Jan. '24- Week 4- Linen Closet, Three girls' hair cuts, Hosting Young Adults, More Celebrating Ben, Adam's Birthday, Mom getting sick again.

22nd- Monday: Alice stayed home because she wasn't feeling well. Thankfully Dan could stay home with her. She ended up throwing up one time and then felt better. I subbed at the junior high in a SPED class. The teacher only had a 1st, 4th, and 5th period. A para came in and helped with 4th also, so I enjoyed the down time and used it to blog. There was one pretty defiant kid in 4th period that ended up needing to talk to the principal, so I’m glad there were two of us in there. Everyone did homework and piano when we got home. I napped a little. Alice was feeling much better!  Anna had gymnastics. I kept laundry going and made spaghetti for dinner since Alice and I didn’t have to go to Let’s Play Music. We ate and folded laundry. I took Anna and Desi to their basketball game.  They lost and Anna seemed pretty sad about it.  Desi came to cheer them on since she still had her broken foot/boot on and couldn't play. Once we got home, Dan and I tried to go to bed early. 

23rd- Tuesday: I exercised after everyone left. I got caught up on Marco Polo. I wiped down the garbage cans and the garbage drawer space, then I wiped down a few cupboards in the kitchen. I showered and listened to conference talks and the BoM reading for the week. I ran a few errands: DI, Distribution to exchange garments (where I saw Joan Betts from the ward), UPS store for a return, and then I got a car wash. I had lunch and swept the laundry room. I practiced voice/choir stuff and organized the music storage a little. I napped before kids got home. Once I debriefed with all the kids, about their day, I reviewed some music for choir. I helped Alice a little with her music. I made dinner. Anna worked on her Valentines. We ate and Dan got home a little later. I left for Chorale rehearsal. We worked on the first movement of the Requiem a ton! We read through all the other movements and one more piece. I found out the loud rumble sounds in the basement of the Tabernacle are TRAX trains going by outside! 

24th- Wednesday: I subbed at the Jr. High in a LA Sped class. Most of the classes were great except for last period, they were pretty talkative and inappropriate. I came home and napped while Anna and Bethany were at piano. Alice watched a show. I took them to the Winegar’s to play. I worked on the blog and picture collages. Ben had piano. I picked him up. I got the girls from Winegar’s and made dinner. We ate and then I went with McKenna and Ben to the YM/YW activity which was an education night with Bro. Inman and Sis. Olson.  McKenna and Ben got to go to the temple in the morning with Swa.  

25th- Thursday: I exercised, ate, then showered. I listened a lot to my book club book. I organized the downstairs linen closet. I napped a little. I had lunch, then went to the temple to do sealings. It was a lovely experience where I felt the daughters I knelt for were so happy to be sealed to their parents!  Afterwards, one of the brethren shared a story about how he felt prompted to keep clicking names and found other relatives!  I got home the same time as the kids. I took the three girls to get their hairs cut. They all loved the results and ended up with about the same hair length! I started dinner. McKenna had piano. The two girls had gymnastics. I left for Choir School and Dan had to work late. My dad picked up the two girls from gymnastics.  I'm so thankful for their help!

26th- Friday: I substituted in Ms. Saddler’s 5th grade class. They’re a really good class overall!  I ran to the store after school for a few things we needed for the evening. We cleaned up a little and had mac and cheese and salad for dinner. Taggart, Henry, and Ben hung out. We had some young married couples come over for an evening of connection. Dan’s new calling is the ward young adult specialist, which applies to anyone 18-30, married or single. We played a get to know you game using skittles and M&Ms and questions that go with a certain color. Dan gave a spiritual thought about influential teachings from our prophet and we had a little discussion. We had treats afterwards. Our kids helped babysit all of the couples' kids down stairs. Anna said she was in “baby heaven!”  They watched the two West girls Evie and Rosie, Jameson Daines, Lincoln Barnett, and Kaysen and Millie Jensen. We also had the Hornes and the Speirs over. McKenna went to see Footloose at SDJH with friends. Dan gave them a ride home while I cleaned up. 

27th- Saturday: We slept in and laid in bed till 9:40 ish. We ate together. I worked on deciding what Amazon things I was keeping, and what I was returning. The kids all did their own thing. Dan showered and took Anna to basketball. He filled up his car and then I met him at a taco truck for a quick lunch date. I picked up groceries, got a few things inside the store as well, filled up at Costco, got a carwash, and then made some returns at the UPS store. Anna had Zoe Martineau over to hang out. I worked on my music a bit. Dan had a work phone call. McKenna watched the newer Little Women. We left at 5pm to take Zoe home. We picked up pizza and went to Layton to my parents’ house. We ate, watched some piano YouTube videos, and then celebrated Sadie turning 4!  We also sang to Ben and had Hostess Donuts. We had to document that Ben is now taller than my mom! We got home around 8:50 and all the girls did showers and baths and bed. I tried on my new stuff from Amazon. 

28th- Sunday: Church!  The 2nd hour was combined youth with parents introducing the new theme for the year and welcoming in the new youth.  We had lunch together and I made the soup for dinner. We watched our Come Follow Me videos. Dan and I napped.  I practiced music some. I had my family call. We went to Webster family dinner and celebrated January birthdays. Other fun things were an ear autoscope camera thing to see inside people's ears, and the cookies tried on old dresses in Grandma's basement. I took McKenna and Ben to the worldwide Youth Broadcast at the stake center.  Getting kids to bed took a little longer due to some discussions we needed to have with the older 4, all about different things. 

29th- Monday: I subbed all over. I did 2 of Ms. Mati’s reading groups. I covered for Ms. Taylor briefly during the MLK speech contest. After my lunch, I did some lunch and recess duty, then hung out till it was time to go to the Jr. High. I was in Ms. Stewart’s Study Skills class. Once we got home, Alice and I napped. I took Anna to gymnastics and Alice to music. Bethany worked on her newspaper assignment. Ben played with his new DRONE! McKenna went running and did homework. I made dinner. Dan picked up the girls and we all ate then folded laundry. Dan, McKenna, and I went to Anna’s basketball game. They lost by three points. McKenna drove home and did well. Ben put the two girls to bed. Dan bought a workout bench and Ben cleaned it up before they lifted weights together.  I folded more laundry. 

30th- Tuesday: I exercised once everyone left. I ate and showered and listened to the Book of Mormon chapters for the week, a conference talk, and I finished Don’t Miss This. I napped a little and then scrolled and worked on our Nelson News article. I had lunch and worked on music for almost an hour. The kids got home. I started to feel a tickle in my throat like I was getting sick again. I took the kids bowling with lots of Webster family for Adam’s birthday. We had Hawaiian nachos for dinner and I left for choir. Dan went to dinner with the Webster adults while I was at Chorale. Anna had activity days. McKenna and Ben had a hard time babysitting together at home. Alice had a bad cough.

31st- Wednesday: *I woke up with a full on head and chest cold! 😢  I was so bummed and depressed and kind of freaking out about missing choir!  I know I CAN be excused for sickness, but I also really don’t want to miss, and it took SO long to get my voice back last time I was sick (about 6 weeks), I was terrified of that happening again. I subbed most of the day for Ms. Mati whose grandma passed away. Mati was also having some health issues. I did morning recess duty. I worked on putting together a 95% reading kit. Dan brought 95 ish bags of Tru Fru (leftovers donated to Utah Foster Care) to give to all the staff!  They were all so grateful! I did lunch duty then outside for recess. I had lunch and spent the last 30mins at the Jr. High in Ms. Stewart’s class. The girls walked around the book fair for a few. We got everyone home and then Anna and Bethany went to piano. I laid in the chair in my room for almost 3 hours. I slept for about 1 hour. I worked on a grocery order and talking to kids. Ben went to Taggart’s after his piano lesson. Jake came and picked up Alice to play with Hazel at their house, which I was very grateful for! Bethany cleaned up the basement.   I made dinner and Anna finished her Valentines. Dan and Ben got home and we ate. Ben hosted the Deacons for a game night. The girls did their showers and baths. I hung out in my room again and worked on messaging to get a medical absence for choir tomorrow and Saturday since I really wasn't feeling good. Anna painted her nails. Dan cleaned out his ear with a new kit he bought. He put the girls to bed, then watched Percy Jackson with Ben.