Holli Gunther's July Goal: Organize Photos. What really happened? Trip to NC!!

Yes, my plans changed for July.  My grandparents celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary!! My uncles decided to throw a party, but they all live in North Carolina.  I was just going to go myself or maybe take a few of the older children.  But, I really felt like we ALL needed to go! 

 I went to junior high and high school in Mt. Airy (Mayberry), NC, and that is where the anniversary celebration was going to be held.  My husband and children had never been back there.  It was a huge part of my life that they could not connect with! 

Not to mention, that my grandparents are now 96 and 95 years old.  This could be our last chance to be with them before they pass on.  I would much rather that my children see them alive, rather than in a casket...  My grandparents used to live in Orem, Utah, so they knew most of my children quite well, but they had never seen my baby. 

So, for all of these reasons, we made the plunge and took all 6 kids with us to NC.  We had been saving all of our "points" on our credit card for some future vacation--and this turned out to be it!  It took all of our points saved on 2 or 3 cards, plus about $600, but we got flights for everyone.  The rental car ended up costing more than we paid in flights!  Crazy.
But, so worth it!!

We visited Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC.  It was a Moravian settlement.  Very interesting history!

And we ate Moravian Sugar Cake.  YUM!

The best part was just being with family.  But, it was so hard to say good-bye to my grandparents.  I might not see them again for a very long time.

For August, my plan was to go on an over-nighter with my husband.  (It was our 16th anniversary on August 13th.) But, we bought a house instead!  So, we have been really busy remodeling as much as we can before our current home sells.  I will have some fun remodeling photos next month!

Holli Gunther's June Goal: Don't yell at or around my children!

I always considered myself a patient person--then I had children. Ha! I think that is one of the reasons I have 6 children--so that I can learn to be more patient and have true charity.  So, I wasn't at all perfect this month at controlling my outbursts. :/ But, I was better and more conscious of it.  It's not that I go around yelling a ton, but when I am stressed I have a really hard time not letting those emotions carry through to everything else.

Two things that helped a ton this month were:
1.  Reading A House United by Nicholeen Peck
2.  Taking 5-HTP (sold at Costco) twice a day.

I'm not finished with the book yet, but I went to a seminar that Nicholeen Peck put on and have started implementing some of her ideas.  She was on a BBC show called, "The World's Strictest Parents."  She was the only parent on the show that never raised her voice! It is so amazing how she can remain extremely calm in the middle of disciplining her children.  She is my idol!
If you want more info, her website is http://teachingselfgovernment.com

The 5-HTP was a suggestion from my mother. :)  It is a drug-free amino acid that naturally increases your body's serotonin levels.  This helps improve mood and relaxation.  I haven't done much research on it, however.  It probably causes cancer like everything else in this world!  But, when I take it I can tell a significant difference in my mood and how I handle stress.

So, there you have it. 
My goal for July was to simplify and not have my children involved in any activities.  I planned on using my "extra time" to organize all our photos.  Well, my grandparents had their 75th wedding anniversary in NC, so most of our month was spent preparing for, going to, and recovering from that! But, it was awesome.  I will blog about it next month. :)

Holli Gunther's May Goal: Refresh 72 hour kits

I had my last two babies 17 months apart.  So, many things have gone neglected...72 Hour kits being one of them. ;)  It has been 2 years since I have changed all the food out and put in clothes that actually fit the child!  So, this forum was a good motivator for me to put this task on the front burner for a minute...
Here is a photo of the backpacks and some of the things that go inside:

The problem is that the backpacks are so dang heavy that very few of my children would be able to really carry one if they had to!  I need to work on that aspect...
The other part I am still figuring out is a better place to store the stuff.  We have used the front coat closet for years, but now that our family is bigger we really need that coat closet for things like coats!  My husband said if we put them in the garage they will spoil more quickly.  So, we are making a spot in the storage room.  There is an outside entrance there if we needed to be able to get out of the house.  We'll see how that turns out. 
Anyone have any ideas on the best place to store your 72 hour kits??

I found a great website as I was looking for ideas.   www.abowlfulloflemons.net 
There are some amazing ideas there for organization. 

Holli Gunther's April Goal:  Exercise 5 days a week and limit "treats" to once a week.


If you ask Nora, she can tell you that all my life I have been trying to get in better shape and lose weight.  Even when we were missionaries in Brazil, I had my mom send me some meal replacement shakes and vitamins!  I am constantly trying some new fitness or weight loss program.

So, now that I am 40, or maybe because I have already tried everything out there (Haha!), I have decided to just try the simple eat less, move more.  Like my brothers always told me, "All you have to do is eat a little less and run a little more!"

My goal for April, (since my kitchen remodel still isn't happening :)), was to exercise 5 days a week and limit my treats to once a week.  I feel like I did pretty well.  I wasn't perfect, but I did some kind of exercise on most days of the week and I did limit my treats.  A friend of mine contacted me half-way through the month and wanted me to join her in a "fitness challenge."  It includes 10 things that you must do, or not do, each day.  You get a point for each thing and we report our weekly points to each other each Sunday night.

 Here are the 10 things:
1.  Eat 3-5 servings of veggies each day.
2.  Eat 3-5 fruit servings of fruit each day.
3.  No white flour.
4.  No sugar.
5.  A lot of water  ( I drink 3-4 of my big water bottles full each day.)
6.  Exercise 45 min. at least 5 days a week.
7.  No fried food.
8.  No soda.
9.  Keep a food journal.
10.  No eating after 8pm.

*You get one free day per week.
*Keep track of everything.
* Everything gets a  point.

I think it is a great lifestyle.  My only problem is that I go a little crazy on the "free day"  and pretty much blow all of my hard work that I did during the week.  I still haven't figured out how to control that.  I need to limit myself to one treat a week...not one day of treating! HA!
Any suggestions?  What works for you?

This is our family at Classic Skating for my 40th birthday.  It was so much fun!  We practically had the place to ourselves.

March Goal, Holli Gunther, Do Something With Family History and Involve My Children

So, my original goal for March was to start remodeling our kitchen.  But, I waited until the last part of February before I called the cabinet guy that we wanted to use.  He is booked out for the next two months, of course!  I don't know what I was thinking...So, I am switching around some things. 

I decided to go ahead with my Family History goal this month since I was doing it anyway! :)   Our Relief Society decided to do a reenactment of the first meeting of the Relief Society in Nauvoo.  They asked everyone to find out if they have ancestors that would have been at that meeting or lived in Nauvoo at that time.  I knew that I probably did, but I figured I was too busy and I would let someone else do it. :)

However, I have a great neighbor that called me up and said, "Holli, I know that you had ancestors living in Nauvoo!"  I told her that I know I did too, but I didn't know how to find out.  She explained it over the phone to me in a way that sounded super simple, so I gave it a try.  My husband had taken the kids to Hannah's basketball game and the house was quiet for about an hour!  So, I dove in and decided to see what I could find. 

Long story short, I found an ancestor that lived in Nauvoo when the Relief Society was organized and you can even buy her biography on Amazon!!  So, I told a little bit of her story at our Relief Society birthday party when they did the reenactment.  It was a really great experience.

Here is the book that I bought and my first Family History file folder! Ha!

I forgot to take a picture of myself in costume, but here is a caption from the Ward Newsletter about the event.

I even found a couple of people that needed some work done!  I couldn't believe it!  I don't know if I could find them again if I tried, but I pushed print and the little paper came out that I took to the temple to print up cards.  I was so excited to see temple cards with my name on them!!  It was awesome.  I didn't think I would ever see the day.

I was able to involve my children this month by setting up accounts on Family Tree for my 2 oldest.  My oldest daughter, Hannah, was already doing indexing, but we showed my 11 year old how and she has done a little bit.  Hannah will also be doing the baptisms for the people I found.
  We decided to dedicate at least one Sunday a month to Family History.--Even if we only spend 15 minutes.  I can commit to 15 min. one Sunday a month.  That is totally doable.

Holli Gunther, February Goal: Potty Train Austin and Wean Felicia!

Potty Training Austin:
This might seem like a lame goal, but I knew that if I made it one of my monthly goals I would actually do it and not let it drag on forever!  :)
So, my son, Austin, turned 3 the end of January.  We have been telling him every day for about 6 months that when he turns 3 there will be no more diapers.  This tactic worked great for my daughter that is 2 years older than him, but not so great for my older son.  I wasn't sure how Austin was going to respond. 
When Austin was about 2 1/2 and was showing signs of wanting to use the potty and understanding what it was all about, we bought him his own little potty.  It is the greatest potty ever because it cheers for him every time he uses it with success!  It has a little sensor and will make music and say, "Yea!" every time he goes pee or poop.  This was quite motivational for him--not to mention the potty treats. :)

 So, when he turned 3, his OCD nature became a very good thing and he decided he was done with diapers!  It has been hard to get him to use a pull-up for naps and bedtime even!  He has done awesome.  He has still had a few accidents, but has really done well. 
With my older children, potty training was a very emotional, almost power-struggle issue.  I dreaded it every time.  But, this has been a very positive and unemotional experience.   5 kids down, 1 to go!

This is Austin with his Minion jammies that he earned for going "poops" in the potty!  He was so proud of himself. :)

Weaning Felicia:
I don't know how many of you have gone through this experience before, but there is something about weaning your last child that is a little difficult.  I have loved the peaceful bonding time that I get when I am nursing a baby.  Sometimes, it is the only chance I get to actually sit down and think during the day!  And knowing that Felicia is our last child, I held on to that.  I tried weaning her about 4 months ago, but she was crying and I was crying and we just weren't ready!  She will be 2 in June. Then, she started trying to pull up my shirt and I was nervous that it was going to get pretty embarrassing at church or in other social situations. Ha!  Also, I am one that has a very difficult time losing weight until I am done nursing.  I turned 40 years old in February and I really wanted to give myself a gift and lose a few pounds.  So, February came and I was ready.

By the look on Felicia's face, maybe she still wasn't quite ready!  Haha! 
But, I am finally all dried up, flat as a pancake, and a couple of pounds lighter. I will always miss those sweet nursing moments, however.  It is such a special time with your baby!

Holli Gunther, January 2014, Family Scripture Study each morning at 7:30am

Hi!  My name is Holli Gunther and I was privileged to be one of Nora's mission companions in Brazil!  We had an incredible time together and I loved her the minute I met her.  All the Brazilians loved her as well.  They were constantly mistaking her for a famous singer down there named Xhu Xha!! (I can't remember how to spell it!)

I live in American Fork, Utah, with my husband, Philip, and my 6 children.  I am a stay-at-home mom, and taught 4th grade for a couple of years before we had children.  I have to say that motherhood has been much more of an education than all my preparation to be a teacher!

I have loved being a part of this project and have really enjoyed reading all of your posts.  I was nervous that I would fall into the trap of comparing myself, like I am prone to do, but have been so inspired by your goals and have loved knowing that other people struggle with the same things I do. :)
That said, my goal for January was to establish the habit in our home of reading the scriptures together every morning at 7:30am.  We have always tried to read together right before bed, but now that my children are getting older, they aren't always home at night when it is time to read.  So, we decided to take the plunge and start the morning schedule. 
It went really well the first week.  My kids were all there, prompt and ready.  In fact, one morning after a long night up with the baby, my children read the scriptures without any parents!  That was awesome.

Then, as the weeks have gone on, we still have some in bed--the older ones are there, but I just don't have the heart to wake up the younger ones--and their sleep-deprived father. HaHa! :)  I have been thinking about linking it to a privilege of some kind, as an incentive to get them all there on time.  I'm not going to lie, there have been many times that I have wanted to quit and just go back to night time, but I know that mornings will be the best if we want to be consistent. 

What have some of you done that has worked?

Holli Gunther's Goals and Projects for 2014

Hi!  My name is Holli Gunther.

I live in American Fork, Utah, with my husband, Philip, and my 6 children.  I am a stay-at-home mom, and taught 4th grade for a couple of years before we had children.  I have to say that motherhood has been much more of an education than all my preparation to be a teacher! 

January:  Have family scripture study every morning at 7:30am.

February:  Wean Felicia and potty train Austin

March and April:  Remodel our kitchen!

May:  Do something with family history and involve the children in it.

June:  Don’t yell at or around my children.  Keep calm.

July:  Simplify our calendar.  No lessons of any kind.  Organize family photos with all of our spare time!

August:  Go somewhere over night with my husband.

September:  Involve my children in harvesting and preserving the food from our garden.

October:  Donate our Halloween candy to a shelter.

November:  Take Reese somewhere over night.

December:  Family service project.  Maybe stockings for soldiers?