New weight loss program!

Paul and I have lost some weight since last fall. In fact, about 20 lbs. each. We still have more to go but I can say that we aren't burnt out, our cravings aren't out of control and we aren't eating weird food. We have discovered our own weight loss program and guarantee that I will work for anyone who needs to get to a healthy weight. People are noticing and I have to admit it feels good. Many people have asked what diet we are doing. In the past we did South Beach but the cravings took us DOWN after the initial 2 weeks. We've join gyms with circuit training and other "guaranteed" programs. And let's face it, some of the stuff out there is down right dangerous and unhealthy.
I believe everyone has to find what works for them. Just get healthy! Sooo, do you want to know what has worked for us? Do you really want to know our secret? Lean in close, closer, closer... I can tell you the acronym to make it sound official
GAG ESEC (no gag does not refer to any type of eating disorder). Are you ready for this earth shattering new idea? Here it is:
Get
A
Grip

Exercise and
Stop
Eating
Crap

That's it! It's not a new idea, it's a lifestyle changing one. It's not fast, but after a while it is addictive and your body feels so much healthier. We all know what needs to be done, we just lack the will power to do it. And you have to do both exercise and eating right for it to work. Some programs claim you can eat anything and everything you want and still lose weight, there's a lie in ther somewhere! We live in a world of quick easy fixes, but we all know that lasting change takes time, effort, and will power. We decided it was time to change our present and our future. Paul ran a 10k last week and is gearing up for a half marathon on Memorial day. I am so proud of him. We want to be able to keep up with our kids and enjoy being active. We want to teach them healthy life habits. For the future, we want unlimited possibilities for travel. We want to be eligible for missionary service in any part of the world without health restrictions. We want to plan for and enjoy the future.

Echoes of myself

Listening to Emma downstairs playing:

"Time for dinner everyone"

"K guys, come to the table"

"Why are you not here?"

"People, it's time for dinner and I still see empty chairs here!"

My decade old boy

My chubba bubba baby boy

Christian had his tenth birthday today.

When I mentioned to him that he is now a decade old, he thoughtfully said, "I don't want to get old" Unfortunately, and luckily, it is inevitable. I wouldn't mind visiting ten again, but never want to stay there. Experience is just too precious.

Christian is an amazing boy. He loves all things science, magic, fantasy, and doesn't mind that his imagination usually insures that he is dirty and smiling. He comes up with the most elaborate schemes. If he's not mixing potions, he's creating a magical fairy kingdom for his little sisters.

Christian really enjoys being a part of the Spectrum program and his friends at school. He loves being in the dramas (no stage fright for him), playing chess, winning Krypto (math) tournaments, studying nature on field trips, and playing chimes.

Christian is loving and thoughtful. He frequently expresses gratitude and love to our family. We love him and realize what an important part of our family he is!

In the deep, deep part of Daddy's pocket...

One day, Emma was looking in the pocket of Paul's dress shirt. She said, "that's a deep pocket". Evidently, this fact got her thinking about what could be in the deep part of that pocket. It all started with the bunnies. She told us that there are bunnies that live in the deep, deep part of his pocket and...

they "have chubby cheeks like this" "and big eyes like this"

"and eyebrows like this"

"and ears like this"

Then she proceeded to tell us about the walking refridgerator that gets food from the restaurant and then walks around giving out food.

She talked about this imaginary world in the deep, deep part of Daddy's pocket for about 20 minutes, describing all the details. Unfortunately, I didn't take notes imediately and when asked about it a couple of hours later these were the only parts she or I could remember. What a fun cute imagination she has. Often times it is not fun to have VERY dramatic kids, but when they have a good story to tell, it is hilarious!

What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

We had an interesting afternoon which led to an interesting discussion over dinner. Beginning 3 days ago, our three oldest children build a VERY large maze of tents made from various materials, pvc pipes and blankets, chairs and blankets, boxes, play tents, and all the various "supplies" to go in it. Needless to say, for us as parents, it was a cleaning nightmare. We very firmly believe that if you make the mess you are responsible to clean it up. As a result, we had a hard time seeing the "coolness" of it all through the yelling, crying, overwhemling chore ahead. We tried to be supportive and gave them a couple of days to enjoy their city before requiring it to be dismantled.

Ironically, once the thrill of the build was over, very little enjoying actually happened.

Today, before dinner, was the deadline. They were informed days ago that if they did not complete the clean up and pass inspection before dinner, they would not be invited to dinner. They were given daily reminders of this deadline and helpful suggestions that cleaning up a little at a time would be easier than tackling it all at once. They chose not to take advice and so we had much groaning and complaining shortly before dinner. Thankfully, they were able to finish before dinner was over but did not get quite as much dinner as they would have liked because they were late.

We asked Christian (the mastermind) if he could think of three ways he could have avoided such a trying situation and he was able to answer very throughly. Then Paul asked him a question his mission president used to ask, "What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?" Christian had an idea but was unable to articulate it. Paul said that simply stated, the difference is that wisdom is being able to successfully apply the knowledge we gain. He then said, "You now have knowledge, but are you wise? What will you do next time?"

I think we all need more wisdom in our lives. In fact, I think I will find a way to post this question in our home office to remind our family to apply the knowledge we gain.

Well, don't I feel special!

I sent my babysitter's workshop blog over to Mormon Mommy Blogs as a guest submission a few weeks ago and lo and behold, it's up today? I had no clue! Got some good responses though. Go check it out here!

Random Questions

Lest anyone think I know everything there is to know about everything (haha).... Here are some random questions floating around in my brain. Might as well let them float around in the dark abyss of my blog instead:

1. While unpacking my food storage I came to wonder when "Best by" dates become "if you eat this you will turn into a mutant from the half life radioactivity and then DIE"
2. What vegetables can grow with little sunlight so I can plant them under fruit trees and thereby avoid wasting garden space?
3. Can I spray paint all the projects I have pending in the 40º temperature of my garage? The can says it should be at least 50º, but what difference is 10 lousy degrees, and who follows directions anyway? I'm really into spray paint lately, don't worry, no sniffing is involved, however, I really have a lot of painting to do...
4. How do people get their little girls' hair to stay so cute and smooth ALL day? My girls look like they've stuck their fingers in a light socket after 10 min.
5. Is there some home improvement gene I missed out on or is it just that Murphy and his dumb law dog my every attempt to tackle a project. I keep trying to lower my expectations but they can't get much lower lately. Nothing EVER works the first time or even the second or third! Ahhhh!!
6. How do I teach my kids family loyalty? How do I inspire them to side with their sibling rather than treating them like something they found on the bottom of their shoe every time a friend comes around? I guess they don't do it every time, but enough to make me wonder if they are being selectively possessed when friends come over. They are really quite good friends if there isn't anyone else around.
7. Is there a hearing aid for children with selective hearing? How do I get their attention when they don't want to listen? I have tried everything I have heard of, especially with Emma, she is a pro! She could work in government.
8. Why is it that when I eat 1 piece of pie I gain 5 pounds but when I work out for 5 weeks I can't drop one?
9. How is it that my children can go through more rolls of toilet paper in a week than pairs of underwear?
10. Why is it that when given a stack of book orders with many choices for quality reading experiences, my kids choose the Pokémon book?

This is in no way even remotely a complete documentation of my confusion. I am sure there will be more to come. Any enlightenment you have to offer on these subjects will result in something close to adoration on my part. Otherwise, they will forever float in cyberspace because as you know, anything you put on the internet is eternal.

It's been how many years?!!?

Well, come June it will have been 20 years since Paul and I graduated from High School. If you can't read that number you must be as old as we are. In an effort to.... um.... uh.... honestly, I'm sitting here and can't think of a reason why, Paul and I have looked up our Alma maters and determined when our reunions are. I was relieved to know I have until August to shed 20 lbs. and 20 years, minus the big hair. No seriously, they posted our graduation pictures on the website and I almost reverted to the fetal position. Wowza! The only consolation I have is that there are plenty of photos on there of people with bigger hair than mine.
Anyway, I didn't go to my 5th because I was in Guatemala on my mission. I didn't go to my 10th because I had a 5 month old baby, the baby fat to go with it, and a husband and that was MIA because he was still in Puerto Rico. Yeah, that wasn't happening. So, this is it. Time to overcome those high school insecurities that still I carry somewhere deep inside the grown-up I've become. Tee hee hee (Sorry, can't help it, I don't think I'll ever be truly grown up!)
I wouldn't describe my self as being shy, I just didn't think anyone knew who I was. This was confirmed in college when I went to a Halloween dance and, forgive the arrogance, I looked good. It was an Elvira type costume without quite so much cleavage. Anyway, a guy I knew from junior high and high school who incidentally, I had a crush on at one point, came up and started hitting on me. He gave me a fake name and when I called him on it and told him a little of what I knew about him, I could see in his eyes that he still didn't quite remember me. I really felt forgetable then! His friend remembered me though, he even knew my name. Nice guy.
Since returning to my old stomping grounds, Davis County, after 12 years or so, I have run into many people from high school, some of whom I didn't remember or recognize. This has caused me to realize that all those people who seemed so "all that" and confident were just trying to get through the best they could. Just like the rest of us.
I've often thought that I would like to go back to high school with the knowledge I have now. Just for a little while, I certainly wouldn't want to go through it ALL over again. Ugggh! For a little while though, I could have a lot of fun!
For what it's worth, in August I will be facing my misconceptions and biases. I think it will be interesting and enlightening. Eliptical, don't fail me now! Six and a half months and counting!

Chez Bruderer

Every once in a while my hubby has dinner meetings or continuing education classes and isn't here for the evening. When that happens, I don't feel like fixing a big dinner but I don't want mac & cheese either. I have recently discovered a way to cook multiple kinds of pre-prepared foods at the same time! Enter heavy duty, wide aluminum foil. I cover a cookie sheet with the foil, folding it to make "walls" between entrees. I then bake it all together. The kids and I each get a variety of choices, just like going to a restaurant without the hassle. The best part... no pans to wash, just clean up the foil!

Tonight I had broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken, Jordan and the girls had Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets, and Christian chose meatloaf balls (pre-frozen from last week). We all enjoyed Costco's Sweet Potato fries with brown sugar and chili powder. Now just so you don't think we eat this kind of food all the time I must say I have made 5 home cooked, balanced meals in the last week and 7 the week before. A night of battered pressed foods doesn't hurt every once in a while. Everyone cleaned their plates without complaint, and with very little clean up we had time for a movie night with popcorn ON A SCHOOL NIGHT! I was a fun Mom for a night without the nagging. It works for me!

Crazy, fluky accident

On Wednesday, we got a very urgent, disconcerting phone call. It was Paul's day off, and we were enjoying the day when we got the call saying that a man had just run his car into Paul's office!! Apparently, he had given blood and then stopped at the smoke shop across the street. As he was waiting to turn onto 39th South (a VERY busy street) he passed out and his foot hit the gas pedal. He shot across the street (It was a miracle he wasn't hit by oncoming traffic!) and the sidewalk and grass and straight into the back workroom! As you can see, most of the wall was floor to ceiling windows with metal posts in between. Needless to say there is a lot of glass to clean up! There was also a lot of oil on the floor so it smells like a car garage, and the wall between the workroom and his exam room is bowed out and cracked. There will be work to do for a long time!

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Anna, Paul's optician was in the room a few seconds earlier adjusting some glasses. She had just walked out of the room. The driver walked away without a scratch. We are also fortunate that it was the workroom rather than Paul's exam room or the optical. He lost some equipment that will have to be replaced but he could have lost a lot more equipment or his display cases and hundreds of frames. He will still be able to keep the office open while repairs are made. The driver is insured as well as the building which Paul leases from, and we have insurance so financially we should be covered. It's just the pain of sorting out all the claims and waiting for the work to be done! Although, we would have been more fortunate if it had not happened at all, we have to look for the blessings.

What a weird, fluky thing to happen!

Choice mother moment

I just found myself in an interesting position. I don't know if I can adequately describe the somewhat out of body experience as I consider the indignity of my present condition. I am dressed in sweat pants crawling on my hands and knees feeling for a "wet" spot on the carpet as my toddler yells "Giddy-up horsey" from my back. I happen to be on the floor searching for that elusive "wet" spot because my preschooler just informed me she "had an accident" on the carpet but can't remember where because she was too busy watching Dora fend off swiper with those canonized words (at least at our house), "Swiper, no swiping".
I am both happy and chagrined to hear the buzzer on the dryer signaling the end of the drying cycle of the jeans. This means I can get out of these unflattering sweat pants that make me feel 10 lbs heavier than I already am. I need my motherhood uniform, jeans and a slightly stained t-shirt. Even though I have 3 pairs of jeans and do laundry twice a week, I can't seem to ever have a clean pair come laundry day. Go figure! However, my chagrin comes at the realization that the wet jeans my sweet daughter just threw in the laundry basket missed the batch. It always seems to happen that way.
Having found the spot (yes with my bare hands) and cleaned it, I move on to mop the wet footprints she tracked through the house to tell me all about what had happened. In the process unseating an unhappy cowgirl whose greatest wish at the moment is to ride off into a distant sunset.
"The out of body part?" you may ask. The feeling of deja-vu. The feeling that somehow I have done this many, many, many times before, so many in fact, it really doesn't bother me so much anymore.

On turning five

Our little Emma turned five years old on December 30th. Time is flying away from me! My little one will be going to Kindergarten in the fall and she is sooo ready. She would go to preschool twice a day rather than twice a week. Sometimes it gives me a complex to see how independent and adventurous she is. A mom likes to be needed sometimes. This year was her year to choose an activity for a "family party". She wanted to go to Kangaroo Zoo, have shrimp for dinner, and then to for ice cream. She walked up to each adult at Kangaroo Zoo and informed them that it was her birthday and that she turned 5. She has never been shy!




We got one chance to take a picture of her with the Kangaroo and this is what we got! Oh well, she was thrilled anyway. She got to tell him it was her birthday and that she turned 5.














She got a pack of Disney Princess Barbies and plays with them all day everyday! Mom also made a hooded butterfly towel for her, the boys gave her a Tinkerbell action figure set and Jenna gave her some dress ups. Overall, she was one happy little princess!


Our Emma is a very special part of our family. She is fun loving, caring, good at sharing and eager to live life to the fullest. Whether it is keeping up with the boys as they climb "just one more step up" in the never ending quest to attain flight into the Love sac or playing princess with Jenna making sure they have just the right accessories, she does it all with her whole heart and enthusiasm. She loves to see if she can give the longest kisses and tightest hugs before bed. She makes up the most amazing songs about everyday things and is always singing. She also draws the most fantastic stories. I am continually amazed at her imagination and creativity. We all love and appreciate Emma so much. I am grateful for the chance to ponder all the things I love about her.