Happy Birthday Charlotte!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl!

Charlotte wanted a Princess Party this year, like many of her friends.

Helaman's balloon making skills were a hit!

The princesses also got a kick out of beating their crown pinata!  We are glad you are our little princess, Charlotte!  Happy 5th!

Deal Trouble

I do not watch the Kardashians.  Any of them.  But I do watch The Soup, and my DVR sometimes tapes the last few minutes of the Kardashians.  A few weeks ago was this episode where Kourtney had been couponing and had this huge pile of stuff she had gotten for free.  I wanted to barf.  At that moment I knew it was all over.  The end had been coming for a while - starting with "Extreme Couponing," continuing with Kroger ending their coupon doubling and tripling, and many stores whittling their loss leaders down to one or two really good deals, only good for the first five minutes past opening til they were gone, and then this.  Lame pseudo celebrities couponing for fun, because they really have nothing else to do.  Certainly anyone can coupon, but does anyone else get a bad taste in their mouth to see obviously well off people collecting hoards of stuff for free just for fun, while lately there are seldom any of those deals left for the regular types?  This isn't the same as the lottery winners who continue to receive food stamps, but it has certainly turned me off to the whole thing.  Maybe when it becomes less popular again, I'll go back to trying to get good deals at the grocery and drug stores.  Until then, steering clear.

Resolutions

I did not publish my New Year's Resolutions in January, because I was too busy working on them!  Better late than never...

1. Exercise regularly.  I have never exercised regularly before, and I love it.  Starting slow, I'm currently doing three classes at the gym per week.  Hey, don't want to get overwhelmed and quit.  Along those lines, we are also trying to cut back on the ice cream (Blue Bell) intake.

2. Have a regular cleaning schedule.  I printed a schedule from Pinterest outlining what cleaning to do on what days, and have been able to stick with it so far.  It makes a huge difference.  Not easy to follow through with, but having an "assignment" every day is far better than winging it, at least for me.

3. Don't over-commit.  Life is better when it's not so busy and hectic.  Learning to say no to some things to make time for more important things.

4. Studying scriptures, not just reading. 

5. No yelling.  Still working on this.  Hey, it wouldn't be a goal if I was already perfect.

Updates...

This year is Helaman's General Surgery year, which is crazy some months, and better others.  He works very hard, and is currently studying for his third Board exam (they never end!)  Lately he has found time to play basketball once a week with friends and host "Daddy parties" for the little ladies when Mom isn't home, which they love.

This year I was elected Treasurer of my neighborhood HOA.  The meetings take more time than I would like, but I think ultimately myself and the other new members of the Board will be able to make some good changes in the community.  The whole experience, stemming from a $400 special assessment that I did not want to pay last summer, has reminded me how important it is to stay involved and informed about issues going on in our communities, cities, and nation.  It's not always easy (last year I was publicly berated and ridiculed by the now-former members of the HOA board, in front of hundreds of residents - awesome) but it is important to speak up when you feel there should be a change in leadership, policies or anything else.  More often than not, most people will agree with you.

Other than that, I am still loving Primary, playgroups (especially in this super mild winter), Supper Club, and watching my girls play together.  Charlotte is making great strides in her reading, and Olivia is just the most cuddly little girl whose cheeks I can't resist.