It's been a while!

Since I've written last, we've had birthdays for Sam, Thomas and me (Caitlin's is coming up) and we've gone on a trip to CA to visit with family. T & I went to Alcatraz (sans children) with my brother, Andrew, and my new sister-in-law, Michelle. I love historical buildings and places, so that was a great thing for me. I was totally bummed that what was the warden's home and the military family housing (for when it was still a military fort, pre-prison days) and other buildings were burned down during the American Indian occupation. There was a big drinking party of Indians and non-Indians, and no one knows who started the fire. I could have kicked someone.

Anyway, we also had 4 generation pictures done with my mom's parents. It was a good time, and I'm sad that we can't stay a few more days when we go, because I still didn't get to see everyone. I love you all! (We don't have pics from Sam & Tom's bday because my camera wasn't working, so it's all on our camcorder instead.)

Sam fell asleep looking like Joe Cool.
My little Claire-bear is getting so big!

Left to Right: Thomas, Peter, Papa (mom's dad), Sam, Uncle Mike

Back, L to R: Auntie Sue, my beautiful Mom, Auntie Robyn

Front, L to R: Heidi, Sam, Claire, Nana (mom's mom), Andrea, me

4 Generation Picture

On Alcatraz

View of San Francisco from Alcatraz

View of the Cellhouse from the Recreation Yard Thomas in a cell

And now, me...

my brother Andrew in a cell..

and Michelle's oddly creepy picture in the cell.

View of Alcatraz from the ferry.

Alcatraz on my left shoulder

End of Month 1

I've posted my progress after 1 month on my fitness blog. Check it out!

My cool sister

This is a post of two things from my younger sister's blog.

The first thing is an awesome article about motherhood she had linked to her blog.
Click Here

The second is a video of her playing her guitar in her bathroom, and I like it. So,
now Click Here, and enjoy!

I'll be in the Paper!

For more details on that, check out my fitness blog...but don't laugh too hard.

Funny Blog entry entitled "I've had an affair"

I'm reposting this blog entry that I put on my fitness blog.

I saw this blog entry on sparkpeople.com and thought it was too funny not to post (slightly edited):

Friday, January 02, 2009
So it's time to come out and admit it.I've been having an affair with my fridge. It started sometime in November or December, and slowly became more passionate until the recent Christmas break, when it moprhed into what could almost be called psychotic infatuation and criminal stalking. Needless to say I've been neglecting the gym as a result, and the gym has decided to take revenge.The first thing the gym did was tell my pants.
My pants and I had really been getting on this year, they were comfy, they fit, I had new ones.... but maybe this was the problem. Maybe my pants were secretly getting nervous that as I'd discarded their predecessors so eagerly they thought they were heading for the same fate. So my pants listened to what my gym had to say and decided to take action. Then they told the scales.
The scales were very upset and started saying horrible and nasty things to me. They told me I weighed 179 lb the other day, and only a couple of months ago I was 169. I was unable to convince the scales that my relationship with them should not be impacted by my relationships with either the gym, the fridge, or indeed my pants, but my poor scales are codependent and wouldn't listen. My pants by this stage had done all this in vain as I was now in the verge of dumping them and going back to find their predecessors, which to me were not only more comfortable, but far nicer. This was too much and my pants told my mirror.
The mirror, never known for diplomacy, was blunt. It yelled at me YOU'VE BEEN HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH THE FRIDGE. A BIG, LONG, PASSIONATE AFFAIR. LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO EVERYBODY!! HOW COULD YOU? And every time I walk past the mirror, it yells it. Then of course, being an interconnected species, every other mirror in the universe got on the bandwagon, and now even when I'm washing my hands at work, the mirror in the ladies' bathroom yells YOU FOOD SLUT! I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING WITH THE FRIDGE. ONLY A MONTH AGO YOU HAD CHEEKBONES BUT NOW YOU HAVE A DOUBLE CHIN! So, of course, I'm in the toilet with pretty much every household appliance that doesn't live in the kitchen. Half my wardrobe is yelling at me. None of the mirrors like me either. So - I'm back on SparkPeople, I've joined a heap of challenges, I've got my gym class schedule on my fridge, and I'll be signing up for a triathalon or two.

A few pics & an announcement

Happy New Year! I have a few cute pics from the holidays, and an announcement to make. No, I'm not pregnant and we're not moving. It is over on my fitness blog; please take a look at it.

The kids got to see Santa at the mall.

Andrea got to do a Christmas demonstration in her 'pre-ballet' class where she could invite anyone she wanted to watch her in what she has learned in class as well as do a special Christmas dance (on video).

She said she wishes that she had gotten toeshoes for Christmas. I told her she had to be older and really strong to use toeshoes. She insisted she could do it--and I looked down and saw that she really was standing on the tips of her toes in her bedroom slippers. Wow.

Claire is getting so big!

No surgery for now.

I postponed Sam's ear tube surgery. I wasn't feeling comfortable with it for a few reasons:
1. The whole general anesthetic thing.
2. It's only temporary and isn't really guaranteed to take care of the problem when they fall out.
3. He hasn't had any infections since I took away the pacifier, gave him a new pillow and changed the carpet in his bedroom.
4. The surgery leaves a permanent scar on the eardrum, which does cause some amount of hearing loss.

So, I'm trying to utilize zoning for Sam. It's kind of like reflexology, but more specific. Thomas was kind of skeptical at first, so I would like to point out a few things about the body.
1. The body is a type of bioelectric/biochemical machine. The body works on electric impulses that come from the brain. The brain and other parts of the body produce natural chemicals that determine a lot of what goes on in our bodies.
2. Body systems need to communicate with each other for the body to work properly.
3. Parts of the body are connected to seemingly unrelated parts. Have you ever had an itch somewhere, then found that when you scratched it, it wasn't actually itchy in the spot you thought it was?
4. I was having really serious after birth cramping after Sam was born. It was definitely way worse than labor and delivery. My mom said she would rub my foot in the spot that corresponds with the uterus. I was going to say something like, "Whatever! No, don't touch me," feeling like there's no way it would work, and I was really hurting. She starting rubbing on that spot, and I got instant relief, no joke. Every time a cramp would come, Thomas would rub on that spot or I would do it myself if no one was there.

It makes sense to me that this form of making sure the body is all "opened up" to receive the biochemical and bioelectrical messages works.

I decided that I would give it a month to see if it is working out for him, but Sam is actually improving already. He started getting a cold (a runny nose), and I put thyme oil and peppermint oil on his feet in the areas that correspond with his ears, nose, eustachian tubes and thymus (the gland in the chest, just behind the sternum, that is the brain center for the immune system--produces T cells and other things that help protect the body). Next day, no runny nose. His language is already becoming more clear, and he is communicating more with me, using words. I believe that Heavenly Father has given us this way to help us take care of our bodies. I will let you know as more develops with this.

Addendum on Dec 22nd: When my mother-in-law was on a mission in Cambodia a few years ago, one of the women they knew was laid out on a table outside because she was dying. So, Leola went over to her and started rubbing on her feet. Everytime she hit a spot that hurt, she really worked that area, and then onto the next spot. She rubbed and worked on her feet (not like a foot massage, but really working those areas) for more than an hour, at least. When my in-laws were leaving Cambodia to go home, this woman practically jumped on my mother-in-law, hugging her and leaving kisses (they kiss with their noses, like eskimo kisses) all over her face and neck because she was so grateful. I know there is something to this.