The Personal Experience Expert

2010-11-01T10:39:00.000-06:00

Did you know that many of Utah’s museums are FREE on the first Monday of the month? It’s true! Usually, we stay home on Mondays and catch up after the weekend. I try to never make doctor appointments on Monday-- too many people try to 'wait out' the weekend and then call in to the doctor on Monday. This is an exception to the 'stay home on Monday' rule. We will be choosing a different museum to go to every month. It is a great field trip for the kids and exciting to see something new. What is your favorite museum?

Sunday Song: Over the Rainbow

2010-08-01T16:47:00.000-06:00

This Sunday Song is for a special friend, Monica. She has been my friend for many years. Monica blogs about her family at Monica the Mighty Read her there and be warned: whether you are laughing so hard you are crying or crying so hard your heart breaks, you'll need tissues.
This song, Over the Rainbow, is for Monica's angel daughter, Taleah. I remember Taleah. Hugs~

Long time, no see

2010-07-30T16:28:00.002-06:00

It has been a while... Life has been crazy. I'm going to try to catch you up on the important things over the next week.
Remember my post about the Ragnar Race my son ran? How I told myself I couldn't do it? Last week I was visiting with a neighbor who told me she had signed up to have a team at the 2011 Ragnar Race. She had most of the team spots open. So I signed up! I gave her a check the next day. (Oh, I just realized she hasn't cashed that check yet... I'd better balance my checkbook soon. It isn't cheap to run the Ragnar!) Anyway, I've started training already, though it just might kill me. I dusted off the treadmill, which hasn't been used much since Jared ran the Ragnar. I ignored the backpack full of weights that he would wear while running on the treadmill... I was lucky to survive the 15 minutes of running without passing out.
My neighbor ran the Ragnar with friends this year. Their team name was Fat kids win at teeter totter... I'll let you know as soon as I know what our team name will be this year!

Sunday Song

2010-07-25T09:13:00.000-06:00

This week's Sunday Song is from John Canaan: Let Him Heal Your Heart
No matter what challenges we are facing, Christ can heal our hearts.
Hugs~

busy moms

2010-07-16T14:10:00.000-06:00

Wow, this week has been incredibly busy... so busy. I'll tell you about it... just as soon as I have a minute. I'm running out the door (again). Until then, read Sherri Dew's article: Are we not all Mothers?

Sunday Song: If the Savior Stood Beside Me

2010-07-11T10:19:00.000-06:00

Our Sunday Song is If the Savior Stood Beside Me
This was chosen because of a particularly difficult discussion I had this week. We need to be very careful about the things we say and do. Too often our words and actions can be hurtful... If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?

Ogden City Parks

2010-07-09T10:17:00.000-06:00

Kids bored? Need something to do that doesn't cost money? Did you know Ogden has 40 parks and playgrounds? We've had fun exploring parks we haven't been to before and revisiting some we have. These pictures are from Bues Pond Park. The playground isn't great and has no shade, but the trail around the pond is fun to walk. There is a sign saying not to feed bread to the ducks (because seagulls will attack the baby ducks to get the bread).

Sunken Ships

2010-07-08T13:36:00.000-06:00

I've been working eight hour shifts this week. My kids decided to entertain themselves and make paper boats while I slept in. We have sunken ships and sea creatures.

See saw or Teeter totter?

2010-07-07T11:47:00.000-06:00

When I told people we were making a see saw, they'd ask, "you mean a teeter totter?" Whether you call it a see saw or a teeter totter, we made one for the kids! I was searching online for fun things we could make ourselves this summer and found this see saw project
The directions are good, but there are a few things I'll mention: 1. be sure to buy the lugnuts that go with the bolts (who knew?) 2. it took 3- 40# bags of concrete for us to fill the tire- this will depend on the size of your tire, but it does take a lot of concrete. 3. We got the tire free at a tire store, just by asking for it.

We painted it, which cost us an extra $20. The kids picked out the color (it was the only one of hundreds they could agree on!). With the orange color and tire, it looks like a construction zone!

Bowling Pictures

2010-07-06T15:08:00.000-06:00

I'm sharing our pictures from bowling! It is a new month, so be sure to print your new bowling passes. This is at the Ogden Fat Cats. We had lots of fun!

Sunday Song: The Pledge of Allegiance

2010-07-04T17:28:00.000-06:00

Since today is the Fourth of July, the Sunday Song is: The Pledge of Allegiance.
I want to share this scripture with you:
2 Nephi 1:7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
God is talking about our country. It shall be a land of Liberty Beautiful. I pray God will continue to bless us. I am so grateful to live in this free land, bought with the blood of my forefathers and all who have fought for our country. Thank you.

Holistic LDS Living Conference

2010-07-02T13:11:00.001-06:00

I had a great time at the Holistic LDS Living Conference. There were so many classes, if you missed it, you can get classes and handouts downloads from their website. I learned much from the classes I was able to go to, but I wasn't able to go to many. I plan to look at each speaker's website to see what information I can learn there.
I believe strongly in learning from those around us. It amazes me how often I have an experience that mirrors someone else's. Or when I hear of someone going through something that happened to me earlier in life. If we don't share and learn from each other, and the only way we learn is by doing, then we will have some very painful experiences that could have been avoided by looking at the example of others.
More later on this... I promised the kids a trip to the skating rink and they are now ready to go...

Enough to Drive me Crazy

2010-06-30T20:11:00.000-06:00

I hate running out of things. It drives me crazy when I am cooking, use the last of the package, go to the cupboard to get more and there isn’t more! Or when I use the last of bathroom or craft supplies… stuff you need, as soon as you run out of it. I stock up on items as much as I can and love it when someone says “we are out” and I can say, “there is more on the shelf downstairs”.
More than running out of something, though, I hate not being able to find what I know we have! This has spurred some housecleaning in the last couple of weeks. I know there is stuff around here, somewhere! I just need to find it. Slowly, digging out, cleaning up, getting rid of some stuff, organizing others and taking lots of deep breathes.

Cancer Stinks

2010-06-28T20:12:00.000-06:00

Today I’m mad and sad. My neighbor just lost her brother to esophageal cancer. Another neighbor just had surgery (again) to try and remove his cancer. And a dear friend, Tonya Jamois (former ICAN President) just got diagnosed with breast cancer. She started a blog called Pink and Plaid Warrior about her journey.
I was at the park when I overheard a little boy, maybe nine or ten years old, say, "I like to burn the hair off Barbies and pretend they have cancer." I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that one. Does his mom (or another relative) have cancer and this is his way of dealing with it? Or is he a real-life, straight off the big screen movie Toy Story, toy torturing Sid? I don't know, but it freaked me out.
Why can't we find the cure for this disease? It can't come soon enough...

Sunday Song: He'll Carry You

2010-06-27T21:04:00.000-06:00

Our Sunday Song comes from Hillary Weeks: He'll Carry You.

I recently heard a man discussing the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He talked about how it is really a story about Christ and all that He does for us. He also mentioned the word beast, in some translations, means creature or man. The scripture could infer that Christ, Himself, carried the injured man... just as He carries each of us.

Chocolate Peanut-Butter No-Bake Cookies

2010-06-23T16:01:00.000-06:00

I recently found this yummy recipe for Chocolate Peanut-Butter No-Bake Cookies. My family loves these. They don't take long to make. I have one suggestion: gather all the ingredients and measure them out--especially the peanut butter.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Waxed paper

Directions

In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

A Manti trip and a Dream

2010-06-22T10:35:00.000-06:00

Saturday we drove down to Manti to see the LDS Manti Pageant. I was surprised at how empty the town was. We’ve gone before and I remember people playing at the park and walking the streets. We didn’t see many people out at all. We went to the craft store and park. Then over to the church for a turkey dinner (they raise turkeys in Manti). I stood in line for a few minutes, made a mad dash for seats, but in reality, there was little competition. Since the pageant doesn’t start until dark, we went back to the hotel to hang out.
The pageant was beautiful. The kids were impressed by the volcano action. I loved the angels and the part where Mary, a young mother who dies on the plains, comes back to get her husband when he is shot by an arrow. That scene is enough to make anyone cry.
I had a funny dream while in Manti. I was at a neighbor’s house, checking their mail for them while they were out of town. I was making sure everything was okay when another neighbor starting chatting. She asked me something about the neighbors, but I couldn’t remember the names of the people whose house I was watching. I was totally embarrassed. Then I see a door inside the house open and close. I ask, “oh, they are home now?” They invite me in and we chat for a minute before the husband gets up, and grabs some paperwork and a baggie of pills. He says, “I am conducting a study on how well this drug will help people with memory loss from drug use early in life. I’m going to sign you up. Here are your drugs.” He writes my name on the clipboard.
I say, “I’ve never used drugs. Will it still help?”
His reply “I think it is obvious you’ve been involved with drugs from your memory problems. I’m signing you up.”
I say, “Don’t you need some background information?”
His reply, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
I’m upset that he is doing everything wrong, but I really want the drugs (how’s that for a not being a drug user?!) so go along with it. Hysterical!

I woke up to husband knocking on the door (due to our large family, we had girls in one room and boys in another). 7:45… you’ve got to be kidding. Groan. I open the door – not! The deadbolt won’t open all the way. I shake the door, move the deadbolt in and out, but it won’t move all the way over. I go to the window and notice it is a full window, you can’t open it. I shout through the window that the door is stuck. Jay is looking at me like I’m an idiot. Seriously, the lock won’t open. He wiggles the door from the outside and I try again. No luck. He goes to the office, who promptly calls me. I explain and again I get the “are you serious?!” treatment. He instructs me to do the same thing Jay and I just did, again. It doesn’t work, again. The manager says he’s coming to the room. I hurry into some clothes. He starts pushing and shoving the door. I turn the deadbolt and VIOLA- it works. I tell him it is a good thing there wasn’t a fire. That would have been bad. He promises to change the lock. Seems like I can’t go anywhere without having some kind of problem with the hotel. Rolling eyes.
We leave Manti rather quickly. We still had lots of snacks for the trip, mostly gluten-free stuff but not all. We did stop by a McDonalds on the way home for breakfast. My kids hardly ever eat breakfast out and really didn’t know what to get. One had egg mcmuffin, two had a cinnamon roll and one had nothing. I didn’t bother to get anything. There isn’t much on their menu that is gluten-free. I’m trying really hard but sometimes I forget...
We went to dinner at my sister-in-law’s house. My nephew cooked the steaks perfectly. There were baked potatoes and a yummy salad. For dessert, I brought ice cream cones. I had wanted something I could just serve. I didn’t want something with lots of prep time, since I wasn’t sure what time we would be back from Manti. I scooped out ice cream cones for everyone, then fixed one for myself.
I. ate. the. whole. thing. without. thinking. about. it.
I didn’t even realize I’d done it until we got home and the kids asked for one more cone. I fixed them one and thought, “I want another one. WAIT. I ate an ice cream cone?! What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking!”
Waaaa! Where is my baggie of memory pills!

Ragnar Race

2010-06-21T19:04:00.000-06:00

Jared ran the Ragnar Wasatch Back Race Friday and Saturday. Yes, it took two days to finish this relay race. There were 12 runners who ran three legs of the 188 mile race. My son was runner #11. He ran a total of 14.6 miles. His first leg was straight up hill, his second relatively flat around a lake and the last was straight downhill and off road. He appears to have run the race without any injuries or problems. I’m really proud of him.

I have never considered myself the athletic type. I much prefer curling up with a book to attending an exercise class. When my son said he was going to run the Ragnar, I had to look it up to know what it was. He had only a two week notice that he was running the race. It was out of my comfort zone for me to let him do this, but felt that if he wanted to, then he should do it. My next thought was, “Better him than me. I could never do that.” I’m not sure where this came from, since I really dislike the words, “I can’t”. I often see that as a challenge to find out how much I can do. This brings me to the uncomfortable place between knowing I need to do this and not really wanting to. I have a friend who is encouraging me to train for and run a 5k… maybe… I can.

Sunday Song: Still My Daddy

2010-06-20T13:11:00.000-06:00

Sunday Song: Still My Daddy Happy Father's Day! Hug yours if he is near, call him if he isn't. If he's in heaven, send a message to Jesus to pass along.

I'm also sharing this Mormon Message about a special Dad: A Father Indeed

Fathers and Leadership

2010-06-19T10:04:00.001-06:00

This Father's Day weekend, I'll share this counsel from Ezra Taft Benson:
With love in my heart for the fathers in Israel, may I suggest ten specific
ways that fathers can give spiritual leadership to their children:

1. Give father's blessings to your children. Baptize and confirm your
children. Ordain your sons to the priesthood. These will become spiritual
highlights in the lives of your children.

2. Personally direct family prayers, daily scripture reading, and weekly
family home evenings. Your personal involvement will show your children how
important these activities really are.

3. Whenever possible, attend Church meetings together as a family. Family
worship under your leadership is vital to your children's spiritual welfare.

4. Go on daddy-daughter dates and father-and-sons' outings with your
children. As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and
recitals, to school programs, and so forth. Having Dad there makes all the
difference.

5. Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These
memories will never be forgotten by your children.

6. Have regular one-on-one visits with your children. Let them talk about
what they would like to. Teach them gospel principles. Teach them true
values. Tell them you love them. Personal time with your children tells them
where Dad puts his priorities.

7. Teach your children to work, and show them the value of working toward a
worthy goal. Establishing mission funds and education funds for your
children shows them what Dad considers to be important.

8. Encourage good music and art and literature in your homes. Homes that
have a spirit of refinement and beauty will bless the lives of your children
forever.

9. As distances allow, regularly attend the temple with your wife. Your
children will then better understand the importance of temple marriage and
temple vows and the eternal family unit.

10. Have your children see your joy and satisfaction in service to the
Church. This can become contagious to them, so they, too, will want to serve
in the Church and will love the kingdom.

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice, p. 46

He's reading without being told to

2010-06-18T23:37:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you how excited I was to look over and see John reading a book in the car. His two older brothers have always been readers. I never had to tell them to read, they always carried a book with them. John has only recently discovered that reading is a gateway path to learn whatever you want to, go where ever you want to and to help you learn to be who ever you want to be.
He is reading the Magic Tree House book series. The have a great website called Passport to Adventure to encourage kids to read. There are activities for kids to learn from at their Teachers@Random page. Use the books to teach geography, history, spelling and more.

Job Done!

2010-06-17T19:45:00.000-06:00

What is a mother to do? After nagging Jo to fold and put away the kitchen towels, this is how they are put away. She claims I didn't say "fold them" just "put them away". I'm not folding them. This is how they will stay. We'll call it "casual living".

Made our own Chalkboard

2010-06-16T19:28:00.000-06:00

We’ve added a fun new thing to our school room: a chalkboard! We bought three pieces of sheet metal and some wood molding from the local hardware store. We painted these with chalkboard paint that I found. We mounted these on the wall, then covered the edges of the sheet metal with the wood molding. It looks great and the kids love it! Not only can they draw on it, they can also use their alphabet magnets on it. Say good-bye to those little magnets all over your kitchen floor -- they are happily on the chalkboard! Hooray!

UHEA Conference part 1

2010-06-14T20:10:00.000-06:00

I attended the Utah Home Education Association’s conference on Saturday. I came away from this conference, more than ever before, feeling that I heard exactly what I needed to hear and that, “I can homeschool!”
The first two classes I attend were Penny Gardner’s on Charlotte Mason. She talked about using living books, rather than textbooks. Read biographies, historical fictions and well-written core books. Penny said Living books capture imagination, changes your life, gives new ideas and broadens your mind.
A Charlotte Mason quote: “Persons matter more than things. Don’t say anything that will leave a sting.”
I’m going to give you my notes for the rest as I took them, if you have questions, let me know.
Language Arts:
Narration is the retelling – “act of Knowing”
Steps to becoming a good writer:
-Oral Narration
-tell a story – oral composition
-read linear stories together, then have child narrate
-Make it fun!
-Make a book and give as a gift
-bean bag toss- “your turn- what happens next in the story?”
-cube toss: six sides: plot, theme, setting, character, compare/contrast, favorite part
-encourage kids to tell Dad about the book
-show a picture, write a list- tell what they saw
-maybe make into a poem
-act the story out
-draw a comic strip
-make a poster
-Copywork or Transcription
-Worry about penmanship around age 7 or 8
-have kids trace
-use Italic Handwriting
-handwriting is an art
-“People will judge you on your handwriting”
-have a jar or basket with favorite quotes for copywork
-short, focused lesson
-copy great literature
-there they will pick up spelling, punctuation, grammar, usage, vocabulary, capitalization
-let kids make their own Book of Mottos – special quotes
Dictation
-do not repeat
-learning listening, attention, concentration, memory
-start with short things
-start with something they already know
-should use neatest penmanship, spelling, punctuation
Spelling
-take words from reading
-notice how the words are spelled
-picture the word in your mind
-spell orally
-repeat
-pronounce words correctly
-write with eyes closed
-write word in sentence
Grammar
-speak correctly
-restate properly
-learn Latin
Transitions from Oral to Written Narrations
-start as written, move to oral
-alternate between student and parent writing

Sunday Song

2010-06-13T17:16:00.000-06:00

Sunday Song: Rejoice the Lord is King

Summer Plans

2010-06-11T11:48:00.001-06:00

Here is our summer plan. Mondays will be the day I choose to stay home and catch up on laundry. The kids can play with friends. Tuesdays we’ll go to the park (if the weather is good enough) by the library, then go to chess club. Wednesdays we’ll go to the dollar movie. Thursdays we’ll go bowling, with our free bowling passes. Friday, we’ll take it easy or maybe find something fun to do.
We don’t have any big vacations scheduled, but hope to do some fun day trips.
I just scored some awesome tickets for the Heber Valley Railroad for a train ride. (Click on the link on the left for your tickets!) We haven’t done the train ride in a long time. The kids should enjoy it.
The kids do have to keep up with their piano practice, reading and math through the summer. They also have chores they are helping with. I’m mean like that.

Everyone Pick up the Living Room, NOW!

2010-06-10T11:17:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law called today asking, “Can I bring my grandkids over to see your chickens?” “Sure, why not,” I thought, “just please, don’t come in the house.”
There was a time, long, long ago, when I always had a clean house. In fact, if I knew you were coming over, I’d purposely not straighten up a particular area. After all, I wouldn’t want you to feel bad that I was a perfect housekeeper. With more kids, it became a little harder to keep it perfect. I could still clean up the house spotless with a five minute warning that you were coming over. The lead time necessary gradually stretched to ten minutes. Now, I could make do with a two day warning, if I had to, but if you were my friend, you’d give me a week’s notice. Trust me, you don’t want to come over and see the kitchen (or heaven forbid, the bathroom!) without giving me time to clean up!
When I ask the kids to pick up the living room,they ask,"Who is coming over?" ARGH! Does someone have to be coming over for us to clean the living room? Okay, I admit, my friend is coming over in five minutes. Would you please get your underwear off the couch and put it away?!
At the temple, we use microfiber clothes to clean. They work great. I'm going to order some for home!

Woman of Substance

2010-06-09T16:31:00.000-06:00

I am a Woman of Substance. Or at least, that is how I looked last night to a particular guy hanging out at the gas station. After work, I stopped to get an orange juice and some almonds for the drive home. I didn’t have my friend to car pool with and I needed something to get me home without falling asleep. As I stepped into my car, a guy on a bike asked me, “I see you are a Woman-of-Substance and I asking you for eighty cents so I fill my water bottle with soda.” I laughed, sighed and handed him one of the two dollars I had in my wallet. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Really, he likely didn’t need the soda, especially if he couldn’t afford it… and I laughed about the Woman-of-Substance. I am a woman who was on her way home from her part-time job she has to be able to pay for some of the things she otherwise wouldn’t be able to have or do. I am a woman who cuts and uses coupons to lower her grocery bill. I am a woman who hangs her family’s clothes out on the line to lower the electric bill. Am I a Woman-of-Substance? Well, I was driving a car, instead of riding a bike. I have a home, with running electricity and filled with food. I am lucky to have a job. I have a family. I am a Woman-of-Substance, even if I only have one $1 bill in my wallet. Indeed, I am a blessed Woman-of-Substance.

New Swimming Suit

2010-06-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

My new bathing suit is here! Whoo! I bought it at the Casual Blogger Conference, but they didn’t have the style I wanted in the color I chose, in the size I need. So they mailed it to me. The lady was so sweet. I mentioned it was my birthday on Wednesday and she really wanted it to get to me before then, but with the long holiday weekend that didn’t happen. She wrote on the package, “Hope you had a fantastic birthday!”
I’m so excited to wear this modest swimming suit! My girls each got one, too, and they love wearing their swim suit ‘dress’.
Disclaimer: They don’t have sizes higher than 10-12, yet, but promised me they would have them for next season.

Sunday Song: Daughter of a King

2010-06-06T10:26:00.000-06:00

Our Sunday Song this week is from Jenny Phillips: Daughter of a King.
My sweet Jo, just eight years old, makes the cutest cards for me. "To Mom You are a princess. I love you more. Love XOXO" She covers the cards with flowers and hearts.
May all women know they are daughters of the Most High King.

Friday Fun and Chocolate Disappointment

2010-06-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

Friday I took the kids and met up with my friend, Whitney, and her son, in Salt Lake City. We went to The Discovery Gateway Museum and totally had a blast. The kids loved all the hands on activities. They played in a sand pit, pretended to be a news anchor, played with wood, plastic and magnetic blocks. John's favorite thing was the Magformers. I guess I know what he wants for Christmas. We ate lunch on the roof-top, next to a helicopter (after we ate, we got to talk while the kids played). We spent three hours there and could have spent longer.
The kids begged me to take them to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for a treat. The kids were excited as we crossed the street to store. It didn’t take them long at all to pick out something they wanted. Two ice creams (in a cup) and one Rice Krispie treat with chocolate and caramel on it. I asked the lady behind the counter what they had that was gluten-free. She turned to another employee and repeated my question, “What do we have that is gluten-free?”
He snorted, looked at me and smirked, “Water.” He then turned his back on me and went on with whatever he was doing that was more important than helping me.
I bought my kids their treat, hearing only a little whining from Jo, who seemed to feel she ought to be able to pick out more than one thing. I squashed that idea. Her one treat alone cost me three dollars. That was all she was getting. Then I sat with my friend and our kids and watched them all eat their treat. And I got angry.
Most chocolate is gluten-free. Rice Krispies and marshmallows are gluten-free. Most ice cream is gluten-free (not counting the obvious ingredients, like cookies). Nuts are gluten-free. Was it true that there was nothing in the store that would be considered gluten-free? I don’t know. I do know, though, that the employees there are uneducated about gluten-free foods and could care less about helping a customer who needs to eat gluten-free.
Next time we go to the Gateway, my kids and I will find another place to get our treats. Somewhere that cares.

Sweet Cake Bake Shop

2010-06-03T14:26:00.000-06:00

I have a friend whose daughter got married last week. She told me she found this little bakery in Kaysville, whose sweets were all gluten-free. She didn’t have a clue what gluten was, but said their stuff was yummy. I’ve been dying to get to the bakery, but didn’t make it over there until my birthday.
That morning, my eight year old, asked me, “What kind of cake are you going to make yourself for your birthday?” Ack, little girl, didn’t I teach you better than that?! I’m not making my own cake.
After I went to lunch with my friend, Jo, we drove over to the Sweet Cake Bake Shop. It is right off Main Street and 200 North. It is a cute place. Not only do they have sweets ready to go, but they also have mixes to buy and make later. There is pancake and “Master Mix” for making bread. The sweets include cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and raspberry bars.
Four chocolate and two vanilla cupcakes, to go, please. The frosting is piled a mile high. The kids took one look and wanted to eat them before dinner. At first, my husband wasn’t sure he wanted one (after all, it is gluten-free) but they look so yummy, he gave in and ate his. We all did.
It was delicious to eat cake again… and know it wouldn’t hurt later.

Happy to be 39

2010-06-02T11:55:00.000-06:00

I went to the doc last week so he could check a bump on my leg. Have I mentioned I’m a bit of a hypochondriac? I was worried about blood clots, since the coloring of the bruise had gone away, but the bump was still there. The nurse asks me how old I am: "29" I laugh. "Just kidding. Sorry, I'm... how old am I? Oh, yeah, 39 next week." She checks my paper again: "What did you say you hit when you slipped in the tub?"

I’m not sure where the ‘29’came from. I haven’t lied about my age for many years. I have, in fact, been a little impatient with women who claim to be 29 for years. Be proud of your age. Look at what the years have brought you: a new baby, a new job, a new calling, a trip to a new place or the opening of a new vision of who you are. Maybe it was the opportunity to see your children grow another year. Whatever it was, be grateful; many women haven’t had the blessing of living to your age.

I think of Valerie and Melissa, school teachers in New Jersey. Both died following the cesarean delivery of their first baby (both girls). Valerie was 35 years old and Melissa was 28. The things those mothers have missed and the things their babies have missed, not having their mothers. I look at my children and am so grateful… they have taught me, just by letting me be their mom.

One day, years ago, when I had just three boys, we were at the mall. We ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I was proudly showing off my boys when Jayson piped up, “Jared is eight, I’m six, John is two and my mom is twenty-one!” You do the math! OWW! Jayson just had his birthday and was so excited about it. He was really interested in how old everyone was. He kept asking me how old I was. I tried telling him it isn’t polite to ask a woman how old she is, but he persisted. I told him I was 21. That is how I came to be standing in the mall, doing the math to realize I had my first baby at 13! Yikes! Happily, my friend just laughed, winked at me and said, “You have him trained well.”

Today I turn 39. I’ll take it. It is better than the option. I’m grateful for this last year. I’ve gotten a new job and I’m enjoying it. I’ve taken on a new challenge in ICAN: being the Clarion editor and I’m learning lots. I’ve made new friends. My children growing up and I’m here to be a part of their lives. Isn’t that what it is all about?

It's difficult being Gluten-free

2010-06-01T19:36:00.000-06:00

I’m not feeling well. It is discouraging, since I’ve been so careful to watch everything I eat. The Pepto Bismol bottle is almost empty. I take a quick look at the label, but nothing registers as a danger, so I drink the rest of the bottle. I think: does it really matter at this point whether there is gluten in it?

I go over everything I’ve eaten in the last few days. It was difficult to eat at the conference and be gluten free, but not impossible. The only thing I can think of that I knowingly ate with gluten in it was the Sacrament bread. I did talk with the Bishop after church on Sunday. He is willing to do whatever is needed to make it safe for me to take the Sacrament. The steps are a little intensive. The tray would need to be washed, so no crumbs are left. I would need to bring rice bread, which would have to be kept separate from the other bread, which cannot be put on the same tray. The Priest who will bless and break the bread would have to remember not to touch the other bread before the rice bread. Difficult, but not impossible.

Not knowing if what I am eating will make me sick, regardless of how careful I’m being is… well, it makes me not want to eat anything at all. Since that isn’t an option, I eat. It is comparable to walking down a hall in the dark, not sure that you’ll end up in the right place without falling down stairs or tripping on something. Tiptoeing in the dark makes me cautious.

Tomorrow is my birthday. My husband says he’ll take me out to eat. I’ve got to decide where to go… which is not as much fun as it used to be. Any suggestions?

Summer Fun: Bowling

2010-05-31T23:25:00.000-06:00

My kids love bowling. I've found two programs that let them bowl this summer:

Fat Cats and
Kids Bowl Free The Kids Bowl Free link has centers all over the US!
Let me know if you sign your kids up.
This picture is Jane bowling last summer. She is the only one of my kids that didn't beat my score!

Sunday Song: God Bless America

2010-05-30T00:13:00.000-06:00

This Sunday Song is in honor of all veterans. God Bless America I'm adding a photo of my dad during his Navy years, taken around 1970.

Which way?

2010-05-28T09:47:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you how many times I've gotten in the car, only to get half way somewhere and not know where I'm going or how to get there. I know I have a doctor appointment or a visit with a friend at 10am, so I jump in the car, only to realize I'm not sure what the address is or the name of the place. I'm so grateful for cell phones! Hi, it's Pam... I'm on my way... what is the address again?
To prevent this, I write down appointments, complete with name, address, and phone number. I also use Google maps to plan trips, even local ones, if I'm going somewhere I'm unfamiliar with.
What promoted this post? I'm off to the Casual Blogger Conference and I want to get there without getting lost!

Forward this to everyone!

2010-05-26T13:27:00.000-06:00

Virus warnings. Food contamination. Crime warnings. Someone said something offensive. Gang warnings. End of the world warnings. Political propaganda. Conspiracies. Weather pattern revelations.
What do these have in common? People (because they are a good guy making a stand!) forward (it is quick, easy and it doesn't cost anything!) these emails (because they are helpful!) to everyone (because they care!) in their address book (because you are their friend!).
Please, before forwarding, be sure your email is not just an urban legend. Try snopes. Awesome website. It reveals what is true and what is bogus. Beware what you read. Surprise! It may not be what you were expecting.

Chickens and more chicks

2010-05-25T19:50:00.001-06:00

We have 12 chickens that are now over a year old. A few weeks ago, we picked up 12 more chicks. We purchased white, tan and black ones. The black ones are proud looking fluffy chicks. They are all friendly. Jane, just six years old, loves to pick them up. The new chicks are in the shed coop where the older ones were last year. The older ones are now in a A-frame coop Jay built, with plenty of room for them to roam outside. In the bottom picture, you can see the PVC pipe across the coop for the chickens to roost on at night. There is a loft there for the chickens to lay eggs in. Egg production from the year old ones has increased since the weather has gotten warmer... even if it has been rainier and cooler than usual. My teenager hasn't been able to eat every egg the day it was laid. Having chickens has been a fun step toward self-reliance. The kids seem to enjoy it too. We don't hear complaining about helping keep the chicken coop clean either--I think Jared likes eating all the eggs he can!

Book Review 1: The Book Thief

2010-05-24T17:36:00.000-06:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany in 1939. I like not only the story, but the writing style. It is about real people living in difficult times. Liesel is a young girl who steals books in a time when books are dangerous and are being burned by the Nazis. This is a time when decisions are important and sometimes disastrous, though the end results may not be evident immediately. When I read this book a few years ago for a book club, I checked it out of the library but when it came across my son’s school list of books he needed to read, I bought a copy. It is one we all should read.
Warning: there is some swearing, mostly in German.

Sunday Song: I Cannot Find My Way

2010-05-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

Sunday Song: I Cannot Find My Way by Michael Mclean
This is a Christmas song and maybe I should have waited to post it. The truth is that we can all feel lost, no matter what time of year it is. May heaven's angels watch over us and help us all find the way to Him.

Night at the Museum

2010-05-22T23:08:00.001-06:00

It was a fun night. I took the girls to a sleep-over with the Girl Scouts at Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. Good thing it was indoors, since the weather was awful. The boys’ camp-out at a neighbor’s home was canceled, because it was so bad.
It was supposed to be me and Jo, but one of the other girl scouts got sick and couldn’t come. I got a call from the troop leader asking if Jane wanted to come. She did! Jo was a little jealous, but I explained that this was not a one-time thing, but the beginning of the two of them doing Girl Scouts together. Really, she was more upset that her friend was not going than that her sister was.
I highly recommend going to these with your kids! The museum has some great exhibits and awesome dinosaur displays. We went on a guided tour of the museum. One of the paleontologists’ talked with them for a while. Then they tried to dig a dinosaur out of a cup of plaster with a nail. It was harder than the girls could stand. They lost patience with it and began banging the ‘fossil’ on the floor! I think this was the only thing the girls got in trouble for this trip! They played in an Erosion Table (sand and water). They made a paper dinosaur using origami. The scavenger hunt was fast and furious. Then, mercifully, it was time for bed. Jo picked the spot, after careful consideration of where the scary dinosaurs were. Most of her friends were on the other side of the hallway, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to be near the T-Rex! Even where we were, it took some doing to keep her calm and get her to sleep. Jane was exhausted and was out quickly, but was totally glued to me the entire night. Thank goodness for the air mattress. It was a real lifesaver. Morning didn’t come quickly enough!
They did a quick rotation of stations: scratching their names in Egyptian hieroglyphics into stone; chatting with the lead paleontologist; making a plaster ‘fossil’; and putting together a T-Rex puzzle.
I had considered staying longer and walking around the farm or gardens, which we have never been to, but the day was rainy and cold, so we came home as soon as the Sleep-over was over. We’ll be going back again sometime this summer.

My Dad's Passing: 2002

2010-05-20T11:53:00.002-06:00

Flashback to May 20, 2002, a Monday: I am at home, anxiously waiting for a phone call from my husband, who is at the hospital with the rest of his family, while his mother is having surgery to remove uterine cancer. I have a nursing baby and little preschool kids and didn’t want to be at the hospital for hours with them. The phone rings, instead of Jay, it is my step-mom’s brother, whose sad duty is was to tell me my Dad had a heart attack and passed away. I try to stay calm. Just as I’m thinking I’m going to have to get in the car and go to the hospital, because my husband’s cell phone has to be turned off in the area they are waiting in, he calls me. He has bad news. He says they took his mom back, only to find the cancer had spread everywhere. They closed her up and gave her six months to live. (She lived only three, but that is another story). I tell him my bad news. There is nothing like getting slammed with a 2 x 4; unless it is getting hit twice with a 2 x 4.

I think that was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I mourned the loss of two parents that week. Eight years later, I still feel the loss. Healing is a funny process. Grief is like an onion, layer upon layer, sometimes being peeled away at unexpected times. Its grief rings are many, yet each is smaller than the last. If we see the onion from the inside out, those are our healing layers, getting bigger each layer.

My Dad was a good guy. Just look at him with Jayson and John. This was at the Hite family reunion in Idaho in 1999. As much as I love him, God loves him more. Miss you, Dad. Love you.

Ethan Stacy

2010-05-18T15:44:00.000-06:00

It has been a week now since Ethan Stacy was first reported missing and then later found dead. This crime has hurt our community. It has broken our hearts to hear the details of Ethan’s last few days. We wonder how anyone could dig so deep to call forth every ounce of evil in themselves to do the horrible things that were done to that little cute boy.
Now the FBI has gotten involved with the case. They are analyzing and examining electronic evidence. This was spurred, in part, by Stephanie Sloop’s posting of a photo on facebook of her son, Ethan Stacy playing video games with Nathan Sloop. In this photo Ethan’s face is swollen and bruised. The caption for the photo reads, “My two favorite boys playing video games together.”
I have to wonder how a mother could post this photo… how does a mother not see the swollen, red face? How does she pretend everything is okay? How does she let a man who has beat her son sit beside him?
I look at my own kids and pray for the protection of angels for them. I pray for that protection for all the little children in our community. I pray that as mothers, we can stand up for righteousness in all situations, especially in regard to our children. May we always have the strength to protect them. May we never put out children in situations that could hurt them. If we should ever find ourselves and our children in the presence of evil, may we be able to call forth every ounce of love and strength to cast it out of our lives.

Sunday Song: The Touch of the Masters Hand

2010-05-16T10:07:00.000-06:00

Sunday Song: The Touch of the Masters Hand.
This is in memory of my dad. This was one of his favorite stories. On the 20th this week, it will be eight years since his passing. Miss you, Dad!

Dragons in the Sky

2010-05-15T19:15:00.004-06:00

Maybe it is only because John and I just went to see the movie, How to Train your Dragon, but doesn’t this cloud look like a dragon? Does anyone else see it? I enjoy looking at clouds, to see what I can find there.

Visiting Teaching

2010-05-14T17:32:00.000-06:00

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the women visit each other. This is called Visiting Teaching. I love Visiting Teaching. My Visiting Teaching partner and I have a set appointment every month (the second Wednesday) when we go. It is wonderful to sit and visit, to chat and to learn from each other.

We just had our Visiting Teaching Conference, which is a meeting where we are encouraged to get out and visit our sisters and friends. It was an uplifting meeting. Wendy Onricek spoke about an experience she had, when she felt the love of a visiting teacher. Bishop Hyer spoke about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He compared the idea that the road to Jericho is downhill and sometimes we feel our lives are going in that direction, too. It seems whenever we are down, Satan beats on us, just as the thieves beat the man until he was “half dead”. Then “by chance” there came “a certain priest” Bishop Hyer said this could be clueless men. “but a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came…” This Samaritan was on a journey, did not come “by chance.” He was prepared with (healing) oil, bandages and wine (refreshment, food). It was his responsibility and he “took care” of the injured and the beaten down. The Samaritan then asked the host to “Take care of him” and promised to “come again”.

Visiting Teaching is just like this parable. Bishop Hyer asked us to be mindful of our stewardship. With our specific assignment to Visit Teach, comes accountability. We need to look beyond the greeting, “Hi. How are you?” “Fine… fine… fine” We need to pray for guidance to see the need and to be able to help. Then we need to return and report. I wondered how often I do something for someone but then forget to follow-up.

If you don’t like your partner or those you visit: “Do the best you can until the love grows.”

Are we doing the meaningful? Sometimes it is the small things that matter the most. They are the things that say, “I was just thinking about you.” Little acts of service mean you care. A text, an email, a phone call, a note, a hug, a cookie; none are big things, yet they reach out to those who need uplifting. Stay close to the spirit so you know when and what to do. Prayer and daily scripture study is important. It is our communication with Heavenly Father. “The Scriptures guide us, teach us the things we need to do—that day.”

I hope each of you understand the importance of doing your Visiting Teaching!

Here is a link to the Parable in the Scriptures

Here is an Ensign article about the Parable

Here is a depiction of the Parable

Here is President Monson discussing the Parable and how it applies to us today.

New Family Search

2010-05-13T12:52:00.001-06:00

Have you registered for the new Family Search website yet? If not, here is the link. It is an amazing website with lots of tools for researching your family lines.
If you have kids 14 years or older, they are also encouraged to register and get started on genealogy. It is a positive, life-long hobby. We took some time at our last family home evening, registered our teenagers and discussed why family history is important.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

My husband went out of his way to make Mother’s Day nice for me. I got breakfast (fruit smoothies and Reece peanut butter cups) in bed. We went to church, then I relaxed while he made dinner, not only for us, but for his dad, my mom and my brother. I was excited to receive an almond tree as a gift. Jo is so sweet, she always makes a cute card whenever there is a holiday or birthday.
I’m grateful to have my children. Each one has taught me so much. In church we discussed reasons why some women don’t like Mother’s Day. For some, it is a painful reminder that they do not have children (yet). Others have lost precious babies. My heart goes out to those women.
For some of us, though, Mother’s Day is difficult because we compare our imperfect selves to others—who often seem perfect. We worry we aren’t enough. We internalize guilt because we don’t do this or that like Sister Molly Mormon Mom does. We also have Satan whispering in our ear that we aren’t good enough (that liar!).
Some ways we can combat the myth of the perfect mom:
Say something nice to yourself in the mirror in the morning
Stop negative talk- children need a positive example of positive self-talk
Recognize gifts and abilities
Write down talents
“Perfection is a journey and we only need to do our best. When you are doing your best you are acceptable before the Lord.” Trudi Brown
I challenge each of you to write a list of the things you do well… I believe your list is longer than you think it is.

Golden Spike

2010-05-10T16:25:00.000-06:00

We went to the reenactment of the Driving of the Last Spike. Everyone in the family was able to come, except Jayson, who had his last end-of-the-year exam in Salt Lake City. It was a bit windy, but happily there was no rain or snow. We arrived in plenty of time to get close to the action. We set up our camp chairs right up to the rope. Some people were in period dress costumes, which was fun to see. John and Jo were able to talk with a ‘railroad representative’ and hold one of the spikes they later used.
They welcomed everyone and we said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. I always love doing that. Kyle Wyatt, Historian, spoke about the “binding together of our nation with ribbons of steel.” They laid a memorial wreath and had a moment of silence. The taps were played. Then it was time for the reenactment.
The Locomotives Jupiter and #119 showed off their engines, speeches were given and spikes pounded into place.
The kids had fun. It was interesting to see the engines up close. When we got on #119, I took a picture of John with my cell phone. It took me a few seconds to get it to camera mode. The engineer onboard asked me if I was texting. I laughed and thought, yeah, I’m going to climb up an engine, following my kids, and be so disconnected as to be texting while I’m doing it!?
It was fun and something everyone should do—at least once.

Sunday Song Mary, Did You Know?

2010-05-09T07:48:00.000-06:00

Happy Mothers Day!
This Sunday Song is dedicated to all mothers... our babies are special, with a God-given mission to do.
Mary, Did You Know?

State Convention

2010-05-08T19:40:00.001-06:00

Jay and I spent almost the entire day in Salt Lake City at the State Democratic Party Convention. The theme was Hope not hate. We left the house at 8am, parked at the LDS conference Center and walked over to the Salt Palace. We registered as delegates and separated to go to our difference Caucus Meetings. Jay attended the Labor Caucus and I attended the Women’s Caucus. Mostly it was different candidates coming in and introducing themselves. It was interesting to learn more about each of them. The main meeting started, this included many committee reports, the keynote speaker (Congressman Steny Hoyer) and nominations of candidates. Are you surprised to learn the meeting went into overtime? We cast our votes for the only race had a voice in: Christopher Stout and Sam Granato.
Here is the link to the Utah Democratic Party
We went to lunch at Lamb’s Grill on Main Street. It is a nice, quiet place with wonderful food. It is plain torture to watch my husband eat the delicious looking bread, but when my salad with pepper chicken, I didn’t care. It was terrific!
I hope you participated in the political process, regardless of which side of the Salt Palace you were on. The candidates need more than your vote on Election Day, they need to hear from you long before then. Put signs in your yard. Offer to drive elderly to the polls on Election Day. Get involved in whatever way you can. Our country needs our involvement… badly.

No TV Zone, Day Five

2010-05-07T20:05:00.000-06:00

We are adjusting, but I allowed the kids to watch a movie (a DVD, not cable TV) when I had to be gone all morning yesterday. They are now watching another movie, as I am getting ready for work. We have four TVs. I’m seriously considering getting rid of half of them. I admit I miss my TV keeping me company. It is a good thing that I unplugged it, because there have been a few times when I’ve sat down and started looking for the remote before remembering: It is No TV week!
What did you ask? Where did I go yesterday? My son had a test he needed to take for his online school. I drove him to Salt Lake City, found the address (only had to turn around once) and dropped him off. I spent a little time at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building working on family history. I connected a few people in my family history file and requested that my new ID that came with the new.familysearch.org be merged with my old ID from the old website. This will allow me to work with the file easier. I’m excited that they have already approved the request. I’m taking little steps toward working on my family history!

Where is my Clarion?

2010-05-05T15:50:00.002-06:00

I am the editor for ICAN’s newsletter, the Clarion. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that since we haven’t had an issue out since the fall. It was supposed to go out a couple of months ago. The printer decided she couldn’t handle our needs anymore. This meant calling new printers, asking questions, getting bids, applying for a new post office mailing permit and just when I thought we’d pulled it altogether the new printer drops a bombshell: they don’t want to do the layout. Yes, on the phone they said they could do it, but really, they don’t have the time. Guess what I discovered? I have Microsoft Publisher on my computer. I hadn’t ever used it before this week. Now I have many hours of experience on it. The newsletter is almost complete, just making the final edits. This is one project I will be glad to have off my hands… until the next issue. The second time doing something is usually easier than the first, I’m hoping.

The answer to "Where is my Clarion?" "in the mail (soon, I promise)"

No TV Zone

2010-05-04T15:29:00.000-06:00

I’ve declared my house a No-TV zone for the week. This announcement was met with groans and some unhappiness. The kids seem to be adjusting okay, but I’ve had a larger than normal amount of requests to go places or have friends over. Usually the answer to that is no. I tell the kids, “find something to do or I’ll find something for you to do.” If I find them something, it will usually be cleaning. They are avoiding that at all costs. My husband is annoyed that No TV doesn’t also mean No Screen. No screen is no computers, no mp3, no DS, no video games, no electronics, period. I didn’t go that extreme, though I did take away the Wii. We’ll see what happens this week. So far they are spending more time outside. But then today is a nice day. I’m not sure what tomorrow will look like, since I haven’t watched the news… maybe that is why I’m in a better mood.

Sunday Song 3: High on the Mountain Top

2010-05-02T23:06:00.001-06:00

I’ve heard this song several times recently, in different places, and love it. I think this version is as beautiful to watch as to listen to. Hope you enjoy it. High on the Mountain Top

Family History Miracle

2010-05-01T22:57:00.001-06:00

Tonight, our church announced a new local program focusing on family history, Strengthening Your Link. This will be a long term program, unlike the Elijah project we did a few years ago, which was fast and furious work. The Elijah project was my first dive into family history. When my dad passed away in 2002, he left me all his genealogy work he had done. I dug this out when we did the Elijah project and over the past four years, have added names to my file during two family reunions, when I went to my grandfather’s funeral and during a research trip back east. I gradually stopped working on research and let the file sit. Then my computer’s mother board burned up last fall. I was able to take the hard drive out and transfer the info to my new laptop, but seemed unable to find many files, including my PAF file. PAF stand for Personal Ancestral File. I tried not to panic about it, choosing instead to believe it was around somewhere. I should have it on a jump drive, too, but I could not seem to find that, either. Two weeks ago I felt strongly that I needed to stop wasting time on stupid things (like games on facebook) and use that time more wisely (like on family history). I deleted my games and prayed that I would be able to find the files. I couldn’t bring myself to start over—there was too much information that could not be gathered again easily.
As I sat listening to the wonderful talks on family history, I knew I needed to pick this hobby back up and make it a part of my daily life again… if only I could find my PAF file. I again prayed I’d be able to find the file.
I came home, read a book to my kids and tucked them in bed. Then I pulled out my laptop to try one more time to find the PAF file. I opened the program and directed it to search out any files, like I had done many times before, only this time I chose a directory where I recently found other files I needed. It soon popped up. I had found the one I needed! I know it was an answer to a prayer, because of a desire to reach back to find my ancestors and make a connection. There are 1,280 names of my family in that file. I’m doing the happy dance and saying a prayer of gratitude. Thank you!

Celebration of Family History

2010-04-30T22:29:00.000-06:00

I was given tickets to A Celebration of Family History at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was beautifully done. A ball of purple yarn served as a metaphor for the family ties that bind us together. I came away from the meeting wanting to further my own family history. The spirit was strong, touching our hearts. It was a call to remember those have gone before… David McCullough refuted the saying, “Gone but not forgotten.” He said the truth is that “If not forgotten, they are not gone. We remember them. We honor them. We must not ever lose sight of them.”
McCullough reminded us to “Read the classics. They stand the test of time. Each book is a journey, a hunt, an adventure.” He stated we are doing an inadequate job of teaching, educating our children. He asked, “How can we claim to love our county and not know its history?” He stated education belongs at home. “Teach History: The history of family, of county, of the world and of music. History is about life and time. History isn’t boring. Take kids to historic sites. Let them see you get excited about history. Share what you love. Attitudes aren’t taught—they are caught.”
He also urged us to keep a personal journal. He is the loss of journal writing is “a shame. It is a loss of working out our thoughts on paper. As we sit down to write, we get a thought, an idea, we would not have gotten otherwise.” He discussed the journal of John Adams—and other great men of history.
I send my gratitude to all who sang, who put together the beautiful videos and who spoke or helped in every way for a memorable evening. Thank you.

Inspiration

2010-04-28T19:52:00.000-06:00

We are not always given the knowledge of what will happen. Graciously, we are given inspiration and the gift of choice is ours.

Lately, I’ve been praying to be more open to promptings from the Spirit – and for enough awareness of those promptings to follow through and do what I should.
Recently it was snowing like crazy just when it was time to go to work. I knew it was snowing and was ready to leave early, when my husband called to say there were cars off the side of the road and an accident, all within two miles of my house. I took a deep breath, said a prayer and asked what I should do. It came to me that I should call and see if I could get the night off. Now, I’m not one to call in every time there is a storm. Instead, I rely on my God to get me to and from work safely. Tonight was different. I wasn’t told what would happen if I went, but was given the inspiration and the choice. I feel I was being kept safe in a different way. I called work and they said to stay home. It surprised me, though it shouldn’t have. God prepared the way and the means.

May He continue to do so, for me and my family, and for all of you.

Teaching our Children

2010-04-26T19:54:00.000-06:00

The April LDS conference seemed to emphasize families. I want to focus for a minute on L. Tom Perry’s Talk on Mothers Teaching Children in the Home.

I love his discussion of the role of mothers. It is sweet when he talks of his own mother and the things she taught. “My mother understood the value of teaching her children about standards, values, and doctrine while they were young. While she was grateful to others who taught her children outside the home at either school or church, she recognized that parents are entrusted with the education of their children and, ultimately, parents must ensure that their children are being taught what their Heavenly Father would have them learn.”

Elder Perry says: “Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility.”

How often do we get frustrated with our children? Are they hearing anything we are saying? Are they listening? Some days may be difficult, but we can do it, even when we think we can’t. We must be consistent and patient. For, as Elder Perry says: “Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world. The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children in the home.”

Sunday Song 2: Broken

2010-04-25T12:01:00.000-06:00

This beautiful song is by Kenneth Cope: Broken

Recipe 1: Banana Bread

2010-04-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

This banana bread recipe has never failed. I found it in a church cookbook, called Second Helpin’s, that was given to me when I got married. The contributor of this recipe is Pat Wayment. Thanks, Pat!

Pat’s Banana Walnut Bread

1 cup sugar

½ cup shortening

1 cup mashed bananas

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 ¾ cups regular flour or 2 cups cake flour

Optional:

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream sugar, shortening, add eggs one at a time, then bananas (Pam’s note: I mash bananas with a potato masher). Add baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla and then flour. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. (I also sprinkled some on top of one of the loafs in the picture.) Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes in greased and floured loaf pan. When done, if not eaten immediately – cool and wrap in plastic bag while warm. Keep refrigerated. (Pam’s note: this step is never necessary at my house, it gets eaten fast!)

Homeschool 1: K'Nex

2010-04-23T19:30:00.000-06:00

A little while back, John researched different contests for a homeschool assignment. He wondered if K’Nex had a contest. We looked it up and found they did, but the real news was that they had educational kits to aid learning about physical science. We’ve been holding a class once a week and it has been a blast! The first kit was wheels, axles and inclined planes. We are now working on Gears. These kits are fun, whether you homeschool or not, they are a good thing.

Healthy Living Tip 3: Celiac and Gluten

2010-04-20T22:58:00.003-06:00

For years I thought, if I ever end up with some horrible disease, I’ll go vegetarian. A few months ago I decided this was really self-defeating—after all, eating well can keep bad diseases and problems away, so why wait for them to show up?
So I’ve been trying harder. Only it wasn’t enough. I was having some problems and decided to check a few things. The diagnosis is in: I have Celiac Disease. This means I need to cut out all gluten from my diet. Insert evil laughter.
As much as I love sweet things, I love breads even more. Nothing beats a warm roll with honey butter on it or a pineapple upside down cake with melting ice cream. Or a wide cinnamon roll. They say I can still have those things, just as soon as I learn how to bake them. I’ll do that as soon as I decide what kind of flour I want to use: almond? Rice? Potato? And what is Xanthan Gum?
I’m sure I’ll figure it out one day. Until then, I think I’ll stick to meals and foods I do know, tweaking them a little if I need to. I do want to have some comfort foods around, so if I am feeling deprived, I can treat myself. I found a great list, made to go with your kid to school, but it works for me. I hope it helps you, too.

Sunday Song 1

2010-04-18T19:20:00.001-06:00

I'm going to start posting a link to a song each Sunday. My hope is to share my testimony and faith.
Today at church, we had a great lesson on taking care of our spiritual hearts. I'm certainly grateful for all the blessings God has given me. He has done much to turn my heart toward Him and I pray He will continue to bless me with His tender mercies.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings "You Can Make the Pathway Bright"

Stuff, stuff, stuff

2010-04-16T16:38:00.000-06:00

I attended a class this week on “Closing the Headgates” (see headgates.org for an article and a free ebook). This relates specifically to Thomas Jefferson Education homeschooling model. We talked about how we have so many distractions and toys that do not educate our children. All of these need to be removed so our kids can learn. It isn’t enough to simply adopt a model of education and hope our kids follow along and learn something. Is it enough to restrict kids from TV and video games during certain hours of the day? According to this, it isn’t. The electronics need to be removed altogether. Card and board games, puzzles, legos, and any toy that works harder than the kids should not be available to children. I’m not sure I can go that far. I’m not sure whether my kids can or not. I do know as I look around at the things in my house, I see things that we don’t need and that waste our time. They distract us from doing more important things. Interestingly, today one of the early morning ‘news’ shows had a spot about “The Story of Stuff.” I think we will be going through our things, seeing what we can give away, sell or recycle.

My son turns seventeen today!

2010-04-15T09:32:00.002-06:00

Today is my oldest son’s birthday. Seventeen years ago I became a mother and a little baby entered the world. Thank you, Jared, for helping me grow and learn.

I was in for a routine check when my ob stated he was worried because my blood pressure was going up. He asked me to come in the next day so we could check it again. On that day, he said it would be better to get baby out. My first son was born at 38 weeks by scheduled cesarean, weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces.

Six years later, I requested a copy of my hospital records of Jared’s arrival and found the “Justification for Surgery” Form which stated the cesarean was done for the following reasons:

1. Patient Choice Elective

2. Mild pregnancy-induced hypertension

3. Recent herpes outbreak

Obviously, I didn’t “choose” an elective cesarean. I was told there was a medical reason for it. Even ACOG states that mild hypertension is not a reason for a cesarean, it needs to be moderate or severe. In addition, at the end of a normal pregnancy, a woman’s blood pressure can increase, as her blood volume increases, and in preparation for labor and birth. As for the herpes outbreak, yes, I do have a history of it, but do not remember an outbreak at that time. Also many obs were prescribing medicine to prevent outbreaks (which my ob never mentioned).

My reasons the cesarean was really done:

1. Physician Choice Elective

2. Physician Impatience

3. Physician Fear

4. Patient Ignorance

I’ve learned so much since then. I hope I can share with you some of the things I’ve learned. Top three for pregnancy:

1. Listen to your intuition.

2. Ask questions and listen to their answers.

3. Carefully choose your careprovider.

The Original Dust Paw

2010-04-13T15:41:00.000-06:00

Are you bored with your chores? Try The Original Dust Paw. My friend gave me this great duster and I had to share it with you! It is handmade by Gems by Rochelle in Portland, Oregon. She can be reached at 503.245.7297. I love it! Just for fun, I took it to work!

LDS Conference

2010-04-11T18:03:00.002-06:00

I enjoyed listening to the LDS General Conference April 3rd and 4th. It was wonderful to hear the inspired words of a living prophet. All the talks were uplifting and strengthening. Many focused on the importance of families.
I plan to download them and listen to them again, on my Zune, in the car to and from work, which seems to be the only time it is quiet enough for me to hear anything. I also plan to read the talks when the Ensign comes. To get to this and earlier conferences, click here.

Healthy Living Tip 2: Colonoscopy

2010-04-07T11:16:00.001-06:00

If you are over 50 or have a family history, a colonoscopy is a must. I also believe in listening to your body: if you think it might be a good idea, go do it. My niece is a nurse in this field. She tells how she just found advanced colon cancer in a woman and had to tell her she only had a few weeks to live. Colon cancer has only a few vague symptoms, which are often ignored or mistaken for something else. A colonoscopy is the best way to find and remove polyps, which often grow into cancer. I’m having mine tomorrow!

Monthly Rotating Menu

2010-04-07T10:53:00.002-06:00

Several ladies in my neighborhood got together for lunch the other day. Two hours later, we decided we’d like to get together monthly, but for more than lunch. We made it our goal to work on our food storage. To do my part, I’ve been researching food storage options. For me, one of the biggest questions has always been, “Do we have a year’s supply of food or not?” It is hard to look at 10 pound cans of wheat, beans and oatmeal and feel you could eat that for a year. If I really had to live off this food, how long would it last? What could I make with it? So here is my plan: I’m going to make a list of a month’s worth of meals and what it would take to make them, then rotate that menu. I found one online here, as an example and here is a blank one in excel format for you to fill in. Their whole website is great! Just think what it would mean to be able to say with confidence, “Yes, we have a year’s supply of food. Normal food, food we like to eat!” Who’s with me?

Cesarean Awareness Month

2010-04-05T13:31:00.002-06:00

April is Cesarean Awareness Month. People often ask me, "Are you for cesareans or against them?" Think cancer, it's not about being for or against, it is being aware, it is about prevention and recovery. It is about reducing your chance of getting a preventable, unnecessary surgery that could have life-long consequences. I’m tired of discussions that pretend the risks of cesareans are negligible, when the reality is that cesareans have very real risks that are probable, not just vaguely possible. Being aware of cesareans means being aware of what it takes to have healthy moms and babies. Read the ICAN Blog to read stories of women, their cesareans and their VBACs.

UDA session: Jiggling Babies

2010-04-02T08:18:00.002-06:00

Use of the Rebozo in Pregnancy and Labor
Celeste R. Thomas, CNM and Susanna Cohen, CNM (both work at the U of U in Salt Lake City) did a great job showing us the history of the Rebozo, traditional uses of the Rebozo and different techniques regarding the Rebozo. They also showed us a youtube video of Angelina Martinez Miranda, a traditional Mexican midwife. Follow the link here to view.
Some things to remember if using the Rebozo:
Watch your posture and balance
Bend your knees
Hold the Rebozo ends like you are “milking a cow”
Always greet baby
Have faith babies know what to do, you are just encouraging them into position
Remember: Intention and Attention
After trying this a few times, I believe using the Rebozo requires trust
Linked References:
Blake, C & Blake D Abdominal Sacral Massage: Rebozo
Sotelo, D.I. & Vinaver, N. The Rebozo: A transcription of the Rebozo workshop given by dona Irene Sotelo and Naoli Vinaver. Midwifery Today, Inc.
Tully, G. Rebozo Sifting or Jiggling

Money Tip 2: Ten Steps to Eliminate Debt

2010-03-30T12:57:00.002-06:00

Ten Suggested Steps for Debt Elimination and Financial Peace:
From an LDS Perspective

Don L. Milne—BYU Campus Education Week

Step 1 Pay a full tithe, a generous fast offering, and donate to charities
* Blessings of tithing–“windows of Heaven” (Malachi 3:10)
* Generous fast offering–“unto one of the least of these…” (Matt. 25:40)
* Other worthy charities–many good causes

Step 2 Save a $1,000 emergency fund and a one month food storage
* Make minimum debt payments until $1,000 emergency fund is saved
* Set up a monthly zero based budget (copy available at BYU Education Week website) and a cash envelope system for food, entertainment, clothing, and other impulse spending categories,
* Sell unneeded goods/possessions
* Temporary extra job, if necessary

Step 3 Teach your children good financial management
* Beyond work for normal unpaid basic chores, children should earn commissions (money or family coupons) for certain household work rather than receive allowances
* “Teach children to make money decisions in keeping with their capacities to comprehend…children should earn their money needs through service and appropriate chores” (Elder Marvin J. Ashton, “One for the Money,” Ensign, July 1975, 72).
* The 20-40-40 Rule for Children’s Commission Earnings
o 20% Giving (10% Tithing—10% Other Charities)
o 40% Savings (Not used unless parents approve)
+ Open a savings account
o 40% Spending (Child decides unless age or content inappropriate)

Step 4 Pay off consumer debt
* Identify all your debts from smallest to largest.
* Make minimum payments on all but the smallest debt.
* Throw all your debt payment resources at paying off the smallest debt.
* As soon as this smallest debt is paid off, use all the money you had been applying each month on this now deceased debt and apply it to the next smallest debt.
* Use this system to work through all of your consumer debt. As each debt is paid off, the amount of money available to attack your next debt goes up. The more debt you pay off, the more money you have to pay off the next debt.

Step 5 Be a financial management advocate and example to others
* Be an example to others, let people feel your financial peace and teach them the skills to do the same.

Step 6 After paying off consumer debt, save 3-6 months of expenses and one year of food storage
* “Begin in a small way…and gradually build toward a reasonable objective. Save a little money regularly, and you will be surprised how it accumulates” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Condition of the Church,” Ensign, May 2003, p. 4).
* If your financial situation is more stable, you can be closer to 3 months. If it is less stable, you should save 6 months of expenses.
* Food Storage—For every month of emergency savings you set aside, acquire 2 months of basic food storage. By the time you have your 3-6 months of emergency savings built up; you will have 6-12 months of food storage.

Step 7 Save 10-15% of income for retirement/pay for missions
* At this point you have no debt except the house, a year supply of food storage, and $5,000 to $10,000 or maybe more sitting in your emergency savings fund.
* Retirement savings—preferably 401(k)s with high percentage matching from employers. If you max out what your employer will match on your 401(k), invest the rest in Roth IRA Mutual Funds.
* If necessary, reduce amount being saved for retirement to assist in paying for children’s missions.

Step 8 Save for children’s mission funds and college education
* If you can get to this step early enough, you won’t be tempted to cut back on retirement funding to help out on missions and education. Once you have your 10-15% set up for retirement funding, you should look at your budget and fit this in.
* If you can start really early, simply investing $10 a month in growth stock mutual funds at an 8% after inflation rate would result in $4,800 in 18 years (actual results may vary).

Step 9 Pay off home mortgage early
* If at all possible, use a 15-year mortgage. The problem with a 30-year mortgage is that for the first few years you are basically renting from the bank. For example, in the first two years of a 6%, 30-year mortgage, 82% of your payments are interest payments. Compare this to the first two years of a 5.5%, 15-year mortgage, where only 54% of your payment goes to interest.
* “When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Times in Which We Live,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 72).

Step 10 Build wealth and give to others
* Most Latter-day Saints look forward to the ability to bless the lives of others as a result of being wise stewards over the money with which they have been entrusted. We want to be like the first two servants in the Parable of the Talents and hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:23).

Recommended Sources
1. Provident Living→Resource Management at www.lds.org
2. One for the Money—Guide to Family Finance, Elder Marvin J. Ashton, 1992, Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ensign, July 1975, 72.
3. Total Money Makeover, Ramsey, Dave, pub. Nelson Books, Sep 2003 ISBN: 0785263268
4. Financial Peace Revisited, Ramsey, Dave, pub. Viking Adult, Jan. 2003, ISBN: 0670032085
5. The Dave Ramsey Show, KNRS radio, FM-105.7, weeknights 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
6. Financial Peace University at www.daveramsey.com

The Holy Week

2010-03-29T16:29:00.001-06:00

The week before Easter Sunday take a few minutes each day to discuss what the Savior was doing on that day nearly 2,000 years ago.
I cut and pasted the scriptures in from LDS.org. Sorry that some of the formatting stayed.

Sunday: Jesus rides in triumph into Jerusalem
Behold, thy aKing cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, aHosanna to the Son of David: bBlessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the amultitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Monday: Cleansing the temple
12 ¶ And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My ahouse shall be called the house of bprayer; but ye have made it a cden of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Tuesday: the Scribes questioned the authority of Jesus and asked about paying tribute
money (see Matt.21; Matt.22)
23 ¶ And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what aauthority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

Wednesday: the Scriptures are silent on what Christ did this day. I think maybe He spent time with some of the people He loved—His family and His Disciples.

Thursday: the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane (see Matt.26).
17 ¶ Now the first day of the feast of aunleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the bpassover?
18 And he said, Go into the city ato such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My btime is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the apassover.
20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called aGethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and bpray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and abegan to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is aexceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and bwatch with me.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and aprayed, saying, O my bFather, if it be possible, let this ccup pass from me: nevertheless not as I dwill, but as ethou fwilt.

Friday: The trial and Crucifixion and burial of Jesus (see Matt.27).
he had ascourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with aa loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
a rich man of Arimathaea, named aJoseph, who also himself was Jesus’ bdisciple: 58 He went to Pilate, and abegged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great astone to the door of the bsepulchre, and departed.

Saturday: missionary work in the spirit world (see 1 Pet. 3:18-20; 1 Pet.4:6).
He went and apreached unto the bspirits in cprison;

Easter Sunday: read about the empty tomb and Resurrection (see Matt. 28).
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for athe bangel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 5 aAnd the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is arisen, as he said. Come, see the place where the bLord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Luke 24: 36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself astood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, bPeace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do athoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: ahandle me, and see; for a bspirit hath not cflesh and bones, as ye dsee me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and awondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be afulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their aunderstanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it abehoved Christ to suffer, and to brise from the dead the third day: 47 And that arepentance and bremission of sins should be cpreached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are awitnesses of these things.

Busy Last Week!

2010-03-29T15:50:00.001-06:00

What an incredibly busy week. In addition to mommy chores like fixing meals, laundry, clean-up and homeschool chores like making assignments and checking work, and working my job three nights, I did the following:
On Monday, we spent 3 hours at the zoo with our friend Whitney and her son.
On Tuesday, we hosted K’Nex Club at our home (which meant clean-up!) and we went to Chess Club at the Library. Jay and I attended the Caucus. We were both voted in as precinct delegates.
On Wednesday I went Visiting Teaching. It was the opening night of The Little Princess play. Jared and Jayson did great! They haven’t done anything like this before, so it was really fun to see. Grandma Spicer, Grandma Teresa, Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Pam and Grandpa John, all came to see them perform.
On Thursday we went to our Ogden Nature Center Science Class. We ran John by the orthodontist, since he had a loose wire. We went grocery shopping, and then Jo had Girl Scouts (turned in last of cookie money. Personal damage to checking account: $84).
On Friday I cooked ten pounds of hamburger, then drowned it in five cans of Manwich sauce. I put it in a roaster to keep warm until 4:30, when it needed to be feed to the kids doing the Princess Play. The little kids and I went to the Ott Planetarium, where they have been attending a space class for the last several months. We came home, had a snack, and then went to feed dinner to The Little Princess cast. Ten pounds of hamburger feed the cast of 30 perfectly! Come home for five minutes to grab the kids and then back to watch the play.
On Saturday, I woke up to a call asking where I was. Bountiful Baskets had an order for me and if I wanted it, I needed to pick it up now. Groan. I totally forgot. And I already paid for it. So I jumped in the car and picked it up. Now our house is filled with lots of fruits and veggies. Came home, made a fruit smoothie then cleaned up. Went to Target for bridal shower gift for niece and Sam’s Club for milk and rolls -- to feed the play cast. Dropped off kids and Jay and was at the church to feed cast. Picked up kids and Jay and back to watch play. They did wonderful! Hooray, last day! I took the girls and we went to niece’s bridal shower. We got her: a laundry hamper, a hamper, detergent, hangers, and a lingerie bag. I’m exhausted!
On Sunday is church as usual, but I also had to present Sharing Time for the kids. I collected pictures that showed what Christ did the last week of His life, printed out the days of the week (with two Sundays) cut and pasted them onto construction paper and covered the pictures with them. We discussed the Holy Week, with only a few tears from me... I’ll post the timeline and scriptures for you. Jay and I also went to a “Get out of Debt” class offered by our church Sunday night. I’ll post details from that for you as well.
It’s Monday and I’ve started spring cleaning. I started with the laundry room. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t mind if things are totally picked up and exactly in place, IF the inside of drawers and cupboards are straightened and IF I can find what I’m looking for. That hasn’t been the case lately. The laundry room was a good place to start, since we were so busy last week, both the clean and the dirty are piled up. I’ll take and post pictures. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

Hogle Zoo Visit

2010-03-22T08:04:00.004-06:00

We are excited for a fun day of homeschooling! I don’t know why they call it homeschool, since we are rarely home. Today we are headed for Hogle Zoo. Going here always makes me a little nervous. Zoo officials got a little upset at me in August, 2005, when I published an article in ICAN’s eNews about the cesarean their orangutan had. I’ll post it here, just for fun. The update on this story is that Eve and Araca are living and playing together.

Essay: Eve and Araca
Early May in Utah usually brings a few warm days and this year was no exception. We
enjoyed a day trip to the zoo during this warm respite. Hogle Zoo isn’t my favorite zoo, but the kids enjoy seeing the animals. Two weeks later – on Mother’s Day- Eve, a
female Orangutan, had a cesarean to deliver her baby, Araca. When I first heard the news, I thought, “What else would you expect to happen? You have an animal on the
endangered species list, pregnant. What zoo keeper is going to ‘risk’ that pregnancy
and baby by sitting on her hands and not doing anything? And ‘anything’ is enough to
slow an animal’s labor progress.” There were many articles in the following weeks about
the baby’s arrival. Strangely enough, I wasn’t upset by any of them, until I happened to
hear a radio ‘interview’ with one of the zoo staff. The zoo keeper described the baby’s
day, being cared for by the staff, fed formula from a bottle and being held by staff in
furry vests. The radio host joked with her about the care of the baby, asking how the
staff avoided ‘getting messed on’. The zoo employee said, “We don’t diaper the baby,
we want to do everything natural with this little orangutan.” Suddenly, I was so angry I
couldn’t see straight. Here is Eve, whose birth was denied her by staff, who now rejects
her own baby. Here is a baby, whose mother doesn’t recognize or claim her, being fed
formula from humans, being held by humans in furry vests and being shown off
between the hours of 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. daily, and
they have the nerve to claim they are doing everything natural because the baby
doesn’t have a diaper on!
I don’t know the details of Eve’s birth of her daughter. When called, the Zoo will not
give out any details. When asked questions like, “How did staff know Eve was in labor?
How long was she in labor? Was baby in distress at birth?”- no answer is given. You and
I most likely will never get the answers to these questions or to the ultimate one they
lead to, “Was the cesarean really necessary?”
In the end, it might matter if we knew and it might not. What I do know is that there is
a mother who does not know her baby and a baby who does not know her mother.
They did not get to bond after a natural birth. The baby never breast feed. The baby
has not learned to cuddle with her mother and, in turn, may not mother her own babies
naturally. Generations have been affected by this cesarean, in a species that does not
have generations to give to the nervous human.
A quick note: Hogle Zoo itself admits the cesarean is the reason Eve does not recognize
her baby. Here is a blurb from their website:
Baby Orangutan
The baby, born Mother’s Day weekend by cesarean section, is slowly
being introduced to her mom. Because of the cesarean birth, Eve does not
yet recognize the baby as hers. The staff is doing slow introductions, in an
off exhibit area, to help mother and daughter bond.

Gun Owner Tip 1: Hand Position

2010-03-21T00:17:00.001-06:00

Gun owners should examine their guns for moving parts, being sure to keep all body parts out of the way of these parts. Ask questions about any moving parts before shooting gun. Keep Band-Aids close by.

Proud Owner of a Ruger 380

2010-03-20T23:42:00.003-06:00

Got my gun today. Shot my gun today. Bled today. Okay, yes, there is more to the story. We picked up the raspberry Ruger 380. I was rather excited about it. It was interesting (scary?!) how easy it was to pick out a gun, pay for it (and a background check) and walk out of the store with a gun and enough ammunition to do some serious damage. Of course, I’m not planning on doing any damage to anyone other than the guy printed on my target page. In the end, though, it was me who was bleeding. I shot six rounds, which (I’m proud to say) I loaded myself. I kept changing hand positions, trying to get a good feel for the gun (and accurate shots). The last shot, I stuck my thumb up behind the action, which slid back and cut me in two places. My first thought was that my fingernail had been ripped off. I quickly realized that it was the top of my thumb that was dripping blood all down my hand. My husband was just staring at me. His first thought was that I had broken a finger nail. He started to tease me, then he saw the blood. Bummer. After waiting more than 30 minutes for a lane at the range and paying $10, I shot six rounds, bloodied up my thumb and then left. The guy was nice enough to give me a Band-Aid and some Neosporin, but not nice enough to credit us with a lane for the next time we came. I do plan on shooting enough to be accurate and good at it. I did rather well today. Two straight on chest shots, one just to the right of those, two in the jugular vein, and one through the liver. Since neither my husband nor the guy behind the counter, who gave me advice on shooting after I checked “never shot a handgun before” on the intake form, thought to tell me to keep my thumb clear of the action, I need to read the manual. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

More on the UDA conference.

2010-03-19T13:13:00.001-06:00

More on the UDA conference. Brigg Noyes presented an excellent session on Helping Parents Preserve their Romantic Relationship after the Birth of a Child. He stated as many as 80% of couples report a drastic drop in martial quality after the birth of a child. He challenged us, who work with pregnant women to raise some questions to the expecting couple.
• “How are you going to preserve the relationship that created this baby?”
• “How are you going to keep this spark going?”
• “What is your role to help your partner?”
• “What is your role as a parent?”
He stated that parents have increase responsibility, more work and less support, decrease in physical and emotional intimacy and increased stress. Depression and surfacing of own childhood issues are common after birth.
The fighting and conflict lead to parent-child interaction. This impacts the baby by
• Increasing baby blood pressure
• Parents have poor ability to read baby’s cues (and therefore do not meet baby’s needs in a timely manner)
• Baby is now at higher risk for later emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems
• When parents are in conflict, the baby is especially likely to withdraw from the father, negatively impacting this important relationship.
With this knowledge, it is important to assess your relationship, work on communication and intimacy skills and to consciously create a family. Create traditions and everyday rituals.
Resources:
• www.briggnoyes.com
• www.twoofus.org
• www.marriagebuilders.com
• And Baby Makes Three (book) John and Julie Gottman
• Getting the Love You Want Workbook Harville Hendrix and Helen Hunt
• Passionate Marriage (book) David Schnarch

I Won't Back Down

2010-03-18T16:00:00.001-06:00

For some reason, this song is speaking to me today.

I Won't Back Down
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin me down
gonna stand my ground
... and I won't back down
Chorus:
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down...)
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down
Well I know what's right, I got just one life
in a world that keeps on pushin me around
but I'll stand my ground
...and I won't back down
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down...)
hey I will stand my ground
(I won't back down)
and I won't back down...
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(I won't back down)
hey I won't back down
(and I won't back down)
hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down)
hey I will stand my ground
(and I won't back down)
and I won't back down
(I won't back down)
No I won't back down...

Orthodontist

2010-03-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

My youngest son got his braces on today. He is only eleven and I am worried about how he will do with them. I held his hand during the appointment. At one point, he was whining, whimpering, and the tech said, “Come on, what is the problem?”
He said, “It hurts.”
She replied, “It doesn’t hurt. It just feels different, maybe a little funny. I’m doing something you aren’t used to.”
It ticked me off a little. Come on?! Why couldn’t she say, “Sorry. I’m doing the best I can. It will be over soon.”
Acknowledge the pain. Do your best not to cause more pain. Can’t we ask that of those in medical positions?

Ecology of a Doula

2010-03-16T15:15:00.002-06:00

The Utah Doula Association conference was awesome. I feel really rejuvenated. It was wonderful to be in a room of women who are working hard to make birth a safe and enjoyable experience for the women they serve. The conference was called, “Ecology of a Doula, Relationships, Education, Support”. It was hosted by the University of Utah Perinatal Education. I learned things from every speaker. Over the next couple of days I’ll tell you more about the different sessions; today I’ll tell you about just one. It was interesting that one of the speakers, Robert M. Silver, MD, changed his topic at the last minute. His paper on cesareans was presented at the National Institute of Health conference on VBAC. At this conference, he was supposed to speak on high risk situations and how doulas can help. Instead, he spoke on (insert evil music here) Cesareans: The Dark Side. He focused on long term physical impact of cesareans that most people don’t acknowledge. The list included placenta problems in future pregnancies. That is assuming you are able to get pregnant, which isn’t certain, since women with prior cesareans have a high infertility rate. They are also more likely to have etopic pregnancies. If they are able to get pregnant, they have high rates of miscarriage and stillbirth. Women with prior cesareans report chronic pain.
I found it disconcerting that when the conference organizers found out about the subject change and realized I was there, I was pulled aside and asked to “Be nice” to Dr. Silver. Did they think I would throw tomatoes or “BOO!” loudly when he said something I didn’t like? There were several times when he said something that was controversial (for instance, “VBACs are high risk”) and many in the room would turn to look at my response. I struggled to listen, take notes and keep my face impassive. After his presentation, I was the first to raise my hand. I think the whole room was holding their breath, wondering what I would say. I stood, introduced myself and asked if he would be willing to go to lunch with me. I need to call him and set it up. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

Money Tip 1: Coupons

2010-03-13T06:00:00.003-07:00

It is time to cut back the spending. Goal one: watch sales and use coupons. I spent an hour yesterday cutting out coupons and putting them in my coupon book. I have a three ring binder with dividers (labeled: cereal, snacks, hair products, diary, etc). I put the coupons in sheet protectors divided for baseball cards. Ask neighbors for their newspapers (my excuse was that my boys needed a scout project and we were going to recycle them- and we did take them to the recycler- after we got the coupons) or some papers have packages that allow you to get extra papers on Sunday. A great site for finding sales and help on using coupons is Grocerysmarts.com. The passport, if it comes up blank is: g84rcm. Have fun couponing!

Habits

2010-03-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

I once heard a speaker ask, “What will determine if we get to where we want to go?” Some guy from the back of the room yelled out, “My wife!” After the laughter died out, the speaker said, “It is our habits. What we do day after day, determine whether we get to where we want go.” How much of what we do is by habit? I’ve been thinking about this since my washer has developed a habit of stopping half way through the cycle. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to throw in a load and to come back to see it isn’t finished. It is my fault, I suppose, since I got into a habit of turning the washer on, then leaving the lid open to go find more clothes to add. This stopped the wash—since more often than not I’d forget to come back and add the clothes. Interesting how one habit started another. Even more interesting is how hard it is to start the washer on a different cycle. If I turn on the permanent press cycle instead of the normal wash load, this allows the washer to continue through the entire cycle without stopping. Habits are hard to break… and some have far more serious implications than whether or not my clothes get washed when I need them to. It is time to throw in some more laundry. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget… again.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

Sunny Friday

2010-03-12T14:54:00.002-07:00

It is a sunny Friday. I’m glad, since I need the warm sunshine. The kids did their school work, then we picked up boxes of ICAN brochures. Funny thing, I ran into a friend at the printer. I haven’t seen her in a while and it’s nice to catch up. She said she wondered if I was around when she saw eight boxes with ICAN brochures taped on the side! Now I’ve got to make a trip or two to the post office to get them mailed to our bookstore.
I took to the kids to a park for some play time, but it was cut short by a little girl with a little bladder. Oh, well, she’s just like her mom, always going!
We are headed to Salt Lake City now. I need to drop off my son’s laptop that crashed. He does his school work on it, so I want it repaired so he can get back to work. This was good timing, I guess, since he is off camping anyway. I’m not sure where the rest of the day will take us, but am ready for some fun.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

Mommy Tip 1: Get Car Summer Ready

2010-03-12T14:16:00.001-07:00

With warmer weather on the way, you’ll want to stock your car with all the things you need for last minute stops at the playground. Gather sunscreen, wet wipes, finger snacks (I keep Capri Suns in the fridge in the garage and grab a few whenever we are leaving the house for a while—kids always ask for a drink, wherever you go), playground toys, balls, hats and put them in a crate or tub in the back of the car. This way, while running errands, if you pass by a park and decide it is time for a break, you’ll be ready!

Healthy Living Tip 1

2010-03-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Get your vitamin D. The best way is by being outside at least 20 minutes a day. I noticed last summer going outside (usually to hang laundry on the line) made a huge difference in the way I felt. Right now, the sun isn’t quite warm enough to lure me outside, so I’m taking a supplement. It helps tremendously! I’m able to get moving earlier and much more happily. I can’t wait for it to be warm enough to get my daily dose from the sun!

Forgot Birthday Gifts?

2010-03-11T11:22:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I went to Target to get snack for my teenagers who are going biking in Zion’s National Park this weekend. While there, I was supposed to get gifts for the ladies I work with in my church’s primary. They all have birthdays this month. I was talking on my cell phone, though, and totally spaced it. So, five minutes before our meeting last night, I dug around the house and put together a bag of stuff for them. Here is what I said as I gave them each item:
It’s your birthday, don’t be sad (box of tissues)
Wash away any tears and any sadness from last year (a bar of soap)
And put a smile on your face (toothbrush-nice vibrating ones)
Remember (a jumpdrive- bought on clearance)
You are a princess (new princess washcloths I bought too many of last year and had in storage)
You are a Daughter of God, I love you ladies!
I hope this gives you ideas for the next time you are caught without a gift at the last minute. Or maybe we should all stock up on small gifts and birthday cards… I guess I’ll go do that before I forget… again.
Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert

Ever wonder?

2010-03-10T16:44:00.003-07:00

Ever wonder what difference you can make? I woke up early to listen to Day 3 of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). I recognized a number of the women who stood up to make a point and ask a question. They are beautiful, articulate, strong women and moms who are doing what they can to change the VBAC climate. I’m cautiously hopeful that if we take the evidence report and run with it, we might be able to make a difference.

Ever wonder what you forgot? Today has been one of those days for me. After listening to conference, I made a yummy fruit smoothie for breakfast. It was then I remembered I should have called Jessica. Jessica is an awesome woman who teaches True North for teens in our area. Right now they are getting ready for their yearly play. A major problem presented itself yesterday, when the church venue had scheduling issues. The dates have been changed slightly and she needed to be sure my two teens could still participate. They can and it will be fun! I called her.

Ever wonder who writes those readers for young kids? I really had to wonder as I listened to my kids read to me today during our homeschool. One of the books was on dinosaurs. I’ve never been into dinosaurs. They are dead and they have long, weird names, which I can hardly say and which I wouldn’t expect my young kids to know.

Ever wonder if your kids will be okay? After lunch, I took my eleven year old to the orthodontist for spacers between his teeth. Next week, he will get his braces on. Poor kid wasn’t happy at all. I hope he does okay with them.

Ever wonder if you are buying the right thing? Challenge one: We stopped by The Bike Shoppe to get a patch kit, extra tubes and a pump for my teens who are going to Zions National Park this weekend on a bike trip with the Boy Scouts. I hope it is what they need. Challenge two: getting snacks and drinks for the weekend off the list you hope you remember correctly, since your teens texted their list to you, but you are on a phone call with a friend and don’t know how to access your texts without hanging up on her. No complaints when I got home, so I guess I did okay.

Ever wonder what you opened up your laptop to do? I sat down to do something, I’m sure of it… but I hope it wasn’t urgent, because I can’t remember… oh! I was supposed to schedule my massage. I guess I’ll go do that before I forget… again.

Hugs, The Personal Experience Expert