I have to be honest

I am way behind in my blogging. I posted one lame story this week and haven't posted one thing about what we've been up to for a while. So to all of my faithful followers (if there are any out there) I apologize.

You see, I have given up the computer. I have quit using it. It's not my thing anymore. I don't enjoy it. You get the point.

It all started when I realized that when I was using it (which I always tried to be aware of my use) I was not giving my girls the attention they needed. I noticed that we weren't communicating like we should when I was using it, even if it was just for a second. So I quit.

I try to be up by 6:30 every morning and use the time before my girls are up to get ready, check my emails, catch up reading blogs and so on. And starting tomorrow I am going to add running to that list.

I ONLY use the computer when my girls are sleeping. Since neither of them nap that means I only use it before they get up or after they have gone to bed. But to tell you the truth, I find myself not even wanting to use it then. It just doesn't interest me anymore.

I know they you can not completely go with out computer usage. I still have friends and family that I email and things that need to be done, like pay bills and such. There are also things that I need to research, like learning to incorporate more grains into my families diet.

So how do I go the whole day without doing any of that? How do I remember to Google what I would normally just sit down and do right when it came to my mind? I make a list. Seriously. At the end of the day I sit down with my list and go down it one item at a time. It might say something like "acai" or "email so and so about what ever."

And let me tell you, it is the most liberating thing I have ever done! And not only have I eliminated the computer but the TV as well. Totally. I've said before that I limited their TV time, but now I only let them watch one show in the morning after they wake up and before they want breakfast and then after that, it goes off for the rest of the day. And WE love it. We get so much done and have more fun.

So, if you find yourself becoming dependent on the computer in any way, try my method. You won't be sorry. You will learn to make a list and you will learn to dial 1-800-FREE-411 really fast for phone numbers. The ads on there won't even bother you any more.

And in return you will have lots of this:

I have to be honest

I am way behind in my blogging. I posted one lame story this week and haven't posted one thing about what we've been up to for a while. So to all of my faithful followers (if there are any out there) I apologize.

You see, I have given up the computer. I have quit using it. It's not my thing anymore. I don't enjoy it. You get the point.

It all started when I realized that when I was using it (which I always tried to be aware of my use) I was not giving my girls the attention they needed. I noticed that we weren't communicating like we should when I was using it, even if it was just for a second. So I quit.

I try to be up by 6:30 every morning and use the time before my girls are up to get ready, check my emails, catch up reading blogs and so on. And starting tomorrow I am going to add running to that list.

I ONLY use the computer when my girls are sleeping. Since neither of them nap that means I only use it before they get up or after they have gone to bed. But to tell you the truth, I find myself not even wanting to use it then. It just doesn't interest me anymore.

I know they you can not completely go with out computer usage. I still have friends and family that I email and things that need to be done, like pay bills and such. There are also things that I need to research, like learning to incorporate more grains into my families diet.

So how do I go the whole day without doing any of that? How do I remember to Google what I would normally just sit down and do right when it came to my mind? I make a list. Seriously. At the end of the day I sit down with my list and go down it one item at a time. It might say something like "acai" or "email so and so about what ever."

And let me tell you, it is the most liberating thing I have ever done! And not only have I eliminated the computer but the TV as well. Totally. I've said before that I limited their TV time, but now I only let them watch one show in the morning after they wake up and before they want breakfast and then after that, it goes off for the rest of the day. And WE love it. We get so much done and have more fun.

So, if you find yourself becoming dependent on the computer in any way, try my method. You won't be sorry. You will learn to make a list and you will learn to dial 1-800-FREE-411 really fast for phone numbers. The ads on there won't even bother you any more.

And in return you will have lots of this:

It's a good thing...

Jared is a good guy. Jared Hatch, I mean. Jared Michael Hatch. He's our cousin that lives in the same town. Since he and my Jared share the same name we're destined to confuse people. You probably already are.

I think every one in this town knows the other Jared since he grew up here. Any time someone asks who my husband is I'll say Jared Hatch, but I quickly follow with a "but not that Jared. The other Jared Hatch." We've lived here long enough that people know them both by now and understand.

Both Jared's worked together at the same company for a while and eventually started going by Jared A. and Jared M. because it got so complicated. Sometimes we will get each other's mail because their PO box is 174 and ours is 714. We lived in the same ward for a few years and can you imagine how confusing it was when my Jared got called to be the Young Men's president and a few weeks later they called Jared Hatch to in the Elder's Quorum Presidency? Of course, we knew it was the other Jared.

That is just a small taste of the confusion we have had in the past but I think yesterday's experience takes the cake.

I was pretty surprised when I got two statements from our health insurance yesterday, as we haven't been to the doctor in a long time. When I opened the first statement and started reading I was so confused when I read about a well baby visit and an office surgery. I thought that it was a mistake for the visits I had taken my girls in for a while back and for the tetanus shot that Jared had to get last August for his run in with a barbed wire fence.

Then I glanced to the top and read the name Max Hatch. He is the sweet new baby boy that belongs to the other Jared and his sweet, sweet wife, Mindy. You see, when Mindy had their first little one she asked me about my Pediatrician and ended up going to him. I had no idea that a few years later they would consider Max our child. You see, they added him to our policy and now Atena thinks we actually have a boy in this family. They sent the confirmation page so it's official. But as sweet as Max is and although I made him a little firefighter and baseball blanket when he was born, I'm really not interested in paying for his health care.

And would you believe it if I told you that it was less troublesom and way easier to get it taken care of (or at least start the process of taking care of it) by speaking with the people at Aetna than it was to talk to the billing people?

PS- I love ya, Mindy! I consider it a compliment that they would mistake me for you.

It's a good thing...

Jared is a good guy. Jared Hatch, I mean. Jared Michael Hatch. He's our cousin that lives in the same town. Since he and my Jared share the same name we're destined to confuse people. You probably already are.

I think every one in this town knows the other Jared since he grew up here. Any time someone asks who my husband is I'll say Jared Hatch, but I quickly follow with a "but not that Jared. The other Jared Hatch." We've lived here long enough that people know them both by now and understand.

Both Jared's worked together at the same company for a while and eventually started going by Jared A. and Jared M. because it got so complicated. Sometimes we will get each other's mail because their PO box is 174 and ours is 714. We lived in the same ward for a few years and can you imagine how confusing it was when my Jared got called to be the Young Men's president and a few weeks later they called Jared Hatch to in the Elder's Quorum Presidency? Of course, we knew it was the other Jared.

That is just a small taste of the confusion we have had in the past but I think yesterday's experience takes the cake.

I was pretty surprised when I got two statements from our health insurance yesterday, as we haven't been to the doctor in a long time. When I opened the first statement and started reading I was so confused when I read about a well baby visit and an office surgery. I thought that it was a mistake for the visits I had taken my girls in for a while back and for the tetanus shot that Jared had to get last August for his run in with a barbed wire fence.

Then I glanced to the top and read the name Max Hatch. He is the sweet new baby boy that belongs to the other Jared and his sweet, sweet wife, Mindy. You see, when Mindy had their first little one she asked me about my Pediatrician and ended up going to him. I had no idea that a few years later they would consider Max our child. You see, they added him to our policy and now Atena thinks we actually have a boy in this family. They sent the confirmation page so it's official. But as sweet as Max is and although I made him a little firefighter and baseball blanket when he was born, I'm really not interested in paying for his health care.

And would you believe it if I told you that it was less troublesom and way easier to get it taken care of (or at least start the process of taking care of it) by speaking with the people at Aetna than it was to talk to the billing people?

PS- I love ya, Mindy! I consider it a compliment that they would mistake me for you.

Missions Accomplished

I got it all done! Well, I read about 1/64th of the items in my Google Reader but that wasn't important. It made me realize that I need to go back and clean out the things that I don't care to read anymore.

Anyway, first of all, the letters. These letters are actually huge! If you have been to my house and you have seen the "H" I have hanging, these are that size.

Before:

After: They now match the decor in my girls room.

Next, the pillars.

Before:

After:

They go perfectly with my bedspread.Now for the curtains. I have give a shout out to my sister who sold me the fabric (about 6 yards or so) and the centerpiece (shown behind the painted pillars) all for $10!

Before: SO 1975! After:

Missions Accomplished

I got it all done! Well, I read about 1/64th of the items in my Google Reader but that wasn't important. It made me realize that I need to go back and clean out the things that I don't care to read anymore.

Anyway, first of all, the letters. These letters are actually huge! If you have been to my house and you have seen the "H" I have hanging, these are that size.

Before:

After: They now match the decor in my girls room.

Next, the pillars.

Before:

After:

They go perfectly with my bedspread.Now for the curtains. I have give a shout out to my sister who sold me the fabric (about 6 yards or so) and the centerpiece (shown behind the painted pillars) all for $10!

Before: SO 1975! After:

Easter Recap

On Friday we stocked up on eggs to color. It was all Addie could talk about! I told her that when she got up in the morning we would color them and she didn't let me forget it! She woke up bright and early asking to color the eggs. Jared and I kept telling her that she would have to wait for Kimber to wake up and it was all we could do to keep her from going in to their room to wake her. It was like Christmas morning! Once Kimber finally got up it was time to get coloring!

Kimber was more fascinated with the wand than anything.

And the end result? A whole bunch of brightly colored eggs that we will never be able to finish eating. We have eaten some whole (I eat the whites and Jared eats the yolks for me. Eating an egg yolk is like Fear Factor for me!), made potato salad and will try to finish them up in the form of deviled eggs tonight. I won't be partaking.

The girls were so excited when they woke up Easter morning. They quickly found their baskets and started to delve into the candy. Thanks to Aunt Yvette we have it coming out our ears. I bought two bags for my girls because I knew Vet had them covered. You see, each year Jared's Mom did baskets for everyone. Jared's Dad wants to keep the tradition going so he assigned Auntie Vet to get baskets together for everyone. She did great!
And would you believe that Wal Mart didn't have one single bag of Jelly Beans? So instead the girls got eggs filled with M&M's (which they would prefer anyway) and coins.

As soon as my girls found their baskets I sat them down and talked to them about the real meaning of Easter. It's one of my least favorite holidays because it's so commercialized. What do bunnies and baskets have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? I considered not even doing baskets but felt it would be okay as long as we explained the true meaning behind Easter.

I talked to them about how fun it is to find out baskets, color eggs and eat candy but that that is not what Easter is all about. We need to think about Jesus. I explained what the word resurrection means and I think that Addie actually got it!

After church my sister and her family came over, along with my friend Jenn and her son (her husband had to work so she didn't have anyone to enjoy Easter dinner with) for dinner. We had a feast of ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, corn, pistachio salad, rolls and raspberry swirl for dessert. Mmmmm.

I was a little nervous about the ham because it was a fresh one that we have had since we bought a pig to be butchered. It wasn't cured and I wasn't sure how to cook it so I researched a few recipes on the internet and got creative. I rubbed it down with brown sugar, dumped a can of coke over it and added pineapples with the juice. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out!

After dinner we had an egg hunt. My nephew, Soren and I hid 63 eggs in the backyard and within .5 seconds every egg had been found! (By the way, thanks Jenn for supplying the Jelly Beans! And most of the eggs!)

If anyone knows a secret to getting kids to look at the camera (all at once would be nice) please let me know. Oh, and my beautiful sister and her sweet little girl, Ivy.

Easter Recap

On Friday we stocked up on eggs to color. It was all Addie could talk about! I told her that when she got up in the morning we would color them and she didn't let me forget it! She woke up bright and early asking to color the eggs. Jared and I kept telling her that she would have to wait for Kimber to wake up and it was all we could do to keep her from going in to their room to wake her. It was like Christmas morning! Once Kimber finally got up it was time to get coloring!

Kimber was more fascinated with the wand than anything.

And the end result? A whole bunch of brightly colored eggs that we will never be able to finish eating. We have eaten some whole (I eat the whites and Jared eats the yolks for me. Eating an egg yolk is like Fear Factor for me!), made potato salad and will try to finish them up in the form of deviled eggs tonight. I won't be partaking.

The girls were so excited when they woke up Easter morning. They quickly found their baskets and started to delve into the candy. Thanks to Aunt Yvette we have it coming out our ears. I bought two bags for my girls because I knew Vet had them covered. You see, each year Jared's Mom did baskets for everyone. Jared's Dad wants to keep the tradition going so he assigned Auntie Vet to get baskets together for everyone. She did great!
And would you believe that Wal Mart didn't have one single bag of Jelly Beans? So instead the girls got eggs filled with M&M's (which they would prefer anyway) and coins.

As soon as my girls found their baskets I sat them down and talked to them about the real meaning of Easter. It's one of my least favorite holidays because it's so commercialized. What do bunnies and baskets have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? I considered not even doing baskets but felt it would be okay as long as we explained the true meaning behind Easter.

I talked to them about how fun it is to find out baskets, color eggs and eat candy but that that is not what Easter is all about. We need to think about Jesus. I explained what the word resurrection means and I think that Addie actually got it!

After church my sister and her family came over, along with my friend Jenn and her son (her husband had to work so she didn't have anyone to enjoy Easter dinner with) for dinner. We had a feast of ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, corn, pistachio salad, rolls and raspberry swirl for dessert. Mmmmm.

I was a little nervous about the ham because it was a fresh one that we have had since we bought a pig to be butchered. It wasn't cured and I wasn't sure how to cook it so I researched a few recipes on the internet and got creative. I rubbed it down with brown sugar, dumped a can of coke over it and added pineapples with the juice. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out!

After dinner we had an egg hunt. My nephew, Soren and I hid 63 eggs in the backyard and within .5 seconds every egg had been found! (By the way, thanks Jenn for supplying the Jelly Beans! And most of the eggs!)

If anyone knows a secret to getting kids to look at the camera (all at once would be nice) please let me know. Oh, and my beautiful sister and her sweet little girl, Ivy.