Turn that frown upside down

So I woke up this morning feeling worn out. Not sure why. I'd had weird dreams, which never helps, and somewhere between sorting laundry and listening to Atticus pout because he couldn't get his pee back from the sewer, I felt myself start to collapse inside. I'm not going to make it today.

So I got on my knees and prayed, Father, be my strength today, because I just don't have any. Then I had this conversation with myself:

So I put on my gym clothes and got Atticus and his friend to school on time, then hit the gym. I decided I'd skip the step class and just do 30 minutes on the elliptical, if that--getting there was an accomplishment, so I didn't need to go full-bore. But after I got there and on the machine, I started feeling pretty good. I pushed myself up to higher resistance on the machine, and afterward I felt good enough to do weights, squats, and abs. I felt great when I left. 

Came home, made a healthy kale-berry-whey smoothie, put in some laundry and took a shower. Complete turnaround. I wouldn't say that today was hyper productive, but I washed AND PUT AWAY four loads of laundry, had a healthy lunch, did the dishes, and paid the bills. So I also had a couple bowls of ice cream and we had pb&j for dinner, but oh well. Can't expect greatness every day...

Today could have gone a very different way, and I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father that it didn't. It's a lot easier to "just do it" with His help.

Heidi is currently...

• Listening to the fabulous Neko Case, who is coming to Salt Lake on June 16th. We already have tickets. If you don't know her, check out one of my favorite songs on Letterman or download a few from her website. Do it. Do it now.

• Crushing on Blaine Anderson from Glee. What is it about sweetly romantic boys who can sing and dance? Oh yeah. They're irresistible. And usually gay, like this character is. (Also probably the only man able to make high-water pants and sweater vests sexy.) Darn. But so much fun to watch. Don't believe me? Check out this duet with the equally beautiful Matt Bomer, who plays his brother.  Or maybe this one. 

• Excited about going to see a sneak preview of The Avengers this Thursday. 'Splosions, eye candy, witty banter, and Scarlett Johanssen kicking butt. What more could you want in a movie, really? Except for it to be free. And oh yeah, it is! James won passes. Yea!

• Looking forward to a trip to Illinois sometime this summer. (July or August maybe? How would that work for you, Suz?) I recently discovered that I have 59,000 SkyMiles just waiting to be used. Woo hoo! We're also talking about going back to Arizona to visit the Bennett clan at some point, maybe spending a night or two in Vegas on the way. Trips are always fun to think about.

• Trying to avoid cleaning and grocery shopping and planning a lesson for tomorrow. Maybe I should get back to that... Bye! :) 

Spring Break

We are on spring break this week, so of course we had to get together with the school friends. We went all out and took the Frontrunner train up to Ogden, where we played on the trains outside the station, then walked through the historic district to a local cafe with really good food. After lunch we walked another three blocks to the Treehouse Museum, which is the coolest children's museum I've seen so far. Lots of great exhibits, a major focus on literacy (books everywhere, topics corresponding to each exhibit), and an interactive play. Afterward we walked another three blocks to Farr's ice cream, a local specialty. We had to wait a half hour in line in the tiny, crowded store, so some of the moms entertained the kids outside. These pictures are from our wait. Once we finally had our ice cream, we walked 5 blocks back to the station. I was really impressed with how well the kids did with all the walking. Even Zoe, our frailest/whiniest one, refused to go on only once, not counting the time she was just pouting about not being able to hold Caleb's hand. We made it to our train on time regardless, and the kids played together the whole way home.

On the way home one of the other moms said, "I feel like the best mom ever." I don't know that this outing makes up for the extra grumpy evening we had last night, but it was a good day. I just wish I'd remembered my camera to take more pictures.

Atticus quote of the day (after finishing a doughnut): "Mom, can I have a wipe? I have boy spit on my hands."

Today was a good day to be a mama. We've had a few rough days, with missed naps and overactive energies, but today we seem to be back to normal. Friday is the day we don't have to be anywhere. We frequently spend part of Fridays with Atticus's best buddy Caleb, but he was getting his tonsils out this morning, so we were on our own.

We slept in until 8:30, then had a leisurely morning snuggling on the couch and watching Iron Man and Jimmy Neutron. I meant to go to the gym, but we were having a good time so I skipped it. Atticus likes to keep me company in the bathroom, and today he entertained himself by balancing on the edge of the bathtub. He wanted me to help him cross it, but I encouraged him to try it on his own. One little sideways step, then another and another until he made it across. His eyes lit up and he was so excited he'd done it. He did it several more times before he was done.

I love that light in his eyes. I'm not thrilled at the prospect of him taking unnecessary risks, but how do you accomplish anything without risk? (I want to feel that same sense of wonder and accomplishment. What do I need to risk?)

Later we went to the park, and he talked to me the whole time. We both were happy to be in each other's company. It's a good feeling.

Then he had his four-year checkup, and I was afraid to spoil the mood by telling him he needed a shot. Luckily he never asked. He was happy and cooperative for the doctor, playing with her instruments and telling her about the jets he wants for his back so he can fly away when he sees something scary. There was a bit of trauma when I told him about the shot, but he was brave when the time came. Hence the doughnut.

I won't bore you with more details of the rest of our day, but it was good to reconnect with my son after a grumpy week.

My Dear Atticus

You are four years old today!

I started writing a retrospective of your life since birth, but, well, it didn't seem authentic and didn't represent what I really wanted to say.

What I want to say is that I absolutely adore you. I am so in love with you, my sweet, funny son. I could (and maybe should) fill pages describing all that I love about you, but I thought I'd keep this post simple. You are four years old, so I'm limiting it to four things that delight me about you right now:

1. I love how you pronounce "Machu Picchu."
2. I love to watch other adults--your doctor, your preschool teacher, your primary teachers--respond to your nonstop narrative. They delight in you, and my heart swells as you rattle off your adventures and the plots of the latest Iron Man episode, which somehow includes you. So far we love how verbal you are, and we love as you learn to restrain yourself and raise your hand and wait your turn.
3. I love it when you say "Mama, can I snuggle you?" and "Let's hold hands!" I love snuggling you and holding hands with you. One day you won't let me do these things, at least not in public, so I'm treasuring every moment I can.
4. I love how you can play by yourself, and not just for my own selfish reasons. I love to see your imagination flourish and listen to your narration. I also love to see you play with other kids: jumping on the bed with Shannon, digging with Boden and Henry, telling jokes in the back seat with Caleb. You are a happy boy, and that makes me happy.

Ok, maybe that officially counts as more than four things. I can think of a hundred more (as I write this I just heard you go "thump" upstairs, Daddy say "uh oh!" and your quick response of "I'm ok!" Why do I love that so much?).

Happy birthday, my sweet boy. May you have many, many more.

New Foods

So we've tried a couple new things recently. Here's my review.

Recipe: Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

I've been curious about Jerusalem Artichokes/sunchokes for a while. They're not actually chokes, more like the tuber of a certain species of sunflower plants. So when they showed up in my Bountiful Basket co-op share, I figured it was time. They roasted nicely and were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The flavor is mild and sweet, much like sunflower seeds. But something about them made me gag a little. They tasted fine, so it was a mental block. I had a good helping the first day, but I couldn't finish the leftovers.

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This wasn't the first time I'd eaten brussels sprouts, but it was my first success cooking them. These were really fresh and beautiful, and they cooked up fantastically. If it weren't for the resulting gas, I could eat these every day. And I don't think I used a full three slices of bacon even. My bacon was frozen, so I just chopped some off the end. I didn't use the olive oil called for in the recipe, just bacon grease.

I kept thinking of my sister Lara the whole time I was enjoying them. She used to request curried meatballs and brussels sprouts for her birthday every year, two dishes I hated. I could almost stomach the meatballs, but brussels sprouts? She couldn't really LIKE them; it had to be a scheme to gross the rest of us out. I still don't think I'll be buying frozen ones anytime soon, but I'm converted otherwise.

Fresh Garbanzo Beans. Image source.

I saw these at Harmons and had to try them. I'd never seen them fresh before, and they're really tasty. Smaller than the dried ones, and they taste like peas. There's usually only one bean per pod, so it's kind of fiddly to eat them. I don't see these becoming a regular in my diet, but they were a tasty novelty.

So there you have my food adventures. More to come, I hope.

HEY! I know him!

Source

Yeah, yeah, J-Lo looks great. But check out that handsome man in sunglasses behind her! That is none other than Thaddeus Welch, my brother's fantastic fiance. Way to go Thaddeus!