Well Played!!

Husbands, they are a very "tricksy" breed!  For many years I thought they were just floating along letting the women be in charge and not paying too much attention.  Then the epiphany occurred last night "Gosh darn it, they have been fooling us ALL along!!"

The Proof:

Have you ever wished for a moment to yourself?  You think perhaps the ladies room will provide a bit of silence, but no, there they are, the little munchkins sticking their fingers under the door, turning the knob, or just walking right in.  Or perhaps a nice soak in the tub? No, there they are again throwing their toy cars into the water, wanting to get in, or needing to ask you something "VERY" important. In fact I trained my self as a young mom to be very swift in the bath and lavatory because I know that my time is limited, so you get in and get out before they have a chance to swarm.

So these men, you see, figured out eons ago that if you stay in mentioned areas long enough, or create toxic fumes, children don't even bother to linger!  So here I thought that men were just taking a long time when really they are just enjoying the peace and quiet!! DANG IT!  We have been HAD!!

A little Bit O Fun!

Shoulda Knocked On Wood!!

Last week I was feeling a bit down, ya know "I'm so fat! I'm so dumb! I have gray hairs! I'm so ugly!, all the things you tell your self when you feel less than peppy! Well after a late night talk with my wonderful husband, who spent the entire conversation reassuring me that he loved me and that he would never leave me for some hot little number named Shirley with perky boobs and a flat stomach. Before I went to bed I thought I would stand before the mirror and make myself find at least one thing that didn't suck about me, it took me a couple of times going in and out of the bathroom to remember why I was staring at my self, and then I thought "I like my skin."

Well the universe has a funny sense of humor because the next morning I woke up with a GIANT RED ZIT in the dead center of my forehead!!!!! I surrender, you win!!!! lol (p.s. I am feeling better this week, I am not any thinner but I have found that if I just wear yoga pants all the time I don't notice as much tee hee hee)

Flashback Friday! The Power of One!!

(Me at 18)

Oprah has her talk show.

Michael Jordan, the basketball court.

Julia Roberts, the movie screen.

Amelia Earhart, the sky.

Marylin, the WCW Wrestling Event.

I was just a white girl with a dream really, and never in my wildest imagination thought I could reach it so young at just 18 years old. Don't ask how or why, but I attended many Professional Wrestling events in my day, and there was one that will forever stand out in my mind. It was shortly after graduating High School in 1997 watching two grown men in spanks, bounce off ropes and tackle each other when the match took a turn for the desperate and I suddenly shouted "Bite His Ear!", it was just weeks after the Tyson vs. Holyfield fight and the words slipped easily from my lips. The people around me chuckled and then as if I were the director standing before them they all began shouting "Bite his ear, Bite his ear!" It grew and grew and next thing you know the entire MGM Grand arena was shouting "Bite his Ear!!" It was a moment that only happens in movies, it was then I knew I was meant for greater things! The people in front and behind me were throwin me high fives for my addition to the match, the wrestlers were forced to acknowledge the crowd, I don't remember what was said, but I remember the pride in knowing I had the Power to influence those around me with my words!!

I realize that this all must seem silly, but you found yourself reading every word didn't you??? Hey and I still know some moves, so don't mess!!!




P.S I have some great news on the "Saga of the Bully" so stay tuned!! :)

Love to you and Happy Friday!!

Mom 1..........Bully 0!!!!

I decided to share this next story via video

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I would love to hear any thoughts on how best to deal with this situation, maybe your child has gone through something like this or perhaps you are a teacher or you have some insight on what I should do.

Oh on a side note the dresser behind me is a sneak peak at my newly decorated room :)

Love and Thanks

I Don't Usually

beep..beep...beep..beep....... I interrupt your scheduled program to bring you this urgent message...........

I don't typically use my blog to express my political opinions but with recent events in Washington I can't just let it go by without saying my piece.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

How unfortunate that our freedoms are being taken away a little at a time and so many people are blinded by his "celebrity" they don't see the "leprosy" spreading through our country!! When did

More Government Control = "A Good Change" ????

IS everyone aware that this "Health care Reform" doesn't apply to Congress or the Unions???? hmmm I find that quite interesting, don't you??


C'mon people stand on your own two feet!!!!!

beep...beep...beep...beep

OK you can all return to your otherwise scheduled programs.

Identity Crisis

One would think that at 31 I would know who I am, but alas, I still wobble a bit now and then. So I have once again changed the name of my blog, I was gonna actually name it this a while ago but then I watched a show and thought I would try to be philosophical and deep and named it "roots", but all I kept thinking of was the fact that my hair needed to be colored, so I followed my initial thought and went back to "Losing my marbles". I frequently use that term and it also reminds me of Toodles from the movie HOOK, so there you go!!

Flashback Friday! Life Just Isn't Fair......So I Have Just Gotten Use to It!

My Mom has always taught us that Life isn't fair, things will never be equal in the ways we hope or want, she often says "Life isn't fair, so just get use to it." I think that was her best come back for when we would say "But Mooooommmm, that isn't fair, she gets to....(teenager blah blah blahs)" and now I have been able to pass it along to my children, such a nice family tradition.

When I was about 15ish our family made a trip to California and we decided one afternoon to rent one of those bikes that multiple people can ride sitting side by side and peddling along the shore. Sounded great, and I was very excited until we get to the rental booth and they tell us that anyone 16 and under had to wear these HORRENDOUS bright yellow helmets!!! Um, EXCUSE me! 16 and under, really?? Well, my Mom and sisters thought it was hilarious that I would have to have a helmet, I however, found it less so. Lucky for me my Mom had her camera and felt it best to document this amazing moment in my already damaged teen years, she did also let me remove the helmet once we were out of the rental booths sight! So after years in hiding I decided it would be OK as well as therapeutic to reveal it to all of you. Go ahead, laugh, it's fine, no really, just not too loud!! :)

Janna, me and Emily

PS DON'T FORGET THE GIVE AWAY!!!

BubbleGum, BubbleGum In A Dish, How Many Pieces do You Wish

I am a crazy dreamer! I have very vivid and bizarre dreams on a nightly basis, they tend to keep me asleep because they feel so real! Last night I dreamt that I had tons and tons of pink bubblegum in my mouth and no matter how many times I tried to spit it out there would be another wad in my mouth! I kept pulling and pulling but it was stuck to my teeth, people were talking to me and I was just standing there pulling gum out of my mouth! It got really annoying and finally I woke up and realized I was wearing my retainer!! Haa haa haa

Flashback Friday! Inside Jokes!

My Family has many the inside joke! We all love to laugh and why not laugh at each other in the process, all in good fun of course! There are 5 of us "Holler" kids and I would say that my lone brother Jack is perhaps the most notorious for the start of several of our family jokes. Today I will share one of my favorites. First there must be a slight back story. Both Jack and Alyssa had little trouble when they were younger in school, it just didn't come as easy for them,while Janna and I had both managed to do ok.

Jack must have been oh maybe 1st or 2nd grade (not really sure), and my mother was sweetly tucking him into bed when he looked up at her and said "Mom, how come Janna and Marylin are smart and from Dad's side of the family, and Lys and I come from your side of the family and we are, well, you know?"

I am not really sure how my mother (whom is not dumb in any sense of the word) responded to the inquiry of the young lad, but ever since it has been a joke in our family! Anytime one of us acts a little um "you know" then we are from my Mom's side of the family and if we are "smart" than we must have surely come from my Dad's side!!

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive!

*(deep breath and moving on from the hard and sad stuff, for now)*

For as long as I remember being able to talk, which is pretty much since my conception, I have said that I should have been born with red, *curly* hair, and a Southern accent! I dunno why I decided that would be awesome, but I did, so I wanted it, k. Well the luckiest thing happened while I was in high school my hair just started "growing"(enter sarcasm) red, it was a miracle! Sometimes it was a slightly different shade of red, but it really has been amazing ever since. Then 11 years ago my parents had a neighbor move across the street who was from the South and between her and my Grandma & Dad who were born in the South suddenly I started having people ask me where I was from! Southern words just pop out without even trying, I guess DNA even takes into account accents now, again, a miracle! This is where it just gets plain crazy, shortly after I had James I noticed that my hair was getting kinda curly, but I figured it might just be while my hormones where adjusting, well here he is almost 2 and my hair is even more curly. The best was when I recently went in for a hair cut to a new stylist and she was like "So I see you have naturally red curly hair." and I was like "Yeah, tough huh?" then we are talking for a few minutes and she says "Where are you from?" I said "Las Vegas." she says "Oh I thought you were maybe from the South." Um HELLO my dream has come true! Not only is my hair red, I talk with a Southern accent and my hair is curly!!! C'mon now ya'll, don't hate!

Date Night!!

I was reading a friends' blog recently about her husband taking their daughter on a date night and it made me think back to when I was about 4 or 5 and my Dad took me on a date. I usually save these kind of things for Fridays but this one can't wait.

We were living in Steamboat Springs, CO at the time, and we didn't have very much money but my parents tried to do things here and there that were special, so they came up with "Date Nights" where my two older sisters and I would each get a turn having a night with my Dad or Mom. They would take us into town to the general store (yes, it was small enough to have a general store) and they would let us choose our very own "Grab Bags", they were big brown paper bags put together by the store, and filled with fun surprises in them. Both of my sisters had returned from there nights with amazing things, candy,jump ropes, slinkies, gum, all kinds of things, so when it was FINALLY my turn I was beyond excited! I remember the drive in my Dad's big orange, (he says it was red) GMC truck, listening to Christopher Cross and then pulling up along side the store. I walked inside and headed straight to the isle where the "Grab Bags" were kept, I closely inspected several before choosing one that had a very large item in it. We paid for it and then I waited the entire drive home to open it so I could "show my sisters all the COOL stuff I was gonna get in MY GRAB BAG", and boy did I show them! I tore into that brown bag like it was Christmas morning and what did I behold.............A HUGE BLACK PLUNGER!!!! Are you freakin kiddin me, I waited for three weeks, two long drives and had the pure torture of opening it in front of my ENTIRE family!!! Seriously, I am still dealing. Alyssa, Janna, Mom, Dad, all of you stop laughing right now!!! :)

Be Who You Are

When responding to the question "How would you like your hair today?"

"I just want to be who I am."

-Grace

Me too Grace, me too!

Flashback Friday! "Can I Take a Picture With You?"

Since we are so close to Halloween I thought I would share a picture from Halloween Past. While we lived in Vegas we made it a tradition to go to a pumpkin patch every year, well three years ago we were at the pumpkin patch getting ready to take a few pictures when all of a sudden 10 people surrounded us. Some were men in black suits and sunglasses with ear pieces, some were younger women with rolls of stickers in their hands, and then an older lady came over and asked to be in the picture with Jimmy and the kids. I had no clue who she was, but felt bad to say no, so I smiled and said "sure". Once she walked away I noticed that the "sticker girls" had placed one on Grace and Lexi and they read "Carter" on them, at the time Jimmy Carter Jr. was running for an office in Nevada and so I assumed they were just people out trying to get votes for him.

Well, later on I was speaking to my Mom and told her about the old lady that wanted a picture with us and the "sticker girls" and my mother began laughing hysterically and told me that was Rosalynn Carter, former First lady and wife of former President, Jimmy Carter. Suddenly it all made sense, but I still wouldn't have known who she was since they were at the White House from 1977-1981. I felt a little bad for her because in her mind she is "Rosalynn Carter", and to me she was "some old lady that wanted a picture with us". It is fun though to look at the picture and think that Jimmy and the girls had their picture taken with a former First Lady, although I still chuckle a little every time I see it.

HAVE A GREAT HALLOWEEN!!

Love to you

To Bath, or Not To Bath? That is the Question.

This is not about weather to be clean, but rather which fashion to do it in. I have been a lifetime bath lover, when I was little my mom would put me in the bath and I loved sitting underneath the warm running water. I would pull my knees into my chest and just let the tub fill up while letting the water run over my legs, just thinking about it makes me want a bath. To this day I still take baths most of the time, although there have been months and sometimes years where I will only take showers. I am pretty efficient in both cases, I can be in and out in just a few minutes if needs be, it just depends on my mood really. When I was in High School I would use my Mom's huge bathtub fill it with tons of bubbles, put candles around the edge and listen to music and just relax, I didn't have children then. If I were to try that now, the candles would end up in the bath with me, thanks to James, the bubbles would be used for beards and blowing all over, and the music would be drowned out with "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

Well recently I heard several teen-aged girls saying how they don't take baths because you don't get as clean when you do, and how sitting in the bath is just gross. Had I been a part of the conversation I would have given my two cents, but I wasn't, so I didn't. It did make me wonder, am I the only one (besides my Mom) out there that still LOVES to take a bath?? Are you a bath person or a shower person?? Hopefully you are one or the other, because trying to fit in the sink is just tricky and could be dangerous! Is taking a bath no longer "cool", because all the girls seemed to be in agreement, does this younger generation only take showers?

And We Have Lift Off!!

WARNING!!!

If you are offended or nauseated by the discussion of breastfeeding, boobs or children then I suggest you stop reading now!!


OK. Now is a good time to stop!!



OK well if you are still reading then don't say I didn't warn you!!


I am a breastfeeding MAMA!! With all three of my kids I have been blessed with gallons and gallons of milk, somewhat like a cow only I am not black and white and I only Moo occasionally. That's besides the point, I have often said that I produce enough to feed a small nation and so I have nursed to my hearts content.

I have had different experiences with all my kids. Lexi and I both figured out the process rather quickly and it was a good thing because she WOULD NOT take bottles or pacifiers at all!! She might have starved had I not produced enough milk because anything but me was OUT OF THE QUESTION! I remember on a few occasions trying to get her to take formula because we were somewhere that I couldn't nurse and she screamed for like an hour before giving in and drinking a few ounces!! Since I was divorced when she was just 10 days old and I was only 20 I didn't have anyone else around me telling me how and when to ween her so I just nursed her until I no longer wanted to and until she was old enough to drink from a cup! She was about 15 months old.

Grace was my child that got the shaft when it came to nursing (You know now that I think about it maybe that's where her issues all started!!). When she was just under 9 months old my appendix burst and I ended up in the hospital for a week and she was not allowed to see me so that ended it right there! I remember being so sad because I hadn't been able to make the choice of when I was ready to stop. When I got home from the hospital she wouldn't even come to me for at least a week and at night she would have NOTHING to do with me for months after!! That was tough! Side note: I highly recommend having your appendix removed for precautionary purposes!!


James, oh James, my boob man! I know that someday I will have to apologize to his wife!!
James LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to nurse! While he was in the NICU I would go in every two hours to feed him once they removed the tubes and he was ALWAYS happy to have a little snack! Once we got home his love grew, he would just snuggle into me and get so happy at every meal! He was different than Lexi in that he would take or leave bottles, but he also was not interested in pacifiers! I tried weening him about 5 months ago when I went out of town for Women's Conf but the minute he saw me he laid down in my lap and began to grunt! It was also the weekend that Jimmy left for Colorado so I think we both needed the comforting! Anyway, ever since I have been very slowly trying to slow the tap, and finally last week I decided that I was gonna be strong and just do it!! I mean I will be honest and say that many aspects were nice for me too, I mean being able to go sit in the Mother's room at church when your are too ADD to pay attention in sacrament meeting can be nice!! It is also a nice feeling when your child wants you, and who can resist the cuddle of a sweet boy like James!! By this point though he was pretty much down to having a little at night and in the mornings, but man the first few nights were rough, as I would have to tell him "no more." as he laid in my lap looking at me like "c'mon lady don't be holding out on me!" But we made it and now he can go on to other things like school and his mission without needing breast milk to go to sleep!!
Isn't that the true definition of successful parenting??!!



Now for those thinking holy cow he is 19 months, yes, I am aware, but guess what? I wasn't asking you to nurse him, was I!?!?! So don't worry bout it! And at least I wasn't featured on the special about Extreme Parenting with women who nurse their 8 year olds. Oh and you can find the clips of it still on youtube if you think I am messing with you!!


Love to you

OK, OK! I WILL TAKE THE BLAME!!!

For years my husband and I have wondered if it is us that has an evil aura around us that causes people to divorce!! Let me explain.

Exhibit A

When we were very first married we lived in a great apartment complex full of other fun young married couples, but within the first year we started seeing the other couples dropping off like flies. It was crazy, we were a part of a Temple Prep class and there was just two couples (us and another couple) well the other couple was divorced a few months later, while the teachers of the class separated and moved out of state to try and save their marriage. Then we witnessed our friends that lived below us separate and divorce, and I believe there was one other couple that also divorced but I am not positive.

Exhibit B

After being in the apartment for a year we bought our Condo and moved into a new ward. Our VERY FIRST summer (about 8 months after moving in) 6 couples DIVORCED! Coincidence? I think not!!

Exhibit C


The same year that Jimmy and I were married so were Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, I had already thought they were a cute couple but then when they started a reality show, I loved them even more. I loved watching the show so much that Jimmy began buying me the seasons on DVD, well just days after Jimmy bought me the last season, they announced their separation. Again, I ask you, Coincidence?

Exhibit D


The other T.V couple we were big fans of was Jon and Kate Gosselin. Jimmy would often laugh in the earlier seasons as they bantered back and forth and even said how we were similar. Then a few years into following the show Jimmy and I were talking about me purchasing their show on DVD and I kid you not the following day the news of Jon having a girlfriend went public!! Are you freaking kidding me?? Now that whole situation just makes me so sad for those kids, but that is another topic!

Back to me, I mean how can I not start to wonder if there is something about me or us as a couple that just puts wedges between people?? Could it be our deep love that others look at and just feel they can't measure up? Or maybe it's our smell and it causes them to loose their minds and they just have to get away no matter the cost?? But the most likely culprit is, I mean it's obvious right? Our children!! Others take one look and fear that any future spawn will turn out the same way!!!





You weren't expecting that twist were you??? Fair warning to all those that just welcomed us into their ward and neighborhood!! MUAAAAAAAA MUAAAAAAA

Flashback Friday!! Can't I Just BLOW IT UP???? HELP!!!

ALL AND ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!!!! PLEASE PLEASE!

This flashback is a little different and that's because today I am in the midst of the girl's room and I have come to the point after working for an hour that I just want to BLOW IT UP!!! I have struggled for YEARS with this issue! Neither of my girls have ANY desire to keep their room clean, they share a room, and while it isn't ideal, it is what it is! As parents we have tried just about EVERYTHING, reward programs, taking it all away and making them earn it back, taking it away and donating it to charity, moving, throwing it away, bribery, you name it and most likely we have done it! Now some of them have worked better than others but every time it will last at the most for a few weeks and then they revert right back!!

Of course if you ask the girls, Lexi will say "It's all Grace!" and Grace will say "Well, Lexi has to help me clean it!" I have bought every kind of organization bin, bucket, basket, imaginable and spent HOURS organizing it and then giving them a tour of their room showing them where everything goes and NOTHING!! It usually comes down to me or Jimmy telling them they have 20 min to get it picked up or it is all going in the trash to motivate them! I have on my hands two pack rats, who want to save EVERY paper, McDonald's toy, stuffed animal, Barbie, Polly Pocket, tea set, jump rope, puzzle, baby doll, they have EVER HAD!! Alexis is so bad that she can tell you where each and every item came from, who gave it to her, and how old she was when she got it! If I want to OVERHAUL the room I have to wait until neither of them are within 5 miles of the house, or they will prevent me from getting rid of anything! I have used the angle of "We are going to take these to children who don't have anything.", then I have had them come with me to drop it off at the donation center and still here I am pulling my hair out as I sort, bag, trash, donate, put away, fold my way through their room!! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE! I really could use some new ideas, support, wisdom on the subject!

Oh and one other issue, Lexi is perhaps the worst at shoving, hiding, and disguising where she puts things. I will hand her three shirts on hangers and tell her to hang them up and I will find them a week later shoved under her bed, in a drawer, or as of late, the bottom of her dirty clothes hamper!!!!! ARGH!!!!! That girl!!

Now just a low down on space that is available for their crap!
Their room
One Closet
Under their beds
One 5 drawer dresser
One toy chest
Millions of bins, baskets, buckets
One book case

Oh and just for the record, I still love them!! :P

Old, New and A Little Disgusting!!

I have been trying to catch the kids on video here and there and here are just some of the clips I have gotten over the last few months! The first clip is from last night, the back story is that I saw James doing this weird hand motion and couldn't figure out what he was doing and then Jimmy so nicely showed me!! The next clip is after church one Sunday I came in the kitchen to find James on the kitchen table getting into some trouble! The third clip is when we went to McDonalds one evening and the kids were just being silly as usual! The last clip is, well it is self explanatory!! Oh and please disregard my terrible speaking voice eck!! :)

I know not all of you will care to watch the entire video but I know of at least one Grandma and Grandpa that will love to see what these kids have been up to since we left Vegas!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Love to you

Party of 1 Thank you!

This is an off the top of my head kind of post, the kind that just decided to jump out as I was trying to catch up on other blogs! I was scrolling down my home page and noticed that I am BEHIND on EVERYTHING here, and EVERYTHING at home, when the crud am I supposed to catch up?? Let's start with the fact that I haven't updated my private blog or my photo blog in a long time, I haven't updated on us as a family in a long time! My house is still not all put together and it needs to be cleaned underneath all the other mess! I am way behind on editing pictures and some sewing projects and the worst is that I haven't painted my toenails in WEEKS!! I have spent moments recently in tears wondering how the heck I will get it all done and wondering how the heck I managed to be so far from "home" i.e Vegas??

Most days I am good here, you know, enjoying the cooler weather, organizing stuff in the new place, working on some FABULOUS projects that I can't wait to blog about by the way! Then there are the moments when I get invitations to friends birthday parties in Las Vegas or hearing that my ENTIRE family was all together in Vegas, and I couldn't be there, those are the moments that I have to hold back the burning behind my eyes and just breathe in and out saying "You are supposed to be here Marylin."

We went and registered the girls for school on Tuesday and it was surreal filling out the forms with a Colorado address and phone number and realizing that my kids are about to embark on a whole new adventure in starting at a new school!

Another weird aspect is the fact that the only time my home phone rings is if it's a telemarketer (the do not call list hasn't kicked in yet), no calls from friends saying "Let's have a craft night" or "Let's meet at the sand Park", no calls from people at church or PTA telling me about meetings or activities that I need to be at. I know it takes time for all that, but what about right now? When I am feeling lonely and a little left out. Pity party? Yes, thank you, for 1.

Things are good, really, I guess I just miss everything I love about Vegas, besides the strip clubs that is!









Love to You and Missing You!