New Year Day

Today was a fun day. Mike and I sat the kids down and explained our new chore system and any over our expectations of them. It seemed to go well. We told them that they each have a dish night and a Saturday chore. To expedite some of the organizing and cleaning up that needed to get done outside of those two things Mike pulled out his jar of quarters and put a dollar amount on specific things he wanted done. So cleaning the bathroom was a dollar and vacuuming was .50. The kids loved it! Gavin even cleaned his room better than any of the big kids have ever done! They really seem to appreciate making money. Our next lesson with them will be saving and tithing what they get. I'm really proud of how hard they worked today.

I think it's time to get this thing up and running again!

Look What I'm Going to Try!!!

I've crossed to the dark side of making my own crap...LOL Actually, I've always liked making my own crap but this time I"m trying something new.  I've decided to try making my own fabric softener.  It's very snowy outside today and I am out of fabric softener but have already deemed today a laundry day.  Necessity causes innovation...right?  Well, fortunately for me i don't have to invent anything, someone else did it for me.  After extensive research (about 10 minutes) I've decided on a recipe and I just heard my washer finish so here I go!  I'll let you know how it goes!!!!!

I Love My Boys

This morning Tyler wanted to write a letter so I gave him some paper and he found his crayons and went to work.  The letter is a big secret though.  He won't tell me who it is for.  He did, however, give me some clues. 
1.  She lives in this house.
2.  He asked me how to spell Crystal.
3.  he asked me how to spell Simmons.
4.  He then asked me how to spell Mom.
5.  She is a mom in this house.

I can't wait to find out who the letter is for! ;)

Gavin just came into the kitchen with his diaper off, holding up his shirt and said "pee mom."  I just looked at him for a second before I realized what was going on and then I asked him "where is your diaper?"  His reply?  "I uhknow."  LOL He's so funny.  I asked him if he wanted to go on the potty, so we put him up there and he peed!!!!!  YAY! I'm so proud of him.  I think he'll be potty trained in no time. 

P.S.  I found the missing diaper, it had mysteriously planted itself on the floor next to the spot where Gavin was sitting before the diaper heist of 2011.

WOW!!!

So Santa strikes again!  I just happened to grab Tyler's bookbag out of the van when I got home from the store a little bit ago.  Normally his backpack gets cleaned out before the next day of school because I look at what's inside when I pick him up.  Monday I didn't look in his bag.  I had put his papers in when I arrived at school to drop him off.  I noticed as I was grabbing his bag a red envelope sticking out.  I figured it was a card from one of his friends in class.  I was wrong.  As I closed up the van and walked toward the house I grabbed it out so I could give it to Tyler, but the front said Simmons Family.  I opened the envelope and was completely surprised.  The card is a picture of Snoopy giving a huge hug. 

First of all, I LOVE Snoopy, and he was giving a huge hug on the card, which I really needed today.  It was signed from Santa with a note that read this:


"Dear Simmons Family,
You are so loved and we wanted you to know how much.  Here is a little something for mom and dad to 'take some time.'  Tyler's tuition has also been paid through the end of January 2012.
All my love,
Santa"

Enclosed were some gift cards to Applebee's for Mike and I to go out to dinner on a date.  I am not really sure why Santa thinks that we deserve to be blessed in such a huge way this year, but I am so grateful.  Normally for Christmas I focus on the kids and Mike.  I don't really care if I get a present or not, as long as the kids are happy and have the best Christmas memories ever.  I am usually blessed by my family and I do receive gifts from my siblings, mom and in-laws, but I don't worry about Mike getting anything for me.  This year, the blessings we have received are the best gifts I could ever had.  Thank you so much.  You'll never really know how much all of this means to me and my family. 

PS  I called Mike at work to tell him and he said "you have to stop calling me at work and making me cry" I think that's a thank you from him too! 

I Still Believe in Santa

Today was an incredibly joyous day.  It started off this morning at Walmart when I was purchasing some socks for the kids for Christmas gifts.  I realize that this is not the most exciting gift for kids, but this is a slim year with Mike out of work and the kids really need some socks.  I was putting them up on the belt and one of Santa's elves grabbed them from me and paid for them.  When I said "are you sure?" The elf said yes and Merry Christmas.  I started to cry right there in the store.  It seems like such a small thing, but when you are struggling and have 5 kids to buy socks for, it really adds up.  What a huge blessing.  That made my day.  BUT it only got better from there. 

When I arrived at preschool to pick up Tyler at 11:30 I noticed a woman standing at the end of the walk that led to the entryway.  She was standing next to a large wrapped gift and I thought "that's such pretty wrapping paper" and kept walking in assuming the gift was for the teachers as it was the last day before Christmas vacation.  When I got inside my friend Rachel said "someone is looking for you."  She was looking right at me but I had no reason to think anyone would be looking for me.  My sister was sitting in the van with Gavin, but I had spent all morning with her already, so I didn't think she needed me.  There was no one else I could think of.  I said "me?"  Rachel responded with "yes, she is looking for Crystal." I asked who and Rachel said "that festive looking lady outside."  As I turned around I could see the huge smile on the woman's face who I had just passed. She had on a Santa hat, was dressed in a festive shirt, and had on a red jacket. I walked back outside before picking up Tyler just in case she needed my help with something and as I got closer to her she said "Crystal?"  I said yes I'm Crystal.  She proceeded to say "This is for you from Santa, Merry Christmas."  I just looked at her with shock on my face.  I didn't really say too much.  She handed me the huge present with the sparkly wrapping paper that I had noticed was pretty minutes earlier.  I could only say "thank you" and take it from her.  I said Merry Christmas as she showed me the card was signed by Santa.  I put the gift in my van and started to cry, again, as I explained to my sister what had just happened.  I turned around to go back into the school to get Tyler and as I did she was just leaving.  She was driving the cutest little red car, it was obviously an elf car.  She was the best elf I had ever seen.

I went inside to pick up Tyler, completely in shock about what had just happened and I could barely tell my friends.  I felt such love in that moment, you would not believe.  Santa really does exist!  He has elves that come to us when we need them the most.  I was in aw.  I ended up crying the whole way home, happy tears.  Tyler asked me why I was crying and i told him I was crying because I was happy.  It was so fun telling Tyler that one of Santa's elves came to visit ME.  He thought about it for a second and said "did you tell her I said hi?" LOL  It was so cute.

Later in the afternoon I received a text from Mike telling me that our furnace application had been approved and we would be getting a new furnace installed, for free.  So tomorrow night we will have a new high efficiency furnace and will have heat in our home once again. 

As I was typing this I actually had to pause so I could go to the front door as we had carolers that were singing to us and brought us some treats.  I have been very blessed today by other's kindness and love to me and my family.  Thank you!

PS.  I waited to open the gift until tonight since Santa made a special effort to get it to me before Christmas I figured I should open it sooner than later.  I also wanted to share this wonderful story with the kids.  It is a 3 crock slow cooker.  This crock pot is something that I have really wanted, especially with Christmas coming.  I love having the people I love over to the house and feeding them and I thought this would be great for that!  Santa was listening and brought me a gift, I still can't believe it!!!!

Advent Day 4 and 5

This is the most I've blogged on here in a while, so I'm forgiving myself for not getting to it every day! LOL (it works in my head as an excuse)

December 4-Luke 2:7 Why did Mary lay baby Jesus in a manger?
We had a major meltdown about who was going to be the one to read the star. It ended up being Tyler even though I told Brooke she could. I don't know for sure what happened there, but it all worked out. We had a great discussion about how Jesus came to earth and was humble. It was good for the kids to hear that he wasn't rich, and he didn't have tons of stuff. As a new baby he was laid on pokie hay and in a place where the animals lived. As a mother I can't imagine having a new born baby in those circumstances.

December 5-Luke 2:8-11 To whom did the angel announce the Savior's birth?
Tyler read the sat and the scripture to us. Mike was reading it and Tyler was repeating what he said. Mike and I were cracking up. Tyler would lean in to Mike to hear what he had to say and then bounce straight up to announce it to the family. It was so cute. It was actually kind of perfect for the scriptures we were reading. We talked about how strange it must have been for people who had no warning or idea of what an angel might be. The kids thought they would be scared like the shepherds were, but then they would be happy when they heard the good news.

The female angel on the left side with the dark hair is Kelly Roper...one of the sister missionaries who taught me the gospel!

Advent-Days 1-3 (Cause I forgot to post about it sooner)

A couple years ago in the 2003 Friend magazine from Church there was a super cute advent calendar that walks through the life of Jesus Christ and helps us to understand "What is Christmas?". If you click on the link there is a printable version of the calendar and the story/directions. Here are the stars.

For a couple years I had been planning to laminate it and cut out the stars and have it nice and pretty before we used it...Notice how I said "a couple years ago?" :) I always mean well, and then before you know it, it's years later. This year I made it a priority and I actually got it done and we have been doing it as a family for the last 3 days. WAIT, the last 2 days, we forgot on December 1st so we had to do 2 days the first night, but we remembered tonight! Like I said, I always mean well. My hope with doing this with the kids is that it will kick Mike and I in the butt and get us back on track with our personal scripture reading and the study of the Savior, and that the kids will be able to grow up really appreciating the whole purpose of Christmas and devote not only December 25th to thinking about it (after the gifts are opened) but at least the whole month. We shall see how it goes. Tyler helped me find the "perfect spot" on the wall to mount the calendar and I have the baggie of stars all cut out and laminated and just waiting to be read and enjoyed!!!!

December 2nd-Luke 1:26-33 Who told Mary that she would have a baby? The kids all knew that it was the Angel Gabriel! I was very impressed. I don't know if I remembered off the top of my head. Mike read the scripture to us and Tyler was the first one to pull the star and read the question out loud. We actually played 1-2-3 Reverent and when I get to the word reverent the kid who is the most reverent gets to go first.

December 2nd-(I know this date is listed twice, but remember, I forgot to do it the first day!) Matthew 1:18-21 Why did Mary and Joseph name the baby Jesus? It was funny because I asked Brooke this question after Seth was done reading the scripture and she was so busy being mad that she didn't get to pull the star that she didn't know the answer. Crazy girl. Seth gently reminded her and then she remembered. I had to promise her that if she was reverent she would get to go the next night.

December 3rd-Luke 2:3-4 Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem before Jesus was born? Brooke was reverent like I told her last night so she got to pick the star and announce the scripture. Mike read the scripture out loud and then the kids did a pretty good job answering. The cool part about tonight is that McKee had a bunch of friends over today and 2 of them were still here when we did this, so they got to be part of it and also part of our family prayers. I can only hope that they felt the Spirit as much as I did as we were talking about the First Christmas. I'm really looking forward to keeping up with this all month and seeing all of our progress.

Gavin's Debut on the Blog

Gavin and I are hanging out while Mike and the other kids are playing with our neighbors. Since I didn't have to work afterall today I stuck around at home while G took a nap so I could get a little quilting done.

Love To Read

Brooke is doing her reading homework this morning because we were running around so much last night. Her teacher Mrs. Maier has a huge library of books and everyday the kids pick a couple to read at home. Brooke has really loved reading such a fun variety of these books.

Today she is reading a book called growing radishes and carrots. Of course Tyler is close by if someone is reading outloud. Brooke got to a part where there is a pullout that shows the radishes growing and she said "who made this book? They are so creative." LOL she flipped right to the cover to check.

I love that the kids love reading.

Something fun for Summer

It's Spring!

Tyler and I went out yesterday in the beautiful weather and enjoyed some Mommy/Son time! He loves to be helpful and has been so excited to help me plant some Gladiolus bulbs I bought over the weekend.

All of the flowers that are already out front are really growing well and the warm weekend we had really opened them up nicely! Today we're getting some rain and the buds are opening on my apple trees and the maple tree in the front yard!

It's Truly a Miracle

Here is a video posted on the Staker Family Blog about Bronson's journey. Please enjoy the special spirit that comes with such an emotional story of survival and faith.

Prayers are Needed

I'm not exactly sure how I found this blog but I clicked on it and read the heart wrenching story. A mother who is heart broken and dealing with one of the hardest things you possibly could as a mother...the possibility of losing a child. This has definately tugged at my heart and I want to share. If you get a chance, grab some tissues, get ready for your faith to be strengthened and read their story. Please if you get a chance pray for them.

Love Thy Family

I've been really touched lately by the Spirit with the thought that I need to do more memorable and loving activities with my children. It's not that I've been beating them or anything, it might be more along the lines of wanting to...but that's another story! I love my kids. They are smart and funny and caring and deserve to have fun traditions and happy childhood memories. When it comes to Valentine's Day I've always thought that everyone deserves to feel loved. I never want my kids to feel left out on V-Day because they don't have a "valentine" and I decided a long time ago that I would make the day special for them so they would feel loved. Everyone deserves that and I'm hoping to instill in them that they are always loved, by their parents and by a Heavenly Father and a savior Jesus Christ who would give so much for them. So after snooping on some other awesome blogs and reading some fun ideas and putting this together with my desire for tradition, this is what I came up with! I decided that we are going to do something centered around love each day in February leading up to Valentine's day! I decided to do a countdown with a little "kiss" for them each day to remind them of Mommy kissing them and telling them that she loves them. Seth lovingly names our project "heartvent calendars!" Here we are making them and enjoying them!



Of course Mike is not left out of this love fest! LOL I love him more than anything and I am so grateful to him for so many things. I decided I needed to let him know this so I made him a card and gave him a chocolate kiss too! I filled the card with the first reason why I love him!


And there's always one in the bunch that is unhappy! It's hard to explain to a 3-year-old that we are eating 1 chocolate a day until V-day. He was geared up to eat the lovely pile of chocolate that was in front of him! He may have had an issue or 2 with having to wait! But boy is he cute even when he's mad!

Somtimes It's the Simple Things

Like sweeping up the cereal that has been crunched up on the floor under your chair in the dining room before it gets stuck to your feet. It's a good feeling to get up and not have anything poking into your tired, swollen, sockless feet! :)

2009 Recap (set to a tune)

Over the 12 months of last year that '09 gave to me...
12 months of Mike working

11 rows of tomato plants

10 trips to public market

9 pages scrap booked (I'm way behind and I'm hoping I actually did more lol)

8 years of marriage

7 tests over 95%

6 viewings of Twilight (at least)

5 awesome concerts

In April I turned 30!!!! (4th month)

$3 in savings

2 days away with Rachel! New Kids on the Block Baby!!!!!!

1 new baby boy on the way

Overall we had a great year in the Simmons home. I hope you all had a great year too! Here's to starting a new year with new goals and higher aspirations for our lives!

10-a-Day GIVEAWAY – The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

10-a-Day GIVEAWAY – The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

Christmas Card

If you didn't get one in the mail already, I'm sorry. I probably lost your address. I tried to recover the ones I could. Leave a message or send me an email with your address so I can add you to my list for next year! I would love to send you one!

Merry Christmas.

SANTA CLAUSE IS COMING TO TOWN

We ventured out last night in the weird sleety weather to visit Jolly St. Nick. The kids were so excited, including Tyler. We went at the perfect time 5pm and there were about 3 families in line ahead of us. The kids were able to talk to Santa each by themselves and then we took a group shot! Santa was great with the kids. He even told Seth and McKee (who asked for pricey gifts) that alot of children were asking for that this year so he couldn't make them any promises. That got my thumbs up!
The kids were anxiously waiting in line and spotted him through all of the pretty decorations.

We followed that fun event with going to Bama and Bampa Simmons' house to get some fun Christmas photos. It was the least painful experience we've had yet with pictures with the kids! I'm not going to post those yet though because one of those is going on our Christmas card. Enjoy the cuteness that is my children!