Happy Feet

Of all of the things I don’t prefer about myself.  I love my feet.  My feet are consistently the best looking things I’ve got.  The only time in my life that they have hurt my appearance was when they got swollen while I was pregnant with #2.

One reason why I love my feet is that they are pretty easy to maintain.  All you have to do is keep them clean, take care of nail length now and then and they look great.  I never think “man, these toes have got to shed a few pounds or they’ll never squeeze into my shoes again”. 

On the contrary, they pretty much stay a consistent size as apposed to my hips and thighs (which by the way are still slightly too big to fit into my regular clothes).  This is why I love my feet.  And because I love my feet, I show them I love them by “putting a little paint on the old barn” so to say.

 

I love having my toenails painted.  I personally think that painting one’s toenails is one of the most easy pick-me-ups available to woman-kind.  You can pick any color you like plus a little patience and magically you can have flirty, fun toenails that make you feel young and pretty all for the price of a bottle. 

Of course you can pay for someone to give you a  pedicure.  That is an indulgence on a whole other level.  I have never felt so pampered than the one time I got my toenails done by a professional.  It was a valentines gift from my sweetie.  I actually went in feeling really silly and vain about the whole thing but I left feeling so fabulous about myself.  Seriously, it seems a little silly but the thing that makes me feel pretty faster than anything else is a little paint on the old toenails.

Since having Vivian, I’ve tried to always keep my nails painted…I only have to do it every other week or so and it makes me feel special…even if my feet aren’t always showing…I know that there is something cute in hiding…even if it’s not my thighs.

Quick Bite!

Okay, so I have a problem with feeding myself....it's not that I don't like to eat. I do (that's a different problem I have). The biggest vice I have to eating healthy is that most days I'm so busy feeding everyone else around me that I leave me for last. By that time, I'm so dang hungry or desperate for a quick bite that I eat whatever is closest at hand which can be anything from Christian's half eaten sandwhich, to tortillia chips in the pantry, or yes, I have to admit the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the bag stashed out of Christian's reach.

I really do have every intention to eat something healthy and have a great breakfast in the mornings but by mid-day my resolve needs a little bit more shove.

Today I came home famished after taking the kids to the park and then on an errand. I had fed them at the park but to be honest pb&j is the thing I eat if I want to gain weight so I waited until I got home. Both kids went down for naps and I felt almost dizzy with hunger (I wonder if this happens to anyone else or if I just have a blood sugar problem). Anyway, I opened the fridge and was debating on eating totillia chips that were out or pb&j. Then I realized that in my fridge, smiling up at me was a bag of pre-washed ready to eat spinach. I grabbed a bowl and poured in a little spinach, pre-cooked bacon, feta, and some chickpeas. Ta da. A healthy lunch that was faster than any pb&j!

Lesson learned: keep your produce close to eye level in fridge!

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Limbo Land

Jared is finally graduated! I'm so relieved. Being in school has seem to take forever but in retrospect it seems to have flown.

Now all we need is a job to go to. Jared has been looking in SLC but openings are scarce because nobody really wants to move from UT. He has applied in upstate NY, Southern Oregon, Maine, and AZ. We've been researching the locations and if we can't be in UT, Oregon sounds the most appealing to me The crime rate is low the housing market is reasonable, there are 216 growing days, it hardly freezes....sounds like paradise!

Now all we have to do is wait. Jared has a phone interview with Maine today so we'll see how that goes. I hate not knowing where we'll be. I'm such a planner, if we knew then I could start house-hunting, looking for preschools, and figure out transfering my licensure.

Ahhh! Please everyone pray for us. That's pretty much all I can do right now. I just hope that we can be in a good place to raise our kids....at least for the next five years or so.
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Something healthy, easy and delicious…

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a while as it is one of my favorites and is really healthy.  When we lived with the 93-year-old woman who’s son and DIL were on their mission, part of the deal was that we have Sunday dinner together every week and then have the same thing for Monday night and then have a weekly game of scrabble.  She made the salads which was really great because I honestly hate to chop.  It has something to do with being a klutz and needing my fingers intact to play the violin…  So anyway, she introduced us to some very interesting, some very boring and some delicious recipes in the 18 months we lived there.  This recipe is by far my favorite one that she shared (I honestly am addicted).   I changed it around a little (as I do almost everything I cook).  What I really like to do with this is double it and have it for dinner and then for lunch the next day.  For those of you on diets, this is full of protein, fiber and good oils.  Bon appétit. 

 

White Bean Tuna Salad

2-3 Servings

-1 can white beans rinsed and drained well (or you can use dried that you’ve soaked overnight and boiled for at least an hour though I usually do two).

-1 can tuna  (Preferably Italian in Olive oil)

-1 cup of parsley, fresh, chopped (or to taste I usually only do about 1/4 cup)

-1/4 cup finely diced red onion (green onions are good too and then you only need 1-2 chopped)

Dressing:

-3 Tbs olive oil

-2 Tbs lemon juice

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse beans in colander until no foam appears.  Let drain, pat dry  with paper towels.

2. Drain oil from tuna and discard; put tuna in mixing bowl.

3. Add beans chopped parsley, onion, and gently combine.

4. In small bowl, whisk olive oil and lemon juice.  Gently mix dressing into salad.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5.  Will stay good in refrigerator for a day or two.

Fright Night...

Last night was one of the most frightning of my life. I woke to a woman screaming from the alley behind our apartment that separates us from another complex! As I woke I realized that she was begging someone to "GIVE ME BACK MY PURSE!!!" I ran to the window and looked out into a foggy blackness and realized I couldn't see much (I had forgotten my glasses in my haste to see...ridiculous I know). I saw the shadow of a truck or SUV racing away as I woke Jared and asked him to look. I gropped around in the dark for my phone. In the vehecil's hast to leave the hit an on-coming car and left the scene like a coward.
The man who was hit jumped out of the car and was trying to talk to the screaming woman who was yelping and wouldn't say anything but that she was scared. Another man came out of one of the apartments and said the police were coming. I placed my phone back down and continued my silent vigil as the woman cried and the men stood around her begging for information.
The police finally came and put my mind to ease somewhat but I couldn't stop shaking.
For the next couple of hours I checked on Christian a few times and felt the need to pray a lot.
It's moments like these when I'm reminded how fragile life is and how vulnerable we all are. How important our families are to us and how much we fear for their safety. It makes me thankful for the power of prayer. Today as I sung "Sweet Is The Peace the Gosple Brings" in church, I couldn't agree more.

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20 Ways To Love Your Body….

As I was sorting through papers in the study/nursery/craft room I came across a hand-out from a Relief Society Lesson that was given in our University Ward where we lived when we were in Utah.  The hand-out is titled “20 Ways to Love Your Body!!” and it gives various suggestions of things to do to help you consider your body as a remarkable vehicle for life rather than merely a decorative thing to shun for imperfections.  At the bottom are references for the National Eating Disorders Association where this hand-out apparently originated from.  The girl who gave the lesson was in secretary in the Relief Society Presidency and she was a health and exercise science major who always would bring up the topic of healthy living.  She and I really could go on for quite a length of time in conversation on such things and I sometimes wonder: why didn’t I go into health and exercise science? 

Body issues are so interesting to me.  Perhaps it’s because do to my scoliosis I have had to deal with them at a younger age than some other girls and they still remain with me to this day.  Of all the things in this world, our bodies really are the most important things that we posses because without them we wouldn’t have life.  I remember one day in seminary when the instructor Brother Wilkinson showed us a video that said something about “You are not your own, you are bought with a price”.  The video showed the last days of the Savior’s life and I realized that no matter what I did I was accountable to the Savior for what I did to my body or allowed others to do to it.  That was the day I resolved that even though it might be nice to have a boyfriend and someone who liked me, it was more important that someone love me enough to take me to the temple even if it meant that I had to sacrifice having a boyfriend “just for the fun of it”.

I also came to the realization that the majority of vices are to mock, ridicule, or defile our bodies.  Pornography really is a mockery of bodies.  Eating disorders come from ridiculing and having unrealistic goals for appearance and/or the numbers on the scale or the measuring tape.  Drugs and alcohol can make our bodies have insatiable cravings that will never be met.  It is tragic that the one thing that can teach us control can also be lavished in such a way that we feel we have no control. 

Our bodies really are gifts and we need to treat them as such by taking care of them.  One of the biggest things I deal with as a mother is teaching my children how to taking care of their bodies: getting enough sleep, exercise, nutritious food, water and staying clean.  The cares of the body are of number one importance in taking care of children or anyone.  After that comes food for the mind such as reading, numbers, logic, and creativity.  I thought it was interesting when some missionaries who had served an inner city mission spoke in my parent’s ward when I was visiting and they said that their mission was to first take care of the temporal needs before the spiritual needs.

We came to earth for two reasons.  First, to receive bodies and second, to learn to return to our Father in Heaven.

Because sometimes it can be difficult to love our bodies all of the time…I’ve copied the handout so that you can have some food for thought:

 

20 Ways To Love Your Body!!

 

1.  Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams.  Honor it.  Respect it.  Fuel it.

2.  Create a list of all the things your body lets you do.  Read it and add to it often.

3.  Become aware of what your body can do each day.  Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.

4.  Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world.  Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.

5.  Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.

6.  Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.

7.  Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style, and that feel good to your body.

8.  Count your blessings, not your blemishes.

9.  Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance.  Try one!

10.  Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy.

11. Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months.  Your body is extraordinary—begin to respect and appreciate it.

12.  Every morning when you wake up, than your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.

13. Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.

14. Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly.  Don’t exercise to lose weight or to fight your body.  Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good.  Exercise for the Three F’s: Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.

15.  Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body.  Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.

16. Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself—without mentioning your appearance.  Add to it!

17.  Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”

18. Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.

19. Start saying to yourself, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way."

20.  Eat when you are hungry.  Rest when you are tired.  Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.

 

For more information, contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 603 Stewart St., Suite 803, Seattle, WA 98101

Information and Referral Helpline: 800-931-2237 or www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

copyright 2002 National Eating Disorders Association

Permission granted for duplication and reprinting for educational purposes given the Nation Eating Disorders Association is credited.

Looking Back on My Back Surgery

I can hardly believe it that this week marks the sixth anniversary of my two spinal fusion surgeries. (It's also the fifth anniversary of getting my surgeon's approval to get pregnant). It's amazing to me that time has flown by so quickly. Good grief I've had rods in my back longer than I was Jr High or High School aged! Incredible!
Of course I miss having the range of motion that I once had (especially at times like today when Christian wanted me to do a handstand). But overall, I am so thankful that I was able to have the procedure done and with such success so that I could not only breathe in the shower (big plus) but I could be pregnant without adverse effects on my lung capacity (which before surgery was 50%).
I had a check-up this past week and it turns out that I may have a piece of broken rod in the lower portion of my back but so far it's not causing pain so I just need to keep a close eye on it.
I am more astounded now than ever before at the trust that Jared and I put into Heavenly Father's hands that everything would turn out according to His will.... Of course I didn't rule out the possibility of death or peralisis and spent the months waiting for surgery putting together Jared's mission scrapbook together so that he would have evidence of my affection and desires for his happiness whatever happened. Thankfully all went well!
I am incredibly grateful that Heavenly Father led me to my surgeon and guided his hands to better my future!

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