Sunday, February 27, 2011

The True Meaning of Patience

Well, to set the scene for this little incident, I must start by posting pictures of these cute and fun little figurines we've been collecting. You can get them at Deseret Book or order them online. They're not exactly cheap, but in my opinion, they're an excellent teaching tool and my kids think they're just playing around. They have no idea I'm teaching them about the Book of Mormon this way.

Here is a close up of King Benjamin. Orion actually learned this story the best so far. He knows it so well I caught him re-telling what I'd told him, to Chrysalis once, ending with, "Remember to serve your flow beans." At least that's what it sounded like when he was retelling the story.

Here's a close up of some of the others. What child wouldn't love to have these as learning aids for the scriptures? I know I would have loved playing with these just as much as Barbie.

Here's what we've collected so far. We only have a few left. Anyways, we took these to church one Sunday and since my two older children are still learning the concept of sharing, they had a hard time playing with these quietly. Here I am, as a mom, thinking to myself, "What a great toy to take and play with during Sacrament Meeting. They will play with these ever so reverently and remember the stories of the scriptures in so doing." I'm not so sure the image I had in my mind of my kids playing with these was quite the image that will forever be etched into my memory of what really happened that Sunday. Anyone who knows Chrysalis, knows that when she gets in her moods, she gets really loud and shrieky. Is shrieky a word? She has been this way since she was three months old. So, during sacrament, Orion took out the Book of Mormon Heroes to play with and Chrysalis tried to grab one. When he pulled them away from her, because he wanted to select which one she would have, she quickly turned it down and threw it on the ground. I calmly told her not to do that. And of course her reply was, "Leave me Alone!" I then asked Orion to please let her pick the one she wanted. At that point, she was already too upset to be pleased with any outcome. "Leave me Alone!" is what she stubbornly repeated. Orion tried to hand her Nephi, in a sense, as a peace offering because now she was determined not to take any. "Leave me Alone!" is what came again. This last time was loud enough to turn some heads as everyone else silently partook of the sacrament. I was already frustrated because I was at church alone with three kids. Alex was in Phoenix. Orion sweetly laid Nephi on her lap without saying anything and I guess that was her last straw. She flipped out, and took the bag of action figures and dumped it on the floor along with Nephi, hit Orion and then said, "Don't want Nephi!" Since Hinckley was sound asleep and Orion was behaving fairly well, I decided it was time to take Chrysalis out and have a talk. She obviously knew this wasn't a good sign. I tried ever so gently and patiently to pick her up and carry her out at which point she began crying and wailing and kicking her legs furiously all while practically screaming, "I want my Nephi! I want my Nephi! I want my Nephiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" I could literally feel the heads turning and the eyes staring and though I was slightly shamed by my child's lack of reverence, I stop to think about what it might have been like from the others' point of view and I have to laugh. I think I may have finally learned the true meaning of patience.

February 18, 2011

Because of her love for children and young moms, Robyn Openshaw has created this book.

On this day, we went to the book signing and reading of The Adventures of Junk Food Dude by Robyn Openshaw herself. She has put together the most clever and educational little story book for kids to better understand the consequences of the decisions they make in life. I loved it. So now they have their very own signed copy of the book. And they've asked me to read it to them more times than I really want to. Afterwards, the kids got green smoothie samples which they gobbled up, and some fun stickers that said, "I'm a Green Smoothie Guy/Girl!" I wish I'd remembered my camera so they could have taken a photo with Robyn but here's the aftermath instead. Yes, more green faces.

So sue me.

But they're so cute covered in green. It really is a pretty color.

Quick stop to visit Noelle and Cousins

On our way back from Vegas, we made a short stop in Cedar City to visit our little cousins. I didn't get many pictures and I wish I had because little America looks like she could be Chrysalis' sister. They were so cute together. Sara was at school so we only got to hang out with the younger two. But here are the boys. Orion and Piero hanging out in the car just as we're about to leave.

Silly Children

This picture is just too much for words.


I was trying to work out one day and soon after I'd popped in a new workout video, these two silly kids decided to distract me. They came out and tried to work out wearing these shoes. So I ran for the camera but I missed how silly they were being in the beginning. Still, I'm sure this video gives you the idea. I think watching Chrysalis walk in my boots is by far the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

More Kid Art

Orion colored this at church one day. He makes a lot of these. But on this day, he made sure to point out to me that he colored Jesus' heart red. Apparently, that was important to him. I guess it does beat vibrantly with the love that he has for all of us.

February 9, 2011

Since I refuse to have a messy collection of children's art everywhere that I will wonder what to do with when I'm sixty, I've decided I will take photos of as much as possible and document it here. Then, I won't have an excess of paper clutter later in my life, and I won't feel guilty about throwing away my children's artwork. Modern technology is so great for not turning into a hoarder. Has anyone seen that show on TLC? Anyways, on this day, my kids and I went to our clubhouse where our ward Grandma and Grandpa put together a crafting day for the kids. Chrysalis made me this Valentine's Day card complete with stickers.

Orion didn't want to make me a card. So he traced for me his hand instead. It's a hand I'm sure I will always love.

February 8th and 9th

Reminder to self: Make a post about the benefits of wheatgrass. When I eventually get around to printing out my blog into a book, I want my children to have a record of why their faces are always covered in green. Since we've been drinking a lot of wheatgrass lately, I've noticed some detox symptoms. They say that detoxing while pregnant or nursing is not wise, but I beg to differ. Who exactly is "They" anyways? While I don't encourage anyone to do an intense detox for the first time while pregnant or nursing, I believe a mostly raw, plant based diet will slowly detox the body anyways. I've noticed some interesting rashes pop up on both my own skin and Hinckley's skin lately. I've read these are all signs that your body is eliminating toxins through the skin. Many people don't realize that the skin alone eliminates close to 2 lbs. worth of toxins in the form of sweat and other bodily oils in only one day. That's quite a bit. Since it also absorbs a lot of what we put on it, I've been treating my children's skin with fresh wheatgrass juice, olive and coconut oils. After having our daily doses of wheatgrass, I've taken the liberty of smearing their wheatgrass mustaches all over their faces. It's quite the mask sometimes. But it's super healthy for the skin. So, in case you see future photos of my kids with a green mask, that's what it is and why.

Here is Chrysalis sporting her wheatgrass mask.

On the 8th, Alex's cousin Kristin came over and I invited my friend Marissa to stop by and show us how to make a few more of her super cute fabric flowers.

Here are some of the finished product. I've decided a girl can never have too many flowers. I like this one with the burned edges. I used leftover scraps from my prom dress for this flower. Never thought I'd use those for anything.




And here is Chrysalis mothering her little brother. She loves singing to him and cuddling with him.

Gotta love the messy faces.

And this smile just melts my heart.

A Trip to Vegas. A Fun Baby Shower. Feb. 12, 2011

This sweet girl and former roommate of mine is the reason for which my little family decided we needed to make a trip to Vegas. I am so excited for Tiffany and Robbie and their incoming addition.

The house where we threw the shower was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had gotten more pictures of it but it surely accomodated 20-30 people easily.

My sister Gio and Yoko.

It surely was a fun gathering.

And here was the spread. I like how the wall decor says Families are Forever in the background. I didn't plan that but it's surely appropriate. We can't wait to meet you, Baby Hale.



Yummy foods of all kinds.

Prize gifts for the games we played.

These cute party favor bubble magnets were made by Tiff's friend Elise Burnett. I thought they were super cute. I love magnets for the fridge.

Playing games of Baby Scattergories and Name the Baby Animals.

Tiff opens some gifts.

Here are my kids wanting to open "presents" with her.


Our friend Debbie made the cutest little tie dye onesie. So fitting. So Debbie.


It's gifts like these that make me feel that those invitations were definitely worth it. Okay, I know. Everyone just really loves Tiffany. But that gift is huge. Can I say covet? I never got a gift like that for my showers. And I loved my showers.

And apparently, this is what happens when you tell your husband to keep the kids distracted so that you can host a baby shower. Well, at least he kept one out of three from getting in the way. In all honesty, I can't blame him. We did make a tiring drive and he did prepare a big yummy salad for the party while I diced apples, so this was indeed very helpful. I just think this picture is funny and speaks louder than words.

Preparing for the Biggest Shower I've ever Thrown

I love throwing showers and making things by hand, but when I took on this project I don't know what I was thinking. I believe both my sister Gio and her friend Yoko thought I was insane when I asked them to come over and help me cut strips of paper, ribbons, monkeys, lettering, clip corners and glue together 40 of these at 1:00am in the morning. Both Gio and Yoko went home that night seeing stripes and monkeys and I think Yoko may have had nightmares about clipping corners with craft scissors. Thanx guys for helping out this crazy mother of three. But in my opinion, they turned out really cute and were well worth the effort. Martha Stewart once said, "The quality of the invitation alone dictates the quantity a person is willing to spend on a gift." I don't know how true that is, but for my dear friend Tiffany, cutting out 80 monkeys was time well spent. Okay, maybe next time I'll keep things a little bit more simple.

But c'mon, wouldn't you be willing to spend a little more on a gift if you received such a cute invitation to a baby shower? I guess I got a little too excited and carried away. My good friends Tiffany and Robbie Hale are having their first baby. They're adopting a little boy that is due any day now.

Here was the beginnings of the diaper cake centerpiece I put together for the party. Not bad for one of my first ones. I would have kept it for myself. But that would be no fun.

I love monkeys. For the record, my house needs some serious sweeping/mopping and hasn't been vacuumed in weeks. And toilet scrubbing has not been my first priority.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Because So Many Have Asked . . .



How do you get your kids to eat healthy?

I thought I'd do a little post on my experience with it. I'll be honest. I didn't start off right when I first became a mom. Through trial and error, I have found what seems to work best FOR NOW. I'm sure that will be tailored time and time again, and with different kids, because we all know they come with different tastes.

I read an interesting book a while back by a Valya Boutenko in which she discusses how kids imprint on the first foods they are ever given. She claims that these first foods become their comfort foods in the future. I cannot disagree. So the little bit of wisdom I can share in regards to what I've seen at least with my own children is that it matters what you start them off with. In my opinion, the best solids you can start a baby on is raw blended foods. This is the part where I will once again advocate the GREEN SMOOTHIE! What would I do without it?

Let' just put it this way: I started Orion on Gerber rice and oatmeal cereals. Guess what he constantly asks me for? Cereal. He has definitely been more of a struggle to get to eat healthier, but he has finally started to take to the raw fresh fruits and veggies a lot more. Chrysalis also started on Gerber rice cereal. But what has made the biggest difference with her and why does she ask me for cucumbers, tomatoes, salad, coconuts and all sorts of other good foods? I never gave her the cooked, preserved gerber baby foods. After the initial rice cereal, it was green smoothies of every kind and flavor. She has since loved gnawing on raw squash, onions, even potatoes and other raw food sources. She surprised my sister one day when over the summer, she had come home with some Applebees Sampler platter. Apparently all she wanted off the platter were the celery sticks. There were maybe three or four of them on the platter amidst the fries, onion rings and chicken wings. No dip. Just celery sticks. That's all she wanted. I've never forced her to eat celery sticks in my life.

With Orion, like I said, it has been a more difficult journey with all of his health issues. He still asks me for what I believe are his original comfort foods, but I try and limit them so that he can have more variety. And variety is key. I do my best to give him plenty of options and allow him to take part in the smoothie making process because he loves flicking the switches and making what he later gets to drink. I remember sitting on the kitchen floor one day crying about how I was going to get Orion to eat all these good foods if all he wanted was what he saw me eating. I kept thinking up strategic ways of eating while he wasn't looking at me. This plan didn't last long. It wasn't until I decided to BE the example for him that everything just fell into place. I didn't have to hide foods from him anymore. We prepared our smoothies and other meals together and enjoyed them together and still do. Most of his health issues are gone. A lot of my own issues disappeared along with his. It doesn't mean I'm perfect. But I can honestly say I am in a better place than where I was just a few short years ago. And I'm grateful that my son has shown me in many ways how to change for the better.

Call me old-fashioned, but I say the best way to get a stubborn child to eat healthy is by one, BEING THE example and doing it yourself, and two, denying them the junk they are asking for just long enough for them to start asking you for the many other options that you have for them. They may choose not to eat anything at first. But trust me, they won't starve themselves. Eventually, they give in, and when they do, it's our job as mothers to be ready with lots of good options.

On this particular day, I learned how to crack open a coconut and used the water in this particular smoothie. Orion chose dandelion greens, some pineapple, and spinach to throw in. And he loves it. Go figure.



Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Another Birthday!

I must admit I almost didn't do anything for Chrysalis' Birthday. It's so tempting to just say "Oh Well, It's just another birthday. They won't remember." But then, last night, I decided last minute I was throwing a party. Nothing big or fancy. Just something I know she will love to look back on and remember. So I invited a bunch of people on facebook not really expecting that anyone would come on such short notice. But a few did. And Chrysalis had fun playing with her little cousins and being the center of attention.

So, how do you decorate for a party on a tight budget? Paper and scissors. I got the little butterfly ideas off of HGTV. So I folded up a bunch of paper in half and just began cutting. The pompoms were left up from a baby shower I had just thrown and so I figured they were good for a birthday party too. I changed out some of the colors. I'll have to post some pics of the baby shower I hosted. I'll get to that soon.

Here's the vegan carrot cake I made with a raw cashew cream frosting. Tasted like cream cheese frosting to me. And everyone there seemed to like it.

Here's the birthday girl all dressed up for her party.

Enjoying her cake. This is pretty much Grandma Cheryl's recipe with vegan substitutes. Flax seeds instead of eggs, and oils instead of butters.

She liked the frosting so much, she began licking it off the candle and almost ate half the candle along with it. A little precursor to what we had been talking about right before I noticed this: "Chrysalis eats just about everything. Including raw onions and sweet potatoes." I suppose that now we can add to that "raw wax?!" She did throw up later that night. I don't think raw wax is good for you.

Serving up carrot cake with soy ice cream. Aunt April and Uncle Elliot came over with little Tate, and Alex's cousin Kristin came along with her 2 1/2 kids.

Willow, Chrysalis and Tate.



McLane was really tired and spent most of the party here. Funny little guy, but just as cute.

My girl and me.

Kristin with McLane and the Birthday Girl.

Opening up a fun gift from Cousin Taylor. Thanks Taylor.

She fell in love with this funny little hippo immediately.

And now she has a new purse to stuff with all her precious goodies.

Short and sweet but I think she had fun. Happy 2nd Birthday Chrysalis Rae!


Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker

Our little swimmer