Leezy Lindsey

12 Ways You Know You Have 3 Little Girls

2010-06-29T16:05:00.003-06:00

You have a load of pink laundry at least every three days.
Every tickle fight ends in tears. No exceptions.
Your poor ears almost get use to the insanely high pitch shrill that can be heard from little girls all too often.
You go through lots of shampoo.
It takes at least thirty minutes to get them dressed for the day. Ten of those minutes is spent picking out which bow they want to wear.
You have enough drama in your life to be part of a soap opera.
You can't walk past the shoe section of any store unless you are prepared to let them try on at least 3 pairs.
You get to share your makeup.
You always have a hair stylist who is willing to brush your hair. Well, as long as they get to use the spray bottle.
To save yourself from some headaches you don't bother buying ANYTHING unless it's pink or purple.
You wonder what it would be like to own anything but dolls and dress-ups.
You never go without hugs and kisses and know that some of your best friends will always be your girls.

My Two Must Have Summer Products

2010-06-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite tanning lotion because you see results in a day and it doesn't have a nasty odor. Plus, it looks natural and is very affordable.

Summer (especially in the desert) means dry skin. Combine that with me running and wearing sandals everyday and I've got some rough feet. I absolutely cannot stand the feeling of dry feet so I'm am more than willing to spend $20 on a lotion that keeps my feet silky smooth. A little goes a long way because I'm still working on a tube I bought the beginning of last summer. Oh, and did I mention it smells wonderful?

What are some of your favorite products to use during the summer?

Oreo Bites

2010-06-22T11:52:00.004-06:00

My friend Susan recently introduced me to these tasty delights. I seriously LOVE them!!! They are so good and pretty easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 package Oreos

1 package cream cheese, softened

White chocolate (I used almond bark from Walmart. It was something like $1.77 for a whole brick and I prefer the taste to white chocolate chips for these treats)

Directions:

Smash up the Oreos. If you have a food processor I would recommend using it for this job. I don't so I put the cookies in a ziploc and used a rolling pin. I then transferred them to a bowl and finished the job with a hand mixer. After the Oreo's are as crumbled as you can get them, mix in the cream cheese. Roll the mixture into balls and freeze for at least 3 hours. After they are nice and frozen, dip in the white chocolate. Enjoy!

LOL

2010-06-13T09:18:00.011-06:00

Blake and I watched the first part of a great documentary last night called, The Human Face. It was made in 2001 and I think it is way before its time. The movie points out how important face-to-face interaction is and how our society is spending too little time doing this. One of my favorite parts discusses all the advantages from laughing. Blake and I were talking after the movie and concluded that there isn't any better feeling than sharing a genuine laugh with a good friend or someone you love. Not only does laughing together strengthen relationships and bond us closer, it just feels great! In fact, one of the first things that attracted me to Blake was his crazy sense of humor. I knew by marrying him I would never have a shortage of laughter in my life. :)

You might be interested to know that some of the health benefits from laughing found in this great article include:

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

So have you had a good laugh today?

World Cup Fever!

2010-06-12T12:37:00.001-06:00

GO USA!!!

Look Mom! I made bread!

2010-06-10T19:43:00.005-06:00

Isn't she a beauty? I faced my fears today and knocked #5 off my bucket list. My friend Melissa came over to show me the art that is bread making and we had a lot of fun. I am surprised at how delicious this stuff tastes given the fact that the ingredients are 100% healthy. We topped off our bake fest by making a banana cake so you could say we had a tasty, yet productive afternoon.

Thanks again Melissa!

The Hand Dryer Predicament

2010-06-04T14:53:00.007-06:00

One of my favorite new hang-outs for lunch is our local McDonald's. They have a really fun and clean play area for the girls and I've taken a liking to their chicken selects.

The other night we went with Blake for dinner. Sadie needed to use the restroom so I went with her. After she was done with her business we washed our hands. I finished first so I went over to the blow dryer made for hands and waited as my hands were blown dry. My hands were just about free from water when I began to notice the dreaded sticky feeling you get when you didn't rinse all of the soap off. This problem is annoying because you don't notice the residue until your hands are pretty much dry. Do you start all over and wash again? You can't just wipe the soap off because the reason you are using that obnoxious machine in the first place is because paper towels aren't being offered. I guess you could use toilet paper but that could make an even bigger mess since the toilet paper in public restrooms is cheap and tears easily.

Ahhh! What a predicament I was in! I decided I would regret not re-washing my hands so I walked back to the faucet, helped Sadie finish up and rinsed my hands once more. We dried our hands together and finally made it out of the bathroom - both with soap free hands.

My Bucket List

2010-05-27T16:07:00.002-06:00

I know bucket lists are so last year...maybe even two or three years ago but lately I have been thinking about some of the things I want to accomplish in the next few years. I have a better chance of doing some of these things if I write them down so here goes...

Be in the audience of a talk show. I don't really care which one.
Beat a video game.
Take a major road trip across the country to see all the sites and our families.
Plant a fruit garden.
Bake bread from scratch. I'm really scared of this one but there isn't anything better than warm homemade bread smothered in butter so I think getting past my fears would be worth it. Or maybe I'll just ask for a bread machine for Christmas...
Run a marathon.
Sew something. Nothing too hard though. Maybe some cute blankets for my girls.
Read all of Jane Austen's books at least twice.
Compete in some type of tennis tournament. Maybe doubles with my man?
Take my girls to Seattle. I know they would love Snoqualmie Falls and the Pacific Science Center.

Why I deleted my Facebook account

2010-05-21T15:36:00.005-06:00

It's been exactly one week since I deleted my Facebook account. I had been thinking about doing it for awhile but I finally took the plunge last Friday. I have to admit that it was a little scary but so far I don't have any regrets. In fact, it has been a little liberating. Here are a few of my reasons for saying goodbye to wall posts and pokes:

I have run into a few friends from my past recently and we had nothing to talk about! I already knew how many kids they had and they already knew where I lived and my husband's name. What should have been an exciting meeting with an old friend turned out to be awkward and boring. I realize this can be a consequence of blogging but I'm not done. :)
This hurts my pride a little to say but I used the word friend very loosely on Facebook. There is no way I have 342 people whom I can call true friends.
I shouldn't care what the people I barely knew in high school are up to. Shouldn't is the key word there.
I thought a lot about what I would be missing if I got off Facebook. I was worried I would be "out of the loop" but I finally came to the conclusion that I would survive. I am confidant that I will eventually find out about all my newly pregnant friends.
I don't think I was addicted to Facebook but it's easy to spend a lot of time browsing pictures. I have been on the computer much less this week.
Facebook brought unnecessary drama into my life. I would worry that so-in-so would get offended if I denied her friend request because I barely knew her or I would find out what a messy and inconsiderate husband my friend had through her status updates. These are not things I want to be worrying and thinking about.
Status updates are interesting. I like them when they are funny or interesting but there is a fine line between being informative and sounding conceited.

Don't get me wrong, Facebook is a lot of fun. Do I think less of people who are on Facebook and do I think everyone should delete their account? Nope. Not at all. This was a personal decision for me and in no way am I advocating the distinction of social media.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

My babies

2010-05-20T09:05:00.000-06:00

Taco heaven

2010-05-19T22:04:00.008-06:00

I miss lots of things about living in Washington. I miss all of the the green, the lakes, the city and tons of the restaurants. One of the restaurants well, fast-food establishments that I miss is Jack in the Box. Oh, how I crave their Oreo milkshakes! One of my favorite meals is their 2 for 99 cents tacos. Whenever I travel to a state where a Jack in the Box is located I make sure to eat there at least twice.

Well imagine the joy I felt when a friend told me that Burger King sells tacos very similar to Jack in the Box!!! They aren't quite the same but they are delicious and they will definitely hold me over until I can get the real thing. They are a little more pricey costing $1.29 for two but the extra 30 cents is well worth it - the grease stains on my shirt are proof.

In case you were wondering...

2010-05-14T15:11:00.004-06:00

I just deleted my Facebook account.

I'm not cool anymore

2010-05-13T20:00:00.011-06:00

I must be getting old because I just don't understand these styles the young people are sporting now:

Off the shoulder shirts. I don't know if I want to live in a world where it's cool to look like you are an extra in a Jane Fonda workout video.

I get why the ladies like Justin Bieber. I just don't get why he wears his hair like this. This look looks good on no one. Sorry boys.

Is it seriously cool to wear neon colors again? Wow. I don't really mind this one so much. I'm just more shocked that people are wearing such bright apparel once more.

Skinny jeans. While they might look good on women who have a cute figure these things should never be worn by a man. I have a hard time believing the young ladies find this look even remotely attractive.

Ear buds in ears at all times. This one is more of a pet-peeve of mine so I'm going to put my feelings on the subject out there and you can do with it what you will. By walking around a public place listening to music you're basically saying, "I don't want to be bothered by anyone so leave me alone." How anti-social can you get? Now if you are in running clothes, I'll let it slide.

What am I missing?

Let them eat cake

2010-05-13T14:00:00.005-06:00

I've been trying to get back to my pre-Jane weight and I thought the best way would be to buy a cake stand and make sure there is a cake in it at all times. It has worked pretty well so far.

Cake is only good when it's moist. Really moist. So I have searched the internet and my cookbooks for the best cake recipes. So far I've made carrot cake, banana cake (thanks Melissa!) and chocolate cake. They have all been DELICIOUS!!! The next on my list is this red velvet cake. Can't wait.

After the red velvet cake I'm out of ideas. I need recipes that can stay outside of the fridge since the whole point of me making cake is so I can show it off on my counter. So do any of you have great cake recipes? Me, my family and my muffin top would sure appreciate it.

No boys allowed!

2009-10-17T08:37:00.004-06:00

So baby #3 is a girl! We just found out yesterday. We decided to wait until we found out what we were having before we told anyone that I was pregnant. It was kind of fun that way. Plus it seemed like the first half went pretty fast. I'm due the end of February and I can't wait to see if my genes can pull through this time.

Alarming

2009-10-13T08:47:00.004-06:00

What is the first thing that goes through your head when you hear a car alarm go off? I'm willing to bet it isn't, "Oh no! A burglar is is trying to break into someones car!" Especially if it's 11 o'clock at night and the alarm has been going strong for a good 15 minutes.

So my question is, what is the point of car alarms? Are they really offering any protection to our vehicles? Or are they just one of those neighborhood noises that wakes up our children and annoys everyone within a 10 mile radius?

Bad habits die hard

2009-10-10T20:27:00.006-06:00

Sadie started sucking her thumb when she was 4 months old. Being naive, first-time parents we thought it was cute and weren't really concerned. I seriously thought she would stop by the time she was one.

Well, here we are almost 4 years later and she is still sucking her finger. I say finger because about 6 months ago I put band aids on both her thumbs thinking that would stop her but she just moved on to her pointer finger. As of today though we are officially kicking this bad habit. Here is our solution:

This picture was taken early in the afternoon when the athletic tape was first applied. She's happy and excited because I told her that as soon as she stops sucking her fingers she can pick out a toy at Target.

She did okay until it got around bedtime because this is the time of day when sucking her finger becomes almost a necessity. Just as I was starting to pat myself on the back for finding a way to get rid of this nasty habit, I caught her sucking her middle finger!

So after pajamas were put on this is what became Sadie's fate:

I was not going to take any more chances! Oh and don't let the smile fool you. If you look closely you can see some tears remaining from the tantrum that was only calmed down by a reminder of the promised toy.

Do I feel a little bit guilty about tucking my daughter into bed with Michael Jackson fingers? Sure. But then I remember all the humiliation I am saving her from later in life. Not to mention all the money I will be saving in dentist bills.

Wish us luck!

Updates

2009-09-30T22:52:00.007-06:00

Since it's been awhile, here's a quick update on the girlies:

Sadie:

Mastered the times tables over the summer and has moved on to long division.
Has taken after her Father and is working on her second novel.
Is taking 3 dance classes, violin/piano lessons, acting classes and is in 2 different preschools. She is still bored.
Planned and organized a food drive for victims of the recent fires in California.
Was asked to sing a solo by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She declined due to scheduling conflicts.
Has developed a taste for anything organic and refuses to eat anything else.

Madison:

Recently potty trained herself in 20 minutes.
Has an impressive vocabulary and has become quite the motivational speaker. She has been making her way around the local preschool circuit speaking about the pressures of toddlerhood.
Can run faster than most 7 year olds.
Can name any classical song after hearing only the first 2 measures.
Puts herself down for naps.
After seeing her dance for less than 5 minutes, her dance instructor bumped her to the class where they use pointe shoes.

My least favorite word

2009-09-29T14:09:00.004-06:00

I hate the word moist. Absolutely hate how it feels and sounds when you say it. However, I like my desserts to be moist and there really isn't a better word to describe a moist piece of chocolate cake. Sure you can combine words to make the same meaning but that's not productive. So my friends, can anyone be my thesaurus and come up with a better word?

Oh and what is your least favorite word?

Sisters!

2009-04-04T12:26:00.002-06:00

What's the deal with blogging?

2009-03-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

This last little while I have had absolutely no motivation to blog. There have been several cases where I have sat down to write a post but my mind goes blank. Lately I have toyed with the idea of getting rid of my blog completely. It's kind of embarrassing when you haven't updated your blog for a few months. So I have decided to weigh the pros and cons of blogging to help make my decision.

Pros:

It's a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. However, so is Facebook.
You can become a better writer.
Comments are fun to read.
It's a wonderful way to keep an online journal.

Cons:

It takes time.
When I am an active blogger I am constantly thinking of things to blog about. On some days it consumes my mind.
I feel bad if I go a day or two without posting anything.
Uploading pictures can be a hassle.
Reading a post of someone apologizing for not posting for a long time is awful.

I'm sure there are lots more pros and cons but for now I'm going to leave it at that. I probably won't get rid of my blog but I don't think blogging will ever be really high on my priority list again. All I'm saying here is don't hold your breath for my next post. :)

Our little ballerina

2008-12-18T15:08:00.007-07:00

Sadie had her Christmas dance recital this morning. Here are a few shots of her performance:

She gets so into it!

The candy cane train.

Singing carols to the audience.

Santa even made an appearance!

Proof that she enjoyed the candy cane Santa gave her!

Cutest picture ever.

2008-12-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

I changed my mind

2008-11-26T12:45:00.007-07:00

Here's a few things I use to like but don't anymore:

Gum. I have always been addicted to gum until just lately. After chewing a wad for five minutes my jaws are bored and I have to spit it out.
Staying up late. Even seeing my clock read anything later than 11:00 pm makes me physically ill.
Ice cream. I use to love this stuff. I rarely crave it now and I would much rather eat a brownie or some delicious pastry. My only exception to this is if I am offered a chocolate malt.
Lip Smacker's chap stick. I would seriously go through a tube of this a week in junior high. I now prefer a more mature looking container of lip gloss.
The new Volkswagen Beetle. I was obsessed with these when they first came out. It's not that I don't like them anymore. It's just that I would never buy one. A van would be so much more practical, right honey?

A chocolate truffle for breakfast?

2008-11-07T15:11:00.005-07:00

When Sadie asked for a See's mint truffle at 7 o'clock this morning I told her her no. She asked why and I said it was too early. She then asked why it was too early and I didn't have an answer for her. Seriously why do people frown upon eating things like candy, pizza and soda in the morning? Does a brownie know to add 100 extra calories just because it's before 10 am?