May Day

I forgot to make "Get the blog current" as a 2011 goal. Hopefully I will get it done sooner rather than later. I have thought about just scratching the rest of 2010 and starting fresh, but too many great things happened and this is my only form of family record keeping at the moment.

The elementary school has a program called May Day at the end of every school year. It is a musical program and the whole school participates with each grade doing their own number also. My little point and shoot camera does not have the best quality video or take the crispest photos, but it is convenient to carry with me. To add to that, I had a squirmy 1 year old on my lap and there was a very tall girl in front of Alexis most of the time. So I won't be winning any awards with this clip! This was Alexis' first May Day:

2011 Goals

I've taken a couple weeks to really think about what goals I would like to set for myself and my family this year. There is a fine line between being realistic and setting goals to help you progress and grow and maybe get out of your comfort zone. Some of my goals are very defined and some more vague, but all are things I want to be thinking about and striving for. So, here they are:

• Read at least 12 books from my Book List
• Run another 1/2 marathon and possibly a full. We will see where my mind and body are at after the 1/2
• Make 7-8 hours of sleep each night a priority
• Maintain my current weight
• Twice a month dates with my husband. Most of our dates are at home and include the children. We need to invest more time in our marriage!
• Go to the Temple once a month
• Play/read with my children more
• Look for opportunities to Give. Whether it be a donation of time, goods, or money.
• Sew a Rag Quilt
• Sew our Christmas Stockings (I have had the fabric for 4 years!)
• Try at least 2 new recipes per month
• File taxes by March 1, 2011
• Fence the backyard
• Grow a garden
• Can something from my garden
• Buy Denali a twin size mattress
• Save for our 10th Anniversary Cruise next January/February (We made our first deposit this month!)
• Save at least 3 months of living expenses into our Emergency Fund
• Continue to simplify and Find Joy in my current season of life
  
  My Book List
  
  • The Book of Mormon
  • You Can Never get Enough of What You Don't Need by Mary Ellen Edmunds
  • Grace by Richard Paul Evans
  • The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  • Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News by Stephen E. Robinson
  • Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discover That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
  • Finding Your Purpose as a Mom: How to Build Your Home on Holy Ground by Donna Otto
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Dancing with My Father: How God Leads Us into a Life of Grace and Joy by Sally Clarkson
  • To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
  • Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenrieder
  • Going Rogue by Sarah Palin
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Sphere by Michael Crichton
  • Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
  • Illusions by Richard Bach
  • The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stoval
  • The Help by Kathryn Stockett
    
  • The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute Library
  • Water for the Elephants by Sarah Gruen
  • The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  • Aspire by Kevin Hall
  • A Karen Kingsbury book
  
  I have always loved to read, but most recently I spend most of my time reading frugal blogs. Which has been great and helped my family in many ways, but I need to expand my reading material. And holding a good book in your hands curled up in a blanket is so good for the soul! Some of these books I've had on my bookshelf for awhile and never opened, some are from an online book club list, and some are recommended by friends on Facebook. I hope to read much more than 12, but one book per month sounds reasonable to me for now.
  
  Can I count on you to hold me accountable?
  

Preschool Field Trip

We did a preschool with Denali where the moms take turns teaching. We only did one day a week and we had seven kids. Denali loved this. She is so jealous that Alexis gets to go to school every day and it was a great social outlet for her. We had a few fun field trips during the year and ended with a trip to the fire station. We got to go inside the station and look at the different gear and then look inside one of the trucks. We all brought our other kids too to join in the fun.

Evan, Isabella, Janey, Denali, Macee, Andilyn, and Howard
The boys were definitely out-numbered in this group!

Jubilee

Alexis was in a music class called Jubilee. My good friend Shanae taught the class in her home. They did more than just sing songs, they learned about composers, about rhythm, how to read notes, etc. Alexis LOVED it! Shanae moved away this summer and Alexis is missing the class. Here is a sample of their spring program: