Saturday, April 30, 2011

Recipes

I want to know what your take on recipes is. 

Are they something that should be shared or something that we should keep secret so that when you make them, everyone ooohs and aaahhs over you and the prized recipe you make but won't share?  Or maybe you feel that there are some recipes that should be shared while others should be kept a secret. 

I admit, having people go nuts over something you make feels great!  It's a sense of accomplishment that you know no one else can touch.  However, while I used to be of the mentality that I should keep the great ones to myself, I have changed my tune the past few years.  

My MIL would say that it's 'selfish' not to share recipes.  She's had one too many people tell her that they won't share a recipe for one reason or another. 

The internet is a worldwide cookbook in and of itself and I have found so many recipes that will be a part of my treasury for years to come.  Some I've loved as is while others I've adapted to my own or my family's liking.  A lot of recipes have come from friends and family members and some are concoctions we came up with ourselves.  

While my family has been eating pretty clean for a while, we still like to treat ourselves to a sugary sweet or dessert.  And with all the birthdays we celebrated last month and of course Easter, we've had our fair share of sweets.  And with Easter and all... well, let's not go there. 

I've decided that not only is sharing recipes a good thing, a blog is also a great way to keep track of recipes, sweet and savory.  So, I'm going to be adding a lot of our tried and true recipes for myself to keep track of and also for anyone else that might want to try them.  I promise to only post the real keepers, not the ones that were just mediocre.  And trust me, if I can make them successfully... ANYONE can.  I am the poster child for kitchen mishaps and blunders.  Besides that, I'm a very average cook/baker.  Nothing extravagant or fancy.  Plain Jane, here.

Some recipes will be clean while others are extremely dirty.  But hey, they're great for a cheat meal! 

Which reminds me, I never did share the recipes for the cakes I made from the Birthday Post.  That's first up...

What's your take on the recipe discussion?  To share, or not to share? 

Friday, April 29, 2011

There's a chance I might be banned from Whole Foods

Before I begin divulging the details, let's reflect...

How did today go again?

OH YES!! 

It started off with a trip to the dentist for the youngsters.  The girls absolutely adore going to the dentist, truly!  I don't get it either but hey, I'm grateful for it. 

Today, however, was C's first time going.  This kid is in toothpaste heaven every morning and night when he is able to brush his teeth.  I'm pretty sure he would eat toothpaste for lunch if we let him.  And flossing... he loves that too.  Never has there been a three year old boy more into hygiene than C.  (He hates having his hands dirty and will take three showers a day if permitted.)

So, my thought was, he's going to LOVE the dentist!  I was so excited. 

Luckily, I had Anthony with me for the apparent contradiction to what was going to happen in my mind. 

C was NOT having it!  I was so embarrassed about his behavior. 

Let's just say, we still have no clue if he's got cavities, and his teeth were no cleaner when we left than when we showed up at the dentist's office.  **sigh**

But OH HAPPY DAY!! the girls all passed with flying colors.  No cavities for A and H.  K only has a tiny one but the dentist isn't even going to fill it because it's on a baby tooth which will fall out within a year anyway.  However, she does have to have one baby tooth pulled that is dead.  How does that happen?  I don't understand it but that's what they said.  I just show up for the appointments.

So, that was fun. 

And now we're on to Whole Foods.

This was my very first time at Whole Foods.  Does anyone else shop there? 

I was so excited to go.  I've been wanting to for weeks now but I've wanted Anthony to go with me.  Silly, I know but that's just how it is.  As much as I would have loved to have had a babysitter, that just doesn't really happen anymore.  So, I thought, what the heck.  We'll take 'em all! 

GREAT IDEA, BROOKE!

First of all, the place really isn't kid friendly.  It's crawling with fancy schmancy shoppers... no kids (well, maybe one or two with a parent... not five).  Second of all, I'm pretty sure it isn't Brooke friendly either.  And I think the employees might agree. 

The store entrance is right at the produce section.  We walked in and there were fruits and veggies everywhere.  There were also a bunch of bulk bins.  That's where I headed first, and that's where all the trouble began.  One man looked at us and said, "Oh wow!  I love family shopping."  Hmmm, was he being snooty?  I couldn't tell.

Anyway, as I'm trying to decide from the gazillions of bins what I want, my girls are going nuts!  K wants to scoop everything for me and the other two think it's a great idea to open all the bins and 'feel' everything.  Guess I need to let them play with rice, eh? 

The boys were in the cart but C was getting restless.  Finally, before I could gather anything more than brown rice in a super thin bag, Anthony decided to take him out to the car.  It was getting ugly really quickly!  So then it was me and four kids.  B is now getting restless too.  We'd only been there all of two whole minutes! 

I asked K to occupy B while I gathered more bulk items... almonds, dates (not the ones I wanted), and quinoa.  I can't tell you how excited I was for quinoa.  Don't ask why, I just was.  Again in the extremely thin bag, I scoop my quinoa (at the same time yelling at the two younger girls to stop touching things), shut the bin and write my bin # on my funky twisty tie thing and as I lift the bag, it catches the corner of the lid to the bin. 

RIP!

Quinoa. all. over. the. floor! 

What do I do?  I put the remainder of what was left in the bag inside the bin.  I was able to keep about 1/3 of it in there.  I totally just left the bag in the bin.  How embarrassing that moment was.  Only then did I notice the 25 pound bags of quinoa on the very lowest shelf.  Of course.  Grabbed one and moved on. 

Peanut butter!  Oh yes, they had these buckets full of peanut butter that you could just scoop into little tubs.  What I was really looking for was the peanut butter you grind yourself.  Too bad they didn't have any of those cool contraptions.  So, I filled my little tub... THEN I looked up.  PEANUT BUTTER GRINDERS!  (I had tunnel vision)

Dang it!  I can't win. 

Guess what I did next... I put the tub of the other peanut butter next to the empty tubs and proceeded to grind my own. 

There's a chance that I may have jammed the machine.  You see, as it was pressing out my freshly ground goodness, I may have looked down at my kids and accidentally held my tub too high.  It couldn't flow anymore because I had blocked it with the already ground stuff.  Maybe that didn't make sense.  Well, after that it just made funny noises and wouldn't grind anymore.  Whoops!

Next was produce.  After gathering my apples, oranges and bananas, I found the dates I had been looking for... Medjool Dates!  Great, now I don't want the ones from the bins.  I was courteous enough to take them to the checkout, though, and hand them to the cashier. 

We left the store at this point as my kids were tickling my very last sane cell.  So, I don't know much more about Whole Foods than I did when I walked in.  Except maybe the produce/bulk foods department. 

I'm pretty sure they're going to watch their video surveillance and plaster pics of me all over so all employees know NOT to let me in.  That's what I would do.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Easter Happenings

Our Easter felt so crazy busy this year.  I guess that's just the way it feels with five little ones, even if you have no plans, eh?  Well, we had a few plans but not as many as usual.  Now that my parents are gone and several of Anthony's sisters have moved away, the family gatherings have diminished significantly. 

At any rate, my mom's family had an Easter Egg Hunt at my grandpa's house.  It's tradition.  Only this time, Grandma wasn't there.  It was different for sure.  Last year she was out there with us, sitting in her wheelchair.  I'm not sure that she knew exactly what was going on but just her presence was all that we needed.  She was a special lady to say the least! 

Even without her there physically, we had a great time.  My aunts and cousins went NUTS on the candy filled eggs.  We brought about a dozen play-doh filled eggs.  I figured my cousins would either love me for not adding to the sugar highs the kids were all bound to have or hate me for the mess on the carpets at home.  Hmmmm....

My kids had no shortage of sugar in those buckets of theirs.  And they were just about overflowing.  Everything from Starburst to Sweethearts to Krabby Patties to M&M's were in those eggs.  And many other sugar loaded treats. 

Below are the pics of that event.  We don't do commercial egg hunts.  Call me crazy but I absolutely hate them!  Besides, they don't need any more candy.

(All these pics were taken on Anthony's phone since my camera is still no bueno.  Sorry about the blur and haze in some of them)


Notice B's hair here, then notice further down...









All five of our kids are in front of us, the one you see the most clearly just behind is my cousin's little girl.  Isn't she adorable?

My Aunt visited DisneyWorld last week and brought the kids souveniers.  Doesn't C make a great Mater?  It's his favorite movie ever!  He watches it every. stinkin'. morning!

We like to start the kids off with sugar highs early in life. 


This is just from the egg hunt at Grandpa's house.  (the eggs are empty but each one was about that full)

Time to color the real eggs!  Isn't this every kid's favorite part?


We went very simple this year.


Did anyone else make Easter Story Cookies?  Here's C 'sealing the tomb'.

The finished product, although I think I did it wrong... I started beating the eggs before adding the sugar.  Whoops!

The girls each made a card for the Easter Bunny.  K has been asking lately whether he is real or not.  It breaks my heart!  Did it bother anyone else when their kids stopped believing?  It means the innocent naivity is leaving... sad!  But no worries!!  I got her believing again, probably for the last time **sniff**

See how cute she is?  K wrote a letter to E.B.  She wanted to know what his real name was and told him if he'd like some carrots or boiled eggs to help himself.   

I failed to take a picture of the reply good ol' E.B. left but it went something like this.  "My real name is Easter Bunny (why I didn't think of Peter Cottontail, I'll never understand).  Thank you for your letters.  I took a picture of them so you can keep them."

The loot!  Speaking of loot, we got more from you-know-who.  But that's a post for tomorrow. 

We don't hide the baskets, although I think I want to do that next year.  Do you hide the baskets?  We just hide eggs in the front room and kitchen areas.

B's pile looks like nothing.  He's barely one, he doesn't need anything else.

Ok, this was the year Anthony and I agreed to have very. little. candy!  It was a great plan, until... someone brought a grocery sack full of candy for Easter.  Reese's Pieces Eggs (2 pkgs), Lindt chocolates of all sorts and Idaho spuds (weird for Easter maybe but...)  Ok, great!  Now we don't have to buy the little bit that we would allow.  It's already done.  Mind you, every time I went to the grocery store, I was soooo very tempted by that purple bag of Easter candy.  Cadbury Mini Eggs!  I looove those things so much.  I was very good and never bought them.  They weren't part of the candy that was brought to us but we didn't need them.  Want?  Yes!  Need?  No!  I knew it wouldn't bode well for my eating plan. 
And then... another relative called and said they had a few things for us for Easter.  This was about a week ago.  We feel so loved!!  They brought over a bag filled with Easter goodies.  Colored pencils, crayons, yoyos, and of course more candy.  In just sneaking a peek inside the bag, I was fooled.  I thought there was just a couple things of candy (Kisses, M&M's, a chocolate bunny per kid and a package of Peeps per kid).  I hid the bag and didn't look again until Easter Eve...  and on that night I discovered how fooled I had been.  There was a bag of Williams and Sonoma jelly beans (oh they are good), a package of cinnamon bunnies, chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, two packages of Dove Chocolate Eggs (another hard one for me) and guess what else... two packages of CADBURY MINI EGGS!!  I knew I was in trouble then.  I had tried so very hard to stay away from it. 
But, just before that we got a package from my mom and dad.  We really feel loved!  They had bought dresses for the girls, and outfits for the boys (all pictured above) along with the flip-flops and a few other things.  Among the 'few' other things was the basket you see below.... Filled with more CANDY!  And yummy candy I might add.  Those darn Dark Chocolate Covered Powerberries are delicious!!

What I'm trying to say is, the one year we decide to go less on the candy, we end up with more than we've ever had... EVER!  And we didn't buy a single penny of it!  Is that crazy?  I think yes.  The sugar gods are against us!  I'm sure the scale won't be liking me much this week.  Then to top it all off, someone brought us a bag of those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in the egg shapes.  Oh man!!!

The pic below doesn't do it justice.  What you don't see is the open candy bags (opened for the mini egg hunt indoors) that the Easter Bunny asked us to share!  We took a small basket over to our neighbors that night but couldn't think of anyone else to share with.  Who needs more candy on Easter?

The girls decorated their flip-flops with some fun flower sticker things.  They didn't stay on long (I keep finding them all over the floor) but they had fun with them anyway.


After all the hoopla with all the goodies, it was time for breakfast.  EASTER PANCAKES!!  Really it's just regular pancakes (wheat for us, of course) dyed all different colors.  The kids thought that was great! 

Then it was time for haircuts before church.


This was B's very first hair cut.  Nothing fancy, just a buzz like the big boys.  It's the easiest and cheapest way to go. 


He thought the whole process was fun.

And now, he's a whole new kid!!  Isn't it amazing that a simple haircut can change a baby's look entirely.  He looks so big to me now. 

Hoola hooping in the yard before church.  They weren't great at it Easter morning but I'm telling you, they can hoola those hoops with the best of 'em now!


Does he have you fooled?  He looks so innocent!

Family pictures, minus mom.  Someone's got to take the picture.  Do you love that C and B are both looking backwards?  What are they looking at? 

That's better!  And in Anthony's defense, he did offer to take one with me in it but my hair was tied in a knot on the top of my head as I was waiting for the straightener to heat up. 

I hope you had a great Easter!  We sure did! 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Clean Eating Challenge? Maybe?

Ok, so I have been extremely naughty these past two weeks.  So naughty, in fact, that we are adding a week to our P90X routine that is turning it into P97X for us. 

In the past two weeks, we've only done less than a week's worth of workouts and our diet has been terrible! 

The week of the Marathon was awful because with company in town and family gatherings, it's hard to have control over what is served.  This week started out alright and then BAM!  Easter happened.  Darn those evil Cadbury Mini Eggs!  (And other evil concoctions).  I feel awful!  Physically I mean.  I've been bloated and sluggish, not exactly the way I am accustomed to feeling these days.  And poor Anthony, he literally got sick!  He wanted to hurl all day yesterday, literally, after all the yuckies we've consumed. 

So, here's the plan!  I really really really really really need to get back to eating well.  My body is screaming for some real food again.  I've been thinking that maybe others need or want some motivation as well.  I thought about talking to Anthony and devising a plan....

Would anyone be interested in a Clean Eating Challenge?  We'll call it... The Clean Eating Challenge.  Clever, I know!  **takes a bow**

I will put it up on my blog in steps and at the end, I'm willing to bet that all participants (if I have any...) will be feeling better, looking better, and possibly may have lost a few pounds.  It works!  I promise.

So, is anyone interested or would I be wasting my time?  Maybe I'll do it anyway, or maybe not.  Depends...

Also, I will be posting Easter pics later tonight for those interested (Mom and Dad, Kortney).  And I've got a few stories to back them up, too! 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Green Smoothie 'Recipe'

It seems that ever since I started talking about green smoothies, not just here on the blog but just in general, I get a lot of people wanting recipes.  Let me just say, I don't use a real recipe, although, I have a .... what should I call it? a formula? 

So, for those that are interested in incorporating more vegetables and fruits into their diet, here's what I've got for you.  This is the only way I get all the servings of veggies I'm supposed to get in a day, according to the Food Guide Pyramid.  I have a hard time eating that many just on their own.  And trust me, you eat enough, you become VERY regular if you know what I'm sayin'. ;) 

Here are the basics:
**Remember, I'm usually making a large batch because of my family size.  When they see me pull the blender out (or HEAR the blender) they all come running.  They LOVE drinking their vegetables**
  • Milk -- 1 - 1 1/2 cups (or more)... cow, rice, almond, whatever you have on hand
  • 2 large handfuls of spinach
  • 1 large kale leaf (benefits of kale are wonderful but if you have too much, the flavor overpowers everything else) *optional*
  • 1 small bunch or 1 leaf of any other kind of green leaf (collard greens, butter leaf, red leaf lettuce, etc.) you might have *optional*
  • Blend all this up.  If your blender is having a hard time, you may need to add more liquid 
Not very appetizing yet.  But here's the yummy part...
  • 1 or 2 ripe bananas (this helps make a creamier texture, not to mention great flavor)
  • Other fresh and frozen fruits -- blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, mangos, apples, pears, etc.  Leave the skin on the apples and pears.  That is where many of the nutrients are.  A good blender should have no problem with it.
My family likes to have about 1/2 - 3/4 of the fruit frozen to make it cold and thick.  And here's a tip with the fruit; we have found that mild flavored fruits such as strawberries, peaches, apples, and pears are really great in green smoothies but they don't cut the "green" flavor out as much as the stronger flavored fruits.  So, in addition to the mild fruits we like to add blueberries and especially pineapple which cuts the "green" flavor out pretty well.  I'm not going to tell you they taste like Jamba Juice but they are pretty darn good.  My kids devour them! 

Extras:
  • a couple spoonfuls of flax seed
  • replace part of the milk with orange juice (that will help with the "green" flavor as well)
  • add plain Greek yogurt, it really adds to the overall texture and flavor
  • replace some greens with other veggies such as carrots and cucumber,
Just play around with the ratios.  We started out with about 1/3 greens or veggies and 2/3 fruit.  Now we are about 50/50.  Our tastebuds needed to break themselves in slowly. 

If you haven't given green smoothies a try, I'm tellin' ya, you're missing out!  They're a great way to incorporate more of the good stuff.  Great meal replacement!  Trust me, you won't be hungry after drinking one of these. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Another Easter Treat

I had a friend mention on facebook that her family makes Resurrection Rolls to teach about Easter.  Since I had never heard of such a thing, I did a little research and found a recipe.  Now I just need to decide... do I make the cookies or the rolls? 

Ok, I've made up my mind.  WE'LL MAKE BOTH!  Who's with me?

Here's the link to the Resurrection Rolls.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Easter Story Cookies

This is what our family will be making Saturday night before bed.  I thought it would be a great way for the kids to learn about the events of Easter.  They ask me every year why we celebrate it, maybe this will help them remember.

EASTER STORY COOKIES
To be made the evening before Easter...

You need:
1 cup whole pecans or pecan halves
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar

extras:
ziploc baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (IMPORTANT:  Don't wait til you are halfway through the recipe)

Place pecans in baggie and let kids beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

Explain that Jesus was beaten by the Roman soldiers after He was arrested.  Read John 19:1-3

Have each child smell the vinegar.  Put 1 tsp into mixing bowl.  Tell the children that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.  Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar.  Eggs represent life.  Jesus gave His life to give us life.  Read John 10:10-11

Let children taste a tiny bit of salt and add a pinch to the bowl.  Salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.  Read Luke 23:27

The ingredients up to this point are not very appetizing.  Add 1 cup sugar and explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus dies because He loves us.  He wants us to know Him.  Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on hight speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form.  Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those who have repented and whose sins are cleansed through repentance and the Atonement.  Read Isaiah 2:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts gently.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. 

Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.  Read Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF!  Let each child place a piece of tape on the oven to seal it.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.  Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED!!  Explain that they may be sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20, 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow..  On the first EAster, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb opened and empty.  Read Matthew 28:1-9


So now I want to know, does your family have any Easter traditions?  Spiritual or fun... doesn't matter.  We love trying out new ideas. 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

FHE Bust

Anthony and I try really hard to hold Family Home Evening each Monday night.  For the past few months we've been much better about it than we had previously. 

Well, last night, I had a great idea for FHE.  It was going to be the KING of FHE's held thus far.  The kids were going to absolutely looooove it.  I was so excited about it that I even had my mom and sister on Skype, ready to share the excitement.  My dad would have been excited too except that he wasn't home yet.  

Earlier in the day we had made Bunny Buns, a recipe we found in The Friend magazine our church puts out geared towards kids.  The only thing we changed was that we traded 2 cups of the flour for whole wheat flour, because adding wheat to them makes them healthy, right? ;)  They turned out pretty good considering that yeast and I are not friends.  Or maybe it's kneading and I that don't get along.  I haven't decided.  It could, quite possibly, be that that yeast and kneading have formed an alliance against me and they both hate me. 

Anyway, after giving each girl a piece of dough to work with, K and I have decided that yeast and kneading definitely love A.  And they even get along pretty well with H but they've got issues with K and I.  But we won't give up!  Despite our differences, once all the dough was united again, they turned out pretty well. 

I would love to show you the pictures we took except that we didn't take any.  Remember?  My camera is out of commission at the moment.  It's so sad! 

Once Anthony got home from work, it was time to start the party...

You see, I found this idea on a blog that I follow.  Actually, it's the blog of one of my very best friends little sister who was one of my sister's best friends... did that make sense?  Let's try that again.... The younger sister of one of my best friends has a blog...

You get the picture...

Well, she had this idea on her blog that I will link you to very shortly.  I remember making one of these when I was a kid.  I also remember using the string she suggests using.  But I thought, what the heck... I have yarn and we'll just use that!  Ok, either my lack of domestic diva-ness got in the way or yarn just isn't the way to go. 

Here is what it's supposed to look like...

Sooooo cute, right!  Yeah, ours didn't quite turn out like that.  Not even close.  Yarn is definitely too heavy for this project.  About half hour in, the kids weren't excited anymore.  There were tears, sadness, frustration, balloons popping, yarn falling off of the balloons, and much more going on.  And everything and everyone was sticky and gooey.  It was a fiasco!  At that point we decided to call it a day.  We definitely will try making our own baskets again.... NEXT year.  But we'll use the right stuff this time. 

Thanks for the idea, Laura!  I hope ours turn out this great next year when we try again. 

Then, to top it all off, after Anthony and I had just finished our workout (around 12:30 a.m.) little A came out of her room, whining, to let us know that she had just thrown up in her bed.  Let's just say, she was on the top of the bunk bed and she had yacked all. down. the. wall!  Oh man, it was disgusting.  

Sorry, TMI, I know.  

Anthony and I were up until 3:00 cleaning that up and running the washer... twice.  Can't just start it and forget it, remember?  And she's still sick so I'm sure we're only on round one of seven.  Seven people means seven rounds... usually.  Sometimes we get lucky and only the kids get it.  We'll see.

Needless to say, I'd like a redo of that FHE.  Hopefully next week goes better for us.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Scripture Cookies

Several years ago I found a Family Home Evening Dessert packet online.  I printed it off and never used.  It's literally been sitting in my recipe folder (along with about a gazillion others) unused.  Well, I finally got all my recipes into a binder and organized so it's time to start using them. 

A couple weeks ago I pulled out this packet and found a recipe for Scripture Cookies.  It's actually a recipe for oatmeal cookies but the way you find the ingredients is in the scriptures.  I decided to do this for FHE and it was a big hit!  The kids loved looking for the next ingredient in the scriptures. 

I wish I could give credit to wherever this came from but sadly, I don't remember. 

In case you want to try this with your kids, here's the recipe for Scripture Cookies:

3/4 cup Psalms 55:21 (first clause)
1/3 cup 2 Nephi 26:25 (first clause)
1 1/2 cups Jeremiah was a bullfrog...  Whoops!  Sorry!  Jeremiah 6:20
2 large Isaiah 10:14
Read Proverbs 23:14 to see what to do with these first 4 ingredients.
Add remaining ingredients:
2 cups 1 Kings 4:22
1 tsp Song of Solomon 4:14
1 tsp D&C 101:39
1/2 tsp Matthew 13:33
3 cups D&C 89:17 (for the horse)
1 cup 1 Samuel 30:12 (second clause)

Answers in order:  butter, milk, sugar, eggs, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, oats, raisins (we used chocolate chips... we like raisins but not in cookies).

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. 

Read Joseph Smith - History 1:37 (bake) and D&C 133:11 (watch) to find out what's next. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 


I suppose you could use just about any oatmeal cookie recipe for this but this one actually turned out pretty good.  We really liked them anyway.

Cross it off the BUCKET LIST...

One less thing on the Anthony's bucket list... 'Run a Marathon'. 

He did it!!

The time wasn't quite what he was aiming for but he was pretty darn close.  His goal was to do it in under 4 hours.  His actual time ended up being 04:03:52.  I didn't think that was too shabby for his very first marathon. 

I'm kicking myself for not having any pics to share.  You see, my camera decided to take a crap last week.  It's covered under warranty but I have to ship it to Nikon and it will take about 4 weeks once they get it.  I was able to borrow my SIL's camera (who also ran with Anthony... finishing about 20 minutes behind him) but was silly enough to forget to download the pics to my computer before they left.  They live out of town so that does me no good, especially since they don't know how to email pics to me.  **sigh**

My day was hectic but fun.  Anthony really wanted the kids and me to show up to at least one cheering station during the marathon.  Since the first one, Sugarhouse Park, was going to be too early (having to get 5 kids ready and all) and the last one, Fitts Park, being too close to the finish line (fearing we wouldn't make it to the finish line in time), we opted for the second one, Holladay City something-or-other building yada yada yada.  

You would think that for a person that has lived here in the great state of Utah her whole life, even in the same area her whole life, it would be easy to navigate my way around and find where I need to be.  Not so in the case of EDC Brooke on a good day, let alone the fact that there's a marathon going on and there are road closures all over the place.  If you tell me how to get there or, better yet, SHOW me how to get there, I can do it.  I will follow the directions precisely but don't try to show me multiple ways.  I'll get all kinds of confused and my mind jumbles it all up then I'll be lost for sure.  That's just the way my simple little mind works.  Remember me?  The girl that only knew one way to get TO school and a different way to get HOME from school.  That's because that's how I was shown, the simplest way to get there (Redwood, less turns) but we came home the quickest way (Bangerter).  Couldn't reverse it, couldn't change it up.  

Oh, and then there are the times I go to my cousin's house out in West Valley, WAAAAAY out in WV.  I can get there just fine but every time I try to come home, I go more west when I need to go east and I go further north when I need to go south.  It happens every time and I swear I turn the right way, I think WV is just opposite of everywhere else.  Just a theory... all in favor, say aye! 

Anyway, the morning started out great.  Anthony's sister and BIL came to get him, a very nervous him, around 6:00 a.m. and I started getting things ready... snacks, extra clothing (for C and B because what if they had an accident or a blowout), stroller, the works.  Then I woke the kids, got them breakfast, dressed, and we headed out the door around 7:15. 

Our first stop was to my in-law's home where K had stayed the night.  All but one of Anthony's sisters were in town over the weekend so she wanted to stay with her cousin.  We picked K and another of Anthony's sisters up to go chase Anthony and his sister in the race. 

Anthony had told me to the directions to this Holladay... whatever... place.  "Take Wasatch Blvd exit."  Guess what, we never saw a Wasatch Blvd exit going that way.  We turned around and went the other way.  Wasatch Blvd is clearly marked going that way, marked as 3900 S. going the other way.  Who knew?  Anthony was expecting to be going through the Hollady whatever place around 8:30.  By the time we got anywhere near, which really wasn't near at all considering all the road closures, it was 8:35 and we would have had to walk at least five or six blocks. 

At this point I had run out of gas and didn't have anything on me. Luckily, Wendi had a few bucks.  That got us to the vicinity of the third stop.  We knew how much it would mean to Anthony and Camille for us to be there.  Once in the vicinity, we asked an officer how far it was to Fitts Park.  After informing us that we would be walking for about 15-20 minutes, we opted to just walk up to the curb of the street they were running on.  It was only about 3 blocks away.  We waited about 40 minutes before seeing Anthony and another 10 or 15 minutes to see Camille.  This was mile 20 for them.  It was worth the wait even though C was very restless and wanted to run in the road with the runners and cried when Anthony passed us without giving him a hug. 

Then it was off to the finish line... The Gateway!  We had been there about half an hour before Anthony crossed the line and about 20 minutes later, there was Camille. 

I am so proud of them!  Especially Anthony since this was his first.  Camille's done plenty of them and said that "a marathon is just a marathon".  But she also said that her energy was renewed by the fact that Anthony would be running with her this time. 

Anthony is a bit disappointed that he didn't finish under four hours but I still say he did great for his first one. 

And I must say, seeing all those runners and the victory they must have felt after the crossing that finish line, made the eensiest, teensiest part of me want to try it one day. 

And then I saw how Anthony and Camille were walking later in the day and complaining about their feet.  That changed my mind really quickly.  Besides, they close the course after so many hours.  I'm pretty sure it would take me 12 hours or more to complete a marathon. 

After all the marathon stuff, the women had a baby shower to attend for our niece.  And after that, a birthday party for my FIL.  Come to think of it, we never even sang.... hmmm. 

It was a long day and this whole week has wreaked havoc on my diet and my exercising.  That's right, I've missed 3 workouts this week and I lived it up on cookies (Wendi always makes a TON and she's got them down to a science).  The scale isn't being very friendly after all that.  So now the question is, do I start this past week over?  pick up where I left off?  or just start into this week as if last week was perfect?  I like the last option.  We'll see if the scale agrees.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

It's my 100th post!

...and I have nothing cool to do or say so I'm just going to post this "25 Random Things" I did on facebook about 2 years ago because I was tagged 5 times with it.  I'm sure some of you read it there but if you're not my facebook friend, you can get to know me a little better.  Are you ready?  Just a warning... I am a HUGE geek!

1-I don't like the smell of rain.

2-I can't eat plain M&M's unless I microwave them first.

3-I've only kissed 2 guys.

4-My friend Tammy and I once sang to a guy in 5th (or maybe it was 6th) grade. We sang a New Kids On The Block song as we followed him home from school. I believe it was "I'll be Lovin' You Forever". Aren't we cool?

5-I sometimes wish I looked like somebody else. Ok, not sometimes, MOST of the time.

6-I hate my teeth and wish I would have got braces as a young teen. Had the chance but the ortho said it was optional. I opted NOT to do it. Silly me!

7-Spending money is really hard for me. Sometimes I don't even buy necessities because I'm so worried about being able to pay bills. I would almost rather go without food than not be able to pay the bills.

8-I run like a fairy. At least that's what I'm told. I must look pretty ridiculous but I hate running anyway. I don't mind that I run like a girl.

9-I can't wink! I try really hard but just end up looking ridiculous in the process. I didn't stand in the winking line in heaven.

10-I used to throw fits, literally, at the prospect of shots or having my blood drawn or even just going to the doctor. My mom had to bribe me with ice cream after even into my teens (even LATE teens).  I usually never got the ice cream... But now, 5 kids later...I'm not too scared of anything anymore.

11-I am a people pleaser. I try not to hurt anyone's feelings even if it means that I have to do something that I really don't want to do. I'm working on that though.

12-I've never been pulled over. I think I would cry though and probably get out of a ticket anyway, right? ;) (See, I can do it online... wink I mean)

13-I've lived in Utah my whole life and never been skiing or snowboarding. I did go snow shoeing a couple years ago and that was really fun. And I went snowmobiling on a date once.

14-The first time I met Anthony I couldn't look at him. I thought he was really good looking and I was embarrassed to look at him.

15-When Anthony asked me to tell him something about myself the first time I met him I said, "I have a dog." That was it. I know, I'm surprised he asked me out after that too.

16-I lived in only one house until I got married.

17-I've never purposely farted in front of Anthony. There have been a couple slips of course (who doesn't, right?) but never on purpose. And one of the times I slipped he laughed so hard that it made me cry.

18-The one thing I always wanted for Christmas as a child but never got was a Snoopy Snow Cone Maker.

19-I think the cartoons from when I was young were way cooler than the crap they put on TV now. Whatever happened to the Smurfs, the original Strawberry Shortcake, Shirt Tales, He-Man, Popeye, Rainbow Brite, Fraggle Rock, etc.

20-I can't believe my mom used to let my sister and me watch shows like Married...with Children, The Golden Girls and such. I didn't get it then but goodness, those are naughty shows for young eyes and ears!

21-I believed in Santa Claus until I was 12.  Actually, I still do just in a different way.  See here.

22-I used to get made fun of for my last name but never understood the jokes until 10th grade health class. How naive can one be?--refer to #21

23-If I could go back and redo high school, things would be a lot different.

24-I've never been organized. I don't know how to be. I'm tellin' you, once I stood in the Extremely Directionally Challenged line in heaven, I couldn't find my way to any of the lines I needed to be in.

25-For the first year at my new high school (Junior year) I knew how to GET to school only by taking Redwood. But I only knew how to get home if I took Bangerter. I couldn't reverse them and had no clue how to do it any other way.  (Refer to #24)

Yes, I am THAT awesome!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Inspiration

I have a friend that just recently started a clean eating blog.  She's got some really great recipes that I can't wait to try (especially since many of them are dessert recipes ;)) 

There have been a few people inquiring about what Anthony and I are doing so I just wanted to give you, in case you're interested, a few tips that seemed to work well for us.  But Brynne answers a lot of questions you may have about clean eating.  

  • Stop drinking your calories!  We drink water only with the exception of one protein shake every day.   That was a toughie for us both.  Anthony was addicted to Coca-cola and I looooove milk.  This is Anthony's greatest achievement (says Anthony)... to stop drinking soda. 
  • Use real butter instead of margarine.  It tastes better anyway, just don't get carried away.  A little bit is good. 
  • Don't count your calories!  Sounds funny, I know.  Not what you're used to hearing but when you are eating the right things, you don't need to.  That's what I love about this 'diet'.
  • Cut the sugar!  This is where I'm definitely still a work in progress.  If the sugar police were around, I'd be fined for sure... if not jailed.  I cheat much more often that 'allowed' in the clean eating plan but I still consume a lot less sugar than I did just 5 or 6 months ago.  A LOT LESS! 
  • Eat 5 or 6 smaller meals per day.  Try to pair a protein with a carb and eat until satisfied, not overly full.  If you're drinking your water like you should be, you should naturally be hungry again about 2-3 hours later.  Don't go much longer than this or your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to whatever you give it. 
  • Lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Basic, I know but sometimes we get caught up in the ideas of other diets that sound good but really aren't the way to go.  Take for instance my frustration with the P90X diet.  Nothing happened and I felt AWFUL!  Went back to clean eating the last week of the first phase and dropped two pounds.  It works!  And to prove it even further, since then I've already dropped another 3 pounds.  But I'm always full.  My metabolism is on FIRE and I love it!  And I'm not counting calories. 
  • Exercise!  What I've learned is that if you do only cardio (which is essential by the way) you will truly become a smaller version of your current self.  I've always heard that but didn't quite understand it until now.  We started eating clean, lost some weight, added cardio, lost a few more pounds, but we both looked exactly the same, just smaller.  In order to actually change the way your body looks, you have to add resistance or weight training.  P90X is kicking our butts into shape... literally!  The first week or so is really hard (on any exercise program) but after that, you just know it's a necessary evil.  I still don't like exercising but I just keep pushing play.  If I want the change, I have to put in the work. 
  • Listen to your body!  It knows what you need and when you need it.  
We never realized how poor our diet was before.  I thought I felt good.  But after eating clean for a while, we can both tell when something is processed or has a lot of sugar.  Processed foods just sit heavy and doesn't digest as quickly as real food and the sugary stuff makes me feel jittery, not to mention guilty! 

Like I've said before, I am definitely not an expert.  Lots to learn still and much progress to be had but if you have any questions, please let me know.  It's not easy at first but it does get easier. 

  

Monday, April 11, 2011

...because that's what grandkids are for

My father-in-law sure is one lucky man to have a grandchild like C.  I tell ya, he's there when "Hi-ya kids" needs him.  **"Hi-ya kids" is what C calls his grandpa because grandpa says "Hi-ya kids" every time he sees them.** 

Yesterday was Grandpa's birthday so K made him a red velvet cake.  So, of course we had to take it over there, equipped with 66 candles!!  Anthony and I lit them with fury because we feared that by the time we got to the last ones, the first ones would be melted.  But, we took care of business, got 'em lit and sang. 

No sooner had we finished the song and Grandpa was about to blow........ out of nowhere, C comes flying in front of "Hi-ya kids" on top of the counter to help put out the forest fire.  He blew, and blew and blew.  And not only did he blow, he SPIT all over the cake while attempting to blow.  All we could do was laugh!  He was sure Grandpa couldn't do it on his own, after all he is 66 now. 

I sure hope my grandkids are there for me when I have trouble blowing out all my candles.  Oh wait, I have trouble blowing them all out already.  Does that make me old?

Sunday, April 10, 2011

So I have this really smart friend...

Alright, I have a friend that commented on my results post and told me how to hide the area of concern in a pic. Why must I have such smart friends?  I was perfectly content with only showing my back side but... Thanks a lot, Montie!!  Just kidding, I appreciate it.  It's good to show my results, right?  

Why is it so hard for me to show the tummy area?  Probably because I have a bit of the 'mommy tummy' going on.  Not for long, I hope but I don't think it's too terrible for having 5 kids stretch it out... **agree with me, even if you don't ;)**

I've decided that Anthony and I need to work on taking pics at the same angle.  We were standing taking pics in the first ones, after 30 days we decided to sit and take pics.  I like the standing angle MUCH better.  

You may wonder why my face is blocked on the 'after' pic.  Well, that's because I'm a nerd.  Call me vain but I look like a total gimp in that one and I don't want to show my face.  I hadn't done anything at all with myself that day and the pic looks like I have buck teeth and I haven't slept in years.  

Anyway, here's the before and after FRONT view. 

Do you see it?  I HAVE ABS!  There's still a layer of frosting on them but one day.... it'll be gone!  Can't wait for the 60 day pics.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

P90X -- 30 Day Results

We were supposed to take pics and measurements after the first phase which technically ended on Day 28.  We forgot so we took them on Day 30.  Anthony's results are pretty dramatic, at least in my opinion.  Mine aren't quite as dramatic but after taking pictures I can see a difference for sure.  I think it's harder to pinpoint the differences looking in the mirror every day.  So, all that whining I did before, just toss it all aside.  

What you'll see in each set of pictures is first the before, then the after.  I'm not very computer savvy so I don't know how to make a side by side shot.  And also, the only pics you get of yours truly is the back view.  Why?  Well, that would be because the only sports bra I own is white, and being that it's white, it's a bit transparent.  You get the picture.  And again, I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to do a cool little bar across the chest so, the back is what you get.  If/when I figure it out, I'll show you.  Most people do the pics in a bikini but guess what, I don't do bikinis.  Therefore, no bikini shots.  ;)

Front view ~~ Before

After 30 days...

Side view ~~ Before

After 30 days

Back ~~ Before

After 30 days

Back and arm muscles ~~ before

After 30 days

Biceps ~~ before

After 30 days

Back ~~ before


After 30 days

Back and arms ~~ Before


After 30 days


Measurements: (before/after) Anthony
waist: 41 / 37
chest:  42 / 39.75
right arm:   14.5 / 13.75
left arm:  14.5 / 13.75
hips:  41.5 / 39.5
right thigh:  25.25 / 24.75
left thigh:  25.25 / 24.5
right calf:  15 1/8 / 15
left calf:  15.25 / 15
neck:  17.25 / 16 1/8
weight:  191 / 180


Measurements:  (before / after) Brooke
waist (measured at narrowest point):  28.5 / 27.5
chest:  34.5 / 33.25 (not exactly where I needed to shrink ;))
right arm:  10.25 / 10.25
left arm:  10.25 / 10.25
hips:  37.25 / 36.5
right thigh:  21 / 21.5 (yikes!)
left thigh:  21.25 / 21
right calf:  13.25 / 13
left calf:  13.25 / 13
weight:  127.5 / 125.5

Update:  You can see front view pics of me here!

I once took an aerobics class and the instructor kept reminding us that the fat you want gone will in fact go away if you keep at it.  She saw that many girls were frustrated at not seeing their stomachs shrinking.  She said that the fat will come off of everywhere else FIRST! before ever coming off your tummy.  "Even your earlobes will shrink before your tummy does!" 

So, while my body is still far from what I'd like to see in the mirror, I know it will happen in time.  I just have to keep pushing myself.  Tony Horton knows what he is doing!  And the results are pretty impressive for only 30 days.  And trust me, if I can do this, ANYONE can.  I am the biggest wimp... EVER!  Ask anyone...