A Few Things I Learned At Women's Conference

I had the amazing opportunity to go to BYU Women's Conference last weekend. And I would love to share what I learned:


1. Women are CRAZY! Especially 20,000 of them all together.

2. BYU Cheesecake is surprisingly awesome. (I ate some every day.) Even better than The Cheesecake Factory's. And you all know I'm a cheesecake snob.

3. It is not an easy task to RUN across BYU campus, being almost 7 months pregnant. (I had to do this to avoid all the crazy women.) But at least I burned off those cheesecakes.

4. Don't leave finding a hotel to the last minute. Unless you want to stay in a dump with no carpet, cement walls, and where it smells like a moldy outhouse on a farm.

5. I was more excited to get home to my children than I was to leave them!! (I have really cute kids.)


Seriously though, I did learn some wonderful things that I hope to share over the next few weeks or so. If you care to read about it, stay tuned. I will try and keep it entertaining!

Busted

Someone at our house threw a big tantrum! They threw Mommy's cell phone against the floor (or maybe the wall, shhh.)

The two older kids blamed Mr. Menace. It wouldn't have been surprising for him to pull such a stunt, but Mommy knew the truth. Mommy knows all. Especially when Mommy throws the tantrum.

Should Mommy fess up, or blame Mr. Menace? How could you even think I would do such a thing? No, no, people. I told the truth. And I even learned something from all of it. I learned that if you are ever on the phone with me, don't make me mad! :)

Waste Not, Want Not

My husband calls me a food snob. I can't disagree with him. I have only been cooking for about 8 years (if you count mac and cheese for the first couple years.) But I have loved to bake since I was about 12. And I love making rich, delectable, fancy desserts. My husband doesn't like any of that kind of stuff. He would rather eat a package of Oreos. (I'm not dissin' Oreos, but get your priorities straight.) So anyway, my kids and I usually end up eating all of what I make. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

So, today we had dinner at my in-laws house. I was asked to make the dessert. I was craving my favorite chocolate cake. It's really rich and dense and...perfect. So, I made it right before we left so that it would still be warm after dinner. We all had a small piece and yeah- it was heavenly. And even better-there was plenty of leftovers. BUT, as we were leaving, I had about 10 other things I was trying to carry at the same time, and I'm sure you can guess...I dropped it. It was in a cake Tupperware thing (that's the official name of it) with the lid on and everything, but somehow it popped open and ~SPLAT~ all over the driveway. My husband tells me that I looked like I was about to cry. I probably would have, but I had a thought. My thought was about that episode of Friends, "The One With All The Cheesecakes." And that picture above popped into my mind.

So, I grabbed a fork and went at it. Kidding!! But I might have thought about it. My 6-year-old, who loves cake almost as much as I do, was grilling me about what had happened. I tried to re-assure him and just said, "Oh, it's fine, it's fine" but he just starred at me and said, "That is definitely NOT fine!" (I know, buddy, I know.) We brought the cake home.

Now you might be wondering what I'm going to do. Throw it away? Cut off the top, and eat the rest? Well, I'll let you figure that out-but here's a clue: It is still sitting on the counter.

Vices

If you are mom-or really,who am I kidding-if you are a woman, then I bet you have some kind of vice. I confess that I have plenty. They are what get me through the day. Y'all know what a "vice" is, right?

Vice. [vahys] -noun 1. an evil practice or bad habit

Okay, so that may be putting it on a little strong, but you get the idea. If you are one of those moms who wakes up early with perfectly behaved children, all their chores done by 7AM, and everything in order, then maybe this blog isn't for you. Don't get me wrong, we all wish we were you okay? I think most moms I know have a caffeine vice. In my neck of the woods, you will see the caravan of mini-vans pulling up to the Maverick every morning to get their 62 oz. Coke/Pepsi/Dr. Pepper. I also have to confess that soda has never been one of my vices. Can't stand it. Here's what gets me through the day:

Cheesecake

I had to show a pic of my homemade cheesecake, because-let me brag here-it's the best cheesecake ever. I often have it in my fridge, and when I do, I have it every morning for breakfast until it's gone!

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake is so easy to whip up and my kids love helping me make it. So when Cheesecake isn't on hand, Chocolate Cake usually is.

Lindor Truffles

By the time afternoon rolls around, just a little chocolate can go a long way. When mama's happy, the kids are {usually} happy.

Caramel Cadburry Eggs

This time of year, these babies come around. I know a lot of you prefer the Creme Eggs. Not me. These are so amazing. I stock up on them around Easter, and when I run out, I go back to the Lindor Truffles.

Apparentley, all my vices are food-related. Mostly chocolate. Love it. What are some of your vices?

The Intro

A little over two years ago, I had a dream. Really, more of a nightmare.

In this dream, I was going about my usual business, which is being a stay-at-home-mom to three little ones {at the time}. In my house, I always keep all my blinds and curtains open because I love my home to feel light and open. As I was taking care of day-to-day things, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there was a man and a woman at the door. They didn't really introduce themselves, but they wanted to come inside. I told them "no" for whatever reason, and shut the door. {My husband is always telling me not to answer the door if I don't know who it is, but I did in the dream...and sometimes I do for real.} So, a while after I shut the door, I go down to my family room where we have a big open sliding door which is one big window. I see this couple outside in my backyard, trying to come into my house from the back. So I shut the curtains. {Smart, huh?} For some reason, in this dream, I just knew that they were trying to come in and get my daughter. Not my other two kids, just my daughter.

That was it. That was the dream.

What happened next is a scene right out of a movie. I literally sat up straight in my bed, huge eyes, and wide awake! I only had one thought:

"Make your blog private."

The dream had nothing to do with blogging, but that was the only thought in my mind. When I started blogging, I would post at least 4-5 times a week. I used it as my therapy, sometimes writing about my kids, other times writing about my random thoughts. I have enjoyed writing since I was in 6th grade and like to create stories or prose from my life, or maybe what I wish was my life. However, after I made my blog private, I have stopped writing. I post pictures of my extremely cute family; how the kids are growing, vacations we have, etc. But there is no writing. So maybe I am creating this blog so I can write again {without all the tiny details of my family}.

In the last year or so, I have felt like a different person, for reasons that I may get into later. I haven't really been myself, and I'm hoping this might help, so stay tuned!