Sibbett Family

Love Month Day 17

2012-02-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

Yes. I've missed a couple of days. Does it count as love month that I haven't inflicted bodily harm to any of them? I thought about quitting, but we all know who wins when we quit, so....I've recommitted and today they got to choose a "treat" at the grocery store. But they picked out their powdered sugar covered donuts after E compared the 2 brands for quantity and price and chose the better deal (that's my boy!). They helped me load everything onto the conveyor and then helped me carry it all in, so that was love month for ME!

Love 'em!

Love Month Day 14

2012-02-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

The "Big Day". Well, it wasn't that big around here, but I think that's okay since I AM doing a WHOLE month of love. So... I made banana cupcakes (my fave) and frosted them and added some valentine-y sprinkles. We had them for breakfast and Shane had some for lunch. So, there's my love- straight to the stomach. Yum!

Love Month Day 13

2012-02-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

The day before Valentine's Day brought a simple love-y thing. I sent everybody an email. From my own email to my own email but with a different person's name on each. Hahaha I said it was simple! Simple but sweet!

I know tomorrow's the big day, but honestly I feel a little worn out. Just think, if it were a normal year, I would almost be halfway. But it's not, and I'm not. 16 more to go! :-)))))

Love Month Day 12

2012-02-12T21:10:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun one. I decide to make up a fairy tale for each child. I framed each story similarly, but with differences too. They were each the prince or princess in the story. They each had to deal with the invasion of a dragon into their kingdom. This is how they dealt with it (in no particular order).

1) Befriended the dragon and encouraged him to live in peace with the people of the kingdom while being a protector to them.

2) Invented a computerized helmet that led the dragon to food on uninhabited (by humans) islands so he could hunt without endangering human life.

3) Had his armies prepared to fight and presented the dragon with the choice of staying and fighting them or taking a map and flying away to an island with plentiful food. The dragon chose to leave.

The first was Prince K, the second Princess A and the third Prince E.

I was pretty proud of my creativity. We were able to videotape K's and A's so they can revisit them if they want to. E resisted the story when we were set up for video taping, but I persuaded him to listen to it when he was in bed. At least he got the story. Both the boys said they didn't like the stories, but we all know sometimes kids say things they don't exactly mean. I'm hoping they felt their Mama's love for them in the story, even if they won't admit it. :-))

Love Month Day 11

2012-02-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

So, last night we had a night away for Shane's work party. I had picked up a few things at Joann's for the kids to play with while we were away. E got a puzzle, K got a crystal making kit and A got one of those magic coloring books where the marker makes the colors appear. They were all well received.

Love Month Day 10

2012-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Friday, I'm so glad it's here. Even though a busy weekend awaits, I am looking forward to no school and no homework. :-)))) And I'm looking forward to a fun date with my honey!

Today for Love Month, I did my kids' chores. This is kind of a big deal because usually when I do their jobs there is a certain financial, let's say, consequence. When I told them that I was going to do their jobs, they asked if they were still going to get paid. They seemed shocked when I told them they were!

Here's to feeding the rabbit, emptying the dishwasher and getting the mail, etc! Happy Love Month!

Love Month Day 9

2012-02-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

Whoa, what a day! Two doctor/ortho appointments and neither one was for the sick girl (Amber). She got her shots yesterday and today she has had a fever and can barely walk because her legs hurt so bad. I think she tensed up a lot when they put the shots in and I have heard that can make the discomfort worse afterwards. Poor thing, I had to drag her to those appointments. The good thing was that we skipped out on the last hour and a half of school (shhhhh...don't tell!) so once we got home, we could stay home.

Luckily, I had already bought a package of balloons at the 99 and I busted them out for some fun. My kids love it when I blow up a whole package of balloons and they can just play with them all over the house. So, balloons show love today!

Love Month Day 8

2012-02-09T16:00:00.002-08:00

Our Relief Society was offering a "Cookie Class" Tuesday night. I love the idea of beautiful, homemade cookies so I was tempted to go. But... I know my ability level and if I went, they would probably just be mediocre, homemade cookies. So, I had pretty much decided not to go. (Besides the fact that Shane wouldn't have been home from work.) A friend called and we were talking about the class. She wanted to go, but also needed help with her kids. A light bulb moment! I will watch all of our kids and she could decorate the cookies (right up her alley!). I love it when a plan comes together. I kept them a secret until after school on Wednesday and the kids loved them!

Day 7 Love Month

2012-02-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

Today, we were on the run after school and Ethan suggested that we stop by our favorite frozen yogurt place, Tiki Hut. Finally, a love-y thing my 10 year old can love! You got it, I said! They enjoyed filling up on a bit of healthy yogurt and scoop after scoop of every possible candy imaginable! I refrained due to the fact that I have the most yummy lemon bars ever in my kitchen and I have not been able to hold myself back from them!

Happy Love Month!

Day 6 Love Month

2012-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

Today we got to take advantage of some goodies we had picked up at 99cent store over the weekend. The funny thing was that Amber was with Shane and me so she saw what we bought. Since then she kept asking for the "blue mermaid". Alas, "the 99" stuff doesn't appeal too much to 10 year olds anymore. Ethan was disappointed, just a little bit, he said. :-))

The others were happy!

Love Month Day 5

2012-02-05T16:25:00.001-08:00

Today's love-y thing was a treasure hunt. Treasure was provided by a bridal shower that I attended yesterday where they had tons of extra goodies and they offered to give me enough to take home to my kiddos.

This afternoon, after my Sunday nap, I quickly wrote some clues and then sequestered the kids and Shane in one room while I hid clues and treasure. (I had deftly hidden a clue in the very room they were hiding in prior to their arrival with the hopes of throwing them off the trail at that point in the hunt. I was delighted by my success! Ethan just couldn't believe I had been able to hide a clue in the room they had been hiding in!)

Then they took turns reading the clues and running from room to room. (Another well thought out Mom strategy had them running up and down the stairs from clue to clue! I just get a kick out of myself!)

The treasure was "hidden" in a bag under the trampoline outside. Victory! Oh, except apparently Ethan doesn't like peanut m&m's (I learned something new about him). It was okay with me though because I do, so he generously gave me his treasure and went and picked some candy out of the household stash that contains candy I don't like (otherwise it would already be eaten). Oh, I love Love month!

Love Month Day 4

2012-02-04T15:38:00.001-08:00

Today we surprised the kids by taking them to the temple. (Ethan was clearly disappointed!) On the way over, we talked about how I had been showing love by giving gifts, acts of service, words, etc. We walked around the temple and then sat together and I told them how when Shane and I fell in love, we married in the temple in Las Vegas. Then we talked about how we hoped we would have children and we loved them even before they were born. We wanted our family to be together forever so we were sealed in the temple and that means that, if we keep our covenants, we will be able to be together forever. Then Shane shared some thoughts about how the temple binds extended families together as well. Then we sang "I Love to See The Temple". It was really nice.

But.... it wasn't perfect. Ethan was complaining most of the time about how boring it was and asking when we were going home. Oh well, hopefully one day he will appreciate it! Also, I forgot my camera (that was last year's resolution!). A picture would have been a nice way to remember that experience.

When we got home, Amber gave me a gift in a Victoria's Secret bag (leftover, of course ;-). It was a picture she had colored for me. When I asked her why she gave me the gift, she said, "It's Love Month!"

Love Month Day 3

2012-02-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

So, since today was Shane's Friday off, we decided to do an outing for Love Month. We all went to the San Bernardino County Museum (free thanks to our annual membership) and then out to McDonald's for a treat of their choice (free thanks to cousin gift card exchange and a very big deal around here because we are not big on fast food). We had a great time (priceless)!

On the way home, we talked about how we can show love in different ways and talked about each of the days so far. I have noticed that, personally, I am not a gift giver. But, some of my loved ones seem to be very affected (READ-they feel love) when they receive gifts. I think that it is important to be aware of how others feel love and try to show them love in those ways.(Thank you, Love Languages).

An unexpected perk of Love Month... the kids came home from school asking what Mom's love-y thing would be today. Anticipation can be really fun!

Another unexpected perk of Love Month... I sense a little less contention and a little more kindness around here. Seriously, I did this experiment with NO thought of "recompense", but HAD I been hoping for something, it would have been that! I'm delighted!

Day 2 Love Month

2012-02-02T19:19:00.001-08:00

So, for Day 2 I decided to make chocolate chip cookies for my family. But that's not really a big deal because I often make chocolate chip cookies. So... I put 4 cookies in a baggie and then put that in a gift bag and wrote a note letting them know that I love them. The kids were excited to get home from school and see what their "thing from Mom is". I put all the extra cookies into the freezer so that it would be something special for them to have their own stash. After Amber opened hers, she put a little gift together for me in her gift bag. It was so sweet; some of her nail polish, some crayons and some pictures she had colored. How great it is to be loved back!

Day 2 Love Month

2012-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I calendared out all the little love-y things I'm going to do for my family this month. I had some help from a few internet lists.

Today I made chocolate chip cookies. That's not such a big deal because I often make cookies, but I'm going to put several in a baggie with each person's name so they can have them for a treat whenever they want. Not a huge thing, but hopefully it will remind my family how much I love them!

February-LOVE month

2012-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am not really into holidays. I mean, I like them and all, I just don't really get "into" them. I admire people who do. I enjoy the way others "get into them" and sometimes when I see or hear some great idea, I think to myself, 'I should try that', but then I think, 'No way, that's too much work.' Well, in order to keep myself accountable, I'm going to post what I'm going to do this month. To say that this is WAY out of my comfort zone is an amazing understatement, but I'm going to give it a shot. Each day in February, I am going to do something to let my family know I love them. So, here goes:

Day 1

I wrote a Thank You note to each member of my family.

Here's to "getting into" holidays!

Revisiting the 7 Habits

2012-01-29T22:19:00.001-08:00

I read a book recently by Stephen Covey called The Leader in Me. It is mainly for educators and deals with schools, some with students as young as 5 years old, who have made leadership a focus of their curriculum and school cultures. One of the principles I found especially interesting is with regards to primary and secondary leadership. Primary leadership, as I understand it, has to do with integrity and work ethic, as well as treating others with fairness and respect. Secondary leadership refers more to those who become CEO's of companies or those who receive prizes and awards for their leadership abilities. The book emphasized that only a small percentage of the population will be secondary leaders, but everyone can develop primary leadership abilities.

It was fascinating and inspirational and made me want to teach some of those leadership skills to my children. So, I turned to a resource on my book shelf, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. It was gift from my mom a few years back. I had started reading it, but couldn't really get into it (no offense, Mom!). I couldn't see how that would fit into my family. As we have gone through challenges, I never reached for that book. I remember considering it, but honestly I felt like the challenges we were facing put us in a place that would not allow us to benefit from those far fetched hopes of actually being an "effective" family. I told myself, those habits are for families who don't have family members affected by anxiety, those habits are for families who are in a higher socioeconomic bracket, those habits are for families with already perfect relationships.Well, after seeing that "those habits" worked in schools with major challenges, I figured our family couldn't be any worse off than them. Maybe our family could benefit from some of "those habits" after all.

I have not taught all of the principles to my kids, and I might never do so. But I have introduced several of them. The one I have found to be most effective is that of "Think Win Win". Even my 4 year old is able to understand it and it has added such a positive thrust to our constant... no, frequent.... differences of opinion on important things such as sharing toys and keeping our hands to ourselves. It's been fun to hear them say to each other, "Let's find a win win solution."

Maybe I should have taught it earlier, but it's okay that I didn't. "Back then", we weren't ready for win win. But we are now, and that's a win win for me!

Thanks for the book, Mom!

January Family Pictures

2012-01-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

We have so enjoyed seeing so many new family pictures from the Christmas cards so we decided to snap a few shots too!

Shane's Birthday Celebration

2011-10-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Shane got a Wii game called Just Dance 2 for his birthday. Who knew it would be such a hit with the whole family? We had a great night celebrating with Shane's family. The weather was beautiful! What a wonderful ending to a fabulous Conference weekend.

We had fun too!

2011-09-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Amber is a girlie girl, but she can hang with the boys too. Even Shane couldn't resist a little fun! We also enjoyed some nature!

Dirt Biking

2011-09-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Ethan's catching some air! Today I truly felt like a mom of boys. We all went for a hike in the local mountains near our home. Shane thought it would be fun to take the boys' bikes so they could ride in the dirt. He was right on! We had so much fun!

Here's Kaiden tearing it up.

Kaiden's Baptism

2011-09-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we have our 2nd 8 year old around here and you know what that means.... baptism. We had a good time helping Kaiden prepare for his baptism. As we discussed it, I could tell that he was taking this very seriously. He ended up inviting one of his friends from school. I was so proud of how he was a missionary. We had lots of family come and that was great! He was baptized with a girl from our ward who he is friends with and the baptism was just perfect. Kaiden commented that he felt like his batteries were being recharged during the confirmation. The pictures above are the baptism day.

A Day at the Beach

2011-07-10T17:13:00.001-07:00

The next day we headed to the beach with the San Diego Moultons. What a blast! The kids had so much fun digging... and digging. The weather was beautiful (as usual) and we spent the majority of the day just relaxing and having fun.

Sea World

2011-07-10T17:01:00.001-07:00

Later that day, I picked Shane up from work and we had a nice dinner with Amber while the boys were at "Harry Potter Night". The next day we went to Sea World. We loved having Tanner with us for part of the day. We had a great time!

San Diego Trip

2011-07-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a fun family vacation. We headed out Thursday for a trip to the Childrens' Museum in Temecula. The plan was to check out the museum with Tanner while we waited for the Harry Potter Science night at the museum to begin. To my surprise (read: dismay!) we were told that the museum had closed early in order for the employees to transform it into Hogwarts. Thank goodness Heather was there to help me entertain 4 kids for 3 hours! To their credit, they gave each of our families a pass to return to the museum another time!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas was very merry this year! We were so glad to have Shane's sister Tanya and her family in town. The rest of us Sibbetts are here close so we get to see each other often. We spent a day at Paul's house eating yummy food and playing with rabbits, playing games and drinking yummy hot chocolate. We spent Christmas Eve here at our house decorating graham cracker houses, eating yummy food and acting out the Nativity. And we spent Christmas Day at Shane's parents' house eating yummy food, playing games and playing outside. (I really liked ALL the yummy food!) A highlight was also holding babies. Both Paul and Tanya have babies under a year and it was so fun to have them around!

Highland Mudslide

2011-01-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas the city of Highland experienced a mudslide. Thankfully nobody was injured or killed. Our home was not affected. So, the week after Christmas the Mormon Helping Hands, along with many members of other Highland churches and even folks from surrounding cities, were out in force to dig our neighbors out. One of the awesome Young Women from our ward was willing to stay with Amber while Kana, Ethan, Kaiden and I dug.... and dug... and dug. We had a great time and were glad for the opportunity to help.

2010-11-25T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the kids' Thanksgiving Day evening activities. They got to have some fun with the arrival of Santa on a firetruck in Las Vegas (give the guy a break, what do ya' do when there's no snow????). While Shane and I were enjoying the fountains at the Bellagio with Kana and Todd and Heather, Mom and Dad and the Farnsworth's took the kids to see Santa. Good times! Happy Thanksgiving to all. We sure have many blessings to be grateful for!

Halloween

2010-11-25T21:47:00.001-08:00

Catching up on blogging since I'm here under Megan's "cyberspell"! For Halloween Ethan was half Jedi/half Bionicle. Thank goodness for Grandma Ann's ingenuity and sewing abilities! Kaiden was a Clone Trooper thanks to a great helmet he had asked for 2 (TWO!!!) birthdays in a row. I thought it was a silly idea the first year, but figured if he asked for it 2 years in a row it was worth it. Amber was a ballerina... darling!

Happy Halloween (typed on Thanksgiving Day... tee hee!)

Hello

2009-07-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog World! As usual, I have fallen under Megan's spell and have decided to join you all in cyber space. No promises about frequent updates, but I sure have enjoyed reading about all of you. Be back soon (maybe!)