Where is Spring?

April Fools Day - you're all invited to join us for dinner next year!

You can see how much fun we had on Easter!!!   Luckily,  we had an easter egg hunt yesterday - because it snowed 5 inches last night!   Where is Spring?    Eggs coming soon. 

As High as a Kite!

We've been having fun at our house! Not much time to spend blogging just playing. Enjoy!

 Workout Woman,  Sit on the Couch guy and I have started a new blog. Take a look - fitsnacks.blogspot.com

I can't find anything to wear!

Last night I had the most frustrating dream.  I dreamed that I was trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to an appointment that I had.  The closet that I was choosing out of was probably the size of my great room.  There were many many choices,  dresses, skirts, blouses, levis - whatever you might want for any type of occasion.  I couldn't find anything to wear and time was ticking.  I tried on many things and put together many combinations but nothing was quite right.  The appointment time was approaching.  I went to another closet in an adjacent room still nothing right for me.  The appointment time had now come and I was in a panic.  I finally just put on a pair of kaki's - which had a stain, were too tight, and too short - and I went to my appointment late.  Horrible.

I share this because as I have been thinking about that dream today,  I realize it is what I have been feeling as I try to make decisions for my family.  There are  many decisions I have to make for my children all of the time and they are counting on me to make the correct decisions for them. My children trust me.  What I realize now is that there are many different outfits I can choose from, but not all of them are going to be right for me.  I also cannot just be set on one outfit excusively because it won't be right for every occasion.  I might not be comfortable with my decisions all of the time.  In my dream, I ran out of time and I took the easy way out - comfortable kaki's - and it ended up horrible.  Sometimes I just want to take the easy road but that might not be the best one for me.

In reality,  my closet is quite small and I don't have very many outfits to chose from but I do want to look my best.  I don't have to make all our life decisions right now - just pick the right outfit for today. 

Raptor Claws

I got scratched by a Raptor!

(actually - just a welt from a big rubber band)

How could I ever say I hate homework?

Just some good laughs featuring Peanut's finest

Look at #4

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.

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?

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?

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.

Spring Moments

I love spring. It helps me remember the simple and most beautiful things in life. My husband. My children. Clear sparkling water. Fresh Fruit. Sunshine on my face. Light. Fresh cut flowers on my table. Eating ice cream cones. Playing at the park. Being barefoot. My favorite white t-shirt. New green blades of grass. Opening the windows. Going on walks. Not being in a rush. Enjoying the moment. Breathing. Feeling God's Love.

New Resolve

I have had this fantasy for years to be a writer. But didn't know how to go about it. Pitiful. Anyways, I am hoping that I will start writing here on my blog more often. So if I have any readers out there, check back often as I have a new resolve to start blogging.

Years ago a friend told me that he didn't know I was a real person just a "runner". Yes, running (only competitively) was a passion for a long time and I still love the smell of the track. I have never really loved running as far as just to do it. It has always been painful for me. I have to have some kind of competition to work for. I like to run fast and not for a very long amount of time. At my age that really means I don't run too much. Anyways, I have had to work hard to get rid of that label and become a little more well rounded. And I don't mean well rounded around my middle. I do run and workout most days of the week to ward off that kind of well roundedness.

So this blog is now dedicated to writing about fitness, nutrition, and anything else that suits my fancy.

Vacation

Whew, it has been a whirlwind the last month. Just to start off we had Mr. Smiley's parents stay with us for a week, we went to Bear Lake, the Uintahs, a family reunion, blessed Squeak and went to Virginia. Life has been a little crazy but tons of fun. School has now started and we are hopefully slowing down for a couple of weeks.

The highlights of this past month were being with family and going to Virginia. We were in Virginia for 10 days and stayed with the M family. We had a great time getting to know their family and felt right at home. The kids really had fun playing with "Piglet" the dog. His name is really Flint but Farmer gave him a new name. I hope he likes it. Most of all they had a great time with Josh, Anna and Sara. We did keep Dr. M busy as he had to give Isaac stitches our first day there and then had to pull a tick out of Callie's head. Our kids will never forget the M family.

We were able to spend a couple of days at Virginia Beach, and couple of days down at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We all had a great time boogie boarding and playing in the sand. We saw many fish, shells and even some manta rays jumping in the surf. We went to an aquarium, an outdoor theatre, the Wright Brothers memorial, on a paddle wheel ferry and sailing on a tall ship. We drove across many bridges and tunnels, the most amazing was the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel. This bridge is 17 miles long across the bay. The kids and I (runnergirl) were kind of nervous as there is more water there than any of us have seen in our whole lives. We went on the USS Wisconsin, a warship that is 3 football fields long.

We also went to Jamestown and Williamsburg. We went crabbing at Bennetts creek and had great success. We visited a couple of families Mr. Smiley has known for years and we went to his class reunion. Mr. Smiley and I also got to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean, it was breathtaking. As we were waiting to see the sunrise we saw a red fox just below our hotel window. We had a great time in "Ginia" as Farmer would say.

This past weekend, the city had the ribbon cutting for the new pool. Mr. Smiley was asked to do the honors. What a great opportunity he has had in working on that project. The community is so pleased with the outcome and Mr. Smiley has received many complements.

Peanut starts kindergarten tomorrow. She is sure growing up fast. Petunia is really enjoying school thus far and has seemed to grow leaps and bounds this summer. Farmer keeps us all on our toes and Baby Squeak is our precious little angel. I guess we will see what the next month adds to our lives.