Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Bad idea...

This bitterly cold weather is really bringing me down and driving me crazy.  Hakan's preschool was cancelled again (he's only had 5 hours of school total for the month of January), and I had a chiropractic appointment with Dr. Katy of Lifespan Chiropractic in Apple Valley, love her!  My apppointment was right by Caribou, which I normally don't take our kids, because it's really unnecessary for them to get a pricey drink, but I thought, "Hey, let's get some hot chocolate on this -11 degree day!" and the kids said, "yeah!!!"  So off we go to Caribou, I order two kids hot cocoa's and a campfire mocha for myself with a scone and apple fritter.  

Then we sit down at our table, and the kids start eating the pastries, Adeline takes one drink of her cocoa and says, "yum, coffee!" (not coffee).  The one time I don't take the diaper bag with their water bottles, they're freaking out because they want water...you have cocoa right in front of you.  Then Adeline is up and down in her chair, saying she doesn't like the cocoa, after one drink and is trying to go across the table to steal Hakan's.  Then Hakan sets his cup down, trying to push Adeline's hands away, almost knocking his cup right off the table.  As I was reaching across trying to save it from the floor, I in turn, knock my own cup over, lid falling off all over my phone, coat, pants and boots and Adeline's mittens...

So what could have been a fun little special outing, turned into a super frustrating, should have just went home, soaking wet with coffee, pricey drinks untouched or spilled, outing.

Live and learn.





snowman with a mustache and a fort

I can't believe how cold it has been here.  Already in January, we've had three "snow days" because of the cold, with a possibility of more this week.  It makes me laugh a little, I don't ever remember not having school because of cold, but safety first I guess.  So when it's remotely warm, we bundle up and head outside to play.

 It was actually so warm out this day, that by the end of it, our little snow man slowly lost it's eyes, nose, mustache, head and middle, poor guy.

   
  
  

  
  

Daddy started making a little fort and the neighbor kid came out to play.  We do love all the kids in our neighborhood, one plus of living in a town house :)

If we could just have more days like this, we could get through winter...otherwise we might go a little crazy.

Stay warm!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Grandma Proxie

One of the great things of my mom being married three times, is being blessed with four sets of grandma's, who else can say they have four grandma's?!  I love it!

My Grandma Proxie is just the sweetest and funniest lady in my life.  She's my step dad Roger's mom, and she's 97 years old and still pretty much living on her own.  She's a wise woman of God, and we love visiting her when we're back in ND.  She always has snacks and a few toys for the kids to play with.  

She got me hooked on Days of our Lives when I was in elementary school, while Roger was out farming in the fields.  She also gave me "coffee milk" (lots of milk and sugar with a little coffee).  She raised five amazing kids.  She makes the best potato soup, and when you ask her for a recipe she looks at you like you're crazy:)  She would pretend to eat our mud soup that we concocted underneath her willow tree.  We love her so much!  



  
  

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Grandma Dentist

We get our teeth cleaned every Christmas when we go home by my mom.  It was Hakan's first actually teeth cleaning, and he did awesome!  I mean, it was grandma cleaning his teeth, but still a little intimidating.  Adeline wanted nothing to do with Grandma and her little mirror, absolutely nothing.


What a little cutie!




My favorite thing, the spit sucker :)



Daddy's turn!


All our teeth are clean until next year...except Adeline's.  However, for the last 2 1/2 years, Adeline has screamed bloody murder whenever we try to help her brush her teeth, and for the last couple weeks, she has willingly let us help her, breakthrough!  Baby steps, maybe she'll sit in the chair next year :)

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Eight years ago our lives changed...

And not because we got married, holy cow, but because some friends of ours introduced us to a safer and healthier alternative to our regular household products.  We decided we didn't want to be breathing in all the toxins from the cleaners, laundry soap, and hygiene products that were out on the market, so we signed up to be preferred members of Melaleuca, and have not regretted it once in over eight years!  

We have absolutely fallen in love with all of their products, the 30 year old company itself and all it stands for.  The best part, they don't just have safer and greener cleaning products, they have personal hygiene products (tooth paste, deodorant, acne treatments, lotions, etc), there's a professional make-up line, hair care line, the best vitamins on the market and the only ones patented to actually be absorbed into your system organically, medicine cabinet products, seriously, you name it, they probably have it.  I honestly can't imagine using any other products for my family.

Their Renew lotion is the only lotion that has worked on Hakan's eczema since he was a baby, and it's 7 times more effective than Eucerine.  Derek used to suffer from cankor sores, but since using their tooth paste, he barely ever gets them.  We have never had to do separate loads of laundry for our kids and us, because their laundry detergent is completely safe.  Did you know there are toxins in Tide known to cause cancer, eek!?  Also, for the same amount of Melaleuca and Tide detergents, you're actually pay $10 more for the Tide, crazy!  Our kids LOVE their vitamins and the Mango Tango Omega-3!  We have so many testimonies for these products!  They also have a 200% guarantee on all their products, love it!

With Melaleuca, we're not spending more money, we've actually saved a ton every month.  It's things you're already buying for yourself and your home, but at a better price.  Plus, it gets delivered right to your door every month.  

If you become a preferred member, you purchase a minimum of 35 product points a month, which ends up being between $50-$60, again, this isn't "new" money, it's money you're already spending on similar products.  By knowing that you are going to shop every month, it lowers operating costs, manufactures just in time, and eliminates storage and warehouse expenses, and in turn passes all those savings right back to you, their customer.  You get higher quality products with a 30%-40% discount every time you shop!

It's normally $29 to become a member, but during the month of January, it's only $1!!  That is such an awesome deal!  Not only that, but you get $100 in free products!  They want you to be able to try all the different products they offer, to see what you favorites are!  

You might ask where the strings are...there aren't any, seriously.  If you sign up and decide maybe it's not for you, you can fill out a form and email it in, done, no fees or catches, just done.  I would say to try it for a few months, just so you try some different things, but otherwise, you don't have to worry about anything.  

This isn't something you sell either.  If you love the products, you can refer family and friends to use them as well and earn a residual income.  They are a consumer direct marketing company, not a multilevel marketing, which means higher quality products, savings and better value and revenue sharing.  They manufacture and ship directly to you, no middle men.  You can earn 7% to 20% each time customers you refer shop at Melaleuca, so awesome!  So you get a check every month just for telling people how much you love it for your family!

All this to say, if you're interested in learning more, please email me lhalvorson02(at)hotmail(dot)com, I'd love to answer any questions or tell you more about how they've helped my family and how they can help yours!  $1 enrollment ends on Friday!  

Christmas Day

Christmas morning at my mom's house.  So many goodies in the stockings:)





   

My two beautiful sisters.
   

My scruffy man :)


Friday, January 24, 2014

Halvorson Christmas

We had such a great Christmas week in ND, it'll be a couple posts in the making.


We made lefse, if you have not tasted some delicious lefse with butter and sugar, you have not lived.  Derek makes fun of my not so round rolled out lefse...but it still tastes the same, right?


Hakan and Grandma cutting out sugar cookies. 


Decorating cookies with daddy.


Hakan made the yellow one with purple and pink sprinkles for me :)


We went to the candle light service on Christmas Eve.



My Grandma Jenny was able to ride with my sister to town and she spent Christmas Eve with us, she loved it!

   
   

Hakan helped sew this pillow for Grandma.
  

The best family picture we could get...



Christmas eve jammies!

We had so much fun with family and celebrating Jesus' birth!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

my ladies

It's so exciting when it works out that all four of us high school friends will be "home" at the same time and can meet up.  Sometimes Christmas can be the hardest time to meet up, even if we are all "home." But this Christmas, it worked out.  Missy made the most delicious monkey bread and Jenni made such a scrumptious egg bake, oh so yummy!  If there's one thing we can do together, it's eat delicious food!


Kristy and Jenni


Missy and Nolan



Gabby and Nolan


Mama's and their adorable babies (Nolan and Oliver)



All of Missy's old Barbie toys...the most Barbie toys I've ever seen.


Christmas gifts!


 


I just love these ladies with all my heart and love catching up with them!