60 day challenge

I am doing a 60 day challenge that my sister told me about. A friend of hers decided that there were a few things she needed to work on and put together this challenge. She has talked about going private with the blog but so far hasn't done it, so you can still check out the blog. it can be found at betteryouandme.blogspot.com. So there are 10 goals that we have to work on every day and what I like about the challenge is that it isn't just all physical things we need to work on but it is an all around balanced kind of challenge. Today is day 28 and I am feeling pretty good about things. Some of the things that I thought I would struggle with were eating after 8, not eating sugar and of course the soda...but I have found that when I decide I want to do something I can usually do pretty good at it. The great thing about this challenge though, is that I don't have to do everything on the list for the full 60 days, each week we get a free point in each category so really I only have to go without my soda for 6 days and then I can have a soda!!! Through this challenge though I have found out a couple of things about myself that I will hope to be able to keep doing even after the 60 days are over. I have always liked to eat later and I have found out that I can stop eating by 8:00 and be ok. I have found that if I don't eat sweets I am not gonna die!!! some of the people doing the challenge have told me that they crave sugar and have to have it...I have found that I can say no to sweets even when they are right in front of me. Maybe knowing that I will have at least one day each week when I can eat sweets may be what is getting me through it, who really knows. I just know that I can do better than I have been doing and hopefully this was just the kind of kick start I needed to get me going in a better direction in all kinds of ways!! So even though you can't be an official part of this 60 day challenge you can check it out and see if maybe there are some things on the list of 10 goals that you can impliment in your life and work towards a better you.

blessed

I wish I could be better at this. So many fun things have happened in the last couple of months but when I get on the computer I don't really feel much like blogging...it is way more fun to check e-mails and play games and all that fun stuff than to update a blog...but how can I keep any kind of record of things that I have done when I struggle to write in a journal??!! One of the speakers today in Sacrament meeting spoke about gratitude and how keeping a journal can help us write down and show gratitude for our blessings. Life is pretty crazy sometimes but I know that I am so blessed...I hope that I always remember to show my gratitude for all that I have and that I don't commit the sin of ingratitude by not remembering to be grateful for all that I do have. Yesterday as I was talking to one of my friends I was again reminded about how grateful I am for the many wonderful and AMAZING girlfriends I have in my life, I get so caught up sometimes in being sad about being single at this stage in my life...and then I think about all of the friends that I have (and yes, that includes sisters) that I am so TRULY AND AMAZINGLY blessed. And then again at church today, talking to different sisters in my ward who I LOVE, LOVE LOVE and it makes me feel like I have another 100 or so dear sisters to be grateful for. Even sisters I meet today or last week or next week, just being a part of the same ward I feel so loved and cared for that the other stuff in life doesn't really matter so much and I know that my life couldn't be any better than it is. because if I would have gotten married 10 or 15 years ago I wouldn't have met most of these great people! So I am grateful to be where I am right now in my life.

On Monday we went to the science museum...I think they said it was in St. Paul. There were a lot of fun things and the kids...and adults were entertained for hours!!! I couldn't take pictures of everything (there was a really cool bridge outside that I didn't get to take pictures of and I totally forgot to take any pictures of the singing stairs...) oh well, these are some of the best shots of the day!!! remember these...we used to make small ones with buttons.

I think we all took a turn on this one...I didn't get all of our pictures on it though.

Monte had to concentrate really hard...but I think he did make the bell ring.

there was even a big section on weather...dad would have loved it...we sure did!!!

the news desk...they all loved this one!!! they got to be news anchors for a few minutes.

This is what we did on Sunday afternoon. We had to get Eli and Mickie out of the house. Eli had been kinda sick that week so they thought it would be best if they didn't take him to church. So they needed to get out and get some fresh air. We went for a walk by a shopping center that had a cute little pond and water feature that the kids had to play in. and I was able to get some more fantastic poses!!!

I just thought it was such pretty scenery and I loved the bridges! It was such a pretty place and I nice relaxing Sunday afternoon kind of thing to do!

another cute family picture. You gotta love Monte's shirt...basketball is life...yep...runs in the family!!

after Minnehaha falls we went to a place called Chutes and Ladders, as my brother described it McDonalds on steroids...fun for the kids...they ran off a ton of energy there...I wanted to go on more of the slides...but I am a pretty big baby when it comes to stuff like that...so I did go down one of the twisty slides that wasn't enclosed...I was a little worried about getting stuck. Also on the other side of the chutes and ladders was this lake, one of the 10,000 lakes of MN. very pretty, and like I said before...can't figure out how to get the pictures in the right order...oh well!!
Chutes and Ladders.

Monte went down the slide with Eli...I even caught him in the act!!! way to go big bro!!

some of the kiddos really like to pose...I don't know where they get that from!!!

then another picture over at the lake with Monte...the little dock thing didn't feel very secure... so of course he had to be bouncing it back and forth...just another kid!!

a couple of other interesting things at the Minnehaha park. I have no idea what this is...but I took a picture anyway!! cool bridge opposite the falls.

one of the posts had a lot of catterpillars on it...yuck...or is it cute??

I just love trees...and I thought that this was a fun picture!!!

I wrote this part first and then added more pictures...maybe someday I will totally figure out the blog and what direction to add stuff...for now...we will just deal with it!!!

slowly but surely...maybe someday I will finish blogging the rest of my MN trip. so I don't remember which day this was...ok, so I think it was Saturday. We went to Minnehaha Park. and this is Minnehaha falls...just say it...you know you want to...it is really fun to say. The M&M family had been there a couple of other times but they said that this day was the best they had ever seen the falls. They said that another one of the times that they went to the park that the falls were just a trickle...so I was lucky that it had rained for a few days before my arrival. The waterfall was really cool...I am a sucker for waterfalls!!!

the whole M&M fam at the falls, they had a picture there before but somebody was missing from the picture because they didn't have somebody else to take the picture. so we remedied that problem!!!

a cute little fountain at the park...there wasn't any water in the fountain...but at least there was water in the falls!!! much more important!!!

and a side view of the falls!

These are the first pictures of the kids that I took...doing some of the things they love doing best...Alex is a big reader...wonder where he gets that from?? :)

Jessie was riding around the yard on her bike. She loved playing outside. We spent some time together playing outside!

JD was totally into word searches. and they all loved the games I brought. I taught them how to play Ruckus.

and little Eli...I think he just wanted me to take his picture...does he remind you of anyone?? I think he looks a lot like his dad!!!