Lessons of single motherhood

The past 9 months acting as a single mom has taught me many lessons. The first is that I am definitely NOT cut out to be a single mom! I have gained some serious respect for you single mothers- I admire and revere you. It is not an easy job, the pay is lousy and there are no vacations.

The second is sometimes I am just surviving. I tend to look forward to the future more than I enjoy the present. These little ones grow so fast- it's so easy to focus on the misery of diaper changing and cleaning up messes and lose track of what a short time this really is and how quickly they will grow up. I try to "escape" by pampering myself or wasting time on the computer but never quite feel refreshed.


It dawned on me that I have been forgetting to"cast [my] burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain [me] Psalms 5:22. I have been unnecessarily trying to bear the burden alone. It's amazing to me that by simply changing the frequency and sincerty of my prayers and scripture study, I suddenly don't feel quite as overwhelmed and alone. I still have disasters to clean up and screaming children to calm, but I am able to handle things better without feeling like I'm going to lose it.

The third thing I have learned is the importance of prioritizing. There are only so many hours in the day and even fewer hours I have alone. About two to be precise. I've discovered that if I do the things I want to do first, I never have time for the things I should do. On the other hand, if I do the things I should do first, I seem to always find time for the things I want to do. Of course it's always easier said than done, but when I actually put forth the effort and stick to a routine, though I am busier, I feel less stressed and more fulfilled at the end of the day and am better able to enjoy the simple moments of motherhood.

Twelve years...

Twelve years ago today we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. I could never have predicted the way life has turned out, yet I wouldn't change a thing. We have shared some pretty amazing adventures in those twelve years.

We've traveled through more than forty states and several countries. Some of my favorite memories are our trip to beautiful Prince Edward Island, seeing Phantom of the Opera in NYC, scuba diving in Florida, relaxing on the beach in the Bahamas, getting sunburned in Puerto Rico, hiking on the Great Wall of China, driving over 120 mph in Germany, touring Moscow, and canoeing on the lake in New Hampshire.   

During those twelve years we both earned graduate degrees, got certified to scuba dive, bought our first home, lived in 4 states (countless houses), had three children in three years, began homeschooling, survived two deployments (I'm planning on surviving another 4 months!), ran a marathon together (he's run countless marathons and an ironman), and have had a pretty wonderful life.

I'm so glad I married someone who likes to keep things exciting. There are times I curse him for this trait, but in the end we have so much more fun than I would ever have if things were solely up to me. He makes me laugh, is constantly sending me flowers and leaving me little notes around the house (even before he left from R&R he left notes all around for the boys and I) and when he's home he's constantly cleaning up the house and sending me off for some "sanity" time.. I've been teasing him lately that I need to go back to work and he can stay home and school the boys, he's so much more patient and engaging than I am. I couldn't ask for a more supportive loving husband and my boys couldn't ask for a more involved father. We love you!

San Diego, May 2012

Real Food: Decoding labels

Up until just a few months ago, I would shop like most other people, wandering up and down every aisle, occasionally checking the back of the box to see how much sugar or fat was in it, and not really paying attention to anything else. Now when I pick up a box, I see something totally different. Ingredients. Amazing how I never really noticed them before.

As I start to read the labels I see all sorts of strange things that I have never heard of before. Do I really want to eat those things? Um-no, I don't. But sometimes the lovely food companies try to trick you into thinking something is not there when it really is, or lure you into believing the claims written on the box like "fat free!" "no added sugar!" and "all natural!"

It is amazing to me when I shop at a "regular" grocery store now, almost every single thing (including canned fruit) contains one or more of these additives. I find that now, unless I'm at Whole Foods or similar store, I only shop the perimeter and never buy anything from the center aisles.

Here are three rules to help you decode the labels:

1. Ignore claims on the box: "All natural", "whole grain", "healthy" and "real fruit" mean nothing. They are simply marketing terms to draw you in. Unless it says USDA Certified Organic, it's not. Don't be fooled into buying something based on what the package says. And don't worry about calories and fat- worry about ingredients- your body knows how to process natural foods.

2. Read the ingredients: The best thing to remember when buying food from a box, can or jar is to look at the number of ingredients. The fewer the better. Then actually read the ingredients. Do you know what they all are? Now I whip out my iPhone and google any ingredient that I'm not familiar with to see if it's really something that's ok to eat, even in the health food store.

3. Look for sneaky ingredients:

"Sugar Free" claims usually mean they have substituted an artificial sweetener in place of sugar. Artificial sweeteners are NOT good for you, they will NOT make you skinny and they are NOT better for you than sugar. Instead they could make you obese, get breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, birth defects and more.

Brown Rice Syrup included in some "healthy" products in place of sugar, is actually linked to high levels of arsenic. Not good.

MSG is thought to have been removed from many products due to negative effects from headaches to nausea to sudden cardiac death. Instead, they disguise the name and keep it in the food. Here are common sneaky forms of MSG to watch out for (and yes, some form of msg is in nearly every fast food hamburger, bun and sandwich bread- if you look at the ingredients on their website- those brave enough to post them- you will see some of these listed). For the complete list click here and here.

Yeast Extract, Autolyzed Yeast, Textured Protein, Calcium/Sodium Caseinate, Gelatin, Glutamate/Glutamic Acid, Monosodium/Monopotassium Glutamate, Carrageenan.

Food Dyes are in many products, even ones you wouldn't think need food coloring. Unfortunately these dyes are linked to cancer, ADHD, allergies and tumors. Here is a great article outlining specific food dyes, what foods they're commonly added to and the effects.

Conventionally Grown in the produce section is a nice way of saying "we used pesticides and/or genetically modified seeds". Why does this matter? Pesticides have been linked to ADHD, Autism, Cancer and who knows what else... Here are the Dirty Dozen foods to definitely buy organic (buy in season produce for lowest prices). And here's why you want to avoid genetically modified corn, tomatoes and other "food". Buy USDA Certified Organic, or grow your own.

Here are 12 dangerous food additives to avoid Be sure to add these to the bottom of your shopping list so you aren't confused and misled.

Fish you should never eat, a great list of toxic fish as well as a list of clean fish you should look for instead.


Here's a great example of reading labels- what my husband and I chose for dessert when on vacation (he was completely shocked when he compared his to mine)

Real Fruit Frozen Yogurt

This is my family's favorite "ice cream" in the summer. It's so delicious and the best part is it's 100% fruit (yogurt is optional) and absolutely no sugar added.

When your bananas start to turn brown, just peel them and freeze them for ice cream. In a blender mix the frozen bananas, one ripe mango, 1/4 fresh ripe pineapple and a handful of strawberries. For a creamier ice cream stir in 1 to 2 cups of yogurt and enjoy! Read the full recipe here.

Kreative Blogger Award

While I was on vacation, I received the Kreativ Blogger Award from Carla @ Our Journey to Self-Reliance. Thanks Carla!

She has a great site with lots of self-reliance tips from making your own beef jerky to homemade foaming soap to making your own rolled oats.

So, the deal is I list 7 things about me and then nominate 7 awesome blogs. Here are 7 things you might not know about me and some things you probably don't want to know about me...

1. I used to be a total city girl but lately I dream of a house in the country, chickens and all. Of course that would mean giving up traveling (and getting out of the military) and cleaning up after animals, which I loathe...

2. My favorite thing to do (not that I can do it much anymore) is curl up with a good book and read all day, preferably if it's snowing outside and I have some good hot chocolate to drink or on a beach in the Bahamas...

3. I watch tv maybe once a week. I purposely put it in a room of the house that I rarely go into so it's inconvenient to watch. Although sometimes I think I'd like one in my kitchen so I could watch HGTV and the Food Network while I cook.

4. If I could choose any place to live in the U.S. it would be near Charlottesville,Virginia. If I could choose any place outside the U.S. it would be a country villa somewhere in Italy.

5. I am terrified of heights and have cried at the top of Mount Timpoanogos, UT, Mount Katahdin, ME, and the climatization hike of Mount Elbrus in Russia. I was even scared standing on the skydeck of the Willis/Sears Tower.

6. I have a scar on my eyebrow and my left eye is slightly smaller than the other from being kicked by a horse as a child. I also got rolled on by a horse which turned my body into a walking weather barometer...so I'm not a horse person anymore.

7. I am the third of eleven children (which is why it took me 6 years to have my own).

Now for the nominations, these are just a few of the blogs I enjoy reading:

1. Babblin' Brooke blogs about homeschooling, crafts, recipes and more. She has such a fun personality and always has great ideas to share. *Just found out her site is not working...for now you can visit her on Facebook

2. Finding Beauty in Alaska shares beautiful pictures in Alaska, creative ideas and is just a fun blog to read.

3. Melissa is a good friend and fellow blogger about motherhood, faith, food and crafts. She has two of the most adorable children and some pretty fantastic recipes.

4. Another great friend- Joann (one of the most amazing women I know) inspired me to jump into the whole clean eating, chemical-free lifestyle. She has four little boys, is a photographer, homeschools and is an amazing cook. She shares homeschool ideas here and food ideas here.

5. Two Sasters shares some pretty amazing craft ideas and are host to a creative idea link party.

6. My Rags to Riches is a fun blog where this ambitious mom of 3 boys shows how to reclaim old furniture and make it fabulous.

7. House of the Rising Sons is a mom who blogs about raising her four sons (yes, I am partial to blogs about boys!) and has some great spiritual insights and homeschool ideas.

Here are the rules for those nominated (if you choose to participate):
1.Copy the Kreativ Blogger Award logo and place it in your post.
2.Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
3.List 7 things about you that people might find interesting.
4.Nominate 7 other bloggers for their own Kreativ Blogger Award.
5.Leave a comment on the blogs you nominate to let them know about the award.

Summer School

The last two years we continued to do school all summer long. It was too hot and humid to play outside, the boys didn't even want to go out to swim. This year, I just feel like I need a break.

Our summer curriculum will consist of reading library books, our Zoobooks, High Five, Which Way USA and Kids Discover magazines and traveling to National Parks. We plan to visit Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon and it's so awesome that we now have free access to these National and state parks!

We also hope to spend a lot of time at the pool and park, make lots of ice cream and just spend more time playing together before these little boys are all grown up.

Las Vegas, Nevada LDS Temple Pictures

Visit http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com/ to download these free pictures of the Las Vegas temple.

Photographing temples is actually harder than you would think. Especially older temples. They are usually surrounded by houses and on busy city streets so it's difficult to find a place to stop to take pictures without people or cars in your photo. Once you do find a good spot, they are usually surrounded by trees so it's still hard to get a good shot unless you are inside the gates, but once you're inside the gates the temple is so massive that it's hard to fit it all in the lens. Sometimes I wish I had a helicopter...

I have seen pictures before of the Vegas temple with the spires and the city in the background and knew I wanted one like that. Unfortunately once I got there I realized there really isn't a great spot to get that photo (again, helicopter would be nice). There is a small hill and a mountain behind that. Anthony took the boys to explore a little cave and I began walking over to see if I could get a good shot. Fortunately I found a hill of gravel stacked up and made my way (in flip flops) over and climbed to the top. It was a bit off center, but it best I could do without falling off. As I started climbing down, I saw the van driving away! Apparently my husband couldn't see me and thought I had walked back down the hill to the temple... Fortunately I made it back to the temple before he left the city ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoy taking them!

Mt Whitney, St. George & Kolob Canyon

Our last stop in California was Mt Whitney portal. My husband is working on visiting the high points in each state, and I think this makes #38. He hiked alone, starting around 3am and it took a greuling 14 hours to hike the 22 mile round trip that climbed 6,000 feet of elevation.

The boys and I stayed at the hotel and swam and dug in the dirt all day.

We drove through death valley on the way home, very appropriately named.

We decided to stay overnight in St George so we could see my family. I took a few more pictures of the St George temple (you can download them at http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com). We discovered the most family-friendly hotel- the St George Inn & Suites. They are extremely affordable and have both an indoor and outdoor pool and playground. The boys had so much fun and we will definitely be staying here again when we come to see family.

On our way to Cedar we stopped by Kolob Canyon to do a little hiking around.

It was a fantastic trip, the only downside was having to say goodbye for another four months. Oh, and I did get pictures of the Las Vegas temple, I'll share those next.

Los Angeles, California LDS Temple

Visit http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com to download free pictures of the Los Angeles, California LDS Temple.

The LA temple is situated right on Santa Monica boulevard and is a pretty spectacular sight. It was the first temple constructed in California and at the time of construction it was the largest temple. It was announced back in 1937 and completed in 1956. There's a cute story on the lds temple website about the angel Moroni statue:

"The 15½-foot figure of the angel Moroni, sculpted by Millard F. Malin, was placed atop the temple in October 1954. During one of his frequent visits to the temple, President David O. McKay noticed that the angel faced southeast as did the temple. He informed architect Edward O. Anderson "that it was not correct in that position…that the angel must face east." The angel had generated much conversation among the neighbors, and one indicated, perhaps tongue in cheek, that she "certainly never would be interested [in learning more about the Church] until the angel faced her home." One morning she awoke to find the statue "was looking directly at her place." Brother Anderson had followed President McKay's instructions to turn the angel.^"

Click to download these and more free images of the LA temple.

Disneyland

Next stop on our trip was Disneyland! We've taken them to Disney World 4 times, but this was our first time to Disneyland. The boys had such a great time, especially Joshua who was too short for any of the Sea World rides (by an inch) and really wanted to go on a coaster. Last year we told them we weren't waiting in line for pictures with the characters again, but we lucked out and only had to wait 10 minutes to see Mickey.

It was interesting to see some of the same rides and some that were different. The Nemo ride was definitely better here than at Epcot, but there were a few favorites that were missing. We really liked that we could just walk to the parks rather than lugging all our stuff between shuttle bus and monorail.

I think this is our last Disney trip for a while, especially since we probably won't live close to Orlando or Anaheim in the future. It will be fun to bring the boys back when they are a bit older and can all ride the big rides.

San Diego, California LDS Temple Pictures

The San Diego temple is one of my very favorites. The inside is just as amazing as the outside and is probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. It truly is heaven on earth. You can download this free artwork of the San Diego, California LDS Temple by visiting http://www.freeldstemplepictures.com. Enjoy!

Beautiful San Diego

We're back from a fabulous trip to California! Our first stop was the beach in La Jolla. This is my favorite beach because you can always see the sea lions sunbathing on the rocks, it's hard to tell, but there are about 30 sea lions on those rocks below, they are stacked side by side nearly on top of each other.  

Then we headed over to Pacific Beach where the boys did some body surfing and building castles in the sand. It has been way too long since we have been to the beach.

Sea World was amazing as always. This is our first time at Sea World California, but it's pretty much the same as Orlando. We walked until we dropped, and then walked some more.

We visited the Mormon Battalion which was really cool. They have an interactive presentation, commemorative photo, the kids can pan for gold, and the tower has a great view. We walked through old town and then over to Coronado where we attempted to fly kites on the beach.

The San Diego Maritime Museum was pretty neat. We went on a bay cruise and got to go inside a submarine, the ship used for Master & Commander, and more. We even saw wilson ;)

Only wish we had a few more days to see friends and spend more time on the beach!

Life Lessons {from the little guys}

I recently watched the movie Grace Card and a really powerful message stood out to me. The quote was “I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me that when God’s got something to teach me, He brings me a teacher."

I couldn't help but relate this to myself as a mother. My children are my teachers. They teach me gentleness, patience, faith, meekness, diligence, humility, charity, and above all long-suffering. Every Christlike attribute the Bible teaches us to develop, can be learned by caring for these little ones. It's definitely not an easy lesson to learn at times, but I've come to realize I'd rather learn them this way than any other.

I recently re-read Elder Packer's talk from conference titled And a Little Child Shall Lead Them, a fabulous talk about the importance of children and the love Jesus has for those little ones. I love where he says "One of the greatest discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents." It is so true. I always thought parenthood was about me being the teacher, but I am the one who is taught the greatest lessons.

Here are some other things they teach me:

I'm grateful for my {little teachers} and hope that I can learn everything they are here to teach me!

Homemade yogurt

After eliminating processed foods, I started buying plain yogurt. Having grown up on sugary store-bought yogurt, it was a BIG change. A hard one to swallow...literally. I tried adding honey and fruit and could manage it down, but I didn't love it, and neither did my boys. I had heard of people making yogurt before, and frankly thought they must be some kind of crazy to make something that really didn't taste that great. But lately I'm experimenting with crazy so I figured we'd give it a try...

You really don't need a yogurt maker, there is a crockpot method, but I kind of like having them in jars and it seemed like a yogurt maker would be more convenient, so I got this one from Cusinart for around $30. I was seriously intimidated by the thought of making yogurt and put it off for months after buying my yogurt maker. But, after getting our Magic School Bus Science Club Kit in the mail about bacteria, I figured it was now or never. After reading several websites on yogurt making, I wanted to just plunge in and do it the easiest way possible, even though it was slightly different than what the yogurt manual said.

9 hours later I removed the lid and stuck my finger in one of the jars for a taste. I was really surprised. It tasted more like whipping cream than sour cream. In fact, it was good. I put the jars in the fridge and waited impatiently for 30 to 40 minutes for it to cool more, finally just pulled it out and grabbed a spoon.

It had a slightly sweeter taste than the store-bought yogurt (I've tried regular and greek) and it was so creamy it reminded me of the heavenly European yogurt that I indulge in everytime I go to Germany (my first stop is always for yogurt, second for a döner and third chocolate). Earlier in the day I had pureed some strawberries, so I scooped a couple spoonfuls and mixed it in. YUM. I actually like it better warm than cold, there is still a learning curve for your tongue, but add a little maple syrup and some ripe fruit, the creaminess will overcome the bitterness.

When I came back from Germany the first time, I actually wrote Danon asking them why on earth couldn't they sell the same yogurt here that they sell in Germany? Their Obstgarten yogurt is to die for! Now I never have to crave European yogurt again, I can just make my own. I am so excited! Joshua snuck out of his bed and saw me indulging, so I gave him a spoon and his entire face lit up when he took a bite. He said "this is the best yogurt in the world!"

There are a dozen ways you can make yogurt. After viewing several recipes and techniques, it kind of seems like you can do it however you like. Here's how I make it with my yogurt maker.

5 cups whole milk (that's right, full fat, and no it doesn't have to be raw)
1-2 tablespoons plain greek or any yogurt with live active cultures

Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Everything I read indicated that boiling the milk produced a thicker yogurt, and that's what I wanted (another reason why I recommend whole milk rather than skim or 2%). The longer you boil, the thicker it will be. I don't have much patience so 20 minutes is my max- stir constantly once it starts to boil to prevent the milk from burning. It will be frothy and foamy (be careful it will boil over if you don't stir it!) Some people add powdered milk, but that kind of goes against my whole non-processed foods thing, so I wanted it to thicken the "natural" way.

Remove pot from heat and let cool until warm but not hot. Stir in a cupful of warm milk with your 1 to 2 tablespoons of yogurt (after your first batch use your own yogurt as a starter), mix and then stir back into the pot. *Do not forget this step! If you just stir your cold yogurt into the hot milk it will curdle and ruin your entire batch. Trust me.

Pour into glass jars and follow the instructions of the yogurt maker (i.e. plug in and turn on). The longer you heat it, the thicker it will be. I do mine for 9 to 10 hours and it's creamy and thick. If you wanted it extra thick like greek yogurt you'd have strain it with cheesecloth. I didn't and I'm pretty happy with how it turns out.

I highly recommend giving this a try, plus, the kids love to help.

FREE Homeschool Daily Planner 2012-2013

*New updated planners available here
____________________________________________________________________________

I've added a new Homeschool Daily Planner for 2012 to 2013. You can download it free from my homeschool page.

I view this planner as my child's educational resume. This is where I keep track of everything that he accomplishes during the year. At the end of the year, it will be the first thing I include in his yearly school portfolio outlining the days he attended school, the schedule we kept, the curriculum we studied, books we read and other activities of educational value.

I like to laminate the daily schedules and use a wet/dry erase marker so I can re-use the pages and easily make changes when needed. I also realized that there were many things we did together, like baking bread or making yogurt, planting herbs, traveling, attending a cultural event, etc... that I wasn't documenting as "school". So I've added a page to keep track of those real-life learning experiences as they occur. Hope this is helpful to some of you!

You can download my Free Homeschool Daily Planner for personal use here.

*Artwork created with brushes from www.obsidiandawn.com