You can't get much done in life...

I don't like to ring my own bell but *ding ding ding* if I have a talent it is THIS:

I am ever so good at dropping the ball. 

I have perfected the gift of waving my little white flag of surrender!

Lets face it, parenthood and marriage takes energy. Energy that I just don't seem to wake up with on MOST DAYS! And it is so easy...ridiculously and pathetically...easy for me to forgo all plans of productivity and simply do the BARE minimum I need to get through the day (getting ready not included.) 

Those plans I had to work out...gone!

Will power to eat healthy? Pfff what's that?!

Laundry that needs folding? I'm so good at pretending it's not there! That's why we have two couches right?

Jeans? No way! I'm not going anywhere today, but if I have too lets make it Walmart so I don't have to change. 

Plans to take boys to the park? Why?! That's why we pay to have a backyard!

People it is that bad! It is so embarrassingly that bad!

Because lets face, ever since my hormones went wacko two years ago, three quarters of the month I am exhausted. It's getting better on the days I feel great but the days I'm not its not. I have always been really good at maintaining a positive attitude despite those crazy hormonal fluctuations but it's getting harder. I just keep telling my husband if we got pregnant this would all go away! He knows better though :)

But the other day I had a wake up call.  And by wake up call, I mean I read something that forced me to acknowledge what I had been purposefully ignoring all this time:

"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good."

CRAP! Curse you Pinterest and all your wisdom:

Just kidding:

This really hit a chord with me. Am I really only going to put my best foot forward ten days out of the month? 

So the next day, despite dealing with  the cold my son was so kind to share and being exhausted because of stupid hormones I got up, worked out, got ready for the day, had a great preschool lesson with my son, folded laundry, cleaned house, played with my kids... basically what I could picture as the perfect normal day at home was achieved! It felt incredible! I felt incredible...tired but incredible.

The next day I may have regressed some but a lot of that had to do with how hard I pushed it in that work out. Incredible sure feels like soreness and tight muscles the next day  :) But I didn't completely relapse either! I still folded more laundry, got dressed in actual jeans and still had a pretty great day.

Here's hoping I can keep this up! I've written that quote on my fridge so it is glaring at me most of the day. No excuses! Also no delusions of grandeur. I'm not trying to be super mom. Not even close. But I am trying to be a little bit better! Here's to working on the days I don't feel good!

I said it wouldn't happen...and then it did. I became a Whovian:

We don't have cable. But I love me some TV shows! So I am the person who has to avoid Facebook on Monday nights so I don't accidentally discover the Bachelor sent home the girl I wanted to win. During the Olympics, all my favorite series took a hiatus for a little bit and I was in need of something to watch while I folded laundry or got ready in the morning. 

Reluctantly I decided to give the Doctor, just the Doctor, a chance. Maybe I would understand why my friends can go days pinning Tardis jewelry and maybe I would finally understand what the heck and Odd Ood was. 

So I watched episode one... and it was like:

I was not hooked at all. But those darn OLYMPICS! There was nothing else, so I watched episode two...then three and before I knew it I was actually starting to like it...thinking:

But I didn't think it had really taken hold until:

And I was all like:

What!? Who the heck does flippin' Barty Crouch Jr. think he is?? He can't be the Doctor! This is outrageous!

 This was my first experience with the Doctor regeneration fan acceptance cycle:

I was so done. Except for those dang Olympics! So I kept watching... and kept watching... and now I am afraid I will be like this:

I know it's coming... But that's the Regeneration Fan Acceptance Cycle for you! 

So now I understand why y'all pin tons of Tardis closet makeover ideas. I'm thinking about doing it myself:

So until my husband lets that happen (a.k.a never):

Being a Shield Maiden:

I think about war a lot. It comes with the territory. I watch/read the news and am always trying to gauge the hostilities. Because where there is war, there is a place my husband could go.

There is a different kind of war going on all around us. 

"For we  wrestle not  against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Ephesians 6:12

Those words are part of my favorite passage of scripture. If you have been following along, you already read my post about forging my sword of truth. Now I want to discuss another point mentioned in this passage.

In Scandinavian folklore, the shield maiden was a woman who had been chosen to fight as a warrior.

In this wrestle we face today, women are not left out of the call to fight. We've all been called to be shield maidens or rather women of faith.

I am so not perfect in this. Last week was a ROUGH week for us. I like the security in knowing what the future holds. But life doesn't cater to this usually, especially in the military. Suffice it to say our plans that we have been working on for so.many.years just got thrown for a loop. And I panicked. I mourned for the future we had planned on and sacrificed so much for. I was confused and hurt. I questioned. It was not my proudest day. But what this did was give me a clear view of myself. Where was my trust and confidence when the world seemed to crumble around me? Where was my strength?  Where was my Shield of Faith?

I had to really take a step back and check myself. This wasn't ok. I needed to repent and move forward. When I find myself lacking in an area I start to research like crazy. Thankfully I didn't have to look far to discover what it takes to be a shield maiden.

 In her talk called "A Woman of Faith", Margaret Nadauld outlined the qualities us women should have:

"The Latter-day Saint woman who follows Christ is a true Christian in the very best sense of the word. She is a woman of faith who trusts God and is confident and fearless...A woman of faith trusts God and faces adversity with hope...A woman of faith is confident because she understands the divine plan of our Heavenly Father and her role to bless lives. She is confident that any sacrifice she makes is worth something in an eternal sense. She knows about sacrifice from knowing of the life of the Savior. She knows that her sacrifices may be small by comparison, but she knows that Heavenly Father understands and values what she does to strengthen her home and her family and the world in which she lives...A woman of faith is fearless. She fears no evil, for God is with her... There is no ambiguity, no uncertain trump in her life...She is less than perfect, of course, not because she doesn’t have perfect principles or the perfect example in Christ, but because she is human...She knows that He loves her even though she is imperfect and still trying to be better. She knows that when she does her very best, that it is enough..."

So now I am choosing to trust that everything will work out. I am taking that leap of faith and trusting that God knows where my feet will land. I'm letting go of what I wanted and gaining confidence that he knows what is best for me and my family. 

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Kayli Moments: Bee edition

You know those times where you watch a movie you saw as a kid and haven't seen in years and you are surprised at all the innuendo and language stuff you didn't catch before?

This is the opposite of that...

Yesterday at our Primary practice, some teachers were entertaining the mass of squirmy children to the tune of "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee."

I didn't like that song as a kid...

Something about mashing up babies didn't sit well with me.

Why were we teaching kids to lick up the squashed infant?? Are we really teaching children that cannibalism is ok?

Yesterday it clicked...

It's not:

"I'm squishing up the baby, bumblebee!" (As if telling a bumblebee about your killing spree.)

it's:

"I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee!" (As in I just killed a bug.)

My whole life I thought this song was a story of  a kid telling a bee about how he squashed and ate a baby he had found...

I feel so much better about my childhood teachers who taught me this song!

Apparently I'm not an old dog quite yet:

We had the amazing opportunity to trade in our gas guzzlin' car for one that gets 49 mpg!

The major downside is it has one of these:

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Clayton LOVES driving manually. I was trained on an automatic. He tried to teach me with his last stick shift but there was never a NEED for me to learn. But in the interest of saving money we needed to SHIFT GEARS (lol) to a cheaper commuter car. We only have one so of course that meant I needed to learn. Because sometimes my husband leaves town and I need to drive places. And this time, there was a countdown! I had to learn how to drive this thing comfortably in less than a week.

But I am confident to report that I have learned a new trick! There is still some finessing to do but I can get from point A to point B.

This is a huge deal for me guys! I was in a pretty bad accident in 07'. Ever since then, I haven't been the most confident driver. The drivers around here are nutso and that doesn't help. Now we throw in a clutch and the whole thing seemed so overwhelming.

But today I successfully completed my first solo on post to freeway drive!

The kids are having to adjust because like always they were being their needy selves, asking me to pick up everything they drop. But a good:

Usually does the trick :)

Friday Confessional: A New Guilty Pleasure

Ok guys... I don't hate to admit this. 

I probably should but I have no shame.

I love it THAT MUCH!

I was laughing so hard the first time I watched it that I was LITERALLY crying.

Not the overstated "literally." The literal literally! 

You can tell a lot about someone by what they laugh at...I'm scared 

to know what that says about me!

Kayli Moment: Spider Edition!

I know I can't be alone when I admit I am afraid of spiders. It's the number one ranked phobia! Even over dying. Hey, if it was rational it wouldn't be a phobia.

Since I've been married I let Clayton do battle with the eight legged freaks but obviously he isn't always here to protect me. So I ge t to handle the nasties myself.

A couple nights ago, I walk into my bedroom ready to pass out after watching several episodes of "Army Wives." When I noticed a big spider in that spot where the ceiling and the wall meet. 

Spiders love that place! As a child I would always scan the perimeter of this spot because that's where I would always see them. Then I would scream bloody murder till my father killed it. 

But that night it was just me...

Unfortunately it had decided to bunker down above my husband's dresser, which doubles as our office desk...which means clutter. I knew that if I were to get the spider with the broom and miss, it would fall and it would hide rather well in that mess. So I got the bug repellent and doused him good. That way I knew if he got away before I could finish the job it would only be a matter of time... Muahahaha! Before I could grab the broom the sucker base jumped from the ceiling into the mess. 

A little voice from the back of my mind whispers, "Hey remember that show on Animal Planet where you learned that not all spiders can be killed by your awesome bug spray?" Crap...there is no way I would be sleeping until I confirmed the creep was dead. 

I began to jiggle things on the desk to scare the thing out of hiding. Finally I spotted him sitting on my wedding photo. Obviously, the right tool for where he now taunted me was not the broom. I knew it had to be a toilet paper in the hand scenario. I hate doing this. Usually I don't pick them up until I've gotten them good with a shoe or broom and I know they aren't going to jump up my arm. Bravely I nabbed him with perfect ninja like precision.

And all the people watching were like:

If people had been watching...

I breathed a sigh of relief...but wasn't completely settled. Something wasn't right. 

You see, I watched A LOT of Animal Planet growing up. And while I don't like being near them in person, I am fascinated by spider shows. Maybe I was hoping that the more I learned about them, the less fearful I would be. So far, not working...

I remembered what the spider looked like before I mashed him too a pulp... How I had known instantly he was a male... a BIG male. And if you know anything about spiders, you know how big this HAS to make the female. That's right folks. In the spider world the female is drastically more macho than the males. In fact after they've mated the female will usually eat the male. The only time I have ever seen male spiders in my house is before or after I find the female. And I hadn't found her yet. 

I just knew this wasn't over. I managed to sleep that night, of course having nightmares of being cast in Arachnophobia: The Sequel. I didn't find her the next night. But tonight I walked in ready to zonk on my bed and sure enough there she was. Ready for her revenge. I had killed her dinner mate and she wasn't about to let that stand. She wasn't even trying to hide! She knew how big she was and she wasn't shy about it. The bug spray was still by my bed side and I quickly grabbed it. She saw this and got scared and ran to hide in the groove of the open window. I soaked the window sill. I grabbed a flash light because I couldn't see if she was still there and sure enough she started to dart back into the room. But I was faster and quickly slammed the window right on top of her. 

I opened the window back up to confirm she was dead.

She wasn't. I grabbed my keys which as a nifty self defense stick attached too it. And with some totally awesome jedi moves, squished her. Now my window is closed again and I totally have the hebejebes! 

Now to try and sleep...wish me luck!

Military Wife Motto:

You may be surprised to know that the unofficial military wife motto isn't patriotic or has anything to do with how proud of our soldiers we are. But it has everything to do with our crazy way of life:

"Write EVERYTHING in pencil!!"

Nothing seems harder for friends and family to understand. When I try to even explain to a friend that I never really know when my husband will get home each day they are all like:

Yep! It's crazy! And I'm having to embrace this motto more and more during "training season." I don't know that training season exists for everyone, it just seems to be that this time of year my husband is gone for a month here and there. Holidays and birthdays are threatened to be incomplete without his presence. You would think there would be an official declaration of events for these out of town trainings but even when you think you've got the official word, there are those pesky Army rumors that make you question everything.

 For example:

Come February, I will be moving. It could either be back to my parents (husband deploys) or Alabama (husband gets picked up for flight school). That will be big year for us with Will going to kindergarten then. I don't know if he will be enrolling in my old school or a completely new one! Then I hear the deployment is actually in February so I might be moving in January. The BEST part of this whole little scenario? I won't know where I am going until January. That's right! I won't know where I am moving until four short weeks before I have too! I am wigging out guys! 

Plans are never set in stone and 95% of the time I am left saying:

And:

I wish someone had told me about this because I am a planner. I would like to actually own one of those super nice Franklin Covey planners but my handwriting looks horrible in pencil. And there would be eraser shavings EVERYWHERE!

Ultimately I'm going to need one of these when I make it through this with even part of my sanity intact:

SUCCESS!

Summer Fitness Challenge: Week FOUR!!

I have actually learned something. I used to think I hated to run...but realize now that I love it! What I hate is people staring at me when I do it because:

Last Sunday I had someone tell me that their husband saw me running and tried to wave at me. I was basically mortified! And hoped he saw me at the start of my run and not at the end where I am a sweating panting mess. It's not even a hot mess guys!! It's just gross. I can't wait until invisibility cloaks become available to muggles... I would use it for this a lot! And laugh when people see a double stroller charging down the hill :)

Until that glorious moment occurs I am stuck with this:

Awkward glance at me all you want people! It may not be pretty (graceful or coordinated) but its healthy!

I am at a whopping 35.43 miles! And that means something!!

Like THEY say (Because they are so smart!..sometimes):

"If you still look cute at the end of your workout,
YOU DIDN'T TRAIN HARD ENOUGH!"

Kayli Moments: Pepper Spray Edition

You've probably had one or two. Those moments where the simplest task(s) suddenly becomes the most difficult process you can imagine. Friends and family of  mine have dubbed these moments "Kayli Moments." Why? Because they seem to happen to me a lot more frequently than average people. And Tuesday the fit really hit the shan!!  

It all started Monday when I ran out of allergy meds and forgot to go get more. I take mine in the morning because if I take it at night I won't sleep. It's non-drowsy of course! But even though the stuff says it works for 24 hours, we all know it is only a measly 12. I just have to hope I can sleep through my allergies when it stops working. When midnight rolled around I knew it was not going to be one of those nights. So I mentally kicked myself and made a plan to get more first thing in the morning. 

The kids woke up, ate breakfast and I tried to get online to check my balance on my account. (I am super scared of my check book not matching my actual purchases so I check it on an almost daily basis. Especially before I buy stuff.) Much to my dismay the internet wasn't working. I don't have the internet peeps number because my mobile internet isn't working either. Caden is screaming for snack time although he just ate a whole banana and apple and bowl of cereal all by himself. I called Clayton to get the internet peeps number. Called the internet peeps and they can't figure it out either. (Caden literally decides to cry anytime I get on the phone!) I also have a very hard time understanding people with accents. There's like a disconnect in my brain and it sounds like I am listening to gibberish. Throw in some internet cable lingo and I was lost. We tried to schedule a a guy to come out but their system is down (I know the feeling!) and ask me to call back in an hour, at least I think that is what he said. Frustrated I decided to walk my way to the store and get my itchy throat, watery eyes and runny nose taken care of. 

Now the part about the pepper spray:

I was carrying my pepper spray like a good girl. It is the one designed to take jogging with you so it has a nifty carrying thing that straps to your hand. Well I had gone running monday and I had left the bottle in the open-and-ready-to-spray-once-you-push-it position just to be extra ready. I had forgotten to put it back in the safety for dummies position when I got home. Don't worry, it is never in reach of my children. As I am walking to the store I see that the bottle is coming out of the pouch and so I began to push it back in, my hand slipped to the trigger and sure enough out streamed a spray of spicy liquid pepper or whatever they put in that crap. It coated mostly my hand but a little did make contact with my tongue when I gasped. The instant it hit I could hear a chorus of "Burn, baby burn..." while everything passed in slow motion. It was actually quite hilarious. I would laugh but I can't feel my tongue. Long story short, I managed to make my way to the store and get the medicine and make it back just as the burn was wearing off. Moral of the story...Kayli needs the dummy safety on at all times and remember to only pepper spray people who really (and I mean REALLY) deserve it because that stuff is no joke!

And that my friends is your Kayli Moment for today :)

Laugh on!