SEVEN DAYS SUGAR FREE!
Well, I've made it a full week without eating sweets. One week down and three more to go (actually I have almost four weeks because I started in February and will be going until April first).

It actually hasn't been that bad. I've decided that learning to sacrifice sweets is like learning how to utilize faith. For example: If you show faith that you will get through a difficult circumstance and everything works out then your faith grows. Then, the next time a challenge in life arises you are able to find faith easier because you know that it worked before.

If you can be successful in sacrificing sweets for a day then you know you can do it the next day. If you do it for a week you know you can do it for another week. So, here I stand at one week sugar free and so I must be able to do another one, right?

Whenever I challenge myself to eat healthier I add new foods to my list of favorite healthy eats. Here's my latest one.

I love the maple brown sugar and pecans Simple Harvest oatmeal with strawberries and skim milk. It is soooooooo good! I can't wait to try the vanilla almond. I love eating oatmeal for breakfast because it keeps you full longer than other cereals.

So, how's the No Sugar challenge going for you? What foods are you loving right now?

RESIST THE CRAVINGS!

RESIST THE URGE TO STUFF YOUR FACE!

Ok, so first off, yay to Manda, Jen, Crystal, Jared, my brother in law Josh, and my hubby who are doing this daring challenge with me. I'm so excited that you are brave enough to test your will power. If you've already caved since committing...now is the time to recommit...don't give up! We can do anything for a month right?

So here's my update. I'm in the middle of my fourth day of the challenge and I'm doing really well. I find that my hardest time of the day is definitely evening time. I think I'm going to add the rule for myself that I can't eat after 7 pm so that I'm not tempted and I get all my calories in during the day. I think that it's hardest for me to resist the urge to eat tons of sweets when I haven't eaten enough healthy stuff during the day or enough food period.

I'm finding that a bonus to this no sweets thing is that it makes me want to exercise and eat more healthy in other ways too. I don't want all this sacrifice to be for nothing. How about you? How is it going for you? Leave your comments and updates so that we can support each other.

To any new readers. Read the previous post and join in the No Sugar/Sweets Challenge. Come on you pansies...you can do it!

To those already doing this callenge...keep it up and like I said, if you've already messed up...just keep trying!

I look forward to hearing from you and your journey to self-control.

Also, soon I will be adding some exercise goals to this challenge as well. Are you game or are you weak:)?

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?

CALLING ALL SUGAR ADDICTS!

Are you addicted to sweets? Well, this post is for you. I have a challenge for you and it's not for the faint of heart.

Starting today, February 27th and ending April first I am giving up sweets. Yup, you read right. I'm not eating sweets for a whole month. AND I CHALLENGE YOU TO JOIN ME! Don't go running just yet...trust me, if I can do it, you can.

Here are the rules I am following, but yours can be different.

In addition to none of the typical sweets (candy, cookies, soda, etc.) I am not going to drink juice or diet drinks (which I don't drink much of anyway). I can have any sugar that comes in fruit or any other natural sourcE. Hard core...I know.

So, what got me wanting to do something so...well...crazy?

Every year my sister in law Bonnie cuts sugar out of her diet for a month or two to lose the Holiday weight from Christmas, to test her resolve, and to be healthy. She actually started her sugar fast at the end of January and has not cheated at all this whole month. Wow! So, now my competitive side is really itching to do the same and I'm excited to see just how strong I can be.

It's also the perfect time of year to think about sacrifice as the Easter season approaches.

As many of you are aware, many Christian religions are in the midst of Lent, which is a forty day long season of prayer, penitence, and self-denial. Many of my friends growing up would give up sweets, the internet, or any number of things for Lent.

I guess you could say I'm doing my own personal Lent and sacrificing sweets. On a serious note, I really do believe that sincere sacrifice brings a person closer to God and that one can be spiritually strengthened through sacrifice.

I also plan on replacing the sweets with some good habit in my life.

I'll be updating my blog with how this whole sugar sacrifice is going. STAY TUNED!

So, I CHALLENGE YOU! Are you in? Can you handle it?

Lovely In-laws

I just came across this picture on my sister in law's facebook account and loved it. It is my mother and father in law and three of my sister in laws (Bonnie is not in the picture...it would be perfect if she was:). I just thought it showed how close we are. I'm thankful for in-laws that I actually love.

Prayers for little Rock Stars

So, I just wanted to post a little reminder that prayers, even about the littliest things, are answered.

We recently went to McDonald's playland with some friends. Usually I keep Maribelle's shoes by me, but this time she put them in the shoe cubbies. It's important to mention that these shoes weren't just any shoes...they were her "Rock Star" boots. 

Fast forward-It's time to leave the playland and I told Maribelle to put her boots on. She came back distraught because she could only find one boot (you know...the magical boots that, once placed on your feet, turn you into a Rock Star!).  I was sure that she had just over looked her boot and went to help her. 

Sure enough, one of her boots was gone, but there was another boot that looked a lot like hers. Evidently another little girl with the same size shoe and very similar boots had taken one of Maribelle's home. So, now Maribelle had a mismatched pair of boots (No, no...this would not do...mismatched boots do not have Rock Star powers!). We left our phone number with the McDonald's manager in case someone called about a missing boot.

Maribelle was sincerely upset and cried all the way home. She didn't even want a new pair. I was sure the boots were long gone, but Mark suggested Maribelle say a prayer. In the car, we said a family prayer that the other little girl's family would call so that we could exchange boots. As soon as we got home, tears still wet on Maribelle's cheeks, I got a phone call. "Is this Jody?" I think my little girl accidentally brought one of your daughter's boots home." This father then brought Maribelle's boot home and the exchange was made...sighhh.

Summary: Maribelle can now resume Rock Star status and she now knows that prayers (no matter what they are about) are answered-Let that be a lesson to us all:).

UTAH

The kids and I got to Utah before Mark did. We stayed with Mark's parents for over a month while looking for jobs and figuring out living arrangements. During that time we got to spend a lot of time catching up with Mark's family and made lots of good memories.

I also got to spend a lot of time just playing with the kids.

When we were living in American Fork I liked to take the kids to the park and library. The park was right outside the library. Whoever thought of that idea was a genius.

The reading time program was really great at this library. Maribelle and Campbell got to learn all about dinosaurs and make dinosaur crafts (above).

While in AF, we were pretty close to Mark's sister Bonnie's family. The kids have really enjoyed getting to know their cousins.

Campbell with Bonnie's dog Fuzz

Maribelle, Macey, and Makelle

I love that while living with Mark's parents the kids got to do lots of fun things with their Grandma and Grandpa (aka Buella and Papa).

They got lots of horsy rides from Buella

Buella and Papa are very diligent about food storage and the kids reaped the benefits of snacking while they prepared food.

Here's cam learning about a walking stick bug.

Buella and Papa's backyard is full lots of fun (now it's covered with snow).

This is our backyard in Orem. While remodeling, Mark's mom built a swing from a door for the kids.

More fun in Buella's backyard.

HALLOWEEN FUN

Hannah and Brooklyn (my neices-they're twins!) on Halloween night.

For family home evening before Halloween, we drew on pumpkins together. Here's Makelle imitating her pumpking.

Olivia and Maribelle

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Every year at Halloween I have a goal: To have awesome costumes for my kids for under five dollars. They still get to pick what they want to be and then it's my job to be creative. This year Maribelle was dying to be a rock star and Campbell wanted to be Shrek. Here are the five dollar results.

My rockstar and little Shrek

I love these munchkins.

FAMILY HOME EVENING

We always try to have family home evening even when time is scarce. Though my kids are young, I can still tell when we're not as unified as a family. Every time we have FHE we feel close again. That's a testament to me of 1) How early family unity can fall apart (even if your kids are two and four) and 2) How something as simple as FHE can keep your family together.

This is Maribelle and Campbell doing the Hokey Pokey during FHE. Their favorite part is to put their booty in and "shake it all about".

They also love Do As I'm Doing. They never do the typical moves. Here they are doing carpet angels...fast....and slow.

Campbell is currently having problems keeping his drawing on the paper. He loves to color on himself.

Here are my little ones all bundled up.

GOOD BYE FLORIDA

We lived in Florida for five years. You can learn a lot in that amount of time (and we definitely did) and you meet and grow to love a lot of people too. We knew that we were supposed to move, but saying good bye was still hard.

My Grandma and Step Grandpa live in Bradenton Florida. This is a picture of me with my grandma before moving. I'm not sure when I'll get to see her again. I love them very much.

My sister Katy came to visit us in Florida before we moved and, of course, we went shopping. After a while Campbell had had enough and just sat down in one of the racks. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I'm very frustrated."

Here's Katy aka "KayKay" helping us shop for winter coats (we had zero warm clothing:)

Polly was moving too so when Katy visited we had a girl's night out. I love girl's night with my sisters. It's one of my favorite things in the world.

Maribelle and Iris (cousins) lived close to each other in Florida from the time Maribelle was born. They became best friends. This is the last picture taken of them before we moved. Tears come to my eyes just thinking of them apart.

FAREWELL PARTY IN DAYTONA

Our awesome friends in the DB threw us a going away party. We love all of our friends in Florida and miss them very much. These are just a few of the pictures (we were having too much fun to get more pics).

Maribelle and Tyler

Tyler, Joel, and Cammers

Campbell and Tyler

Susi and Ryan

Momma Shilo, baby Shilo, Maribelle and Cam

Shilo and Shilo, Jennifer and Emily, Diane and Riley

Mark and Matt

Diane, me, and Manda

The DB Girls...Holla!

Me and Sarah