Go With The Flo

Scarface

2012-02-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

We don't know why it is, but for some reason whenever Kempton gets hurt and draws blood, it is most always on his face. We counted about 5 major scarring cuts and scrapes so far in his 5 years, all on his flawless porcerlein skin. Maybe it's because he's a boy that he is more prone to these sorts of accidents. And honestly, a scar on a guy's face is a little rustic and will eventually get covered with whiskers. I think I'd be a little more worried if my girls had 5 facial scars!

This accident occured as he was tripping over clothes in his room and then landed and fell right on the corner of his door. Cale watched it all in slow motion and all I heard from the other room was, "Oh Kempton! Oh Kempton! Oh Kempton!" Blood was gushing but when it stopped the cut was not deep enough for stitches or glue. I've been diligent about Vitamin E every day but I think there will still be a slight scar on the left side of his cheek.

This picture was taken 2 days after the accident:

Brenna's Birthday: Family Style

2012-02-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

On Brenna's actual birthday, we all woke up pretty early (for a Saturday). She requested cereal for her birthday breakfast. Easy!

We then opened presents from Grandparents and Dad and Mom.

We went to McCalisters for her birthday lunch and spent the day together as a family.

Her birthday ended with a movie at the dollar theatre in town. She invited her friend Madelyn to join us since she couldn't make it to her birthday party during the day. They all wore their pajamas because the movie (Puss in Boots) didn't start until 7:00 pm.

The next day (Sunday) the plans were to go to Cheyenne to celebrate both Brenna and Grandpa Perriton's birthday. We got on the road after church and were looking forward to a yummy Sunday dinner and little party for the birthday girl. We didn't make it very far when we got to right before the pass and had to turn due to I-80 being closed. It was a real bummer, we had all three kids crying in the back seat. I was looking forward to meat loaf! But instead we had pancakes for dinner and tried to make the most of it.

Our Shortcake Turned 4!!!

2012-02-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Once again time has flown by, to the point that our youngest turned four. She definitely acts old enough to be four, but we admit we have babied our baby. She won't be our baby much longer so we don't regret it. hehe

Here are a few things about Brenna that I don't want to forget but probably will:

*I love how when you are thinking really hard or trying to make a decision, you tap your fingers on your lips, and look up in the air. We have all started copying you when we think, even Daddy and Mommy.

*You say "Gubblebum" instead of "Bubblegum." We don't want to correct you.

*She is a fashionista Diva and are very particular about everything you wear. You have to look "pretty" but it's your own definition of pretty. For example, not a fan of sweats or jeans because they "look like a boy." And definitely won't wear blue.

*She loves to play house, mommy, dollhouse or anything girly for hours and hours. She plays in her room and are so quiet that I have to check on her to make sure she is OK.

*She can't say her "R," "L", "TH, " or "SW" sounds. For example, she says "Fwimming" for "Swimming,"
*She tells me she "can't hurry" when we need to rush out the door.

*She doesn't want anything for breakfast except for shredded wheat or cheerios. No oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, etc.

*She makes the same quirky noise as me when she scratches your throat.

*She is the first of our children to crawl into bed with us in the morning to snuggle

*She's just as bad as her brother when it comes to potty talk

*She loves the idea of kitties and doggies but when around them, is apprehensive like her Mom

*She talks about the baby in my tummy constantly and hugs and kisses my belly numerous times a day. She has lots of detailed questions about how the baby come out, eat, and poop.

*She is still a feisty little red head and keeps everyone in line. In our house, we call that "Spunky." But she is very shy around people she doesn't know.

Usually around your birthday, I reflect on all the feelings I had when we found out you would be joining our family. We were nervous, overwhelmed, and shocked to have another baby so soon after having your older brother. But, we have seen the hand of our Heavenly Father and know that He slipped you into our perfectly planned life. I love how you and your brother are so close in age and will always have each other, along with your older sister who isn't quite 3 1/2 years older than you. You have brought nothing but pure joy and love into our family and we know you came to our family at the right time.

The day before your party, I attempted to make a strawberry cake from scratch, but it didn't turned out and sunk due to the altitude. The batter was delicious however!

Strawberry shortcake of course needs curly red hair!

This "vintage" Strawberry Shortcake costume arrived just in time from San Antonio. Thanks Mom! Here's a picture of me in the same outfit at the same age. I think Brenna looks more like the part:

Goody bags were filled with Strawberry Shortcake suckers, lip gloss, and band aids. Plus a whoopie cushion for the boys.

These strawberry floats were delish!

We played pop the balloon,
Strawberry Shortcake Pinata

and pin the strawberry on the patch

The boys table

Fun friends

No Yelling Chart

2012-02-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

"There should be no yelling in the home unless there is a fire."

-David O. Mckay

Lately as a family we've had a yelling problem. Or shall I say a listening problem. Possibly an ignoring problem. In other words, it seems as though the children can't hear us (the parents) unless our voices are raised a few notches. We discuss this problem often and have tried all sorts of remedies.

But...it wasn't until the 7-year-old took it upon herself to create this "No Yelling Chart" for the family that things started to really change around here. Trust me, this was none of our doing, and I still don't know quite what to think. I'm a little worried that we may have our hands full in a few years when she is a teenager, coming up with these kind of ideas. Let me explain:

You see, there was one catch. (Unbenowst to us) Averie decided that the reward for earning all smiley faces for the week was to get a new puppy.

And after working incredibly hard all week, they asked, "When are we going to get our puppy? None of us yelled all week!" We were a little caught off guard. Daddy reacted very quickly, "How bout a goldfish?" Then there was lots of jumping up and down and squealing with excitement.

What?!?! A goldfish makes up for a puppy? What they don't realize is now their case for getting a puppy just got much harder.

Do you have a listening/yelling problem at your house? Bribery works great, and it's even better when it's their idea.

Almond Crunch Granola Cereal

2012-01-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

I love granola, but when store bought it is usually high in calories and expensive. This recipe is loaded with fiber (11 grams) and good fats, so will keep you full all morning long. Mix with yogurt or eat with milk. Makes 18 cups!

Print Recipe

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In a large bowl combine:

10 cups regular rolled oats

10 cups 6 grain oats

(I used grains this time, I like them best)

Find them at http://www.theprepardnessstore.com/ (Emergency Essentials)

"Six Grain Oats" 25 lbs/$31.20

To the oats, add:

2 cups sliced raw almonds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

2/3 cup olive oil or canola oil

3/4 cup real maple syrup

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

5 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread thinly on 2 large cookies sheets, which have been sprayed lightly with non-stick spray.

Now here's the tricky part. I have made this recipe several many times and found it turns out best if you bake at 325 degrees for a total of 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Stay close to the oven until granola is lightly browned.

Stir one more time and then let cool.

Store in an air tight container. If you like raisins, this is a good time to add them. There is nothing worse then a hard-as-a-rock raisin!

Belly to Belly

2012-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been pregnant at the same time as your sister?

I'm sure many of you have, but for me this has been a long time coming. I never thought I'd see the day where my close to 10 years younger sister and I were pregnant together. And oh how fun it is! We are due about one month apart (although with pregnancy complications, we are thinking Nichole will go sooner). It seems as though Nichole follows more after our mom with constant nausea, can't keep food in her so has to be on a constant IV. She is now actually on bed rest due to premature contractions. I feel so bad for her, pregnancy has not been a pleasant experience. But we are counting down the days til our little ones can meet and play together.

Here we are recently, belly to belly. I looked at this picture and smiled because (as you can tell) we both have that Peterson ghetto booty....thanks Dad! There were other cute pictures where we are more lovey dovey, but this was the most flattering.

Our Christmas Day

2012-01-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

I'm almost exactly a month behind on my family posts. But feel the need to make sure that I try to catch up while our life happenings are fresh in my mind. I'm still working on our 2007 scrapbook (through blurp.com, a site that is capable of transferring blogs into scrapbook form) and am so glad I have been blogging the past 5 years because I can't remember the details.

Our Christmas morning started off around 7:30 am. Before they can peek to see if Santa came, the tradition continues where the children must come and wake us (tired) parents up by singing Christmas carols. Our job as parents is to drag the process out (which drove me CRAZY as a kid)! Here's the lineup:

While the monkey bread baked, we opened Santa presents from youngest to oldest.

Santa brought Brenna a Dollhouse, which she has played with every day since. Brenna is our (only) child who plays with each and every one of her toys. She loves everything girly, including dolls, dollclothes, barbies, kitchen, dressups, Polly Pockets, My Little Ponies, Fisher Price Little People, etc! She spends most of her days in a make-believe world, spreading out most of her toys all over the house.

As for Kempton, he is obsessed with Legos and spends his afternoons building each of his sets to perfection. He divides all the parts into piles of what he needs and builds in an organized fashion. He also got a few drawing books and a game. And he needed Sunday shoes in a bad way. He was impressed that Santa knew he LOVES Doritos!

Averie is growing up and really wanted "fashion boots" as she calls them. Santa also brought her a canopy bed and table with chairs for her American Girl Doll. She got a real miniature American Girl Doll too.

After Santa presents, we opened our stockings then enjoyed some yummy Monkey Bread, but mostly the kids wanted their usual breakfast of oatmeal or cold cereal. So I threw out half of it because if not, I would eat it all!

We then opened the presents from under the tree. We gave them each their own robe to hopefully help the lack of modesty issue in our home! hehe

Our family present this year was a much-needed piano. Of course I want a REAL piano, but we needed something portable in the meantime until our basement is finished. Then Cale will risk his life to bring a real piano downstairs.

This year Cale got me a body pillow (which was so very thoughtful) and he got a much-needed industrial wet/dry vacuum for the continuing home-improvement projects. Grandparents spoiled us all this year, and we were especially shocked to receive an HP tablet from Gran and Grandpa. It is my new addiction!

Kempton got a shave kit in his stocking and wanted to experiment right away!

We had a calm, relaxed, and happy morning. I felt such peace during our Christmas festivities, and felt tremendous love for my family. I kept picturing us next year with one more little person in the mix. Our month was very hectic and busy for me, but worth all the efforts.

We then headed to church for a musical program. It was a great way to mentally put the excitement of presents aside and focus on the meaning of the season.

After church, we webcamed Gran and Grandpa and then headed to Cheyenne for a family Christmas dinner.

A New Beginning

2012-01-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

I really do love January. It is a time for new beginnings, where I resolve to be better and do better. I rarely accomplish all of my New Year's Resolutions, but do hope that I am at least making progress each year.

The goals that are especially hard for me are the intangible kind, the kind that are impossible to measure. Here are a few of my tangible= Monthly dates with hubby, Get caught up on family pictures, albums, and digital scrapbooks, Be able to play from the Children's Songbook and Hymns on the piano. And here are a few of my intangible= Discpline children without raising voice, Listen for Revelation, Give more of myself outside of my Family. The intangible goals are harder for me to accomplish for some reason.

Now, here's a little something that may surprise you. I never make lofty physical goals during pregnancy. I find that it is not helpful to put that kind of pressure on myself. If I eat healthful and exercise consistentely, then this is sufficient. And usually after pregnancy my focus is more about developing a good milk supply and getting enough sleep to function, so I decided to forgo the fitness goal this year.

Other than pregancy (and a few months after) I do make physical goals. My goals have included running a certain race(s) at a certain time, getting to a certain fat-percentage, etc. In making fitness goals, my suggestion is to be realistic, knowing that it is best to make smaller, more tangible goals. For example, if you know you have 50 pounds to lose, start with "My goal is to lose 5 pounds the month of January." And then outline how you plan to reach this goal.

Here's an example of how specific your fitness goal should be:

"I plan to lose 5 pounds the month of January by... writing down everything I eat, staying within 1500 calories each day, not eating after 7:00 pm, only eating sweets on the weekends, eating a healthful breakfast every morning, and committing to 200 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular exercise each week. If I slip one day, I promise to try harder and do better the next day."

We each made resolutions the first week of January. For me, it helps if I announce (confess) my goals to at least my family. This way I am held accountable and my loved ones can keep me in line. So we went around and shared our goals for 2012, starting with Rosie (word for word). For the sake of his privacy it is probably best that I not divulge the hubby's goals. Ha!

Brenna

1) Be nicer to Kempton and Averie

2) Be good to Daddy and Mommy

3) Do my jobs without complaining

Kempton

1) Be good to Mom and Dad

2) "I BEN GOOD AT LSIUNEEG"

Translation: I'll be good at listening the first time

3) " IM WRCEEN AT GIDEEN ON TM SGOOUL"

Translation: I'm working at getting on time to school

Averie

1) Get better at sewing

2) Get better at piano

3) Get better at being nice

4) Better at handstands

5) Better at Opera!

What are your fitness/weight loss/nutritional goal this year and how do you plan to accomplish them? How is this year going to be different than past years? Let me know how I can help you!

Family Scripture Study

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

In January's Friend Magazine, there is a great way to chart your family's Scripture reading. It is especially excellent for children my kids' ages. Check it out! We are just in our second week of reading so it won't be hard to catch up!

The chart is a large coloring page that takes up two pages and I wanted to condense it down to one page plus make three copies, one for each child. So I used my handy-dandy Photoshop and whipped this up. We have a place in our living room where we keep them so they won't get lost, but if that does happen (very likely) I can easily print off another one.

I thought others may want to do the same, so feel free to download, just click on the image below. When you go to print, make sure it is black/white or greyscale so that the little blue numbers print.

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Flo's Vegetable Lasagna

2012-01-09T10:40:00.001-08:00

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Printable Recipe

There are many ways to make lasagna, this just happens to be one of my favorites. No meat, just full of vegetables! This antioxidant-packed recipe is loaded with spinach, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. You can add other vegetables to your own heart's desire. I love this combination, but I think yellow squash and zucchini would be tasty too! Try this version first before you make any additions.

Here's your tiny nutritional tidbit for the day:

Wonderful green leafy vegetable spinach is recognized as one of the functional food for its nutritional, antioxidant qualities. Spinach contains many phyto-nutrients that have health promotional and disease prevention properties. Spinach is also inexpensive and always available.

*Very low in calories and fats (1 cup of raw leaves provide just 23 cal). It contains a good amount of soluble dietary fiber (no wonder greeny spinach is one of the vegetable source recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs)!

*High in Vitamin A (healthy skin & vision), Vitamin K (strengthening bones), and iron (red blood cell production). These vitamins fight against free radicals that cause disease in your body.

And what about red bell peppers and mushrooms? Let's not leave them out. Red peppers contain Vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid, and Lycopen (all protecting against cancer and heart disease). Leave it tender-crisp so that the delicate phytonutrients aren't destroyed.

Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients (including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more).

Now onto this nutrient-dense meal!

Start out by deciding what kind of lasagna noodles to use. This time I used no-boil noodles (I was in a hurry), but this recipe also tastes great with spinach, whole-wheat, or regular noodles. If you are boiling your noodles, boil til tender but firm.

In a large skillet heat 1 tsp. olive oil. Add 1 cup chopped onion, 1 regular sized package sliced mushrooms, and 4 cloves minced garlic. Stir in 2 fresh chopped red sweet peppers until tender but still crisp. Take off burner and set aside.

Pat 2 (10-oz.) boxes frozen thawed and drained spinach dry with paper towels. In a bowl, stir together spinach, 15-oz. part-skim ricotta, 1 cup grated mozzarella, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Add 1 egg, 1 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. oregano, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Now for the layering. Spread 1/2 cup vegetable marinara sauce evenly in a casserole dish. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce, Layer with half of vegetable mixture and half spinach mixture. Add 1 cup marinara sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles (total of 9). Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with small amount of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake covered for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until top is brown and crispy (how I like it).

Just 317 calories per serving! Pair with a fruit or vegetable as a side dish and you have yourself a meal!

Our Christmas Eve

2012-01-08T20:06:00.001-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas Eve just with our little (growing) family.

Once it got dark, we piled into the car to go see the Christmas lights. The kids love the Courthouse where there are lights dancing to the music.

We came home to our traditional sun-dried tomato pasta dinner. This year we had multi-colored carrots and I MADE rolls (very unlike me to bake bread, but oh-so-delish).

After dinner we had a little music/scripture reading program to go along with our Nativity puppets. It was so sweet to sing together all the reverent Christmas carols as a family.

Then we opened our Christmas Pajamas. Here's the baby bump at 23 weeks.

I made the kids' pajama pants this year, along with matching PJs for their favorite stuffed animal (Kempton) and dolls. Thanks Mom for being a patient teacher and for supporting me in this decision to finally become domesticated.

The evening was almost over with our traditional "Twas the Night Before Christmas" story (Mary Engelbreit version, love it!).

Then as I was tucking the children in, we heard Santa's bells outside the window. Usually this is a motivation to hurry and fall asleep as quickly as possible because Santa only comes when he sees all the lights are off in the neighborhood. But this year when the bells rang, we had one scared little Rosie. And I mean terrified! She cried and didn't want a strange fat man entering her home. I don't know why the bells triggered this response (because she liked the idea all month long), but it took us a while to explain that Santa is a nice man and if she wants any presents, we have to let him in. We assured her Daddy and Mommy were here and that all is well. She had to talk and think this through before falling fast asleep...

And then Santa came!!!

And brought Daddy the biggest present!

Christmas Preparations

2012-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Gearing up for Christmas, there was a lot of:

Christmas Card sending and receiving
Treats and yummy food tasting

Gift mailing

Christmastime Book Reading

Party Going

Kempton's intent on winning

Averie's teacher asked me to make gingerbread cookies, GINORMOUS gingerbread cookies.

Brenna's preschool party

Make Believing

Gingerbread House Building

and Wish List Writing

Mii wish list by Kempton (translated by Daddy)

Ii wot presis ii no ii ben meen to mii sisr but ii wot presis

(I want presents I know I've been mean to my sister but I want presents)

I wot for crsmis is u noo ligos

(I want for Christmas is a new legos)

Ad mii on tee fee

(And my own TV)

Ad u bree ted gun

(And a pretend gun)

And mii uon bag uv sees

(And my own bag of seeds)

That is ol

(That is all)

My Note to Santa by Averie

Dear Santa,

I think I have been good and here is my wish list:

Cabbage patch kid (any kind)

Furry Friend (pepper)

New earrings

Now to the stocking stuff:

Tic-Tacs

Fruit flavored candycanes

Where is Waldo Book

Tell Oliver I will miss him.

Sincerely, Averie

And FYI, Oliver is an Elf that visits us every December to keep tabs on the kids for Santa.

One more thing. Santa delivered about 10% of what was wished for! Seeds were definitely out o the question. Haha!

Mr. and Mrs.

2011-12-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

For our family far away, here is a little glimpse of Sondra and Paul's wedding. It was an intimate ceremony and fun reception with about 170 guests. This sure made Sondra and Paul feel special. I was mostly nervous that I'd have enough food!

Bishop Shumway has been with Paul and Sondra since the beginning, helped them through all the steps to marriage.

I LOVE this picture of their new family. Joey's job was to hold the ring and keep it safe.
Had to put this great picture of Cale and his new brother-in-law. I tried finding a picture of Colette, but there was only one in the far off distance. I think she was so busy behind the video camera. :)
We just love Paul, and we especially love how happy he makes Sondra.

Here's the cake table. The cake was DELICIOUS, I only tried the chocolate groom's cake, but considering I'm not a fan of cake that is saying something! Mom Perriton was in charge of the cakes, I think it turned out beautifully. On the table as well are yummy cream cheese mints (to die for)! I had them made very simply, with no food coloring or molds. Simple elegance is my thing!

At the end of the food table there was a hot chocolate bar. With peppermint sticks, red hots, whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, maraschino cherries, etc. This was a huge hit with all the kids, probably made them either on a sugar high or sick (sorry about that parents).
The little saying says, "Help yourself to a yummy treat! And don't forget, Love is Sweet! " (Thank you Tia the Scribe).

Here is The Help. A few days before the wedding I got really nervous that no one would show up to help and that it would be Cale and I doing all the cooking, decorating, and cleaning. I didn't want Mom to have to work that day, just enjoy the evening. I had nothing to worry about, these ladies (plus a few more, Denise and Auntie aren't pictures plus a few additional helpful ladies from Sondra's ward. Not to mention the men in our family who came to the rescue!).

The guests signed a large picture matte for Paul and Sondra. With 170 people there, it was filled to the brim. I think I forgot to sign it...hehe.

Trisha Smedley played the piano for both the ceremony and reception. It was so beautiful and a nice ambiance.

There are hardly any pictures of the food, but here's what was on the menu, just to make your mouth water: Pomegranate Punch, Parmesan Red Potato Bites, Petite Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches, Turkey or Ham Croissant Sandwiches, Auntie's Hawaiian Meatballs, Vegetable Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Fruit Platter, and Vegetable and Relish Platters.

Here is a view of the entire room before the guests arrived. There were black/white damask table runners with either a red mosaic glass vase or tall glass vase with red Christmas bulbs as a centerpiece. On the chairs are red-tied sashes. Lots of tea lights and lighted Christmas trees throughout. On both sides of the room were three long tables for the food and hot chocolate bar and on the other side gifts.

We are so excited for Paul, Sondra, and Joey to begin their lives together. It was such a happy day and evening!

By the way, blogspot is being difficult. It's not letting me post the pictures and text in an organized fashion!

Bringing Christ into Christmas

2011-12-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

I am speaking in church tomorrow with Cale, we will be traveling to a little town called Hanna and attending the branch there (a small and rural congregation). The topic is "Bringing Christ into Christmas." Cale asked me to talk about some of our family's Christ-centered traditions (to make preparing for the talk easier on me I guess). This was a great opportunity for me to pause and think about the reason for the season:

The beginnings of Christmas were simple. Together, Mary and Joseph celebrated the day of our Savior’s birth in humble circumstances. Today, entire nations celebrate. Santa Claus visits, parades are held, food is shared and gifts are purchased. These are all fun elements of Christmastime and contribute to the magic of the season, but these celebrations cannot compete with the joy of that first Christmas when only a family celebrating the birth of a divine child were present.

Elder Jeffry R. Holland said, “At the focal point of all human history, a point illuminated by a new star in the heavens revealed for just such a purpose, probably no other mortal watched—none but a poor young carpenter, a beautiful virgin mother, and silent animals who had not the power to utter the sacredness they had seen. …First and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees or tinsel.”

To understand the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ, who is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

President Ezra Taft Bensen said, “Without Christ there would be no Christmas, and without Christ there can be no fullness of joy.” He goes onto say, “It is my testimony that the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus the Christ, is the one perfect Guide, the one perfect Example. Only by emulating Him and adhering to His eternal truth can we realize peace on earth and good will toward all.”

It is easy to remember the true meaning of Christmas while sitting in a congregation at church on Sunday. But do the hustle and bustle of December make your Christmas too crowded for the Savior? Do our “To Do” lists distract from its true meaning? Capturing that spirit amidst the often hurried celebrations we hold today can be difficult. But it isn’t impossible.

It is very important for us as parents to teach our children the true meaning of the season. Otherwise, they will leave our nests only understanding that Christmas means getting toys, eating yummy food, decorating our homes, watching the movie Elf, and sitting on Santa’s lap. These are all fun things, but are not going to bring the message home to our children that Christmas is really about one of the most important events in the history of all time, the birth of our Savior, next to the Atonement of Jesus Christ
.
I had wonderful examples in my parents’ of how to make Christmas more Christ-centered. There was much thought and planning involved in teaching us children the true meaning of the season. December was a month devoted to the Savior. It was centered on service and love for our family members and neighbors and learning more Him. I have tried to influence our own children with many of these Christmas traditions, as well as combine traditions from my husband’s family and create a few of our own. I believe these family traditions are crucial; they are what help bind us together for the same purpose year after year.

Let me just mention a few of our Christ-centered Christmas traditions; I am sure many of you have similar traditions in your families. Some of these are kid-friendly and others are appropriate for all ages:

• We currently have about 5 different nativities for the children to play with. They are kid-friendly and will not break. I put them out the first of December and our children play with them all throughout the month. We have 1 hands-off nativity that is the first thing people see when they come into our home.

• A few years back, there was a scripture advent for each day of December in the Friend Magazine. I put the scripture verses in a wooden advent with little doors for each day. Sometimes I stick a treat in there as well. We try to read a few verses of the Christmas story every night before bed in December.

• We try to get our young children involved with service and gift-giving. We make treats together, and all pile into the car to deliver neighbor and friend gifts. This teaches them to get outside of themselves and think about someone else.

• Something that I would like to do when our kids are a little older (that I did every year growing up) is the 12 days of Christmas for a family in need. This was one of the highlights of Christmas. We would plan and deliver in secret, ring the doorbell, leaving a gift and then run as fast as we could down the street to the getaway van. We knew we were brightening the season for a family in need.

If any of you have been on the other side of service during Christmas, then you understand the incredible meaning this has. Let me tell you a little story, on the surface, it is about a Nintendo Gaming System. But exploring a little further, it was definitely the most meaningful and Christ-centered Christmas of my entire life thus far.

There were a few years growing up when my Dad was unemployed. Finances were very tight and as a family we all felt this hardship. Looking back 20 years later, I know this is one of the reasons why I have a close family, but during the time it was a trial for our family. As a parent now, I can’t even imagine the heartache and worry my parents must have felt. I was 13, my older brother was 15, my younger brother 10 and my little sister was 4. My parents did a nice job of trying to make everything seem as normal as possible for us that year, but we knew this Christmas would be different, that there would be fewer gift-giving and receiving. We had just finished reading the Nativity story for our Christmas Eve tradition when we heard the doorbell ring. We all ran to see who it was but no one was there. We looked down and there was a wrapped Christmas package. We opened it up and it was a brand new Super Nintendo!!! These things were expensive back then and definitely a huge luxury. As a family, we all started to tear up to think that someone had thought of us during the hustle and bustle of their Christmas season, we had friends who were aware of our situation and wanted to lighten our load that moment. The story doesn’t stop here, a few days earlier we had packaged up our used Nintendo and delivered it to a family with three boys who was in need. And it doesn’t stop there either, come to find out my parents were able to do Christmas because they received another anonymous gift earlier in the month, $500 dollars underneath the door matt. Since then we have figure out who gave us these gifts and I still get emotional when I think of their service. We definitely felt the love of our Savior that Christmas; none of these events were circumstantial. The joy we felt from giving and receiving has stayed with me all these years.

• We have Christmas music going all the time, most of my Christmas music collection are songs about our Savior. We try to sing Christ-centered Christmas songs, especially during Family Home Evening.

• On Christmas Eve, we do a nativity puppet show reading along with the scriptures.

• We watch Mr. Kreuger’s Christmas every year.

• Growing up, we had a ceramic figurine of Santa bended on knee toward the baby Jesus. All throughout the month of December we would place 1 piece of straw (which were actually little pieces of yellow yarn) in the Savior’s manger for little acts of service and kindness. This is another tradition that I hope to bring to my family!

• There were a few years where we combined with another family and prepared a Christmas program to be performed at a nearby nursing home. We would perform our Christmas piano numbers along with singing. This brought a lot of joy to the people who lived there.

• We have collected over 30 books for Christmas, most of them Christ-centered, some of them fun. We read a few books each night before bed. We also read some of the Christmas stories I have accumulated over the years. Let me read to you one of my favorites:

Trouble At The Inn (read only if there is time)
For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally’s performance in one annual production of the Nativity Play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wa11y would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

Most often they’d find a way to keep him out but Wally would hang around anyway- -not sulking, just hoping. He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who’d say, “Can’t they stay? They’re no bother.”

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play’s director, Miss Lambard, assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally s size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town’s yearly extravaganza of crooks and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lambard had to make sure he did not wander onstage before his cue.

Then came the time when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn.
Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting.

“What do you want?” Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

“We seek lodging.”

“Seek it elsewhere.” Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. The inn is filled.

“Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary.”

“There is no room in this inn for you.” Wally looked properly stern.

“Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a. place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired.”

Now for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

“No! Begone!” The prompter whispered from the wings.

“No!” Wally repeated automatically. “Begone!”

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband s shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside the inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

“Don’t go, Joseph,” Wally called out. “Bring Mary back.” And Wallace Purling s face grew into a bright smile. “You can have MY room.”

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others--many, many others--who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

If we will do the little things to bring Christ into Christmas, and find a better balance during the commercialized season, then some of the other light-hearted traditions (like presents, Christmas parties, making gingerbread houses, Christmas lights, etc.) will not be the only focus and are just added traditions we do for Christmas to make it special. It really is possible to find this balance if we will take the time to plan and prepare.

Let us all remember the true meaning of the Christmas season by bringing Christ into Christmas through our family traditions.

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again." President Howard W. Hunter

Thanksgiving

2011-12-15T07:52:00.001-08:00

My parents came for Thanksgiving this year. A few years ago they were in San Antonio without any of their children or grandchildren for Thanksgiving. This was lonely for them, and they decided they would never let that happen again. So they have been trading off traveling to each of us kids every year! We love it! This year they traded their 80-degree weather for our 20 something that week.

Averie takes piano lessons via web cam from my Mom. It is hard for me to pay for anyone else because my Mom is the best piano/organ teacher I know. Seriously...THE BEST! So creative, passionate, and her theory is beyond comparison. She is an amazing teacher. Anyway, for now it is working great. When she comes to visit, she tries to get in as many lessons with Averie as possible, on a real piano at our church. They performed a Christmas duet while Brenna and Kempton did a few actions to go along.

My mom and I worked on several projects while she was here. They are a surprise so I can't divulge. I recently bought my first real sewing machine, it took me this long to decide that I needed one. It has been nice to have on hand.

When I was about 7-8 I got my first sewing machine for Christmas. It was miniature but actually works, with a pedal and everything. It's been in a bin somewhere downstairs and I finally brought it out for Averie while my Mom was here. She was SO excited! My Mom and her worked together on a miniature quilt. They finished the front side, but Averie asked her other Grandma if she would help her with the back side. This little "Grandma Quilt" will be priceless when it is finished!

Cale's work on a year-long service project came to an end while my parents were here. They presented this beautiful truck to the wife of a fallen soldier. You can read the heartfelt story here. Or you can watch it on the Denver News here.

I didn't get any pictures of actual Thanksgiving, but we usually go to Wyotech during the day to help serve the Wyotech students and their families who come for Thanksgiving. The meal is really delicious, even catered, so we of course counted that as our Thanksgiving dinner. We took home some leftovers and made a yummy Thanksgiving casserole to serve for when Sondra, Paul, Joey and Sondra's friend Kristen came for dinner. We had a great evening!

Boy or Girl Profile...That is the question

2011-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving break we had our halfway ultrasound. Baby looks healthy and has all fingers and toes. But we decided (again) not to find out whether our baby is a girl or boy. Cale feels very strongly about this decision, and when he has a strong opinion about things pertaining to our life and family, I usually just give in. He doesn't usually have strong opinions about this kind of stuff so I didn't protest.

I have learned to love the surprise. It was really fun with Brenna, but I knew all along that she was a she so when she came out I thought to myself, "Well...duh." So did Averie, she would not let us even consider even saying there was a possibility that Brenna was a brother or consider boy names.

This time around, Brenna is very adamant that we are having a BOY, so we will see. I'm not feeling anything either way, which is strange because I've always had that mother's intuition for the previous three and totally knew before. Or maybe this time it's because I think having a boy would be too perfect (it would be nice to even things out) so I tell myself it's a girl so I am happy either way. My happiness comes when I see a healthy baby, definitely not something to take for granted.

Amazingly, we have decided on both a girl and boy name. As well as middle names! That's the hardest part of not finding out: you have to think of two names that you love. I guess there's still time to change our minds, but at least we have a name for both girl and boy that we agree upon!

Oh man...how did I do this before? I think everything changes for baby housing in your thirties. And each pregnancy is a little harder than the previous. My mom was my age when she had her last, I remember that like is was yesterday because I was nine. She seemed so young! How did my Granny have her fifth baby at age 42?

Regardless of it all, I love feeling this baby inside and look forward to meeting him/her in April. I have 20 weeks to go, or I'm guessing about 18 since I've never made it to my due date.

Can't Fight this Feeling Anymore

2011-11-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

I can't help myself any longer. In the next few weeks, it may be hard to pretend like I can still button my jeans. Plus I think my kids have told all of their friends and teachers. Even Brenna told her nursery leader at church on Sunday. So the surprise was officially let out of the bag. It wasn't really a secret anyway!

I told the 3 munchkins and Cale on his birthday back in August. It was his only present, but it was what he wanted. He asked for a baby on Easter, Our Anniversary, Father's Day, Memorial Day, etc, etc, etc. One of my favorite things about Cale is that he loves babies. It took us some time this time around, but with a little help we are now so excited to announce...

#4 is on the way!!! I am 16 weeks pregnant and due in April.

We won't know til then if our little peanut is a girl or boy. We just love to drive our Mothers crazy! ;)

Now that the worst is behind me, I hope to get back to posting nutrition and fitness tips!

Our Halloween Day

2011-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween Day went as follows:

8:00 am

Daddy and Averie were sick from the weekend, so I left everyone home and took Kempton to preschool for his Halloween parade and party.

12:30 pm

Averie felt better so I took her to school after lunch with costume packed. Cale claimed he was feeling better so went back to work.

1:00 pm

Walmart run.

1:45 pm

Averie's Class Party.

4:30 pm

Helped my three get ready for the evening.

Halloween photo session: Starring Rapunzel, Darth Vader and Witch

5:00 pm

University's Halloween Party

6:00 pm

Traditional White Chicken Chili with friends Nicole, Trent and Madelyn. Trick-or-Treating the neighborhood. Averie and Kempton running ahead with friends.

8:00 pm
More White Chicken Chili. Parents checking and children sorting candy.

9:00 pm

One last Halloween story and time for bed.

I seriously love Halloween! If it weren't for Christmas it would be my favorite holiday!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I really do not enjoy carving pumpkins. It was never something I enjoyed doing as a kid either. I think there were a few years I opted out of it and just watched the rest of the family. So now I'm the designated photographer and just observe.

But all of our kids love it, and Cale doesn't seem to mind, so we do it with smiles on because it makes the kids happy. But we will never be the kind of people who get really creative with the designer and detailed pumpkins. In fact, this year we let Averie carve her own. She was very proud!

Brenna was being very silly this night. I caught her silly face on camera several times during the carving. It makes us laugh because normally she is a very feminine and lady-like fairy child, but she lets that go out the window for just a moment to let her silly side come out.

We've got our pumpkins and are now ready for Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

We made our annual drive to Loveland, Colorado for the pumpkin patch (traditionally coinciding with cousin Tai's birthday party). Everyone picked out a pumpkin, Kempton wanted a huge one and insisted on carrying it himself.

It was a beautiful (hot) day! The kids insisted on carving their pumpkins for Family Home Evening the following Monday. This was fine, except for it was several weeks before Halloween. By the time Halloween came, they all shrunk to a sloppy mess on our porch. Oh well, natural consequences! And then they had the nerve to ask us why we carved them so soon!!! Ummmm...that was your doing little ones!!! We tried to reason with you!!! Better luck next year.

Kempton's Boo Boo

2011-11-06T18:40:00.001-08:00

Several weeks ago, we were all walking out of church when all the sudden I look back to find blood gushing from Kempton's eyebrow. Actually, I didn't know where it was coming from.

It became quite the scene, with me taking him over to the grass and holding his wound with my bare hand while Cale ran to the first aid kit. Cale and I were loudly discussing the situation back and forth from the car to the church grounds. Of course as Kempton's mother, I was not doing the best job of remaining calm while Cale was the opposite and not at all thinking it was a big deal.

In my past experiences with my husband, I have learned that he does not believe in stitches. Many years ago, I had a dumb experience at a bowling alley where I smacked my head into the bowling ball shelf and cut my forehead open. It was definitely deep enough for stitches, but "somebody" said it wasn't bad enough (I think he was mostly focused on the hilariousness of the situation surrounding the cut). Lesson learned, now I have a scar where maybe it would have been non-existent. Looking on the bright side, some day it will most likely just blend in with my wrinkles.

Moving on, poor Kempton had a pretty bad boo boo. Luckily the pediatrician in town goes to our church and is a friend. She offered to meet us at her office and super glue it (with the official super glue stuff Doctors use). What a lifesaver this was! He was glued up in no time, without any needles.

Kempton was a trooper and after a few weeks, he's all healed up! The funny thing is that he no longer has an eyebrow. He basically got a wax job when the glue was ripped off!

Conference Crepes

2011-11-06T18:28:00.001-08:00

Every six months we look forward to hearing from some special speakers. We feel inspired and guided, ready to face the trials and joys of life for the next six months.

I try with all my might to make it special for the kids (because it is 8 hours of straight listening to speakers). We do activities, crafts, and eat yummy food. We can even stay in our PJs for some of it!

We began the tradition of "Conference Crepes." We make them like Cale's family with pie filling, bananas, and lemon juice on the inside. Then whipped cream and powdered sugar on the outside. Basically, it's dessert for breakfast. This gives me a little anxiety, but of course I couldn't refuse a few myself!

You will have to excuse my camera. Anyone know why my lighting is always fuzzy when I take pictures in this direction? I had my cousin take pictures in this very same angle with her camera and they turned out just fine!

Seven going on Sixteen

2011-11-06T16:42:00.001-08:00

Since the parentals decided not to do any friend parties this year, we knew we had to make sure their birthdays were just as special. I think we pulled it off just fine (and are thinking of doing the no friend party year more often).

Averie liked Kemptons early morning celebrations so much that she decided she wanted the same thing. The only difference is that she wanted waffles instead of pancakes. I think she just wanted to open her present first thing before school! The morning started out with presents from Dad, Mom, and brother and sister. She was really hoping for dangly earrings since it has been a year since she got her ears pierces. She was also secretly hoping for more American Girl Doll clothes, which Gran and Grandpa gave.

I brought in icing-filled cupcakes to her school the day of her birthday, which was a fun treat. She enjoyed being the center of attention for about 15 minutes.

Then we headed off to Cheyenne that evening(because we go there all too often these days to pick up car parts and to go to Home Depot). Grandma watched the two little ones while we took Averie to Sonic (her choice) for her birthday dinner. She could have gone anywhere but she chose Sonic for a corndog and sour apple slushy!

A very unexpected end to the evening came when Grandma Perriton gave Averie her ballerina quilt. When we first moved here 2 years ago, Averie chose fabric from Grandma's amazing sewing room (floor to wall shelves of fabric, no joke!). Grandma spoiled Averie with this fun surprise! You can't see it very well, but this precious quilt has real tutus sewn on each ballerina.

By the way, what 7-year-old wants a globe for her birthday?!?! Not me at that age. Plus an Atlas and encyclopedia book. She is her father's daughter!

Averie had a great birthday and proved to us that life goes by too quickly. Our baby is growing up too fast. There is just something about your first baby, where every memory is imprinted in your mind and heart. After the first, the memories need to be written down, but with our firstborn we remember every detail. It is a joy to be Averie's Mom, I hope she doesn't get too smart for her mommy, or too talented and amazing! :) She better remember me when she's famous!

Uncle Chad's Visit

2011-11-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

A while back, my older brother Chad called me up with the offer to come and help us finish up our yard (and of course to visit). I suggested that he bring his oldest, Brett to come spend time with the cousins. I know Chad has a special place in his heart for where we live, he spent time here on his mission. He wasn't able to go to Vedauwoo while serving, so we took him to roast marshmallows and climb the rocks.

While the Daddy's worked their #$*-es off, Brett and Kempton spent all day every day on the mini 4-wheeler. Seriously, like 10 hours straight. The two projects worked on were to finish the fence and sprinkler system. A lot of work for just 3 days and 2 men! But they worked super hard and it got done. All we had left to do was to lay the sod and finish the fence gate.

But most importantly, we got to spend time with Chad and Brett on our turf, let them live our lives for a day. I think it's helpful to have a picture in your head of where your loved ones live when you live long distances like I do from my family. It was also sweet to have Brett here, creating those cousin bonds!

Chad and I are notorious for staying up too late talking, and I think we did this maybe 1 night, but the other nights we were all too exhausted from working and hit the sack early.

We had a fabulous weekend and are so appreciative that Chad came to help us out. I don't think our yard would have been complete to this point without his help (or a lot of financial output). We loved having him and cousin Brett!!!

Buddy Walk 2011

2011-11-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

We have made the tradition of only attending the first game of every college football season. Any later and it is just too cold for us. Even this game got a little chilly for my liking! But the day events were super fun. We have enjoyed the Buddy Walk both last year and this year. It is a special fundraiser for our sweet friends with Downs Syndrome. Our money spent on the game goes to this great cause and there are lots of activities and entertainment to enjoy all day. Then we walk over to the stadium as a group of over 500 with matching shirts and eat a McCalister meal together. Lastly, we all sit together in the stands and watch the game!

Our kids obviously enjoy it!

Operation Finish Yard

2011-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

This summer was "Operation Finish Yard." It began in the spring when Cale began the 15x20 foot deck. With the help us his Dad, they were able to pound out the beginnings of the structure. It took the rest of the summer to finish, especially with the stairs!

We literally spent the rest of the summer landscaping our yard, from dirt to grass and fence. Cale's cousins saved our life when they offered to come spend an entire summer Saturday helping us out. Paul (our future brother-in-law) also came to help us out. We were able to do all of the landscaping which included 16 tons of landscape rocks, 12 bags of mulch, plant 6 trees and lots of bushes, start the hardest part of the sprinkler system, and put most of the the edging in. They worked from sun up til dinner time. Some of the women joined in as well, and we had about 20 kids running around which was fun!

Danny was the job foreman and Cale gave him permission to just tell him what to do. We were very grateful to Danny for his expertise.

As you can tell, they accomplished a lot in one full day! And I think we had fun in the meantime! We were so grateful to all of them that we took everyone out for dinner to the Outback. Unfortunately for Will, he sat next to Cale and was hesitant to order what he wanted. I'm positive he was still hungry because when we went to Culvers afterward, he ordered a hamburger.

Kempton's First Day of School

2011-11-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Kempton began his second year of preschool. He would have made the kindergarten cut off, but we didn't want him to be the youngest in his class. He will be more than ready next year, and a little taller! He goes to the same school, has the same teacher, but this year we put him in morning instead of afternoon. This way, Daddy can take him to school most days and he and Brenna can spend the afternoon together. Look at my big kid!

The Big 5

2011-11-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

5 years ago we were blessed with our red-headed baby boy. How sweet, focused, curious, and loving our Kempton is. Our easiest baby, our most challenging toddler, and everyone's favorite! Happy Birthday Bubba!

For some reason when my kids turn five, I feel a little sadness. They are no longer babies and start to get that kid smell. :) It is the age where they aren't cute to other people any more, just to their own parents. Or maybe I just think that about other five-year-olds!

Regardless, life moves quickly and my sweet boy turned five. He is still very cute to me and still has that faint yummy baby smell when I kiss his squishy cheeks! Doesn't he look like such a big kid? So handsome!

After much thought and discussion, we decided this year would be the year of no friend birthday parties for our two older ones. Instead, we made a big deal of their birthdays as just a family. Kempton wanted to open his presents before school and wanted waffles instead of a birthday cake. We woke up early and got it all accomlished before 7:45am....phew!!!!

His main present was an upgraded bike, he great out of his original bike and is now a pro at riding without training wheels. I am not sure I told the story about that (got a lot of video but no pictures). Early in the spring, he wanted so badly to learn how to ride his bike on his own. Cale worked with him one Sunday afternoon and this gave him an introduction but he wasn't quite there yet. The next day after school, he ran straight to his bike and I watched him out the window figure it out all on his home. He spent the afternoon trying over and over again. It was a really neat thing to witness, his focus is incredible! By the time Daddy got home, he was riding all over all by himself!

We have a tradition (that was passed down from my parents, they did this when we were little) where we take our birthday boy/girl out to eat all by themselves. It's kind of wierd for them to be by themselves with their parents, but they seem to soak it up! They get to choose any restaurant they want, but Kempton decided on Quiznos. Like any man, he loves sandwiches! And he chose salt and vinegar chips to go along. What kid prefers salt and vinegar chips over something normal like Doritos?

Once school started the next week, we brought in cupcakes to share with his classmates.

Daddy's Day

2011-11-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Cale is not much into his own birthday, he is happier if the kids get really into it and each pick out something simple for him. Averie made him a thoughtful coupon book with things like, "free kiss" and "free room clean." Brenna gave Daddy gummy worms (that he let the kids eat right then and he didn't get any). Kempton gave him pizza flavor Doritos (Kempton's favorite).

I made him this coconut cream pie, a combination of a few recipes. And looking at these pictures, I think I need to make another one really soon!!! Because we aren't big fans of cake, and Cale is not a big sweets person (but does have a weakness for coconut and banana cream pies), I go the unconventional route for his birthdays. Cale always says that the "best birthday gift I could give him is to not spend any money on him". And after many years of marriage, I finally believe him. And our parents have learned this as well. They usually give him gift certificates for food (because they don't think it's right to not get him ANYTHING).

I gave him a very special birthday present that was for free, but I'm not going to go into that quite yet (and it's NOT what you are thinking!) ;)

Happy 35th Birthday Cale! We love you!

The Gap

2011-11-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Averie is very proud of her GINORMOUS gap from her front tooth she lost the first week of school! Look how huge it is!!! Have you ever seen such a massive gap??? It looks like 2 teeth could fit in there!!! Or one enormous permanent tooth (looks like the "my-teeth-are-way-too-big-for-my-face" stage is around the corner). This is not her first tooth lost, but definitely her most obvious! The tooth fairy thought it deserved a little more cash than usual on this one!

One of Averie's great qualities is that she is never worried about anything...this especially applies to her appearance and hygiene...haha! As mother and daughter, we are very opposite in this arena. As a child, I was very particular about these things, my clothes had to match and my hair had to be perfectly done. But this is not Averie, she is free spirited and I love her for it!

Back to School

2011-10-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

The day before school started, we had a school kickoff where the fire department came and sprayed the kids. It was amazing, and the kids had a blast!

Averie is ready for the school year! Her teacher this year is Mr. D, probably the most organized man I know. His room is perfectly in order and he sends a letter home for parents every week with constant updates. And his penmanship, oh my! Averie loves him because he is cute with the kids. He has a lot of patience and knows how to handle a group of 6 and 7 year-old first graders, probably helps to have years of experience behind him. Not sure there are many men out there that could do as great of a job!

Averie got a new hairdo the day before school, over 4 inches chopped off! She had been begging me to get it cut, even shorter than this.

This haircut has worked out much better then her norm, the amount of morning frustration has reduced (she hates for me to do her hair, and the feeling is mutual). The a-line, stacked look in the back looks darling!

We came across lots of friends on the first day of school. Here is Brenna and her friend Rowyn. I don't think either of them were very excited about letting their siblings go to school after having them home all summer!

Shark Tank

2011-10-28T16:25:00.001-07:00

We spent a night in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget. This was a suggestion from my sister Nichole who has stayed there many of times. It was super nice and clean and the pool was awesome! We basically swam with sharks, only sharing a glass wall in between.

We went to their seafood buffet, which was more than we would have normally spent but considering we don't gamble and the hotel night was super cheap, we decided to splurge a little. Seafood night would not have been Cale's choice, but he is getting more and more adventurous in the seafood department these days and will always at least try new things. He's the least pickiest person I know. We recently were talking about the things we have in common (because let's face it, there are not many) and our love of food and restaurants made the top of the list. Luckily we can appreciate each other's interests (I love that his hobby is flipping cars and he loves that I run and stay in shape).

Cale and Averie went down the clear tunnel, right through the shark tank. It was pretty cool (from what they tell me). We will definitely be staying at the Golden Nugget again in the future!

Lake Powell

2011-10-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

We ended our trip to California and back with a stop in Lake Powell. We met Forrest, Jennie and boys there. We stayed for a few nights with them on their houseboat and enjoyed swimming in the WARM water, exploring the beaches, riding in the boat, and did a little kneeboarding and tubing. We ate delicious food and stayed up late to laugh and talk underneath the warm clear skies. The kids loved swimming all day long. Aunt Sharon and my cousins Brad and Michelle joined us at the end and we had more fun with them.

We are definitely fans of Lake Powell after this trip, and hope this isn't our last time visiting! We kept reassuring Jennie and Forrest that it was worth the trip out of the way to meet them there. It was a great finale to our wonderful 2011 summer vacation!

Brenna was so relaxed she fell asleep like this on the boat:

Cale tubing with Averie and Caden.
Love this picture of the sun. That's me kneeboarding. I must be getting old because it felt like I was going as fast as I used to. Plus, I couldn't quite get all the way around for a 360. Maybe with a few more days of practice!

Hunting for little froggies.

Cousins and besties

It took great effort to get this picture. It was a cave off the water, Forrest and Cale heaved each kid up there and Jennie and I tried to keep the boat from running into the rock. Well worth the effort I should say!

She's trying to act adventurous. But it's only an act!

My Hometown

2011-09-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

From the Bay Area, we traveled to my hometown. While there, we visited Chad, Sue and boys. We had a blast relaxing and being low key. Just what a vacation should be! We spent hours in their pool and playing in their newly built playset. We ate great food (tritip and salmon) and had fun talking. Thanks so much Cale and Sue! I loved going for a run, even with the heat it was so easy compared to running in the high altitude. My next race needs to be in California!

We all made a short trip to Pismo Beach, which was pretty fun, aside from being super freezing. We ate at the infamous Splash Cafe. I had the BEST fish tacos I've ever eaten and everyone else had their famous clam chowder.

Building Sandcastles

Averie made amazing progress with swimming, she was diving to the bottom for rings and swimming completely across the pool. Kempton made progress too and is more comfortable in the water now.

Kempton looked hilarious in his goggles!

Let's all put our heads together...

Look at this cool shot! Thanks auntie Sue!

Splash Cafe

Our traditional stop at Thrifty Icecream. Oh how I love thee, Chocolate Malted Crunch!

I got to spend a day with my bestie Elizabeth and her hubby Matt. Love them!

I left my heart...in San Francisco!

2011-09-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Our original reason for making this trip was a conference to San Francisco for Cale's work. This made the trip affordable because we traded in an expensive plane ticket for gas money. Plus our hotel stay while in California was covered. We know how to work the system!

I loved watching the kid's reaction as we enter San Francisco... it was fun to share a part of my own childhood with them. To them it's like a foreign country but to me it's like home. My Dad grew up in the Bay Area and most of his family still lives there. Growing up, we spent many a "Spring Flings," Thanksgivings, and golf trips there.

My favorite part of the entire trip was a visit to my Grandma DeRose. It was nice to see where she lives and that she is being well taken care of. She is visited regularly by 4 of her children still in the Bay area and they do an excellent job of taking care of her. It was a little hard to see my "young grandma" actually look like a grandma, but it was reassuring to hear her voice because it hasn't changed at all. And she smells the same....so yummy!

Our Brenna Rose or "Rosie" is named after Grandma (and the late Grandpa Barney) DeRose.

We spent several hours with Grandma and then the rest of the afternoon with my two aunts.

Utah to Reno

2011-09-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Circus Circus in Reno. It was actually very clean and didn't reak of smoke. The kids had a blast. With coupons, we only spent $35 on the hotel and $10 on 20 carnival tickets.

The hotel view was scary!

Look at all the junk, I mean prizes!

Summer Vacation 2011

2011-09-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Our summer ended with an extreme road trip. Home to Utah, Utah to Reno, Reno to San Fransico, San Fransisco to V-town, V-town to Pismo, Pismo to Bakersfield, Bakersfield to Las Vegas, Las Vegas to Lake Powell, and Lake Powell to Home! It makes me exhausted just writing it! But for some reason it wasn't as exhausting as it sounds, just a lot of fun with many memories.
Our first jaunt was a 6-hour trip to Utah to visit Shawn and Chelsea and girls. We stayed for several nights and days. We got to see auntie Nichole plus Forrest and Jennie and boys.

We let the kids stay up til 11:00 pm for our get together with Jennie and Forrest.

We love going to Thanksgiving Pointe when we visit Utah!

Look at that little hand!

3 out of 4 aint bad!

Auntie Nichole with the Youngins

Brenna on her pony

I love Reese in this picture, she looks like the perfect jailbird!
They wanted to try out Auntie's sweet ride...a bright yellow mustang!

Ready for California Glamour

Ok. Who looks more like their Dad in this picture? It's a Mark Peterson look-a-like contest!

Pretty girls

I think someone had a little crush on a certain uncle of hers! It's hard to resist Reese's adorable-ness!

Cousins and Friends

Cale took the kids to see Cars II. Averie's pose cracks me up, where did she learn THAT from? I promise I'm not posing like that (in front of her at least...haha!)

Kempton's Tball

2011-08-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

This was Kempton's first year of tball, he had a blast!

Frontier Days

2011-08-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Chey-enne Fron-tier Days (shi-'an fruhn-teer deyz)

noun 1. World-famous annual celebration of the American West. 2. World's largest outdoor rodeo. 3. Held annually since 1897 4. The Daddy of 'em All

Family traveled in from all over, there were 29 people in all.

Most of the grandkids

The originals

Averie and Maci

During Frontier Days, there are concerts every night, Cale and I went to Toby Keith. Notice the plugs in our ears, you know you are getting old when the music at a concert is WAY TO LOUD! When Cale was a youngster, he would go to the concerts and be up close in the standing room only section and never once had to wear earplugs!

Either way, it was a fabulous time!

Maddi Pants, who was a baby when we were married, but is now an official teenager.

Sometimes when Brenna smiles, we see a lot of Maddi in her.

Many-a-hour was spent playing the traditional dunk ball. This year Paul joined and gave them a run for their money!

Salon time

Like old times in Michigan w/ Cory and Summer's families

Carnival time: a rip off, but oh-so-entertaining!

The Airforce Airshow

Inside the aircraft

The "men"

I think if he stood up, the chair would stick to his bottom

At least Liam is eating some fruit:

We went to the Melodrama, I'm surprised Cale agreed to go with all the cheesyness it provided! But fun to be together.

Dad Perriton and Rick helped with the finishing touches on the deck. And there's that blue sky again!

They love their auntie Trisha

G-pa and Gran's Visit

2011-08-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

We looked forward all summer to Gran and Grandpa's visit! We love that they can stay a while when they come, it's the only way that makes living so far apart halfway OK.

We have lots of fun while they are here, but do a whole lot of nothing.

I had promised Averie a "Girl's Day" with Gran, so we got our glitter pedicure. Brenna has her Daddy's toes, no doubt about that. Notice the absense of a tan line on their feet, that comes from their Daddy too! haha! I would be able to tell if they had my toes because I have finger toes, meaning my toes are as long as fingers.

We "day camped" at Vedauwoo and I about peed my pants when Cale took the kids up this rock. You can't tell how steep it is. Excuse the fuzzy pics, they were taken with my Dad's phone.

My mom and I finished a few projects while she was here. I will have to write a post on that because we were quite inventive!

Thanks for coming to us Gran and Grandpa! We hope to return the favor in March for Spring Break!

Waterworld

2011-08-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

I won't give you my poor sorry excuses for not posting in over one month. Summertime has taken over and being outside with the kids is the main priority. I am sure you understand. I plan on getting back to my normal nutrition and fitness blogging once school starts, so stay tuned!

Until then, I have a little catching up to do. All family stuff. We started the summer off with a mini trip to Denver's Waterworld. Then stopped by for some mini golf where Kempton shot a hole in one! I'm thinking he takes after my side of the family with their love of golf. It really is the perfect sport for our extremely focused yet cautious Kempton.

Then there's Averie, who takes after her Daddy with her fearlessness. Here sh is in line for a ride that I had no desire to go on. Luckily Daddy has a partner in crime.

Kempton does not trust his parents anymore. In order for all of us to go on the family rides together, we had to bend the truth a little and tell him that, "No, this ride doesn't go fast!" or "It's not a slide!" It wasn't until we were walking to the car he said "I don't think the Dinosaur ride was very scary!" He acted as if he liked it the whole time. I knew better after I asked Cale why he (Cale) was screaming down one of the rides. Come to find out, Kempton was pulling on Daddy's armpit hair all the way down! hahaha

These are a Few of My Favorite Foods

2011-07-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Keeping fit and at a healthy weight does not just come naturally. But surprisingly enough, it does require learning to LOVE food, specifically the healthy kind. It means finding what YOU love and looking forward to a healthy meal. It also means expanding your palette and trying new things.

In our weight loss group we love to share new foods we have discovered. Try swapping healthy food ideas among your friends. It's a sure-fire way to keep things exciting as you are losing or maintaining your weight!

Kashi GO LEAN crunch cereal

I love a little crunch in all my foods, (including ice cream) so this is perfect!

-It's pretty high in sugar (13g), but has 32% daily value in fiber.

-It is also high in protein.

-1 cup serving has 190 calories, so I usually reduce to 3/4 cup and it is very filling!

So Delicious Milk

This is a delicious discovery for those who are lactose-intolerant or don't enjoy milk. It really is "So Delicious!"

-Creamy, smooth, and wonderful.

-It tastes better than any non-dairy milk I have tried (soy, almond, rice, etc). It beats them all!

-It is fortified with the correct ratio of minerals for calcium absorption (Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Calcium).

-It is dairy and soy free.

-1 cup has 80 calories and 5 grams fat

-Doesn't taste like coconut

-I like "original"

Silk Pure Coconut Milk

If you love the taste of coconut like, then try this variation of Coconut Milk! It's creamy, smooth, and coco nutty! mmmmmmmmmm

Naturally More Peanut Butter

Beware of peanut butter because it is high in calories! However, peanut butter is a great source of monounsaturated (good) fat and fiber, so it is perfectly fine in small doses.

-This peanut butter is natural and includes Omega-3 and Flax seed.

-Taste is superb to regular peanut butter

-Only 3 g sugar

-For 2 tablespoons, there is 15 g fat and 200 calories, 1 tbsp usually does it for me.

Seltzer Water

We realized that what my husband loves about soda is the carbonation, not necessarily the caffeine or sugar.

-Drink this plain.

-Or add flavoring to it (something like MiO)

Special K Cracker Chips

-Great substitute if you are used to high calorie crackers or chips

-Excellent snack

-You can eat 27 chips for just 110 calories

-Appropriate amount of fiber (3g)

-Beware of sodium (10%)

See?!?! Losing weight CAN be delicious!

Stay tuned for the next "These are a Few of my Favorite Foods!"

13 "el-bees" Lighter!

2011-06-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Even active women gain weight as they get older.

We lose muscle mass (sad), we go through menopause and lose hormones (annoying), and our bodies require fewer calories with each year that passes (even more sad and annoying).

It's called life and it's going to be OK. But no worries, there is a BIG BUTT, I mean BUT...

The Journal of American Medical Association found that if you exercise 2 1/2 hours every week, you could be 13 lbs lighter in middle age than someone who doesn't work out.

I'm assuming that if you work out more than 2 1/2 hours each week, you are even better off!

Just keep in mind that a little weight gain can be a normal (and dare I say healthy) part of aging. Of course when I say this I am referring to people who have always lived their life at a healthy and fit body weight for their height, frame, and age. Even for fit people, body composition shifts with age making it ever-so -important to focus on resistance training along with cardiovascular exercise.

My (#$-year-old) mom looks amazing, but doesn't weigh what she did at age 30. In fact the other day she explained to me that she can't go under a certain weight or it makes her face look older. There is wisdom in that!
She still gets mistaken for much younger almost on a daily basis. Can you believe she has a 34-year-old? One of these days I'll share her aging secrets.

In the meantime, set aside at least 2 1/2 hours each week for cardiovascular exercise!

Mango-Coconut Creamy Sherbet

2011-06-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with mangos while living in Mexico City, I ate them like candy because they were abundant! Deliciouso!

First of all, this creamy fruit is an excellent source of vitamin c (an antioxidant) which helps build your body’s defense system and strengthens your immunity. This factor alone helps prevent free radicals from attacking your body. I've talked about free radicals before, but just as a reminder, free radicals are harmful agents that form one of two ways—either naturally through the metabolic phase or through pollutants found in the air. Either way, free radicals break down the body and make you vulnerable to contracting illnesses such as the common cold, cardiovascular disease and even some cancers.

Who would guess that eating icecream could thwart off illness?

This printable recipe is a must-try, if I do say so myself! It only has 64 calories per 2/3-cup serving!

Cube 2 cups (about 3 large mangos) of ripe mango.

In a blender combine cubed mangos, juice of 1 lime, 3-4 tablespoons of TRUVIA, and 15 ounces of coconut milk (So-Delicious Brand, found in the milk section at a grocery store like Safeway). You could also use canned light coconut milk.

Blend until mixture is SMOOTH, scraping sides if necessary.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream maker (I have the icecream Kitchenaid attachment). Mix until mixture to soft-serve consistency, about 20 minutes or so. Spoon sherbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 2 hours or until firm.

Here is my pretty-in-pink sister-in-law, Sondra, giving this a taste test. I took the icecream with us to the mountains, by the time dessert time rolled around it was the perfect, creamy consistency. She doesn't love mango normally, but she LOVED this!

And yes, I did get permission from her to post this picture.

June Happenings

2011-06-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is (finally) here! We've been doing a little of this and a little of that:

Play dates with friends and matching shirts,

Third generation bestie friend visit,

Look at all these children! We let the kids stay up til midnight, Cale wimped out at 1am, and we talked and talked til 4am. The all-night tradition continues!

Father's Day began with french toast in bed and a gift from each munchkin. Of course their gifts were food (Averie-garlic stuff olives, Kempton-pizza Doritos (Wait a minute. Was that a gift for Daddy or Kempton?), and Brenna- sour patch kids that Daddy let the kids devour right away and got maybe 2 for himself.

I am so blessed to have this man as the father of my children. I have not met a more "connected" Daddy.

Building our 18x14-foot deck has taken up a few weekends so far. What a help Dad Perriton has been! Cale loves working side by side with his Dad. And I just love progress! "After" pics to come. Next the fence...

First Vedauwoo trip of the season. We love that we can go to the mountains and have the camping experience without the overnight part! We ate tinfoil dinners, roasted marshmallows, climbed rocks, and rode bikes.

Crazy hair days. In all my life, I've never had my hair pulled up as much as I have in the last couple months. I've always felt so "exposed" with my hair up! haha! Guess I'm getting less self-conscious in my old age.

So far so good, and lots to look forward to this summer!

Barriers, Challenges, and Excuses: Part 6

2011-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to posting this challenge because it is crucial and important for weight loss success. Please believe me on this! What I am about to tell you may seem shocking and unlike anything you've ever heard before. But it is true and it is based upon science. I have never been one to sugar coat things and I like to get to the heart of most issues. This is no different when working with clients. It seems to work, so I'll keep doing what I'm doing!

I have heard the following complaint time and time again, "If I cut down calories I feel hungry all the time and I don't like it."

Are you ready for this dose of honesty? Here it goes:

In weight loss, it is necessary to feel hungry. This is the reason why losing weight it is such a challenge.

Let me explain: Most people who struggle with weight consistently consume more calories then their bodies need. If you fuel your body with every hunger pain, your body will not be able to feed off of it's own storage. Weight loss comes down to one thing: calories in, calories out. You have to consistently burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight (fat).

Let's say that you are used to eating 2000 calories each day but your body only needs 1500 calories. This means that you have been eating an extra 500 calories each day (which leads to weight gain). Of course you are going to feel hungry when you cut down 500 calories of your intake!

Please remember: There is a difference between feeling hungry and feeling lightheaded because of low blood sugar. It is important to know the difference. It is unlikely that you will feel like your are going to faint if you are eating at least 1200 calories each day. And when I say 1200 calories, I mean a nutrient-packed diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, milk, necessary fats, and staying hydrated with water. Basically a well-balanced and nutritious diet without lots of sugar, high calories, processed foods, saturated fat, etc. You could easily feel lightheaded if your 1200 calories consist of less nutritious food. Do you know how much spinach you can eat for 100 calories? A lot! And it fills you up!

At the same time, it is counterproductive to eat less than 1200 calories a day. Your body may go into starvation mode and hold on to it's fat sources. Going below 1200 calories is also considered sub-nutritious, meaning you are not getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Any diet that claims you can eat less than 1200 calories is not endorsed by me (or the American Dietetic Association, the Gold standard for nutrition)!

Please do not worry! Over time, your body will adjust to fewer calories as you are trying to lose weight and you won't feel as hungry. It is common to feel more hungry at the beginning of the weight loss process. It is also helpful to indulge occasionally because deprivation can backfire quickly.

Remember, we are talking about weight loss mode here not maintenance mode.

So the next time you feel hungry in your weight loss journey, just think to yourself, "Oh good, my body is eating itself!" ha ha!

Award-Winning Potato-Lover's Salad

2011-06-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

This salad has a long and silly name, but it is quite tasty and healthy. This is a recipe from Mom (Melva). It's not a typical sweet dressing salad, but has more of a savory taste without the sweet. My favorite part of this salad are the potatoes, sprouts, red (purple) cabbage.

Speaking of red cabbage...it contains several essential minerals including manganese, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium, as well as vitamins C, K and B vitamins. Adding red cabbage to your diet increases your daily vitamin and mineral intake.

In addition, the color and pigments in fruits and vegetables do matter! Anthocyanins are what give red cabbage its color, but they are also antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants help healthy cells in the body fight off damage caused by unhealthy cells and negative environmental attacks from chemicals such as cigarette smoke and pollution.

Print this recipe!

Cook 12 small red potatoes in a plastic ziploc bag for 5 minutes in the microwave. Remove potatoes and cut into fourths. Place in large bowl. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil over potatoes; toss with 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt and paprika.

Broil potatoes on a cookie sheet 5-10 minutes or until slightly crispy.

Meanwhile, chopped 2 cups of broccoli (I like mine very small). Then steam broccoli 5-7 minutes.

Chop 4 heads romaine lettuce.

Than add 2 cups chopped spinach, 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage, and 1 cup alfalfa sprouts.

For the dressing, combine 2 cloves crushed garlic, 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, fresh ground pepper, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp thyme, and 3 tbsp. light mayonnaise. You should have some dressing leftover after the salad.

Pour dressing over salad just before serving (to your liking) and enjoy! This salad also taste delicious in pita bread.

Job Charts and Behavior Modification

2011-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy afternoon here...the perfect time to do a little blogging! I have been meaning to do this post for a couple of weeks, but having all 3 kids home for the summer means trying to take advantage of the beautiful summer!

School has been out for 3 weeks here, which meant that it was time at our house to mix up the daily grind of job and chore charts. Got to keep things exciting around here! I started this new job program the second week of summer break. So far so good, it seems to be working well. We've done the following job charts before. They usually work well for about 6 months or so.

Take 5

This works well for little ones. There is a job for each finger. I did 5 jobs for morning and 5 jobs for evening.

(Excuse the poor photography, my camera was on a weird setting.)

Personalized Picture Chart

Click chart to download:

and here

Popsicle Sticks

Each job is a Popsicle stick. I put frowny faces on one end and happy faces on the other so they can flip them over when they are done with each job. We did this method all through the school year.
Marble Jars

Marbles can be used as motivation for anything!

Everything I know I Learned From My Mother
Whenever I need a new idea in the area of behavior modification and job charts, I usually brainstorm with my Mom. She was the best at implementing chore charts and behavior modification methods. My parents regularly came up with new ways to motivate, reward, and discipline. The method that lasted the longest growing up was her job cards.

A Joint (or Family) Effort
Chores are what we do because we are part of a family. No one pays Me, the Mommy for making dinner every night or doing never-ending laundry. So I do not monetarily reward my children for doing basic chores and responsibilities. Of course I praise them verbally for their obedience, when they do jobs happily, when they help each other, etc. But being a member of this family requires helping out “just because.” Nothing in life comes for free and I don’t want my kids to feel entitled to anything. To pay a child for everything would give them a very warped sense of reality. We do lots of things in life that no one pays us for, and the earlier they can learn that, the better.

With that said, there is a certain element to kids’ work that is absolutely crucial to the normal development of children and the normal evolution of the family. That element is: grumbling. In the form of whining, complaining, crying, wailing, howling. This is to be expected, but the goal is that children will eventually learn that there is more value in hard work. The result of hard work will always be rewarding. Children have to learn to become hard workers without a sense of entitlement. They certainly are not born this way.

Job Cards

Each child is assigned a different color of index card. Using a small plastic recipe holder with dividers for each day of the week, decide on what chores should be done by each child for each day. In the back of the recipe holder, title one divider “complete.” This is where they will place their completed cards.

I will use Averie as an example. For non-reading children, it is best to use cards with pictures.
Click here to download my cards.

Each Day Averie will have a card for Routine*, Empty Dishwasher, 20 Minute Reading, Piano Practice and Set Dinner Table.

*Routine includes: getting dressed & PJs put away, making bed, clear breakfast table, brushing teeth & wiping face, hair done, cleaning room, saying prayers.

“Money Makers” Cards- Can be done to earn privileges or money. When kids want money, tell them to go look in the Money Maker divider.

I am not a parent who will only use positive reinforcement for behavior modification. This child-centered philosophy is definitely new to our generation and in a way, I believe it is crippling the next generation. In real life, the consequences of bad behavior and choices will always result in negative consequences. My job is to prepare my children to be independent and survive in the real world. I have no problem taking away privileges, making my children uncomfortable and sad because of their poor behavior, or taking away "Helper Tokens!”

Ann Landers had wise advice: “In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”

Our children will get their best feelings of self-confidence from being independent and capable. Over time our children will learn to make themselves happy. This is the true test of a good parent.

“Helper Tokens”
For motivation, we use Helper Tokens. I don’t call these an “allowance” because (to me) an allowance is something that you don’t have to work for. I use counting chips (found at Staples) as the equivalent to money for Averie (10 cents per chip). For the two little ones, they will use their tokens to purchase a prize.

Here’s how they work: On Monday, Averie begins with 15 tokens ($6 for the month because she is 6, divided by 4 weeks in a month= $1.50 each week, or 15 tokens).

Another reason why I would not consider this system an allowance is because these poker chips may be taken away for various reasons. Reasons include back talking, sassing, complaining about chores, fighting with siblings, disobeying, refusing to do chores, etc. In addition, I am not their maid so if I have to do one of their chores, then I expect payment for that service.
At the end of each week and after paying her tithing, Averie is given money for what is left of her Helper Tokens. She may also use her tokens to purchase items in our “Helper Store.” Kempton and Brenna receive their chips for the Helper Store.

Earning Free Time w/Tokens
Tokens are a common job chart that I have seen many households use. But I don't feel good about making my kids earn tokens for things such as TV time or any activity that should be counted as free time. As long as children are finishing their responsibilities and getting enough fresh air and play time, free time is theirs! After all, I don’t have to earn my free time! We limit TV time to about an hour each day and some days we don’t turn on the TV, but I've never been extreme in this area.

Helper Store- Treats, bubbles, stickers, chalk, Dollar Store stuff, an occasional larger item (I bought each of them sunglasses), ice cream cone, etc.

Here's a few other great ideas coming from my Mom, Melva.

Gunny Sack
If there are toys left out after the kids are in bed, I gather them up and put them in the “gunny sack.” They can earn them back by doing Money Maker Chores or by paying me in tokens.

Room Checks
My mom used to randomly do room and drawer checks while we were at school. If our rooms or drawers were neat and tidy, there would be a candy bar sitting on our bed or in our drawer. This works really well for little kids too, definitely positive reinforcement. Just as a side note, I am not a parent who believes in room and drawer privacy for my children and future teenagers. My job is to protect them and anything they want to hide from me is not going to be a good thing.

Comments

2011-06-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

FYI...My previous comment feature wasn't working correctly, so I went back to the norm. This means that any comments made with the other feature (Disqus) in the last several months have been deleted. Disqus was just too flakey.

Barriers, Challenges or Excuses: Part 5

2011-06-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

How many of you have thought, "I HATE exercise?" or "I HATE healthy food?" Or maybe you've said it out loud. Don't let these thoughts (excuses) keep you from reaching your healthy potential.

Sometimes it is assumed that fit people LOVE exercise! The truth is, fit people learn to love it because of the endorphins they get, the increased self-esteem, physical results, and the way it makes them feel.

Rarely do I LOVE the feeling I have during a run or while I am exercising, but I LOVE the feeling I have afterward. You should feel discomfort if you are exercising to get results and pushing yourself. To be honest, exercise can be a chore and it's not always something that I look forward to. I do admit there are those moments when I feel like I could run forever or when a video seems easier than it did the week before. But even when I feel like I'm going to DIE, I always look forward to the way it makes me feel afterward!

Maybe one of the reasons you HATE EXERCISE is because it seems boring and mundane. It is important to try different types of exercise: yoga, swimming, bike, videos, elliptical, etc. Variety is good and you will find something you like better than the others. Pair it with an activity you love. Do you love to read? You can read while on a stationary bike or even study notecards for your next text. Or put a book on CD on your ipod while you run. Watch a movie while on the treadmill. Do you love to socialize? Sign up for a class or get your own workout group together! Sometimes it also helps to have a purpose--bike to run errands, walk to visit a neighbor, play volleyball with your kids, mow the lawn, etc.

Let me just put it out there: If you are used to processed, salty, and fattening food (maybe you love fast food or your dinners consist of casseroles and creamy sauces), then healthy food will/may take some getting used to. Foods can and should be enjoyable when possible, but food is also on the earth to fuel our bodies. We have to make sure our bodies get the right fuel even when there are tastier options.

Something to think about: If we never encouraged our kids to eat their vegetables, many would not eat them by choice or grow to like them. If there was a bowl of Cheetos and a bowl of brussel sprouts in front of me and I had to choose only based on what would taste yummiest, I would pick the Cheetos every time.

It is often assumed that fit and thin people dislike fattening foods and treats, or that they never indulge. This is not true and is unrealistic! Ice cream and Cheetos taste just as good to me, but I eat these treats sparingly, they are rarely in the house. To illustrate how much I love these kinds of foods, one year for Valentines Day, instead of the usual trail of rose petals to the romantic bed, my husband made a trail of Cheetos to the bed. This is how much I love Cheetos!

The truth is I eat things every day that are not always the yummiest. I don't base my choices on taste alone, but on what my body needs to be healthy and fit. But...the taste does come if you will expand your palette to include healthier food choices. I now love healthy food, the weirder the better. It's a sacrifice that is worth it!

Here are Barriers, Challenges or Excuses: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, and Part 4!

Healthy Eats Monday: Mango Quinoa Salad

2011-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

I'm cheating a little this week and didn't take pictures of this salad because there are already beautiful pictures of this recipe on the web. I was introduced to this salad by a friend of mine (Olivia) and it has become all the rave with our weight loss group! It is yummy!

The star of this show is the superfood Quinoa, the seed of a green leafy plant that is still cultivated in South America.

Most grains contain an incomplete source of protein (you need to pair them with another food to make the complete protein). Unlike most grains however, quinoa provides the full spectrum of nine essential amino acids.

1/2 cup of quinoa will give you around 127 calories, 2 grams of fat, 23.4 grams of carbohydrates (2 of those being fiber), and 4.5 grams of protein.

Quinoa is also... excellent for a vegetarian diet, high in fiber, gluten-free and easy to digest, easy to prepare, and has a low glycemic index (rates food based on how much they make your blood sugar rise) compared to other whole grains.

And, if you’ve ever tasted quinoa, you know it’s delicious. And one more thing...you can find it in most grocery stores along side the rice. I even found it at Walmart!

The website Our Best Bites has step-by-step directions for this recipe. Go there to discover Quinoa! You can serve this salad with gluten-free Tostido chips, on top of chicken or fish, or as a side dish.

Fitness Friday: How'd He Do It? Learn from Shawn's Success!

2011-06-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today's success story will highlight my amazing brother Shawn. He takes the role of the middle child in our family. He is a peacemaker, an optimist, the most temperate, the best belly laugher, and very affectionate. He used to rub his feet up and down my leg and smother me. Now he does this to his wife which I know she loves! ;) He used to take away my pillow and rub his face all over it on purpose or lay in my bed to make it warm before I got in it just to see my OCD reaction!

But...he and I can't remember a time where we have ever argued or fought, as kids or adults. I've always tried to take care of him (mother him rather) so I'm sure that was annoying but he didn't let it show. I am really excited to showcase Shawn's weight loss success! His story illustrates how you can really "up the anty" on physical fitness and go from mediocre to excellent.

Name: Shawn Peterson

Age: 29

Height: 5' 10"

The Worst of Times: 183 lbs.

The Best of Times: 153 lbs.

Total Loss: 30 lbs.

Shawn's story will make you laugh and inspire you to take your fitness to the next level. It will teach you to stop settling for mediocrity!

Weight wasn't really an issue until...

Before recently, I really didn't put much thought into my health. I played sports in High School which allowed me the ability to exercise and lift weights often. I was in relatively good shape throughout my teenage years. After High School I served a mission for my church in Mexico. I ate rice and beans and walked about 20-25 miles a day. Let's just say I came back looking very similar to a broom stick. After the mission, I went to college. As with most college students that aren't on a meal plan, I ate on the cheap. Very similar to my mission, there seemed to be a lot of rice and beans in the pantry, with the occasional "cup of soup." I was pretty active in college; played intramural sports and took a weight training class. Weight wasn't really an issue UNTIL: I got married.

My first year of college I met Chelsea, who one year later would become my wife. She was my motivation during that time to lift weights and stay in shape. But once I sealed the deal and married her, my motivation seemed to fade. Since we had a meager yet steady income throughout our married college years, we were able to afford the finer things in life: hamburger helper, spaghetti, meat loaf, and the occasional night run to Taco Bell. My calorie intake was increasing and my desire to exercise was decreasing. I was going to class, working part time, studying and doing homework and preparing to be a father. I just didn't find the time to exercise like I should have.

Balance, or the Lack Thereof

After college I got a job for a company that was acquiring seven existing locations in Texas. I was chosen to lead the acquisition. My family and I moved to Lubbock, TX (home of the Red Raiders) to start this new adventure. I was so immersed in my work that not only did I forget to exercise, I forgot that I had a wife and daughter at home. My life was WAY out of balance. I was so stressed that the only thing I felt I could do was work, eat and sleep. No time for anything else. I did ALOT of working and eating and a little bit of sleeping. This went on for two years until I was offered a job at my current place of employment. My time in Texas was invaluable for my career, but it took its tole on my family AND my waist line. I reached the heaviest I've ever been the summer of 2010. Now this may not seem like a lot to some, but I weighed 183 pounds. I was fitted with a gut, some nice love handles and voluptuous man boobs. Not to mention, the Peterson's tend to gain weight on our face first, so I looked about 10 pounds heavier than I actually was.

The "Bad Angle"

I don't consider myself a very photogenic person. Even though I was in good shape in High School and skinny during my single college years, I was always caught in photos with what Suzette calls a "bad angle" Something about my chin and neck that makes me look overweight, no matter what. These types of pictures were few during my early days, but for some reason, after I got married, those "bad angle" shots became more frequent. At first I would blow it off and joke about my bad angle. We would all have a good laugh. But then, I started noticing that my bad angle was showing up in professional family photos, pictures by the swimming pool, in the Chinese restaurant, and then suddenly at my second child's birth!

Wake Up Call for The Underdog

My wake up call happened during our move from Texas. We took a two week trek from Texas to the Pacific Northwest. On the way, we stopped at family and friends houses, where lots and lots of pictures were taken. And for some reason, EVERY single picture of me was a bad angle! That was my wake up call, that was my light bulb moment. I finally came to the realization that I needed to change the way I was living my life. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.

I told Chelsea during the later part of our trip that I was going to start running and get into better shape. She laughed. I've said this before. I didn't blame her for laughing, it actually motivated me. That has always been my personality. When someone tells me I can't do something, I do everything in my power to prove them wrong. I always consider myself an underdog. This mentality keeps me motivated. I like doubters, they give me the extra push I need to succeed. So, true to my word, I began running on July 1st, 2010.

I still remember that first day. I probably only ran 1 mile but it seemed like a marathon. My lungs were burning, my legs and feet were hurting, my back was aching. I was really out of shape. I really didn't want to do it again the next day, but I did. I made small little goals each day: 1.1 miles, 1.2 miles, 1.5 miles and so on. After about a month of running I was able to run 2.5 miles consistently. Then I went on a short trip to visit Suzette in Wyoming and decided to run 3 miles with her. The elevation, pace and terrain brought back the "I want to die" feeling but I pushed forward; side cramps and all. Suzette kept trying to talk to me while we were running. After mile 2, I lovingly told her to shut up and we would carry on the conversation when we got back home. She obliged. After that experience I had the confidence to run further distances and soon I was averaging 3 miles a day. Then I started timing my runs and going faster. I put music on my Droid X and downloaded a program called Cardio Trainer which tracks your run via GPS and gives you updates every 1/2 mile so you can beat your previous times. I started enjoying running. I loved the cool summer air in the morning, seeing the sun come up over the horizon, the feeling of seeing another runner and waving to them. I was actually enjoying this! I signed up for two 5 k races and completed both of them in record time. I dropped 10 pounds in the first 3 months. I was pleased with my weight loss but I wasn't seeing any major differences in my physique. I was skinnier and in better shape, but flabby. That's when I decided to take my physical fitness to the next level.

Rewind 3 Years

Three years previous I purchased a program called P90X. Some of you may have heard of it. I found out about it while sitting on my couch watching TV at 11:30 at night. The program looked like it might actually work. It had "actual" before and after photos of people who finished the program. These people were ripped! After watching the infomercial several times over the next couple of weeks, I convinced Chelsea that this is something I needed to buy. She let me, probably hoping that I would take it seriously. After the package arrived, I began the program the following Monday. Three weeks later, I quit. This program is not easy. 90 days, 6 days a week, an hour a day. Phew! Talk about a commitment. This is not your typical home workout, this is extreme. I just wasn't mentally or physically ready for it at the time.

Fast Forward 3 Years, Back to the Present

I had been running for 5 months straight and was in pretty good cardiovascular condition. Since I wanted to gain muscle mass I decided to forgo running and begin the P90X program for the second time. This time I was in a better place physically and mentally. I was encouraged by the weight I had lost and the goals that I had set and accomplished. I was ready to see if I could push myself even harder. I got the DVDs out of storage, brushed off the dust, and put disk 1 into the DVD player, and pushed play. After about 15 minutes into the workout, I remembered why I quit the first time. It was hard. I had to take breaks often, modify the moves and really dig deep. My body was screaming that I stop, but my mind kept going back to the previous success I had as a runner, and that kept me going. I finished the first week, then the second, then the third and so on. After the first 30 days, I lost another 8 pounds, and was actually gaining some muscle. That muscle increased my metabolism and endurance, which helped me get through the second month. For some reason though, I didn't lose that much weight and I didn't seem to get the big muscle gain I was hoping for. I knew what the problem was though. My eating habits.

Food: my "Religious Experience"

Food has always been an escape for me. Just like every other American, I love a nice juicy burger. Especially being a Californian, In N Out Burger is a religious experience for me. I just didn't have to worry about what I ate growing up because I was always very active. Sure I had a chubby stage in middle school, but I grew out of it after puberty. Soon I was having a religious experience several times a week, without skipping a beat. Those High School habits I had formed when I was 16 quickly caught up to me after marriage and into my late twenties. In order for me to really get the results I wanted from P90X, I needed to think about what I was eating and especially the amount I was eating. Portion size didn't matter in the past. When I would go to a restaurant, I would ALWAYS finish my plate. Rarely did I take a doggy bag home, even after gorging myself on endless salad and bread sticks. So, the first thing I did was force myself to not eat until my pants ripped. The second thing was I actually started eating more often. I would have a light breakfast, a snack, a light lunch, then another snack, and then I would eat dinner. By eating more often I found that I wasn't starving before dinner time, which enabled me to not over eat. I actually wasn't even hungry, which allowed me to eat the proper portion of food. I also made a rule for myself that I wouldn't eat after 7pm and that I wouldn't have any treats until the weekend. I broke that rule on occasion, but for the most part I stuck with it. The third thing I did was eat more chicken and fish. I love both so that didn't really seem like a sacrifice.

Once I started eating right, I not only had more energy, but I was able to push myself even further in my workouts. I got to the point where I was keeping up with the people in the DVD, even surpassing some! By the end of the 90 days, I was in the best shape of my life; period. Better than when I was a 16-17 year old football/basebal player. I couldn't believe the change in my physique. I was actually liking what I saw in the mirror every morning. Chelsea even complimented me several times on my diamond shaped triceps and flat stomach. I was proud of myself and what I accomplished. Boy had I come a long way. Between running and doing P90X, I lost a total of 30 pounds!

Three weeks ago, I started my second round of P90X. I also plan on doing a 10k in July. I'm happy, confident and my priorities are in balance. What a difference a year makes!

Shawn's "Getting Ripped" Secrets:

-Learn to enjoy running and push through the "Want to Die" feeling. I put music on my Droid X and downloaded a program called Cardio Trainer which tracks your run via GPS and gives you updates every 1/2 mile so you can beat your previous times.

-Commit to P90x to increase your muscle mass!

-Eat more often so that you aren't starving at dinner time. Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks. Don't eat after 7 pm and only treat yourself on the weekends.

-Strive to be in better shape then your teenage self!

No more bad angles for him. Look at my hotty brother now!

Barriers, Challenges, or Excuses: Part 4

2011-06-07T19:55:00.001-07:00

Want to get caught up on previous Barrier's, Challenges, or Excuses? Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3!

Maybe this week's obstacles resonate with you.

First off, it is important to talk with your Doctor to see what activities you CAN do safely. He or she may make recommendations about:
-The types of exercise best suited to you and those which you should avoid
-The intensity of the workout
-The duration of your workout and any physical limitations

Referrals to other professionals, such as an exercise physiologist (with a 4-year degree in exercise science) or Physical Therapist. These professionals have education & experience working with special populations and needs. The type of exercise that works best for you depends on your symptoms, fitness level, and overall health.

Intensive strength training (or tearing down the muscles for the purpose of building them up) may not be beneficial for some medical conditions. For example, the mottos "no pain, no gain" or "feel the burn," are counterproductive for people with MS. If you overdo it you can end up straining an already compromised muscular system, increasing pain and causing your body and mind to become overstressed, overworked, and overtired. But even with MS, moderate strength training twice a week can be very beneficial.

With any medical condition, the benefits to exercise outweigh the drawbacks. Everyone can exercise as long as they commit to it, and know their limitations.

Find the time of day that is best for you—if you hurt in the morning, maybe the afternoon is your ideal time. Also, it’s OK to start out slow. If you have trouble walking, look into other activities like swimming or biking. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you! And not just physically. Many people with medical conditions find that depression sinks in because their physical abilities have changed, maybe they can't do what they used to do. Exercise is a natural anti-depressant and self esteem-booster, and can enable you to feel productive and energetic.

I am speaking from personal experience when I say that I have had various health conditions. There have been several occasions where I have had to back off of exercise and ease back into it But giving up has never been an option. Listening to your body is crucial.

Just remember, even with a medical condition, there is SOMETHING you can do to maintain or increase your fitness level!

Here's my rule of thumb for this excuse:

If you have (1) counted calories correctly and diligently for at least one month, (2) reduced your daily calories to 1200-1300 (never going below 1200 calories), and are (3) doing 250+ minutes of cardiovascular exercise each week but still are not seeing results, then...

it is probably time to have a blood panel done. There may be something else going on in your body (like hypothyroidism) that is getting in the way of your weight loss. Hormones can contribute as well (estrogen dominance).

Healthy Eats Monday: Asparagus Fettuccine Italiana

2011-06-06T14:08:00.001-07:00

Printable Asparagus Fettuccine Italiana Recipe

We love asparagus around here. One of these days I will do a post on different ways to cook asparagus. So stay tuned for that!

Asparagus is loaded with nutrients: a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K,. This yummy green vegetable is packed with antioxidants, ranking among the top fruits and vegetables for its ability to neutralize cell-damaging free radicals, which may help slow the aging process. I'm all about that! Who wouldn't be?

Today's Healthy Eats Monday includes asparagus, it is a popular dish at our home. And very easy.

Cook 8 oz. fettuccine according to package. Try whole wheat fettuccine! I didn't this time, but it tastes great either way.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, brown 1 package (14 oz.) reduced fat smoked turkey sausage, thinly slices and halved.

Add 2 cups fresh chopped asparagus, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp. thyme.

Saute vegetables until tender.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 tbsp. cornstarch and 1 cup fat free chicken broth until smooth and then add broth to the sausage and vegetable mixture. Bring to boil, cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Drain pasta, and add to sausage and vegetable mixture. Toss to coast and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

I'm a First Grader!!!

2011-06-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is what Averie was shouting loudly the last day of school. It was kind of hard for me to hear. In my mind kindergartners still have the "cute factor." But do first graders? I'm not sure, I guess I'll have to find out. They seem like official kids to me. I have mixed emotions each year she grows older. And then the other two are right behind her.

The other night, I was thinking about how once Averie turns 9, she is halfway to being out of our home. And then it made me think how time flies and I literally remember when I was 9. And then I missed my Dad, Mom, Chad, Shawn, and Nichole. And then I missed the grown-up Averie. You don't want to be in my mind, it is a strange place. All these thoughts were a result of one excited little girl shouting out "I'm a First Grader!!!!"

At least I have these two little ones home with me for at least another year:

They were pretending to be swimmers with their swim caps. Or at least this was their explanation for running around with underwear on their heads.

Averie performed as a bride in her first dance recital.

The last week of school Averie performed "Found a Peanut" with her two friends in front of the entire "Peanut-Free" school. They stole the show with uproarious laughter at each silly line. We were so proud of her for being so brave. I would have froze up there at that age; our girl has no fear!

Now school is over and life is simple, but it means back to keeping 3 children busy!

And the Winner Is...

2011-06-01T12:58:00.001-07:00

I am doing this the old-fashioned way, with little slips of paper in a bowl representing each of you. I'm a little nervous for you, my heart is beating! I am drawing out a name as I type this.

Congratulations to...

Makellbulloch!!!!!!

You won Jillian Michael's new video AND you get to try out the new individual Brita filter water bottle!!

Thank you everyone who participated! Until the next Giveaway, maybe at 100 followers!

Makellbulloch, please email me (csperriton@yahoo.com) and let me know your mailing address so I can send you your prize!

Memorial Day Observed

2011-05-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day, which means family time around here. Healthy Eats Monday will resume next Monday along with Fitness and Nutrition tips.

Just a reminder that my first blog giveaway winner will be announce June 1st! Only 2 days left! Who isn't interested in free stuff? A big thank you to all of you who read this blog!

The voting at Circle of Moms ends June 1st as well. You can vote every day until then. Not holding my breathe though, there is some serious competition!

I would like to honor our Veterans for all that they have done and continue to do to preserve our freedoms in this great country. I also want to remember family members who have passed, for their legacy and influence on my life. I know I will see them again some day.

Annual Hospital Charity Ball

2011-05-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, it's fun for this girly-girl to get all dressed up like Cinderella and go to a Ball. I look forward each year to accompanying Cale to the Grand Lefluer. Our favorite part of these kinds of evening is really the food. Because we both love and appreciate fine cuisine. Things like green olives stuffed with anchovies, brie cheese, and custard-filled chocolate petals. Before we had any kids, eating out was one of our favorite past times. Yes, even though I am nutrition-conscious, I still enjoy the finer things in life (food).

The "up do." I googled "sideswipe updos" and followed a tutorial.

We decided to invest in a black suit/tux for Cale, figured this would be cheaper in the long run than renting. I borrowed my dress.

Delicious food, great company, and romantic dancing are my definition of the perfect evening!

A Linkup Party

2011-05-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Michelle over at Cloud 9 Ranch and Teri at Teri's Little Haven started a Spring Cleaning Linkup Party using my "28 days to a fresh and lovely home" chart. Go check it out and link up if you want to join the movement! Cleaning and Organizing are always more fun when we work together! :)

Also, there are only 4 more days to vote for Go with the Flo on Circle of Moms! You can vote once a day until June 1.

Keeping Control While Laying Back

2011-05-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

As the school year winds down, the freedom of lazy summer days beckon. The sun is up so much later, activities and relaxing days fill the family schedule. It's appropriate for expectations to be somewhat looser than school time and it is important to allow for plenty of free time in the summer. But I have found that a total break isn't always the best for maintaining peace and serenity. The outcome of zero planning is usually hectic, crazy, and results in unfulfilled days.

I have created a weekly summer planning chart that was meant to help me feel slightly in control this summer. Looking at the chart, it is obviously unreasonable that each area will be accomplished each day. This chart is for planning purposes only. No need to stick to it religiously. Some days are filled with more free play than others.

These ideas are geared for children ages 3-10 years old. Many of them may work for older children as well. I’m lucky, my 6 ½ year old still loves playing with Play Dough!

Click on the image to plan your summer activities:

Craft/Activity/Project Ideas
1) Cookie Play Dough
2) Play Dough
3) Puzzles
4) Paper Chain countdown until vacation
5) Board Games
6) Do an act of service, like pick up all the trash on your street or make cookies for a neighbor.
7) Write Thank You Notes or letters to cousins and grandparents.
8) Puppet Show (my Mom made us the most amazing puppet theater w/ puppets)
9) Magazine cut-out collages. All you need are magazines, paper, scissors and glue
10) Driveway painting with Crayola sidewalk paint
11) Make Tele-Cups with Styrofoam cups and 3’ to 6’ of string
12) Make a fort with blankets and chairs
13) Watercolor paints
14) Finger paint with pudding
15) Water balloon activities: water balloon volleyball, toss, or fights!
16) Blow bubbles
17) Painting with water. Fill a bucket full of water and use a paint brush to paint the deck, fence or sidewalk with water.
18) Run in the sprinklers.
19) Set up a lemonade stand.
20) Tie Die Shirts
21) Make molded garden stepping stones
22) Go on a nature walk
23) Make homemade ice-cream
24) Make homemade popsicles

School Learning Ideas
1) Write 20 interesting things about something. 10 things if they are younger (idea from The Pioneer Woman). I think I will have Averie start with insects, Mozart, and water.
2) Great website for mini lesson plans: www.lakeshorelearning.com
3) File Folder Activities. I have a bunch if you would like copies.
4) My mom’s best friend gave me a valuable resource that has helped me do something fun and educational with my children each day of the year. All I have to do is look at the month and the day to see what activity we are supposed to do. For example, on April 30th we were supposed to “Color a rainbow, then write down the colors.” Or on November 3rd we are supposed to “Clean under your bed.” She came up with 365 things to do! And also included activity pages that correlate. In fairness to her, this was a lot of work so I can’t share, but let me know if you are interested. She may consider selling her creation if there is enough interest.
5) Educational Workbooks. You can find these at places like Walmart and Target. Last year I found mine from Target for $1!
6) Hooked on Phonics Program. I purchased the entire old-school set on ebay for $20! There are 4 levels.
7) Another great website with free learning printables:
http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-printables.html

Here are a few of my favorite free printables. Just click on the image to download.

Outing/Adventure Ideas
1) Programs @ the library
2) Play at the park
3) Swimming
4) Bike ride
5) Roast smores at a campsite (we have plenty of these nearby)
6) Feed the ducks @ a park
7) Play date with friend

Reading Ideas
1) Hooked on Phonics Program. I purchased the entire old-school set on ebay for just $20! There are 4 levels. My kids love them, but if they don’t, no need to force or push! It should be something fun to do.
2) Library Summer Reading Programs are a must!
3) Read a few chapter books out loud to your children, a chapter or two each day. A few suggested reading classics:
a. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
b. Stuart Little
c. Where the Red Fern Grows
d. Charlotte’s Web
e. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
f. The Indian in the Cupboard
g. James and the Giant Peach
h. The Secret Garden
i. Pippi Longstocking
j. Tuck Everlasting

Spiritual Learning Ideas
(I’ve focused on LDS topics, but if you aren’t LDS you could create mini devotionals and scripture memorizations, etc.)
1) Memorize an Article of Faith each week
2) Memorize a Primary song each week
3) Read the Friend Magazine
4) Read a scripture story
5) This site has great ideas: www.theredheadedhostess.com

I would love more ideas for the summertime! Do share!

28 Days To a Fresh and Lovely Home

2011-05-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on this week's posting. For goodness sake, Wellness Wednesday is almost over! For a moment I thought about taking a hiatis from blogging this week, but that made me sad. You see, it is the last week of school here with only 2 days left before summer vacation. Every day this week I have something mandatory to do both morning and afternoon. I usually blog in the evenings while Cale is busy doing homework or at class (he is working on his MBA), but he is also out of school right now so spending time with him is the priority.

Upon realizing that I only have one week left before my children would be home all day every day, I about had a heart attack. Of course I want my children home for the summer, but I would like to make sure that every day is worthwhile. You know how kids get when they are bored...grouchy, whiney, argumentative, etc. And then Mama gets grouchy, annoyed, and irritated.

So in an effort to get all of my ducks in a row before summer break, I thought I would post what I have been working on this week. Just like eating a healthy diet and following a consistent fitness plan, happiness at home (for me) requires a little planning. This usually entails charts, plans, and schedules. Beware if you are not a list or chart maker...

My first plan of attack is to plan for Spring Cleaning (even though it hasn't been very "springy" around here). I have found the best way (for me) to Spring Clean is to do a portion each day until it is finished.

Who's gonna join me in Spring Cleaning this month? Just click on the image to download!

Stay tuned for more summer organizational helps coming up this week! Don't worry, I'll be back to the norm of nutrition and fitness next week.

Healthy Eats Monday: Flo's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2011-05-23T13:11:00.001-07:00

Printable Recipe

Normally Chicken Enchiladas are...how do I say... not very healthy. Loaded with sour cream, cream-of-something soup, heavy cream, and cheese, regular enchiladas are not very healthy-conscious.

Yes they are delicious, and yes it's OK to indulge occasionally, but here is a recipe that will blow you away. It has all the flavor of any chicken enchilada recipe...only way less fat and calories plus more fiber. Give it a try, will ya?!?!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Start out with two cups of shredded boiled chicken. This time I used frozen chicken I had already cooked.

I use a lot of onion and garlic when I cook because I don't like to use much fat and salt in everyday cooking. Spray large fry pan with cooking spray, add 2 cups chopped onion and 6 minced garlic cloves. Saute until clear.

Add 1 cup frozen corn.

Add 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1 can diced chiles, 1/4 cup water, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add 1/3 cup cream cheese and chicken.

Now add 1/3 cup fresh cilantro and 2 cups MILD salsa verde.

Heat a medium skillet over medim-high heat. Add 9 corn tortillas (one at a time) and cook each side about 30 seconds until softened. Remove from pan, cut tortillas into quarters.

In the bottom of a casserole dish, spread a little mild salsa verde on the bottom. Then place 12 tortilla pieces on bottom.

Spread 1/2 of chicken mixture, then: 12 tortillas quarters, remaining 1/2 chicken mixture, 12 tortilla quarters, remaining salsa verde, and top with cheese.

Spread additional salsa verde over last layer and top with 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until bubble and lightly browned. Top with more cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

Serve with a side of vegetable (broccoli, asparagus, green salad, beans, etc) and you have yourself a meal!

Pin It

Fitness Friday: Playlist Swap

2011-05-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

There are days when I'm in the mood to listen to my own thoughts and sort out feelings while running or exercising. This can be very therapeutic.

But the majority of days I enjoy listening to music while I exercise, especially when I run. Music can turn an otherwise dull workout into your favorite hour of the day. It can motivate, inspire, and energize! It sure makes me giddy inside, how about you?

I've had the same playlist on my MP3 for a while now, and am ready for a change. I thought it would be fun to have a music swap. Changing up the music on your ipod or MP3 will keep you motivated to continue your exercise lifestyle.

Let's swap our music playlists!

What are your 5 favorite songs on your workout playlist?

Mine are (but about to change):

1) U2-Beautiful Day

2) Fergie-Glamorous

3) Adele-Chasing Pavements

4) Bruno Mars- Just the Way You Are

5) The Fray- How to Save a Life

Guest Post Over at Topsy Turvy

2011-05-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today I "guest posted" over at my sister-in-law's sister's fun/crafty/cake-making blog:

Over there, I address the very important question:

"How many calories should I eat?"

I let the cat out the bag on how to determine individual caloric requirements and saved this important post for her blog.

Go check it out, and check out her cute blog out while you are at it!

Wellness Wednesday: Barriers, Challenges or Excuses Part 3

2011-05-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of "Barriers, Challenges or Excuses!"

To put it bluntly, this week's challenges are just plain excuses. Nevertheless, I have heard them more than once! Read them to see if these thoughts have ever got in the way of your success:

This excuse refers back to a post recently entitled "Top 10 Common Exercise Myths." The truth is, many people find it easier to stick to a home-based fitness program. The best program for you is the one you will do consistently!

To be honest, I am a gym-goer. I love the gym. Mostly I love being by myself and left to my own thoughts while I run or work out. But going to the gym may not be practical for various reasons. Finances, a gym without childcare, being a single mom, or lack of time may get in the way of getting to the gym. Or maybe you don't like the atmosphere? I've been to what I would consider "Meathead" gyms where the women wear makeup and the men are huge bodybuilders just out to impress. Not my cup of tea either! I prefer the no-makeup-ready-to-show-my-back-sweat kind of gym.

You do not have to go to a gym to get a great workout! You can accomplish an intense workout by taking the kids for a walk/jog in the nice weather or by doing an exercise video at home. I have gotten used to my kids wanting to exercise with me. They grab the cans out the pantry and work right beside me....it's pretty cute actually. You don't even need a treadmill or elliptical at home (although these are great too) to get an intense at-home workout.

There are so many great DVDs out there! In fact, one of them is being offered for my first giveaway. Click here to join. You can check out DVDs from the Library, or swap exercise videos with friends! Or you could meet up with friends and do a workout video together.

Eating healthy is an investment into you and your family's health! You can't afford not to eat healthy! I have a few suggestions:

1) Simplify your meals and your diet. Dinner at my house consists of the main dish and a vegetable or fruit, sometimes both. We rarely have a different kind of side dish. For example, if I make chicken enchiladas, I don't make a side dish of rice because we are eating plenty of starches in the enchiladas! Or, if I make a pasta dish we don't have garlic bread. Just a vegetable or fruit on the side. If you have barbecued chicken, I would add a starch (potato or rice) and count them both as the main dish. This way of making dinner will reduce your grocery bill.

2) Plan your meals for the week and make a grocery list. You will save money if you plan your meals ahead of time, go to the store with an organized plan, and stick to your plan. My Weekly Meal Plan sheet may help get you back on track.

3) Stop buying processed foods. Is a bag of salad more expensive than a box of crackers? Is a container of yogurt more expensive than a bag of chips? I think not! When a healthy food goes on sale, make sure to buy in bulk (oatmeal, frozen fruit, chicken, salmon, 100% juice, etc).

Stay tuned for next week's Barrier's Challenges or Excuses...

Healthy Eats Monday: Spinach-Feta-Sun-dried Stuffed Chicken

2011-05-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today's Healthy Eats recipe highlights one of the most nutritious foods available....spinach!

Click here for printable recipe!

1 cup of this cancer-fighting antioxidant-filled food contains your daily requirement for vitamins K and A. It also contains almost all of your daily requirement for magnesium and folate. Not to mention spinach is loaded with fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin C, and protein!

Antioxidants fight free radicals in the body, thus preventing cancer. Spinach improves cardiovascular health by preventing harmful cholesterol to clog your arteries. It also improves brain function and protects against aging!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Begin by chopping 6 oz. fresh spinach (1/2 a bag).

In a medium bowl combine spinach with 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dried, not in oil), 1/2 cup feta cheese, 2 tsp. garlic, and 1/4 cup light mayonnaise.

Have I mentioned that anything with sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese HAS to be incredible!

Using your (clean) hands, fill 16 tenderloins with spinach mixture, holding them in place with toothpicks. Fill in the dish with the remaining spinach mixture.

Squeeze 1 lemon over the chicken, and sprinkle each chicken tender with Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and dried oregano.

Bake uncovered @ 325 for 30 minutes, or until top is golden and chicken is cooked.

Two tenders count as one serving, at only 207 calories. Plus delicious and nutritious!

Top 10 Common Exercise Myths Countdown

2011-05-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I adapted and created these myths in college. Some of them needed tweaking and I added a few additions.

Although some old fitness fictions, such as “no pain, no gain” and “spot reducing” are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions still exist.

10) Water Fitness Programs Are Primarily for Older People or Exercisers With Injury

Research shows that water fitness programs can be highly challenging and effective for both improving fitness and losing weight. Even top athletes integrate water fitness workouts into their training. Water is also excellent for pregnancy.

9) The Health and Fitness Benefits of Mind-Body Exercise Like Tai Chi and Yoga Are Questionable

These formes of exercises have been shown to treat low-back pain and fibromyalgia. Improved flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, strength and stress management are just some of the potential results of mind-body exercises.

8) Yoga is a Completely Gentle and Safe Exercise

Yoga is an excellent source of exercise (I try to do yoga at least once each week, Jillian Michaels has a great yoga DVD, and it is hard work). Some styles are quite rigorous and demanding both physically and mentally. As with any form of exercise, qualified, careful instruction is necessary for a safe, effective workout.

7) If You Want to Lose Weight, Stay Away From Strength Training Because You Will Bulk Up

Cardiovascular exercise and strength training are both valuable for maintaining a healthy weight and for fitness. Strength training helps maintain muscle mass (which is crucial considering our muscle mass declines as we age) and decreases body fat percentage.

6) Home Workouts Are Fine, But Going to the Gym Is the Best Way to Get/Stay Fit

Some people find it easier to stick to a home-based fitness program. In spite of all the hype on trendy exercise programs and facilities, the "best" program for you is the one you will participate in consistently

5) Overweight People Are Unlikely to Benefit Much From Exercise

Studies show that obese people who participate in regular exercise programs have a lower risk of any causes of death than sedentary individuals, regardless of weight. Both men and women of all sizes and fitness levels can improve their health with modest increases in activity.

4) If You Exercise Long and Hard Enough, You Will Always Get the Results You Want

In reality, genetics plays an important role in how people respond to exercise. Studies have shown a wide variation in how different exercisers respond to the same program. Your development of strength, speed and endurance may be very different from that of other people you know. Genetics influence bone structure and fat distribution. For example, in my family, we build muscle very easily and quickly (My brothers can bulk up in no time and my sister has incredibly firm muscle tone. You could bounce a penny on her behind! As for me, I will always have a booty. The trade off is that we gain weight in our face. Nice trade off, huh? Not so much). The point is not to compare yourself with others. Please don't let this stop you from being a consistent exerciser!

3) Exercise Is One Sure Way to Lose All the Weight You Desire

Weight gain or loss is impacted by many factors, including dietary intake and genetics. All individuals will not lose the same amount of weight on the same exercise program. Although exercise alone cannot guarantee your ideal weight, regular physical activity is one of the most important factors for successful long-term weight management.

2) If You're Not Going to Work Out Hard and Often, Exercise Is a Waste of Time

This kind of thinking keeps a lot of people from maintaining or even starting an exercise program. Research continues to show that any exercise is better than none. You've got to start somewhere, and on days where intense exercise is too daunting, just being active and going for a walk is beneficial.

And now for the #1 Exercise Myth...

1) You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer At A Lower Intensity

The most important focus in exercise and weight control is not the % of exercise energy coming from fat, but the total energy cost, or how many calories are burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run, for example, the more calories you use per minute. However, high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain if you are just beginning or returning to exercise, so you may not be able to exercise very long at this level. It is safer, and more practical, to start out at a lower intensity and work your way up gradually. You can burn a lot of calories in a little amount of time (20-30 minutes) at a higher intensity. And with intense exercise you continue to burn more calories after your workout! Why drag out the calorie burning? Get it done in a shorter period of time with intensity.

Hopefully this list changed your thinking (whether big or small) about exercise!

Top 25 Health and FItness Mom Blogs

2011-05-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Someone nominated Go with the Flo to the Top 25 Health and Fitness Mom Blogs on the website Circle of Moms. You can vote by clicking the orange "thumbs up" button next to the name of the blog. You can vote once per blog every 24 hours. So for example, if you voted today at 10am, you wouldn't be able to vote again until tomorrow at 10am. Voting goes until June 1, so click on the following link and head over there to vote.

All this blogging networking stuff is foreign to me, but I'm told it's necessary and important. Who knows!

Click here to vote.

Wellness Wednesday: Barriers, Challenges, or Excuses

2011-05-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

Go here if you missed the first two "Barriers, Challenges, or Excuses" from last week's Wellness Wednesday.

For this week's "Barriers, Challenges, or Excuses" we will focus on two common excuses:

As women, our bodies change with each pregnancy. It truly feels like our body goes through the ringer! And even more challenging, sometimes we haven't gotten back to our pre-pregnancy fitness level or weight before we get pregnant with the next one! This was me in between #2 and #3 (#2 was only 7 months when I found out I was pregnant with #3). I had to work harder than ever after #3 just to feel normal again. But eventually I did feel "normal" again, and I earned my cardiovascular and strength back.

Even though I am fit, there is no going back in time. It seems like every 5 years I have to get reacquainted with and accept my "new" body. My 31-year-old body is different than my 21-year-old body. And I know my body will continue to change, in 5 years it will be different and so on. This happens as a result of pregnancy, nursing, hormones, aging, etc. We need to stop longing for our pre-children body because sometimes this unrealistic goal gets in the way of success. I've seen this over and over again.

Instead, we need to do the best we can with what we have. We need to focus on feeling and looking great at our current stage in life, not comparing ourselves to our prime. This doesn't mean we can't be just as fit and feel healthy at any age after children. It just means that our bodies are different. Honestly, I feel just as fit as I did before children. I just now have wider hips and ribcage, stomach skin, spider veins, etc....hehe.

But...I can honestly feel and say that pregnancy, nursing, and aging are all WORTH IT. Don't you agree? All these things bring wisdom, selflessness, love, maturity, character, joy, and sacrifice. I'd rather have these things than my 21-year-old body!

As mothers we sacrifice for our children, they come first. We forget that in order to have the energy and self-esteem we need to give them our love, we must take care of ourselves! I have a hard time with the current point of view saying we should "put ourselves first" (because serving and helping others is what brings pure joy), but I think there is some truth to that idea. How can we have the energy we need to give our children if we are unfit, overweight, and unable to keep up with with our children?

I promise that if you will make the time to exercise and eat right, even with children, you feel your best! It's TIME to let go of this excuse!

These leads us to the next excuse:

Remember that we all have the same amount of time in the day, we just prioritize differently. Many assume fit people spend hours at the gym, but this is not true. Some days some of the workouts I do just take 20 minutes and 2-3 days/week I don't do an intense workout. You can complete a very intense workout that will burn tons of calories in just 20 minutes. And the more intense it is, the more you will "afterburn," meaning you will continue to burn calories after. Jillian Michaels videos are the perfect solution to problem!

I've heard from some women that they believe exercise is a selfish thing to do, or that it is a waste of time. It is true, many times I haven't showered and dressed for the day until after my workout (which could be as late as 11am) but it is worth it to me! Taking a little time for yourself each day will benefit your children and family because you will be fit enough to keep up with them!

Think of it this way: You are buying time by exercising. If you die of heart disease (or any disease that can be prevented), you are out of time!

30 Followers Giveaway!

2011-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to introduce my first blog giveaway!

I am a big fan of Jillian Michaels workout videos (30-Day Shred and Yoga Meltdown). Her workouts are definitely intense enough, and if you are looking to lose weight, you can always combine her workouts to make them longer.

She recently came out with a new video called "Ripped in 30." It is excellent with many new hard moves. Remember, intense is good! And they are only 24 minutes, but believe me, you will definitely break a sweat and it will get your heart pumping!

I'm also throwing in this new water bottle, that filters as you drink! Hydration is very important, but I'm not a fan of wasteful water bottles so this is the perfect solution.

The guidelines for this giveway are as follows. For each item you will get your name in the hat (so if you do all of them, it ups your odds). Please make a comment for each action, and if you've already done a few, then make sure to comment for each.

1) Become a fan of "Go with the Flo" on Facebook.
2) Become a fan of "Go with the Flo" on Google
3) Link up the blog and giveway on Facebook.
4) Write a post on your blog with a link for the blog and giveaway
5) Grab my button and put it on your blog.

The deadline for this giveaway is the 27th of May, so you have 3 weeks!

Healthy-Eats Monday: Pineapple Salsa

2011-05-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love corn salsa and mango salsa, so when my mother-in-law introduced me to this pineapple salsa, I loved it too! I thought I'd kick off the warmer weather with a summer recipe.

Pineapple is filled with antioxidants, which are responsible for the prevention of cellular damage--the common pathway for cancer, aging, and numerous diseases.

The main antioxidants in pineapple are Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin C functions in the maintenance of connective tissue (collagen synthesis) such as skin, bones, teeth, blood, epithelial tissue, tendons and ligaments. Vitamin C is also well-known for enhancing immunity. Vitamin A helps with vision and the maintenance of connective tissue and proper bone grown. It's also required for growth, reproduction, immunity, and cancer protection.

So eat your pineapple (but not TOO much if you are like me and your mouth gets raw)! By the way, this recipe is GLUTEN FREE! Even the baked Tostitos!

Click here for printable recipe.

First, finely dice 2 cups of pineapple.

Then add 3 kiwis, finely diced.

Add 1/2 cup both purple onion (finely diced of course) and chopped cilantro.

Add 2 fresh squeezed lime.

I like to let mine chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Finally, serve with Baked Tostito Scoops!