Pumpkin Arrives!

Our little pumpkin was born on Friday, Nov. 20th. He (Yeah a boy) was 6lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inches long. He was bigger than we thought he would be and we are grateful he is here.

Our little pumpkin had a hard time breathing so he ended up in the NICU with fluid and inflammation in his lungs. They put him on oxygen and antibiotics through an IV to treat for pneumonia. His oxygen hood made him look like an astronaut. We were only able to hold our pumpkin for a little while on Friday before he was admitted into intensive care. He was on oxygen all day on Friday. On Saturday morning they let him try to breathe room air and let me nurse him but he wasn't quite ready so he was back on the oxygen until Sunday morning. He was able to keep his oxygen levels up on Sunday so they let me hold and feed him. He finished his rounds of antibiotics on Monday and we were able to bring him home. Pumpkin is doing great!!! He is eating and sleeping very well. The kids all love him. Farmer is so proud of his little brother. He had been saying we were going to have a baby brother before I even knew I was pregnant. I don't think I have ever seen farmer so happy as when he met his brother for the first time - it was a moment I will never forget. We finally introduced him to Squeak - she is pretty rough with him. She does not quite know what "soft" means - she about ripped his arms off and poked his eyeballs out. We are going to have to watch her close. Luckily she is too short to reach into the bassinet so the only time she has access to pumpkin is when we are holding him. The first time she saw him in his carseat she just yelled at him because she wanted that baby out of the car seat so she could get in. She thinks he is a toy so their relationship may be difficult for a couple of months or years.

Petunia and Peanut are old pros at this baby stuff. They are really great with him and want to hold him all the time. Mr. Smiley called the school when pumpkin was born and told the girls. The secretary told him they were smiling ear to ear. I don't think they have stopped. The kids were not able to come to the hospital to see pumpkin so it was hard for them to wait to meet him.

We are really happy to have pumpkin in our home. He is a blessing and has already brought so much love. It is truly amazing how something so small can have an immediate affect on all of us around him. We can feel the love our Heavenly Father has for us just by holding this little boy. We are grateful that we have been given this precious little boy to have in our family. He truly is a gift straight from Heaven.

Check out his professional photo on hospitalportraits.com.

http://www.utahportraits.com/hospital/index.php?pg=baby&action=view&BabyID=112009jbt

Off to the races

On your Marks...get set..go!

Just try to keep up. Squeak turned one. Runnergirl started swimming lessons. We took vacations to Goblin Valley and Bear Lake. Our church almost burned down. We made a volcano, zip line and bouncy balls. Interested anyone? If you want to see more, look at the following post for each event.

Summer fun

You know those days when you wish that the church would burn down so you wouldn't have to go to church? Well, it happened. We came home late on Saturday and I needed to still do my Gospel Doctrine lesson when the news came that there had been a fire at our church. Kind of sad really, luckily only the kitchen and young women's rooms were damaged. Interestingly, the week earlier, I sat in the Young Women's room looking around at the decorations and enjoying the fact that I had helped decorate that room and relishing in the pride I was feeling. I am glad I took a moment to do that.

We will never forget 2009 as the year that we only had church 10 months out of the year. Actually, we go to Sacrament meeting at the Stake Center combined with another ward. Every other week we switch who goes to Sacrament only and who goes to the whole block of meetings. I say 10 months because at the first of the year we were made into a new ward so we only had Sacrament meeting for a month. Now we are every other week for a month or so.

Our science experiments are going so so. I never was very good at chemistry. Our volcano did have a pretty good eruption but our bouncy balls didn't really bounce. I think Mr. Smiley's zip line is a bigger hit. All in all we are having a great summer.

Only in Paris

Step back in time a decade or so and you will be in Paris.

Only in Paris does the Pizza joint close at 6pm on Fridays - oh that is if they are open that day.

Only in Paris can you play on a merry go round that teaches you to run fast or fly.

Only in Paris can you have a horse race on a swing.

Only in Paris can you freeze at the ice cave and get a sunburn at the lake.

Only in Paris can you drink sweet spring water.

Only in Paris can you bring your children to your childhood days.

Only in Paris can you be a kid again.

The only thing missing is the Swedish fish and the frosted root beer at the drug store.

Boo Hoodoo

We had lots of fun running and hiding from the goblins.

Catching tadpoles and trying to tame the little wild horse.

Mr. Smiley was his normal self. Other people think he is amazing as he is hiking for 3 hours carrying 2 kids in the pack. That is nothing for him. Next year he will have 3 kids in the pack. Easy.

Runners don't Swim

Runnergirl takes to the pool - like a runner. Runners breathe in the nose out the mouth. Just try that in the pool, oh yeah and Don't forget to call 911. Lots of coughing, sputtering and splashing. Running is much simpler, first off - water never gets up your nose and when you sweat, it evaporates. Next, you don't ever put on goggles that suck out your eyeballs. Lastly, you don't generally bonk your head on a hard slab of concrete. Well, I guess that last part could happen.

Sounds like fun. Guess I will try it again. Flip turns are pretty cool. Just remember to blow out your nose or you may end up with a serious sinus infection. You thought the butterfly was a cute little insect. I think I swallowed one trying it. My shoulders are still aching. Not as much sputtering and coughing.

Runners and swimmers may have something in common. Discipline and pain.
Can runners swim? I'll let you know by the end of the summer.

P.S. I do have motivation....My kids swim better than me.

Look who's one

Up .. Up.. and Away.

Celebrating life, not to miss a moment.

One year is gone, another begins.

Infancy is over, it's OK to let it go Mommy, it's going... going..gone.

Childhood is waiting, I am growing up Daddy.

My first steps have just begun.

A new adventure awaits around the corner.

Taste it, touch it, feel it, hear it, smell it.

Look at me... I am One!

The Big Answer

The answer to : Are you done having kids? Why did you buy a mini-van? Why are you dogging it in the workouts? Why did you stop working out with the morning Ladies group? Mommy, when are you going to get me a little brother? Is that a little belly? Why are you always tired? Are you training for anything right now? What are you guys going to do for Thanksgiving this year?

Any other questions?

We are happy to announce that we will be adding to our team. We didn't want to say anything until we told our kids who are really excited and have been telling everyone they see - even the librarian.

Little Pumpkin is due November 20th - So we are almost half way done.

We are not going to find out the gender of this baby until the little pumpkin is born. Farmer is telling us its a boy and Peanut is hoping it is not. Yes, life is going to be a little crazy for the next year or so but we are up for the challenge. Wish us luck!

Sunburn Seeds

Farmer has pretty fair skin so he sunburns quite easily. Last week his face got quite red, he said to me, " Mom do you know why my face is so red? I ate too many sunburn seeds." Today as he was doing his chore of weeding the garden he said, "Mom, why does Dad always plant weed seeds?"

No swimming has not gotten any better, in fact worse. He won't even put a toe in the pool now. I pulled him out of the class. Maybe in 2 weeks he will be ready?


Workout - Done

3 days down - just 27 more to make a habit right? I don't know if I agree with that statement 30 days makes a habit. I think it should be everyday makes a habit. Just from personal experience, if I exercise 300 days in a row and decide to sleep in then my habit is no longer a habit. What happens is that my new habit becomes sleeping in. Exercise is a lifestyle choice. I have to choose to do it everyday - make it a part of my life. Just like brushing my teeth.

Yesterday, I walked with Farmer and Squeak in the stroller and Petunia and Peanut riding their bikes. We went 1 mile, played at the park and walked 1 mile back. Doesn't seem too hard - well you ought to see the hills.

Today, I did the TRX outside. My transitions were much faster but I still couldn't keep my heart rate up like I would like to. That said, I was pretty sore after Mondays workout - so heart rate or not, I still got a good workout. I should also clarify that the TRX is not really my cardio workout so it doesn't really matter except right now I am doing the TRX as a strength/endurance circuit so I would like my heart rate to stay higher for longer.

Teri, looks like you would whip my tail. Keep it up.
Anyone else working out there?

Meet the Team

Runnergirl - Me, the one who writes all of this stuff.

Mr. Smiley - The Husband and great dad.

Petunia

Peanut

Farmer

Squeak

Summer Day 1

Workout - Check

Yes, I did get out of bed. The workout was great. A little lonely since I don't have a partner but the birds were in full song this morning which made it just fine. I did 45 sec repetitions of 12 different exercises on the TRX. My heart rate average was 128 bpm. By the end my hamstrings and triceps were on fire. A good start. I am doing the 30 minute full body express workout. I think I will do this workout for a couple of weeks. The only down point was that my heart rate was only in my zone of 120bpm-140bpm for 10 minutes. I am trying to keep my heart rate in that zone for 25 min. so I will have to work on my transitions to keep my heart rate up. What did you do today?

Swimming Lessons - Check, Check , Flop

1st day of Summer break! Of course we started it off with a splash. Yes swimming lessons started today. Petunia and Peanut were back to pool with their fins on.

Farmer on the other hand really took me by surprise. He wanted nothing to do with the swimming lessons. He got in the pool right away but took a minute to evaluate what was going on and quickly changed his mind. I saw him start to rub his eyes and was soon adding tear drops to the pool. He spent the rest of his class wrapped in a towel sitting on the chair next to me. How could this be? My little fish has turned into a sand crab. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.?.

Science Experiment - Check - hopefully not a flop.

Mondays is our science experiment day. We are going to do some kind of science project every Monday. We started off making rock candy. Hopefully it works out. If not it is pretty anyways. Rock candy is made by boiling water and adding sugar then you tie a cotton string onto a pencil and put in the sugar water. We colored ours to make it pretty. This has to set for 3-10 days while crystals form on the string. What a great thing to make with sugar.

Sugar is not one of my favorite things in the world so it is great to use as a science project. We are trying really hard in our family to limit our consumption of white sugar. I just recently finished the book "Sweet Death" by Dr. Hugo Rodier. I learned a lot about sugar and how our bodies react to the white stuff. Not Good. In our society it is almost impossible to get away from it. You don't even have to buy candy. Candy is always given out freely at the store, bank, library, school, piano, church and from old people. Grandparents used to say, " Eat your vegetables." Now they say, "Do you want a sucker?" Our Grandparents have definitely gotten better at this since some of their grand kids don't eat candy.

Nellie's kids have not been eating candy for 1 1/2 years. Amazing. Her kids have been a great example to many of their friends and teachers. Our kids have decided to take the challenge. We have decided to give them a dollar every Sunday if they have not eaten any candy during the week. At the end of the month we double their money. Nellie has been doing this but doubles their money at the end of the year. Forced savings. Smart.

Petunia and Peanut have not been eating candy for over 1 month now. I am so proud of them. The girls have given away their candy or have asked for stickers or pencils instead. Petunia got a Rubik's cube from her piano teacher instead of candy. I think she came out ahead. This was a hard month as it was the end of school and there were many parties with lots of candy. One of Petunia's friends came over today and gave her two flower clips for her hair because he gave everyone in their class candy on the last day but Petunia.

We are not depriving our kids. This is a decision they have made. They can choose to have candy whenever they wish. What am I going to choose to give up for a dollar? hmmm. What are you going to choose?

On my Own

I have been working out with a group of women 3 days a week at 5:50am since November. And as all things must eventually change this is going to be a change. I have decided to stop going to the group and go out on my own. This has been a difficult decision but I feel it is time.

Now, let us get one thing straight - I am not a self motivated and disciplined individual who can just inflict pain to herself on her own. No, I have always needed someone to crack the whip to get me moving. Lets face it, unless someone I respect tells me to do something that causes discomfort, I won't do it. But I can and have done many workouts that I would have never done on my own without the help of others. There were many workouts while I was at University that pushed me to crying, peeing my pants and throwing up all in the presence of onlookers. Most of whom were of the opposite sex and I might have had a chance of getting a date with but rarely did because they saw my nasty side. What drove me to such extent as to ruin my social life? Someone else telling me to.

That brings me to my point of this blog. I cannot do this alone. I am going to be posting my workouts and my progress to this blog as my motivation. I need the one person who reads this blog (hopefully at least one person is interested in what I have to say) to give me encouragement so that I will get my lazy bones out of bed in the morning. You will be my trainer so to speak. I am usually the one who tells people to get their butt off the couch but now it is your turn.

Also, as my trainer, I would like you to send me your favorite workouts. If it is possible, I will do your workout and let you know what I think about it. I will start tomorrow morning at 6:15am. I am planning to use the TRX outside hooked onto our Mulberry tree. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully, I get out of bed.

TRX

Just wanted to introduce a little piece of equipment that recently replaced all of my weightlifting equipment. The TRX suspension system has been great! I had a whole room dedicated to my weights and machines for personal training and for keeping myself fit. I sold all of it and changed it out for the TRX. I can get a great workout without needing a whole room to keep all of my equipment.

I took it to the park this morning and had a great workout. The TRX is portable, fun and anyone can use it - it doesn't matter what kind of shape you are in. A professional athlete and a couch potato could use this and get results. The TRX was used on the "Biggest Loser" this past season.


Normally, I don't recommend anyone purchase home fitness equipment because it usually ends up being an expensive coat rack. Never used and taking up to much space. The TRX is much different and I would recommend to anyone. As a personal trainer, I would recommend the TRX as one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever used. As an owner of a TRX, I would recommend the TRX as the most versatile pieces of equipment I have ever owned.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a TRX, I am a TRX affiliate. Just click on any of the TRX links on my blog and it will take you to my storefront or use this link:

https://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&AFFIL=Fn634X75

The Foolish Man

What made the foolish man foolish? Was he foolish because he knew building on the sand would make his home unstable and eventually washes away but decided to build on the sand anyways because it was easier and cheaper? Or was he foolish because he didn’t know? Did he not do his research and find out the best way and place to build a home? Any way you look at it he is foolish.

This is what knowledge can do to you. Either you will be the foolish man or become the wise man. The past 3 years I have been studying about alternative health and nutrition. I have read many books and I have learned much. I have acquired knowledge. No, I don’t believe everything I read or hear. But when something rings true in my heart, I have pangs of anxiety that come along with my new found knowledge. What I choose to do with that new knowledge will make me the foolish man or the wise man.

Sometimes I wish I hadn’t learned something because I don’t want to change my life or alter some life long habit. But now that I have learned better, if I don’t change I am the foolish man. If I hadn’t researched and acquired the new knowledge then I am also the foolish man.

Changing life long nutritional habits can be very difficult. When I hear something that makes me question my eating habits, I decide to research. The more I research and learn the more likely I am going to want to change my old ways. True knowledge can be a powerful motivator. It can help you do things that you never thought was possible. When you get correct information most likely you will decide to be the wise man and change your life.

The other powerful motivator is my family. When I learn something, I want to share it with them. I want them to live long and healthy lives. But at that end, I cannot tell them to change their lives unless I am willing to do it myself. The following story illustrates my point perfectly.

A mother took her child to Ghandi, to help her child stop eating refined sugar. Ghandi thought for a moment: “Bring your child back, tomorrow.” The puzzled mother did so, at which time Ghandi said to the child: “Stop eating candy.” The mother then asked: “Why didn’t you tell him that yesterday?” Ghandi replied: “Yesterday, I was eating candy myself.”

I hope I can be the wise man. I hope I can gain enough self respect, control and determination to be the wise man.

Keep your Girlish Figure

A few weeks ago we went to the city Health Fair. There were a few testing stations set up to supposedly tell us how healthy (or sickly) we are. Mr. Smiley and I both had our body fat, glucose, bone density and cholesterol checked. Mr. Smiley had his body fat tested first. He fell within the normal/healthy range for a man of his age and height. His number was on the high end of normal. Body Fat woman (the tech) told him he needed to start exercising and eat better and he could lower his body fat. I was annoyed.

Next it was my turn. I also fell in the normal/healthy range for my age and height. My number was on the low end of normal. Body Fat woman then started lecturing me about being to thin. How I am sooo unhealthy because I don't have enough fat. What a load of garbage. I was getting pretty mad. She then said, "You must be a runner! YOU RUNNERS just don't know when to stop." I started fuming. The steam was coming out of my ears when she delivered the final blow. "Don't even think about getting your bone density tested it will be horrible." she snidely remarked.

So I immediately went over to get my Bone Density tested. The tech there was in shock as she told me my bone density was the best she had ever tested. Take that body fat woman. Can't good ever be good enough? I would like that body fat woman to know that I am proud of my body fat percentage. I think it is healthy for me. Not to mention that I have had a body fat percentage in the past that was 11% lower than what I tested that day. And I was healthy then too. I think she was just jealous. I am happy with my body. I work to keep it the way I want it. Oh maybe I am just lucky because I am tall and have good genetics. Don't ever mention the fact that I get up at dark thirty in the morning and have for many years to try to keep my body fit.

Don't mean to open a can of worms. (I will open that can later) Most people who are fit and healthy work at it. They don't just become that way overnight. God has given us all an amazing gift - our body. We all choose what we do with our bodies. Let us do the best we can with what we have been given. Some are thin, some are fat. Some need to lose weight, some need to gain. I just wish it was as easy as Betty Boop demonstrates.

This is my all time favorite cartoon about weight and exercise. I always laugh at this film. Just over 5 minutes in length. It is worth watching the whole thing.

Fresh Food - Elevates my Mood

Fresh Spring Rolls are the most wonderful food. They elevate my mood. I love to eat them in the morning, I love to eat them in the afternoon, I love to eat them at night. They give me so much delight. (Do you like my rhyming?)

This one is for Nellie ( I hope you like your new blog name).

Thai Fresh Spring Rolls

1 package dried rice rolls (also called "rice paper" – Asian Markets)
1 cup cooked chicken sliced or cut into bite-size pieces, and tossed in 2-3 Tbsp. fish sauce (OR substitute tossed in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce) - If Vegetarian, substitute baked tofu or flavored wheat gluten - I like them with no meat.
1 cup fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 cup fresh sweet basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
1/2 large cucumber, sliced into matchstick-like pieces
1 carrot, grated
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
(You can experiment with other veggies and herbs.)
Except for the rice rolls, place each of the above ingredients in a separate bowl
and set aside.

Take out one of the rice wrappers and place it in a bowl of hot water. You may have to gently press the wrapper down into the water. The rice paper will soften in approximately 30 seconds.
When the wrapper is soft enough to eat (these rolls do not require cooking), remove from water and place on the clean working surface.
Working always horizontally, place slices of the chicken (or tofu/wheat gluten) toward the end of the wrapper. Now place some of the cucumber on top.
Now add a little carrot, fresh coriander, basil, and bean sprouts.
Begin to roll by folding the bottom portion of rice paper over the ingredients.

Roll up burrito style.

Serve with the peanut dipping sauce, and/or Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (available by the bottle at most large grocery store chains in the Asian section).

To create Thai peanut dipping sauce from scratch, place the following ingredients in a blender or food processor:
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (OR other sweetener - ie. agave, or honey)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (OR Vegetarian fish sauce, OR 3 Tbsp. soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. tamarind paste (OR lime juice)
1 tsp. chili sauce
Process well. Now do a taste test for sugar and salt, adding more brown sugar or fish sauce as needed. If too salty for your taste, add a squeeze of lime juice.

Your taste buds have never had such love. Enjoy!