Things I love!!

If you are not a woman, you may just want to skip this post. It might make you a little uncomfortable. Then again, if you want to be the type of man who is sensitive and knowledgeable about the entire experience of being a woman, read on.


Just want to take a very short post to mention a product I love. Instead softcups. I have been using these for probably 10 years now. Still love them. I save tons of money and lots of garbage, so I think it's fabulous. Here's the link. Check it out.

Short run down. This is a soft cup that you put up inside your vagina next to you cervix during menstruation. The cup "catches" the flow, and you just empty it out every few hours, depending on your rate of flow. Sounds more intrusive than it feels. If you use tampons, this will be easy for you to use. They are very comfortable. You can wear them for any length of time without having to worry about toxic shock syndrome. I especially love them for the last 3-4 days of my period because I can put one in when I get up and don't have to worry about it all day long. They fit well enough that leaking is not a problem at night, either. During the first days of your period, when they could actually get full, you need to remember to empty them at about the same rate you would change other forms of protection. If you forget to empty it, it will overflow. I always wear a pad as well for the first couple of days of my period. After that, the cup and a pantyliner are great. The packaging recommends using a new one every day. That is so not happening at my house. I rinse it off nightly, when I get ready for bed. At the end of my period, I wash it with soap and water and use it again the next month. One can last me a good six months. This is where I save quite a bit of money, and feel like I'm doing the environment a good deed.

There are a couple of cons. Sometimes, during the first couple of days of your period if you are doing something especially active when the softcup is full, you can inadvertently empty it, which is only a problem if you aren't wearing a pad. Also, if you need to take it out and put it in again, you fingers get messy. So if you are not at home, you may want to keep a little packet of wet wipes handy in your purse. For me, however, I've found that I can "empty" the thing with a specific pelvic floor muscle contraction while sitting on the toilet. Simple and easy.

Anyway, I really do love this product and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a simple and "green" alternative to multitudes of tampons every month. If you have any personal questions about using them, I would be happy to answer. You can comment or email me, or just ask when you see me. Whatever. If you live near me, I would be happy to give you one (new, of course) for you to try if you want. And no, I am not invested in the company. I am neither a shareholder nor a paid shill. I gain nothing from sharing this except to share something I really think improves my quality of life with someone else.

Are there any starfish in Hurricane?

I read this article in Russell's BYU Magazine last week, and it really resonated with me. I can't seem to forget it, and the work that the subject of the article carries out.

We've all heard the starfish parable, right? While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water. He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

How fulfilling it must be to know, without a doubt, that you make such a tremendous difference in people's lives. I often wonder how much I could be/should be doing for those around me. I know I have life changing influence over about 7 lives; those of myself, my husband, and all my children. But how much do I affect others around me? People like Miss De Lange in the article inspire me, make me want to do more than I am currently doing. In terms of helping the organization spotlighted in the article (thestarfishfosterhome.org) I intend to make a donation in my mother's and father's names for their Mother's/Father's Day gift. This is a tradition I started when I began having a hard time finding gifts for my parents, who have everything they need and can buy what they don't. I make donations to various non-profits in their name for holiday gifts. I think it shows that I'm thinking of them, and yet together we can help those who truly need it. I hope they appreciate the gesture. They seem to. Beyond helping this organization, though, I want to take opportunities to be more helpful, loving, and supportive to those closer to me. I'm adding to my monthly goals list to help one local non-profit cause each month of the year, whether it be through money of food donations, volunteering time, or whatever is needed. One cause a month, that's my goal. I hope a concrete goal like that will help me better identify opportunities around me instead of letting the world slip by my busy life unheeded. And I hope that sometimes, when the moment is just right and my efforts are sincere, I can truly make a difference for someone.

I'd like to run like the wind, but my knees won't let me.

I suppose I should blog about the race. I certainly feel the logical pressure, the obligation. Surprisingly, though, I don't feel the desire. Isn't that strange? I finished. I did it. I achieved one of the most challenging goals in my life. The event seems best contemplated as a whole, in it's entirety. I ran a half marathon. Period. End of story. To parse out the details now seems almost anticlimactic.
But, in the interest of my mercurial emotions and my swiss-cheese memory, I will review the details anyway. I may well regret it if I don't.
Beginning Thursday night and continuing Friday afternoon, the guests arrived. My fabulously supportive sisters, Carrie, Meg, Zina, and Kass, came down to have a sisters run at the Hurricane Half Marathon. Carrie and Meg ran (read:walked) the 5k, while the other 3 of us tackled the longer run. After all had arrived, we took a quick drive to survey the route. Of course I have been training on the route, but my sisters had only heard about the monster hill that is Nemesis and wanted to see it for themselves. They were suitably impressed and intimidated. We stopped by the old elementary school to pick up packets and then headed back to the house for dinner. We had a carb-load dinner of penne with creamy pesto or Alfredo sauce, green salad, and garlic bread. Yummy!
After the aunties headed over to the motel (not enough room at the house for 4 extra adults who really want a good nights sleep), I got the kids settled down and turned in for the night. Got to sleep about 10pm. I nearly forgot to change the alarm, which would have resulted in a terribly Charlie Chaplin (maybe 3 stooges - minus 2) morning, but thankfully my brain remembered this minor detail before I totally drifted away. I actually slept very well, which was unexpected but very welcome.
5am arrived right on time and I rolled out of bed, dressed, ate a banana and was out the door by 10 after. (It's amazing the difference a bit of good preparation the evening before can make. I just wish I could convince my kids of this.) Because it seemed silly to drive 5 blocks so that I could run 13 miles, I walked down to the school. We sisters found each other and got on the bus and headed out to the starting line.
What a crush of people! I've never run a race like this before, and wasn't sure what to expect. But everyone was so friendly and easy going, it was nice to sort of wander around and look for people I knew. I also was able to use the port-a-potty to do #2, thank goodness. (Not a particularly big deal unless you are going to be running for the next 2-1/2 hours. Then it looms a little large.) Before we were even really ready, there went the starting gun, and the crowd was off. It wasn't as bad as I though it might be, trying to run in a large crowd. Everyone was pretty relaxed and spread out quickly so there was lots of elbow room. We were near the back to begin with, though, so things may have been different up front with the very determined runners.
The first 2 miles or so we 3 sisters stayed pretty close together. Then Kass started edging farther forward and we waved her off. About 2.5 miles in I got a little cramp and had to walk for a short distance. (I will probably not eat anything the next time I try a early morning race, but maybe rely on runners goo to get me through.) It went away quickly, but by then Zina was quite a little ways ahead of me, and although I got close once at about mile 5, I never really caught up with her. I started feeling my IT bands twinging about mile 5, which did not bode well for a great run. I walked up the hill (which I planned from the beginning) and then headed out over the ridge. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Sunrise over the hill, snow on Pine Valley Mountain, the red rocks across Sand Hollow Reservoir...breathtaking. I would say I ran about 80% of the rest of the race, walking occasionally when the IT bands got to where I couldn't even step anymore. I am so glad I took 800mg of ibuprofen before I left the house, or I would have been toast. I would run about a mile, then walk a block or so, then run another mile, etc. The last few miles were killer. But I was determined, and as I got closer to the end, I quit walking. Mandi Beard was out on her front lawn cheering, which was so nice. And there were people I knew cheering me in at the finish line. Liz Dansie and Cherie Santiago stood out of the crowd. Thanks, guys! That cheering makes a surprising difference. As it was, I made it to the finish line about 13 seconds under the time I had aimed to beat. 2:19:47 was my final time. And at the finish line...surprise! My husband and kids were there to congratulate me. That was especially nice, as I didn't expect that. Crowds aren't Russell's favorite milieu, so I hadn't even asked him to come, knowing he'd be more comfortable at home. But he thought I'd like the family there cheering for me at the end, and he was right. It was so satisfying. Then Russ took the kids home again, my sisters and I stayed to see the awards and cheer the final runners in. Carrie won a backpack in the drawing. I bought one of last year's medals that they were selling off. These old medals had the old Hurricane Half Marathon logo on it, "She's fast, but she ain't easy." I didn't see this logo on anything from this year, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was because of the route change, or perhaps it was in the interest of political correctness. Whatever, I hope it comes back. I think it's quirky and fun. The we went to breakfast at Barista's (good food, but quite pricey) and got Zina and Kass on the road back to their families. Carrie and Meg stayed until Sunday afternoon, which was nice. I love company.
The whole experience was wonderful. My knees were very sore the remainder of the day. I kept them iced for a while, and kept up the Advil for the day, and by Sunday morning, they were only a little sore. Monday felt almost perfect. So the physical recovery was quick, really. I do wish I had been able to run at my fastest pace for the entire race, but I'm satisfied that I did the best I could do. And I did it. I ran a half marathon. So cool. Don't know what's next. Kass says try the marathon in October. I don't think so, maybe another year. Kass and Zina would both like to do a relay at some point, which I think would be very fun. I'm sure I'll run in shorter local races as I can, like the Hurricane Trails River Run in July (plug, plug!) In terms of a large goal, I think I'm going to try a triathlon. Maybe not this summer, but definitely by next. And I'm hoping to be up to running the Hurricane Half Marathon again. And next year, watch out!

A Day in the Life of....Me.

Tuesday Morning: Alarm goes off at 4:50am. Ignore it until quarter after 5. Lay in bed and listen to Russ shower while drifting in and out of sleep. When bathroom availability is imminent, get up, get dressed, get teeth and hair brushed. Roust kids out of bed. Scripture study at 5:45 (okay, we're 15 minutes behind schedule, but it happens every day, so I guess that makes it the real schedule as opposed to the alternate imaginary schedule.) Read one chapter of Book of Mormon. Send kids to get dressed, clean rooms, and do their morning chore. Make breakfast. Eat with Russ and whichever kids are done. Send husband and middle-schooler out the door. Supervise breakfast for those who trickle in late. Wipe peanut butter off shirt. Motivate kids to practice instruments (motivate with wooden spoon if necessary.) Restrain self from killing kids for breaking blinds in kitchen. Check in with iCal to remind self of any meetings, etc. Facebook and blog for 10 minutes too long, thus forcing a frustrated and raised-voice preparation to leave the house ("Hurry up or we're gonna be LATE!!") Out the door at about 8:20am. Walk the kids to school, go to my favorite class at the gym (Strength training today. My husband commented on my "guns" last night. I impressed him. Cool.) Walk home. Prepare food for lunch, and then shower if there's time left. Pick up the kindergartner at 11:45 and attend Picnic at the Park at noon. Relax for about 2 hours (except for helping kids get food and drink and making sure children remain contained in the park with their hands to themselves.) Home again in time to meet middle-schooler. Motivate said middle-schooler to practice instrument and start homework. Let little girls watch Barbie and the (whatever.) Work on laundry and finances. Welcome elementary-schoolers home at 3:45. Reward timely arrival. Coordinate getting two kids off to piano lessons and one off to ukulele lessons. Prepare dinner while supervising homework and afternoon chores. Welcome husband home to an orderly house and a loving demeanor (This actually happens once or twice a week. The rest of the time he gets a disorganized home and a harried demeanor. Oh well.) Serve dinner. Get JR to scouts and Aubrey to Young Women activity. Begin after dinner clean-up. Get aforementioned children home from aforementioned activities. Read school books and check homework. Try to remember to remind kids to brush teeth (a previously under-achieved goal that we've been trying to emphasize.) Bedtimes for kids are 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30pm. Finish laundry and finances. Try to find extra minute here and there to list the rental, assemble the flier for the Gaskell Benefit Dinner, shop locally for tiny water bottle, get short-sleeved shirts out of storage and put long-sleeved ones away, stitch up hole in Katie's Sunday dress, mix up weed killer and spray the yards, and register JR for the Webelos day hike. Get to bed by 9:30. Mentally gird up loins for tomorrow.

Milestones...

A friend of mine turned 30 this week and was musing over the possible changes age might bring into her life. Rumor has it that the big birthdays, you know, the 30 and the 40 and the 50, are the most difficult to adjust to mentally. In my life, I have not found this to be true. I do not remember feeling any trepidation or depression at 30, but that was a long time ago, my memory isn't so great, and hey, my life was fabulous then. I was just 3 years married and had a beautiful 2 year old and another baby on the way. I was thrilled with everything. I do remember turning 40 very well, however, as it was just last year, and I'm sure I felt no emotional upheaval then either. I don't know if I'm unusually emotionally stable, or if the rumor is just plain wrong. But despite the joking around (which I do a lot), the numbers don't give me pause. In reflection, however, I have found a milestone looming ahead that is truly frightening.

In 2 years, I will be a mom with no little kids.
I know, I know, you're all saying....What? Poor Jennifer. She's lost her marbles. Hasn't she been looking forward to the time she can be at home alone for a minute? The time when a trip to the bathroom doesn't involve door pounding and tears. The time when a project can be spread out on the kitchen table and walked away from. A time when a pair of scissors can actually be set down without an internal assessment of the accessibility of the location - just set down. Sounds nice. What's to be afraid of?But, seriously. I'm scared of that moment, that time. Becoming a young mom was easy. All my life I've been involved with little kids. I was the oldest of six. I was helping with sibling before I knew which end was up (ask my mom about that story.) I earned most of my money in my teens from babysitting. And I was good. So good I went on to nanny 2 different times. I worked at a daycare center. Becoming a mother was the most natural thing in the world. No stress over how to go about the everyday care of children. I had experience, I had practice. No problem. And I wanted so much to be a mom. It's what I truly had aspired to my entire life. Moving into the social realm of the young moms was fun. It was a group I was eager to join, and I loved every minute of it. Still do. I love commiserating on the beauty and frustrations of breast-feeding, discussing the challenges of the toddler tantrum, and the weighing in on advisability of letting preschoolers stay up as late as their older siblings. But when Sarah gets into 1st grade, I move into a different set. Moms of older kids. And no, even though I have some older kids now, I'm not really in that group yet. I'm still very firmly with the moms of little kids. I'm afraid of moving on. I don't want to give up the camaraderie of Picnic in the Park. I like complaining that I need more adult conversation. I enjoy trading babysitting back and forth in order to chaperon a field trip. I love my life, and despite humorous observations on the joys of future solitude and productivity, I don't want it to change. So I find myself dreading that time I thought I would look forward so eagerly to. The time when there are no more playgroups, no more morning walks with the stroller, no more one-on-one time with a darling 2-year-old (or 3- or 4- or 5-year old.) No more lifting up to drinking fountains, or struggling with car seats, or helping to spoon up a bite of food. No more baby hair, or tiny socks, or buckling little shoes. I know what I'm going to gain. Freedom. Quiet. Time. Perhaps a bit more sanity. I am just terribly afraid it won't be worth what I'm going to lose.

In which parenting becomes even harder.

Aubrey has been chafing under parental admonitions regarding schoolwork. When it was time to do homework, she wanted to read. When it was time to do housework, she pulled the homework card. She kept telling us she could take care of things herself. So we decided it was time to let her show us how well she could do. We're letting her have an opportunity to be totally in charge of her own homework, etc. It's a good time, since 7th grade isn't part of what's looked at for college entrance. She gets to decide her homework schedule, although I still remind her now and again. Old habits are hard to break. The only caveat is that at the end of the quarter, her grades have to be acceptable, or there will be consequences. Serious consequences. Sounds good, right? We get a little break from having to be in charge of her every minute, and she get the opportunity to test her little wings regarding self-discipline and developing a work ethic. An opportunity for great learning for all involved. Except...

She now has 2 F's. Yep.....2 F's. I'm about to pull my hair out. I am a little uptight about grades, which is interesting since I did not have such great grades in high school. I even failed an English class in 9th grade and had to go to summer school before my senior year to make up the credit. And I don't think my scholastic sloth impacted my life too negatively. It's hard to tell, of course, but I'm pretty happy with the path my life has taken, so I don't really rue the opportunities those high school grades may have cost me. At this point I doubt they will ever come back to haunt me, either. "Now Sister LeBaron, we were considering your husband for a general authority position in the church, but then we got a peek at your high school grades. Sorry, but you two will instead be offered a service mission teaching sewage sanitation practices to the people of outer Mongolia." Not likely. But I find that my kids' grades are far more emotionally significant than mine ever were or could be. How's that for payback? I truly feel for my dear mother now. I guess I gave her a rough time without even knowing it. And now I'm in the same boat. The curse remains in effect. (You know the one, where your mom promises your kids will be just like you?

Anyway, Russ and I are keeping our mouths shut for now. She certainly has the opportunity to pull those grades up to A's fairly easily. And I suppose even if she doesn't, a valuable lesson can be learned about responsibility and the work ethic, yada yada yada. I suppose the lesson may be learned even better if she does fail and ends up with some serious consequence. Which is all well and good, except...my baby will have failed a class. Waaaaaahhhhh! I want her to be perfect. It's hard to let go of those emotions and expectations and just let her be herself. Perhaps it is I who will do the most learning from Aubrey's educational mishaps. Perhaps the most valuable lesson will be the one where the mom learns to let go, so the child can really excel on her own terms, and succeed in her own way. If that's true, well, I sure hope I get an A.

Workout Songs

For my sister, Zina, who is looking for some new songs for her workout. The first 16 songs on the play list are some of my favorite workout songs, in no particular order (except that Jai Ho! is my new favorite song.) Everyone's taste in workout songs is different, but I hope you can find some to invigorate you!!

Update on the smelly smell

I have found a deodorant that seems to make living without anti-perspirant doable. It's Tom's of Maine "crystal confidence" citrus zest scent. It's a roll-on that is apparently a solution of that crystal that's supposed to be so great with some other stuff. (The crystal itself didn't work for me. The Tom's of Maine stick didn't work for me, either.) If I put it on in the morning every day, and also after every shower, I can stand to be around myself. I'm so glad!! I found it at the Washington WalMart - bottom shelf of the deodorant section. According to the Tom's website (http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products/product-detail.aspx?id=53&name=Crystal%20Confidence%20Deodorant%20Roll-On) there are 3 scents, although I only saw this one and unscented. The price was nice, too. Now I can be healthy AND not stinky. (I guess the real test will be the summer temps. August, here I come!)

Quotes to live by...

How have I never heard this one before? It's a great one.

“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can.” - John Wesley

Family traditions - Aebleskivers

(Be it declared that images in this post are culled from the web and are not my own. I didn't think to take photos while I was cooking, and I wasn't willing to make another batch to illustrate my blog. Sorry.)
My mom has Danish ancestry, and at holidays growing up there were quite a few remnants of that Danish heritage around. For example, Mom's family would celebrate Christmas together on the evening of the 23rd of December, because in Denmark this is a celebration called Little Christmas eve (Lille Juleaften.) We would all gather at Grandma Beth's house, or Aunt Alma's, and have dinner and Christmas treats and sing carols. One of the desserts was a traditional Danish treat called kleiner. My aunt Alma and her family always brought the kleiner, while my Grandma and her family always brought the shortbread cookies, a more Scottish tradition than Danish. (For info on how to make kleiner, see my cousin's post here http://onemcpeck.blogspot.com/2009/12/danish-kleiner.html).
Another food from the Danish background was aebleskivers. We had these round pancakes for breakfast at regular intervals and for special occasions. In Denmark, aebleskivers are not a breakfast food, but that was when we always had them at my house. The word itself, aebleskivers literally means apple slices. I do not recall ever having them made with apples in the batter, however. We would have them with powdered sugar sprinkled over then, and sometimes jam om top or inside. I did inherit an aebleskiver pan from my Grandma Beth, and I had seen my mom make them for breakfast, but until a few years ago, my little family only had aebleskivers when my mom came down and made them for us.
A few years ago a friend from the 9th ward told me how she had a family tradition of aebleskivers as well. Their tradition was to make them for LDS General Conference. I thought this was such a great idea. I worry a lot about not passing traditions down to my kids because I'm too relaxed (read too lazy.) There are many things my mom did for her kids that I can't even do, like making each new baby a hand-made quilt, and a hand-crochet-edged flannel blanket. Russ's mom knitted each of my babies a baby blanket, and each of the girls has a crocheted dress she made for them. I'm not going to be doing those things any time soon. But, making aebleskivers? Well, that I can do.
So we started a tradition of having aebleskivers every Sunday morning General Conference. The kids love it. It's a special breakfast they look forward to for weeks ahead. And it makes General Conference seem that much more special.
The only special equipment you need is an aebleskiver pan. The recipe is just our best waffle recipe (with beaten egg whites and real butter and buttermilk if we have it.) When the batter is mixed, you heat the pan to the desired setting. (5 -1/2 works best on my stove.) Into each cup of the hot pan dribble a drop of grease (my mom used vegetable oil. I have used both lard and olive oil - both work fine.) followed by about 1/4 cup of batter. When the aebleskiver seems about half cooked (sorry, you just have to learn to judge this on your own) you turn it over, being careful the uncooked batter stays in the cup and the cooked half tops the cup. (Some people turn a quarter at a time, 3 turns in all. That makes them more round. I just turn them once.) You can use knitting needles to do this. I use a long cooking fork. You can see the process well-illustrated in the photo below.That is at least one tradition I can pass on to my kids and help them retain just a little bit of the pride and joy of their Danish ancestry. And they taste so delicious, too.

For more aebleskiver info, see the following:
http://www.solvangrestaurant.com/aebleskiver.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86bleskiver

Happy Easter

I just saw this video and loved it. It's so nice to see uplifting things online, and this seems particularly appropriate for this time of year. This reminds me of the Reflections of Christ project that was online and in temple visitor's centers last year. Enjoy it.
http://sonofmanproject.com/