Did I tell you that I am a woman of few words? That is why it has taken me sooo long to write another entry. I read everyone else's blogs and they are so witty and clever. It is very discouraging to me. My life is filled with kids, piano lessons, my husband, our dog (who is in the dog house right now because she had an accident on my rug and no one told me and I vaccuumed right over it! YUCK!) I know Kelly is very sentimental with her dog, but I'm not feeling the love. Oh, and my calling at church. That seems to consume my spare time. That and cleaning and cooking. By the time 10 pm rolls around I am ready for bed!!!



I did get a new haircut. That has been the biggest change in my life this past week. I was in need of a change! I like it, but I am still figuring out how to style it. I was afraid Greg wouldn't like it because it is a bit shorter, but he says it's SASSY! Just what I was going for. Cari says it makes me look younger, so with 2 compliments like that -- I'm HAPPY! You can't beat that. Now I just need to bring on a new, younger and sassier attitude to go with it!!!



Lastly, I thought it would be fun to share with you some important life lessons I've learned this past month. Here goes...

The “Do’s and Don’ts” Life Lessons of Charla for February 2008

1. Do make a budget with your husband
2. Don’t make a budget hours before you go to the temple with your husband
3. Do go to the temple even when you don’t feel like it after arguing over the budget with your husband.
4. Do listen to that little voice that tells you to put up the cold medicine bottle so that your 4 year old doesn’t get into it
5. Don’t completely freak out when you have to call poison control because your 4 year old son who is 37 pounds drank a 4 ounce bottle of children’s cold medicine. It would take quite a bit more to do real harm to your child. Besides your child will sleep really well that night.
6. Don’t use Children’s Cold Medicine to get your child to go to sleep as he will have a nasty bout of diarrhea for the next 12 to 24 hours.
7. Don’t make a brand new pasta sauce recipe for a dinner party for 30 people if you have never made it before the main event.
8. Do have a jar(s) of your favorite pasta sauce handy if you make a new recipe and it doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.
9. Do take a good book to read when you have to serve at jury duty.
10. Don’t take a book to read in which you can barely keep yourself from crying (The Kite Runner) in front of complete strangers during jury duty. This will make you feel really stupid when ladies come up to you trying to console you because they think you are completely distraught at the thought of having to serve on a jury.
11. Do get a transfer to the Murrieta courthouse rather than going to Riverside courthouse if you live in Temecula. Otherwise plan at least 2 hours each way in case YOU get caught in traffic from a motorcycle accident and road construction. YUCK!
12. Do surround yourself with amazing friends who make you feel good about yourself! Especially if you need a pick me up after a haircut where the first response you receive is: “Why did you cut your hair sooo short?” or you need a great idea for a thank you gift. (You know who you are. Thank you very much!)
13. Don’t take your girls to the mall if you are on a tight budget and you only want to spend money on baby shower gifts.
14. Do say no to your girls if they are dying to spend their money on fake nails from Limited Too. It’s totally not worth it.

15. Do recognize your blessings (i.e. a husband who demanded that I not do anything but lay around and do whatever I wanted on a Saturday. He did ALL of the laundry and made all of the meals just so I could have a break). My blessings are too many too count -- but it's fun to try.

16. Do know that God is in the "storms of life." Remember it's the storms of life that push us across the seas to our Promised Land. (Thanks Melanie for an incredible talk on Sunday!)

I guess I'm not a woman of as few words as I thought.