Pregnancy Brain-Fog

Surprisingly, one of my least favorite things about pregnancy is not the morning sickness or going to the bathroom 5 times a night...

it's the Brain-Fog!

Let me give you the most ridiculous example of how bad my brain-fog can be...

I was pregnant with my first child and we had just bought our first home. This meant that after many years of living in student housing and student wards, we moved into a GIGANTIC family ward that was about to be split. Sacrament meeting was packed with people from the podium to the back of the gym. It looked like stake conference every week.

Well, the first Sunday, I noticed 10 rows of boys sitting on the front right side of the chapel, and thought, "What are all those boys doing there?"...
"Are they part of a boarding school?"...
"Are they part of some orphan program like in the Spencer Tracy movie Boys Town?"
I was completely mystified!
So I asked Matt what he imagined the story could be for all those boys.
My dear husband looked at me with total incredulity and concern and said,
"Candace, they're going to pass the sacrament."

Well, DUH!!! I thought I was losing my mind!
To this day, I still can't believe that particular brain lapse.

Twelve years and five kids later, my life is just TOO PACKED to have me forgetting things left and right.  Matt accidental left town with my ipod touch - my portable, live-and-die-by-calendar and "to do" list - and this EXTREMELY busy week has been so difficult to manage without it.
I've forgotten something important every day! Aaarrgh!

I made a paper list... but, where on earth did I put it? ;-)

Whattoexpect.com has this to say about pregnant brain fog:

"What You Can Do About Forgetfulness During Pregnancy

• Write it down. If you really need to remember something — an appointment or to take your prenatal vitamin, for example — leave a big note in an obvious place. You might also stash a notepad and pen in easy-to-remember spots like your purse, your car, and your bathroom.
• Turn high tech — using your Blackberry, laptop, or other electronic organizer to help keep you, well, organized and less forgetful. 
• Reduce the number of things you need to remember — cut down on what you're responsible for by delegating some jobs to others. Easier said than done, but worth a go. (You'll forget about the less important stuff, anyway.) 
• Have a sense of humor about this airhead stage and encourage your partner to do the same. Who cares if you left the car keys in the refrigerator? 
• Forget about taking the herbal supplement gingko biloba. This "memory-booster" has not been proven safe for use during pregnancy. 
• Expect the haze to hang in during the first weeks after you give birth. Postpartum fatigue may take the place of hormones as the primary culprit, but that too shall pass."

Now, what was YOUR worst pregnancy brain lapse?

The Ultrasound

The Best Laid Plans...

Yesterday was the 20 week ultrasound for my pregnancy. I was looking forward to it so much that I planned a luncheon for our family, and I arranged for little Jare-bear to go to a sitters (He's NOT fun to wrestle at the doctor's office.)  I dreamt of a relaxing, warm-fuzzy experience as a family, but we kept hitting these stumbling blocks!

The sitter called to let me know that her son had been throwing up all night, so No-Go on the sitter.
I went to check the kids out of school and the middle school secretary went to get Lauren and then... never came back. After hunting her down she exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Are you ready to kill me? I totally forgot to get Lauren!"

Matt arrived late to lunch and spent 90% of the time on a business call. Jared was a tyrant, refusing to eat and wanting to climb on the tables. Grandma insisted on taking him home to put him down for a nap, but of course that meant she missed the ultrasound. sigh.

We waited in the lobby of the doctor's office for 50 minutes because the technician had been double booked by mistake. At this point, Matt was supposed to leave to catch a flight, and we're still waiting. He decided to take his chance and stay a little longer.

Finally, we all pack into the ultrasound room and get our first glimpse of this precious little one.

Cute Side Profile

As I lay there, I kept thinking, 

"All of the frustrations of the day will be NOTHING 

if this baby is healthy! Please be healthy. Please be Healthy!" 

We explain to the technician that poor Lauren has been told twice at these ultrasounds that she was getting a sister, only to end up with four brothers. So we ask, 

"Please... if you can't see anything, then just say you can't see. Don't guess."

The kids were begging to know the gender of the baby so the technician looks right away. 

1st gender check: The baby was sitting with it's leg crossed and tucked tightly.

Arms and hands - looking good.

Proportions - good.

Size - healthy average.

2nd gender check: still can't see.

No club foot - great.

Head measurements - good.

Brain - looking good.

No signs of Down Syndrome - whew!

Lips? - no cleft palate - happy day!

3rd gender check: Nope... not a clue!

Fluids - good.

Blood flow - great.

No sign of spina bifida - Yay!

All four chambers of the heart - beating beautifully

kidneys - good.

stomach - good

.

No vitals left to inspect... but ALL HEALTHY!!! :D

Prayers of Thanksgiving!

4th gender check: legs still crossed!

Gabe cries out in torment: "Make it move it's legs!!!"

The technician starts rattling my stomach...

nothing...

more rattling...

One leg moves, but the other foot is still in the way...

even more rattling...

This kid is either very shy or very stubborn...

rattle... rattle... rattle...

The foot moves just a tiny bit up...

looking... 

looking...

"Well, I'm about 90% percent sure of what it is," says the tech.

"but I can't be more certain with that foot still there."

We're on pins and needles...

Matt and I say in unison, "90% certain that it's a what?"

ultrasound continued link...

Healthy Habits: Overcoming Emotional Eating

Bad Habit: Eat to Feel Better

My husband says he's a stress eater, but over the years I've caught myself eating when I felt...

Really Frustrated

Really Tired
Really Depressed
Really Happy
or Really wanting to Celebrate.

My subconscious was sure that if I had an extreme emotion... there must be a food to go with that!

The foods that accompanied these emotional highs and lows were ALWAYS high in fat and sugar.

And I've definitely learned that eating, does NOT make me feel better for long.

In the short term, the VERY short-term, there is pleasure, 

followed by LONG-term guilt, & self-loathing.

Then the guilt and self-loathing lead to some extremely low emotions, which had me looking to sugar to make me feel better. It was a vicious downward spiral.

Among the many diet books I've read over the years, I also happened to read Dr. Phil McGraw's: The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution.
Maybe not surprisingly, when it comes to discussing the psychology of overeating, this famous psychologist had a lot of good insights.

I don't think I could do justice to what I learned from this book without quoting whole chapters. In fact, this is one weight loss book that I would actually recommend, because it addresses your THINKING not simply your eating habits. And I don't think it's possible to experience lasting change without changing our thoughts.

Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

What we think about ourselves, our worthiness for happiness, our ability to deal with problems and stress all have a huge impact on our lives. This book is good at getting you to look at your thought patterns & filters, self-talk, stress levels, emotional baggage, motivations for weight-loss and what you do to self-sabotage. Dr. Phil has 7 Keys to weight loss. One key deals with food. One key deals with exercise. The other FIVE keys are about thoughts, emotions, environment, impulse control & social support.

He includes quizzes in many chapters to help you "self-diagnose" and then he challenges you to change the thought habits that are holding you back from the happiness you want in life.

In the chapter regarding emotional eating, he says there are 6 steps to regaining emotional control in your life.

1. Take ownership for your reactions: "Whatever the situation you choose your reaction. No matter what the circumstances, your interpretation of those events is of your own choosing. The events in you daily life have only the meaning you assign them... If your response is counterproductive, test your perceptions more often and become more accountable to how you react to the stress and problems in your life. Stop being overly sensitive to the negatives while filtering out the positives. Maintain an active, ongoing awareness of your reactions, and recognize where your outlook is distorted so that you can make adjustments."
2. Resolve, rather than react to, life's problems: "Take a problem-solving approach to emotion-provoking events. Commit to resolving rather than enduring the problems that contribute to your stress, anxiety, or depression... Stop living reactively and begin to choose the right attitude and the right behavior to get the right results. Remember it is ACTION - not reaction - that gets meaningful constructive results."
3. Decelerate your thinking: "Changing your emotional response, and the unwanted eating behavior that flows from it, requires slowing down, listening carefully to your thinking, evaluating you reactions and altering those reactions... Be sure to write your thoughts down. Writing them helps you appraise them more objectively and allows you to get some distance from them." *Instead of turning to the cupboards for comfort, turn to a journal and write down what happened... write what you think about it... evaluate what your thinking... and then write what you'll DO to deal with the real problem. At that point, either take action or take a nap to clear your head and then look at the problem with fresh eyes. ;D
4. Challenge and restructure you automatic thoughts: "Once you identify what's going on in your mind, work to change it. You can reprogram you automatic thoughts and better manage your emotional life. Ask yourself: Are these thoughts really true? Do they serve my best interests? Do they advance and protect my health? Do they help me achieve my goals? Next rewrite your internal dialogue. When walking through an emotional minefield, as you know you will, say to yourself, "I have the power to choose my perceptions and reactions, and I will exercise this power of choice in every circumstance, every day of my life." *These are the best quotes I recite to myself when my mind thinks of eating because of extreme emotions. "If hunger is NOT the problem, then food is NOT the answer!"..."Eat for Fuel Not for FUN!"
5. Gain emotional closure: "Maintaining anger, hurt, vengeance, hatred and other negative emotional burdens eats away at your body, as it does your soul...what makes these emotions so powerful is that they change who you are. They change what you do and contaminate what you give... Heaps of unfinished emotional business can crush your self-control, and you will self-medicate with food again and again... You must insist on getting closure. Closure means you don't carry the problem or the pain. You address the issue, then you slam shut the book and put it away." At this point he discusses the power of forgiveness, both forgiving those who have wronged us and forgiving ourselves and our own mistakes. Forgiveness is a powerful healer, and it's absolutely necessary to redirect destructive behavior to positive behavior.
6. Coping without food: "Carve out time in your life for tension reducing activities... When your nerve cells become agitated by anxiety or depression, it's not easy to quiet them down. Sure, you can do it quickly by resorting to chemical means such as drugs, alcohol, or high-calorie comfort-foods, but those are devastatingly counterproductive and will cause you to close the door to other positive alternatives including: working out, relaxation exercises such as deep breathing, yoga, mediation, writing in a journal or listening to music." *I am not kidding when I tell you that I have completely gotten rid of frustration based food-cravings with a few deep breaths. It surprises me by it's effectiveness every time, but it really works! 

Brief Update

I'm taking a blogging break this weekend to concentrate on General Conference and enjoy it with my family.

The next segment of the 

"Healthy Habits Series" 

will be on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Family Friday: April 1st, 2011

Max's Quotes of the Week

"These girl's are Goooood Catchin'!"

(He was trying to catch the chicken's to put them in their coop.)

"Mom, how old do you have to be to kiss girls?"

(he was asking about real girls... not chickens ;D)

Monday

My in-laws were in town on Monday night. They came for a visit and took our family to dinner. Our  time with them always flies so quickly. Coming here was a "get-away" for Matt's sister's spring break, and they're doing some skiing and sight-seeing.
Thank you for a great visit!

Lauren

Lauren had another eventful week. Her final report on Sweden was due on Tuesday. Then she had to prepare an oral book report for Thursday, and finally her country fair with display and food samples happened today. Everything turned out well, and Jared and I went to visit the country fair and show our support for her work.

Soccer

Max and Gabe each scored three goals at their first soccer games this week, but Zach was pretty upset that he didn't score any. He's so hard on himself - it makes me sad. It seemed like every boy on the field was still getting back into the swing of running outside after a long winter. Hang in there buddy - the season is young.

Max is #11

Thursday

Thursday was Candace's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I'm not talking Greek Tragedy, it's just that everything I endeavored to do was met with one obstacle or small catastrophe after the next. Some mishaps were of my own making and many were created by my children. Let's just say that I spent two-and-a-half hours driving back and forth from the kids' school, overdid a weightlifting workout so my limbs are like pain-filled spaghetti noodles, wrestled a cranky & screaming toddler much of the day (which was almost impossible in my limp noodle condition,) completely missed the scout pack meeting and Zach and Gabe's first soccer games, lost track of two children, and then part of the fridge broke which smashed a brand new 1 gallon jar of dill pickles all over the kitchen floor. Aaaarrrrrgh!!!

Friday

Friday is normally the day we deep clean the house, but I blew off the chores completely.
The sun was shining in a clear blue sky, and the temperature reached into the glorious 70's;
so I took the kids on a picnic and then swimming right after school.
The chores will still be there tomorrow, but today was a great day!

Egg in a Hat

     Sometimes it's nice to find a new way to fancy up standard breakfast foods. We discovered this recipe while camping with extended family. Gabe is my pickiest eater, but he LOVES this for breakfast. The ingredients listed are for one serving (we usually need 12) but you can adjust it to your families needs. It's also flexible for individual preferences - I'll explain below.

Egg in a Hat

• Slice of Whole Wheat Bread
• Egg
• Thin Slice of Cheddar Cheese
• Slice of Extra Lean Ham
• Cooking Spray

1. Use the lid of the cooking spray to cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread. (*If you're feeling really festive you can use a small cookie cutter.) Set bread circles aside.
2. Heat the pan or griddle to medium,  and spray it with cooking spray.  You need the griddle hot to start so the eggs won't run away from the bread in the next step.
3. Lay out the slices of bread on the griddle. Crack an egg and drop it in the center of each slice of bread. Let the egg cook to desired consistency. *For instance, the kids and I like to use a fork to scramble the upper part of the egg and spread it across the bread. Matt likes his eggs untouched and over easy.
4. Flip the egg and bread to cook on the other side.
5. Add a slice of cheese and a then a slice of ham.
6. You can flip it back over to brown the ham and melt the cheese quickly. Serve hot off the griddle.
7. Toast the bread circles and serve as desired. 

*My kids like their egg in a hat cut like a pizza so they get a little of everything in each bite. Enjoy!

Grandparenting from afar...

I know that one day my little ones will be grown and gone. Even though that time seems far away, I still like collecting ideas about grandparenting.

Sometimes families are lucky enough to have grandparents close by, but that isn't always possible. My kids are fortunate enough to have wonderful grandparents who use a variety of tools and methods to stay in touch. One set of grandparents does lives close and arranges for visits, and attends soccer games and school productions. One of the kids grandma's meets us for great mini-trips. Both of which are a LOT of fun - My kids love it! Thank you!


However, this post is about something that another set of grandparents does....

Care Packages!

About every month, the kids get a package in the mail with something fun to say "We Love You!" and "We were thinking about you!" 

• A package of gum and a note that reads something like ...  "We're stuck on you."
• Personalized magnets shaped like giant pencils (sent at the beginning of the school year) that read, "Look what Gabe did at School!"
• A kit to make candy airplanes with smarties, a stick of gum, a rubber band, and lifesavers. The gum is re-wrapped to say, "It's plane to see my Grandma & Grandpa love me!"
• A kit to make cupcakes and secretly give them to a neighbor (A great teaching opportunity even from afar.)
• A calendar sent in January filled with pictures of family members and family activities.

This month the kids got candy necklaces and a note saying, 

"We're so 'LUCKY' to have such wonderful grandchildren!"

These packages have been so much fun. 

Some simple. Some elaborate. 

Some fun. Some meaningful. 

Always saying, "We love you!"

I want to make sure to do things like this for my grandkids one day.

Thank you, Grandma & Grandpa!


***Hot off the press: I prepared this post last week, but guess what came last night?
An Easter care package! 
It included toy magnets, decorations, games, and cookies.
SO FUN - THANKS AGAIN!!!

Making Great Compost

Last year, our church did something called a "Garden Tour." They arranged a walking tour of the best gardens in the neighborhood and pointed out things that each gardener did well. One woman focused on great soil, and emphasized the use of compost. She said, "No garden is complete without a compost pile!" 

Matt and I have been putting all of our yard waste into the city's "Yard-Waste Recycling Program," which uses the waste to make and sell compost. We also find ourselves buying bags of gardening or potting soil each year. It occurred to us that we could stop spending a fair amount of money on both the recycling can & and the bags of soil if we put our yard waste to better use in our own compost bin.

Compost is a soil conditioner, mulch and fertilizer all wrapped into one. It feeds the soil microorganisms that help plants stay healthy, adds nutrients to the soil, and helps clay soil drain better and sandy soil retain water. Plus, composting reduces your contribution to the local landfill.

We found this large 80 gallon, rotating, composting bin at Costco for about $100. We picked up a composting agent at the IFA, and we also bought some worms to through in the composter too.

I'm new to this whole process, so I've been reading up on how composting is done. These are the tips I've found...

7 Steps to Great Compost
*Breaks down fast and never smells bad.

1. Buy or create your compost bin, and choose a site that's handy to your garden and kitchen, yet out of plain sight. *Because my garden and kitchen are at opposite ends of our property, we put the composter on the edge of the garden.

2. Add the right ingredients: The two basic elements that make up compost are green garden debris (grass clippings or old annuals) and brown garden derbis (dry leaves). Green ingredients are high in nitrogen and brown materials are high in carbon. Adding too many greens can make the pile smell bad. You can also add vegetable and fruit waste such as banana and orange peels, potato peels, scraps, etc. DO NOT add animal waste, meats, oils, dairy, diseased plants, weeds that have gone to seed, or plants treated with pesticides or herbicides to your compost.

3. Have the right balance of ingredients: Compost piles with a balance of one part green to two part brown materials break down fastest. Continue adding greens and browns until the pile is about 3 cubic feet (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.). Piles of this size heat up quickly and break down faster. You can also speed up the process by breaking down materials before adding them to the pile. For example, if you run over that pile of dead leaves with lawn mower before composting, it will break down to compost more quickly.

4. Add in a shovelful of finished compost or garden soil to help kick start the microbial activity in your pile. *This is where we also added the worms and the composting agent.

5. Add the right amount of moisture: Compost also needs the correct amount of moisture to breakdown. Compost with the right moisture level should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture can cause temperatures to fall within the pile (and make it smell). Too little moisture slows down the decomposition rate and keeps the pile from heating up. Check your compost pile's moisture level once a week and adjust it if necessary by adding water to increase moisture or more browns to help dry the pile out.

6. Turn the pile once a week to move material from the outside of the pile in. Turning also keeps the pile from compacting, which reduces airflow and slows down decomposition.

7. Use it when ready! You should have finished compost in about two months (60-70 days.) You'll know your compost is finished when it no longer heats up, and you can't identify any of the original materials. The compost should be dark brown, moist and earthy smelling. Compost at the bottom and middle of the pile typically "finishes" first. Dig finished compost into your garden's soil. You can use partially composted material as mulch.


*Final Note: Right now, our composter is largely filled with dead leaves (brown waste) and very little green material because the weather isn't suited to mowing the lawn. I added water, worms and composting agent today, but I'm hopeful that spring will get under way so we can add grass clippings soon. However, in the future I'm anticipating a shortage of brown waste. Maybe we can become the "nicest" neighbors by offering to rake up the neighborhood leaves and take them off everyone's hands. ;D

Healthy Habits: Conquering Sugar Addiction

  VS.

"Hello, my name is Candace, and I am a Sugar-aholic."

I'm not making fun. I'm quite serious, and like all "-alohics," I'm always recovering. 

Sugar IS addictive. 

Sugar IS destructive in our bodies. 

Adult Diabetes runs in my family. As a kid, I actually remember learning about family health histories and saying to myself, "Oh.... well then, I'll have heart attacks, arthritis and diabetes when I'm old." It was simple. I believed that's what was going to happen to me, and I was very matter-of-fact about it. I finally woke up to the fact that I have a lot more control over these problems. They don't HAVE to happen. I can choose to live differently to prevent them - especially diabetes.

This is my 6 step program to conquering sugar addiction.

1) Avoid Your Trigger Foods
I think Zingers are the most appropriately named food on the planet. I swear I can actually feel the sugar-high "zinging" to my brain if I eat them. I didn't even discover these cream-filled, fudge-frosted, devil's food cakes until I was an adult. I would buy a box of 10 to put in the kids lunch boxes. Three would go in the lunches, and I would find myself snarfing down the other seven over the course of a single day. I once joked to some friends that Zingers are "chocolate crack," and I'm a junky if they're in my house. My friends thought that was hilarious, and showed up on my doorstep with a box of Zingers that night. I ate the entire box! This is what you call a TRIGGER FOOD.

Everyone has different trigger foods - these are foods that you feel helpless against. Eat one and you'll eat 12 before you know it. You need to take a serious look at foods like this in your life. Once you identify your trigger foods you need to recognize them for what they are to you - an addiction. To tell myself I can eat just one Zinger in the presence of a box is like an alcoholic saying "I can have just one drink in the bar." It won't happen. I don't buy Zingers anymore because I KNOW they are a trigger food for me.  I'm not saying you can never have that food again, but save it for a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary, or specific holiday. On those occasions, buy or prepare enough for a single serving, so you don't find yourself going on a bender.

2) Identify the Sugar

Did you know that every 4 grams of sugar you see on a label is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Understanding "grams of sugar" also helps you evaluate all kinds of foods including breakfast cereals. You can identify which foods have a lot of sugar and which ones don't. For instance, 1 cup of Lucky Charms has 12 grams of sugar - that's 3 teaspoons of sugar. If my boys ate lucky charms for breakfast they would easily consume 6-8 teaspoons of sugar before school. I hope you'll look at your food labels, and see how much sugar you're really eating. Next, find ways to cut it back.

3) Dial Down Your Sweet Acuity
It IS possible for you to change your taste for sweetness. For instance if you like to pour a 1/2 cup of syrup on your pancakes, you can gradually reduce this amount along with your appetite for sweet. Soon, you can be topping pancakes with only fruit. Likewise, if you like 3 teaspoons of sugar on cereal or oatmeal, you can slowly cut it back to 1. I've always loved honey-nut cheerios, but I wondered what would happen if I mixed a box of plain cheerios with a box of honey-nut cheerios. I'd cut the sugar in half, but would I still enjoy it? Guess what... I did! It tasted sweet enough to me and made regular honey-nut cheerios seem too sweet. Sprinkling cinnamon, raisins and other fruits on your cereal sweetens it while adding nutritional value. These are great strategies for both yourself and your kids. Leave the box of cookies off the grocery list, and put the money toward some strawberries for your healthy cereal!

4) Tame Your Sweet Cravings with Fruit:
How much fruit have you been eating? If you have a lot of sweet cravings, then chances are you've been missing the mark. Your brain really does require some simple carbohydrates to function. Fruit is high in simple carbohydrates. When you don't get enough your brain sends you a fruit craving. The problem is we misinterpret that signal as "sweets" or "chocolate" cravings. This is nutritionist Zonya Foco's "guaranteed" SWEET CRAVING CURE: eat a piece of fruit every 4 hours with a glass of water and NO more sweet cravings!

5) Create the Right Environment

This principle work for all weight loss, not just sugar addiction. Stock the fridge and pantry with healthy foods and snacks, especially fruit, and DON'T BUY TRIGGER FOODS at all. If your family wants a treat on hand then choose something that isn't remotely tempting to you. For instance, my entire family loves "gummies" of every shape and size, but I can't stand them. I could be in a room filled with gummies and not want a single one. So if I'm looking to treat the kids without tempting myself, then gummies are a great way to go. And you don't HAVE to keep supplies of sugary treats for the family. You're doing them a service by lowering their sugar intake too.

6) Find New Ways to Treat Yourself
I realized that I liked to reward myself with sweets. After a long hard day, or accomplishing a monumental task, I'd think, "I deserve a treat!"  The problem is that "treating" myself to sugar all the time wasn't treating myself well. I needed to find new rewards that made me feel good about my work without hurting me in the process. I now try a variety of rewards. Sometimes I'll treat myself to a magazine (and I enjoy it a lot longer than a candy bar.) Sometimes I'll treat myself to a new cosmetic, accessory, a movie or tv show, a good book, time out with my husband, family or friends. There are a thousand ways to reward yourself without sugar! Give yourself a reward that helps you KEEP feeling good about what you've done and about yourself!!!

Family Friday: March 25th, 2011

The Barn Raising! 

Our family spent a considerable amount of time this week preparing for the
shed installation, but "The Barn" is finally here ~ YAY!!!

Barn Platform

Wall Assembly: Part 1

Wall Assembly: Part 2

Roof Assembly

These stalwart workmen are doing a great job in spite of the cold and snow.
They're still building the barn as I type. One coat of paint was applied at the factory, but the workmen will have to come back under drier conditions to apply the second coat of paint.

Color Swatches I used to choose the barn colors.

We went with "English Pinewood" for the exterior;
I liked the gray-green as a compliment to our brick and siding colors
instead of trying for an exact match.

Then there'll be white trim and "Aspen Gray" shingles.

I'll have to post pictures of the finished product later.
We're so excited! ;D

Lauren

Lauren's play was a big hit. The seats were mostly filled for each performance 

and Matt and I were able to attend Saturday's show.

The Technical Director gave special acknowledgment to people like Lauren who worked so hard behind the scenes. We've kept a play book the identifies Lauren as the Assistant Stage Manager, but we also wanted to do something special for her.

You know how the actors will often get flowers... 

Well, we bought her a beautiful bouquet and took her out for ice cream.  

The play was the Jr. version of "Once on this Island," so the set mostly consisted of palm trees. As we were leaving, the technical director told us, "Lauren's trees were the best!"
Pretty cute. Way to go, Lauren!

Her next major undertaking is the final draft of the country report she's been working on for two months, and the Country Fair that goes with it. Due next week!

Jared

Jared is creating a new language that I like to call, Reformed Yoda. 

Instead of saying, "I'll hold the apple," it's ...  "Apple hold"

or

"book get."

"coat put on."
"ketchups more?"
"jump bed not!"

Jared had his first bee sting on Wednesday. Max was with him when it happened and told me that Jared just PICKED UP the BEE! OOPS!

Serious tears! Jared didn't know the name of the creature that hurt him,
so he kept saying / asking, "Ant hurt!?" or "Sfider hurt!?" until we set him straight.

Now he walks around the house pointing to his finger and
giving all of us words of warning 

"Bee Hurt!," "Bee bite... Don't Like!" or "Bee No Touch!"

Zach, Gabe & Max

SOCCER SEASON is HERE!!!

3 boys... 3 different soccer teams... 3 practices and 6 games a week!

Need I say more.

Good luck guys - It's going to be a great season!

*Final Note: If my posting becomes really erratic for the next 5 weeks, it's because 

I'm far away from computers and camped out on soccer fields across town. 

Just know that I'll resurface when the soccer chaos subsides. ;D

Dreaming of Spring Break

Jared picked this picture for me.
He's convinced there's a shark in there somewhere ;D

The truth is that my head is not contemplating deep and meaningful things today.

It's full of "To-Do's"

I was up late working on plans for our new garden, and I still have work to do on it. I'm heading outside to empty my old shed and tear it apart so the new "barn" can be installed tomorrow. I'm worried about the weather forecast ...
NOT GOOD!
Next, I'll be putting the finishing touches on the Webelos Den Meeting I'm conducting this afternoon. But with all of this work and dreary weather ahead, my thoughts have turned to Spring Break. I'm filled with high hopes for distant places, sunny weather, fun and relaxation.

So the Thoughtful Thursday Question of the day is:

What was the best Spring Break you ever had 

OR what are your fun plans for the coming Spring Break?

Hamburger & Vegetable Soup

Some of the best recipes I have from my Mom are the ones she never wrote down.

"Oh, you just throw it together," she would say.

This colorful soup is one of those "throw it together" kind, and I LOVE IT!

It's a simple, flavorful, and perfectly balanced meal. I love how the shredded cabbage takes the place of pasta so well. There's lean protein, whole grain, and loads of vegetables. They make a medley of deliciousness that doesn't require any fancy spices. I hope you enjoy it too!

Hamburger & Vegetable Soup

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 3-4 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups potatoes, cubed (optional)
• 12 cups beef broth (low-sodium if preferred)
• pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef with the diced onion until completely cooked.
2. Add chopped vegetables and beef broth.
3. Open cans of corn and tomatoes and pour into the soup undrained.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add pepper to desired taste.
6. Serve hot. *It keeps well in the fridge for a week. 

Kid Currency

Our church held a series of parenting classes in January, and one of the questions I asked the instructor dealt with a challenge I have with one of my kids.

I struggle to motivate one of my kids. It seems that no matter what incentive I offer or consequence we administer, this child is largely unresponsive.  I'm able to motivate my other kids with a lot of success, but this particular child has me stumped.

I was relieved when the instructor acknowledged that she had one child who's like this too. It can be a real challenge to find a child's "currency."  What kind of payoffs do they look for in life?  If you can identify their currency, they are much easier to inspire. You can you use tools like contracts or charts and give the child the opportunity to earn their payoff based on reaching a goal or exhibiting appropriate behavior.

The class instructor said sometimes you have to get VERY CREATIVE with a difficult child. Perhaps an older child really values their privacy, so removing their bedroom door would be a serious motivator. You really have to think outside the box with kids like this.

Well, my friend Judy, who is a school teacher, was listening to my difficulty and came up to me after the class.  She said she had information about kid currencies and that she would get me a copy of it.

I'm passing along some of it here. I don't have the full source, but I believe it was written by an "educator of the year," Gene Bedley.

"There is a high correlation between motivation and discipline. In searching for the motivators that move kids to action you might want to consider the following Kid Currency (things that kids value.) Contrary to what many believe, kid currency is not just stuff, but a number of different things that are really valuable to children. Here are a few we've discovered..."

1. Adult Approval - Many kids love to perform for an adult - especially the adults they like. It's critical to establish relationships prior to asking kids for various responsibilities. Just because a child is not motivated by you does not mean that adults like a grandparent, or other family member could be the currency they're looking for. Kids love praise or recognition from this adult.
2. Peer Time - some kids are motivated by having the opportunity to hang out with a buddy. If they can play with a friend, they'll do anything to earn that time.
3. Independence - Some kids like to do things on their own. They may be motivated by having the opportunity to do something of their choice.
4. Competition - Many children love competition. One class had a "Race Across Orange County" in which they posted a large map of Orange County on the wall along with a picture of each child on a string of yarn. The kids who were motivated by competition couldn't wait to see how they're doing in relationship to other class members as their pictures moved across the yarn on the map.
5. Prizes - Some kids ARE motivated by stuff - stickers, toys, books, games, objects in a "mystery bag," etc.
6. Food - There's no doubt that kids are motivated by fish crackers, M&Ms, kettle-corn, etc. But because of dependency and health issues it's important to be careful about using food as a kid currency.

I'm sure their are more kid currencies than are listed here. This list was geared to educators and their options are limited. At home, PRIVILEGES are an important kid currency. For instance, some of my kids are highly motivated by extra Wii/media time. My sister said her son hates it if they take away the privilege of riding the bus to school.  Privileges are powerful motivators.

Judy's Kid Currency info also included the following quiz:

"This survey is designed to help determine which of the following five categories of motivators or reinforcers are most appropriate for a student: Adult Approval, Competition, Food, Peer Approval, Independence. Administer the survey by asking the student to make a choice between pairs of alternatives. Ask: Which would you like most?"   

1	To be the only one in class who can answer a question (competition)	OR	To have M&Ms or fish crackers (food)
2	To be free to work on the computer (independence)	OR	To have your paper shown to the class. (competition)
3	To be free to select a game of your choice. (independence)	OR	To have a Snickers candy bar. (food)
4	To have Pez candy (food)	OR	To have the teacher say you’re doing excellent work. (adult approval)
5	To have friends ask you to play with them (peer approval)	OR	To be the first to finish with your assignment. (competition)
6	To be free to go outside. (independence)	OR	To have friends ask you to build something with them. (peer approval)
7	To have an “outstanding” written on your paper. (adult approval)	OR	To have your paper put up on the bulletin board. (competition)
8	To have a teacher say he/she thinks you’re special (adult approval)	OR	To have friends ask you to be on their team. (peer approval)
9	To be free to go to the reading corner (independence)	OR	To have a teacher write “Great job” on your paper. (adult approval)
10	To have a soft drink or chocolate milk. (food)	OR	To have your friends ask you to be the leader of the group. (peer approval)
11	To be able to select and watch a TV program of your choice. (independence)	OR	To go on a bike ride with a friend. (peer approval)
12	To choose a bag of chips in the store. (food)	OR	To have your mom or dad proud of your good behavior. (adult approval)

Total the number of times the child chose each category and rank their currency in order of preference.

Final Note: I wondered about children's "Love Languages" in connection to these kid currency ideas, and quickly came to the conclusion that love languages are about showing unconditional love. Kid Currency is something different. Love isn't something that should be withheld from a child or given only for good behavior.

I'm still trying to understand my child's currency, but this quiz and information have been a good place to start talking and experimenting. If you have any other suggestions for kid currency,  I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM. Thanks!