The Wife
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Changing the World
The girls and I have been plogging a lot lately! …It looks like I don’t know how to spell, doesn’t it? No worries… it’s spelled that way on purpose. Plogging is a Swedish fitness craze that is a combination between jogging and picking up trash. It not only helps you get a cardio workout, but also helps the environment! When we first moved to California, we were appalled by how filthy our new city was, especially compared to our beautiful Cache Valley. We moved into a neighborhood where there are cars constantly lining the streets. Most homes house several families, and the houses themselves are often old and cluttered. Our…
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The Dilemma: Shop With Children… or Starve?
I recently read “Marley and Me” by John Grogan. It was a great book! Definite must read. It’s about a family raising a very unruly and hyper yellow labrador. The dog, Marley, is nicknamed “The World’s Worst Dog.” The book follows the Grogan family as they balance their lives as journalists, spouses and parents, and dog owners. Throughout the story, Marley gets kicked out of obedience school, tears apart the house due to fear of lightning, eats the baby’s dirty diapers, and still manages to become a vital and endearing member of the Grogan family. At one point in the story, the Grogans needed a dog sitter for Marley while…
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Operation Bullyproof
While Jess still felt that her karate skills were more than good enough to handle the situation at hand, Ben and I decided that a bit of bully-stopping self-defense training was in order. (For the full story read this first – Girls Can’t Play Soccer). After discussing it together, we came up with a three step process to follow: Step 1: Keep a straight face and use a stern, strong voice to say, “Stop that. It’s not a game. I don’t like it.” Step 2: If they don’t stop, give them a second stern, clear warning. Step 3: If they still don’t stop, punch them as hard as you can.…
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Girls Can’t Play Soccer
For most people, moving in the middle of the school year isn’t easy. Jess, though… she took it all completely in stride. She has always been one to “just keep swimming.” As soon as we knew we were moving, we did our best to make sure the girls understood why we were leaving. It wasn’t just something that we wanted; they needed to know that God was sending us. There was a real purpose to it… not just for Ben and I, but for the girls, too. They just had to find out what it was. For Jess, that was enough. The day I dropped her off at her new…
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The Intro – Here’s to the Ones Who Dream (Part 4 of 4)
So there we were… the director of a non-profit/financial consultant, and the full-time mom. He was still building two businesses, which means the income was still unpredictable. To help supplement our income, Ben would find himself doing odd jobs here and there. This job, though, found him. A friend who works in the film industry offered him the opportunity to be in a small fan film. Due to connections he made there, he was contacted to be an extra in a tv show, and then again in a film. And he loved every minute of it. He started looking for more background work and was able to be in a…
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The Intro – Take it Away (Part 3 of 4)
“This is awesome! I want twelve of them!” Early on in our marriage, we felt inspired that we should start to have children. We wanted children, but hadn’t planned to have them for a couple years. Enter that “faith” idea again. We had a couple miscarriages at first, but a little over a year later, we had a daughter. I remember holding her in the hospital and saying, “This is awesome! I want twelve of them!” With each addition to our family, I’ve learned that motherhood is much more difficult than I first thought. I have four darling girls now and I hope to have more children, but probably not…
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The Intro – Growing Up a Performer (Part 2 of 4)
Back to my new acquaintance. I have met so many new and lovely people. I have, however, been asked many questions that seem strange to me. It’s not that I’m offended- I’m sure I also accidentally say things that could offend someone else, so I do my best to be understanding. And honestly, I love explaining my life choices, because it gives me a chance to share my beliefs with other people. It’s just that I have a different perspective than they do, so some of the questions I get confuse me. Here are a few of them: You’re letting him do this? How long will you give this (before you…
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The Intro – A Sensible Life (Part 1 of 4)
I like to think that I’m my worst critic. I don’t care to find out if that’s true. I would love to look at my life and see something that makes sense, something worthy of praise. I know it doesn’t look that way at this point. We haven’t achieved any real financial stability. We don’t own a home. In fact… we don’t even currently live in our own place. We have four children- two more than most people would consider healthy. Believe me, I see it too. I’ve become the recipient of more than a few skeptical interactions. Let me replay one for you: New acquaintance: So, what brought you…
