Warning: Not a gratitude post

No Bake Cookies SUCK! (Sorry for the profanities but see below)

I was CRAVING them today, and since I was sick and had sent Jay and the 3 oldest to stake conference...(Payback for my many sacrament meetings of complete horror while he sits smiling up on the stand.....muwaaahahaha), I decided to whip up a batch to feed my cravings. I wasn't feeling well and hence deserved to eat whatever sounded good. Stupid cookies....At the end of the day when I realized there were 2 left I asked Jay how many he had eaten:

Jay: Like 1 and a half
Me: How many did the kids eat? Besides Payton? (He hates PB due to his allergy as a baby and thinks it "burns")
Jay: Katrina had 3 total, Bella had 3 and Tyson had 2.
Me: (Doing the math in my head) Are you sure???
Jay: Yup
Me: (Hiding my head in shame) I am sooooo bad
Jay: How many did you eat?
Me: Are you sure you didn't eat more than 1.5?
Jay: Yup
Me: Positive??
Jay: How many....
Me: I believe approximately......11

Yes, that's right. 11 No Bake cookies. HEY! THEY HAVE OATMEAL IN THEM AND I CALCULATED THAT EACH COOKIE HAD 1 GRAM OF FIBER AND 1 GRAM OF PROTEIN EACH...AND THAT'S NOT INCLUDING WHAT I GOT FROM THE PEANUT BUTTER!!!

I have decided that No-Bake cookies need to be on my ban list. Anything that my family eats that little of and I eat that much of has no place in my home (or stomach). I've never felt so badly like I needed to go for a jog and if I wasn't completely certain that it would cause me to black out by the time I got to the corner due to my illness, I would wake up the dog and go right now. Probably all that sugar keeping me awake tonight. In my prayers tonight I had to ask forgiveness for being so glutenous...gluttenous? K, google confirms it's gluttonous. I didn't mean to say that I was a sticky plant protein. But if I was I'm SURE I would have more self-control!

Politics

I have never been involved much in politics. I know it's bad but most of the time I just mark the "republicans" and rarely research who or what I am voting for. This year it has been different. Since the church is actively campaigning to get Proposition 8 passed, I have been actively involved, studying facts, reading the issues and talking to people about it. You can read about why I support Prop. 8 here at my family blog.

I've been trying to be more informed. I've been trying to watch the debates, follow the news, and all I see is a few very good liars...I mean politicians...who twist the others words so that they look good and the other person looks bad. I know who I need to vote for but I am not very happy with my only choice. Just sort of choosing the lesser of two evils...or was it weevils? (Ha ha, Jay will get that won't you sweetie?)

I get so sick of the bickering and finger pointing at the running mates. Don't they get that this annoys the crap out of people? The tactic must be proven to work or else I can't imagine that they would all submit to it. I swear though, if just 1 politician would stick to the issues and not stoop to slandering his opponent he would have a lot of votes.

Food from scratch

I remember when the penny gumball machines disappeared from the local drugstore. I also remember when that drugstores ice cream was no longer sold for $.35/scoop. I remember when beef noticeably began to rise in cost due to the fad diets that promoted lots of red meat. However, I have never seen so many items rise in costs all at the same time as I have in this economic crisis. Maybe it's because I've always been a stickler about food costs. I'm the girl who reads the fine print, calculates the cost/oz. and never let's the supermarket pull one over my eyes with their "deals". So with my knowledge of what I pay for almost every item in my cart, it sickens me to see how much the cost of food is rising.

I'm grateful that before it turned bad, I had felt impressed to start learning to make a lot of things from scratch. From my bread, to my potstickers, I prefer to make the real deal instead of buying artificial nastiness. It doesn't save me a THAT much money since flour and fresh foods rises in costs with everything else, however, I feel good in knowing that I am feeding my family healthy, better for you food. It also feels good to know that I am making a stand against those companies that create "cancer in a box". K, there's no proof in that I just thought it had a cool ring to it.

I can't make everything from scratch, but I am resolved to keep trying. Lunchmeat is one I HATE, but have to have. Maybe I'll raise my own chickens and slaughter, pluck, and roast them for my kids sandwiches! Would you put it past me?

I'm Back

Sorry about the long absence. I don't seem to have a lot of time anymore to sit and "play" on the computer. Kind of a good thing and a bad thing. Let's get the gratitude rolling again.

#1 I am grateful that school has started again
#2 I am grateful for the school bus that drops my children off a block away 10 minutes after they get out. In the time they get off the bus, I would still be trying to get out of the school parking lot! It's fabulous and they don't have enough time to get the "bad bus experience". (My first kiss was on a bus and let me tell you it is NOT a good memory. Ewwwwwww)
#3 I am grateful for a husband who works his buns off to provide for his family. He's the biggest, strongest provider I know (the smartest and cutest too).
#4 I am grateful for Mothers who give listening ears and offer their years of wisdom.
#5 Did I mention I'm grateful that school has started again?

K, of course there's a lot more but I have a lesson to prepare for and just wanted to recommit to my blog. I solemnly swear to do better.

Grateful for Yoga, NOT grateful for Yoga+Children

For the past year I have been dabbling in Yoga. It all started with Priscilla Patrick on PBS. Her little 15 minute stretches every morning got me hooked! Then I started doing the Yoga that's on BYU channel in the mornings and began studying yoga and meditation on my own. I used to try to do it after I went jogging or walking but it was taking up too much of my day. I started to do it twice a week but my kids were making it near impossible. Can you imagine me in some weird contorted pose with a 3 year old directly next to (or underneath me) trying to do the same thing, and a 1 year old trying to sit on my head at the same time? Now imagine me trying to do 5 minutes of relaxation after my practice with someone crying in my ear, a high energy 8 year old yelling throughout the house while he chases his screaming sister, and a baby in his high chair making obvious sounds that he is done by the clattering sounds of his bowl on the floor. It usually involves me taking a deep cleansing breath and then yelling so hard my face hurts DO YOU MIND??!! I AM TRYING TO RELAX!!! Let's just say it's not pretty.

I realized that Yoga is scarily bringing more stress to my life. When I am trying to concentrate so hard for these poses and get distracted by these little buggers it raises my stress to levels I didn't know existed! I then decided if I wanted to continue my new hobby I needed to make sacrifices. So....on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have decided to get up at 5:45am to practice Yoga in peace. Wouldn't you know it, at least 2 of them have been getting up at 5:50am since I started this. They pitter patter out, say in loud non-morning voices "Doing your Yoga Mom?!" And then proceed to open all the squeakiest cupboards, or slurp cereal, or dump out legos. If I try to make them stay in their rooms they play which usually ends up in playful screaming (or not so playful) waking up the other half of the kids. Whatever....So much for R&R. I tell you they have some sort of Yoga radar! Anyways, I guess there is a time and a season for everything...I just really wanted this to be my season for Yoga! *Sigh* I'm not giving up yet. I may have to sacrifice some precious evening adult time for Yoga (sorry bout that Jay).

Namaste

The Lucky One

Listen, my life just isn't that exciting but I can still be grateful right??

Right now I'm grateful for Allison Krauss. I could listen to her for hours.... I'm also grateful for the Leinwebers. They made me laugh today when they shouted the words to "who let the dogs out" at me while sitting and waiting for Payton to come out of his class. I'm grateful for good friends who let me hang out at their homes and eat their food when my house is full of boring stuff. I'm grateful for Anne Wadman, she made me good soup yesterday :) I'm grateful for a good book, and sleeping children.

I'm grateful for my husband who blasts the Beastie Boys while doing robotic dances making us all laugh. I'm grateful for Bella who said to me at least 5 times today, "I love you mom, do you love me?" I'm grateful for Tyson who seems to be the only person in this house I never raise my voice to (unless I'm saying, "The Dude!" in my high baby talk voice). He's not just "A" Dude. He's "The" Dude. I'm grateful for Katrina and her beautiful art she makes for me at least twice a day. I'm grateful for Payton and his willingness to help all day long. I'm even grateful for Cody when he cleans the food off my floors so I don't have to sweep so much.

Guess I had a lot more to be grateful for than I thought :)

Proud to be an American

K, sorry for the long absence. I solemnly swear to do better. Payton came home today from school and said "Mom, have you heard of the song, 'Proud to be an American?'" I said, "Ummm.....let me think...YEAH." Apparently they are practicing the song for a Spring Concert they are performing. So I start singing dramatically, and he joins in with me. But let me tell you when I heard that high little, non-pubescent voice sing
"There ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA"
it brought tears to my eyes. I told him about how I quoted that song in a talk I gave the weekend after 9-11 in Stake Conference (my talk was on the effects of music), and how my favorite line in the song was "The flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away." and what it means. He said, "Yeah, I like that line too. They think Betsy Ross made the flag." (Always Mr. Facts just like his Dad.)

Then we talked a little about 9-11 and why these men would want to kill themselves while killing others. Things I truly wish my son did not have to contemplate.

I love this land. I love my freedoms. I love that my son is singing "GOD bless the USA" in a public school performance. This country definitely has flaws but there is no other place I would rather be. Tonight I am giving thanks to my Father in Heaven for this country and all that it represents. I'm definitely proud to be an American.