Easter Morning Elizabeth, in her new dress Elizabeth Asher Ethan Jonah All 4 kids before we head off to Church! We had a great Easter! The weather was great, the kids were thrilled to "eat candy out of eggs" and I was simply happy to see them so happy. What a great celebration of Christ's Resurrection! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Yesterday I was in a funk. I was over-tired, over-whelmed and just plain exhausted. The busy Easter weekend, combined with a birthday, had worn me out. I sent a few kids out to ride bikes and a few upstairs to watch a show (Asher's bike has a flat tire) and I laid down to rest. I picked up Martha Stewart's latest Living that had just arrived in the mail and read/skimmed through the whole thing. At the very end was an article on toxins and healthy eating. I learned that some toxins- like those that are in the paper of microwave popcorn- can effect your reproductive system. That was it. Me feeling lousy- probably from eating too much junk the day before- and some kind of stomach bug and this article combined to get me to change. I am going to start eating healthier. I am going to eat more fruits and veggies, more organic, natural, home grown food. I am going to do less sugar, less dyes, toxins and more food as God intended. This will not only bless me, but my family as well. Espe...

This is Asher, cheering for Dad, after he blew out his candles. My hubby turned 33 years old today! Happy Birthday, Babe! We celebrated yesterday with a Ham dinner (ok- that was for Easter too, but we were combining both holidays!). After that we had a family home evening about the Resurrection (since we'll be going to our foster/adoption class tonight) and had birthday cake and ice cream for treats. Easter/Birthday/Family Home Evening! It can't get any better than that! For Josh's cake we did an angel food cake in a normal cake pan- which was really simple- with real whipped cream, cherry pie filling and Neapolitan ice cream. It was seriously one of the best desserts I've had in a while. So moist, not dry or too sweet as some cakes can be! For his presents, I let him pick out another model boat online. It's a Sharpie Schooner, the next level up in difficulty. We weren't sure if it would come in on time, but it arrived Saturday afternoon and he is thrilled! He s...

Happy Easter, Everyone! Today we will be spending time with family and celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God truly is Good! This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Last night, at the dinner table, Josh commented "I'm glad you had a good day subbing today." I just looked at him. "You DID, right? You said that you did during lunch time!" "You didn't see what happened AFTER lunch." I replied. This is what happened. After lunch, I sat down to read aloud to this 3rd grade class. I expected all to go smoothly. The book turned to be some kind of a cheap, spooky mystery book (is this what 3rd graders like now?). It was torture to read. It was about a girl who was kidnapped and another girl who was being chased by the kidnapper (seriously!). I started reading ahead while I read aloud (pretty talented, right?) but then I started skipping words. I read "And then the girl took the cactus piece and jabbed it into his eye." The whole class said "Aaaaaaah!!" "I mean, she jabbed it BELOW his eye. Sorry! BELOW his eye." Someone asked what just happened. The girl explained- "She jabbed it in ...

My "Triplets"- I get that a lot. Do you love how Elizabeth is cropped out of this picture? First of all, to set the stage, I need to tell you that my boys get bloody noses. A lot. Once or twice a month. Ok. So maybe not a whole lot, but more than is comfortable for me since blood makes me squeamish. Quite squeamish. In College, during my Child Development class, they said they were going to show a film of a natural childbirth and then a c-section childbirth. I hightailed it outta there before they could even start the film. And I was in the second row too! There was no way I was going to lose my lunch all for the sake of some education! Along came my twin boys and they bled all the time as toddlers. They were always running around, bumping into things, into each other, the wall, etc. Once someone got hurt, the first thing I would do was rush over and check to see if there was any blood. I would say "Are you bleeding?" and check their nose carefully. Half the time th...

Last night, around 3:30 am, Elizabeth awoke with a scary dream. Or ten scary dreams, she told me. I got her a drink, laid down beside her and when that failed, turned on the tv. We recently got a new roku machine that allows us to get the internet on our tv (with our wireless). We got it so we could watch Conference since we don't have cable (or a DVR! I know- pretty crazy, huh?). I LOVE it! You can get Pandora Radio on your TV, and there is a Mormon channel on there as well. Elizabeth and I watched a few new Easter Bible Videos and some other short, sweet videos as well. I sent her off to bed, and she fell asleep pretty quickly after that. I, on the other hand, took a little longer. One video we watched was called Arise to the Mountain. It was shown at the General Young Women's Broadcast. I loved it! I loved how pure and sweet and good those young women are. I look forward to Elizabeth being a Young Woman one day (sooner than I have expected!). Recently, I have quite a few ...

My Boys- and sometimes Elizabeth- love to make crafts. This is a picture of something Ethan thought of all on his own. He took brown paper bags and put them together to form a guy. So fun! I often find him combing the cupboards. The other day I asked him "What's so interesting in those cupboards?" He said "Oh, I usually find something that inspires me." He'll often find little treats I hide in there as well. I no longer hide them in his reach! They've made figures out of toothpicks and fruit snacks when no gum drops were to be found. On Saturday Ethan made a snake out of a metal hanger, newspaper and paper mache with only me helping him make the paper mache. My kids are crafty! What can I say? This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott. ps- We just got a wireless, color printer, scanner and copier. I am in Heaven!! pps- 4 whole days until Easter!

flashback- June 2006, pregnant with Asher In past posts I have written fragments here and there, there and here, about the baby hunger pains I have felt for the past 4 years. Ever since Asher started sleeping through the night, I've wanted another baby. They are beautiful. They are sweet, soft, tender, gentle and they smell so Heavenly. There is a peace about them that just exudes a Heaven sent scent. And as we embark on this foster to adopt journey, it will be different. It won't be the same getting pregnant, feeling sick, going to the Dr. every month or twice a month, feeling huge and hot, going to the Hospital and giving birth. Instead someone else will have done that very same thing and I will be asked to be that child's Mother for a short time, and Josh his Father. It's sacred ground. And I want to tread on it lightly. I've never been on this path before, but Heavenly Father knows where we are going. This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.

Good Morning! I quickly wanted to post a few "I love it" links on my blog this morning. How was your weekend? Mine was great. Busy, but great! We watched all 4 sessions of Conference (each 2 hrs long). I had written down 3 questions and 2 had specific talks dedicated to them and the 3rd was answered very clearly. Now that I have the answers, I have to go to work! The kids did pretty well, thanks to a trip to the library between Saturday for books to read and crafts to make crafts out of (you should see Ethan's snake!). Sunday night the kids all drew pictures of what our family would look like with another foster/adopted child to turn in today. They turned out really well. We celebrated April Fools by freezing their Orange Juice. It didn't work, but the kids loved it! Ok. Here some links- 5 Minute Family History Tutorial Quote of the Day - Brainy Quote. I love, love, love this! One little minute blog - cute crafty ideas! Happy Monday! This is my blog. My name is Megan...