Christmas is coming!

I love the holidays! I am excited this year to have a home made christmas.. If you have any amazing ideas about inexpensive gifts that can be made at home, let me in on it! I have a bunch of ideas from pinterest, but could always use more ideas.

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Sleepless...

Not sure why, but tonight I am not sleeping well. It could be that my daughter is at a slumber party.. I don't trust those little girls when they are up late and full of sugar! You never know what might happen.

I also had a cute little boy climb in bed with me for a while, but he was too wiggly and I carried him to bed just a little while ago.. I guess I am not handling the non sleeping issue very well.. I made chocolate milk and got a bowl of ice cream. I usually sleep a little better than this. Here I go to try again...

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Single again..

It seems to me that I am very blessed when it comes to relationships. I get to date amazing, wonderful people. Darin was very much in this same category, but this relationship was not my forever.. Just so you know..

I am very happy to have had the experience of dating him.

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Mccall troop!

Soooo, Darin and I and his girls are spending a few days in mccall before thanksgiving. it is a lot of fun!

It's very cold so we stay inside and do crafts or read. Today we went to the pancake house and had cinnamon rolls bigger than our heads. I had eggs and potatoes. Then we went to the gift store and looked around.. Now we are going on a trip around the lake.. We are singing songs and playing Riley's Ipod. Uncle Kracker is belting out "you make me smile"... It's a good day. It feels good to be me...

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Happy Sunday!

Today is stake conference. I am excited to go listen to the messages given by our local church leaders. It will be 2 hours instead of 3 hours long.. So the kids are excited about that. It's funny that they prefer 2 hours of sitting still to one hour of sitting still and 2 hours of wiggle time, but they do. This morning as a family,we talked about how to repent and what kind of steps are taken after you make a big mistake. It was good for all of us to review and clarify things together. I love my wonderful children and I love helping them do good things. Today is already a great day, and it is just going to get better!

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A great day for butternut squash soup!

Life has us on the run these days, but I am making a choice to slow down today and fill the house with the wonderful smell of soup! Williams Sonoma has the most delicious soup recipe on the planet! I crave it every time the seasons change. It's a sweet comfort food that I tried a few thanksgivings ago and have never been able to survive the cold without it! Look it up on thier website if you want to try it... Yumm!

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Ah, yes.. Midterms!

It seems that school is wonderful until midterms.. and then it seems very difficult! I have to say that I cannot wait until thanksgiving! I will be equally welcome to christmas break and the end of the semester..

the kids have been through some difficult changes this year, but I am happy to report that they are all doing well in school. Ellen is loving being 11 and being able to go to activity days with her friends. Aaron is a happy boy who loves scouting and friends. Sebastian holds doors open for his mommy, tells her how much he loves her, and is continualy speaking of their wedding... which according to him has already happened! they are all wonderful children and I am blessed to be their mother.

Life is amazing and good and wonderful!

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Rainy Daze!!

I have been enjoying school so much, but the rain is not fun. It makes me shiver right to the core. I need a heated jacket or something.  :) I love riding my bike on campus and even that is less fun when it rains..but still fun. I am so distracted right now, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I would rather be doing anything with Darin. I have to keep my head together until the end of the semester at least!! Its only a couple more months.. I can do it!  My teachers are seemingly bored now with what they are trying to teach us. I wish they would refresh themselves and shock thier teaching styles to be interesting again.. as I sit in Philosophy, blogging...

SO, Halloween is coming! yay!! I love holidays so much and more than holidays, I love decorating for holidays.. I am excited to decorate for Halloween. I will have to decorate two houses this year, and thats just great. Bailey wants to help me decorate her house and Ellen wants to help me decorate our house. It should be interesting what we come up with. I am sure we will have fun though, no matter what.

I also like cooking around the holidays.. oh trouble!! I like eating too.. lol... Have a happy day!

So, I cancelled Facebook. It was time to disconnect from the cyber-world and live in the real world. I will be blogging more often because of this choice, I am sure. I got my shoulder checked this morning after two weeks of pain from my competition with Darin's daughter, Riley, at the school carnival on the bungee run... I have a separated clavicle and tendonitis and a sprain in my shoulder. I knew I should have gone in earlier, but I have been so busy!! So now I get to ice the two areas every chance I get and take anti inflammatory medication to help with the shoulder situation. Teaching Zumba has been painful, but not impossible and hopefully it will just get better and not worse.

Life with Darin in it, is very fun and happy. I love that I can't stand to be away from him.. lol.. so funny. I feel like I am 16 again. We have done so many fun things in the three weeks we have known each other, I feel like I have had a crash course on him and given a crash course on myself as well. It is soooo much fun. His girls, Riley and Bailey, like when I come over and cook. Riley likes that I have clothes and shoes that she can borrow. Bailey likes to come to Zumba class with me and we dance all the way there and back. Ellen really likes Bailey because she is "so nice". I am glad Ellen recognizes kindness as a good quality. Aaron likes to hide in the closet in the master bedroom and play angry birds and Sebastian likes the backyard.. its so nice.. I like it too! It feels like this is what life should be like. A happy, kind, funny, dancey, place with good food and silly songs.. I LOVE this family composition. It has good dynamics and is very peaceful. Just the fact that Ellen likes to be there, is a huge indicator that I am choosing a good man and a great situation for my family and myself.

Oh Happy Days!!

We had the oportunity to take some family pictures last saturday and I am so pleased with how they turned out. I thought I would just share a little.. I am not sure if you notice a difference in my countenance, but to me.. it is night and day from 3 years ago. The family pictures I took right after my divorce are to the right of this entry.. in the blue shirt. You tell me if you can't see the difference! ;)  I am so happy.. and the dating strike is officially over.. The man of my dreams finally found me. Happy days are here.

BUSY!!!

Well, I feel busy. I am happy to be busy and be in school. I am happy to be teaching zumba 5 times a week still. I like the challenge of balancing school and work and kids (but I fear the dishes need some attention). Today was not my favorite day though. I was told by Sebastian's teacher that he should go back to kindergarten, which I have known all along, but now WWIII will erupt as Shawn is not on the same page. I am sure things will be fine, but right now it feels overwhelming. The kindergarten schedule is very parent involved.. and has no bus routes in the afternoon, so one of us would need to be there every afternoon (probably me). My bishop told me there would be days like this, so I am riding it out and trying to be patient so that the best things will come for my sweet son.

School is in full swing for me with papers due and labs assigned. I love it, but always feel like I could do more if I had more time, but I really don't. I just keep plugging along and I enjoy the amazing weather as I walk from class to class. My mom and I are both in school right now and we get to eat lunch together on Tues or Thurs or both sometimes. I enjoy so much having a connection with her that is so loving and fun!

I am making friends again which is great! I always remember the camp song, "make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold". It has been a very long ten months of friendless days. I enjoy being me again. I enjoy friends. I am still on a dating strike. I don't think I will regret taking time for myself. I am learning that there is so much to give when you fill your own bucket first. I am also learning that , that is hard to do... taking time for myself has never been a priority, until now. I have so much to keep me busy and slowing down is sometimes a big risk.. I may never get back up!! ;) Being older and being wiser are two different things. ha ha ha..

I enjoy my Spanish class and am getting the hang of learning a language, but it comes with its own challenges. I would like to take sign language next semester because it has always fascinated me. I like the idea of dancing with my hands as a way to communicate.. :)

So life is good.. Skies are blue, sun is shinning and I am going to be just fine. Rough days happen, but I will be able to face them and smile looking back because I will do what is best for me and my little family.. love to you all.. Kim

life is good, and full of change..

Off again on again is not my favorite thing, so I am off.. not dating, not in a relationship, just off. And I kinda like it. :) School is starting and life is busy and crazy and fun. I love my classes. I am studying for philosophy, archaeology, math and Spanish.. The kids start school on Tuesday and they are excited to go. I am excited to hear stories from their first day back at a new school by their dads new apartment. They can walk to and from school and they are excited for this new adventure. Ellen is starting middle school this year as a sixth grader, Aaron will be a fourth grader and Sebastian will be in first grade. They are so cute and growing up WAY TOO FAST!!


The last few years have been a huge challenge for me as some of you know, but I am happy to say that I am finally doing things the right way. It feels good and things are lining up for the good of my small family. We are being blessed so much that there is hardly room to accept all the blessings, both spiritual and temporal.. I love my children and I love my Heavenly Father..

Zumba is taking off!!

I am so busy dancing these days and I love it! I have a blog just for my schedule it is zumbaincaldwell.blogspot.com
Heres the link...
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fzumbaincaldwell.blogspot.com%2F&h=EAQAL4aLx

I am having so much fun and staying in serious shape!  Anyways.. go check it out!

New Phone... yes, again..

I had to get a new phone today because Cricket was acting horrible to me and I dont tollerate being treated badly.. no mas!! So I went next door to T-Mobile and explained my story to them and they were VERY helpful and kind to me. (thanks Dan for the suggestion) I like my new phone, it is an android and full of lots of time wasteing fun apps.. lol, like I have any time...But it is a nice phone, and yes, I did have to change my number yet again, but I put the new number in the info section on my facebook page.. make a note.  :) I will leave it there for a little while and then when I feel like it has been there long enough, I will take it down... so hurry.. it wont be there very long.. No Stalkers allowed!!  :)

School daze...

So, I bet you are all dying to know that I got straight A's in the summer semester!!  Dan and I are back together and the kids are all doing marvelous, because they are in summer camp for all of next week. Life is busy and full and happy. The skies are most definitely blue and sunny! I am now teaching 7 Zumba classes a week! It is so much fun... and the clubs I work for are great! I also sub classes so its more like ten classes a week on average, but who's counting?! I enjoyed school so much this summer and I can not wait until fall semester starts. I forgot how much fun education a
can be.  I wish I could go to school forever. :)  Thats all I have time to say, but I will try to keep you posted!!  TTFN!!

Happy life changes..

     Life is so suprising at times, you think it is all supposed to go the way you plan.. and then.. it doesn't. And thats ok this time.  I feel so peaceful about life right this second.. which is weird, cause evrything is kind of up in the air... (That could change at any moment.. but so far, so good.)
     Dan and I are on a break, which means.. I get to think about if he is "the one" or if I should move along and find someone else to giggle with. So I am dating.. not a lot, but every once in a while I will accept an invite for lunch or a movie..
      I hate the single life... but I was so grateful for conference!! A little encouragement never hurts.. and maybe in the future, sometime, I won't have to be single and facing life on my own.
     The latest event in my life is School! I have been accepted to BSU and am struggling to get registered for all my classes so I can start this summer. I want to go into Health Science : fitness Evaluation with a business minor so I can run my own gym and try to be successful at it. :)
     I have sturggled this year with providing for my kids and know that getting an education will really help.  They are going to start living with their dad this coming fall and I will see them on weekends.  This is going to be difficult for me, but it is nessesary if I want to be successful with school.
     I am looking for a house to rent in Meridian starting in August. It has to be beautiful, three bedrooms and under $600.00 a month. I figure if I get a roommate, I can manage a $900.00 rent payment by having them pay $300.00 a month. A win win situation. I know something will turn up.
     Working at Icon will end on the 15th of April. Then I will start working for Micro Molding again (dads company) so I can finish the school year strong for my kids. I will have until June and then school starts.

So, yeah.. breathe.. just breathe..

Spring Break!

My kids get to go to Mexico for spring break with thier dad, and I get to... register for school! I am really excited to start this summer. I got accepted to the summer session at BSU.  It will be such a blessing to get a degree in something where I can make a little more money.
My kids got a half day yesterday and no school today. Big thanks to my parents for watching them the last few days/months, while I was at work..! I love my great examples of how to be a terrific grandparent/parent.  I hope I can be as wonderful as they are someday..

So I am still dating Dan, he is my sweetheart!! We have so much fun together, and last week we even went to my parents church together. Then ate some lunch and chilled out for a while.  I love having him hold my hand. He is such a sweetheart...

School daze..

Well... I have made plans, changed my mind, made other plans, didn't feel right about those plans and am attempting to make more plans... for school. I was going to go to Carrington College, but after talking with my dentist and touring the school and finding out that they want 60k to attend for 2 years.. I am going to go to school at a more traditional school, just don't know which one.. BSU or CWI. I want to go into health sciences and major in PE with somehow making it into a business degree as well so I can run my own gym eventually. I am praying to know what direction to go.
    On the other hand, my kids are not adjusting very well to their school. Sebastian flat out refuses to go. he won't do his homework or try to listen when I try to read with him. That is not how life should be for a kindergartner. I hope he gets to do it over next year. Pray for him.

Another little day..

As some of you know… I work at a Credit Union. There are so many people that go in and out all day long, but today we haven’t had a single member come in, and we have been open for 35mins already. Well, I take that back... One guy came in to get a wire (in his pajamas I might add), but our manager handles that so I have helped no one… A mighty boring morning to say the least… so I have finished all my morning work and now I am blogging, because I need to blog to get some brain juices flowing!

So, a lot of changes have been going on in my life. I have moved in with my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!!), I bought a new car, I switched job locations, I made a new facebook profile and deactivated my old one, I changed my phone number and my email, I have my kids living with me most of the time and going to school by me (instead of just on weekends) and I have plans to start school soon to go into phlebotomy… but my blog remains the same. Why all the changes? Because it was time to grow up and do something more than chase boys and do things that only make me happy for a short while. I need some long term happy.. SO back to the books and into a cave for a while, just to regroup and save some money. I have the chance right now to pay some things off and get my feet on solid ground. It won’t even take that long! (Smiles!!) I got a promotion at my job and now I have the opportunity to get overtime as the need arises.

My kids are doing well too. Ellen is in fifth grade this year and has adjusted to the new school and home life very quickly. She made friends right away and has lots of energy and fun stories to tell me when I get home from work.

Aaron is a third grader this year and has had a little harder time making friends, but came home the other day beaming because he found a friend on the bus. He hasn’t had a hard time with the homework, but was not taking his ADHD meds for about a week or so... Sneaking them into the trash and into the door of the car when I wasn’t looking. Now I watch him swallow one every morning and I stand with him until it disappears into his throat... Little stinker. He is such a snuggly little guy and full of kisses and hugs for everyone. Sebastian is my Kindergarten baby and has been so cute with all the changes. He loves a kiss right on the lips before school and on the days that he has day care, he likes to be walked into the classroom and needs a kiss on the lips before I can leave. He likes his new teacher and the new Kindergarten Schedule. He likes that he only has school every Mon/Weds and every other Fri. He gets to spend Fridays with Grandma when he doesn’t have school and he really likes that. He has so many funny little stories for me and is so expressive when he shares them. He loves water and gets swimming time when he has Daycare days. I hear stories about the pools on those days... so much fun to have such wonderful kids and really caring parents that take us in and love us so much!!

My boyfriend is still “super Dan the Army man”. He is very busy these days, studying for an exam he needs to take before the beginning of Feb. so I don’t get to spend a whole lot of time with him right now, but we are hoping that will change in February when the test is over and done. He is a lot of fun. We enjoy spending time together cooking, working out, sitting in church, watching silly movies and dancing. It really is a challenge to be apart. He helps me be a better person and I hope I do the same for him. At times it is a real challenge to better ones self, but if it’s working, keep at it until you reach your goal! ;)