While I was in the kitchen...

....Jared was getting his yearly workout. He's still sore, but the glory of it all was worth it! 

"These mashed potatoes are so creamy!"

It's cold and overcast outside. J's off playing football with his brother's and friends. I'm watching "While You Were Sleeping" as I make a variety of pies. I love the familiarity of it all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Coldplay Contest

Currently, there's a contest going on challenging everyone to make a music video to Coldplay's "Lost". This is Jared's entry {I'm a bit of a Vimeo snob, but you can see the YouTube version here.} I keep playing it over and over in preparation for the concert tonight. Can't wait!

A Fine Romance

When we met, I couldn't find a pencil to give him my phone number. I tore off a corner of paper from an ad on the bulletin board and used a thumbtack to stipple the crucial digits into the surface. Six months later, we were married.

In the 10 years since that moment, we've traveled through Europe, navigated family holidays, refinished furniture, purchased a home, started a business, and started a family. We've been through marriage classes, birthing classes, parenting classes, and communication classes. He's taught me to drive and to snowboard. I've taught him to use "recumbent" in a sentence. We've each had moments when one has been weak and needed to be carried, were wrong and needed forgiveness, or were discouraged and needed a loving friend. 

And yet, with a few mischievously whispered words, he can still make me blush. I am so thankful that I found that thumbtack. 

{photo via Cup of Jo}

Let It Rain

According to the weather man, it's been 84 days since we've seen any measurable precipitation. {Apparently the freak hail that crushed my garden peas a few weeks ago doesn't count.} So waking up this morning to a sky filled with threatening clouds has garnered understandable excitement in our household. 

Little Miss C pointed to the horizon where the rising sun lit the clouds with an inner fire. "Look!" she exclaimed. "Those are the day clouds!" she swung her pointed finger to the opposite end of the sky, where the clouds lay dark and sullen. "And look!" she said, "Those are the night-storm clouds! They're fighting!" 

I smiled and asked her which clouds she predicted would emerge the winner. 

"That's easy," she replied with an effort at patience for my obvious lesser intelligence. "The news said it would rain on Wednesday, and today is Wednesday, so the storm clouds are going to win. They're big and heavy. The day clouds will grow for a little while, but then the storm clouds are going to swallow them up." Then she dashed outside, barefoot and in her pajamas, waiting for the rain so she could dance in it. 

Because around here, rain is something we're very thankful for.

{image via}

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

I homeschool my children. I use the term 'homeschool' loosely. After all, they are at home. And I do sit them down every few days for some formal schooling. But mostly, they're just at home. 

I believe in the value of boredom. Of having to fill long, empty chunks of time with whatever your mind can dream up. Often, when I'm asked what curriculum I use, or am pushed to explain my teaching style, I say, "You know those times when you get really into a project? You are scrapbooking or organizing a closet or editing a movie or something. You hit a groove, and stopping to eat or sleep seems a nuisance. That's what learning is like when you homeschool." 

It's easy to be confident about all this when my son is building train tracks that loop around the entire house; or my daughter sits down to write and illustrate a book all about the lives of her stuffed animals; or the two of them become obsessed with insects and butterflies, check out every book they can find on the subject, and go on 'caterpillar hunts' in the backyard in the hopes that they can watch it form a chrysalis. 

But I'm human. There are days when I worry that I'm not doing the right thing.

I was in the grips of self-doubt a few weeks ago as I went to have lunch with Little Miss C {at the cafeteria of the school she attends one day a week with other homeschooled children}. She was vibrant and social, laughing as she introduced her baby brother to her friends. She ate quickly, then ran off to hula hoop. 

E. had his eye on the basketball court, where a group of older boys were playing. They appeared to range in ages from 10 to 13, in that awkward pre-teen stage of large feet and loud voices. They ran back and forth on the pavement, yelling boisterously as they passed the ball back and forth. 

E finished his food, then made a beeline for the basketballs. He carefully chose one, then promptly dribbled it on his foot, sending it rolling across the court. He ran after it, picked it up, then walked with it to stand directly under the basket. With a burst of effort, he threw his basketball straight up, then ducked as it came right back down, far short of the basket and narrowly missing his head. 

At this point, he was starting to get in the way of the actual basketball game being played. Embarrassed, I was just about to step in and lead him off of the court when the tallest boy crouched down next to E. and asked him for his name. E told him. "Nice to meet you! Give me five!" the older boy replied. Then he stood and announced, "Hey everybody, this is E and he's going to play with us!" 

They spent the rest of the lunch period running at a crouch so they could be eye level with him. They passed him the ball. They ran after it when he failed to catch it. They lifted him up so he could 'dunk'. They listened and participated when he tried to change the rules to more closely resemble hockey. When the bell rang, they all said goodbye and gave him a high five as they filed back into the building. The tallest one saw me standing in the corner and asked, "Is he your child?" when I nodded, he said "He's awesome!" and gave me a high five as well. 

I couldn't help it. I looked at those gangly pre-teen boys with sweaty hair falling in their eyes and felt a surge of gratitude and love for them. Not only had they made E's day, but they had eased my mind concerning my choice to homeschool.

After all, if teaching them at home makes my children a bit different, it appears that they are in excellent company.

Gratitude Week

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I've always felt that it has all the benefits of Christmas {food, family, pie, movies}, but without the financial stress. While it isn't in commemoration of the birth of our Savior, it is a holiday put in place for us to remember all that we've been given. Thus, in recognition of my favorite holiday, this week will be Gratitude Week! I'm eager to write... as soon as I take Little Miss C to school {so grateful for some time without her!}, clean the house {so blessed to have someplace to live!} and nurse my sick boys back to health {so glad they're not throwing up!} before going to the gym {so thankful for this body that runs, dances, works and bares children!} I'll be writing a lot this week. I have much to be grateful for. :)

Race for Fun

Today, I'm running a 5k. It's the exact same 5k event that I ran ages ago, right before I became pregnant with Little Miss C. Every year since then, I've berated myself for not running it again. Not this time! Granted, I have no grand illusions about the race. I've been training for distance, not speed, and I've never been a fast runner anyway. But I'm excited to get out and run with a crowd. After months of training on my own, the marathon still seems too far away, so I'm eager to get out there and feel like a competitor and athlete. Wish me luck!

{image via}

To Market

It was a bit of a stretch this week to make it to payday, so I'm off to replenish the refrigerator. These day-long grocery shopping trips to soul-killing warehouse stores always make me long for an outdoor market. I picture living in a European city, strolling to the market several times a week with my canvas bag to buy the few fresh ingredients I need for that night's supper. Doesn't that sound lovely? Perhaps when the children have grown....

{image via}

Phoenix City in Tilt-Shift

Remember when I was talking about tilt-shift photography? It seems like only yesterday.... oh yeah, it was. Well, Jared's a quick study. Here's his first experimentation with tilt-shift. I'm still captivated by the way these real streets look like miniatures, only with tiny people moving around in them. So cool! You're awesome, babe.

Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-Shift Photography {in which the camera is manipulated in order to make life-sized locations appear to be miniatures} seems to be popping up all over the internet. Jared pointed out this video months ago, and has been fascinated with the technique ever since. I must admit, I find it intriguing and hope to experiment with it in the coming year. If you'd like to see more, this article is a great resource and has over 50 amazing photos. {Thanks to Jared for the links!}

Read Along

Recently, I joined a book club. It was started by some fabulous women in my ward, and I look forward to it every month even though after every meeting I become paralyzed with the fear that I've said something stupid, talked too loudly or revealed too much, thus alienating myself forevermore. {That's the problem with socializing. Suddenly, I have to develop social skills.} 

Last month, we read The Glass Castle, a book rich with topics to discuss, and one of my all time favorites. Today, I'm starting My Stroke of Insight for this month's meeting. Want to join me? I'll try not to talk too much.

{image via Toast} 

You've been absent. My heart has grown fonder.

The house is clean, dinner is simmering, and no matter how much they protest, the children will be in bed early tonight. ComeHomeComeHomeComeHomeComeHome! I've missed you. 

{image via The Selby}

Color Love

In a recent episode of House, a patient's journey out of depression was illustrated by filming his view of the world first in black and white, then gradually bringing it into color. Maybe this is a cliche, but for me it has been profoundly true. The more my disposition stabilizes into an amazingly contented and pleasant state, the more I find color and pattern leaping out at me. I almost salivate over the bright plum of a cardigan, crave patterned heels, and devour anything yellow. Did all of this color exist before? If so, how have I failed to notice it for so long? One thing is for certain, my wardrobe will never be the same.

{image created by Polyvore}

Hey Mom, got a minute?

I think you'll love this. It's seriously cool, in a nerdy kinda way. {found via Sue}

Running Update

While for the most part I've managed to push past my fear of failing, I've recently been struggling with other obstacles to my running the Marathon in January. One such obstacle has been the dark. We live in a "city of stars", which is to say that street lights have been all but outlawed in order to cut back on light pollution. This makes for a very, very dark run at 5:30 a.m. So dark that I can't see my feet, let alone the trail in front of me. 

When it was warmer, this caused me to fear that I'd step on a snake that had slithered onto the asphalt to warm himself. Now that it's too cold for snakes, I worry about other things. Strangers. Dogs. Being hit by a car. Breaking my leg. Running too slowly because I have to pick my way cautiously. I'm considering a headlamp. Anyone else dealing with this?

My other major obstacle has been my long weekend run. For almost a month, I've been stuck at the 14 mile mark. I keep hitting a wall, ending up walking the last portion feeling dehydrated, sick, and discouraged. Then, last week I read an article about refueling during the marathon. Runners were talking about eating candies, sports drinks, or energy gels whenever they ran longer than 75 minutes. This perfectly displays my newbie-ignorance. I had known that I'd use energy gels during the marathon, but hadn't even considered it for training runs!

Thus, on Saturday, I tucked an extra stick of gum and a few Hershey's Kisses into my pocket and set out. At the 60 minute mark, I ate a chocolate. {which, by the way, tastes like wax after you've been running for an hour.} Then I continued to drink water and chew gum. I couldn't believe the effect such a small thing had! After so many frustrating attempts, I finally finished 14 miles easily, even managing to push strong on the last mile. Suddenly, the Marathon seems infinitely more attainable.

Now, if only I could get my hands on some night vision goggles.

{image via Flickr}

Unexpected Benefits

Establishing new habits, just like breaking old ones, can be tricky. I've heard all kinds of advice on this matter. "Be consistent for 14 consecutive days and the habit will be firmly entrenched." "Make it a matter of routine, like brushing your teeth." "Have it be the very first or the very last thing you do in the day." {I admit, this sounds suspiciously like a description of my chocolate consumption.} But the most effective by far has been this: "Attach the new habit to an already established one." 

Recently, I was thinking about one habit that established itself seemingly without any effort at all: blogging. It should come as no surprise that I spend a little time both reading and writing on the internet every single day, usually in the morning after I've gone running. So I thought to myself, why not connect one of my hard-to-establish habits to this permanently entrenched one? After all, while I consider myself to be relatively disciplined, some things continually elude my efforts to incorporate them into my daily routine. Thus, I decided to make it a rule that I could only use the computer after I'd spent some time reading my scriptures. I've never been consistent on that front, and lately it had been weighing heavily on my mind.

The next morning, my fingers had just touched the keyboard when I remembered my new rule. I sat back in dismay, then trudged outside after determining that the discomfort of lying to myself {"I'll start tomorrow"} would be greater than the discomfort of delaying my daily dose of computer therapy. 

I sat on the back porch and read while the sun came up. It was quiet, but I could still see the kids through the window, eating their breakfast. The birds chirped. The air smelled fresh and crisp, and I ended up reading a few chapters more than I had planned. The next day was easier. I remembered before I sat down to type. And gradually, as the days went by, I began to walk outside without a second thought. Now, after a month of this experiment, my daily scripture study is a restful and pleasant part of my morning. 

On an intellectual level, I've known the benefits that come from reading scriptures. I knew they would help me have a better spirit about me through out the day. That I would have verses fresh in my mind as I encountered problems. That during times of solitude and quiet, my mind would be able to turn to what I'd just read that morning. But knowing something intellectually has proven to be quite different from actually experiencing it in practice. I find myself startled that I could ever make it through whole years of my life without any consistent reading. 

As both a parent and a person, I feel fortified and reinforced. As though Heavenly Father is standing there with me, helping me to be a little more patient, a little more kind. I've appreciated the time I've had every morning to report my triumphs and failures of the previous day, and express my hopes for the coming one. I love searching for verses of encouragement and instruction. 

And it's all thanks to blogging. :)

Fashion Bargain

This high-waisted denim pencil skirt from J Crew is one of my favorite new purchases. It can easily be dressed up or down, making it perfect for any day of the week. Want one? Lucky you, it just went on sale today! Shop online and use the code EXTRA30 at checkout to get an extra 30% off the sale price. A $98 skirt for a mere $49? Your closet will thank you. :) 

Learning Experiences

In our household, the children are given a weekly allowance in the amount of {roughly} half their age. Thus, Little Miss C, being 7 years old, is given 3 dollars a week and her younger brother is given $1.50. We teach them that chores are part of being a family. We all must pull our weight if we want things to run smoothly. So, allowance is in no way connected to chores, although if they want to earn additional money, they are free to earn it by doing additional chores.  

Our hope has been that this small weekly sum will be enough to teach them about managing money. It certainly has helped me have a ready reply when they start asking for things, be it a Happy Meal or gum from the checkout stand. "Sure!" I say cheerfully, "do you have your money?" As soon as they realize that they are responsible to pay for things, it quells the begging almost instantly. 

Yesterday, Little Miss C was determined to buy a Webkinz. We went to a store where they often have them steeply discounted, and she ran in while I stood outside the door with my hands full of grocery bags. When she didn't return right away, I poked my head inside and called her back. "How much are they?" I asked her. 

"$5.99!" she replied happily. I knew for a fact that she only had six dollars in her hand. 

"That's not enough, sweetie,"  I told her sadly. 

She rolled her eyes. "It's okay mommy! I'm just going to buy one anyway." 

"You can't. You don't have enough."

"It's okay!"

"No it's not. You don't have enough" I insisted. 

"It's OKAY!" She said just as insistently. 

I was impatient and was about to tell her to just forget it and get back in the car when I suddenly thought, "Why am I trying to explain this? The whole point of allowance is to let her experience money for herself." She didn't understand tax. All she understood was that I was being mean, telling her she didn't have enough money when she clearly believed she did. So I stopped arguing and let her go back into the store. 15 minutes later, she walked out teary eyed. "I don't have enough!" She wailed. I wrapped my arms around her and told her I was sorry that she was so sad. Instead of being the bad guy, I was able to be a comfort to her. It was a learning experience for both of us. 

On the way home, Little Miss C asked if she could start a lemonade stand to earn enough to buy the Webkinz. I cringed, thinking of all the work that it would involve for me. But I was high from my recent parenting success, so I thought, why should it involve work for me? Let her do it. Let her learn from the experience. So I said yes, and she busily began writing out a sign. 

We didn't have lemonade, so she mixed some orange juice. I read a magazine as she dragged her play table and chairs out to the curb and filled a bowl with candy to sell alongside the orange juice. We didn't have paper cups, but that didn't deter her. She washed her tea set and took the little cups outside. She even 'baited' her little tip jar with her allowance money. And then she waited. 

And waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Finally, a young woman on rollerblades stopped. She complimented C on her sign. She drank the tiny cup of orange juice, proclaimed that it was wonderful, and drank another. Then she gave Little Miss C a dollar and skated away. Little Miss C was ecstatic, and promptly announced that she's going to run an orange juice stand every afternoon! 

Oh boy. A learning experience for both of us.  :)

Halloween 2008

We took a vote in September on what we should be for Halloween- Little Miss C was insistent that we be The Incredibles, since "we're a five family now!"

I must admit, L made an adorable little Jack-Jack.

This was the most sewing I've ever had to do for Halloween. I still have a lot of red spandex left over. Maybe next year we'll all be life guards.... 

Action pose! Except for E, who just wanted to get out there and collect some candy already. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm enjoying all of this while I can. Someday they'll be embarrassed to be seen with me, let alone in red spandex. These are the days, people. :)