knock, knock

Lately our kids have been developing their humor skills (or lack there of). In random places while doing random things poppy will chime in with
P-"Knock, Knock."
Me-"who's there"
P-"Wobin Hood"
Me- "Robin hood who?"
P-"Knock, Knock"
Me- "Whos there"
p-"wobin hood"

Over and over again...kinda funny the first few times...and then over and over her and Oscar will go trying to come up with some funny knock, knock and then they try it out again. Always beginning back with "Robin Hood".

The other one that they LOVE is "What do you do if you get swallowed by a Elephant...Jump around until you get pooped out "(you can thank Ricky for that one).
Needless to say I am destined to live in a house full of teases and jokesters...how is it that I am the leveling agent??? Seriously...it's too funny.

Fun recipes

Lent Worthy recipes...and tasty too!Here is the recipe for some tasty Swiss Chard with cannellinni beans recipe.
I really like this recipe and it made a good use for tasty chard.

Little Lion Snack

This has been one of our favorite snacks lately...take a canned pear, grate some cheese for the mane, and use chocolate chips or raisins for eyes. They love it!

(Ummmm...Delicious bread...look I couldn't wait to get a piece!)
Here is the recipe I used and it was a pretty great and easy recipe. I used Whole hard-white wheat flour for the entire recipe and it was delicious!
Enjoy!

Sunday Sampler

February family vacation to to grandparents was a big hit. We first had a fun time seeing grandma and grandpa Edge, along with the cousins Willie and Micah. While dad attended meeting the kids were lost in a world full of imagination and play, with grandma taking roles such as "shark" or any other character they could think of. Poppy was successful in keeping all of the boys in line and making sure she got plenty of snuggles from Grandpa (Micah was quite sad to have to share is snuggly grandpa). We also got to visit all of the Aunties and uncles (except for Reed who we certainly missed).
Grandma Kayser was a treat to see on our way out of town. Poppy gave her lots of snuggles and it was so nice to spend time with all of our grandmas.(Horse powered snow sledding. Grandpa pulled the kids up and down the road. We also played some human hockey puck by tossing the kids back and forth on the tubes. The Road was so icy that it was perfect.)
Grandma and Grandpa Dilworth's house was a big treat. Oscar had a hard time staying inside. That boy would spend hour out exploring the snow drifts, chicken coop, tractor, and any other diversion he could find to keep himself out in the winter wonderland.
He thought this snow drift looked like a nice place to take a nap in the sunshine. I then had to convince him to come inside to get ready for church...he was not happy about that.

If I am ever lucky enough to have a few acres of land...this is what I want to own. grandpa's Newly re-furbished Ford-9n 1939 tractor. It was so fun to drive. Even Oscar was able to drive it down the country road. He wasn't too sure what to think of it at first but by the end of our trip he was loving it. Ah, brings me back to my country bunkin' days.
Oscar had fun trying to catch the chickens in the coop...he was never successful. Even in an enclosed environment those Chickens were quite feisty...in fact the Rooster gave him a bit of a chewing out from up above in the rafters.
Poppy LOVED the horse "Queeny" When we arrived she couldn't wait to get on her. After riding for a little bit on the horse, we asked her if she wanted down and she said "no". She was so happy to be up there riding...a girl after her mom's heart.
We were lucky enough to see a lot of cousin's this trip. At Grandma's we saw Russel, Aleshia, Brighton, Jason, Braden, Bryce, Hayden, Ryan, Mitzy, baby Lynlee, Aunt Joanna and uncle Adam, Aunt Verena, Uncle Lance and Moria, Auntie Rosa, and Aunt Marie.
We then stoped in Pocatello on our way home to see Aunt Katrina and our cousins, Kyle, Daniel, Julianna, and Heidi. We had some tasty cold stone ice cream and we were on our way to Boise.
We stopped in Boise and stayed the night at My Aunt Eileen's house where we saw My grandma Mary Dilworth (my kindred spirit).
And My Aunt Eileen and my great-Aunt Ingajean. We had a nice visit seeing these three wonderful women. I love to feel their sweet hugs and warm smiles that remind me of how much I am truly loved, and how many wonderful people I have had in my life.
This trip was such a fun time for us to really see a lot of our family and to have some fun experiences.
A big Thank you to all who shared their homes and time with us. We really loved being able to see all of you!

WWYD

Ok so here's the question...
I have some non-LDS friends who I met from teaching my spinning classes. Quite some time ago they asked me to be part of a 100k relay team and I told them yes I would love to do it with them. They have had a hard time trying to find enough team players (ten total) and especially a hard time trying to find someone to do the segment that I agreed to do...it's the big hill. I just discovered, after multiple emails and consenting to do the run, that it is on a Sunday.
I generally do not break my "don't run on Sunday" rule and I am having all sorts of angst about this.
I have not paid my money, although they are expecting me to be part of the team.
It is still about two months away, but I think they have to be registered sooner, than later. I am trying to think of someone to fill my slot, but am coming up empty.
It is possible that my leg would fall later in the day and that I could attend part of my church meetings but I'm just not so sure it falls under "keeping the sabbath". And I feel somewhat of a responsibility to keep my stance on the no running policy.
So, what would you do?
Rick is no help...he won't give me advice either way.

Ready, Set, Go!

I have recently just finished reading this book, very good by the way, and have decided to fashion my "lent" around it.
The basic premise of the book is to "Eat Food(real food), not too much, mostly plants". It also suggests that we shouldn't eat anything that our Great grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.
He give some great parameters and of those this is what my "lent" will be:
1. No HFC's (High fructose corn syrup) This is more difficult than you may think considering it is in practically everything, even bread. I know just how difficult it is...I just did my shopping trip.
2. Refrain from eating highly processed foods...nothing with more than five ingredients on the label, and they all need to be recognizable ingredients. It can have more than 5 ingredients if they are all real foods stuff.
3. Proportion control. I will serve our food before dinner and leave the pans on the stove, therefore taking the amount of food I want on my first serving rather than continuing to graze after I have eaten my fill.
4. Eat lost of plants...I love this one and this shouldn't be too tough.
5. Refrain from eating highly processed grains...everything I eat/make will be at least 50% whole grain. No white bread or rice for me...I can use a little but it needs to be combined with the others.

Alright I think that is it. You see, I may actually be able to eat limited amounts of chocolate this year. Especially dark, pure chocolate. I am really excited for the challenge this year! I feel like I want to rid my self of all of the nasty holiday foods I have been eating non-stop since Thanksgiving.

So friends the challenge is out. You may choose what ever you want, but make it something that you can measure and control. I can't wait to see who is up for the challenge.
You can even pass on the challenge on your blog...Good Luck!
I would love to hear updates too.

LENT (modified, deprivation diet)

Get your lent challenges ready!

Here are the stipulations...and a little bit of background.

This all began from my non-catholic friend Andrea who would give up junk food during lent. She convinced me to do it with her, giving up ice cream my first year trying. This will be the 4th year I have participated. Albeit a bit late in the game.
Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter.^[1] The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan.^[2] Different churches calculate the forty days differently. (This comes courtesy of wikipedia.)

Although this is a great tradition...we LDS saints fast(no food or drink for 24 hrs) the first Sunday of each month and religiously do not practice "lent" and previously outlined. No, we use our monthly fasts for similar purposes. The "lent" we are about to begin is quite different...because although it can be spiritual, this is really a test to see if you can keep your word and challenge yourself.

So, this is my non-religious deprivation diet to allow my self, for one month, the self-control that I lack throughout the rest of the year. In fact it actually should have began two weeks ago on Ash Wednesday, but because of our trip to see family, I have postponed it to begin tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice, and if you need one more day to contemplate your goals, then I give you the executive privilege to do so. But you should still leave a comment and list what you are giving up.

My first year I gave up ice cream and it seemed like no big deal. The next year I gave up sweets all together. This year I have a whole new strategy and will disclose this information tomorrow.

Therefore, if you are going to be in on this fun activity here are the things you need to do:
1. Pick what you are going to give up and what is safe for you to keep in. (Write it down)
2. Eat a bunch of junk food today because it will be until Easter before you get to again.
3. Leave a comment that you are in and what you are giving up.
If you are "in" and post your comment, and you successfully keep your goal, then I will personally send you a finishers surprise! You MUST comment on tomorrow's post and you Must list what you are giving up.
If you mess up, you can send me a surprise...j/k. You just start again the next day.

I'm hoping to do various posts on my observations during my diet this time around because it will be a bit of a different strategy that has to do with my recent reading of the book "In Defense of Food". I am using myself as a bit of a test subject to see how my test pans out.
I went shopping tonight and I'm all set to begin tomorrow...the one hint I will give you about my choice is: this year Chocolate may NOT be completely out of my diet...but don't worry, it will even be more challenging than that!!!

Pot Stickers!

(Wrapped, pre-cooked form, before the pan steaming process)

(I didn't get the picture taken before most of them were eaten)

Thanks to Betina, and a fun visit to Swilly's for lunch, for giving me the idea to attempt pot stickers. They were delicious and pretty simple to make. My kids devoured them, and truthfully they are even pretty healthy. Here is the recipe:

Vegetarian Potstickers By: Ming Tsai

1 red onion sliced 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms 1 cup white cabbage, shredded 1 cup carrots, shredded 1 cup chopped garlic chives or chives 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1 package round dumpling skins, also called gyoza (preferably twin dragon brand) Salt to taste Canola oil In a wok or large saute pan, add a little oil and saute onions and ginger. Add the mushrooms and stir. Add the cabbage, carrots and chives. Season. When mixture is soft, place in colander to drain. Add the sesame oil and cilantro when mixture is cooled. Check for seasoning. Using the gyoza skins, make half moon dumplings keeping the bottom flat. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with oil and place dumplings. When bottom gets brown, add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover. This will steam the dumplings. Carefully watch the dumplings and completely evaporate the water so that the bottom gets crispy again and sticks to the pot. Serve with dipping sauce. SPICY SOY DIPPING SAUCE: 1/3 cup thin soy sauce 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar 1/3 cup sliced scallions 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon sambal Combine all.

Weekly stuff...

Poppy girl is now a "big girl" with a new bed set up. The first few days of transition she was having a tough time going to sleep for nap time, before I had to wake her to get Oscar from school. By Friday she was doing a pretty good job of just lying down and going to sleep.
I think someone has transplanted a much more cooperative child in my midst. She has really turned a corner on being so stubborn. Don't get me wrong she can still hold her own. But, lately she wants to snuggle more and is really more considerate than she has been. I'm really loving her stage right now.
Oscar has turned a new leaf in learning just in the last few weeks. His counting has really increased. He can now pretty much count to 100 (if he can see the #'s) and we got a note this last week that he counted to 59 in class. This is a big breakthrough considering he kept getting hung up on 20. He also is reading the little books much better and is really starting to sound out the words. He still uses the pictures but is starting to correct himself and is really looking at the words instead of just guessing.
I love sitting with him and just reading...too bad he only likes to do it for a limited amount of time. Although, i think he would let me read to him forever. We have read through 5 chapter books this week. They are a series we just received from his book order and they are just the right length that we can read through the whole thing in one sitting and they are adventure stories. They are the "Magic Tree House by: Mary Pope Osborne" Series, in case you are looking for some good books for his age group.


And we have had much more of this white fluffy/or not-so fluffy stuff. I really looking forward to spring...I know you say it is only the beginning of FEBRUARY, but seriously...I can't get my mind off of walking in flip flops and feeling some sunshine on my face!
I took a 10 mile run yesterday (for more enlightenment on this run you can check out my other blog) and the road had cleared off from some rain, and the sun peaked out a few times, I felt like I was a whole new person.
Tomorrow for family Home Evening we are goign to take a seed inventory to decide what we want to grow and what we need to order. Lucky for us Auntie Emily and Uncle Carvel sent us an abundance of seeds so we may not need to buy any!
Come the end of the month we shall have our seeds ready to start! This is were spring really begins...oh, boy I can't wait to get those little seeds in some dirt and to see something green growing!

80's flash

My 80's girl...gotta love the stripes, skirt over pants and all of the chunky jewelery. Fnny, funny girl.
Our Super hero...this is his alter ego batman. He can transform from one to another with the simple flip of the cape!

(I liked wearing it so much, that I'm going to wear it again today...at least this morning, until I run later and actually shower)

Then later in the day I decided to let Oscar hear the song "Holding out for a Hero" form the Foot Loose sound track (since we all know that he is slightly obsessed with heroes)...
I know all of you are bobbing your heads and shouting the lyrics right now, don't hold back, let it all out. He then proceeded to run up and down the hallway playing it over and over again as he is shouting out...."I need a Hero!" to which he would follow with "I'm already a Hero!".
It was hilarious...If only I actually caught it on camera.
I then recently purchased this cheap, but stylin 80's looking shirt from old navy, in my favorite color YELLOW. I wore it for the first time today and could feel all of my dreary wintry melancholy slip away ( I even put a bright pink shirt on underneath). I even wore a pair of dangley earrings just because they matched so well. Yes, my friends this has been a lovely, snowy, gloomy day because of two kids who were so stink'in cute and a bright Yellow shirt!

Situation...

As a preface to the forth coming situation I should disclose that I DO NOT look for any opportunities to make people uncomfortable and i try very hard to always be mindful of others feelings. I DO try very hard to be kind, courteous, honest, and loving in all areas of my life.
that being said i had this very awkward confrontation today at the swimming pool.

Here is the set up...Oscar has swimming lessons every Tuesday and Thursday morning before school. I have been having this internal conflict between having him go to the Men's locker room my himself or for his to come with me into the women's locker room. By past experience both situations are not perfect...the women's locker room seems to always have at least one woman who insists on strutting around the locker room in the buff. The Men's locker room keeps me in a constant uncomfortable worried state of paranoia over pedophiles, or at the least other curious young boys who like to play and make a mess of the locker room.
Today was no exception. Because there have been an abundance of in-the-buff women in the women's locker room lately, I have been sending him into the men's with a very cautioned dialog before hand on what should happen in a locker room and what should not.
This has been working, well with the exception of him and his friend Logan playing in the locker room. But today he said he couldn't operate the showers and wanted me to go into the men's locker room to turn them on. I told him to grab his things and come to the ladies locker room with me.
The room was surprisingly fairly empty with the exception of one very, very elderly woman who was changing. I showered the kids and had Oscar get dressed in the private dressing room part. While I got Poppy dressed.
I did happen to notice that there was one other woman who was giving me dirty looks and wasn't getting dressed but merely watching everyone else.
I didn't think anything of it and continued to plod my kiddies along so we would be able to get lunch etc. done before school. When about to leave, this woman confronts me with "next time would you please make other arrangements for your son. His is too old to be in the women's locker room." (this was not said in a loving way).
I had previously talked with one of the lifeguards on another occasion about there being an age limit, and she told me there was not.
I told the lady this and she insisted that there was a posting outside that prohibited it. She also told me that she was a stay at home mom and that in her opinion boys over the age of 2 1/2 should be showering in the men's locker room!!! Yes, my friends she thinks I should be sending someone the same age as Poppy into the men's locker room to shower and change their clothes, by themselves!!!
At this point I realized that this woman was clearly a delusional and frustrated soul naturally, and that there was nothing I could say that would help her. Luckily, there was another mother in the locker room who was better at articulating an argument than me. She asked the woman if she would rather that I send my son into a locker room with some pedophile? The woman's response was "Well I certainly can't go into the men's locker room!". I thought Yeah, me too, what am I supposed to do???
Ugh! I feel in these situations I don't know how to "fix" the problem. I don't want Oscar being in an unsafe, or uncomfortable environment and yet, I wish these women would use some discretion on what they choose to wear around in the locker room!

So, I'm curious...If this were you, what would you do in the future? How old should Oscar be before I can safely feel comfortable with him showering by himself? Am I being irrational?
I did talk to the Pool director and she assured me that I could take Oscar into the ladies locker room and that even if he were 10 and I felt he needed to go in with me, he could. She also told me that this particular woman has complained on numerous other occasions (she used to even ask mothers how old their boy was, before giving her spill)...I'm thinking this lady needs to shower at home!

Although, the director said it was fine I still am wondering what the solution is...any ideas?
The real tragedy is that Pullman is such a small town that I'm certain I will run into this woman again, and I will not be able to look at her without feelings of discomfort and confrontation. What if she is in the other ward and I see her in a church setting, the grocery store? I wish she would have just asked me nicely so that we could have gotten off on a better foot and could avoid this whole uncomfortable situation.

Dedicated man, dedicated run

Inspired by the Marathon mommy I took the challenge of dedicating my run yesterday to this great prophet.
I was hoping to have some of his talks on my ipod to listen to but, I wasn't able to put it all together so I decided I would run with just my thoughts, on what influence his life had on mine.
I generally work things out in my mind when I'm running, it is a good way of organizing my thoughts and finding clarity. I find that truly my spirit and body are more of a whole when they are both in the process of exercising. Yesterday was no exception, and it certainly was a difficult run for me. I did 7.68 miles and it was through our very snowy town. I was laready tired from a spinning class and although none of you really want to hear it I was having some cramps...Ugh. Needless to say it was a good/hard run. I was greatfu lto have the challenge to keep me going. (Rick did a 16mi run and called it a short run....amazing!)
It was my first run over 6 miles since November and I had taught a spinning class yesterday morning. In my spinning class were three missionaries (I was grateful for my more mellow selection of music) and it was interesting seeing the youthful energy of some of God's army. They certainly stood out as unique (one of them especially loved one of the songs and couldn't help dancing around a bit on his bike) but they all had this great determination and enthusiasm that showed through.
This was one of the MANY characteristics of President Hinckley that I enjoyed and aspired to acquire. He had this ability to motivate and inspire all in his presence.
As the miles rolled by and my thoughts traversed through various times in my life where his influence inspired and humbled me.
Here is a little list of some of the more memorable moments...
I recall being in a regional conference youth choir when I was a freshman in High school. At this time President Hinckley was still a counselor in the first presidency, but I remember sitting and listening to his words. Knowing that the words he spoke to me were a message of truth.
This would carry on with me. I remember him encouraging us to strive to do better and to be better, a message that would carry on throughout his presidency.

I also remember getting my tattoo on my leg. Yes, I already knew it was NOT the right thing to do. However, I will note that it was a very innocent tattoo, and was by no means a mark of rebellion, merely a best friend tattoo between me and my cousin Lisa. Shortly thereafter he gave his talk about respecting our bodies and that we should treat them like a temple. This is where I ate a good dose of humble pie...(not the first time and probably not the last.)
I have many many times regretted this decision and will forever have it as a mark as a weakness in decision making. Especially when my kids, primary children of young women ask me about it.

I have fond memories of the BOM challenge. I remember sitting (very pregnant with Poppy) on the floor of the primary room, doing a read-athon with my young women. I loved seeing the love and devotion that each of those girls put into his challenge. I especially loved seeing the mark of accomplishment that beamed on their faces when they achieved their goal.

I clearly remember the encouraging B's that he gave. Today in primary the children still remembered and could recall all six of the B's. This is impressive especially when I realized that most of them were not even alive, or very old when he gave them to the youth of our church.

I recall his sweet humble spirit that could charm even the hardest of men. I loved seeing him in the public sphere, taking on the lions of the press. He knew who he was and what his purpose in this life was, and they could not shake his character. I try to share the gospel freely with others just as he would have done. It is such an important part of my life, that if I refrain from sharing deny others the same joy and love I experience in knowing who I am, where I am going, and that I don't have to do it alone.

There are many other thoughts that came to me while I was running, this is just a few that I'll share. I'm so grateful for a wonderful prophet who guides our church and gives us the modern day direction that we need to return to our father in heaven.

I know that I have a purpose here in this life. I'm certain it won't always be easy and at times I may not fully understand that position, but I know that God loves me and that I have a Savior who has atoned for my sins and that I am a daughter of God. I grieve that Gordon B. Hinckley will no longer be in our presence, but rejoice that he is on the other side. I hope I can live my life with just as much clarity and purpose as he did.

Thanks for indulging me with so many fond memories and thoughts.