The Best of the Blogging Bandwagon 2007

As you know, 2007 is the year I discovered.....the blog! OK.....well.....to be truthful I didn't discover it on my own. My friend Natalie started, so I stalked her blog for a while. Then my friend Nicole started, so I stalked her for a while. After which, I discovered that some of my neighbors were also blogging away. So, I guess you could say that 2007 was the year I jumped on the blog bandwagon.

In memory of 2007 I would like to share with you my favorite posts from my favorite blogging friends (in no particular order).

• The Quad Burner: Seriously, this exercise works. It burns hard and fast. I have rotated this exercise into my strength training work outs. My quad are still not as hot as Tough Girl's but......maybe some day?


• Mitch Will Be Mitch and Carson will be Carson: This post is about a boy talking to his mother about when he grows up. The first time I read it, it brought a tear to my eye. Children really do speak the truth.


• No More Monkeys Jumpin on the Bed: This is also a post about growing up. I think this post spoke to me, because children really do grow up so fast. It's hard to see and appreciate when you're right in the middle of it. This story helped me step back and appreciate some of the things I take for granted.


• Black Saturday: A sad day for all U of U fans. But this blogger did the day proud. Lighting a giant U on the house and making red U pancakes. A true inspiration to a true fan.


• Disney Housewives: Not a day goes by in this house that my daughter isn't one of the Disney princesses. This cartoon cracked me up so bad, and stuck in my head. A favorite for sure.


• Baby Kiss: As we all know, Photoshop can do amazing things. Specifically, turn your precious little baby into Gene Simmons from KISS. I cannot see a baby stick his/her tongue out without thinking of this post.


• Girl's Camp: Or as I like to call it. The Longest Day of My Life. Nothing against Girl's Camp, but it was THE longest day of my life. I've never been in such a time warp.


• New Life: An all time favorite. Fab Four Freers captured the very moment that a life was born. The photograph is amazing, I've looked at it over and over this year. Not only is a new life amazing, but it is captured in such stark detail. Simply amazing.


• Fall New England Style: Beautiful rich pictures of fall in New England. The photography is amazing. I love this post because it has no words, the pictures really speak for themselves.


• Do You Have Sucker Written on Your Face Too: I love this commentary about being a stay at home mom. It's true, just because you stay at home doesn't mean you have NOTHING to do. However, where do we draw the line between helping others and being taken advantage of? It's a good questions, and this is a great post.


• You Know You Live in Southern Utah If: Not only is this list hilarious, it's all true. Everything on this list actually happened in Southern Utah to this woman or one of her family members. Sometimes the truth is funnier than fiction!


• Mom, I Choosed the Right: Isn't that all we really want from our kids? To choose the right. To stand up for injustice, to be kind to others. How simple, and yet, how hard. This post has stuck with me since I read it. It's simple, but has a such a deeper meaning.

Thank you to all my fellow bloggers. I have laughed, cried, and been inspired by you this year. I hope 2008 brings great things to all of you.

I Know What Today Is!

Today when Cali woke up she announced, "Mom! I know what today is. It's the first day of nothing."

She hit the nail on the head. Today was the first day of nothing! We had nothing we HAD to do. No errands to run, no groceries to buy, no shopping to do, nowhere to go. To my credit I did get the house vacuumed, the furniture rearranged and Cali's drawers cleaned out (this girl does NOT need another skirt!)

It was one of our first really chill days in a long time. So, to commemorate the First Day of Nothing I stayed in my sweats the whole day. I still have them on right now, and I might end up sleeping in them too.

I hope you all have a great First Day of Nothing. Even if it wasn't today, I hope you have one soon.

A Visit From Santa's Elves

Jayna and Mike stopped by for a post-Christmas visit, and brought my kids a great blast from the past. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head! The kids have been playing with them all day. Mike even showed Cali how to turn the Potato Head upside down and put the eyes where the mouth should be. We all thought it was pretty hilarious. They also brought me and Christian the first season of Arrested Development (our favorite show). Thanks Aunty Jayna and Uncle Mikey!

A Guilty Guilty Pleasure

I stumbled across this show one Sunday night, and it's become one of my all-time favorites. It's so stupid and so wrong on so many levels, but I can't get enough of it. Watch it, or don't...if you would like to keep your dignity.

Carter Christmas

Mater was a huge hit. Carter can even tow Lightening McQueen around with his tow cable. He also got some race cars that race around a track, but he was less impressed with those.

Cali Christmas

Cali loved the princess chest that Santa brought. It is filled with everything princess. Books, jewelry, paints, crayons the list goes on. She also got a digital camera (this may be the best investment ever). She is constantly taking pictures. It's so interesting to see what a child sees all day. Most of the pictures Carter has taken are of the carpet.

Me, I Want A Hoola Hoop

On Christmas Eve we took the kids to see Alvin and Chipmunks. I just loved this cartoon as a child, and my sisters and I used to watch the Chipmunk Adventure movie all the time. I must say, I really loved this show. Cali danced to all the music and Carter stayed pretty entertained until the very end. We will be buying this one.

Finally.....A Cousin!

Congratulations to Melissa and Devin. After much trying and trying and trying they are expecting a baby! Cali's reaction, "Finally.....A Cousin!" So I guess my adorable children only have a few more months of being the ONLY grand kids on either side of our families. Well, it was fun while it lasted.


These little tags were hidden in the pinata that we bashed a few weeks ago. But I didn't want to post them until after all of Melissa and Devin's family members had been notified about the good news.

Cookie Magoockie Day (December 22nd)

Sugar cookies are our favorite. They take forever to make, not to mention the sack of flour it takes to roll them out, but they're worth it.


Cali stayed with it the whole time. Rolling and cutting and rolling and cutting until the last bit of dough was gone. She really stayed on task!


This is the best table for kids. We ordered it from Target a couple of years ago and it's the best piece of furniture I've ever purchased.


Carter's contribution to cookie magoockie day. None of these cookie cutters were used in the making of our cookies.


Carter's favorite part.
Day one: Carter ate 7 sugar cookies
Day two: Carter ate 5 sugar cookies
Day three: Carter ate 7 sugar cookies
Day four: Carter ate 3 sugar cookies
Day five: No sugar cookies left

Where Did I Come From......Seriously!

Here is a picture of me and my siblings from 1993. As you can see I stick out like a sore thumb. As you can also see, I have great taste in clothing. This is very characteristic of all family photos ever taken of the Peacock siblings.

Fast forward to 2007. I thought that maybe as an adult things would even out. Not so, I still stick out. My baby brother finally caught up, but it took about 15-20 years. This picture was taken at our lovely singing performance for my Grandma Peacock's Christmas program.

Mom....Dad....Is there something you need to tell me? Am I really adopted? I can handle the truth.

One Good Mess Deserves Another

I got this bright idea to make some Nativity Puppets. I thought it would be fun to have some puppets to play with while reading the Christmas story. After a very wonderful trip to the Hobby Lobby we were ready to roll. Our supplies included: paper bags (I wanted brown, but they only bright yellow), doll hair (blonde and brown), googlie eyes, card stock, fabric, cotton and a lot of glue.

Cali constructed baby Jesus all by herself. She was especially proud of the hair style she gave him. The whole time we were working on our puppets she kept asking, "is this what they look like in the movie?" I really have failed, on so many levels.

The finished products.
Top Row (left to right) The Angel, A Lamb, A Shepard
Bottom Row (left to right) Joseph, Baby Jesus, Mary, Wise Men 1, 2, and 3.
We are still trying to figure out how to make a donkey, but my artistic abilities can only extend so far.

Pre School Program

Friday was Cali's pre school program. The kids were so cute and they sang their little heart's out. Santa was supposed to make a guest appearance, but due to inclement weather, he was a no show. Cali was a little devastated, but Carter was glad....he's pretty terrified of Santa.

Adding Some Yoga

I was looking for a way to mix up my workouts this week, so I decided to throw in some Yoga. It's really not my favorite type of workout. I will never look like Madonna and I have yet to master many of the more challenging poses, but I felt like I needed a little change. It turned out to be a good choice. I felt more relaxed and less stressed throughout the day. I completed a pretty challenging lower body workout earlier in the week, and I felt that doing yoga helped my muscles stretch and recover. Cali even joined me for the last part, and she thought it was fun and funny. So I think I'm going to try to practice some yoga a few times a week. I think Cali and I will do it during Carter's nap time. It will give us a chance to regroup, and by us I mean....me.



If you are looking for some great holiday fitness tips, please check out Tough Girl Training. Tough Girl knows her stuff and is an inspiration to everyone who is trying to get or stay in shape.

Would you Rather by Mary or a Yellow Alligator?

Last night I attended a party at my neighbor's house. She invited many people in our neighborhood, and there was quite a diverse crowd. Everyone brought a dessert or appetizer to share, plus a white elephant Christmas ornament. Before the white elephant gift exchange got underway, the host asked if everyone would introduce themselves and share a family Christmas tradition. One girl shared the funniest story, and I've been laughing about it all day.

Here goes. Her family Christmas tradition was a story book that her dad always read on Christmas Eve called, Cajun Night Before Christmas. The book is everything Cajun, like alligators instead of reindeer. You get the picture. Well, as a side note, every year her ward performed the Nativity as part of their Christmas program. The primary kids were the characters in the Nativity and they sang songs....specifically "Mary's Lullaby". This girl looked forward to the day when she turned 11 and could be "Mary" in the Christmas pageant. Well, the day finally arrived, she was all ready to go. She was all practiced up on "Mary's Lullaby". But this just happened to be the year that the church stopped doing the Christmas pageant, and instead asked her family to preform the Cajun Night Before Christmas. She was devastated. Instead of her dream of being Mary, she had to be an alligator. Not only that, but her mom ran out of green cardboard, so she had to be a yellow alligator.

When she told the story she was so passionate about it. You could tell that she was still very upset that instead of Mary she was a yellow alligator. This is probably not as funny when I try to re-tell/re-type the story. I guess you would really have to hear it from the source to get the full effect. But, it struck my funny bone just right....and I've been laughing about it all day.

And I Thought I was Having a Rough Week

Ok, at first it was shocking, then mildly funny, then really funny, which soon gave way to flat out hilarity. After hilarity it actually became painful, then sad, then it went into a realm outside of reality. Now I am just asking can these people catch a break this year? I mean seriously?

A Brief History

In my last post I mentioned that I was on a holiday baking strike. Until Cookie Magoockie day (which is the eve of Christmas eve). All my life I thought that my mom made up this extra holiday for us, until I read a comment left by my dad. So here it is, in his own words, the history of Cookie Magoockie day.

"When we were first married your Mom was baking cookies the day before Christmas and she said that her mother and grandmother had always done it. To be funny I said, 'Sure they did that's Cookie McGoockie Day. They celebrate that all over the world.' Gwen said that she'd never heard that but I slowly convinced her that there was a celebration called Cookie McGookie Day. She finally bought it and then about killed me when I laughed and told her it was just a joke. Since then our family has made it a point to celebrate this unofficial holiday. Happy Cookie McGookie Day and Festivus to you all - Oh and Merry Christmas. Dad"

I think that just goes to show that a family tradition can be made anytime, even unintentionally and even if it just starts out as a joke.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Cali and I got our Christmas spirit on today by getting our friend/neighbor gifts ready. One of my goals this year was to simplify the holiday season, and try to focus on what is important. I usually bake like a crazy meowzer the week before Christmas, I love to do it, but I get all worked up in a cloud of sugar and flour. So, this year I instituted a house wide baking strike. I am not baking a single thing (um..except the cookies that I made on Sunday and the cookies I plan to bake on cookie *magoockie day). So my friend/neighbor gifts don't contain any baked goods this year. It's made my life a lot easier. I hope you enjoy them as much as Cali and I enjoyed putting them together.

Stuffed: No small children allergic to peanuts were harmed in the stuffing of these gifts.


Stacked: I've already given several away, this was purely for the photo op.

*cookie magoockie day is an official holiday that my mom made up when we were little kids. It occurs on the eve of Christmas eve, and it's a day devoted to making Christmas and Santa cookies. I will lift my ban for this special occasion.

I Know We Are in the City Now

We went downtown last week to my Grandma Peacock's Christmas party. She is serving a mission at the Church Office Building as a guide/host. She, and the women that work with her on her shift, got together for a little Christmas party. My grandma asked me, my sisters and brother if we would provide a 30 minute *musical program. Her party was the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, so we took the opportunity to look out over the city.

As we were driving into downtown Cali said, "I know we are in the city now." I asked her how she knew and she said, "because there are so many beautiful tall buildings here." Well, you can't argue with that.

*disclaimer: I do not claim to be a great singer, I am just fortunate to have a sisters and a brother who are really extraordinary. Not to mention a mother who is a professional pianist.

Reflections

Farewell

This one's for you Brittany. We miss you and hope you are doing well in Sweden.




As is usually the case, Carter is less than cooperative in most pictures.

Carter's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a box. It will keep me entertained for hours.




Please also bring me left over wrapping paper. I like to fill the box up with wrapping paper, dump it out and then repeat numerous times.




While you're at it Santa, I really need a large bow to stick on my forehead. I really don't mind that every time I try to look at it, I go cross eyed....in fact, it gets a lot of laughs.




Don't forget the large bull pinata. I really don't care about what's inside, and I don't really have the patience or strength to break it open. I would really just like to ride it around until the legs buckle and break off.



Santa, I hope this list has made your job easier and cheaper than in years past.



Love,

Carter

Kids These Days....They Just Grow Up So Fast

Last weekend was Dusin's late-birthday-early-Christmas party. He turned 19 and will be leaving on this mission this week (Dec 19th). It's so amazing how fast he's grown up. When Christian and I were engaged he was only 10 years old. He was such a smiley little kid who could light up a room. He has grown into such a great young man, not to mention, one of my favorite people of all time. We will miss him, but we know he is doing the right thing.

The Big 50

Happy Birthday Dad! You finally made it to the big 5-0!

My dad decided that for his birthday he wants us all to climb Wheeler Peak. I have never done it, but everyone else in my family has. So on July 15th we are all going to do it! Well, probably not Cali and Carter... but grandma Gwennie has graciously volunteered to watch them at the our base camp. I am really excited. This will be an awesome experience for us to share as a family. As well as a great physical challenge. Wheeler Peak is the second highest peak in Nevada the elevation is just over 13,000 feet!

Oh What Fun

Cali's cute friend invited her to an "Enchanted" birthday party. Everyone met at the movie theater to watch Enchanted. It was one of the highlights of her young life. She got to dress up as a princess (not much different from our everyday dress up routine), get a crown and a wand, eat hot dogs and pop corn, and watch a movie with her friends.

Her friend's mother told me that she had two extra tickets and asked if Carter and I wanted to stay. Cali heard her friend's mom invite us, and she quickly pulled me aside and said, "I thought you were just going to drop me off and then go home". I could tell she didn't want us to stay so Carter and I went to the Hobby Lobby. It was a little strange to realize that my four year old knows I'm not cool. How sad is that?

The "Kid" Tree

I thought providing Cali and Carter with a tree of their own might stop the insane glass shattering. Cali loved decorating it, but Carter didn't really care. Mostly because there is nothing on it that can break.

I really love the job they did. I think it looks like Christmas threw up on this tree, but that's why it's so charming.

Christmas Catch Up

We put our Christmas tree and decorations up a few weeks ago. I am posting these pictures now because I would like to remember what the tree looked like before the shattering of the ornaments began. So much can change in just a few weeks. I once had complete matching sets of beautiful blue and silver decorations....... now I am afraid to even go into the living room. So enjoy the peaceful pictures, I know I will.

Cali is so helpful.


This kid is out of control. This is his new picture taking face. Not to be confused with his I'm-going-to-throw-ornaments-against-the-front door-face. They're pretty much the same.


Cali put the star on the tree with the help of an extra tall elf.


So sweet.

My TO DO List

1. Get my you-know-what together.
2. Update my blog colors and header....this one's getting a little old.
3. Catch up on emails.
4. Read my fabulous friend's new blog entries.
5. Refer back to #1

Christmas Confusion and Chaos

Christmas Confusion
Cali: Mom, where is the activity set?
Me: What is an activity set?
Cali: You know it has Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus...
Me: Do you mean the Nativity Scene?
Cali: Yeah, that's what I meant, but I'm going to call it an activity set.
Me: Wonderful

A few minutes later...

Me: Cali, are you OK? (she had a really confused look on her face)
Cali: Yeah, I'm just wondering which of these camels is Donner and which one is Blitzen.

Christmas Chaos
Number of broken snowmen: 1
Number of small lighted stars ripped off the small tree: 1
Number of lambs with a shattered or broken head: 1
Number of shiny glass ornaments shattered: 3
Number of ornaments missing hanging hooks 12

We've had our decorations out for approximately 23 hours. Merry Christmas!