Thursday, November 20, 2008

Miracles


This week has been a week full of miracles. You don't believe in miracles? Well, let me share with you what has transpired in the last week in my life and you may change your mind.


  • Hair. I have done my hair twice this week. I have actually used the hair dryer, straightener, and even a little mousse. And to top it off-I applied makeup. Not just mascara, but blush AND eye shadow. Usually I only do my hair twice a month, so here is the first miracle.

  • Mess. A couple nights ago our kids decided to empty out our blanket closet and put all the blankets in the TV room and jump into the pile. We seriously have 15 blankets in there so it was quite a mess. When we put the kids to bed I went down and started folding blankets before Trent and I caught up on our Tivo'd shows. Trent came down and asked what I was doing. He told me to just leave the mess and we could clean it up tomorrow. WHAT??? That has never happened in the history of mine and Trent's relationship. Miracle number 2.

  • Weight. Most of you know that I have been trying to get rid of my pregnancy weight for a LONG time now. We started the Fat Girls No Mo' challenge to help motivate the weight loss. Well, for the past few months I haven't been able to get below a cursed weight. I kept gaining and losing the same couple pounds. It has been very frustrating. Things changed this week and I finally dropped a pound below the unbreechable weight. THAT is miracle number 3.

  • Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. One of my favorite all time treats are the Reese Peanut Butter Cups seasonal shapes. You know, the HUGE Easter Eggs, the bat or pumpkins for Halloween, Hearts for Valentines, and, yes, the Christmas Trees for the Holidays. These are a little bit of heaven on Earth. Well, I have been down the Seasonal aisle at Walmart twice in the past week and have stopped and stared at these devils and then kept on walking. Having the will power to resist such a tempting treat is my miracle number 4.

  • Spending Diet. Most of you have heard/read about my spending diet. Trent and I have a little bit of a problem. We spend too much money. My escape from life/kids is to go out and go shopping. (I am not the only one, Trent has issues too) Well, we have realized we were not being smart with our money and decided to start The Diet. I am happy to report I have drastically reduced the amount of money I part with and I haven't bought a single article of clothing for myself or the kids in 3 weeks. That may sound dumb, but my friends, that is miracle 5.

  • Vomit. My kids have issues with throwing up. All of them have eventually grown out of it. Morgan was probably the worst. We tried to figure out if it was stuff she ate or if she had issues with bulimia. But it seems she has just started to grow out of it and she hasn't thrown up in a few weeks. I wish I could say I haven't cleaned ANY throw up in a few weeks, but both Aiden and Andrew have thrown up a couple times. But hopefully, Morgan is done with her purging and stays throw up free. Miracle 6.

  • Gas. I am loving the decrease in gas prices. I try not to think about the reason it is going down so I can enjoy it more. Back in the day it came close to $150 to fill up the Bohemith. I filled up a few days ago and it came to $60. Aaaaahhh. The heavens parted and I could hear Angels singing. That would be miracle number 7.

  • Cooking. Or something like it. Because of The Diet, we have tried not to eat out anymore. Which means I have to cook more. I think I have prepared 5 "meals" in the past week. You know, a meat, side, and rolls. It is hard to get motivated to cook real meals when my kids won't eat anything beside dino nuggets, PB sandwiches, and cereal. But they have been eating some of the stuff I have cooked. So, cooking and having the kids actually eat it is miracle number 8.

  • Sacrament. On Sunday we made it through the ENTIRE Sacrament with all 5 kids. Granted, we were at a Jensen homecoming so there were about 8 more adults to help control them, but we still made it through. We don't even attempt Sacrament with all 5 usually, so that was miracle 9.

  • Life. I complain a lot about going crazy, cleaning, kids, fatness, and everyday problems. I need to stop. Life is a miracle and I am lucky for each day I get to enjoy it. Being alive, healthy, with a good family, the best husband, the cutest kids, and all the extras in life is the last, but definitely not least, miracle number 10.

19 comments:

Ginny said...

loved this post!! laughed and then cried (I DESPISE vomit) with and for you!! nice work on the dietS and dinners. Congrats on the Sunday success (we just did the farewell thing and Dave and I actually sat next to each other...it was great). This really was a great post!!

tiffany and darren said...

I love this post!! What a great reminder of the miracles in life. I too am a fan of the Reeses Holiday shapes, but have given into their temptation every time, what's the secret?

Sarah said...

That was a great post! #10 is really a great thought and is VERY true!

Mindy said...

I love the miracles you've found in your every day life... thanks for the reminder to look for my miracles!

Dayna said...

Amy you make me laugh! You are just awesome! What was the occasion for doing your hair and make up?

Trent said...

I just want to mention that Amy is on a spending diet because I have problems.

Amy only cooks because she wants to. I will say I love her food and she is a very good cook, but in my mind dinner is always ready to go as long as there is a box of cereal and some milk.

Thanks for this post. Our life and little family are a miracle.

Annie said...

I love this post, Amy. You're such a clever writer and I love your little insights.

I was just telling Brian last night how much I enjoy your blog because it gives me peeks into your busy life and I think you're just so great. An absolute breath of fresh air.

p.s. on a side note, I can't believe how much puke you deal with!

hbentley said...

You are so postive!!! I guess I should take a lesson from you on enjoying the good things in life. I am glad that you have been surrounded by MIRACLES all week. I guess we all are if we take a moment to realize it. And you do have the CUTEST kids.

Jamie said...

I love this post and the pic. It looks like the heavens are smiling down on you. Glad to hear you have miracles happening at your house. You deserve every one of them.

jodie said...

Awesome. Isn't is so great when things in life work out perfectly?

I'm getting pretty sad knowing that we're missing out on all the Allred Thanksgiving festivities next week. :( Have fun for us, okay?

Maga said...

I agree with Trent--your family is a miracle--glad you still believe in Miracles--so do I!!!

Brenda said...

I love the little headers for your miracles. I'd never think of vomit, when thinking of miracles, but you have taught me to think in a whole different way. ;)

Karina said...

Okay, so I just have to say that I really loved this post for many reasons, but I find that you and I actually have quite a few things in common. I too have a great love for Reeses Peanut Butter cups, and I am sure that Kimmy could tell you all about it!!

Tavan said...

I love this post! Its so crazy how we are the same age and our lives are so different. Never would I imagine that not having to clean up throw up would be something to be grateful for!

Kim said...

Great post Amy. I beleive that your whole family story is a miricle and it's the little miracles that make life so worth it.

Angela said...

Loved this post! What a positive, upbeat message. I am glad things are going so well!! I especially love #10. We all need to be reminded of that sometimes.

Kelli said...

I know we all have miracles in our everyday life, but it takes great talent to recognize and verbalize them so well. Awesome post...I think I will do a bit of miracle searching myself!

Unknown said...

Hello again, I'm going to re-join the ranks of the blogging world now. Can I just say sincerely, THANK YOU for being so generous with your offers to babysit and help out while we figure out what we're doing here. It really means a great deal to me. Last Friday the people who were going to buy my parent's house backed out of the deal, so we aren't going to have to move anymore right away (Miracle number 11!). To say that it is a huge relief would be a gross understatement. Anyway, I saw Celeste the other day, and she asked me if I had read your "Miracles" post. She said it was so good she was going to print it out and save it. Then, when I talked to Ben this morning, he asked me if I had read this post because he said it was funny how many things you and I had in common. I finally got around to reading it, and it's true. We share a lot of commonalities. Thanks for presenting these incidents with a miraculous outlook. Sorry for the novel of a comment!

Julie said...

I LOVE your miracles, Amy. You are Awesome! I am so glad you were able to get your hair a makeup done a few more times than normal. That had to feel refreshing. I can't imagine that you can find a second for yourself with all that you have on your plate--you must stay up late. It's fun to hear the issues you deal with and how you work around them. Good post!