YouPublish

Check out this great new site I found where I can publish all my creations for FREE. And so can you.

Go to: www.youpublish.com/referredby/jaidiclayton.

YouPublish.com is like the best parts of YouTube, Amazon and MySpace rolled into one! Here we can publish ALL types of files, sell or offer our works for free, and eventually create groups to
discuss our favorite topics and creations.

If you already have a website where you blog or sell your creations, YouPublish will give you another valuable audience and it's easy to use. The site officially launches in May and they're
doing a lot of marketing and PR to drive traffic for the launch.

I am working on my own stuff to upload and publish, you should get yours done too!

Go to: www.youpublish.com/referredby/jaidiclayton

To our success...

Bittersweet Memories

I remember the moment 2 years ago today like it was yesterday. But I am sure glad that I am not having to go through the same things I did 2 years ago at this time.

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my mom's passing. It has been a difficult 2 years to say the least. Within the past two years, aside from loosing my mom, I have moved 3 times, lived in 3 states, worked 2 separate jobs, am 6 months pregnant with a new baby, watched Justin go through nearly 2 years of Medical School, started my oldest in preschool, taught my youngest to walk, talk, her letters, etc; watched my oldest learn to read, taken a trip to Loveland, taken a trip to Vegas, made 2 trips to Austin, Texas, 2 trips to Alpine Texas, bought a new car, and surely there is more that could be added to that list, but I am going to stop there. There has been so much change over the past 2 years and by far the hardest and most difficult change has been the adjustment of not having my mom. As Michelle said earlier today, I still wake up and want to call my mom and talk to her. I have been working on writing this book...not something I have told too many people, but in the last part of the book, I talk about my daughters and one of my favorite things that they do...And I wanted to share one small portion of that...(note it is not done, a very rough draft, and nothing will likely come of it, so no jokes about it, it is therapeutic)

"Unfortunately, unlike my daughters, my phones don't have a direct line to Heaven. Felicity continually brings her play phone to me and tells me "mommy grandma wants to talk to you." The only connection between my children and my mother is a pretend phone line that dials Heaven. Jaicie and Felicity call their grandma frequently. They hold on full conversations with her. I only wish I can hear both sides of the conversation. Their imaginations have been able to carry them to a place that I only wish that I could go. A place where telephones reach the heavens."

My phones don't reach Heaven but I have found great comfort from Heaven. It has been a difficult journey, one that is by no means complete, one that I will likely continue trekking through the remainder of my life, but I have learned a great deal. I constantly think about bringing this baby boy into this world. It was something that I struggled with at the beginning of the pregnancy, knowing that when this little guy is born, I won't be able to call my mom and tell her all about it. She won't come visit and count each of his little toes and fingers as she always did. But I constantly think about her holding him before he is born and sending him my way...

Things will continue to change in the future. I look forward to those changes. I Miss my mom. I miss her everyday, and that will not change. I treasure the memories I have of my mom and I will always treasure them. The memory of that moment 2 years ago stands out strong. But even stronger are the memories of the many things that i shared with my mother.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my thoughts. We did enjoy a nice dinner at Joe's Crab Shack tonight, Justin and My family tradition, to go to one of mom's favorite restaurants together each year. I enjoyed the chicken, but Justin and Felicity sure enjoyed the shrimp...(Jaicie takes after me with seafood tastes!)

Have a good night! Here's to Mom!

New Company to tell Utah Friends/Family About

So I have some great friends in Utah who are starting a new business...You should check it out if you are in Utah.

http://www.tastethememories.com/

Nate and Kristen are awesome and they can cook! If you are looking for affordable catering, check them out. There website is still in the works, but they are awesome, so if you are in Utah...Give them a look!

Addictions

I decided that I am addicted to the internet. Though, I am not exactly sure what on the internet...I am addicted to email, but I never get much...I am addicted to Twilight Stuff too..But I am starting to step back from that a little bit, but I really don't have much that I look at, but I always feel like I should be looking at something on the internet...It is bizarre!

Anyway, I am addicted to the internet, so maybe i will start to step away from the internet for a while. Nothing but email that I have to check for work stuff! So, if I don't get online much in the next little while...that may be why...we will see how that goes though!

Addictions are crazy...Twilight is what I really have to step back from...I read so much about that series. LOVE IT! And if you haven't read it, you really should, before the movie comes out!

Anyway, I need to get to bed. So. here is to trying to break the addiction...Maybe i will focus on teaching liccy her letters for a while...and her numbers!

1 Nephi 1 : 1

I was reading my scriptures last night. Starting from the beginning yet again. As I read the first verse of 1 Nephi Chapter 1 I had a moment…

 

Yesterday was a particularly difficult day for me. Felicity decided it would be a great idea for her to get up at 6:00. She got up, woke Jaicie up and they refused to go back to bed. They were noisy and of course, kept me (and surely Justin too) awake. I went in a couple of times asking them to go back to bed, and told them that when the clock said 7:00 (seven zero zero) they would be okay to get out of bed. So they laid in their beds and talked until the clock said 7:00. It didn’t help with my sleeping much, but at least they stayed in bed with the light off! 

 

So I got woken up 45 minutes earlier than I would have been getting up. Bad start off to the day. I went to the doctor (everything’s good) while Felicity was over visiting friends at Tiffany’s house. Then I spent a couple of hours working on various things at home. I made up a shopping list and a dinner menu and went to pick up Felicity at 11:45…We needed to go shopping at Wal-Mart and so we stopped on the way home.

 

Unfortunately, Felicity wouldn’t listen and screamed the majority of the time we spent in the Wal-Mart. Needless to say, I was irate by the time I got the screaming child home. I was in one of those “we don’t hit our children, We don’t hit our children” stages. The one where you constantly remind yourself why you are not an abusive parent. I was angry, I was upset and I left her in her room to scream herself to sleep. By the time she did so, it was 1:30. I had to get her up at 2:30 to pick up Jaicie from school and an hour nap is usually not enough for her…

 

The day went on and between fighting children and cleaning the house and folding laundry and cooking dinner I had a day that I don’t ever want to repeat!  By the end of the day I was feeling depressed because I felt like I was a horrible parent. My patience had run thin and I was so angry with myself and with everything that happened. As I opened the scriptures last night getting ready for bed I read: “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents…”

 

So my question is, what makes a goodly parent? What can I do as a parent to continually improve my parenting? And will my children one day say that they were born of goodly parents?

 

I was born of goodly parents. I am happy that I can say that. My only hope is that one day, as my children look back in the future will they see me as a good mother—Despite the many days I seem to have like today?

 

I think is all for my ramblings for today. Just thought I would share!

 

Okay, so I started this on Friday, and I ended up finishing it on Saturday…But Thursday was my bad day!

I thought I had it bad!

So I saw this article on CNN today. I thought I had it bad when learning the solar system growing up...Mercury, Venus what...? I remember most distinctly the episode of Saved by the Bell when Screech shares his great tool for remembering the order of the planets... MVEMJSUNP...Now that was helpful. So, we had to know which planets had rings, the order...but now...Now they have to know 11 planets, the original planets plus dwarf planets. But here is the catch, Pluto is no longer a planet...so it is now 8 planets, and 3 dwarf planets, lets keep that straight while we try to also keep straight the new order...

Ah Man, I am going to have to memorize this order so I can help my kids learn it too! Anyway, here is the link to the article...I guess I have a new mnemonic to learn...or maybe I will go for Screeches style... MVEMCJSUNPE Man, how could we pronounce that?

Here is the new order in case you haven't heard it already...

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris.

Here is a cool image of the planets:









Oh, here is the link to the CNN article... http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/27/planets.mnemonic.ap/index.html

I think I am done with my rant...

Just kidding, I think that it is great that Science continues to learn things too. Sciences changes, just like the world around us! It is a little reassuring!

Weather and Illness

I just have to say that the weather here SUCKS! I don't think I have ever lived in a place where the weather changes so fast. Yesterday we had an absolutely beautiful day. It was sunny outside and 74 degrees. It was near heaven for us. Today we wake up to near zero windchill temps, snow on the ground and more snow falling, with a high temperature expected to hit a wapping 34 degrees. That is a freaking 40 degree difference. What the heck is wrong with this picture? The entire winter we have been having fluctuating temperatures just like this. It is getting old. We go from 60's to 30's and back up to 50's. Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 66 and sunny again. Then we go up and down all week long. And I wonder why I can't stay healthy! Maybe I don't want to stay in Lubbock for Residency...I don't know anymore!

I think I am developing Strep throat. I was finally feeling back to normal after my last week long battle with a cold. My throat hurts SO BAD! the swelling in my throat ( I think) has even caused my ear to hurt. I can't even hold my phone up to my right ear right now! It is driving me insane! I can't stand all the illness this winter. I have been sick more this winter, and this pregnancy then I was in the past 3 years since I was pregnant with Felicity. And then I was only sick with Kidney infections...ONLY..HEHE...The illness thing is getting old and I don't know how much more I can take.

Here's to hopeing that Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale Arizona opens up an Orthopaedic residency before Justin applies! Scottsdale would be warmer...Ah the nice warmer sunny weather of southern Arizona! :) My luck we will probably end up in Rochester Minnesota...But we got 2 years before that will happen.

Anyway, I think I am done with my rant now...

On to other things. So next week is the 2 year anniversary of my mom's death. Justin and I decided on a tradition to honor her...We started it last year, and will continue it as long as we can. We have a yearly trip to Joe's Crab Shack. Mom took us there a couple of times and she loved it. I personally hate seafood, but at least they have some yummy chicken! We will be doing that next Wednesday the 12th. I think it is a nice tribute to mom!