Happy New Year!!!

The apple for the day is:

Make out with your spouse! :) Okay, in addition to the kiss at the end of the night, tell your spouse what you are looking forward to this New year with them! Tell them how wonderful they are and the things you are excited about.

I can't think of a better way to start off than with a kind word and some optimism!

Happy New year!!! Have fun tonight!

New Year Inspiration!

"Nothing great was ever accomplished without inspiration". (can't remember the author, I'll find it though.:)

I think the New Year is a perfect time for a new beginning. I find everything about it completely refreshing! I have heard this quote many times. A few weeks ago I heard it again and it struck me differently. Do I want to be great? Do I want my children to be great? Then how can I be inspired and how can I inspire them? The best way I know how is to read. I love to read. I love to listen to talks and books on my I pod.

Here are a few things I plan to read and listen to. Maybe you will find some you are interested in.

We are so blessed to have so many resources that put inspiration within our reach!

"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club."

Jack London (US adventurer, author, & sailor (1876-1916))

The scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, every day.

Attending the Temple and all my church meetings.

Change your Questions, Change your life

The Happiness Project

Cradles of Eminence

Wake up and Live

I don't have to make it all better

Between Husband and Wife

Sheri Dew Collection

John Bytheway Collection

What do you do, read, or watch that inspires you? I would LOVE to know!

For my kids I plan on inspiring them with more outings, reading about heroes in history (world, American and Church), and trying and learning new things. What do you do with your kids?

I love talking about New Years resolutions with Zach. I hope you will take the time to talk to your spouse about your goals for the New Year! AND write them down! YES, this is your date idea! :) I still strongly encourage treats, puzzles, games and good times too! We will be playing Mario Brothers, ping pong, doing puzzles and eating some yummy treats with friends and family. Wanta come?

I am really looking forward to this new year!!!

Do THIS!

I know there are times when you read one of these "apples for the day" and think, "yeah, that would be fun but I'm too busy." Well, this is NOT one of those apples! Got it? :)

Here is the apple for today and everyday!

When your spouse gets home today give them a greeting of a lifetime! :) No matter how crazy things are when your spouse gets home, drop it all and go to them. Give them a huge hug and a serious kiss. Show them you are glad to be back together with them!

For Christmas my mom and dad gave Zach and I a CD called "Building Forever", Making Your Marriage More Fulfilling, One Day at a Time, by Gary and Joy Lundberg. (I will refer to this CD a lot just to give you a heads up :)) I have listened to it already and love it!

One thing she says to do is "put your spouse on the top of your list". They must be the most important before everyone else. When they get home and you put them before everything else you show them they are #1.

Well, I will be honest here. I am not trying to brag but truly, my favorite song is "I'm so glad when daddy comes home"! The kids always run to their dad and it is because he is wonderful and I have trained them to look forward to him coming home. But here is the honest part. There are days that I am behind the counter when he walks in or I'm putting dinner on the table, the kids have been driving me nuts and I'm done. It is all I can do to smile. :)

I listened to this talk today any chance I had. When he got home tonight I dropped everything and went to him...do you want to know what he said after? too bad! :) j/k, he said, "wow, I would love a welcome like that everyday!" :)

The reason why I am telling you this is because it made the biggest difference in our night! We laughed more, when I was reading to Ben on the couch and was asking him something, he came up behind me and rubbed my shoulder while I finished talking. Our interactions were much sweeter. There was an obvious difference. All because I took a few minutes to show him he was first on my list.

Do it!! Okay, I'm done. :)

Oh and if you couldn't tell, I wrote this last night. Now I'm really done.

I LOVE this time of year!

I love the snow, the time with family, the new toys to play with and the memories that are made! Oh I do, I LOVE this time of year!

Even though it has been slightly frustrating to not have the internet for over a week it probably came at a good time. I had so much to do to get ready for Christmas and I know I couldn't have gotten as much done if I tried to keep up on my computer stuff. So, look at that, I found something to be grateful for when it drove me crazy at times.

All that time not having the internet saved me and I still stayed up til 4 AM on Christmas Eve/ Christmas morning! I know, you are shocked aren't you!

We had to leave our house by 8 AM to make it to my parents house before my missionary brother called around 9! Yeah, we woke the kids up at 7 and had TURBO Christmas! :)

It was wonderful! What a great day! Now, even a few days later I still feel like I have a Christmas hangover! But I loved it anyway!

I hope your Christmas was wonderful too! Was it?

Well, here is hoping the internet stays connected and I can make the posts I want to!

Connectivity???

So, for the past few days there has been this tower frozen somewhere near our home that has caused our Internet to, well.....not work - at all. I mean - gosh, what is someone to do this day and age without internet.

I guess for us, we could get one of those cool phones that has internet on it.....but we aren't exactly wanting to do that yet. So, since Becca is limited to going to a neighbor or family members house....she called me and I get to come to the rescue with a marriage blog post!!! I'm sure you are ALL super excited?!

My post is on a simple gift - find one that your spouse might not expect and give it to her at random. Maybe even today. I got a few songs off of I-tunes that I knew she would like, put it on a playlist on her I-POD and let her know. She loved it! Well.....at least that is what she said.

Anyway - I never think our gifts need to be extreme or large to be good. Sometimes the smaller and more often the better. Time is usually the hardest one to give, uninterrupted with each other or something that you can do for one another that took time and a conscious effort to get it done. Then in the end, the KNOW you care and that you LOVE them.

If our internet starts working soon.....you may get another post before Christmas, if it doesn't......well I can't say I personally am going to promise another one. Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS just in case.

oh what to do at Christmastime!

Christmastime is a busy time but lets not get too busy that we don't have a date night or two!!!

Here are a few ideas:

1. Visit Temple Square or a park near you that has a bunch of Christmas lights....

2. Don't want to get out of your car and you have to take the kids? Drive around a neighborhood or two and look at all the houses decorated with lights! our kids love doing this!

3. Stay home, make chili, hot chocolate, watch a Christmas movie. I LOVE It's a Wonderful Life", "White Christmas" and "Elf". Have you seen the movie "Christmas Shoes'"? -Tear jerker!

4. Go sledding!

5. Visit someplace such as a mall and get pictures taken with Santa

6. Can't find a sitter? Stay home and play some Christmas trivia and read Christmas stories.

7. Go to a community Christmas concert. Look online or in your local newspaper. There are sure to be some free ones!

8. Invite some friends over, make yummy holiday treats and play games! We LOVE doing this one! We can put our kids to bed and play to our hearts content! (plus we have fun friends. :))

9. Visit an elderly couple for a little bit. A widow might be better! Bring some Christmas cheer to someone else!

10. Make treats and door bell ditch your neighbors! :)

What are some dates or traditions that you like to do with your family every year?

Christmas is Cozy!

I don't know about you but for me this time of year can be sort of crazy! I hope that amidst the craziness we can find time to get cozy!

Last night and Sunday night I sang in a community Christmas concert. I came home sort of wiped out from lack of sleep and then from the anxiety of performing. Zach stayed home last night with the sick kids (he came to Sundays concert). When I walked in he was making hot chocolate, we sat on the couch in front of the fire and the Christmas tree and enjoyed a cup of cocoa and a nice conversation.

Getting cozy and chatting doesn't have to take long. Just turn down the lights and enjoy the lights from your tree and warm cup of wassail or cocoa. Sometimes when we take the time to slow down, the Spirit of the Season can be felt a little easier.

I hope you will try this apple.

12 days....

I have seriously dropped the ball this last week! What bums we out too is I had some fun things to post! Don't worry, I'll still do them...

My kids have been so super sick this last, like month! But the last week has been the pits. Zach and I haven't gotten much sleep and it seems I have been doing good to keep things functioning here at home and Zach staying a wake at work!

Next year I am either celebrating Christmas in July or I will at least be ready by then!

Enough about me! Today the 12 days til' Christmas starts! I've got to do something!

Because I am already up to my ears in "things" to get ready, make and so on, I think I will celebrate with dinner time conversations.

Tonight- name 12 things you love about Christmas

11-name 11 Christmas songs (you could even do, name that song!)

10-tell about 10 things you would like to do for others

9- talk about the meaning of Christmas symbols, which is your favorite

8- what do you think about as you fall asleep Christmas Eve

7- what Christmas stories have you read and would like to read again...stories you haven't and would like to read

6-favorite holiday foods

5-say five things you are grateful for at this time of year

4-favorite Christmas memory

3-go around the table and say three things you like about each person...including yourself!

2-what is your favorite thing you have done so far, this Christmas season

1-tell about the gift you are going to give to Jesus throughout the next year

If this is too much for you to remember and still want to do something around the table. Growing up we read Christmas scriptures by candle light around the table. It keeps my kids attention and they love that they get to blow out the candle! Here are some from my Primary lesson Sunday:

Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7 :14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Alma 7:9-10, Helaman 14:1-6, 1 Nephi 11:18-21

So, there ya go! Do you like to do anything to count down to Christmas? What have you done? What questions did you think of when you read my list? Hope your preparations are going well and you're able to do lots of fun things as a family!

remember that?

Hey! Remember that mistletoe you hung up?

The apple for the day is: turn on some Christmas music (romantic songs preferred) and dance under the mistletoe. You can send a text, email or leave a phone message to say "meet me under the mistletoe..." :)

Christmas chain

you know, the red and green paper, hook it together with a staple or tape?

Here are a few ideas of things to do with it...

on each piece of paper

*write something you love about your spouse, they get to take one off each day until Christmas.

*write something you will do for your spouse that day...anything from cleaning out their car to a back rub...

*as a family we are writing our "gifts" we are giving to Jesus each day... you know, nice things we are doing everyday to serve others and each other of course. I thought this would be fun for the kids to see how long it could get and put it on the tree Christmas morning.

salt preserves...

Salt is a great preservative! How about when you are putting salt/ice melt out on your walks you write "I LOVE YOU" with it! Let the salt help preserve your creative dating juices. :)

Try this for an apple and see if your spouse notices!

Mistletoe!

The apple for the day is:

get some mistletoe, hang it up and USE it everyday!

mad, irritated, etc?

"A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger". (Prov. 15:1)

Thanks to a dream I had last night I have been thinking about this scripture. Some bad situations can be made worse because of how we choose to respond.

Sometimes I don't respond the right way. I am not perfect. So what then?

Think the situation through again and respond the right way in your mind. Practice it in your mind. Ask for forgiveness if necessary. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again".

The winner is!!!

MEGAN W.!!!!

Congratulations!!! You are going to love this show! Merry Christmas!

Thanks to everyone who participated! I hope you had fun being grateful!

Keep it up!