Halloween fun

Kristen, thanks for a fun idea. I really needed it yesterday when Nikki came home from school early with a fever, but it was just slight enough that she wasn't laying around acting sick. We're making Halloween shaped Jello jigglers today.

On my mind

• General Conference is always wonderful. Nate was gone over the weekend on a scout leadership training campout, so he missed all but the last 45 minutes of the last session. I'm looking forward to watching it over again with him in the evenings. Elder Bednar, Elder Holland, President Monson's talk Sunday morning, Elder Scott, the one that talked about heart surgery (I don't remember his name) -- and there were more that really stood out to me. I was just praying Saturday morning about recognizing the Spirit more easily and then Elder Scott was the very first speaker who spoke about exactly that. Such a great weekend.
• Everyone in our family has now come down with our miserable cold/virus/?. Being able to sniff is really a great skill. I can't wait until Ryan learns how to do it rather than let it just run down into his mouth.
• Today's weather makes me want to curl up on the couch with a good book and a nice bowl of soup and homemade bread. I guess that means today would be a great day to hit Panera Bread. :)
• My oven has a light inside but no window through the door. I think that is incredibly stupid.
• Does anybody else like paying bills? It gives me a sense of security to get it done and know that it is all taken care of.
• Last night as I was falling asleep I realized that Christmas is coming and I want to go ahead and get all presents taken care of now. Nate and I have talked about making this a homemade Christmas. We've never gone too crazy and gotten loads of presents for the kids, but it always seems like we end up with more than we had originally planned. I wonder what the girls would think if all the presents were just service or things we make for each other? Actually, I know what they'd think. Hannah would be so excited and Nikki would be so disappointed.
• Ryan lost our cordless mouse yesterday. He has also lost the memory card reader that we use to download the pictures off of our camera since I dropped the camera one too many times, and it won't connect directly to the computer. We watched conference on the internet and he turned the computer off three times while we were watching it. He's a mess. I guess it's my fault because I'm the one that's supposed to be supervising him.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I keep thinking about this book. First, I feel like I need to give a disclaimer. There was a scene in the book that I wish wasn't there. It's not a love scene, but it was disturbing. I understand that to the author it would have been an important part, though, because it is the first time Minny ever experienced a white woman step out of her place of comfort and do something for her. And then there is some language in it. Why did she wait until I was sucked in a few chapters before she did that? It makes me tempted again to justify that I see why the author did it in trying to tell the story in the voices of the characters, but I still don't like to read that and feel like I should mention it before someone picks up this book because I said I liked it -- and then they'll think I don't mind books with language and a disturbing scene when I do. I just don't know how to explain to myself that I didn't like that, but I did like this book.

Anyway -- on to the book. It is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, and it is told through the viewpoint of three women. One is a young white woman who wants to be a journalist, and the other two are maids to the rich white women of Jackson. They are "the help."
In an attempt to have their voices heard after being silent and frustrated their whole lives, these maids agree to tell their story to a white woman who wants to write about what it's like to be a colored maid in Mississippi from the viewpoint of the maids.

It was such an emotional book. I laughed right out loud, and I even got real tears in my eyes. I was afraid of what the white people were going to do to them. I felt such contempt for the white women who were so calloused and rude. I was moved when Skeeter and Aibileen really became friends, a white woman and a black woman crossing lines and breaking rules that their society said would always be that way. How frightening to try to change something that is ingrained not only through violence, but taught to the minds of innocent children by their mothers from before they even enter preschool.

It made me think about my own ancestors living in the south. My mom and dad were in the high school class that first integrated about 9 black students into the white high school in Edenton. I remember asking Mom about it one time, but she didn't have too much to say about it. She said they were pretty quiet and she didn't really know them. I think that's probably typical of high school students to be in their own world, but then coming to the same high school didn't bring them to the same neighborhoods and after school hangouts. Those lines were still drawn when I was in high school in that same town, maybe not as strictly adhered to but they were there. My grandparents used the term "colored people," but I know Granddaddy was friends with a black man named Sambo. I would like to think that my family members that I love would have known even back then that black people were not diseased, dirty, and immoral just because of their skin color. Even if social lines were drawn so they couldn't associate too much with people who were different. I would like to think that I myself don't think of stereotypes first and question them secondly.

Anyway, this would be a fun book to discuss with somebody. There is so much in it.

Swine flu

My kids are sick this week. Am I the only one that wonders if it's the swine flu when my kids start getting sick these days? Last week a girl in Nikki's class went home with the flu. I just read a report today that said that the seasonal flu hasn't hit our area yet, so anyone with the flu here is being treated as if it's the swine flu. When I was little we called it the flu when we had a stomach bug, and I know that's wrong so it's hard for me to grasp what the flu really is. Nikki brought home a cough and sore throat from school, but other than her cough she's alright. Hannah and Ryan have a fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue. How do you know if it's just a cold or if it's something more? I can't tell you how miserable Ryan was this afternoon. It broke my heart. I was almost in tears right along with him because I could do nothing to help him feel better. Well, at least if it is the swine flu I think it's supposed to pass pretty quickly. I hope so.

Oh, the sweetest thing!

Day 1. I'm really going to do it. The sweetest thing I'm going to eat this week will be a piece of fruit. Nate and my visiting teaching companion said they wanted to do it with me. That makes me much more excited and much more likely to actually accomplish it. Especially since Nikki is in charge of the family night treat tonight, and that means we'll either have milkshakes or smores (made in the microwave). But I think I'll have an apple with some peanut butter.

Of course, I could never make this a long term commitment. I just want a little jumpstart as I get back into better eating and exercise habits. It was so hard waking up this morning to go running when it was so dark and cold outside. Kind of makes me want to be fat for the winter and then start exercising again next spring. But, ugh, how miserable would that be! Just going two weeks without jogging made me feel blah enough. I remember hearing someone once say that 90% of the fuel in a rocket is spent during takeoff. Only 10% is required to maintain flight. That's how exercising and healthy eating feel. It's so hard for the first little bit, but once I get into it, it doesn't take as much effort to continue. So this week I'm putting forth my extra effort, and then I know I'll feel the benefits and it won't be so hard to continue with good habits the next week. Besides, then I can eat my fat-free ice cream again. :)

Sugar, or No Sugar

Today I ate my favorite sandwich -- peanut butter and strawberry jam on soft white bread. Oh, it was worth every useless calorie! That's a comfort food from my childhood that I've never gotten over. This past couple of weeks since my back has been hurting I haven't been jogging, and I have enjoyed way too many delicious desserts that were delivered when the Relief Society sisters were bringing us meals for a few days. I thought about that as I sat on the kitchen floor this afternoon with Ryan chasing down my yummy sandwich with spoonfuls of Raspberry sherbet right out of the bucket. That's when I realized I need to jumpstart some healthy eating habits again. I'm not sick anymore, so I don't have any good excuses. Have you ever tried to eliminate sugar from your diet? I've never had the desire before today. As much as we tease Kellee about loving sugar, I'm really just as bad. I have no problems eating low-fat foods, but could I go a week without sugar? Hmm. I'm going to think about it over the next few days, and see if I can try it next week. Anybody ever successfully done that before?

On the Mend

I just felt like I should post something so that no one thinks I'm on my deathbed. I'm doing a lot better. I think it was just a pulled muscle because when I stopped picking up Ryan I started getting better. Mike & Sherrie and Jay & Alli helped us out last week and over the weekend, and several ladies from church have done so much for me this week. Today is the first day that I will have Ryan by myself all day. I have missed him so much while other people were babysitting for me! It is very humbling to see how other people have just jumped in and done so much for us. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by wonderful people who have so willingly served us.

Ouch

Kellee, you were right in your last comment -- it has been a while since I've posted, hasn't it? We have been busy with the details of getting our house sellable, school, gymnastics, piano, church, and taking care of a baby. But this past week I've been in a lot of pain. I've been to a couple of doctors, but I'm not convinced that they figured out what the problem is. I have pain in my right side and back, where your kidney is, and it keeps getting worse. I had a CT scan of my abdomen done, and I do have some small kidney stones in my right kidney. But the urologist didn't think that would be causing the pain because they are usually only painful when they start leaving the kidney. So now my regular doctor thinks it is probably and torn or strained muscle. I don't know. It's frustrating that it's just guessing, and they haven't done a test that says, yep you have this condition that is causing the pain and it will last for x amount of time. Not to mention how busy Nate has been this week. He has tried to take care of me, but there is just too much stuff going on. Anyway, maybe today will be better. I do have some cute pictures on my camera that I need to post, but I don't feel like doing it right now.

Ten Years Ago ...

• We made ONE really wonderful decision to be sealed together for time and eternity in the Mt. Timpanogas temple.
• We had TWO cars that you kept so clean with no crumbs or melted crayons in the back seat.
• We couldn't have imagined how beautiful our THREE children would be.
• We didn't know that the FOUR most caring words are, "We can't afford it."
• We didn't know that we would single-handedly support the DMV in FIVE states with all of our address changes on our licenses.
• We didn't need to sweep the kitchen floor SIX times a day.
• We didn't know that sleeping in until 7 am was sleeping in.
• I didn't know that you would be willing to do the dishes EIGHT nights a week because I didn't want to do them.
• We didn't know that playing made-up games like sock wars with the girls could feel like working a NINE-hour shift on the weekends. Why don't they ever get tired of that?
• I had no clue how much you would teach me and that my love for you would grow at least TENfold in the next TEN years.

I love you, Nate! Happy 10th anniversary!

Tooth Fairy

Hannah lost a tooth a few days ago, and when the tooth fairy kept not showing up she decided that it was because their room wasn't clean. Maybe we'll pull another tooth next week when it's time to clean the room again. Both girls asked yesterday after school if they could go clean their room. Umm, I guess so. I actually think the tooth fairy didn't come because Hannah left this note with lots of questions that deserved some really good answers, and how can the tooth fairy really be on her toes enough to give really good answers in the middle of the night. This morning Hannah was excited about the money, but I don't think she was too impressed with the tooth fairy's reply. Maybe she recognized the handwriting? I can only hope.