Sugar-Free

I just have to make a clarification (for my blogging buddy, Jenny).


I have actually been sugar-free for over 11 months now.  My 1 year anniversary is April 5th.  (I cut {cold-turkey} sugar out of my diet the day after Easter last year.)  This started out as a 2 week goal, and then a month goal, and then I didn't really miss the sugar, so I decided to make it a 1 year goal.  But now that the 1 year is almost here, I think I will just continue.


And by sugar, I mean white-refined-granulated sugars.  If a food has 1 gram or less of sugar per serving (and sugar isn't in the top 5 ingredients), then I usually will eat that food.  But when I bake/cook, I do not add sugar.  I use honey & have used Stevia  a little bit also.


Then in January, we (the family) got talking about drinking pop--and Brienna didn't think I could give up my diet pop (which has been my "sweet" treat since giving up sugar).  My 2 favorites:  Shasta diet root beer & caffine-free diet Dr. Pepper.  So of course, I had to "prove" to Brienna (& myself) that I COULD give pop up.  So I decided to give up pop for 1 month--but I'm going strong and have decided to see how long I can go without my diet pop.  


So in January, I drank all the diet pop that I had bought, and my first day without pop was February 1st.  I do have to say that there are times (especially when I'm driving back & forth between IF & home) that I really miss my pops, but most of the time I don't even miss it.  And I am saving $!


So I guess I should thank Brienna for the "double-dog dare" to quit drinking pop!

Callum's Ear ache

Callum woke up last night/this morning about 1:30 in a lot of pain.  He said his ear really hurt.


Thankfully, my children haven't had very many ear aches and it had been so long since any have had an ear ache, so I got the computer out Googled home remedies to soothe ear aches.  I remember my mom putting oil-soaked cotton balls in my ears, and come to find out--that is still a good solution.  (I asked the doctor today & she agreed).  It also suggested to put a heating pad or heated rice sock on the ear. (again the doctor agreed that heat helps soothe the pain)


So last night/this morning, I stumbled around in the bathroom "looking" (as much looking as you can do with only a night light--I didn't want to wake Rusty up) for a cotton ball.  I couldn't find one (with my hands) so I pulled out some cotton make-up wipes (that I rarely use since I rarely wear make-up).


Then I heated up a little olive oil, dipped the cotton in it, carefully put it in his ear, placed the heating pad on his ear & gave him Tylenol.  Soon the moaning & groaning of pain went away & Callum fell asleep.


So this morning I called the doctor to get an appointment.  I decided that I would go to Rexburg to pick Ethan's computer up.  His computer crashed last Friday--and won't turn on.  (I was going to try to take his computer in on Thursday, but today was better!)


We left before lunch, and when we went to pick Ethan's computer up, he decided to go with us.  (Callum was excited to see Ethan's apartment!)  I was relieved that his computer is still under warranty so it will be covered.  They will have to replace his hard drive & we hope it will be done by the weekend.


After filling out all the paperwork for the computer, we had just enough time to get to the doctor's office for Callum's appointment.  They got us in quickly, the doctor came right in, and confirmed what we  all knew--he has an ear infection.  So we went to Wal-Mart and finally at lunch (around 3!!).  Thankfully I had enough snacks for the boys so they weren't starving.  The prescriptions were going to take about 1/2 hour, so we did our shopping, got the medicine & discovered we had just enough time to get 1/2 price drinks from Sonic.


I didn't get a  drink since I am still sugar-free, and as of Feb. 1st--pop free also.  We had forgotten to get Ethan's milk, so we made a quick stop at WinCo & then headed back to Rexburg.  We got Ethan's groceries /shopping items unloaded, he grabbed his backpack  & I drove him to his science class.


I'm thankful that Callum got some medicines to help him, and that Ethan's computer is under warranty & we won't have to pay anything to get it repaired.  I would have liked to get a little more housework done, but amazingly, the mess (and a bit more) was still there when I got home.


On the positive side:  Brienna made dinner for us--homemade macaroni & cheese & hot dogs & I made a salad to go with it.

Silly Emmalee!

I don't know if any of you are familiar with this book:

Silly Willy wears shoes on his hands and pants on his head--and gets things a little backwards.

So the other day, Emmalee said a few things that made us all crack up.  We said she was just like Silly Willy!

All 7 of us were getting eye drops for pink eye (it worked like an assembly line--except I kept washing my hands in-between each child).  So we used:

EYE DROPS

And we use cotton balls for taking fingernail polish out & for Callum's ear ache. 

COTTON BALLS

So last week we had Chinese food for dinner.  We had fried rice, chicken with orange & General Tao's sauce, and:

EGG DROP SOUP.  But Emmalee kept calling it:

EYE DROP SOUP!  

And yesterday, Zane made some yummy popcorn balls.  

They were quickly gobbled up.  And what did Emmalee call them....???

COTTON BALLS!!!! 

She L♥ved her "Cotton Balls"

Cross-Country Skiing

 Rusty and I went skiing (at our land) last Friday, and today.  (and we brought Zeb, too.)

 I am still a beginner at skiing (a NEW beginner!) and this was the first time I actually didn't fall.  I really can't contribute that fact to my skiing skills, but to the fact that it had snowed about an inch the night before, and it was lightly snowing (and blowing) when we were skiing (see that I am all bundled up!)

 So I wasn't skiing on "ice" or frozen slick snow!  Zeb always loves having a big, big "playground" to run around and find "things" (usually horse pooh or some other gross thing).

 I looks like I am posing for my picture, but I'm really trying to figure out if I can make it up the hill slight incline without falling backwards.

Today (Friday, March 4th) Rusty and I (and Zeb) went skiing again.  But in the past week, it has rained, melted and the sun has come out.  So the snow was crunchy & "crusty" and the snow kept "grabbing" my skies.  I didn't take the camera today, so no pictures.  And it was probably a good thing, because I fell down--just once, but I caught myself many, many times.

By the time we got back to the truck, I had shed my coat & sweat was rolling down my back.  It really wasn't hot outside, I just had a good workout in the softer snow!

I hope to go out again tomorrow--before we know it, there won't be enough snow for skiing!

Emmalee and Benjamin

I have some fun pictures of my 2 youngest (I guess most of their pictures are always fun!).

I was cleaning the house last Friday (it actually stayed clean for about an hour!!) and Emmalee wanted a snack.  I told her she had to eat it in the kitchen since I was vacuuming.  So I turned around and found the 2 kids sitting on my (clean) counter.

 I asked her what she was doing, and she said she wanted to keep the floors clean (since I had just swept the kitchen) so she decided to sit on the counter.

Then she would only spill on her lap!  (good thinking!)

 Benjamin's newest past-time (if a 2 year old can have a past-time) is putting the 24-piece puzzles together.

 He has spent almost an hour putting the puzzle(s) together, taking it apart, and putting it back together.

I asked him what he was doing and he showed me the puzzle piece.

 Emmalee found some hillbilly teeth in the dress-up, so she spent half the day "scaring" everyone with her smile!

I have to say she's still too adorable, even with those ugly teeth.

I just sent her to brush ;)

Why School was Cancelled:

This past Monday, I was a bit excited because all the kids were in school (no one was home with pink eye, fevers, coughs, aches, throwing up, etc...) and was determined to get back into a routine.

I exercised (Wii Fit), fixed a nice, healthy breakfast (including a yummy fruit & veggie smoothie using our Vita-Mix), had a couple of loads of laundry done or going, and had an idea of what else I could get accomplished that day.

Then the phone rang & it was Emmalee's teacher.  She said that Emmalee would be coming home in about 15 minutes because school was cancelled for the rest of the day.  She also said it was because about 40 kids at the Jr/Sr High School were absent due to sickness.

So I hung up the phone & knew that the day as I had planned it was finished.

When Callum & Emmalee walked in the house, they were arguing & saying that the other one was not telling the truth.  So I asked them what was wrong, and Callum proceeds to tell me school was NOT cancelled due to sickness, but because of the guy in Boise.  (Now at first I couldn't understand what he was saying--due to the "I'm telling the truth" "No, I'm telling the truth" and then at times it is hard to understand all that Callum says).  So I asked him to tell me again what was going on.  He said:  "My teacher told us that school was cancelled because of the "looney" guy in Boise."  I said, "WHAT??"  (trying to imagine why his teacher would tell him that some crazy guy across the state was affecting us).  He again said, "School was cancelled because of 'Looney'."  It then clicked that he meant the state superintendent of Idaho, Tom LUNA.

About that time, Zane and Brienna walked in and so I asked them what they knew.  They said that a bunch of students gathered in the commons area right before school started, then they "walked out" of school in protest of the education bills that were trying to be passed.  And so more than half of our students were absent because of the protest (and some really WERE sick), and so the students that were still at school were sent home as soon as the buses arrived.

I felt just a little bad because I had sent Zane to school even though he was still not 100%, had a headache & felt a bit dizzy.  But I told him he had missed too much school already & needed to go & see how he felt.

The bad news, though:  we will have to  make up that day of school--except the elementary students might not need to because they attend more days/hours than the state requires them to (that's the way our calendar is).  

I wasn't too thrilled that school was cancelled and thought that they should have held it for the students that did show up (most of the elementary students were in school).  

Now about the "protest":   I am actually against most of the education reform bills that are before the legislature.  All of the reforms are "surprises" and not one was mentioned during Luna's campaign.  I also think the legislatures are trying to pass them too quickly.  A lot of the "no" votes on the ones that HAVE passed were because they felt they were not informed enough about the issues and wanted more time.  And I oppose a lot of what is being passed or trying to be passed.  It will negatively affect teachers & education (and our family).

So I am in favor of protests against the bills, but I don't see how walking out of school is a protest.  I would have liked the students to make signs & march down Main Street, or all gather & have their voices heard.  But only a few actually did anything that day besides go home & have a day off.  I did hear a few girls called the newspapers, signed a petition & contacted the legislatures.

I would have be okay with my children joining in a protest, if they:   believed in the cause; were informed & knew (details) what they were protesting; and actually voiced their protest (march, media, petition,etc.)  But both of them thought it was sort of silly to just walk out of school and go home. 

So, enough of my soap box & politics.  Time will tell if all the education reform bills pass & how they will affect our schools and teachers (including Rusty).   In the meantime--we have an "extra" day of school to make up now.

"Waterless Bath?"

So what happens when school is cancelled (which is another blog post)  for the day & I ask the older children to "watch" & play with the little ones?

A lot!  

It was about 2 pm & I notice all 3 of the older children in the living room, but Ben & Emmalee are no where to be seen.

Just as I ask Brienna where the little ones are, Emmalee comes running out of my bedroom telling me that Ben is in my bathtub & is playing with soap.

So as I go to find Ben, he comes running out laughing and all happy.

 If you can't tell, he is covered from head to toe in baby soap.  He had climbed into our tub, opened a brand new, full bottle of baby soap & washed his hair & rubbed the soap all over the bathtub.  Then he proceeded to use the bathtub as a slippery slide.

 He was soaked in baby soap!

So I just had Brienna get him undressed and had her give him a rinse-the-soap-off bath.  Emmalee got in the tub with him & they had a nice, bubbly bath.

President's Day Weekend

Saturday evening Zane, Ethan & I drove to Firth to watch the boys' basketball team play at districts.  When we left, it was snowing, but as we drove farther south, it turned to rain.

We watched the team play, and they lost in the final minute, 41-48.

We stayed to watch the first half of the next game, and then left.  When we walked outside, we saw the biggest snow flakes that I have ever seen!  It was quite beautiful.

But driving it the weather was another story.

(photo from Google)

We were lucky to drive 30 mph.  We finally reached Idaho Falls & stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of things. Ethan decided to "let" me drive the rest of the way.

The driving was "fair" when we were in town with all the lights, but as soon as we were on the interstate, we went back to barely being able to see more than a few feet in front of us.

I felt like we were driving at "warp" speed, only going 25-30 mph.  We could have easily been in this scene from "Star Wars" (so I guess that makes Ethan a wookiee like Chewbacca??)

The 65 mile trip (mostly on the interstate) took us almost 3 hours (including the 10 minute stop at Wally World).

I had a prayer in my heart the whole trip--and I made sure that Ethan & Zane were on the look out for the rumble strips to make sure I was still on the road.  I said many prayers of thanksgiving when we finally made it home.

Now onto the rest of the weekend:

Sunday after church, Benjamin decided to get his own snack.

 A whole bag of goldfish crackers into his Buzz Lightyear bowl!

 I guess he was really hungry!

 He thought it was quite funny

 Maybe

 But he was still happy with the 20 goldfish crackers we did let him keep in his bowl.

 Then Emmalee wanted her picture taken--and wanted to see how many funny faces she could make.

 (Notice how good her eyes look!)

 Ethan took a nap Sunday after church.  I'm sure he would have liked a longer nap, but there were too many little children playing around him...

and with his pillow.

Monday was our cleaning day--I was way behind on laundry, so did laundry non-stop.  But I had all the bedding from the beds to wash to try to get rid of all the germs.

And we really thought the boys' room could be cleaned before lunchtime, but for some reason, it is always harder to get them to clean, than it is to clean it myself!  But I had them clean, clean & clean (and they found a few extra loads of laundry in their mess of a room).

 I think they would have liked to clean their room like this,

or this, but they actually did a good job.  And I was able to vacuum the bedrooms--even along the edges.  

So while the rooms aren't as clean as I would like, they are much, much cleaner.  We will work on the rest another weekend!

Ethan's Crazy Adventure

WARNING:  Yucky, icky photos of Ethan's banged up elbow.  If you are squeamish, you might want to close your eyes!

Yesterday (Saturday), Ethan got together with 2 of his friends & they decided to have some "small town fun".

They got a scooter, bike & a big piece of cardboard & see how many crazy things they could video.

So Humpty Dumpty Ethan was on the wall scooter and had a big fall crash and all the kings men his mom couldn't put fix him together again.

I was grateful Rusty was here to help wash off the blood & bandage it up.  I started helping Ethan, but then called Rusty in to help him.  

So here are the pictures of the elbow about 12 hours later:

 this is right on his elbow bone & it was swollen up a lot.

 All I can say is:  yuck & gross!  (and he still would go and "play" with his friends--the fun outweighed the hurt)

This is the elbow tonight--about 36 hours later. 

He'll have a scar.  I just hope he doesn't split it open again and that it doesn't get infected.

Little Bobcat Basketball

I love our Little Bobcat basketball program & the volunteers that run it.

 And the kids are really good with Callum.

 Callum dribbling the ball down court.

Fun, fun times!