30 things - Describe a typical day in your current life

I am bound and determined to finish this! And since I still can't find the charger for my camera it seemed like a good time to sit down and write.

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My typical life seems distant right now. I just feel like I am holding on till my family can be rejoined. So I will explain my typical day when life is not a complete whirlwind.

7:30 I hear the stirrings of my little ones. They typically don't wake up yet but I hear them working towards it. I groan inwardly for the days when I use to wake up whenever I wanted.

8:00 We are all normally up and about at this time. If Jeremy isn't working immediately sometimes I get to sleep an extra 30 min (It's a big deal.) I get the kids breakfast and I eat something not to heavy (unless it is Saturday, we tend to do something special then) I also check my meal list to see if I have to thaw anything for dinner.

8:45 I work out for 30 min to an hour while the kids either play with Jer or wreak havoc all over (lol not really but sometimes) If I shower before I work out it just doesn't happen. Like ever.

10:00 I am dressed, showered, and ready to mingle (so long as it isn't a lazy day.) This is when we tend to go out. Shopping, parks, library's, any other gaggle of errands that might have made it on the list. The goal is to not be tied to home if we can help it. When we are home (which let's face it tends to be like 70% of the time) We do crafts, play games, anything I can think of.

12:30 Lunch time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Weird void between lunch and nap time. Never do the same thing; clean, watch show, do flips, outside, crafts, pretty much whatever goes. 

2:00 NAP TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- I rest. FB, Pinterest, Book, scripture study, nap, blogging, etc. If it is going to happen it happens at this time. Oh ya, I tend to be in pjs and unless something else is happening they tend to stay on.

4:30 Ah yes, the beasts awake. Then comes snack time. The kids have free play. They can do whatever they want as long as I am not involved*. Their favorites? Coloring, playing with their car mat, dress up, superheroes, etc.

*Yah, when I say I am not involved, I tend to still be in the thick of things. I just try. It is getting easier the older they get.

5:30 (somewhere around here) I do dinner prep while the kids watch a show or two or continue their free play.

6:30 Dinner tends to be on the table now. I get lots of ohhs and ahhs and everyone eats their vegetables while enjoying enlightening conversation (Did you catch the sarcasm?)

7:30 As soon as this time happens it is less than an hour till bed time. We (I) do a celebratory dance for we (I) made it to the final stretch! Bath time tends to happen in this area.

8:15 Pajamas, teeth brushed, Scriptures, Prayers, Book and song.

8:30 Lights out for babies (Addie get to get out of bed x2. And she uses it.), I do a 15 minute clean up (or my house turns to garbage.) If it is a bigger job than I turn on a show that I haven't been keeping up on (which is all shows I watch) and go to town. Jeremy always tries to talk me out of the 15 min clean up. I don't really know why, probably because I make him come do it with me :D If I have any work that has to get done I do it now after the clean up.

9:30 or 10:00 I tend to always in bed by this time but I don't sleep till somewhere between 11 and 12 unless it has been a LONG day. I tend to read, watch a show, play a game, or have pillow talk with Jeremy. Anything that can be done from the comfort of my bed.

We do have if, and, and buts to pretty much everything I wrote down, but this as close as I could get to a normal day.

Describe 5 pet peeves you have

I don't consider my self a pet peeve kind of person. I had to sit and think about it and I still couldn't come up with 5

1. Ignoring (i.e. on your cell phone) your kids while you are out spending time with them. Seriously, if you are trying to spend time with them turn it off.

2. Clipping nails when I am anywhere close to you. Especially when you aren't my husband. Yes this has happened.

3. Being unnecessarily rude.

4. Other people's pet peeves especially if they are inconsequential. Seriously, no one is perfect. Unless they are being rude or harmful you should not add problems to your life.

List 10 things you would tell your engaged/early married self.

1. Skip nice engagement shots and hire someone for your wedding shots.
I loved our engagement shots so much and everyone who was at the temple took such lovely shots, however, I wished I had a professional. The phrase 'To many cooks in the kitchen' comes to mind. I am grateful for what we did have, but I would make this switch.
2. Get married later in the morning so you won't come out of the temple at 12.
The sun was so bright and it was hot. My morning would have been a lot less stress if we had done an 11 or 12 o'clock session.
3. Don't let your mom do anything.
I don't mean this to be mean, so please don't think I mean it that way. My mom seemed really stressed and I think things would have been smoother if I handled it myself. Plus she was working and has 4 kids at home at the time. That is a lot on her plate.
4. Being apart sucks. Sorry, you have to do it. You will do it when you are married too.
Just to help rally my spirits
5. Stay in Rexburg. Take a semester of courses or work.
Honestly it felt like I bobbed around all summer and it would have been better to do something productive.
6. Pinterest would have made you life easier. 
... :(

Early marriage
7. Your instincts are good. Trust yourself. 
This is a little bit of early marriage and engagement. Both positive and the negative.
8. While you are moving around the country stop and smell the roses.
 We didn't experience all the places we lived till 3 years ago. I wish we had done it sooner just because it has been such a great experience so far. 
9. 'Keep each other active'
 I heard this advice while in rexburg and I thought it was strange. However, now that I have been married this long I think it is such good advice. It could be applied in so many ways, both temporally and spiritually. 
10. Make a budget!
It may seem unnecessary now, but the habit will benefit you later. 

30 Things: Those who have ifluenced me

So we have been sick for the last two weeks. It was not fun. But I will be posting about our trip to sea world soon! 


These are those in my life who influence or have influenced me. When I started this I was wrote so much about each person (They are all such amazing people!) so I had to pear it down a bit. Try to keep it to a paragraph. I wish I could go into more detail but since I have mentioned these people in my personal journal I think this will suffice for now.

Family

1. My husband. Obviously. He is my best friend and my partner. Life is just better with him.

2. My children. Right now, probably the most influential people in my life. My whole day is planned around them. From what we eat to what we do, the decisions I make on a daily basis is influenced by them (good thing the are so adorable!)

3. My parents - Bel and Penny. I did a post earlier on how wonderful these people are so of course they are influential to me.


4. My Siblings - This goofy group of individuals are amazing. I love them so much, and even though I am sure I am not always the best sibling, I am glad they still put up with me.

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Friends

5. Krysti - She is amazing. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She was one of the few friends I had after I moved high schools and the only one I have kept in contact with (no so good since having baby #2, :( sorry krysti) I love this lady so much and am so grateful that I met her.

6. Holly - (Okay, I know you read this blog - and I am sorry I have probably never told you how amazing I think you are. For that I am sorry. Love you rock buddy) I consider my relationship with Holly as one of the greatest I have ever had, not to mention easiest. We just naturally 'fell into step' with each other. I am pretty certain that without her influence, I would not have been prepared to meet my husband and marry him when I did. I haven't talked to her in forever and seen her even longer than that, but she will always be my friend. Of that I am sure of.

7. Ruth (On the right) - Another amazing lady! Amazingly kind and self sacrificing. You can't help but love her. We were room- roommates for a semester and we did so much together. She was always a true friend and I always admired her for the example she set.

After writing about Ruth, I thought I should mention that my roommates from that year were amazing (shown in the picture above are Sarah and Elizabeth). We had the greatest time and I love those girls. I will have memories from that year forever!

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Teachers

8. Kim Smith and Ashley Brunjes - Both were my YW leaders. They obviously put thought and care into each lesson and activity. The ways they influenced are numerous and I will forever be grateful for the hard work and sacrifice.

9. TheRedheadedhostess.com - Okay, this seems silly to me because it is a website, but she has forever changed how I do my scripture study, and thus affected my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I don't think there is a more influential thing you can do.

10. My religious professors at BYU-I - I did a lot of research with my religious professors before I signed up for the classes I needed. I did not want to feel like it was just another class, but I wanted good teachers that would help me learn and grow in the gospel. It was 100% worth it. Don't get me wrong, (1) I had some amazing teacher while at school and (2) those classes were not easy, however, I remember the lectures, paper, and projects of my religion classes with joy.



This was a hard list to put together, but I believe that this is the 10 ten most influential people in my life. I feel like so many other people should be mentioned but like I said earlier, this is good enough for now.

Things: Passions

 To see the beginning of this series go here.

5 Passions

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Learning, reading, or teaching, it is my rock.

2. My family. Jeremy and our children are my favorite part of my day (also sometimes the hardest.) I love every decision that has brought me to them.
An excerpt from our "I love you because..." board this week.
Jeremy: You always put my happiness first, Sweet Girl.
Maria: It's because you are my happiness.
Jeremy: Then you must be Uber-Heepmo-Happy-Tastic because that's how happy you make me. 
Yes, we are still gloriously happy (and a little sappy.) No, I will not apologize for it. 
My family extends beyond this little group, I have my parents, sisters, brothers. I love them and though they might not see it, they are my examples and I don't know what I would do with out them in my life.

3. Music. In my opinion, very few things has power like music does. Have you seen this? Absolutely beautiful.

4. Family Time. I believe strongly that your time should be building those relationships that you will keep through the eternities. Obviously, you can always have family time, but when you can it should take priority over cell phones, computers, etc. "Family Time is Sacred time" - Boyd K. Packer

5.This last one tends to change. I choose "themes" for my life. It can be cooking, photography, sewing, organization, etc.

Things: Dream Job

What is your dream job and why. Oh, boy. Can I have more than 1? I am going to say yes because, well, I am writing this.

 Before I go on with this list, I would like to say I am doing my dream job. (1) Being a stay at home mother to these little ones is what I have always wanted to do. I would choose nothing else, I firmly believe that I am doing the greatest work that I could possibly do. (Look how cute they are!)

 So, if I wasn't doing my dream job already, this is what I would do:

2) Architect - I love houses. No sorry, I LOVE houses! I could look at houses all day. I also make house sketches all the time. If I had discovered this passion before college I probably would have made it my major (or a double major! Yes, I would have done it.)

3) Archeologist/Museum Curator/Genealogical researcher - This was actually what I was going to do with my degree. History is one of my favorite things ever, I just love everything about it. I took a couple classes of anthropology and afterwards considered transferring down to BYU for the Anthropology program. This is making me smile. I am kind of a dork.

4) College Professor, especially at an LDS school - I thought my professors had the coolest job. I love that they were not only able to teach what they loved, but they were also able to combine that with the spirit and religious connotations. (I would teach any of the things I mentions above, Humanities, or any of the religion classes!)

5) Book Publisher - I read a lot. Well, not so much since having a baby. I would love to read novels and choose them to get published. Nothing is better than a good story. Also, I wouldn't have to edit it, that is what editors are for. (lol)

Things: Hardest thing

If you noticed it has been several days since I wrote. Honestly, it was partly because I have been busy and partly because I honestly had no idea how to write this. So I am just going to write this and hope it comes out right. 

First, I want to give a nod to motherhood. Being a mother is hard. It breaks me and builds me at the same time. There is nothing that pushes me the way being a mother does. The simple joy and love that it provides brings tears to my eyes. However, this is topic is not about this.

My own "depths of despair" moment came when I was 17.

I moved when I was 16. I will openly admit that I did this basically kicking and screaming. Okay, well not that bad, but I was strongly opposed to this for one simple reason. I was happy, I had everything I wanted. I was sulky for a couple weeks, I will admit it. Then, I decided I better make the best of it because, heck, I was going to be there for 2 years.

Long story short, it didn't work. For the exception of one person (I love you krysti!), I had trouble finding a true friend. Originally, I was excited because I had several yw in my ward around my age; surely I would be able to make friends there. I figured wrong. Gossiping, Lying, Vicious acts upon those they didn't like were just few the things I witnessed. I felt deeply lonely many times.

These circumstances changed the person I was. I became stronger because of it. I cultivated a relationship with my Heavenly Father that has been the foundation for my entire life. I felt the power of the atonement in those moments - not through repentance - by the terrible loneliness I felt, I knew my Savior felt. 

I know I have been vague. I will probably have to sit down and write out what happened one day. Almost ten years later, it still hurts to dredge up the memories. To give you a "Happily Ever After" (because no trial lasts forever), there became a moment where it was all to much. Where I knew I could not hold on any longer. I went to my Father in prayer and I knew that it was time for me to move on. I put in my application for school, graduated early, and left 3 months later. I believe college was one of the best experiences of my life because it became the place I was able to rest from my sorrows.

Things: that make me happy

To see what the heck I am talking about go here.

The five things that make me happy right now are...

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love studying, reading, learning. I am grateful for what it brings to my life and how it changes me.

2. My amazing family. Immediate and extended, but especially these guys.

3. Dancing. With my husband in the kitchen, with my kids while I clean, to wake myself up, or while I do the laundry. Doesn't matter. I love it.


4. Nap time - or rather when two naps sync up. This allows me some much needed R&R.

5. A good book. Nothing is better. Except maybe a book in a hot bath. Speaking of which...

Things: To my 16 year old self

Just as a side note: I moved when I was 16 years old. It was a hard period of life for me.

1. Things are going to be hard. You will learn invaluable lessons from these things and they will make you a better person. Hold on, keep your head up.
2.  Be nicer to your siblings. Build relationships with them and maintain them through out your life.
3.  The Lord is on your side.
4. Make goals for yourself. Lay out a plan of what you would like to accomplish in this life. If you aren't able to do everything you want, don't sweat it.
5. Those values you have, they are right. I know it is hard to see even 2 years down the road but every sacrifice you make, the blessings will be returned 10 fold.
6. Choose your friends wisely even if it means choosing no friends. It's okay, you will have some amazing friends later on.
7. Don't let someone's inability to help you stop your progress. There are other outlets.
8. Trust the Spirit. Trust your instincts.
9. Keep active in sports and exercise. Find a love for it. It is easy now, but if you work on this now future you will appreciate it.
10. That Prince Charming you are looking for. He exists.

Things: Parents

I started this post immediately after finishing the last one. One reason was so I could put the fears post behind me. But way more importantly, because I was rather excited about this topic.

Today we have describe your relationship with you parents. I have amazing parents. Never once have I doubted their love for me. Countlessly they have sacrifice for my sake and happiness and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

My mother. I think my mother is one of the strongest women I have ever known. She has endured a lot in her lifetime and still comes out with her head held high. She is amazingly compassionate and hard working. She is a little zany at times but they are things that we laugh about later. She believes in doing the right thing and standing for truth.

As a kid, my mother always tried her hardest to make sure we had fun. Should would take us on vacation, sometimes alone. She would do parties, scavenger hunts, sing songs in the car, mini dates, and play hide and seek all the time. I often saw her sacrifice things she wanted, sometimes needed, because her kids wanted or needed. There were times where we didn't always get along, though our relationship has never wavered. She stood beside me help me through any difficulty that was going on in my life, even though she might be far from where I was or having a hard time herself.

My father is also incredible. He works like no other person to provide for his family. He is loyal. He is thoughtful. He is the funny in the intense moments of life. He is way laid back (if anyone wants to know where I got this from, it is from this man.) I have seen him upset maybe twice in my life and I know I deserved it one time and some else deserved it the other time.


As a kid, I remember my dad as superman. He was so fun and I loved him so. As I grew older he had to work a lot more, but I never doubted his love for me, my siblings, or my mother. As a matter of fact I felt that it was proof of his love for us that he would sacrifice so much for us. He has always been a shining example of what a father should be.

Now I know I went into this whole explanation of who my parents are, but that was the best way I could think to describe who they are to me. They have been my teacher, my best friend, my rock, my light. They are my example. I hope that I am as good a parent to my kids as they were to me. I consider them one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I love them with my whole heart.

Things: Fears

Today we are doing Three legitimate fears and how they became fears. I had to think a while about this one. I don't really consider myself a fearful person.

One thing popped in my head immediately. My children. I know the plan of salvation and I know that they will be with me after this life is over. I am not even fearful of death per say, (1) I worry that they will go in some terrible way. I would imagine this is every mothers fear.

 (2) I get creeped out by bumps in the night. Especially when Jer isn't with me. The first time I noticed it was when I was a teenager babysitting at people's house. I have made Jeremy get up countless times to check things out. Jeremy knows to announce his presence if I think he isn't home because I tend to find something sharp if I am alone and hear something.

Okay, so I don't really have this fear anymore but I thought it was worth a mention (especially since I can't think of anything more). (3) I use to be deathly afraid of Wolves. I had this reoccurring dream where I got attacked by a pack and got munched on. Needless to say it freaked me out.

Things: Random facts

I find it hard to talk about myself. Does everyone have this trouble? Anyway, here are my 20 random Facts

1. I love my family.
2. My major in College was History. I was planning on becoming an archeologist or curator.
3. Nothing moves me quite like music.
4. I read a lot. Currently, not so much. Something seems to be taking my free time...
5. I love period films, especially based off books.
6. I can't fall asleep while watching a movie.
7. I secretly believe I am an amazing photographer ;)
8. Dancing is one of my all time favorite things to do.
9. I enjoy baking, but I find cooking meals annoying.
10. I love musicals. Something I am sure I inherited from my mother.
11. I check my email daily unless I don't have internet access. I habit that I got into when I got a blackberry several years ago.
12. I have an external sinus duct. In high school I told people it was a piercing. Many people believed me.
13. I hate beets. A lot.
14. I was in movies and tv shows when I was younger.
15. Hi, My name is Maria. It has been 12 hours since my last pin...
16.  I have always wanted to go to a mascaraed ball. With big pretty dresses, like from Phantom of the Opera.
17. I am discovering I am an organizing dork.
18. Currently taking on P90x. It's kicking my butt.
19. I feel socially awkward when I am not studying my scriptures. It is weird.
20. I have been working on my family history, and I love it.

Whew, it took a while but I did it! Day one. Check!

My 30 things :)

Ah, the wonderful world of Pinterest. I found an idea and now I want to do it.

I originally thought it was questions to ask your spouse but when I went to looked at the link I saw the lady had answered the question on her blog as a sort of memoir for her kids.

"Oh this would go along with your New Years resolutions" I thought to myself. So now I am going to attempt to do the same thing. I changed a few things but you can see the original list at Hope and Dreams.


My List:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. List 10 things you would tell your engaged/early married self.
11. Describe 5 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have.
15. Favorite animal/pets and why?
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What is your love language?
29. What do you think people misundertand most about you?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

 
I am really excited about this so tune in and I will be posting soon!