Finishing off January

Terrible Tuesdays
Life around here is pretty busy, but Tuesday is by far our worst day.  The last Tuesday of January was exceptionally bad.  We started off our morning with homeschooling, then I left to pick up the newspapers.  Picking up the newspapers is code for: pick up the papers, go to the bread store, drop things off at the second hand store and while you're there, see if they have any bread makers or amazing little girl dresses, get gas but don't fill the van too much or it will leak gas and smell terrible.  I timed it just right so that when I was done with my errands, I had time to meet with a reporter at the newspaper to interview me about the produce co-op.  Just as we were finishing up, the newspapers arrived.    I quickly transferred them to the car and headed for home.  I was on my own for the evening because Dode was at a meeting with work and wouldn't be home until 10 pm. 

Once at home, it was time to coral the kids into folding their papers while I did my and Dode's parts with the papers and made dinner at the same time.  We had just enough time to get the papers done and dinner eaten before it was time to leave.  That left our kitchen trashed from one end to the other.  You would have had a difficult time finding a place to set down anything larger than a glass.  (And we have a 12 foot long island in the kitchen!)  I wasn't able to deliver papers during youth night because everyone old enough to help me had an activity.  Not only did they all have activities, they were taking place in four different locations, all beginning and ending at the same time.  I started early, dropping children off while they kept rotating forward in the car to claim the coveted "shotgun" seat.  During the activities, I went grocery shopping with the little ones.  Then, it was time to start picking people up. 

Two of them were able to get rides home which left me with four kids in the car.  It was time to start delivering.  Around and around we went, delivering papers on winding (but apparently desirable to city code developers) subdivision roads.  The kids had a DVD player but of course it had a dead battery and of course it had a wonky cord that kept coming out thus killing their movie.  After a while, Miriam hollered up, "Are we on the twisty road? I feel sick!"  Soon Elizabeth was also complaining of an upset stomach.  We soldiered on and got 3/4 of the route done before it was time to get people home for late bed times (9:30).  Elizabeth made it two steps inside before throwing up all over the floor and walls of the hall.  The kids who were waiting at home were too busy playing Kinnect to want to help their poor mom, besides hollering out various "Yucks and Gross!"  I finally got the mess cleaned up, the kids off to bed, and the house straitened up and quiet a little after 10 pm.  I was just drifting off to sleep when Dode came home.  I'm glad not every day is so full!

Weighty Matters
In the hustle of getting everyone out the door Sunday morning, we were half way to church before I realized I'd forgotten my scriptures at home.  When I was helping Miriam out of the van at the church, I saw that she had my scripture bag in her hands.  I thanked her for grabbing them for me and she smiled a bit sheepishly  and handed them over.  Once we got in and sat down in the chapel, she unzipped my bag and out came a puzzle and a set of hand weights!  She's replaced my scriptures with the other items that felt about the right weight so I never noticed.  She'd been planning on doing her "exercises" during the meeting.  Mean mom that I am, she had to settle for just doing the puzzle.

Jacob gave us quite a giggle on the way to church.  He makes us all wait for him every time we're going anywhere.  I've found him before just standing in the middle of his room, I guess trying to decide if enough time has elapsed before making his appearance.  He was the last one in the car again, after some people had been sitting in it for 10 minutes.  When I told him that I'd really appreciate it if he being oldest could get himself in the car on time, he said, "I don't even know what time church starts."  When I gave him the "You've got to be kidding" look, he said, "I've only been 18 three weeks!". 


Not Fair!
We were getting ready for a family ski day and Dode was making sure everyone had their ski bindings adjusted to the proper tension.  We were just going to bring the big kids and Sharon was going to babysit the littlest ones.  The floor of the living room was covered in skis and boots.  Isaac was hoping we'd have enough equipment so could bring a friend so he brought down our littlest set for Elizabeth, thinking she could cram her feet into them.  (The same set she started skiing on when she was three years old!)  There was no way they were going to work for Elizabeth but Miriam realized they fit her just fine.  She told her dad that it wasn't fair that she was not coming with us.  He asked her why, expecting her to say that it wasn't fair because she wanted to go too.  Instead, she informed him that it was obvious to her that when Isaac and Elizabeth were her size, they must have gone skiing because here were the boots and skis to prove it.  Hard to refute that argument!

Skiing

it takes a real man to wear pink boots and stripes!

In the end, Miriam got to go and Jacob stayed home.  He's complained to me in the past that we ruin everything for him by doing so much as a family.  Apparently, skiing is one of those things.  We were able to get six of us on the mountain for $38.  Dode had received an advantage card that came with one free ticket and some "snow dough" for Christmas and his birthday.  We'd also been getting our gas from Shell the last few weeks which gave us buy one get one free coupons for night skiing.  With everything combined, we all skied for less than the price of one ticket.  Since Dode had worked late the week before, he was able to get off early and we were up to the mountain at 3:15.  We were on the lifts by 3:45. 

The snow was perfect, nice and soft.  Dode headed for the beginner hill with the girls and Isaac and I set off for the other runs.  We ended up staying until 9:45 pm.  When we left, I think there were about four other cars in the parking lot (and I'm not exaggerating!).  When I asked Miriam part way through the night if she was having fun, she answered, "I'm having a blast!"  Dode put her on a tether around her waist and she'd be going down the hill, waving her arms while she tried to get going faster and faster. 

Miriam and mom

Elizabeth and Anastaya

on the lift, Miriam and mom

Elizabeth's personality came through loud and clear.  She was so concerned about everything.  She'd complain how terrible she'd done getting on or off the lift.  I'd ask, "Did you fall?"  "No", would be the reply, "But I was really scared."  With the exception of one time on Hogsback, she spent all her time on the beginner hill.  It's hard to reconcile this girl with the three year old I had out there skiing every hill on mountain at high rates of speed! 

Elizabeth 2003, age 3

Elizabeth, 2011, age 10

if you look closely at the first photo, you can see that she is wearing the same blue hat

Anastaya was also a lot more cautious than she'd been the last time up.  She went down Hogsback once and kept falling and being unable to get up so she spent her time with Elizabeth.  She did much better at controlling her rate of speed and being able to stop this time. 

It was 12 degrees up there but everyone had plenty of warm clothes so we all stayed nice and toasty. Isaac didn't have a face mask so part way through the night, we cut a hole in an extra stocking cap and turned it into a neck gator, problem solved!  I'd been having a hard time keeping my fingers and toes warm and had contemplated spending $2.50 for a heat pack in the lodge when Isaac mentioned on the lift that he had four heat packs in his pocket.  Well, hand two over I told him! I also found that pushing myself just a bit beyond my comfort zone did a great deal towards warming me up.

Produce

We got turnips in the baskets last time. I honestly cannot remember ever eating a turnip before. A turnip has around 40 calories and 3 grams of fiber. I decided to give it a try. After reading other people's reviews of recipes on the Internet, noting that turnips can be hot and bitter, I didn't want to waste other known edible ingredients on my turnips. I peeled them, tossed them with a little olive oil, garlic, honey and salt and roasted them. The verdict? Definitely edible, no bitterness detected. Will I seek them out? I doubt it, but I also won't let them go to waste if someone chooses them again.

I'm having so much fun with my green smoothies. I look forward to them every day. The kids love to watch me drop apples, oranges, bananas, berries, spinach, cabbage, kale into the blender, toss in some flax seeds, add some water and give it a whirl. They think I'm crazy! I think I'm smart. I try to use things we have an over abundance of along with my greens. William is the only one brave enough to drink one. Honestly, they don't taste like vegetables at all. If you close your eyes, you'd never know! Drinking one each day has seriously cut down on my sweet tooth. And, anyone who's been around me much knows that I have quite a sweet tooth (although it is a very discriminating tooth that can easily pass up half rate desserts).