My Excuses

"You've really neglected blogging.  So, what the heck is keeping you so busy, Ashley?" you might ask.  Well, I suppose I could tell you - since you might be a captive audience (which is hard to find around my house - trust me).  Conveniently, I just wrote my excuses to my sister, Kim (who is serving her mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City), so I'm going to use them for this too!

#1. I've been quilting (don't tell Alanna - she'd be impressed).  I'm finishing the double quilt that Alanna helped me start over a year ago.  So that's been time consuming AND has really kept me off of the computer (which is general IS a good thing... just not when it keeps me away from blogging and writing letters etc.)

#2. I've started to workout in a group.  Well, not just me (clearly - or it wouldn't be a group).  But there's about 5 other women in my ward who are feeling a little "larger than life" after having babies (I suppose I could say that they're feeling large because of life too).  We are working out 2 nights a week (it may be a kin to torture), and whipping ourselves back into shape.  We've also been doing "food journals".  I've cut out sugar except for Sundays (and to be completely truthful - whenever a good dessert is offered.... but that is REALLY rare).  I've really caught myself snacking a lot and I've been able to take that out.  I've been pushing fruits and veggies.  Having awesome smoothies and I'm not eating at night at all (except for date night).  All this considered, I've lost a whopping 1.6 pounds (no, the "." is not a type-o).  Don't get too worried.  I'll slow down soon enough - you don't have to worry about me wasting away to nothing.  Ugh.  It'll come.  I know it will.  It's a gospel principle.  Patience and moderation in all things.  Endure to the end, right?  (I am just hoping there's an end - or a result for that matter - before the judgement day, because I might lose my mind any second now).

#3.  Scratch that last fragment of a sentence.  I HAVE completely lost my mind.  I am getting very little sleep (Thank you, Benson) and I'm running after 4 other kids.  Kaia and Kienna are finishing up school for the year.  Kaia has just finished her violin lessons, I'm looking for Kienna's cello teacher and Saryn will be starting both Kindergarten and Violin in the fall.  Since I'll be so bored at home when my girls are at school, I've decided to take on the BRILLIANT plan of teaching piano and theory one night a week (Jarett convinced me to knock it down to just one night... I think I have a tendency to torture myself).

#4. I am actually watching Peso for a couple days while my Gran and Aunty Beryl have taken their half-sister, Bubbles who is visiting from South Africa and her friend up to Banff.

#5.  I am in the process (hopefully nearing the end) of potty training little Jaymeson.  He's doing great - all we need to work on now is changing what he is calls it.  For some reason he decided it's called "Mom and Dad".  I'm just not a huge fan of that (for some crazy reason).  I THINK that Jarett said, "Wow are you a big boy like Mom and Dad?" when he went potty once and so he decided that that was the correct name for it.  Hopefully this will be a fleeting memory very soon.

#6. I have also been busy celebrating.  Hayley's birthday was fun, but that REALLY big celebration happened last Friday.  Jarett and I went to the Keg on a date to celebrate his LAST (like VERY VERY last) grades coming back as a "Competency Demonstrated" (aka, he passed).  He's DONE!  DONE!!!!!!  No more hoops to jump through, no more student at law.  All that is left is the celebration and ceremony of being "Admitted to the Bar", which will happen on June 29th (the day before Dad's 25th anniversary of being admitted to the bar).

#7.  Jarett's sister, Erin, is getting re-married on June 30th.  So I've been having fun doing a few little wedding plans etc.  She's so excited, and I'm so happy for her.

#8. Marvel (my niece) just did her Grade 5 piano exam on Tuesday.  She is my first student to do so, and I spent MANY hours every week drilling everything with her.  We went over to my old piano teacher's house and had her play there, we've had multiple 2-3 hour sessions of mostly scales etc.  I'm really proud of her.  I think she did fabulous!  Can't wait to hear her grade!

#9.  I've been busy with rain, snow, sleet and hail.  Bad weather really keeps you busy when you have 5 kids.  Many much more things to think of to entertain.  Today is sunny and I'm LOVING it.  We took Peso on a walk around the pond behind the house and played on the playground etc.  The kids were dancing to 'candyland' (the demo on our piano) and we've just had a lot of fun!

#10.  I've also been busy with Mechanics.  Apparently the van's transmission is on the fritz.  We've taken it to a couple places to get more opinions, but pretty much, I'm driving a time bomb.  We just don't know when the transmission will blow.  In the meantime, we're going to try to sell it (someone else might want to put $4000 into it) and get an 8 seater, so we can all fit more easily (and maybe even be able to pick up a friend or something too).

Well, I figure I've now given you the top 10 reasons that I've been crazy busy and away from the computer (except for maybe the Peso thing, but I think I'll add that I've been busy being a Mom, trying to keep the house clean and SELL It and being a chauffer etc.)  I'm sure I could add many more things, but I'll stop there.


Anyway, needless to say, life has been busy.