My Shoe Fettish

Those who know me, know I love love love shoes. Matt usually refers to those I like as "European looking". I do like shoes that are unique and different. I believe you can tell so much about a person by their shoes. Dumb, I know, but it's my thing. Here's a few on my wish list, many of which I'll never have because they're too expensive, but it's fun to want.

Zoe on the Pot

If you can catch her getting ready, she'll go on the toilet. She loves it and is always so proud of herself. She'll say, "I did it" and then wipe herself 800 times before say, "I done". For some strange reason, everytime she's at Grandma Ni's she goes in the toilet everytime. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but she doesn't mention it or think about it at home, until it's too late????

Ellie's Funnies

Ellie says the funniest things and I've been meaning to get caught up on my journal writing and write down all the hilarious things she says, so I'll never forget them. I'm going to put them on my blog instead, as it's going to serve as my journal from here on out. Here are some:

1) After getting dressed and ready for school, she looked at me seriously and said, "Can you believe someone this cute, wears a pull-up to bed"

2) Matt gave her a corsage for Easter and she said to him, "That was sure nice of ya"

3) She's learned to swear (from her father of course) and about a year ago was trying to get her seatbelt on and said quietly, "I can't get this damn seatbelt on". Also on Conference Sunday a few weeks ago, she told Matt's mom that her dad says "Bulls%*t" She now replies, "so do cows but they don't brag about it".

4) After waking up at 6:30 a.m. and lying in bed with me (anyone who knows me knows I'm so not a morning person), I kept asking her to hold still, as me and Zoe were still asleep. After awhile, I suggested she get up and play until Zoe woke up. She packed her suitcase, including a variety of swimsuits, and headed to Jane's house at 7:45 a.m. without my knowing. I got a call from Julie asking if I knew Ellie was there with her suitcase, saying she needed to stay for awhile. She came home sobbing and said she'd ran away, because I was a mean mom for asking her to hold still in bed. That night in her prayers, she asked Heavenly Father to "help her mom, be a better mom" OUCH!

5) Matt asked her to get him a bowl of cereal and a drink (joking, because she's too young) and she came down and said to me, "Dad is treating my like I"m his slave"

6) After getting the new addition to our family (a black lab, thanks Matt) and me telling her she couldn't keep it and had to take it back, then feeling too bad and guilty and giving in she said, "you'll feel better in your heart for making this decision"

Is she good or what?

My Addiction

I have an addiction to people who struggle with addiction (if that makes any sense). It's wierd and often times baffles me. I feel a desire to help, to protect, to learn, not to judge and try to understand them. Although, I do believe I understand it to some degree, because I know I'm addicted to food. I buy books about it, many I've never read, but here's my latest finds.

I haven't read the Sheff's book yet (just got them), but I have read "Come Back" and highly recommend it (if you can take sadness, darkness and despair), it was hard to read, but accurately displayed the raw truth of having a child addicted to drugs. Something I hope and pray everyday, I'll never have to deal with as a parent. I believe it to be the most devastating and helpless place a parent could find themself.

I'll keep you posted on the books. "Beautiful Boy" is the father's account of having a drug addicted son and "Tweak" is the son's journal / account of his life addicted to primarily crystal meth. FYI: Great Website: http://www.montanameth.org/ Amazing and incredibly successful campain in fighting Montana's huge meth problem. You can listen / view the ads they've put on T.V and radio that has significantly reduced the rate of meth use there. The ads are hard to watch (dark, horrible) but real life. I believe we need to show them in every state. I imagine people in Utah would have a difficult time with the ads and their children seeing them, but the reality is, kids need to see this stuff for what it really is and these definitely show that. We can't sugarcoat what they see and the ads here in Utah, I think are pathetic. They don't come close to displaying the drug for what it really is. Our children need to be scared. Scared is good sometimes, especially if it keeps them from using. That's my soapbox for the day! Press On!

My Children's Book Obsession

I love Children's Books. I could spend hundred's of dollars on them and have to restrain myself regularly from spending too much. There's so much to be learned from simple lessons. I try to buy books that will help me teach my girls the importance of loving themselves and believing they can do anything they put their mind too. Here's a few of my favorites! (We're addicted to Junie B. Jones, I wish she were mine!)

Moab 1/2 Marathon

We barely made it! This year seemed much much harder! Hopefully, time will heal all wounds and I'll forget how miserable those last 2 miles were!

I GIVE IN

Okay, I am giving in to the pressure to start a blog and primarily so I can keep a journal of the life of the Briem's and my darling girls. I don't know what I'm doing yet, but hopefully will soon figure it out.