Red and White Pancakes

I love the 4th of July.

On this holiday in the past, I woke the kids up early to dress them in their red, white and blue clothes.  Then I headed over to the neighborhood kids parade with decorated bikes, scooters, or me just pulling them along in the wagon.

After we made one sweep around the block, there was a good old-fashioned flag raising ceremony followed by juice and donuts.

After that, we did different things on the 4th of July. But, I've almost always made some sort of red, white and blue food to go with one of our meals.

Last night, I panicked a little because I didn't have a special, patriotic meal planned. Then, I realized strawberries and whipped cream ought to do the trick.

My family eats a lot of pancakes.  We eat them for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner.  We make homemade pancakes and we have rotated through multiple favorite recipes over the years.  Since I don't eat wheat, I don't usually join them in the eating part.  I have made wheat-free pancakes for myself before - but, not for a really long time.

I decided to grab some wheat-free flour when I picked up the strawberries and whipped cream, and, boy am I glad I did!

Last night, we met friends in Bountiful for a lovely backyard BBQ and a fireworks show.  It was so much fun.  This morning, we slept in nice and late and then the kids woke up to hot pancakes and I had my wheat-free pancakes too.  I think I had forgotten how good pancakes can taste.  Mine were like strawberry shortcake melting in my mouth.

After that, we hustled out the door to Lagoon so we could get there right when they opened.  I wanted to take the kids to Laguna Beach on this hot, hot, hot 4th of July.  At the last minute, Brian decided not to work on the holiday after all and joined us.  He and Ian went on rides while I took the other kids for a swim.

Isaac, Katie and I made laps around the lazy river on tubes.  The don't make lazy rivers like they use to. Now, every pool has a "lazy river" -- a small circle to the side of the pool with jets to help you go round and round as you tiptoe or float along.  This lazy river is huge by comparison.  You lay on your tube and float through caves, past waterfalls and by a volcano spewing water out the top (Katie pretended it was lava). I wish the rapids and other cool features worked like they did when I was a kid.  But, Katie and Isaac were in heaven.

I watched their eyes light up and their huge smiles.  They were so excited.  Everything was perfect in that moment and I couldn't stop thinking about how much I love my kids.  And, what a miracle it is to love someone so much your heart could burst.  That huge love is there just because they exist.

It was so relaxing and nice.  I wish every 90+ degree day could start out with red and white pancakes and a nice dip in a lazy river.  Happy Birthday America!  Thanks for a day off to be with my favorite people, soaking them up and breathing them in completely.

Purple Heart

For as long as I can remember, Isaac has had this obsession with finding hearts for me.  "Look mom! There is a heart in the clouds/snow/ice/mud/cement/asphalt/texture on the wall.  It's from me to you."

He also loves to collect rocks, leaves, wood chips, scraps of paper or anything else he comes across that resembles a heart to give to me.

Today, Isaac went to his first Cub Scout day camp because he is eight.  I woke up early and packed his lunch.  I rubbed on his sunscreen and filled up his water bottle.  Then, I rummaged around the house for a few dollars to give him so he would have money to spend at the trading post.

You know - so he could buy a patch or a hat or a cool pocket knife.

He came home this afternoon seeming so grown up after a day away.  I wanted to hear about his adventures. I wanted to know what treasure he bought.  He reached in his pocket and pulled out a purple polished rock in the shape of a heart.  He spent his money buying it for me!

Well, that and an ice-cream sandwich that he consumed.

I am so touched.  I love moments like this with my children.  I wanted to write it down so I don't ever forget.

A Change of Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!  One of my favorite holidays.  I relish celebrating this holiday of love.

In years past, the kids and I have made pink-frosted heart-shaped sugar cookies.  It seems like I'm too busy at Christmas to make sugar cookies, so this is the perfect time of year.  I love making special meals with heart themes to show the "sweethearts" in my life how much I love them.

This year, Valentine's Day came at the end of two of the busiest weeks I have had in a very long time.  In addition to the flood of writing, there were parent-teacher conferences and book fairs to volunteer at and organize at two different schools.  And, I needed to plan the Valentine's Day party for my son's second grade class because I am the room mom.  And, the night before Valentine's Day was the first night of juggling class.  It has been a very busy two weeks and I was feeling tired both physically and creatively.  So, as I sat with another mom/friend Thursday night at juggling class, I lamented that I had nothing special planned for this special holiday.

Friday came and went.  I wrapped up my writing, and we had a fun class party for Isaac.  I somehow got all the kids out the door with bags full of Valentines to pass out to their classmates.  Brian took me out for a lightning fast meal after the babysitting kids went home and before he had to leave for his evening photo assignments.  I picked up fast food for the kids for dinner and we watched the Olympics.  Because, watching the Olympics is fun.  It was a nice day, but our traditions were missing.

Saturday morning, I woke up renewed.  It felt good to put that long two weeks of work behind me and look forward to a long weekend of fun.  I decided it wasn't too late to celebrate the ones I love.  I started with these heart shaped waffles:

Next, I got to use the tickets I bought several months ago to take my mom to see "Les Miserables" at the Hale Centre Theatre.  It was breathtaking.  It exceeded my expectations from start to finish.  I loved it so much!  Every cast member nailed their part.  The music was so, so beautiful.  I can't find enough words to say how much I loved the production and how much I loved getting to spend the day with my mom.

That was a matinee, so when we got back to Ogden, my mom sweetly took Katie to her house for a sleepover so Brian and I could take the three older kids out for an evening with friends and their kids.

First, we had a delicious dinner at a restaurant our friends just discovered (and introduced us to) -- Smokin' Bones.  I'm not even a huge fan of BBQ, but the food was so good.  And, Isaac got to eat a hot dog deep fried in a scone.  Seriously, what is not to love about that?

Then, we headed to Salt Lake to watch the hilarious melodrama "Bandito Rides Again."  It was one of those melodrama parodies where they make fun of melodramas and pop-culture and other things.  Everyone laughed their heads off.  Even Isaac liked it (and, he is not a child who is easily pleased).

So, I had a change of heart between Thursday night and Saturday morning and we celebrated.  One day late, but we celebrated.  I love this family of mine.

Marathon of Words

I was going to write about how crazy this past week has been.

Last Monday night, I got a call from the newspaper asking if I could do three (what turned out to be five) extra stories for the Home and Garden insert coming out later this month.  Of course, I said "yes," and then spent the next eight days asking, "Why do I do this to myself?"

I scrambled to get my three regular stories for the week written and turned in.  On Thursday, the marathon began.  For two days I felt mental exhaustion set in as I worked simultaneously on what felt like five different research papers at once. And, it was the week of the book fair and parent-teacher conferences at the junior high (of course, I said "yes" to helping organize the book fair).

I just added it up.  I have interviewed twenty-five different people since last Tuesday.  No wonder I feel a little loopy.  I have ten more interviews to go and four more stories to write by the end of Friday.

But, right now, I am taking a pause to write about how crazy this all is instead.

I was going to write about how crazy this past week has been and try to answer the question, "Why do I do this to myself?"  But, now that the five extra stories are complete, I feel the way I always do at the end.  I feel like I have learned so many cool things about taking care of cement and kitchen remodeling and what the hottest trends for landscaping are right now.

I guess that is the weird part about my job that keeps me going.  I love getting to talk to interesting people and learn new things.

After giving it my all on Thursday and Friday, I woke up Saturday with a stomach bug.  How is it possible that right when a person has so much to do, that person gets sick?  I tried really hard to give myself permission to take a sick day.

Breathe in, breathe out.

On Sunday, I woke up at 6 a.m. in a panic because, while taking my sick day, I completely spaced out the fact that we were hosting Brian's family for dinner that night.  It was ward conference and I had meetings that morning, followed by church, followed by the dinner.  The house was not looking too great after I took a sick day.  I devised a plan.  I would be in charge of making the food if Brian would be in charge of cleaning up.  He agreed.

Then, I had to practice not being the expert at cleaning the house.  Have you ever noticed that when you are the expert at something, you get to do that thing all the time?  You have to let go of being the one in charge to get other people to participate.  On Sunday, I realized that I have been a bit of a control freak when it comes to cleaning the house.  So, congratulations to me, because I kept my mouth shut about how I thought things should be done.  Mostly.  It was hard. (Not as hard as doing everything myself).

Breathe in, breathe out.

But, in the end, dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles showed up with their wonderful meal contributions and we were all happy and none of it mattered anymore.  All that mattered was being together for Sunday dinner.  And, that was nice.

Yesterday and today, I had to wake up to the reality of how much work was still left to be done -- on the stories I mean.  If I woke up really early and started working until the babysitting kids showed up at 11 a.m. and worked again after they went home all evening until long after I would have liked to go to bed, it would be O.K.  It reminded me of finals week in college, when you are trying to cram so much in before a deadline.  Except, now there were all these other people depending on me for food and attention while I was working in the evenings.

It reminded me of having a new baby and not being able to find time to shower.

Breathe in, breathe out. 

This morning, my e-mail crashed while I was trying to receive photos from ten different sources for the stories.  They all started calling to say their e-mails were bouncing back to them.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Brian fixed it.  We survived all of it so far.  Every now and then, I get a startled feeling that Valentine's Day is just a few days away.  The kids need to go Valentine shopping, and I am in charge of Isaac's room party.  This week is parent-teacher conference and the book fair at the elementary school (of course I said "yes" to volunteering for a shift tomorrow night).

I am really looking forward to the weekend.  Right now, it is back to my marathon of words, because I refuse to let this spill beyond Friday (even though my technical deadline for the next four stories is 8 a.m. next Tuesday).  I can't wait to just cuddle those kids of mine and have all day Monday (President's Day) to do whatever we want! 

Thankful For Soup

Katie is good at saying prayers all by herself. Lately, they mostly consist of long lists of things she is thankful for. They are very sweet and uplifting. With the cold weather in full force, I have been preparing a variety of different soups for dinner. I guess Katie hasn't been a big fan of any of them. In a recent prayer given in front of the whole primary, she said, "We thank Thee that we can all like soup when we grow up." At least she is optimistic about her future feelings toward soup. Today, Brian is tearing out walls in a basement room that we are re-finishing as a bedroom for our boys. It is very exciting! I am thankful that he is such a handyman. I love it when he works on our house.

Vacation Plans 2014

It looks like 2014 will be a year of theme park visits for us!

We were surprised on Christmas morning with season passes to Lagoon from my parents.  Usually, we visit once per year.  Sometimes, I use the bounce back option to take the kids twice.  And, there was that one year when the power went out at our bounce back visit, so we got to return a third time for free.

The kids wish we could go a lot more.  Especially the boys -- Sophie is not into roller coasters and big rides yet like they are.  But, she likes the water park and the smaller rides.  Now we can go as many times as we want.  I hope I will be able to meet my kids' expectations of visiting as many times as they think we will now that we have passes.

Today, I booked our Disneyland trip -- Hooray!  I am so relieved to have completed the process of wading through the labyrinth of hotels, their rates and hidden fees and trying to validate or invalidate the negative reviews.  I am so excited that we will be within walking distance from the gate!  Major bonus.

Now, I am dreaming of our wonderful, fun-filled relaxing family vacation.  Ahhhh . . . vacations are the  best!

Happy New Year 2014

2013 is gone.  And, I barely recorded it.

We had a blessed year.

I never wrote about the trip we took with our kids at the end of November 2012.  We stayed overnight in a Swiss Chalet in Heber.  There was a gorgeous pool -- a big draw to our family.  It was one of those indoor/outdoor pools, and even though it was nearly December and snowing, the outdoor portion was open.  Right next to the indoor pool was a beautiful hot tub with a giant rock wall waterfall on one side.  You better believe that is where I spent most of my time.

The older kids ventured into the deserted outdoor pool and begged me to join them.  I finally gave in and swam out to see their cold but magical find.  I also discovered a small, empty hot tub next to the outdoor pool.  It was plain, but it was under the canopy of a black, starry sky.  The indoor hot tub was exotic, but also packed with families, including my own little ones.

When Sophie and Ian tired of the outdoor pool and swam through the little tunnel back inside, I jumped out of the water, ran across the freezing cement, and slipped into the steaming water.  After all of the chaos of organizing, cleaning, packing and generally getting a family of six out the door for a small getaway, it felt divine to sit there all alone for a few minutes.  I was wrapped in a warm blanket of water while the snowflakes gently landed on my face.  The universe felt so quiet with a peace that I rarely experience as a mother, daycare provider and writer. 

For just a moment, I wondered what it would be like if I were at that resort alone, single, childless?  Would my life be full of these uninterrupted moments to relax and think deeply?  It was just a fleeting thought and I soon came to the conclusion that -- although moments like that are a gift in my wonderfully abundant and noisy life -- I would personally be terribly sad and lonely.

Then, I walked back into my messy, chaos-filled life to play with my kids in the pool.

I never wrote about the trip Brian and I took to Idaho in October 2013.

After Brian was laid off from the newspaper at the beginning of 2013, he was blessed with a steady stream of freelance work.  One of the biggest clients of the year was CenterCal, a company based in California that has been building spectacular shopping centers around the mid-west.  Brian met up with them at their development in Farmington called Station Park.

They liked his work and decided that, instead of hiring local photographers at each site, they could fly him to document grand openings in Portland and cities in California.

In October, they unveiled a property in Meridian, Idaho and asked him to spend five-days covering the events.  Since it is only a four-hour drive, and would practically take as long to fly there, he decided to drive and take me along.  A five-day expense paid getaway!!!

My sweet mom took our kids.  It happened to be over the 4-day UEA weekend, so, of course, she spoiled them while we were gone.  I was able to write my stories for the newspaper on the road.  And, without having the kids or daycare kids, I had tons of downtime.

Brian spent most of his time taking pictures.  I saw two movies (Gravity and Captain Phillips) at the new cinema on the property.  The high-backed, reclining chairs were leather.  The lobby was grand.  And, the snack-bar menu went on and on with goodies including gelato - yum!

One night, we were treated to a VIP guest reception prior to the property being opened to the public.  When I arrived, I discovered that all of the restaurants were serving free food and drinks!  Just walk in, sit at a table, and they would start loading you up with foods that looked as good as they tasted.
Outside, there were wonderful street performers. 

Another night, we enjoyed an outdoor concert by a Beatles Tribute band.

I also have family in the area.  So, while Brian worked, I went to a Thai restaurant with my brother and his wife and I got to see my cousins perform with an improv comedy troupe.  It was such a wonderful, relaxing time.  I came home refreshed and ready to do the day-to-day again.  I love my life.  And, I love driving my kids to all their soccer games, basketball games, piano practices and the like.  But, without a small change in scenery from time to time, I start to feel like I am in the movie Groundhog Day.  Waking up and doing the same thing over and over.

I kept thinking how nice it would be for Brian and I to get away once a month.  But, I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon -- haha.

Those are two of the many highlights of my life that have been rolling around in my head waiting to be documented here on my blog.

Last night was another perfect New Year's Eve.

Our whole family was together.  I felt so blessed to be surrounded by these people I love so much.  Sophie and Ian each invited one friend to spend the evening with us.  It was a simple celebration -- lots of yummy food, games and movies.  I tried to make it a little extra special -- for example, in between shows I pulled out a sundae bar even though the kids were already packed to the gills with treats.  A part of me worried that it was too simple of an evening, but, then I asked myself, "When do we ever stay up until midnight reveling like this?"  And, I guess it was the novelty that made it special.

The best part of the evening, in my opinion, came at midnight.  Brian had driven to Evanston, Wyoming and purchased a load of fancy fireworks.  We went outside just before midnight to light sparklers.  Right after the countdown, I poured the kids their goblets of sparkling apple juice from a glass bottle and the show began.  It seemed like lots of people had the same idea, and, in addition to our own private show, there were fireworks in the sky in every direction. 

It was the perfect way to welcome the New Year.  I can't believe Katie stayed up until well past midnight.  Our other kids thought the New Year happened at 10 p.m. when they were her age.  I guess that is part of being the youngest.  It's almost 11 a.m., and she is still sleeping -- poor dear.

I didn't think I was making any "New Year's Resolutions."  I usually don't.  But, sitting here now on a new day, a new year, a fresh start of sorts, I find myself reflecting on some changes that have been in the works for awhile.  And, I guess in a sense, they are resolutions for 2014.

I will embrace my messy, busy life.  Since transitioning back to work three-years ago, I have struggled with many emotions.  I believed with all of my heart in staying home -- no matter what the cost.  But, I have learned that sometimes the cost is too high and having a stay at home mom is, in fact, not what is best for every family.  It has been one of the most difficult challenges for me to re-program my thinking so I will stop feeling like I have failed at life.  

It is a process and, like everyone else I know, I keep striving each day to find a balance that works.  One where the stories get written on time and there is still time for the picture books to be read out loud to my sweet children who are growing up so fast.  Most of the time, things seem to work out.  And, when they don't -- I have to keep reminding myself to ask for help.

I will focus on the abundance.  Life it expensive - yes!  And, the other day, after I completed a round of grocery shopping, I began my usual routine of texting Brian to tell him HOW MUCH THE GROCERIES COST!!!  Because, I just never can believe it when they ring up the total at the check-out.  I know I should eventually get use to the rising cost of things.  But, for now, it still amazes me.  After telling him the amount, a new thought struck me, which was -- "We just had that much money to spend on food."  And, as I thought about that I got a little embarrassed because tears came into my eyes thinking about how lucky we are to eat so well.

What would a list of resolutions be without something regarding diet?  Someone close to me was diagnosed with diabetes one-year-ago.  She has been able to manage it 100% through changing her diet.  She is an inspiration to me.  After one month of drastically reducing her carbs, she was able to reverse the insulin resistance that has most likely plagued her for years -- causing her to crave carbs and making it nearly impossible to lose weight.  She has lost 25-pounds and says she always feels satisfied (as opposed to her previous diets in which she would have to literally cut back to 500-calories per day and starve the weight off).

Three-years ago, I had to stop eating wheat products.  In the past year, I have noticed that eating too many carbs has the same effect on me as eating wheat.  It has gotten worse and worse and I have slowly come to terms with that fact.  I miss wheat!  I love sugar!  Popcorn is my favorite food!  But, I am getting older and I need to honor what my body is telling me.  Here is to hoping this is the year I will finally make changes for better health by following her example.  The process just happens to be coming to a crossroads right at this time of year, so I will add it to the list.

I am looking forward to another blessed year and feeling grateful for a full life.