Family Dates!

    I have what some would consider a large family, 4 girls and 1 boy. My sweet husband and I LOVE most of all to spend time with our kids. And we get a kick out of them, they make us laugh. We also enjoy the time with our kids out and about to teach them how to act in public, this is a work in progress.
         
So................ I hear regularly "Daddy Daughter Dates" and "Mom and Son Dates" these are fine and dandy when you have one, two or even three kids. But with five I find this to be a habit we can not afford, both time and money wise. So, (again) here is my idea to make Dad, Mom and Kid time fun....

FAMILY DATES

I know revolutionary right, ya not so much. But we love doing this! Our kids look forward to it and we ALL have fun TOGETHER! We just enjoy being together. Sometimes we go cheap and some times we go all out, and no matter which way we go, it's a fun time. Family time is FUN TIME! 

My bit of advice for parents doing this is, if your a little bit up tight, this is time to relax and enjoy the childlike essence of your kids. "Feed from their essence" That was a little bit of "Dark Crystal" humor for you. Hope it wasn't creepy.

Not to say you won't have to reign them in now and again, especially when they are squawking like wild turkeys or jumping around like angry monkeys but let them certainly be kids, it's what they do best. 

Here are a few things we do on our family dates...

1. Walk around at the mall, and let them look at shops. (no touching, just looking) Lesson in progress.

     We also have them play in the mall play area, get the crazy wiggles out, let loose.

2. Peter Piper Pizza, we go here 2 to 3 times a year, it can be in the $40-60 range for our family with food and play. Even Dad and Mom get in on the play. When the tokens are all gone we count out our tickets together as a family and cash it in for some fun crappy toys that break an hour after we get home. But man is this all fun! 

3. Red Box movie night. Or Netflix. Either way it's a night in, with popcorn, candy and some times soda's. We pick a family movie and turn down the lights so we have that movie theater feel in the room. We've done this on "no school" days and the kids go crazy for it.

4. We recently went to Polar Ice, an indoor ice skating rink, we took the older 3. The younger 2, well they wouldn't have had fun, we'll put it that way. So that one doesn't really count since the whole family wasn't in on it....scratch #4.
5. Back yard trampoline time. Okay this one doesn't last hours or even a half of one, but there is a LOT of laughter and so so so much fun in this. While dad is on the tramp it is game time! I think our neighbors think there is water boarding or some other method of torture going on in our backyard for all the yells, squeals and hollering. Then when everyone is so tired they can't stand, we go inside for some (depending on the time of year) Lemonade or Hot cocoa. Don't ask me why I capitalized those two.
6. Parks. In the summer here this is not permissible, but in the other 8 months of the year beautiful and perfect park weather. Take dinner (homecooked or not) to the park and this is a fun way to "eat out". And once the kids are done, they are free to go play on the park equipment. I like doing this with another family or two also, because the more kids the merrier! Ice cream sandwiches for dessert, a fav.
7. We've gone to Dairy Queen a number of times. Boom, family time.
8. Goofy Golf for the older kids. I think this is one we've wanted to do for years, with a bitty baby in tow it's a bit harder, but when the baby is about 3, I say it's time for some family goofy golf. I'm looking forward to doing this with my "older" family. Meaning everyone in between the ages of teen down to 3. Good fun for all.

I think from here there are endless ideas for good family dates. As long as your together and having fun, it's a date.  Making it fun for everyone is some times a trick. But using your imagination and taking the family to familiar places as well as giving them new places to explore will help everyone continue to be excited about spending time together and strengthening the family bonds.

Mother's Before Us!

I would like to give a shout out to my mom and grandma Gwendolyn who came before me and taught me so much.

I talk with my own mom pretty frequently, just to chat, catch up and tell her I love her. She has been a wonderful example to me of a great mom. Perfect? NO! GREAT, YES!!!! In a recent phone conversation, she was bemoaning the fact that she didn't take a lot of time to teach us cooking, sewing etc. But I will say this woman did a lot of both those things and I learned a lot just by sitting by her and watching, maybe even without her knowing. I also know my Grandma Gwendolyn was a great cook and amazing gardener, teaching her kids these important skills for life helped them which helped us. Generations later we are benefiting from the things taught to our parents.
My Grandma Gwen died when I was only a few months old. So I never knew her, but I've been told stories and feel I know the kind and wonderful person she was. My mom has told me, that my laugh is a lot like Grandma Gwendolyn's. I was told this in my early 20's and I'll never forget that. Because my mom says her moms laugh was boisterous and infectious. I like being outside (when the weather is nice here in AZ) and watching things grow. Seeing something I planted have produce or just beautiful leafs. Makes me happy to have another connection with Grandma Gwendolyn.

My mom and dad had 6 kids, 2 miscarriages and a lot of challenges to even getting started with a family. I admire my mom's determination to have kids and to love us all equally and in our differences. She taught us through her love that we are great. As a kid I remember spending hours upon hours in the backyard, playing restaurant, weddings, school, store and so much more, almost all of these having to do with tomato's that grew in abundance in the garden. My mom watched us play while she cleaned dishes and made dinners. I didn't know she was paying any kind of attention to us silly kids but she watched with a smile and totally laughed to herself at us kids from the kitchen window.
She was a PTA president, counsel member and helper at our elementary school for years, and not during the easy years when all the kids are in school and theirs time to sit at home. Nope she was pregnant with my little brother and then after she had him, still a PTA President with baby in tow. She amazes me!!!
She taught piano for MANY years to bring in extra income to support missionary sons and daughters. She also taught Seminary to the teens in our small home town. This is no easy task!!! Teaching gospel principles to teens, some of which were stinkers. And the prep time going into that is enormous. Most seminary teachers get paid, but not those in a small LDS community, it's volunteer work.  She is such a great example of service and love for others. We often had friends staying with us for days, weeks and even months at a time until they got on their feet. She was in the Young Woman Program while I was a teen and I tell you that was so much fun! I wasn't a teen who thought my mom was cool, but I always thought she was outstanding! As a teen, I always payed close attention to the things she said and felt they were important. I'm trying to be a mom that says things to my kids that are uplifting and helpful. I fail often but I'm working on it.
Now that all us kids are grown, married, having kids of our own...we still all love to talk with mom and crave that continual connection that was forged so strongly in our childhood. Our mom is a huge part of who we are today and who we continue to strive to be.

Thank you mom for being a fantastic example of Christ like love.

Giving Thanks!

                                                              Fall Leaf Cookies!

Our Thanksgiving Turkey I made out of newspaper and paint.

The past two Thanksgiving's my dear sweetheart Bryan has had to work, retail is not kind at the holiday's. Vacations and days off or not allowed and the job is stressful with very little to no praise for a job well done. Not to mention (okay I'm totally mentioning it) the small paychecks. So this is us getting by, and Bryan being gone for most of the kid's Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. He works 2 jobs and is going to school. He's truly a man that is on the go, all day long. I am telling this to show how very, VERY thankful I am for the time we DO get to spend with him. The kids get plenty of "mommy time" but "daddy time" is missed terribly around here. When he finishes school next Fall, we are hoping for more family and daddy time. His schooling takes up most of his extra time. 

We LOVE spending time together. Each outing, backyard play time, or just sitting and talking, is precious and we cherish it all. My family is my most precious "thing" the thing I spend the most time loving, prepping, teaching, cleaning and the list goes on. It brings me such joy that I feel full in life. Each of my children bring something different to the family and I don't know how the family would function with out them all. They think they need me, but I need them, they are my everything. 

My extended family is here (AZ) and in California, I live close to my in-laws, but far from my own sweet family. So I think of them often because they were the ones who helped mold and shape me to the person I am now. My parents are the (honest and true) best kind of people, the kind that always are supportive and loving, as well as easy to talk to and fun. My siblings are outstanding and I love talking with them any chance I get. I miss them so very much. Having 3 sisters and 2 brothers, in a coastal home with a backyard and a pool we set up each summer, a garden full of tomato's, peppers, beans, squash, grapes and loganberries, cats, and more cats, apple and pear trees. I can't tell you how much I love my childhood, my mind is flooded with so many wonderful things, and even with the thousands of memories, my siblings remember things (that we experienced together) that I don't recall. Another reason I love to talk with them, they extract memories that I had long forgotten but have frag-mental pieces of.  My baby sister (2 yrs younger) has always been my best friend. We went from 2nd grade to graduation from high school in the same grade, had a ton of the same friends and did almost everything together. We have so much fun together, and still enjoy many of the same things.

I guess what I'm saying is that I am thankful this season most for my family. I thank Heavenly Father for sending me here to a loving family to be raised in and brought up right. I am thankful for being brought up in the gospel of Jesus Christ and have that centered in my life and my families life. It anchor's us as a family and is the glue that holds us together. We are grateful for the knowledge of being a family forever. Our strength and resolution comes from our knowledge that the gospel brings to us. 

I can't help but thank Heavenly Father in each prayer for the many things he's given us. I am forever grateful for his love and care for me as an individual but also for us as a family. At times this hits me so hard that I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for Him and the life he's given me. I am one of the fortunate ones.

Give thanks to the one who gives you everything.

Halloween Pictures Over the Years and random thoughts

                                                           Halloween 2007

                                                                                07'

                                                                         07'

                                                           Halloween 2008

                                                                             08'

                                                                          08'

                                                                             08'

                                                               Halloween 2010

                                                                    10'

                                                                   10'

                                                                         10'

                                                             Halloween 2011

                                                                               11'

                                                                             11'

                                                                              11'

                                                                           11'

                                                                           11'

                                                                Halloween 2012

                                                                                12'

                                                                             12'

                                                                           12'

                                                                              12'

                                                                               12'

SOoooooo, I missed putting up a Halloween blog post. :( So sad, so I thought oh what the heck I'll do it anyway! We LOVE Halloween and enjoy the anticipation of dressing up and getting oodles of candy! I think Bry and I enjoy that part too, just a little. :)  So through our years we dress up as obscure things (occasionally, ya, more like all the time)  Even though most don't know who we are, we love dressing as our favorite characters, or in Bryan's case, made up characters in his head.  We always have a great time and trick or treat as a family. This kids this year realized even though it's fun to dress as their favorite characters, it is NO fun to have to tell people a MILLION and one times who you are. So I think next year we'll be going for things more main stream, a little sad but still will be fun.

(Don't ask me where Halloween from 2009 went because I have no idea. :( )

Well now it's on to Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm happy to say, I've just received my turkey from a dear friend, thank you Kathleen for surprising me with a beautiful turkey, now where to put it till next week? Yikes.
I've been working out 3-4 days a week trying to get my young 25 year old body back, ya I know, not going to happen but I'm working it out anyway. I need to get rid of my baby weight so I can feel more myself. It kind of feels like an out of body experience right now and I don't care for it. I've been in the single digit size clothing most my life, and now that I'm wearing 10, and squeezing into it at that, not a fan. I look in the mirror and am critical of the double chin, chubby dimples in my cheeks and the lack of definition in my arms, legs, well pretty much every where. Maybe this is very vain talk but if you think about the place you were only a year ago and add 30+ pounds on to that in that short of time, it does a number on you mentally and physically, emotionally and spiritually. Any way I'm working on it, that is my point, yahoo! I've never been one to go work out regularly, so this is very new and uncomfortable, but I'm going to get back in those size 4's I swear it will be done.  : D

Halloween, it's here already???

Okay so now I'm really on a kick and want to blog every day!! Crazy but I'm enjoying this. I love drawing and creating, and have found a few blogs out there that are fun and educational. Proko is a really funny guy who know's his stuff. He is an excellent artist and has video's he makes and shares about drawing the nose, eyes, ears etc. He's really awesome check him out at www.proko.com his newest video about drawing the ear is too funny.

Halloween costumes for the family are almost complete and I'll post pictures next week after we've tried them out at the annual Johnson Halloween Party!! We love Halloween and go all out for our costumes! I spend almost 20 hours of work each year sewing up costumes. The kids love to choose obscure characters to be for Halloween so, of course there are no patterns to buy of these in any store, but I love to make them so I create my own patterns and run with it. I think this has something to do with those 20 hours. Making it up as I go is fun but also a little stressful, I feel like I'm on "Project Runway" and I'm in a time crunch and I've got to satisfy my judges (the kids and Bryan) so they are happy Halloweeners....um ya.
It truly is a "make it work" moment. :) Love that Tim Gunn.  This years run down of everyone's costumes.

Bryan - Scary creature (kinda looks like the creature from  "The Village") Obscure
Me - Medusa
Gwen - Princess Mononoka (A Miyazaki film from studio Ghibli, if you've not seen it I recommend it) told you obscure!
Vivian - Nausicaa (another Miyazaki film from studio Ghibli, also recommended if you've not seen)
*Kael - drum roll, Red Power Ranger! I know you didn't see that coming. Dang Netflix totally got him hooked! :)
*Fiona - Cinderella, she is so in love with Cinderella. I don't mind, she's a great roll model!
*Lydia - a sweet little lady bug!

*I did not make (sadly and with a little but of shame) Kael's, Fiona's or Lydia's. Kael's Power Ranger has muscles and I know I couldn't do that justice. :) Fiona's I did make some adjustments to but it was all ready for her, and Lydia's came from Target, I saw it for 9 bucks and couldn't pass it up. :)

4 out of 7 is failing in any other grading so I guess I'm a failure. Just kidding I'll totally sleep fine tonight knowing I didn't make everyone's costume. I'm no seamstress (can't believe I spelled it right without spell check) but I love doing it. Bryan so lovingly pointed out (after I was lamenting my botched sewing job on my own costume) that I only sew pretty much once a year and a few "fix it's" every now and again, so I did awesome. This is him making me feel better.
Well the partying starts tomorrow so I better finish up.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Trip to SLO!

So we got to take a trip to California last week and I have to say it is THE BEST to go home where I grew up and spend time with my family!!! I miss them so much and am giddy like a little kid when I'm there. I want to play and romp around. I do love sitting and talking with my siblings and parents, they are the best people! I also got to visit the ward I grew up in and love seeing so many familiar faces and give/get hugs from them all! So I've gained some weight since having Lydia (my 5th) and have had a hard time getting rid of it, well many people in my old home ward did not recognize me, maybe because they haven't seen me in a while or maybe because I've gained this extra weight, in either case it was hilarious seeing their faces with such surprise at seeing me and not recognizing me at first.
Visiting Morro Bay is one of our family favorites and we love looking at the shops smelling the ocean breeze and seeing the sea life right up close.
Such a fun filled visit. Thank you Dad and Mom for putting us up and letting us enjoy home once again. :)

                                                       My mom is the absolute best!

                                                    All the sweet kids!! Nephews and Nieces,
                                                             Such a bunch of cuties!!

                                  Liz and I just being silly! (Liz didn't really know this was a silly picture:)

                                          Dad and Gwen, Vivian and Kael after a fun filled day.

                                           The seals talking to each other! Aren't they cute?

                                               Long time friends, Alison and Annie

                                        Gotta have a pictures with Grandpa and Grandma!

                            Lois, our neighbor since long before I was born. She is like a grandma to me.

                         Doug, Liz, Fiona, Lydia, Me, Tanner, and Andrea. Love these sweet people!

Arts and Crafts!

Summer is pretty much over and I'm feeling the hype for Fall and Winter crafting, it hits me pretty hard and I want to do a million and one projects. Oh but time is short and even at the end of Sept I'm telling myself, "Limit it, don't start a bunch of stuff you won't finish." So I started AND finished a cute little 'spooky tree', made from an oatmeal can. So fun!

I just love getting my hands dirty. I am proud of the pencil/ink marks on my fingers from sketching, and paint or plaster stuck in the beds of my nails from hours of fun.
The kids will some times join in for, maybe 10 minutes but they get board burnt out and move on to playing outside or watching tv. I know right, crafting is such hard work, gotta take brakes? Not this gal. Kael and Fiona are the big lovers of mommy's craft, sketch, paint time. Here is a work of true art by my 4 year old Kael! Isn't it just beautiful. He sat and painted this with water color for 35 minutes. He was so methodical about his brush strokes and where he wanted to put them. I was blown away at his delicate hand. I've seen many a 4 yr old's paintings and this is beyond me! I am so proud of him.