Personality Test

So, I took this personality test.  I'm not sure I agree, but here are my results:

You're a bold, confident ORANGE. A warm, powerful color that indicates a strong, welcoming personality, orange is the mark of people who are social and extroverted by nature.  Vibrant, with an upbeat attitude, you have a bright, inviting demeanor.  Energetic and fun-loving, you're a real friend-magnet.  Your easy charm and unassuming manner make you the sort of person people want to meet and get to know better.  Well-rounded and fun to be around, you enjoy helping others, so it's no surprise that orange also symbolizes attraction.  Orange is an extraordinary color-- for an extraordinary person.  

Take the True Color Test yourself--   

http://web.tickle.com/color/index.jsp?testname=colorogt&resultid=C

Be of Good Cheer

Last night our ward had an Enrichment Meeting where a therapist came and gave suggestions about how we can be more cheerful and feel better about ourselves.  She shared a quote from Neal A. Maxwell, one of my favorite Apostles: "In these days, being of good cheer is part of being valiant in the testimony of Jesus."  I guess being sad and depressed is not a good way to show that we want to be more like our Savior. 

There are several areas of our lives that we can change to help us feel more cheerful:

*Eat Fresh- fresh fruits and veggies have living enzymes that create a chemical reaction telling our bodies that we should feel more alive.  Eat something fresh before you eat anything else. 

*Exercise- Doing 1 hr of moderate, sustained exercise creates a chemical reaction in our bodies that helps us feel better.  I know I feel better when I am able to be active.

*Sunlight- We need to try to spend some time in the sun every day.  Our bodies need it.  I definitely feel more depressed when I am stuck inside and it is really hazy outside.  Depression definitely gets worse during Winter months.

*Socialize- Find someone (an adult) to talk to every day, preferably in person.  Finding ways to interact with others improves our mood and gives us motivation to shower every day.  

*Laughter- We need to have at least 30 belly-laughs every day.  Laughter is an amazing way to make us more cheery.

*Thought Stopping- We need to stop dwelling on negative thoughts and think of blessings instead.  Dwelling on negative thoughts can be one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves.

*Passion- Find something you really enjoy doing, and do it for 1 hr every day.  This may seem selfish at first, but it will improve how you feel about yourself in the long run.

*Prayer- Heavenly Father definitely knows what we are going through and how we are feeling. We shouldn't be afraid to ask for help with getting through tough times.  

D&C 61:36 "Be of good cheer little children, for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you."  

More Fun with Boxes

I think it is amazing how creative kids can be with a couple of boxes and lots of time stuck inside.  David decided to make a train out of his big box and two smaller boxes.  He thought I should be the conductor in the "engine" because I make great train sounds.  Then he and Rebecca wanted to see where we were going (notice David's binoculars are still around his neck), so they insisted on joining me in the already crowded box (it's tricky fitting a pregnant mom and two munchkins in such a small box).  I'm glad that the kids have fun using their imaginations. 

Rebecca loves climbing in the boxes with as many baby dolls as she can fit.  She gets mad if I make her get out.

Homemade Binoculars

Sometimes David needs proper motivation to do certain tasks, such as bathing.  It has required creativity on my part since his favorite things involve playing outside, eating cookies, and watching Blue's Clues.  I don't always like these choices (too cold, too much work, and too much TV).  Today I convinced David that we could make some binoculars if he didn't throw a fit in the tub.  It was lots of fun, except we didn't have enough tubes to make a pair for Rebecca.  Luckily, I remembered that I've been storing left over yogurt cups (who knows why).  I used these to make some Binoculars for Rebecca.  David has been very excited to look out the window and watch the neighbor's houses.  I think he gets window-watching from his mother.  

Riding the Elephant (or horse or lion, or insert other animal name here)

It seems that whenever Ganon lies down on the floor, Rebecca either sits on him or makes him get up so she and David can "ride" on him.  I'm glad that he is such a good sport.  Rebecca still forgets to hold on sometimes, so I get to walk/crawl along side to keep her from falling.  Both David and Rebecca love it, shouting "WHEEE!" and "Faster, Faster!"

Sittin' Pretty

Rebecca and David were given two dump trucks for Christmas.  They love pushing them around and filling them with toys.  It makes clean-up time much more exciting.  Rebecca also loves sitting in one of the trucks.  She fits pretty well, but she hasn't figured out that the truck needs to be pushed up against something so it doesn't dump her out.  

Little Drummer Boy (and Girl)

While I was in the other room and Rebecca was taking a nap, I heard David in the Kitchen.  A minute later I heard some metal tapping.  When I came out, David had created a few "drums" that he could play with.  When Rebecca woke up from her nap, the two of them shared the drum sticks and tapped (or banged) together.