Life Advice

Inspired by some things and experiences I have had lately I want to vent. I think one of my biggest pet peeves is when people act like they have everything figured out. The best way for me to illustrate this is going back to either a baby shower or bridal shower. For example, you open present "A" maybe some baby einstein dvds (baby shower), or some lingerie (parenthesis should not be necessary to label shower type) you look up at your audience of guests to say thank you to gift giver and everyone has to say annoying "know it all" comments like "That lingerie isn't really for you" chuckle chuckle (add eyes rolling in knowingness from commenter) or "those dvds are bad for your babies reading development, you really need to be careful about how much tv watching your baby does...." blah blah blah. The trouble for me is that these types of events naturally foster advice and by having a shower you are asking for it in some way. You think that after you are married or after you have kids the advice will slow down...but NO! I feel like there are some people who thrive on giving advice, especially when they think they have it all figured out. Seth and I, through life experiences lately have learned that you NEVER have it all figured out. I look at my father-in-law who passed away almost three years ago this August. He was an amazing man. He scored a 35 on the ACT. He graduated cum laude from the 5 year dual MBA/accounting program at BYU and then went on to be a partner at a prestigious accounting firm. He was involved publicly and was a respected community leader. At age 37 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Someone who seemingly had everything going for them received a huge blow. On a side note however he does not fit into the pet peeve category because he DID NOT act like he had everything figured out. I just get frustrated with people who experience success on some level in their lives and feel like that entitles them to give you advice. Its not like I don't need advice but if I don't knock, I don't need an answer. I guess I am just kind of rambling and not really going anywhere but if there is one thing I can say to sum it all up is that I am going to make sure that I let everyone have their life experiences without being the girl at the shower who knows everything about raising children, changing diapers, and making bottles. We never know what will happen in our lives and I don't want to end up with my foot in my mouth.
ang

Our New House

Here are some pictures of the house we just bought. We moved in yesterday and we are really excited. We are repainting the kitchen, the red is a little too much. Maybe just one wall? Anyway we are really excited, Daybreak should be a fun place for our family.
PS The pics are from the MLS so that isn't our furniture.

Isabella's Recital WITH SOUND!!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better.....

Isabella's Dance Recital

The Cleanse

I am back by popular demand thanks to my one reader, Marc-this is for you. Seriously though I have been thinking a lot lately and have decided to switch gears in regards to my eating habits and overall health. I have always been somewhat blessed to be able to eat what I want and not really feel too many consequences but as I have been getting older I am feeling more affected by my lifestyle. I am tired all the time, I never really feel 100%. I am not that bad but bad enough to make some kind of change. I have been reading a lot of books and finally came across one that has motivated me. It is called "Cleanse and Purify Thyself". It is an amazing book. The author has done hundreds of cleanses. Finally after going into the forest and only living on herbs and fruit for 3 weeks he discovered the perfect cleanse. So starting June 1 Seth and I will start the 4 week cleansing process. It is basically a raw vegan diet. According to the book your eye color can even change with the cleanse. I am going to take some pictures of us and then maybe there will be a visiable change, who knows? So stayed tuned.

I love my husband

To get to the core-I auditioned for a musical, "OLIVER!" at the Scera and they were in need of more men and my husband volunteered. You can imagine the directors joy to have a man recruited that was older than 16. The show opens on Friday and it has been so much fun! I am so proud of Seth for trying something new. It has been really fun to go to rehearsals together and hang out. The funniest part is that Seth is really good. The choreographer is one of my friends and he keeps telling me how great Seth is doing (no, the choreographer is not gay). Speaking of "gay" the best moment in this whole process was when Seth made a "gay" joke. Let's just say it didn't get the best response. Otherwise Seth is probably everyone's favorite person in the show and has stolen my usual "popular" thunder, but I think I'll live. Basically, this is what I love about my husband. He does what he wants and doesn't care about what people think. He also makes me mad because he is good at everything he tries. I would love to see what would happen if I played on a softball team with him.

Exercise

So, I am going to be completely honest in this post and admit that I have never really "exercised". In high school I somehow managed to get my chiropractor to write a note that got me out of PE. I know, pathetic. I have always felt blessed to have good genes. Not anymore! After having my third baby, Sophia, a year and a half ago I thought I had the world on a string. I had only gained 17 pounds that pregnancy. I was so excited after I came home from the hospital to see my weigh in. I was surprised to discover that I had only lost 7 pounds. What the hell? My baby weighed 7'6 and doesn't the placenta and water count for something? Basically I came home gaining 6 oz. No biggie, I thought, nursing will make it all go away. NOT TRUE!!! I didn't lose a pound nursing and now six months after stopping to nurse I am still 10 pounds behind. A lot of people say that 10 pounds is not a big deal, but when you are 5'2 it is a huge deal! I am getting payback for the non-use of my body. So I now publicly vow that I will exercise everyday from now on. Whether it is just going on a walk or going for a run I am going to do it.

(I have to note that Seth and I have been glued to the T.V. watching our new favorite Lost and watching all of the "fit" actors has kind of brought this on.)

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

Knocked Up Trailer

This looks pretty funny. "I'm constipated, do you still want to?" (HAHAHAHAHA) That's comedy.

Demetri Martin Person. 1/5

MY NEW FAVORITE

J-Hud

Dear Jennifer Hudson,
I would first like to congratulate you on your recent Golden Globe Award and your Oscar Nomination. Congratulations! Like your character in the movie you have come from behind to upstage the film. Although I haven't seen it I have only heard rave reviews and praise for your tear-jerking performance. That being said I want to give you some advice. Stop knocking American Idol. We all know that you were kicked off and that Simon told you that you would never go far. Simon can be rude and harsh but I am here to tell you that I agree with him. Let's look at the facts: You are now receiving acclamation for an "acting" role. Sure you sang an amazing ballad that Rosie gave a standing ovation to but that my friend does not make you an "American Idol". I would never buy a Jennifer Hudson album and neither would the rest of the world. Your character, Effie, in Dreamgirls is the classic underdog-of course everyone loves your performance-the message of Dreamgirls would be ruined if we walked away glad that Beyonce one-uped you in our hearts. So Miss Hudson, Congrats. Enjoy this moment, stop trashing Simon, because he is ALWAYS right, don't burn your bridges now.
Angie

Yum

Yesterday Seth was babysitting* the kids. He was in the basement and came upstairs to the kitchen and found Carson and his friend Isaac eating. "What are you guys eating?" he asked.
"Ice cream and chicken nuggets", Carson and friend happily replied.
Seth then turned on the lights to discover that they had dished up their own ice cream and in their little hands like candy bars were frozen breaded RAW chicken. They were just nibbling away. Seth then called me and I called poison control and they gave me the low down that it was probably okay because the chicken was most likely extremely processed.
We made it through the night without vomiting so Carson should be okay-but I am not okay. Are you kidding me? RAW FROZEN CHICKEN?!?!? Two of those words are disgusting alone but all together they group one of the most disgusting combos I have ever heard of. Seth saved the chicken for me to look at and it seriously looked like some deprived rodent broke into the freezer and started biting away at the first item of food available. I think of that scenario mainly because what other than a rodent would do such a thing? This experience will stand alone as probably the most disgusting display I can think of. Just the thought of biting through the breaded frozen tundra makes me want to vomit. I just hope this isn't a reflection of my cooking....

*I love how we call it "babysitting" when Seth is with the kids. That needs to change.

Mac Photo Booth

We are obsessed with our iMac Photo Booth. As embarrassing as it is to admit it: IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!! We are constantly taking crazy pictures and feels just like being at Kmart photo booth minus the 1$ price and the smell. My son Carson has taken it to a new level. I will open it up and he will have taken hundreds of pictures of himself. Serious poses, candids, monster faces-you name it. It is the most used application on the computer. Go apple!

My Present

I would just like to give a shout out to SNL for giving my husband such a creative idea for my Christmas Present. That's right folks, he followed the advice of Ryan Sandburg and Justin Timberlake. If you haven't seen the video clip-just go to youtube. You will find it and even if you don't want to admit it you will think it is funny. Thank you babe that was thoughtful.
Ang

Vote

This is our family Christmas Picture. I can't decide. Tell me your favorite.

Kite Runner

So I know that I am probably one of the last people on earth to read this book but I just finished and I am completely "haunted" by it. WOW. In California I started a book club with some friends and forced them to choose this book as the first. We then moved and I didn't really pick it up until the other day. Since I declared a readathon and drove Seth nuts by doing my usual OCD reading routine. That's the problem for me and books, I can't seem to put them down, I just want to finish. I get obsessed with finishing and talking about the book. So much so that I drive people crazy. Anyway....I am an emotional person but not with books. I am pretty good at detaching myself from the characters and I rarely cry. I think the last book I cried was "Where the Red Fern Grows" but I was 8 and those were different times. This book however made me stop and sob several times. I don't want to go into details because I want a certain member of my family to read the book but each "sad part" (for lack of better words) hurt me on a different level. At the end I wanted to call Mrs. Bestor and ask if I could write a book report just for fun. Great book, EVERYONE should read it.

Post Script: When I reread my post I couldn't read "just for fun" without the Nacho Libre accent. (Thanks honey)
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Motherboy

I love the show Arrested Development, may it RIP. One of my favorite episodes is called "Motherboy". I laughed in disgust and disbelief as I watched the silly antics of Buster and his mother's relationship. My son Carson is now 4 years old and although I laughed and made fun of their relationship I now find myself having a similar relationship with Carson (minus the zip up). I am obsessed with Carson! I love all three of my children equally but Carson has a very special place in my heart and I think it is because he is my Motherboy. My mom always favored my brother Sam but I now realize that it is because he is her motherboy. Thus there is a new word out there friends-"Motherboy" a new term meaning "favorite son".

Halloween Drugs

So we enjoyed a great Halloween the other day but now my kids are acting like drug addicts. All they can think about is candy!!! I always thought my mom lacked so much holiday spirit because she hated Halloween but now I know why!! Even little Sophie freaks out when she sees the bright orange trick-or-treat bucket. We have to hide the candy and they use all these tricky tactics to get us to tell them where the buckets are. I just took away a sucker from Sophie and she is laying on the ground screaming as if I took away her life force. Carson went to a Halloween party last weekend and the next day at church we look over and he is going to town eating all this candy he stuffed in his pockets. Isabella and her friends have to get their stashes when they play with each other....I am at the point where I just want to surrender the candy and make them eat it until the vomit. That is good parenting.

Bangs

My husband and I rarely fight about things. It is a nice blessing. We agree on most movies, politics, music...but there is a major source of contention in our relationship-bangs. Seth HATES my bangs. When I first cut them he told me, "If we weren't married and just dating I would break up with you because I hate your bangs." I am sorry honey but the 80's are back and bangs are big. We haven't even scratched the surface of how big and crazy things are going to get.