A-Z

For lack of more interesting things going on in my life right now, I'm resorting to posting tags that people have sent me. Here's another:

Available?: Only to Mike
Age: 36
Annoyance: disrepectful kids
Animal: My least favorite at the moment are deer. They eat everything from our bushes to my tulips, and leave little "reminders" on my lawn that they've been there.

Beer: I've never even been tempted to try it.
Birthday: 3/26
Best Friend: Mike
Body Part on opposite sex: cut, defined arms
Best feeling in the world: being content
Blind or Deaf: deaf
Best weather: a warm'ish fall day with just a hint of a chill
Been in Love: currently
Been on stage?: Do ward road shows count?
Believe in Magic: of course (I can even recant several Harry Potter spells)
Believe in Santa: absolutely

Candy: peanut M&M's
Color: red
Chocolate/Vanilla: chocolate
Chinese/Mexican Food: Chinese
Cake or pie: Cake
Continent to visit: Europe
Cheese: Mozzarella

Day or Night: both, for different reasons
Danced in the rain: Yes, in England on my mission. We were in the rain a lot. Go figure.

Eyes: blue-green-gray'ish; they change depending on what color I'm wearing
Ever failed a class?: ...um yes....

First thoughts waking up: This morning it was, "Which child is in my bed and why are their feet in my ribs?"
Food: seafood, particularly crab & lobster
Favorite vacation: our cruise, but Europe takes a close 2nd

Greatest Fear: losing a child
Goals: run the distance in the Race for the Cure 5K in May
Gum: bubble
Get along with your parents?: yes, very well

Hair Color: auburn
Height: 5'10
Happy: yes
Holiday: Christmas, the entire season
How do you want to die: painlessly

Ice Cream: anything with chocolate in it or on it
Instrument: cello

Jewelry: lots of it, in all varieties
Job: mommy ... best job in the world

Kids: 4
Kickboxing or karate: karate (Christian's passion these days)
Keep a journal?: This blog has replaced my journal now.

Loves: music, movies, a good book, hugs from my kids
Letter: M (Mike & Misty Mayfield)
Laughed so hard you cried?: often

Milk flavor: chocolate
Movies: A Knight's Tale, Sliding Doors, Best In Show ... so many choices
Motion sickness?: Much moreso than when I was younger. I think morning sickness has changed me permanently.
McD’s or BK: McDonald's (no one does fries better)

Number: Googol, which my kids insist is the largest number. I always argue with them that infinity is the largest. (Wikipedia, by the way, says that googol=10 to the 100th degree)

One wish: To travel more
One regret: That I didn't go on study abroad in Jerusalem

Pepsi/Coke: Diet Coke from the tap
Pet: no thanks
Perfect Pizza: Costco (awesome, thick crust)
Piercings: One in each ear. But in 9th grade, I had 3 holes in one ear and 2 in the other.

Quail: As in, for dinner? O.k., whatever.

Reason to cry: a great movie
Reality T.V.: American Idol
Radio Station: 101.9, NPR
Roll your tongue in a circle: Yes, I can. I can also tie a cherry stem into a knot.
Ring size: 7.5

Song: There is no way I could choose just one. A small sampling is here on my blog.
Shoe size: 10.5
Salad Dressing: Brianna's Poppyseed
Sushi: love it
Skinny dipped?: yep
Shower or bath?: shower
Strawberries/Blueberries: strawberries, preferably dipped in chocolate

Tattoos?: nope
Time for bed: 11'ish
Thunderstorms: Love them, and we have a great view off our deck of incoming storms.

Unpredictable: my girls' mood changes

Vacation spot(s): Someplace warm but not too hot, preferably by a beach or a pool.

Weakness: potato chips and candy
Which one of your friends acts the most like you: probably Rachel
Worst feeling: Losing one of my kids. I lost Christian at Sea World for about 10 minutes when he was only 3 -- worst 10 minutes of my life. I was absolutely panicked.
Wanted to be a model: Never, but my mom did make me take a runway modeling class in jr. high so I'd learn to walk straight and poised. It actually helped.
Worst Weather?: 100+ degree heat

X-Rays: My most memorable x-ray moment was with Paige in the ER when she was 18 months old and had just fallen 8 feet off of our deck. Try explaining to an 18 month old that she needs to hold perfectly still.

Year it is now: 2009
Yellow: was my color growing up. Each of us kids was assigned a color, and various things were labeled with that color: utensils, cups, plates, toothbrushes, bows on Christmas presents, etc.

Zoo animal: Lions & tigers, especially at the San Francisco Zoo at feeding time. They're in a concrete house and their roars are deafening as they echo off the walls. I was scared and fascinated at the same time.

What's on my mind ...

1. I bought this cute, little camera so I wouldn't have to carry my big, nice one around all the time. I've been snapping lots of cute pictures ... but now I can't find the cord so I can download them onto my blog. Or do anything with them, for that matter.

2. I can't go to bed yet. My sheets are still in the dryer -- I forgot to dry them earlier at a more decent hour.

3. I just heard about a high school lunch/reunion for women from my class at a restaurant in a couple of weeks. Thank you, Facebook, for hooking us all back up!

4. Speaking of Facebook, has anyone else had any past relationships pop back up in weird ways on Facebook? I'm experiencing a bit of that ...

5. Thankfully, Elle is finally getting better after being on some serious medication this past week. I never knew that asthma could make her winter so miserable. We've been in uncharted waters the past few months.

6. Our whole family spoke in church yesterday and, even though it went fairly well, I breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. It was a good teaching moment for our kids (since one child in particular wasn't overly happy about the assignment) that when the bishop asks you to do something, you just say yes.

7. How have I lived this long and still can't always see if something is an answer to prayer or just a random happening?

8. I loved watching my kids play together tonight at the playland in McDonald's. (Daddy was away so I let the kids choose dinner.) The older ones helped the younger ones climb up to the top, which was a change for us since I was the one who normally had to rescue my screaming, scared toddler from the top of the playland. Now big brother is there to rescue, just in case.

9. We finally found affordable, reasonable plane tickets for our trip to Hawaii in a couple of months. The trip may not have happened otherwise so this was a good thing.

10. Could the snow be any prettier? I love how each tree branch is outlined with an inch of fluffy white. I'm dying to ski...

25 tag

25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about me:

1) I feel blessed to have such an amazing husband. My life is so much better because of him.
2) I shop more like a guy than a girl ... I don't search and search for the perfect item on sale. If I see something I like and it's on sale - great. If it isn't on sale but still reasonable, I'll still buy it.
3) I hate the monotony of making dinner - trying to find something the kids will eat and that tastes good to me, too.
4) I genuinely enjoy solitude.
5) My house is generally picked up but much less often deep-cleaned.
6) I'm addicted to the computer ... e-mail, facebook, blogging. My Blackberry only serves to deepen my addiction.
7) Once my kids are all in school, I will learn to play the cello. I am fascinated by it.
8) At 36, I am pushing myself harder exercise-wise than I ever have in my life.
9) My biggest fear is losing one of my kids, to death or something/someone creepier.
10) My next biggest fear is being in a major catastrophe (earthquake, flowing lava, large black funnel cloud, whatever).
11) My greatest goal is to help my kids become happy, successful adults, in whatever way that is for each of them.
12) Music changes me.
13) I'm glad I made it through high school but sometimes I wish I could go back and be a nicer person. I was far too concerned with what others thought about me to be truly as kind as I should have been.
14) I've lived in Utah all of my life and only just went to Lake Powell for the first time a couple of years ago. During my entire childhood, my understanding of Southern Utah was the stretch of I-15 to St. George.
15) While there is plenty of stuff in this house, I am not a pack rat. I have no problem throwing things out. Especially other people's stuff.
16) I've read the Twilight series more times than I care to admit.
17) I'm proud of the fact that I served a mission. That experience largely made me who I am today.
18) I can't wait to serve a mission with Mike someday. A couples' mission seems like a piece of cake compared to what I did before.
19) I like fast food and eating out more than I should.
20) While I love the U, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Y. Good times. :)
21) My husband will detest the fact that I wrote that.
22) Quite often, I feel like I am guessing at the right way to parent (the right way to motivate or discipline ....)
23) In the end, Mike finished more of my requirements for college graduation than I did. During that last couple of semesters, I was so sick (pregnant) that I couldn't finish many of my assignments on my own.
24) I enjoy the instant gratification of mowing the lawn.
25) Movies are my escape.

Numbers

4: number of times Elle woke up coughing last night. Also number of hours of sleep Mike got (if that) -- he took the night shift with her.
10': distance I can see through this smog
20: minutes it took me to drive to the salon to have my hair cut, only to realize I had written down the wrong day -- my hairstylist is in Hawaii.
6: loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away
8: consecutive days that I have told myself, "Today we'll get the girls' room cleaned!" This might be why my girls haven't actually followed through yet ... because mommy just doesn't feel like doing it.
3: number of children who whined at Mike and me," Is it over yet??" when we forced them to watch the inauguration the other day.
9: number of kids (my own included) playing here at our house today
2: feet of mine that need a serious pedicure
7: number of women sitting on my couch last night until 12:30am watching a chick flick
30: number of Raisinettes I ate while watching said movie

Excuse me?

I know I'm not that young anymore but I don't think of myself as being that old either. I'm totally fine with my age (36, thank you very much) and am not in the least bit upset over the big 4-0 in a few years. What I didn't realize, however, is that others don't see me as being as young as I feel.

Case in point, the receptionist at the dentist's office today. I would have guessed she's about my age. But today, as she was trying to figure out where she recognized me from, she said, "Were you ever involved in teaching? You look like a student teacher I had when I was in elementary school." Seriously?!? I suppose it's possible if she's only 22 or something ... but dang. Either I am a horrible guesser at other people's ages or I am not aging as gracefully as I thought I was.

Bring on the botox.

Utah Parade

We took the kids (and one friend) downtown to a parade to celebrate the Utes' win in the Sugar Bowl. The kids were decked out with red Mardi Gras beads & pom poms and had fun high-fiving the players who walked the parade.With Jackson, the youngest Ute fan in our group.We found Grandma Mayfield part of the way down the parade route.We even made it on the news for about a second; check us out at the 1:33 minute mark.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

You go, Bro!

Here's my brother, Thomas, in a commercial for State Farm. He's the scruffy one getting out of bed in his boxers. I'm so proud. :)

Mom, you need this!

So I'm thinking my kids see a few too many commercials during their allotted t.v. time. This has become more evident recently as Paige has taken to quoting commercials to me in an effort to convince me to buy something. She doesn't quote toy commercials, though. She's particularly interested in mom-type items that she thinks I need to make my life easier. The other morning as I was getting breakfast ready, she said, "Mom, you need The Big City Slider Station. On a busy school morning, it makes 5 perfect egg sandwiches in an instant. Moms are going to love it! It's perfect for hamburgers. Just scoop, press and cook right on your stove. It's that easy!" I'm not kidding. Those were her exact words ... well, the exact words from the commercial perfectly quoted by my 5 year old.

She's particularly fond of the Buxton Organizer (an ugly purse/fanny pack-type thing) and tells me how much I need one every time I look through my purse for my keys, cell phone or whatever. "Mom! There's secret compartments and it can hold 2 water bottles and even an umbrella. Wow!" She knows how fond I am of purses and thinks this would be the perfect solution for me. I argued, "But Paige, those are ugly." She didn't back down. She found the one argument she thought I couldn't resist .... "But mom, it comes in red!"

Borrowed

Here's a little snippet from http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/. What a great spoof blog!

Tell-Tell Signs the Relationship's Croaked
* His texts dwindle. Guys, seriously: if he loves you, he will text. Harsh but true: if he doesn't have what it takes to think about you all day NOW, what the crap is he going to do in the eternities?
* He switches to a yawner car...if he ditches a hot Moabin' Jeep or big honkin hot truck for a Socialist Prius, RUUUUN. Unless of coarse you want a lifetime of wiping noses in nursery while the truck guys your friends married sit on the stand. Up to you I guess.
* He rushes your primping. If he EVER seriously even HINTS at you speeding up your hottie routine, get out while you can bc he is obviously a way selfish jerk. How the heck is he gonna shell out for augmentation later if he can't even wait patiently now? If he's so shallow he can't even wait, I bet he never even got above district leader.
* Remember, if he picks ANY jewelery without consulting you first, THAT IS NOT CUTE. IT IS DANGEROUS. Next thing you know he'll "suprise you" with some nasty ug cubic zirc and you'll spend the rest of your life feigning joy at every anniversary slash holiday pretending you don't wanna puke.

What's on my happy list?

Peppermint lotions and body scrubs: I love Bath & Body Works' line of peppermint stuff, but especially their sugar scrub and lotion. Santa brought plenty of it this year to keep my fix going through summer at least.

Diet Coke. Nectar of the gods, truly.

Movies. For as long as I can remember, movies have been a Farley family passtime. My mom used to check us out of school to catch a matinee. I've done that a couple of times with my kids and they were pleasantly shocked. I frequently go to late night movies with girlfriends. Mike and I rent a lot of DVDs. What a great escape.

My new running shoes. Good shoes do make a difference. I had no idea how much.

Elle's growing independence. She is so not a baby anymore and I love watching her figure things out and discover things for herself. It cracks me up to hear my phrases coming out of her mouth.

Christmas break in review

* Went sledding twice with different sets of cousins. One day was beautiful and warm'ish; the other day was cold and ended with 2 kids crying.
* Spent lots of time at home, playing with new toys and just chillin'.
* Saw several movies, with and without kids -- Bedtime Stories (loved it -- Mike tells the kids stories like that), Despereaux, Marley & Me (I'd give it 2 out of 4 stars), Benjamin Button (I loved, loved, loved that movie -- the acting and special effects blew me away), Wall-E (we never saw it in theaters and I really enjoyed it), Ghost Town (definitely watch it for a good laugh), and High School Musical 3 (we took Elle this time, who sat mesmerized by each musical number since she already knew the music).
* Took 3 kids to the dr. (different days for different ailments)
* Stayed up late and slept in little.
* Sent Mike to New Orleans with his buddy, Rob, to watch the Utes crush Alabama.
* Had Super Mario Bros. tournaments on the DS with my kids (and I beat them all).
* Had cousin sleepovers, one of which ended with a vomiting child.
* Trips to Toys R Us and the mall to spend Christmas money.
* Ate too much junk but loved it.
* Had a fire almost daily in the fireplace.
* Had home-spa day with my girls (even Elle sat still for purple nails).

Now the kids are back in school and I'm going to breathe ....