The Not-So-Sweet Side Of It All

So I'm on this quest right now to really understand what the deal is with high fructose corn syrup. Awhile back, I tried cutting it out of our diet. I read that it had a possible effect on behavioral issues. Since we have a child with behavioral issues, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try while I researched it.
So I cut out fruit snacks, most candies, any non-100%-juice beverages, and sugar cereals. We already don't drink soda (just in case you didn't know that...) so I figured I had most of the culprits at bay.
HA!
Who knew? I was eating Kellog's Smart Start cereal for breakfast the other day. A nice, healthy, whole-grain cereal. I checked the ingredients, and there was high fructose corn syrup!

The past 2 times I've been grocery shopping, I've checked the ingredients on any pre-packaged foods. You cannot imagine how many foods contain this stuff! It's about as easy to avoid as water.

So why has it become the recent whipping boy of additives? From what I can tell, it seems to be high in calories and low in nutritional content. The Mayo Clinic has this to say: "High-fructose corn syrup is made by changing the sugar (glucose) in cornstarch to fructose — another form of sugar. The end product is a combination of fructose and glucose. Because it extends the shelf life of processed foods and is cheaper than sugar, high-fructose corn syrup has become a popular ingredient in many sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and other processed foods." (Don't expect APA citation here...) These factors cause increased weight gain, which as we all know can lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. I also read that this type of sugar stimulates the need for more, which leads to addictive eating behaviors. I can totally get on board with that one. Lastly, I read here that when consumed in excess (which pretty much is a problem for more of us than we realize) your liver cannot handle it, and throws it back into your system, causing intestinal issues. (If you're really interested, you can read the lab report detailing results of a study on HFCS here.)

But what about behavior? I can see where having constant intestinal issues could make you cranky and make it difficult to be good. But I can't seem to find any solid research on HFCS's effects on behavior. I've read that it can contribute to hyperactivity, aggravate ADHD symptoms, or "have effects on behavior." I just can't seem to find any solid research explaining how and why. I mean, the research is there on the obesity aspect. And I stand behind that 100%. But does anybody have any information on HFCS's link to to behavior issues??? Have you tried naturalizing yours or your family's diet at all? I'm not talking nutritarian here (sorry, Robin!). Just a general stab at cutting unnecessary junk out of your menu... primarily high fructose corn syrup. Hook a sista up with some info...

A Real Thriller

So. I must say again that living in a non-boondocky location totally has its perks. People actually come here! I've lived in some really out-of-the-way towns over the past several years, and the only time I saw friends is when I travelled. Now, people like to come here, and while I pretend it's just to see me, I know it's to see all the great things this area has to offer. WhatEVA.

So here's Carolyn. She and I taught together last year, and she is WICKED FUN! I don't think I have ever enjoyed a year of employment as much as I did last year. And she was a huge part of that.

We caught this really neat laser show. It was all Michael Jackson music. I was so proud of my kids who knew all the MJ songs they played. What can I say? It doesn't take much to make this mama happy. But I can see why acid-trippers love these things. I mean, I was completely sober and I had surreal experiences. Can you imagine hallucinogenics at something like this? Straight crazy. Anyway, snapped a few slow-speed shots during the show, and I really loved how they turned out. Matter o'fact, I loved this one enough to try out my new photographer's watermark on it. Whattaya think?

We also went to this great big butterfly garden. There were butterflies flying all over the place, and you could get right up on them and check them out. Here's Keola being a bit freaked out that one just flew up in his face:

This is Carolyn's daughter, Seneca. She and Carolyn watched the kids for us when we have had to travel out of town in the past. My kids beg for them. Literally.

It was a ton of fun, and made me feel less sad about leaving such a great friend behind. So who's next? Come see us!! Good times.

Tribute

I asked my friend Ann if she minded me posting this as a tribute to Conrad. She gave me her permission to do so, and I wanted to pass it along as a way of honoring his sacrifice. Please remember to keep our soldiers and their families in your prayers, as well as the leaders of our country.

In Loving Memory of "Staff Sgt. Conrad Mora” United States Army from Chris Angeles on Vimeo.

Curses! Foiled Again!

So we went to the coast this weekend. We loaded up all five bikes, jumped in the Jeep, and cruised off to an area that Google touted to be "popular for biking because it offers more than 120 miles of trails and paved roads."

HA! We drove an hour and a half, arrived at the shore, and found that all the trails were simply bike lanes on the main arteries of the city! There were no coastal trails, and when we tried to take our bikes up near the sand, we found it to be "pouco efficiente." (Portuguese for "highly ineffective"). We could've biked arterial lanes right here at home! I was not happy. We did, however, enjoy the coast. We couldn't really swim though, since we didn't bring suits (and the water was WICKED cold anyway) and we didn't want to ride home in a doorless Jeep with wet clothes. Brrrr...

The other kicker was supper. We went to a local restaurant, and I was FEENIN for some fresh seafood. So I ordered the captain's platter, which had clams, oysters, scallops, shrimp and haddock. What I got was about 12 pounds of grease and batter. We had decided to splurge on this meal, and NO ONE liked their food! You can imagine how much it killed me to fork over NINETY FIVE DOLLARS for food that no one liked. I absolutely do not mind splurging on a great meal (especially seafood) from time to time, if IT'S WORTH IT! It was not.

THEN... we left around 8pm for the drive home. It was chilly, but we were prepared. We brought hoodies and blankets to tuck ourselves in the doorless Jeep. But apparently, the wind was unpleasant on the children. Apparently, he was hogging the blanket. Apparently, she keeps leaning on me. Apparently, I can't sleep because the wind is noisy in my ears. Apparently, my kids are whiny complainers who can't enjoy a long, windy ride in a doorless Jeep. WHAT-EVER.

It's a good thing we had a great time at the shore, because the biking, dining, and Jeeping were a bust. Maybe we should count that as our FHE for the week.

There Is Beauty All Around (Other People's Houses)

So did anyone happen to notice this picture in the Ensign (the LDS Church's magazine) this month? I noticed it. Here's when I noticed it... after I stormed out of our family home evening tonight because ALL FIVE kids were driving me INSANE, and I went up to my room to read.

Tonight was going to be a fun night, because after FHE, we had some delicious desserts prepared by Jordan. Sam was having a friend sleep over. The boys were going upstairs to the man cave to watch some Sylvester Stallone garbage. There was even Sprite in our house. Needless to say, no one was really interested in participating in Keola's lesson. Not even Keola. There was bickering, eye rolling, boredom, goofing off... it was UGG-LEE. I was kind and polite in requesting respect and reverence. I was ignored. So I announced I had had enough, and I marched upstairs to read my church magazine and find MY OWN spiritual uplift.

And of course, on page 2... the image of the perfect family studying the scriptures together. Children, scripture markers in hand, are looking attentively at Mums and Father, eagerly awaiting further light and knowledge. I stared at this picture for a good five minutes, allowing my mind to elaborate on the scene. I pictured one boy stabbing the other boy's hand with his scripture marking pencil. In retaliation, the brother reaches over and rips a few pages out of the stabber-brother's scriptures. In an effort to stop the madness, Mums hurls her bible at the boys. Father starts yelling at all the family to KNOCK IT OFF, while little sis stands clutching her picture of Joseph Smith and screaming at the top of her lungs. I really, truly wanted to see that picture in my magazine. I really, truly wanted to read about the REAL side of FHE.

I'm totally bugged. But in lighter news, new fun pictures of the kids and us can be found here.

Peace in the Plan

Sometimes life can be hard. Have you noticed? This has been a tough couple of weeks.

This is my Aunt Dolly. I love her dearly. She has been a wonderful part of my life. Her son, my cousin, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. Shortly afterwards, her sister, my Aunt Luana, passed away as well. More than anything, I feel so sad for her loss. I just want to be by her and love her. I went to Aunt Luana's funeral, and while it was sad, it was still a time of rejoicing over a long life full of love and kindness. There was an understanding of a Greater Plan, and our family felt united in an eternal perspective.

In the midst of feeling a little sad about these events, we received notice that my sweet friend Ann's husband was killed in Afghanistan. His name is Conrad. They are so young, with so much ahead of them. It is so sad. They have a 2 year old son that I adore.

I have a deep belief in life continuing. I know that a family unit can continue on forever. We love all of our children, and while I'm not exactly sure how divorce and remarriage all work in heaven, I believe we will all have the opportunity to be together. Today we attended a memorial on the base for Conrad. The grief was overwhelming. There is nothing you can say to console someone in a situation like this. It is compounded by a sense of hopelessness that death is indeed what ends your ties.

I really don't know what else to say. I appreciate all the support and strength my husband has offered me over the past few weeks. Conrad's death has been difficult for him as well, bringing back difficult memories of his last deployment. We have been leaning on each other, and it has brought a renewed strength and love to our marriage.

Missed the Green Monstah, But the Gahlic Fries Were Pissah!

See these people? They went to the RED SOX GAME this weekend!! It was WICKED AWESOME!


I kid you not, there were more Sox fans there than Mariner fans! I was dying! As you can see, I wore my hat, and people were high fiving me left and right. For a brief moment, I almost felt like I was at Fenway. Almost. This was the scene all around us... check it out:


We also happened to have killer seats. Right on the first base line. I was sorely disappointed that Lester pitched almost the whole game, because I really wanted to get my lens on Pap, and I thought Beckett was making his comeback this night. Alas... Lester's mediocre pitching lost us the game and lost me some great photo ops.

Youk was all over first base, which was nice:

And of course, Big Papi hit the only run of the night. Fo'real... check out the fans in the stands- those Bostonians are going CRAZY! LOVE THEM!!

This was the emotional moment where Big Papi nearly hit another home run, but it was caught. See how he's looking at me for reassurance and affirmation? I gave him a wink so he would know he still had loyal fans. We don't expect perfection from him, and we love him unconditionally. I'm sure the moment we shared meant as much to him as it did to me.


Anyway. The Sox lost, but the fam got to eat lots of crap, and I got to watch my boys play. We had a great time, and I think I even heard the kids yell "GO BOSTON" once or twice. Which means I am a good parent. And in the immortal words of Jim Gaffigan... "YANKEES SUCK AND DUNKIN DONUTS RULE!"

That's all.

Cawl Me, We'll Tawk... Nevah Mind. We Won't.

Is there something wrong with me? Let's analyze the facts:

1. I hate talking on the phone.

2. I avoid it at all costs.

3. I seek out any possible alternate mode of communication before I make a call.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my friends. Back in the olden days when a smoke was a smoke and groovin was groovin, I used to write letters regularly. This was primarily because my dad got really mad at me for running up VERY EXPENSIVE phone bills. Remember toll calls on rotary phones? I made many, many of those. If my dad had been a Love and Logic parent, I would have no college education today, as that fund would've gone to pay for the exorbitant bills I incurred with AT&T.

So what happened? When did I go from LOVING to spend hours and hours chatting about... um... honestly, I have no idea what we talked about for hours and hours in 1989... to ignoring almost every ring that presents itself on my phone? We have caller ID on our home line, and I usually don't even bother to see who's calling because I don't want to talk to them anyway. I answer my cell phone for about 4 people. It is completely preferable for me to let it go to voice mail, and then see what they want, and THEN decide whether or not to call them back.

Is it because people usually want something? Maybe. Am I lazy for not wanting to do whatever it is they're calling to ask me to do? Maybe. Is this normal? I find many of my friends seem to feel the same way, and we seem to have all our conversations via chat, email, blog commenting, or texting. Am I contributing to an erosion of healthy social skills? Or maybe it's just me... maybe no one likes talking to me either, and I'm swimming alone in a sea of non-cellular conversations.

Here's a theory. If you talk in person, you have to confront the reality of awkward silences. If you're totally electronic and there's an awkward silence, you can get up, use the bathroom, grab a snack, come back, edit a few photos, and then pop back into the conversation. Or by email- you can draft what you want to say, come back later and make sure you haven't been too offensive... and then hit send. No more foot-in-mouth!

Maybe I'm just a hermit at heart. Who knows. But the whole thing really is pretty fascinating to me. I would love to hear your thoughts on it all... just don't call me to discuss it.

Airplanes, Cars, Jam and Cookies. A Pleasant Mix.

We went to this airshow. It was absolutely unreal. I had no idea how cool it would be to watch airplanes do dangerous stunts. I was very nervous the whole time, and kept hoping we didn't end up on the national news documenting an airshow gone wrong. There were no collisions, however, so in the end I was able to enjoy myself. Check this stuff out:

Four planes, flying that close to each other! Also the cool patriotic tribute... very impressive.

Seriously? I can hardly stand to have a PERSON that close to me, forget another airplane!

The moon and a stealth bomber. Tell me THAT'S not an amazing shot!

And also this weekend, we went to a car show. My husband is IN LOVE with cool cars. He was in heaven. I tried mostly just to watch his face, and when his eyes lit up, that's when I knew I should take a picture of whatever he was looking at. Mostly, I can tell you that we saw cars. Some were yellow, red, green and even purple. They all had tires. Vroom vroom.

The kids and I made strawberry jam. We are dying at how good it is. We made about 15 jars of it. This week, we're trying raspberry. We're eating toast like twelve times a day just so we have something to put the jam on. It is sooooooooo good!!

And we made these. Did you know that they are officially called "Peanut Butter Blossoms"? I think that name is SO LAME! But I couldn't come up with anything better, so we're left calling them "Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey's Kisses Stuck On Top." Yeah, I know. Equally lame.

We are having a great time with Jordan and Sam. My parents will be out next week, and then my three kids get back shortly after. We can't wait to have our house full again!! Being a parent is probably my favorite job right now. Probably because I miss my kids so much, and I'm forgetting how hard it really is. Also probably because I'm presently otherwise unemployed. But you get the point.

And It Goes A Little Somethin' Like This...

For my son's 12th birthday, we bestowed upon him the gift-of-all-gifts in the tweenage world. The cell phone. We all know my feelings on kids and phones- it's ridiculous. Even at age 12, it is completely pointless. But I also realize we are not living in 1985 anymore, when SOME people I know were 12... and that the times are indeed a'changin. So I conceded. And generally, my firstborn has been relatively responsible with his new gadget.

My kids are visiting their father for the summer. I will admit, the phone has come in handy for keeping in touch. However, please join with me for a moment in reviewing yesterday's text message conversation:

ME: Where's your sister?
HIM: Right here.
ME: Let me text her for a few.
HIM: No. She's being a total brat.
ME: Um, who pays ur phone bill?
HIM: I'm serious. She is blatant disobedient. (I know, incorrect useage of an adjective here)
ME: When u pay the billl, u can make the rules.
HIM: She is bossy and rude and bratty!
ME: Not my problem. Put her on.
HIM: WHY?
ME: Bummer that I'll have to disconnect your phone.

And he never put her on. With just a few simple clicks of the mouse, the phone service was suspended. And at no additional cost to us! How handy is that?!?

The key lessons to learn here:

1. You don't get to tell Mom "no" and expect that to turn out well.

2. When you are financially responsible for yourself, you have much more freedom.

3. Stay in school, get a good job, and support yourself so that you can one day cut those apron strings and tell Mom "no" ALL YOU WANT.

The end.

The View Out My Kitchen Window... and more.

There is so much construction in our neighborhood, that usually when I look out my kitchen window, all I see is lumber and dirt. But today, the lawnboy was at work. Hubba hubba.

So here's the house. They are building across from us, behind us, and to the right of us. They still haven't built to the left of us yet though, which is great because I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have construction going on at 5am every day to wake me up. Looking forward to more.



Here's the kitchen. Obviously, I didn't do a good job of staging my photo since my dish towel is askew. But I like my kitchen. It's a bit small, but I think it's beautiful.



This is that big, open entry hall that has me nervous. We have no furniture for the formal living room yet, so it sits empty. By "empty" I mean "full of boxes and random items that we have yet to find a home for." But do you love the hardwood? I do.



And lastly, we've been spending a lot of time at the beach lately. It's been great. GO HERE to see more. My husband goes back to work next week, and I'm already depressed over it. We have been hanging out for a whole month now, and I hate to see it come to an end.

*Pardon my windblown hair and his farmer's tan. We let our pride go.

Name Those Kids...

You can't see their faces, so they are unidentifiable. But I will give you some clues as to who we have here:

1. They are crazy.
2. They crack us up most of the livelong day.
3. They give us lots of extra loves and snuggles.
4. They DON'T hate it here.
5. They do my chores.
6. They help me cook supper every night, thus cutting my work time in half.
7. They routinely seek out beatings from the man pictured below, and laugh the whole time.


It's nice to have kids around. As much as we love our couples time, we do love these kids.

Guess Where I Been...

We have had a FAAAAABULOUS time. Really. We have been childless for a couple of weeks, we threw all our belongings in a moving truck, and set out for our newest adventure. We moved into our house (pictures to come...), unpacked for a few days, and decided we needed a break. See if you can guess where we went:

This is where we played miniature golf, and my husband beat me by ONE POINT...

The ceiling of said miniature golf place. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay... making it a bit easier here:

We hit the Blackjack tables, and left when we doubled our original money. We know when to kiss a good thing goodbye.

Was it New York? Don't be fooled by the obvious clues...

Yeah. You guessed it. Vegas, baby. We did so much in five days, it was awesome. We used coupons and listened to timeshare spiels so we could afford to do so much. If you work it right, you can do Vegas on a dime. Also, you need to overlook the fact that Vegas is really only about the three B's: Buffets, Betting, and Boobs. We enjoyed two out of three, and tried to avoid all the "hot babes delivered to you" coupons we were offered.

Quick summary: All of these shows were 100% worth seeing, if you're in the neighborhood. Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, and the Bodies Exhibit. Absolutely amazing.

I have tons and tons to catch up on. I haven't had internet access for almost three weeks. Can you imagine my inbox? My Google Reader? We're talking in the hundreds here. (My apologies in advance for Marking All As Read). And I still have more to unpack, kids coming in this week, house guests this weekend, and let's not forget the lounging around and eating of bonbons. How's a girl to fit it all in??

Eh. As long as I have this amazing guy by my side, the rest of it doesn't really matter. Hope you are all enjoying your summer. Let's catch up soon!!

Hasta La Bye-Bye

Moving week is upon us. We are disconnecting our internet, and I am not one who carries my e-life on my phone. My phone number will stay the same for now, and I'll have email until Wednesday. After that, I am taking a cyber-hiatus. Enjoy having one less blog to read, and here's to hoping this all goes off with minimal stress. I'll be sure to send out a big email with the new address update, because I would really hate to miss out on all the Christmas cards. And please don't post too much in my absence, because I already feel overwhelmed at the number I'll find on my Google reader when I return.

HAPPY SUMMER!

Greatest Parental Moment Thus Far In My Life

You know those moments when you step back and feel overwhelming pride at something your child has done? Like offering an arm to an elderly lady; washing the dishes without being asked; offering to hold a crying baby; maybe even being kind to a sibling. Sometimes, I have seen my children do these things, and I feel warm inside.

But this... this tops it all. There is nothing on earth my kids could do that would make me feel more accomplished as a parent. Noe has been dying to have Eric T. come over and play. I ADORE Eric T. I am secretly plotting their future nuptials. This kid is darling. So I finally found a free afternoon, called Mrs. T, and scheduled a time for him to come and play. Before Noe went to bed the night prior to his visit, she asked me for some tape. She wanted to hang her list up on the wall. Her List Of Things To Do With Eric T. Observe:


Just in case any of it is a little fuzzy, here's what she's listed:
-park (as in "go to the park" not "park...a verb involving a vehicle and tonsil hockey")
-eat
-play in tree house
-read
-chalk project
-TV
-video games
-kid's mosaic stone kit
-play kitchen
-coloring

This is all followed by a list of possible snacks, and a random set of tally marks. I'm not even kidding, I got a little teary-eyed when I saw this. I mean, what else is there left for me to teach her? Sure we'll have a talk one day about bras and boys, but frankly, my work here is done.