Upside Down Recovery

Jan. 28. . . The first day I didn't have a special 15 moment to write about and a day that turned my world upside down and left the last week a little void of moments to comment on.

BUT . . . .

I've recovered.  I spent over an hour on Sunday with my dear friend Anna and got back to my EA Active Sports workout yesterday, and I'm feeling MUCH better!

And today, this is my Mommy 15 moment.  I am taking some time while my babies sleep to get online, check up on friends, gather my thoughts and feelings, and plan some special moments for the next few weeks.  I am so excited!!!!

In the meantime, my friend told me about a drawing for a free trip to Seattle (click to enter yourself - I'm not afraid of competition; as long as someone I know wins, I'll be ALMOST as happy)!  Dave and I have talked about going to Seattle since we got married, but the cost of going there with the fact that we don't have any connections for a free place to stay and a way to make cheap food has always kept us back.  But I am telling you now, if we win this trip, SPRING BREAK 2010 is going to be FILLED with special 15 moments in Seattle.  Maybe it will either way.  Never can tell.  But this is our LAST Spring Break in the Northwest and, therefore, our last opportunity to fit something like this in.  And there's gotta be a million memories to be made in a place like Seattle, right?  Or so I've been told!

Friends!

Today for my Special 15 moment I spent a few extra minutes visiting with good friends -- Lydia, Michelle, Jen, Allison, Anna.  It was so fun to have girl time, a few minutes at a time, spread throughout the day as I ran from task to task on my "to-do list" and tried to still add a touch of "special" to the mundane.  Topics were varied, but each short conversation was memorable for me (relief society lessons, un-met expectations, feeling the Spirit, self-reliance, toddlers, whole wheat tortillas, breastfeeding, baby showers, like/dislike for running, rollerblading down rocky slopes, sacrifice, surgery recovery, relying on other people, crazy hair-dos, magnetic menu boards, organization, etc.)!

Of all the things I have been blessed with, I count the MOST treasured in my dear friends!

Nighty-Night

Today I had INTENDED to make a garnet and pearl necklace and bracelet from the left-over pearl's my husband brought me from Mexico and some garnets I bought with a 40% off coupon at JoAnn's.  HOWEVER, my body got the best of me.  Instead of using my first break to finish up a special "me" project I've been wanting to get to . . . I took a nice . . . . long . . . . nap.  And judging from the screams from my little girl as she and her brother constantly fight over who gets to pull all the tupperware from the cupboard -- it's a DANG good thing I did!

January's "Special" Events

I know I haven't done very well at posting updates.  Maybe I need to include 15 minutes for blog posts in every day. :-)

Some of my "special" 15 minutes for January have included:

• Making a necklace (finally) out of the pearls my husband bought me in Mexico when we were still dating.
• Finishing the "I Am A Child of God" pictures for my babies (and messing one up because I didn't get the mod podge just right - so I already know what I'll dedicate another few sets of minutes to re-creating!).
• Finishing a surprise thank you gift for my sisters for helping me out with my babies so much lately!
• Daily story time with my babies -- including sites, sounds, actions, etc.  We all LOVE this one!
• Writing cards or special e-mails or notes to family and friends.
• Enjoying the beauty of SITTING and drinking hot chocolate at the end of a busy day.
• Finishing my husband's photo book that I made him for his 31st birthday.
• Journaling some of my babies' firsts.
• Taking my babies on walks.
• Going on a walk by myself -- at night, just me and the star-lit sky and my thoughts.
• Re-organizing my husband's drawers so that he can actually FIT his clothes in them! (Does anyone else have to do this?) :-)
• Creating calendars of ideas for what will make the year special - day by day, week by week, month by month.
• Surfing the web for ideas on how to create a little more organization, homeyness, love, and laughter inside my four walls.
• Sing songs with and dance with my babies.
• Take my friend's engagement pictures with my husband.
• Research and make yummy, healthy recipes.
• Put my hair in curlers for a day when I need to feel a little bit "special."
• Help a friend brainstorm ideas for activities she can do with her 11-year-old church youth group.
• Make a surprise visit to a friend who has been on my mind a lot.
• Organize a weekly playdate for moms like me (and to get more than a short break from entertaining my kids).
• Take my kids to the in-door playground at our local Market Mall.
• Put a puzzle together with my husband -- just because.
• Do 15 minutes of sit-ups and crunches, my kids serving as added weight as they crawl on me and sit on my stomach.

It's been GREAT so far -- the BEST New Year's Resolution I have EVER made.

What things do YOU do to give yourself (or someone else) a special day . . . even if it is just for 15 minutes at a time?