.::still blinking::.

I have a blog in my reader that has been showing us how to do essential life skills. But they are totally things you would never need to do. Like fold a dollar into a tiny shirt. Or making roses from straw paper. You know. Stuff you really care about.

But it got me thinking. I bet I could do a month of essential life skills. Things that I do that I feel are super essential to my life and they way my family lives.

So beginning in May, which brings flowers, I thought I would start writing about life skills I have and also ones I would like to learn.

I will catch you then.

I really wanted to run away this week. Like run away from home and not come back. I love my family. I love them more when they are sleeping quietly in there own beds. Except for JJ. I like him to stay awake, he snores and thinks I am just being cute when I pile drive him in the night. Anyway, very little sleep this week did not make me happy.

Other things I love that I don’t want to write a post about:

:: dave ramsey ::

:: ksl classified ads ::

:: being close to buying a piano ::

:: my bulbs starting to bloom ::

:: garlic in my garden starting to poke their little heads out ::

:: lunch with friends ::

:: sweet baby laughs and coos ::

:: long naps ::

:: making headway in getting the house clean, except for the massive amount of my hair that is every where ::

:: warm socks ::

:: clean laundry ::

:: starting to make dinner again ::

:: looking at my cousin Katrina and her cute kids ::

:: gentry wants to marry amelia when they grow up ::

:: ainsley is going to marry her brother corbin ::

:: star wars legos ::

:: strength from those around me ::

Have you tried this baby bum ointment? It works so well and it smells like rosemary (the herb, not my neighbor). It is super thick so it really does protect a babies bum instead of wiping right onto a diaper. We used to use it on Gentry for something that I cannot remember. It doesn’t seem like he had a lot of diaper rash, but I don’t really remember. We had some left over from Gentry’s diaper era and Amelia was getting a little bit of an irritated bum. I put it on her and the irritation is gone.

Also, the royal eye jelly. It has a lovely faint smell, which is not really why I buy eye cream or creme rather. I used to buy the Clinique version, but didn’t love it. I am on my second round of this and put it on my eyes EVERYDAY. I really like it and I think it has helped combat wrinkles. I tell myself this anyway, I hope it really is working.

I wash my face with this Garden Tomato Soap, after washing off my makeup with Dr. Bonners Baby Mild soap. I do the same process as needed by the Clinque steps except I wash my make-up off first. I really like this soap and the way my complexion looks when I am using it.

The Replenishing Lipbalm smells so lovely. I keep it in my car, which is were I keep all my favorite lip treatments for easy application before heading off for my weekly romantic lunch date with JJ at Costco. It also works really well to keep my kisser ready for smooching soft baby heads and darting about little boy heads and rough guy whiskers.

And finally the Lifegaurd’s Choice. You cannot use this in public unless you are a ski teacher or swim instructor because it paints yours lips white. But on those days where my lips are weather burned, dried or just generally beaten up, I will use it at night after I put in my retainer. It is an amazingly sexy look. JJ thinks so anyway. Just ask him.

Who knew I was such a hippy? Not I until I typed this all up and realized I buy this stuff all the time.

These are the Burt’s Bees products I really love.

I love my siblings. It has been a long time coming. We didn’t like each other much while we were all teenagers together. I looked through my pictures for photos of my siblings and I all together. I have none. But I have a whole bunch of JJ’s family. What the heck? I spend a lot more time with my family, but get the camera when we are with JJ’s.

Anyway. There is a special bond with siblings. Like you can hate each other one day and be fine a few days later. We all have different opinions about certain things and it is fine. We are all in different stages of life and pursing different dreams and it just doesn’t matter.

Tazia and Travis used to come and visit me when I was just married and still going to school. Kateka was one of my best friends in college when she started a few years after we did. In fact, we took several work out classes together and made complete fools of ourselves when we would sit on the side of the pool during swim class and whine rather than get in the pool. Tazia used to come to all my classes with me and sit in the computer lab while I worked for a week during her spring break. Travis would also come to my classes and once in a while took quizzes for me in my C++ class, that was much appreciated as I still have no idea what C++ is.

It is fun to see how we are all becoming well adjusted adults with our own strengths and goodness.

I love spring and the new beginning it provides. Fall used to be my favorite, but I switched when I had kids. Now spring and summer represent a lot of outdoor playing at the park, the swim pool, going for walks, hanging outside with friends and sleeping with the windows open.

Oh spring. I love your sprouts and glimpses of sunny goodness.

I love that Amelia thinks we are the same person and likes me the best. I am sure it will change sometime. But I really love that I am the one she wants most when she wants to eat or fall asleep.

I think Gentry may think we are the same person too. He follows me every where. Even if I am doing nothing he wants to do. He tries to con me into his room to play Legos. Or back into my room to watch his amazing Lego Star Wars feats.

I love being a mom.

I love the Disney Fairies. Like I cannot express how much I like them. I never got into the Disney Princesses, but these ladies are fabulous. They are all about making things and the changing of seasons. They take care of light, and plants, and animals. We kind of have the same jobs.

I have a set of the dolls and Gentry has a set. He likes them because they have boobs. He likes WonderWoman for the same reason. Gentry doesn’t get to play with my set, because he has broken the wings off of most of his. My set isn’t complete and everytime we go to Target we check to see if they have some that we don’t.

They live at Pixie Hollow.

Which is part of Neverland.

They still take part in the Peter Pan story. And they visit the mainland to change the seasons.

This is Silvermist. She is a Water-Talent Fairy.

Iridessa is a light-talent fairy.

Tinkerbell makes things so the other fairies can do their jobs.

Rosetta is a plant-talent fairy.

I love the music and animation they have used to create these characters. It is so light and airy and glowy. I just love the feeling they create. Have you been to Pixie Hollow at Disneyland or Disneyworld? I loves it.

Fawn is an animal-talent fairy and the one I most feel like. However, I am not much of an animal lover. I think it is her woodsy look.

I wish my bum glowed in the dark. Oh wait. It does.

I am in love with Gentry’s hands. He had a crooked little pinky when he was born, he still does. His little hands are so expressive. I am mesmerized by them a lot of the time he is talking to me. They point and fly and are pretty much super happy.

Notice how Old McDonalds Farm contains Donald Ducks nephew Hughey and Bambi. We are a creative bunch.