So, I was busy, not getting very many things done and I ran across a blog that touched my heart. I posted it on the side and when you have a chance, you should read it...now on my days that I feel overwhelmed and heavy burdened, I can know that it's going to be ok, that my burden is less than others and I should be grateful for the things I have that are so very dear to me.

http://jsfight.blogspot.com/

I'm thankful for steam cleaners

Today started off ok, and I guess is rounding the bend ok, too. It was a little nuts in the middle. This morning I helped Julie figure out some more things with coupons and that was fun. I then got a lot of other things done and accomplished today, but the day just got away from me. I didn't get a shower until early evening, which isn't necessarily uncommon. I did get about 10 loads of laundry folded and put away, the kids helped me pick up the living room and the hallway and partially cleaned their room. We got all the dirty laundry sorted and more loads started. All in all we got a lot done.

Finally after we got the chores done I decided to put a program on for the kids and take a shower. The night before I had to take one when Jon got home because the kids were too busy to be left alone. If it hadn't been for the fact that I had two visiting teaching appointments tonight I would have done the same thing tonight, but since I had plans I needed to shower. I put pork chops in the oven to start cooking so that when I put them on the grill I would know they were cooked all the way through. Then I got in the shower. My shower was nice and hot. Shortly after I got out, Austin came up the stairs and said that Sam and Alex had gotten some soap on the carpet. I get dressed and head downstairs......some soap doesn't begin to describe it.

Alex and Samantha were completely drenched in soap and water. They took the hand pump soap, used to wash after using the potty, from the downstairs bathroom and unloaded it onto the family room floor. Well, one of them, or perhaps both collaborated got a great idea to haul water into the living room and poor that on the floor to make it clean with bubbles. An entire 6x8' area was completely covered in water(we're talking gallons), soap and bubbles! If it hadn't been for the fact that I needed to be somewhere I would have gotten the camera to show the world my inventive children.

I stripped both children and put them in the bath, went downstairs (fortunately I still had Teresa's steam cleaner that I borrowed last week) and proceeded to clean the nice freshly cleaned carpet. I'm glad now that it was a clean floor at least so I didn't have to wipe down things as well as clean the carpet. I went back upstairs to check on the naughty children and found that they had unloaded two bottles of shampoo, one of which is REALLY smelly men's shampoo. Sam was covered head to toe in the stuff. I didn't have time to wash them with regular soap so I rinsed them off and sent them to find clothes for themselves. Meanwhile I take out the chops and start the pasta, and at this point I don't even have time to grill it as well because I'm already running late for my first appointment.

Jon came home and I had to leave instantly with him to finish supper and take care of the rotten ones, who I'm sure no doubt would be great for him.

Visiting teaching was nice and refreshing, I have a great companion and quite lovely sisters to teach, actually who I have no doubts will teach me a thing or two. :)

Just another day in the Garver household. It's just a really good thing that I have a lot of everything all the time (to replace all the things that get spilled, broken, misplaced, abused, etc.) or maybe that is the problem....

Thanks

Since I posted that I needed help with Alex, he's been A LOT better. In fact, he hasn't said "hate" once since then. He's screamed a couple of times, but only at frustration with zipping up his coat or something like that. I think it has been prayer, to be honest, that has brought about this mighty change and one other thing. I've charged him with being a helper. I have been asking him to help me do little things - take out the trash, pick up his toys, etc...and then I praise him for it. He seems to think that is quite nifty. It is almost night and day now the difference. I'm still looking forward to my book getting here, and I know that a couple of days of good behavior doesn't necessarily mean a lifetime of it, but I'm hopeful. So, thanks for keeping us in your thoughts, I think doing so has helped.

Another thing I think helped was that we went over to Grandma and Papa's house the other night for a little bit and they enjoyed themselves (the kids that is, I can't speak for the grandparents). They had fun playing with some new toys and getting what they thought was special attention. They don't see them that often because we are all busy, so it was really nice. Thanks Grandma for helping out and letting us hang out. :)

Nothing new to post...I'm going to try something new with my deals. I'll start posting what coupons to use with doublers and what store to go to and how much money you should spend to see if that helps you guys out so you can copy cat. Might work out alright. For instance...there is a Hunts Coupon for $0.40 off 1 hunts can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. The deal at Albertson's is buy 20 cans for $20.00 and get $5.00 back. So, use ten 40 cent coupons with 3 doublers at Albertson's and you'll pay $12.00 ($11.00 if they double at 50 cents per coupon) and you'll get $5.00 back, thus paying $7.00 for 20 cans. Not a bad deal, especially good for food storage.

So, as I go through the ads I'll start posting. Hopefully this will prove to be helpful.

It's the first of the week and I'm already behind and ahead!

So, usually on Tuesdays I am scrambling all day to get my coupons cut and organized so I can go through them and finish this weeks deals and also be going through the new food day to get the next weeks deals lined up. I'm not kidding, I start this on Monday and usually finish around Wednesday. Then, I scramble to get all my dictation done on Monday and Tuesday as well from the previous Thursday and Friday.

This week, however, I was playing catch up because Dr. Milne decided to send me his dictations last week late, which made the current week dictations run a little behind too. Not to mention that last week was my turn to teach preschool. It's not a big deal otherwise. So, this morning before noon I completed all of my dictations, even the stuff they sent me yesterday...so I'm ahead of the game.

Now all I have to do is cut last week's coupons and file them, then head to the store to get more papers to sort those ones and then go shopping for several hours tonight at both Albertson's and Safeway to get my deals. Did you know that the cost of the Sunday paper went up 50 cents? Completely bogus...irritates me. Oh well, I still save so much more that I won't really notice it, but annoying nonetheless.

I'll be back later to post more about the dishwasher, right now Sam is really tired and needs me to hold her. I love that.

Just ran across this quote and I thought I'd share it.

"When I cannot feel the faith of assurance, I live by the fact of God's faithfulness." - Matthew Henry

I've no idea who Matthew Henry is, but I really liked this.

Help

Calling for help/advice with Alex. I have no clue here how to correct this. Alex is my middle child, maybe that is why we're having such difficulty with him. He is very angry all the time. I can only attribute it to anger because of how he acts. He tightens his fists and contorts his face and jaw and often screams so loudly along with it. He throws objects, kicks the walls, hurts his sibblings. I just don't know what to do here. I know part of it is me in that when he responds in that way I'm not always quick to be calm or patient, especially when someone gets hurt. I've tried time outs, the corner, spankings, nothing seems to work with him. I've tried calmly discussing with him how his actions make others feel, how they make me feel, and it doesn't seem to phase him. I've even fibbed to him before when he said, "I hate you", by telling him that when he says that he wants me to die and bleed and hurt and never wants to see me again. I know that's harsh, but I was thinking at the time that if he realized that by saying that the consequences were horrible he wouldn't say it anymore. It worked for awhile actually, but now that doesn't even work.

I spend extra time with him one on one because I feel that he needs the special attention so he doesn't act out. I'm wondering if he acts that way so I will give him the extra attention, and I certainly don't want him to think this extra attention is because of his behavior (which most of the time it is).

I've talked to the doctor about this and she seems to think that it is a phase, but in my opinion it is unacceptable. I cannot handle this behavior any longer. It's really wearing on me and bringing me down.

So help! I would appreciate any advise on how to handle this, and I don't even know if any of you can even offer any advise because I'm hoping you've never had this happen before, but if you can please offer it.

I loved and enjoyed conference so much. I really appreciated President Monson's talk about enjoying things now and being thankful for now because at some point in the future we'll crave the things we have now....although I'm not entirely sure I agree with the laundry part...I don't think I'll ever want that back when I don't have it....just the little bodies that occupied the clothes.

I'm certainly grateful for my family. I love my children so very much. I tell them everyday, more than they like to hear sometimes, that I do love them. They are so special and I've said it a thousand times before, but they are what makes me special.

My husband, the hard worker and forever student, is so wonderful. He is so patient with me most days....and most days I need that. It seems like I'm quick to loose it a lot these days...my voice is raised and I've just had enough, but I know he still loves me despite of it all. The other evening while eating dinner he reached over and rubbed my shoulders. I felt like crying. Not because there was anything particularly worth crying over, but because he could tell I needed special attention. I so appreciate that about him. He's really a great man, the best man I've ever met in fact.

I am grateful I have the opportunity to watch my children grow up, while still having a little ground in earning money for the family. Being able to work on Friday's has been a blessing in many ways and I cannot count them all. Besides the fact that I do get to be a stay-at-home mom, I get to work and feel needed in a different way and that makes me feel important.

I have to admit I missed the second Saturday session so I'll watch it this week. Please ask me if I've done it yet when you see me, knowing you will will give me the motivation I need to do it and do it quickly. Thanks in advance for that. :)

Getting fancier, maybe

I am attempting to change things up a bit...we'll have to see if I can figure things out further over the next week. I'm going to try to do better. Work was long today, which is fine because it always is long for me. Of course I had some weird things to work through, which is par for the course....I just wish I had more time to get things done that I really want to get done...don't we all.

Austin is shaping up to be a really great reader. I was a little worried about him for awhile and I have people tell me all the time that you have a child that is really great at math or reading....and Austin is really good with numbers. I just assumed he would always struggle with reading, but for the last week or so he has really shown a lot of improvement and has been even reading his own homework assignments! I'm very pleased with him.

I think it is pretty much official people...the grapes on one of my vineyards is nearly completely dried up. Judy came over and picked the last of them on that vine. I'll have to head out tomorrow and pick the concords. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet, we might just freeze and eat them. I was going to make raisins, but I can buy them for so much less, especially with the cost of electricity these days.

I'll have to post some pictures soon. Everyone will have to see what Sam's new short hair-do looks like. I'm finally over the initial shock of it all and I think pictures will be in order.

Oh, and hey, I made $40.00 today by selling some of my excess food storage! :) My work asked me to bring in some food for them because they can get it from me cheaper than they can from the store, so they were very excited. I have another order for next week which is going to be well over $60.00. Not too bad considering I only spend about $145.00/month on groceries for myself! Which reminds me that I need to do some deals tomorrow and Monday night and Tuesday night. It's hard to remember at this point because I really do have nearly everything I need. One thing I do want to start doing again is making my own bread. I haven't made a home made loaf in a couple of years....I should buy some yeast in fact. I'll let you know how that turns out...hopefully my bread maker still works. :)

Jon made dinner tonight and everyone ate it, except for Sam. She is getting increasingly picky lately...but I was just happy I didn't have to make it. What a good husband he is, I sure appreciate and love him.

I'm going to go to bed early...I'm just so tired lately. I think that's my body's cue for GET SOME MORE REST!

Today was a long day. Our power went out this morning. This is the first time that has happened since we have moved in the new house. Jon, fortunately, had woken up about 15 min earlier than normal and was in the shower already. I woke up instantly because our sleep number bed beeped, which is what it does when it is unpluged. It was only off for about 30 seconds. I reset the alarm to go off in an hour and a half from the 12:00am point, and went to bed. I woke up because Jon thought he would be a dear and change the time to the actual time. Well that broke the camel's back apparently and the alarm can't read the time right and started going off every 10 minutes instead. I tried to reset it after the second time, but was unsuccessful so I just got up....even though every fiber of my being was begging me not to. I had to get some dictation done yet and get my preschool things organized for class.

Preschool went well today, I felt like we accomplished a lot in a relatively short period of time, but the kids were more rowdy today than they were on Tuesday...not to mention that Samantha kept whinning about anything and everything, which was at times very distracting. Overall I think it went well and they learned something new...I know I did (I should have gone back to bed).

The rest of the day was busy. I can't tell you exactly what I did that was "busy" persay, but it was just busy. I cleaned up a lot of messes. Right as the last child left my house Samantha had her first accident in a long time...I think she thought she just had a little gas, but it was "lumpy gas" which she then had to stick her finger in and say, "Eww mom, poop". I said ok, don't touch anything and was rather loud at telling her because just as I said it she wiped her nose. So, she had a poopy bright green finger and nose. I was gagging and telling her to not touch anything else at the same time and so I'm sure the ladies from the preschool group thought it was a really rough day because now I was yelling at my kids! kinda funny now that I think about it. Anyway, so she got a bath.

Then later in the day she came downstairs asking me to help her wash her hands. I looked at her hands and as far as I could tell she just had water on them, it wasn't really sticky and didn't smell, but I took her word for it and washed her hands (can't be too careful around her). Only later did I realize what had happened. She went upstairs, opened the fridge and got out an egg. She cracked the egg, made an attempt to clean it up and pushed the yoke part under the fridge...it wasn't completely hardened yet, so I lucked out.

Then Judy Mecham came over to the house to pick some more grapes (she's been the only member of the ward to do so) and we were chatting in the backyard when I thought I'd better check on the kids. I got as far as the garage when I noticed my neighbor, Peggy, walking over to our house with Samantha. She ecaped through the front door and went 4 houses up the street to a different neighbor's house when Peggy saw her. So I thanked her after my near heart attack and kept Sam in the backyard with me. (As soon as Jon got home we went out to get a chain for the front door.)

I am being lazy tonight and am not even going to attempt to use my $10.00 off $50.00 coupons. I'll probably go tomorrow night if I can get it together, but we'll have to see. I'll probably just be out until close on Monday and Tuesday night so I can use the coupon as a roll over on the next week's deals.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I've got to get some more dictation done and then I'm going to go to bed early. I just can't stay awake tonight.

So, I just barely got home from shopping....and the funny thing is that I really didn't even shop that much. I did get a lot for my money, but it was the unexpected that has really taken me back. I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven who has given me the opportunity to experience what I have tonight/early this morning. I was getting ready to do some rounds at Safeway with the new $10.00 off $50.00 coupon when I noticed this lady fumbling through her coupons and groceries, trying to get what she needed but not more than that. I think I've seen her in the store a few times, always late at night, and my friend Theresa has helped her with coupons before in the store. I smiled at her and went to get my cart. Right after that it was like a light went off and she recognized me. She asked me for help trying to find some of the $10.00 off $50.00 coupons. We looked through the store and couldn't find any food days. I gave her one of mine and that made her really happy. Anyway, we continued talking and I learned so much from her.

She was born and grew up in Germany, she married the first man who asked her to marry him and she never did love him. She had two children with him before divorsing him 17 years later...but during that time had to endure beatings and very hurtful things. As a child she grew up being bombed from home to home 3 times! She had only a potato and water to eat every day for many years. She worked in a factory that made hand made mink coats and she was very good at her job at the age of 14.

She learned several languages, English being one of them and when she finally moved to the US she had mastered English. She raised her boys on her own and they are very wonderful men now. She went back to school when she was in her 50's to get a degree so that she could teach Russian and Italian. She never finished school because she became very ill with cancer.

Anyway, there are so many more things I learned about her. What impressed me the most was, after I offered to give her a ride home (she had a pull cart to help her carry her groceries home with...and it just so happens that when we got outside to unload her groceries into my car the wheel broke off) we sat for about 3 hours and talked and she kept saying that she felt like she was a failure in God's eyes and that she was surprised she was still around because she had so many thoughts of suicide. It really upset her that she nearly completed her schooling to become a teacher but had to stop because of how ill she became. I quitely listened casually wiping tears from my eyes so she wouldn't notice. I told her that I've had my share of difficulties, as we all do, and that I know that there are times when we can feel extremely discouraged. I told her that I knew that Heavenly Father loved her and has her best interests at heart. I told her that maybe she didn't have the opportunity to finish her schooling now, but it was enough. She then said that at 70 how is she going to ever use it and I shared with her that I knew that whatever knowledge she acquired in this life would follow her into the next and that perhaps in the next life she would have the opportunity to cultivate it and teach others. I think that this gave her hope, only on account that she said that it did and asked me to repeat it several times. We talked a long time about many other things and I'm certain I'll always remember this.

However, I'm entirely too tired at past 2am to write anymore...I didn't even unpack all of the groceries. I'll try to write more tomorrow, but I just had to write at least part of this down because I feel so very blessed.