Bathroom Remodel

I have 5 kids. I also have one smallish kids bathroom with one sink. As you can imagine trying to get 5 kids to brush teeth and get ready often causes fights and toothpaste on surfaces all over the bathroom as they climb toilets and sit on counters trying to maneuver around one another.

So naturally when the idea popped in my mind to put in two sinks instead of just one it did not seem like that big of a deal. On further discussion we realized that we would need two new sinks and two new faucets and we might as well replace the counter that is ugly and has had a bleach stain on it since we moved in. We then realized that we would need a new vanity though as well since the one we have will not accommodate two sinks.

(Current bathroom)

It still sounded like a fairly do-able project. But then I remembered how much I hate the flooring as well. And heck if we are already replacing everything else why not rip out the floor, mirror, and light fixture while we are at it.

Hmmmmm....suddenly this is sounding not so easy. So it was off to the store and MANY hours later we picked out flooring, a vanity, sinks, faucets, counter tops, light fixtures and mirrors. Everything we got ended up being a special order and it makes me super nervous to try and pick out flooring to match a vanity to match a counter that we have only seen small swatches of or pictures of.

We sat down and made a schedule based on what we needed to get done before the flooring and all the other orders arrive and two nights ago we started demo. Seriously, I don't know who I think I am sometimes. I get these ideas and then the reality hits and I wonder why the heck was one sink SO bad?

(after night one)

This was after night one. We removed all the accessories and towel bars. We removed the mirror and back splash tiles and started patching nail holes and things. Unfortunately removing the tiles caused some major drywall issues and so we had to add patching drywall to our schedule for the next day.

(after night 2)

Last night we unhooked all the water, removed the sink and counter top and removed the vanity. We also cut out the section of drywall that needs to be replaced and continued patching.

The list of to-do tonight is to take out the toilet and start tearing out the tile floor. Amazingly we have done this at night with the kids sleeping right there without waking anyone up.

We are in the dirty ugly messy stage right now and I am honestly hoping that it will all pay off in the end. We purchased beautiful hardwood cabinetry, limestone flooring, and a beautiful quartz counter top. In the end the "kids" bathroom is going to be way nicer than my master bath...I think there is something wrong with that scenario.

We have about a week or so to finish demo, have the walls in shape to paint and once the tile gets here we will spend that weekend learning to tile. The entire project should be done over the next several weeks as our orders come in. Stay tuned for updates!

Funny Kids

My kids make me laugh. This last week they all gave me a chuckle at one point or another.

Ethan is a hard worker when he wants to be but he also likes to find short cuts when he can. Charlie and I were going through some of his school work today and we found his answer to this question quite funny.

I also took Ethan to see the 5 Browns piano concert the other night. I asked him during intermission if he hopes he can play like that some day. His answer, "Um, no, I plan on being a scientist." If he wants to be a scientist he is going to have to come up with some better answers to his homework!

This is what I found Logan doing after a hard day of playing and eating. I feel sorry for his wife some day.

Abby got an i-pod for Christmas and most of the music on it is my music. The other day in the car she was listening to it and all of a sudden I heard her say, "What the heck is this?" She handed me her i-pod and I saw that it was The Cure. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "It sounds like it is from the 1800's. Abby, I am old but not THAT old.

Last week Sam wanted his blanket. I asked him where it was and he kept telling me it was in the chicken. Over and over again, I had no idea what he was talking about. It was a few minutes later that I went to get a drink and saw it on the floor in the kitchen and realised that the chicken in Sam's world means the kitchen. He also asks all the time if he can have "awfuls" for breakfast. Awfuls = Waffles and I swear it has nothing to do with my cooking!

Last but not least is my little Morgan. The other night we were late getting to bed and we told her to get in bed and not get out. She promptly asked if it was ok to get out to go potty or come and get us if she gets an "ear confection". Yes Morgan, you can come and get us any time you get one of those crazy ear confections.

I love when my kids bring a smile to my face and I love their innocence. Moments like these I know I will miss as they get older.

Weight loss and Training

I am doing this post mainly as a motivation for myself. I am not usually one to toot my own horn but this last 6 months I have pushed myself pretty hard to do some things that do not come easily to me and I think it is important for me to take a look back and see where I have come from and give myself a second to try and feel proud.

Today I hit a major milestone. I have lost 30 pounds!!!!! I started this journey in August so it has not been a quick process. I feel like I have been doing it the right way...go figure, eating right, exercise, and determination really do work.

I have 10 more pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I have a strong feeling that the last 10 will be as hard and take almost as long to lose as the first 30. I have noticed a significant slow down in my loss despite the fact that I am still watching what I eat and have increased my workouts from only 2-3 days a week to 6 days a week. I am determined to not give up though. I am going to keep pushing and hopefully will be able to report back again once I have finally hit my goal.

Because the weight loss has happened slowly I am surprised that I don't really feel all that different. In fact I had to pull some clothes out of my closet from last summer to try on just to convince myself that maybe I am starting to look a little different. I decided to snap some shots of me in my pants pre weight loss. The first pair of pants I wore post baby, the second are the ones I was wearing right before I started to lose some weight and the third are some I bought probably after I had lost the first 10 pounds. I was amazed when I went to put these pants on and did not have to undo a single button or zipper. This was a big moment for me. I am kind of disgusted with myself that I once fit in to all of these clothes. I hope I never go back.

I guess I will need to do some shopping this summer. All the hard work pays off when you have to go buy new clothes not because you just want something new but because you literally can't wear your old stuff anymore.

As far as training goes that has not been as successful. My running has been plagued with injury. I guess that is what happens when a 33 year old woman with 5 kids who has never exercised decides to be fit all of a sudden. I am however determined and doing my best to just work through my current injury.

Right now I am on a 8 week program of running twice a week and doing my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred video 4 times a week. I am finishing up the first segment today and move on to segment 2 tomorrow.

After that 8 week program I start my 10 week training for my first 10k. Charlie and I are running our first 10k ever. His parents are coming to cheer us on and watch the kiddos for us. We have lots of friends coming who are running races as well and it will be a fun weekend that I am looking forward to.

I am literally praying that my body can hold itself together long enough for me to train for this race. I am nervous. I really want to accomplish this goal and I need my body to cooperate.

I want to give a big thanks to my friends and family who have inspired me and encouraged me through all of this. It is so nice to see some results and know that I am a much healthier mom than I was 6 months ago!

Tubing

Yesterday we got a sitter and took the 3 older kids tubing. What a B-L-A-S-T!!!!

First off just let me say how easy it is to take my 3 older kids out for the day and not have to bring diapers and wipes and snacks and toys and blankets and bottles and and and ....seriously kids ages 9-6 is a walk in the park. Anyway back to tubing.
We found a great place not far from home. How we have lived here for almost 5 years and did not know about this place is beyond me. We will for sure be going again. They had great tubes and a tow line and 4 runs to choose from. We could go down together in a big group or alone. You could choose if you wanted them to spin you or just send you down straight. I opted out on the spin but the kids wanted to spin all the way down.

I love this video of Abby where I could hear her laugh all the way down the hill. It was a great afternoon and I really enjoyed spending time with my 3 oldest and my hubby trying something new.

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly

The kids had off school Friday and Monday and Thursday morning we had a conversation that went something like this.

Me: Hey, the kids have off today and Monday, do we want to do anything fun this weekend?

Charlie: Yeah, why don't I take Friday off and we can go stay at a resort and ski or better yet why don't we go to Chicago and watch the Bears game?

Kids: Cheering and smiles

Me: Ok, and why don't we stay in a hotel Friday night so they can swim and play.

Really???? Did I just say that??? I am the least impulsive person I know, and being married to the most impulsive person I know we can sometimes butt heads but this time it just worked somehow.

I spent the rest of the day on Thursday frantically planning, making phone calls, and packing. Everything was waiting at the door as soon as Charlie and the kids got home and we were off!

We drove for about 3 hours and then stopped at a hotel for the night to swim and play. The kids had a blast.

The next morning we had breakfast and headed to The Museum of Science and Industry for the day. The kids loved the museum. The highlights were the baby chicks, the U-505 boat, the water area, and the weather area. We were tired by the end of the day but we have some great memories.

Then we were off to visit the fam. Charlie's brother Brad and his family came up to watch the game as well and we always love seeing them. There was lots of laughs and great food as usual.

So...the GOOD:

- Brook was impulsive
- The hotel was a blast
- The museum was great
- Spending time with family is always a blessing

Now for some BAD:

Despite all our effort and the fact that we were all wearing Bears gear from head to toe...the Bears lost and our hope of a Bears vs. Stealers Superbowl was over. We then had a LONG drive home that night that would have been much more fun had we won.

The DOWNRIGHT UGLY:

****warning*** If you are squeamish about bodily functions you may want to skip this part. You've been warned. And be glad I have no pictures for this part of the post!

My little Sam has been working on potty training and the last few weeks he has become aware that he should be pooping in the potty and not his diaper so every time he has to go he has been stopping himself and starting to make himself constipated.

This is a common thing in kids being potty trained but I noticed in the last week his appetite had all but disappeared. When he did eat he would always say his belly hurt. When we got to the museum he spiked a fever out of no where and was not feeling well. By Saturday morning he was in quite a bit of pain and was asking to sit on the toilet about every 5 minutes with no success. It got so bad that he spent an entire day crying, feverish, shaking, and in obvious distress.

After a very long sad day Charlie and his dad gave him a blessing and his little body was able to rest for the first time in 12 hours. He slept through the night but awoke around 5 in even more pain. It was off to the ER.

They got him right in and gave him a enema. Uh, not fun folks...not fun at all. Still nothing would come out. So then they attempted manual extraction. If you thought the enema did not sound fun this was worse. I was not there but to hear the story of having to pin down my 2 year old with screams of terror and pain was unbearable. Still no success. There were several trips to the potty and still nothing was working.

They were going to give him another enema and then finally....success. He was instantly relieved and feeling much better. The doctors said there was no way that it would have passed on it's own so we are glad we took him in. I now wish we would have done it a little sooner.

He is still having a hard time and we are going to have to watch him close the next month or so but he is feeling much better than he was.

So there you have it. The Good, The Bad, and The DOWNRIGHT UGLY. I am glad we made the trip. Family is just the best. As for the Bears...maybe next year. Go Stealers!

Have you ever?

Have you ever had 8, 12 year old boys sleep at your house? I have and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it.

Last night was the annual yearly planning meeting for the deacons at the Carn compound. I can tell you I was a bit surprised that the first thing all the boys did was play with Morgan's Barbie doll house and then proceed to dress up in fairy wings and tutus! I have pictures but I will save them of the embarrassment.

Over the last 15 1/2 hours I have heard belching contests and discussions of eating pizza until you puke. My entire house wreaks of bacon and lets just say that the smell coming from my basement...well...it smells exactly like 8, 12 year old boys slept there. If you can't imagine what that might smell like you are welcome to come and experience it for yourself.

I have exactly 50 minutes left before the cleaning and deodorizing begins. I have to say that they are a great group of boys and it is fun to watch in the background how differently boys interact. Only 364 days until I get to do it all over again!

Happy Festivus . . . for the Rest of Us!

Sorry - I had to blogjack Brook again for a special occassion.

As all of you know, today is December 23rd. Time to get out your aluminum poles (because tinsel is distracting), invite over your friends and celebrate Festivus. Please feel free to comment on the annual, beloved sharing of grievences and don't leave out any details on your family's feats of strength.




Enjoy it while you can . . . Soon enough it will be time to go back to work at Vandelay Industries.

Christmas Recital

My kids had their Christmas recital this last weekend. Ethan just started playing 4 months ago and I have been thrilled at his progress.

They both practiced a ton and I loved hearing Christmas songs being played in my home the last few weeks. They both got cold feet and had a few slip ups here and there but I was so proud of them. I especially loved seeing Ethan play a duet with his dad. It was so cute to see his little smile through the whole song.

It was another great year and I love to see the progress they are making. I am so proud of all their hard work.

The story of Fanta

To any of you out there that may not know just how competitive Charlie's brothers and sisters can be you must hear the story of how Fanta came to be. My sister-in-law recently put a picture up of their newly acquired Fanta and said that she would tell the story of him some day. I figured that each kid in the family has their own perspective and we needed to jump at the chance to get the TRUE story out for all posterity to read someday.

It all began many years ago when Diane hand painted this Santa as a Christmas decoration for their home. It was well loved by all the Carn children and a fond memory of Christmas past. As years went on Diane's taste changed and she filled her house with all sorts of new shiny decorations and poor Santa was left in a box for many years.

(Real Santa)

Charlie and I moved to Chicago and we were approached by Diane our first Christmas there wanting to know if we wanted Santa as she was going to throw him away. Charlie jumped at the offer. I not having the nostalgic value behind it actually thought it was kind of ugly and was not thrilled about having a beat up Santa placed front and center on our mantel each year. I since have grown to love Santa and look forward to taking him out at the start of the holiday season.

It wasn't until one of the brothers found out that we had Santa that the tales of unfairness and plotting ways to retrieve said Santa begun. The boys actually went to such great lengths that they stole our garage door opener out of our van, broke into our house and held Santa hostage. Literally, they put duct tape over his mouth and vowed that we would never see him again!

The game was on. Charlie and I were now on the hunt. We did not let anyone know that we noticed that Santa was missing. They all thought they were so sneaky. We did some breaking in of our own and finally found and rescued Santa from his brothers house and brought Santa home...where he belongs.

We since have kept Santa under close supervision. He is hidden so well in our house you would have to take the house apart board by board to ever be able to find him. As a joke a few years ago we said we were so tired of hearing about all the whining and complaining that we would bring Santa back with us and place a bet on the Bears game at Christmas, that whoever guessed closest to the final score would win the Santa. The kids were ecstatic to say the least.

Why anyone would believe that Charlie would actually give up willingly something his siblings were so jealous over is beyond me. The search was on to find a fake Santa...or as we like to call him...FANTA! We found an exact replica on EBAY. The only difference was the weight. The original Santa weighs a ton. Charlie spent hours painting the new Santa. We debated on filling it with plaster to make it heavy and trying to distress it to make it look older but in the end we knew that it would never pass for the real Santa and we were tired of spending anymore time on it. We packed up Fanta and headed for Chicago.

(Fanta and real Santa)

So we made our bets and at the end of the game guess who one.....CHARLIE. SURPRISE SURPRISE. So now we were stuck with real Santa AND Fanta. Now what were we going to do?

The Carn's had a huge family reunion this summer and we decided to offer once again to bring Santa as a bingo prize the final night. Tension ran high and the siblings have never before taken bingo so seriously. It ended up that my sister-in-law Bridget won it for her and Brad. Ahhhh...the moment of unveiling had finally come.

Fanta came out of his box and for a brief moment there was joy that Santa had finally been stripped away from us. It was not until closer examination that the betrayal had been discovered! Can I tell you I was more than a little worried for the safety of Charlie and myself.

So now Fanta resides with Brad and Bridget...and the drama continues over why Charlie the golden child was so unfairly bestowed with Santa. So there you have it. The true story of Santa and how Fanta came to be.

(Fanta in his new home)

Ross and Diane, I highly suggest if you have not put in the will yet who gets the advent calendar with the precious star, you might want to do that soon. The controversy over that one item alone may be enough to take out your entire family!

Naughty or Nice?

A few days ago we did one of our yearly Christmas traditions when we visited Santa at his magical house. It is beautifully decorated and I think I look forward to it just as much as the kids do.
We were smart this year and went early in the season when we did not have to wait outside in the freezing cold for 2 hours. We walked right in where it was warm and cozy and hopped in the sleigh for some pictures.

Then each of the kids got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and tell them what they wanted for Christmas this year. I was expecting Sam to cry but he did really well. We didn't get a shot of just Logan...maybe next year.

I am loving this time of year. I love that we have finally lived somewhere long enough that our kids have traditions that they will remember for the rest of their lives. We look forward to our stop this week at the world's largest Christmas store!

Change of title

This book was a classic in my home growing up. I have thought of this title many times over the last week and decided to make some changes to it to better describe what we have been through the last 7 days.

I will try to make a long story somewhat short. We now have made a new Thanksgiving tradition for ourselves. It's called the stomach flu...and I highly discourage anyone from following in our tradition. It seems that each year that I try to host Thanksgiving we all come down with the stomach flu.

It started this year with Charlie. He came home from turkey bowl and started to complain of an upset stomach. By the time we finally got the meal on the table he made himself a plate sat down and no sooner had he put his fork in his hand he ran from the table and spent the next 24 hours between the bed and the bathroom.

The clock was now ticking to see which of us was going to be the next lucky one. By Saturday Charlie was feeling a bit better and had taken some of the kids out to pick up some dinner. I got a phone call a few minutes later to come meet him at the car because Sam had thrown up all over.

The 5 days after that we all were hit one by one like an army being overtaken by the enemy. Next was Logan, then Abby, then Morgan and Ethan (they managed to both get sick literally 4 minutes apart).

So....I was the last soldier standing. How I was the last one since I have been the one to clean up all the stuff coming out of both ends and have not left the house in 6 days is beyond me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach for more reasons than one. Charlie was leaving to go out of town. Yup, you heard me.

Sure enough he left at 4:00 this morning and I was left at home with not 1, not 2, not 3, BUT 5 sick kids home from school and the last soldier standing was finally brought to her knees (literally) at 8:00 this morning.

It has been a long day of survival mode. Thank heavens that Abby is doing well enough to give me a hand between bathroom breaks. I actually have about a 1 hour window between pit stops where I feel kind of ok'ish...thus how I am able to be writing this right now. I am sure I should be doing something better with my time, but I am sad and lonely and this is my only form of human contact. How lame is that?

This is a brief summary of my last 7 days:

Pots of homemade soup made: 1

Loads of laundry done: 18

Packages of wipes gone through: 4

Bottles of Pedialyte: 4

Loaves of bread eaten for toast: 4

Sleepless nights: 7

Times carpet cleaner used: 8

I have also been through an entire container or Clorox wipes and a whole bottle of bleach and have literally washed every sheet, pillow, and blanket that we own. Needless to say, I am tired and ready for Charlie to be home and have a house full of healthy happy children again.

Funny enough being sick during Thanksgiving does make you thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful for 5 normally healthy children. I am thankful for my own health and for that of my husband. I am thankful for disposable diapers. I am thankful for flushing toilets. I am thankful for a wonderful washer and dryer and an amazing carpet cleaner. I am thankful for my yummy twisted peppermint hand soap from bath and body works that has made all this hand washing a reminder of the holidays around the corner. I am thankful for prayer and the strength I have received from it over the last 12 hours. I am thankful for times of trial that let us reflect on all of our many blessings that we have.

Now if you will excuse me...I am off to visit my best friend the toilet!

November Visiting Teaching

I don't know about you but November and December are always difficult months to get visiting teaching in. I decided this month to make a little treat and drop it off to the sisters we visit. They turned out so cute that I thought I would share the idea since it was super simple.

I love this website. She makes the cutest little handouts each month for visiting teaching. I printed it out and rolled it up and tied it with a cute bow.

I attached them to these little boxes I use all the time from Michael's. I just love them because they come in all different colors and sizes.

Then I filled them up with some of these yummy treats that I LOVE to make. They are quick and the kids love to help and the combination of sweet and salty is just perfect. All you need is some round pretzels, Hershey kisses, and m&m's. Depending on the colors you use you can make these for almost any holiday.

So...if you have not already done your visiting teaching for the month you may want to give this a shot. Now I just have to get mine delivered before I eat them all!

Morgan's Book of Jesus

Today my little Morgan came home from church and started busily working on something. She came to me when she was all done and said, "Mom, you have to read my book." I quickly opened the pages and this is what I read:

Here is a translation for all of you out there who can't interpret 6 year old spelling.
I know my Savior loves me. I love The Church of Jesus Christ. I know I should listen. God gives us the power to love our friends. God loves us as makes us love Him. He made the earth. I love God and Jesus. You should listen to the first article of faith. We should love our friends. God gives us the love. I love our friends. This book is about Jesus. I love Jesus. He makes everything. The end.

This little project was completely her own idea and it was so sweet to read her little testimony in her own little words. This one will for sure get tucked away in a special little spot to hang on to. I am so thankful for my sweet children and the examples they are to me. This was just the book that I needed to read today!

One INCREDIBLE Halloween

This Halloween ended up being a theme year for us and we all dressed up as one "Incredible" family. The kids loved seeing Charlie and I dressed up with them and we have had a great time the last few days at friend and ward parties all dressed up.

The season started with our pumpkin carving. The kids always sketch out their drawings and then we do our best to transfer them to their pumpkins.

They dig our the guts and then we help them carve away. Morgan did all her own carving this year and she did a great job.
We were able to attend our friends grown-up only Halloween party and it is one of our most favorite times of the year. The costumes ranged from pregnant nuns, Mr. Clean, Simon and Paula, Shrek and Fiona and lots of others. We played games and had a great time visiting.

We had our ward trunk-r-treat this year as well. We went all out and decorated our trunk with lights and spiders and homemade bats and ghosts that the kids made. We also had lots of dry ice to add to the spookiness of it all. Someone in our ward had a "brilliant" idea to shoot off a candy cannon. They said it was full of soft candy but the last time I checked a Starburst heading straight for your face at 20 mph does not feel so soft. It ended with about 20 kids getting hit and screaming and crying. I will be surprised to see if the candy cannon makes an appearance again next year.

It was a great weekend. We had fun with friends and our kids. Now we just need to try and sell all our costumes on ebay and start the hunt for next year!

On a lighter note

One of the best parts about going to Utah is getting to spend time with friends and family that I don't get to see very often. I thank my sweet husband who allowed me to go without children so I could just go and enjoy my time there.

I spent some wonderful time with my family. We had lots of laughs and I enjoyed my time up at my parents very peaceful cabin in the mountains.

My dear friend came and met me at the airport since I had to wait a few hours for my brother and his girlfriend to get there. She brought me yummy soup and ice cream and we had a blast chatting and people watching.

One of the best highlights was getting to see my sisters brand new baby, little Noah. He was just as cute as can be and I was thrilled to snuggle him. I also was able to spend some special time with my sister just driving and going to buy Noah's blessing outfit.

I also spent time with my sisters kids. They are so cute and fun and I can't wait to get all of the kids together in July. They have so much fun together.

I also got to see my cute grandpa and had fun visiting with him.


The last night I was there I went to stay at my friends house. Her family just happened to be having a Halloween party that night and they came up with a great costume idea to go as "sister wives".

We laughed and laughed as we did our poofy hairdos. It will for sure be a night to remember.

I am so glad I was able to spend some special time with my friends and family that I miss each and every day. Hopefully the next time I am there it will be under better circumstances, but I really enjoyed myself and am missing them already!

Celebrating Grandma Jane

I just returned home from a wonderful visit out to Utah to celebrate my grandmother's life.

The day was perfect in every way. The picture above is the view from the cemetery where my grandma was laid to rest. The funeral was beautiful and it was wonderful to see family and extended family.

Here is a picture of all of the brothers and all of the sisters. I don't know that anyone could remember the last time they were all together. It was wonderful to see the support that they gave to one another and to see the love they had for their mother.

My grandma is finally back home with her husband and we all had a special feeling that she was happy to have moved on and is at peace.

I feel so blessed to have been able to say goodbye to my grandma and celebrate the wonderful life that she lived. It once again reminded me that family is really all that matters in the end and it was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who I love and who love me.