San Francisco

This last weekend Gabe and I flew into Oakland to attend his cousin Dustin's wedding. We were able to stay for three days and enjoy a much needed "get away". We stayed at the Waterfront Hotel, which like it's name implies, is right on the waterfront.  The ferry dock was conveniently just yards from our hotel and we were able to take a ferry to San Francisco. The ferry went right under the bay bridge, which is very impressive. We drove across it on Sunday before we flew home, but that ended up being a painful test of our patience. It is a toll bridge and it literally took us 1 hour to cross it because of the traffic. And it was a Sunday! I can't imagine trying to cross it during the work week.

The ferry docked right at the famous Pier 39 (Pier 41). I felt like I was in Disney land with the ambiance of the shops, the smells and night lights. Gabe and I ate at "Luigi's" right on Pier 39. I texted Tucker a picture of the restaurant and he thought it was pretty cool and remarked that he wanted to eat there tomorrow.

Street performers filled the sidewalks of Fisherman's Wharf. My favorite was a family act of acrobats, "The Sardine Family Circus". It was two brothers, their sister and a friend. The siblings are originally from England and come from a family of 8 kids. If you ever get the chance to go to Fisherman's Wharf, they are an act you don't want to miss.

Of course all good things must come to an end, but we were both ready to go home and see the kiddos. This is the longest we've ever been away from our kids, but we left them with a family friend whom they all adore, so they didn't have any trouble with our absence. Having someone you can trust with your kids makes all the difference, so we know we can definitely get away again in the future and not have to wait until retirement : )

You Can Do Hard Things

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You can do hard things", is a phrase I heard from my mom quite often growing up. Usually my first thought was, "but I don't want to do hard things"! Yet despite the reluctance, I did feel more empowered. As a mother I have begun using this phrase with my kids too, some more than others. Brianna is often begrudging of her daily duties that deplete her "play time" and often grumbles about having to do her jobs. To be fair she probably does have more daily responsibilities than the average eleven year old with piano practice, eye exercises and visions therapy, top rack dishwasher duty and reading to the boys before bedtime. But she is capable of doing these things and is still able to play with her best friend 3-4 hours a day. I admit that after having four boys it's harder for me to remember that girls need more time to "get over things" and usually dedicate more energy and drama in dealing with their issues. I am reluctant to admit that I am not very patient with this process and need to find a way to tap into the empathetic Mommy that I know exists somewhere inside of this "cut to the chase, just get it done, and don't whine about it" robot of a parent I feel I am most of the time. Not that it's fun being this type of parent, but often am out of sheer necessity of maintaining my sanity.

"I can do hard things!" ...Hmm, I don't quite feel empowered yet, but I have faith that I will get there. I should probably take my own advice that I give to Tucker when he's playing Wii and is frustrated 95% of the time. "Take a deep breath...now another. Remember, this is suppose to be fun".

Thanksgiving JibJab video

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Spiders, Skeletons and Mummies, Oh My!

It's hard for me to believe that Hayden is 9 yrs old now!  He was only 4 when we first moved to Spanish Fork and he has really grown and matured a lot. I guess we all have but for Hayden the obstacles haven't been as ordinary. I'm really proud of him and what a wonderful person he is and continues to become. The sappiness aside, everyone had a lot of fun celebrating Hayden's birthday. We invited one of his best friend's and his family to come celebrate with us. The party didn't end until after 9pm, mostly because it's hard to tell eight kids that a party is over and it's time for friends to leave and go to bed. But all good things end at some point : )

I was really excited about the cupcakes I chose to make for his birthday this year. I can't give myself all the credit though, I got my inspiration from "Better Homes and Gardens". The peanut butter fudge fingers were my own creation though, although it did take awhile for everyone to try them because they were a little too realistic.

Last year we did a haunted house for Hayden's friend party, which was fun but it consumed my life for a week. Hayden wanted to do it again this year, so I pointed him towards the garage, gave him a box of decorations and props and said "Go at it". Lately I've been trying to be more realistic about what I can do and how much time I have to do it because I often get in over my head and end up overwhelmed and drowning in projects that aren't top priority. Ah, but they are usually a lot more fun : )

Hayden overjoyed to receive a "red" razor scooter!

                                  Mommy tickling Gage            Gabe sporting the gun he gave Hayden as a present

                                                                                 "Preparation for the Zombie Apocalypse"

The Three Mustache-k-teers

My mom bought the kids a pack of mustaches and they were a hit.  Mason insisted on wearing his upside down, although according to him it was the "real right way".

Even Grandpa and Mom joined in on the fun!

Kung Foo Fighting

Hayden put together this routine off the top of his head, I was rather impressed : )

So Attractive!

July 2011

These are a few pictures of the kids playing our summer version of the "Candy Bar Game". This is a game I played growing up with my family and I hope the tradition carries on for generations to come : )  Here is a link to a previous post that has instructions for playing the candy bar game

FODMAP's 101

Some of you may know that over the past few years I have been dealing with a lot of stomach problems.  I've had many visits to the doctor, the instant care and the ER, and I have had many tests and procedures, most of them unpleasant. I was hoping that after all that time and trouble I would have a diagnosis and a cure... that has not been the case. I have been told all of the things I don't have, which is nice to know, but is not helpful to my current state of health. My doctor's told me, "It's probably IBS because we can't find anything else". "Probably?". Thank you doctors for your expert opinions! (Yes, that is sarcasm, but I figure I've earned it). I actually do like most of the doctors I have seen and my family doctor and G.I. specialist have been very kind and helpful, but all those positives haven't yielded a solution.

This past month I have spent a lot of my time on the living room floor, trying to find a position to lay in, that would give me relief from my gastric pain. Sadly I have gotten used to it and it has almost become a way of life. But it isn't fair to me or my family, especially when Gabe has to come home from work, sometimes early, so he can help with the kids, make dinner and clean up so he can then help the kids with homework, all because I'm curled up in a ball on the floor, wishing I didn't have to eat ever again.

A week ago Gabe and I started searching on the internet (again), to see if we could find anything on IBS that fit my symptoms. It has been difficult to pinpoint a cause for my problems since I am not allergic to wheat or dairy, which many IBS symptoms can be contributed to. This time we found some new research about FODMAP's that has yielded a lot of helpful information and many answers that I have been searching for.

The-Fodmap-Theory-For-IBS - FODMAP researchers have identified that short-chain carbohydrates, which are components of many foods, may be poorly absorbed by the small intestine and thus rapidly set upon and fermented by bacteria within the digestive system, specifically the small intestine and the upper parts of the large intestine (proximal colon). These carbohydrates were given the acronym FODMAPs and refer to:
Fermentable
Oligosaccharides (eg. Fructans and Galactans)
Disaccharides (eg. Lactose) Monosaccharides (eg. excess Fructose)
and
Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt)                            Foods high and low in FODMAP's

So in Lamen's terms I have food fermenting in my intestines that my body isn't able to absorb, which causes bloating, gas and usually intense pain.  I immediately began eliminating foods from my diet that are "high" in fodmap's, excluding some wheat and dairy since I am able to digest these foods properly when they aren't accompanied with certain sugars, mainly fructose, honey and artificial sweeteners ending in "ols".

It has been a bit overwhelming trying to figure it all out, but I found a chart on-line that I now have on my fridge, which makes it easier to see which foods I should or should not eat. FODMAP diet chart - In order to view it you need to be a member of ibsgroup.org but it's free to sign up.

After following the "low fodmap diet" last week, I have only had one episode, which I later realized was most likely caused by a health bar I had eaten which contained inulin. I am not 100% sure that was the cause because stress is also a major factor in many IBS symptoms, and I have an abundance of "potential" stress causing factors in my life...

All in all, I feel I am on the right path for managing, if not curing my IBS symptoms. In addition to altering my diet, I have started drinking Kefir and taking olive leaf extract and boswellia, both of which have been shown to help with IBS and many other ailments. I have learned a lot through this whole process and have found that the most important thing I can do for myself is to be a strong self-advocate.

Sandbox fun

1st Day of Preschool

Mason has been looking forward to this day for weeks. He has been eager to go to the "big kids school", and now that day is here. It's hard to believe that I have 4 kids attending the same school!

Before I sent him off, I wrote his name in permanent marker on the outside of his back pack and Mason insisted that I include his age next to his name. He takes a lot of pride in being four years old.