Easter

We normally have church at 9 am, which has been a particular challenge this year.  But for Easter we had Stake Conference and didn't need to be to church until 10 am.  It was nice to have a little extra time in the morning for the kids to enjoy their Easter surprises and find the eggs we hid.

 On your mark, get set, go...

Ryan and I had fun hiding treat filled eggs all over the house this year.  We thought we found some pretty good hiding spots but alas, the kids found all the eggs in about fifteen minutes.  Man they're good.

They enjoyed twisted cinnamon rolls and a few hard boiled eggs for breakfast.

Eden and Cameron wanted to make sure I got a picture of all their fun stuff.

For dinner we went to Ryan's parents house and enjoyed good food and good company.

Coloring Eggs

The kids colored about 36 eggs this year so we could bring deviled eggs to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Sunday.

Tuesday Tidbit #5

Change Your Furnace Filter

I'm embarrassed to admit that I never knew this until I owned my own home but I've learned that it's an important part of home and personal health.  In my home both the furnace and the air conditioner run air through the filter. A dirty filter causes your furnace to run inefficiently because it has to work harder to pull air through the intake.  If the furnace or air conditioner have difficulty pulling in air they will use more energy, wasting money, and will eventually be damaged. A dirty filter can also trap pollutants in your home.  An effective filter can remove pollen, bacteria, and mold spores from the air.  It is recommended to change your filter every three months and every two months if you have pets or live in an area of greater pollution.

I haven't come up with a great system for remembering when to change my filter.  I just mark the day on my calendar and then mark the next day, three months later, when it should be changed again.  If it seems like my allergies are particularly bad or we're all getting colds too often then I will change it before the three month reminder and mark another three months on my calendar.

If you have a great system for remembering when to change your filter let me know.

You Might Have To Read This One Outloud

The other day while I was changing Evelyn's messy diaper I asked Austin to go get me a new onesie.

He tilted his head to the side and with a questioning look in his eyes grabbed the back of his pants and while yanking up he said, "you mean this?"

It took me a second or two to understand what he was doing then I said, "Not a 'wedgie' a 'onesie'."

He looked so relieved when I pointed to the little undershirt Evelyn was wearing and explained where he could find one in her room.  Later when I asked him where he learned about wedgie's he said, "you know, that show."  Well, that cleared it up for me.

Lawn Boys

Sorry

I would like to apologize if my last post offended or upset anyone.  I'm afraid I came across too emotional about an issue that feels overwhelming to me.  I didn't mean to accuse that man of being overweight because of personal choice and neglect but feel frustrated about the way so many of us were raised without the knowledge about how what we eat can affect us.  And I'm not blaming anyone's parents either.  I'm blaming a food industry that is out to make money as quickly, cheaply and easily as possible without any care for the individual.  And as a result we have several generations of people that are unaware that a lot of what we eat has no nutritional value.  It's personally frustrating because I can't figure out what's right either but I'm trying.  There's always a new diet, a new weight loss product, new information about what's good for you and what's bad for you.  It's time consuming and expensive to try to eat healthy and I realize that disqualifies many people from even beginning the journey to try to change their lifestyle.

A lot of what I've learned has come from a sudden allergy to flour eight years ago which has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  As I delved into the health food world I began to learn things that made me feel better than I've felt most of my life.  And the better I feel the more I want to learn and adapt changes in my life and my children's life.  I want to be supported in these changes and I want to support and encourage others who are also experimenting with things they are learning, like trying to give up caffeine or eating more vegetables.  It feels like a walk against a tidal wave when you go to the store and there is aisle after aisle of things that look  tasty, quick, cheap and satisfying.  I'm constantly having to tell myself "just don't buy it."  And when I go to the health food store I'm discouraged by how expensive my choices are.

I apologize for putting my emotions on paper so to speak and if that hurt anyone who is also trying to figure out what's best for them and their family in this world of confusion.  I certainly didn't intend to accuse anyone of not doing good enough or not trying.  I really just want us to keep learning and share what we learn and support each other for every effort we make to live a lifestyle that isn't supported by the world we live in.

A Bare Naked Challenge

I ran into the doctor's office the other day to pick something up and while I was waiting at the counter I overheard an elderly gentleman in the waiting room address another elderly couple.

He said, "If I had known I would end up with so many problems I would have taken better care of myself when I was younger."

The other couple didn't say anything but he continued anyway saying, "I never smoked, I didn't have casual relationships with various women.  I never did drugs, I didn't even know what the word dope meant until I was fifty.  I didn't start taking prescription drugs until ten years ago.  I guess God just didn't intend for me to have it easy when I got old."

I had glanced at him once or twice while he was talking and when he finished I wanted to turn to him and shout, "You're fat.  You're not just fat, you're obese.  You can't blame God for your choices and what you've chosen to eat for the last fifty years."  I wondered if he really, truly, didn't understand why he was having medical problems.  Not that that would be very surprising.  We've grown up knowing people get diabetes and cancer and heart disease but the association between those things and our weight has been a fairly recent wake up call.  I never used to think about what I ate and whether or not it was good for me until I got older and it seemed I couldn't lose weight no matter how hard I ran or how often I went to the gym.  It all came down to diet and I've spent the last few years trying to really understand how diet affects my weight, my energy levels, and my overall health.

I almost lost it when I saw the commercial for Manwich that now advertises a variety of vegetables hidden inside so your kids won't know it's there.  What's wrong with kids knowing they are eating vegetables?  Shouldn't they know what they are eating and whether or not it's good for them so they can make good choices when they get older so they don't end up wondering like that poor man in the doctor's office what happened to make them so sick?

The same day a friend put a post on Facebook where she said she was trying to give up caffeine and it was making her irritable.  I offered words of encouragement but was surprised and disgusted later to see these comments, "Don't get too healthy, it's not good for you" and "No caffeine? No tea, chocolate, or soda? Or chocolate?  Or SODA?" 

Why is it that when someone tries to make healthy changes to their diet or lifestyle they are discouraged by their peers instead of supported?  Especially when we have so many sources practically hitting us over the head trying to tell us we're unhealthy and we desperately need to make changes or we're all going to suffer long horrible deaths.  Has anyone else watched Biggest Loser or Food Inc. or Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, or the news?

Are we really all still in denial?

I just discovered the blog wordofwisdomliving.com.  If you still aren't convinced take a look.  This guy is doing his research and I found it very enlightening.

What I believe is that our bodies are amazing, miraculous instruments that the medical field is still lightyears from fully understanding.  But God, who created us all, provided everything we need to take perfect care of this wonderful instrument. And man, in his limited wisdom, has found a myriad of ways to cut corners and save time and starve ourselves of many of the vitamins and nutrients that God provided for us.  So what I want to do is teach my children, to the best of my knowledge, how to take the best care of their amazing bodies as they can.  I want my kids to taste fresh fruits and vegetables every day.  I want them to love foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients.  I want them to know how to make good choices about what they eat whether it's at home, at school, or at a restaurant.  But can I succeed?  You may wonder why I even ask that question but here's an example.

I went to a church activity the other night where they were spotlighting the young women in our ward and sharing interesting facts about them.  In highlighting the interests of one young woman they mentioned that her favorite snack or treat after school was a bowl of fresh vegetables.  At first everyone gasped and then they laughed.  But the young woman stood in front of us and nodded that it was true.  Despite the obvious teasing she was unafraid to admit that she loved her vegetables.  The evening went on and spotlighted the various candies and desserts that were the favorite treats of the other girls.

One more example, a personal confession.  I remember when I was a teenager my Dad went on a "health kick" and made cookies one night that had no sugar in them, no chocolate, no peanut butter, nothing tasty (in my mind).  We all frowned and told him they were disgusting and that we refused to eat that kind of stuff.  I don't remember him ever trying to make them again.

My fear is that society has us so trained about what qualifies as a treat and what is "hippie" food that we automatically reject those wonderful natural things God intended for us to eat.  And when we try to change our habits to embrace the things our bodies are starving for we are mocked, taunted, and tempted to "just have a treat tonight, you deserve it."

I have hope, though.  My oldest came home from one of his first campouts and proudly told me he was one of the only boys who had salad with his dinner.  And on a vacation, my daughter asked if she could choose a dinner from the adult menu because she was tired of all the fried foods on the kid menu.  She said she just couldn't eat it anymore.  I'm going to keep trying.  I'm going to give my kids as much healthy foods as I can and hope they continue to love them.  I'm going to keep supporting friends who are trying to make healthy lifestyle changes and family members who are experimenting with green smoothies.  Maybe if we all start supporting each other with healthier lifestyles we could actually pay less taxes towards medicare and medicade but that's another topic for another day.

Here's what I want to do today.  I want to issue a challenge.  This post may have been too long and maybe no one will read it long enough to see this challenge but I want to challenge you to open your fridge, right now, and take a picture and post it.  Put it on your blog or on facebook or somewhere and admit to yourself what kind of lifestyle you are living.  What do you eat?  

Here's my picture.  

I didn't take anything out or put anything in.  I had this sudden idea and went and took a picture.  Honestly, it feels a little revealing but I thought that could only be because there could be things in there I don't want to admit to anyone, especially myself, that I really eat.  And maybe I should start admitting to myself what I really eat and make some appropriate changes.

SO, will you do it.  Let me know if you do and if you want to make changes and if you need support and I will support you!  You can do it!