Last week of March

Miriam's reading makes a huge jump
Sunday night I was sitting on the couch when Miriam came up and sat beside me.  She asked me to read a story to her from The Friend, a magazine our church publishes for children.  I told her I was tired and would read to her in a little while.  She opened the pages, found a story that looked interesting to her, and started reading.  I couldn't believe it!  She needed help with a few of the big words but for the most part, she nailed it.  I asked her if anyone had read the story to her before and she told me no.  I asked her questions to determine her comprehension of what she'd read and she got everything correct.  I was amazed.  Just a few weeks ago, she was sounding out words in an easy primer and suddenly she's able to read independently!

Isaac and Mom date
Friday night it was Isaac's turn for a date with mom.  His first choice was to take his RC Nitro car to a dirt track and play with it.  Unfortunately we're in the middle of a rain system and the moisture would not be good for his car.  I gave him three alternate choices:  bowling, a movie, or Absolute Air (an indoor trampoline play area).  He choice Absolute Air.  I think he was a bit embarrassed by his timid mom.  He kept encouraging me, saying, "You need to jump not run Mom".  I kept thinking, "But I've had four children!"  and "I might get hurt!"  By the end of the evening, I'd worked my way up to doing a flip before landing in the foam pit.  I did point out to Isaac that I was the only adult jumping so he should feel proud of that.  The rest of the adults in the building were sitting on the sidelines watching.

inverted frog pose

Isaac as ballet dancer

one wild woman!

look at all that air I got!

YMCA
Anastaya and I are still getting a lot of enjoyment out of our temporary membership.  We get down there three times each week.  Wednesday nights we go to ACT.  It's the program that provides our free membership.  It's a partnership between the YMCA and Children's Hospital and is offered free to teens with a high BMI.  There is always a family game, a talk about making healthy choices and nutritional education.  Anastaya and I get there a half hour early to do a 30 minute strength training session before starting.  The games take place in the gym.  When we get there, there are always lots of young men playing basketball.  The person in charge tells them that the gym is closed and starts us walking the perimeter of the gym to warm up.  The boys are always trying to get in a few more baskets so it's a bit precarious to circle the gym while basketballs are flying around (we're walking behind the hoops as we circle).  Once everyone is warmed up, there is always a game where the parents and children play together.  Some of the parents are unable to play due to their own high BMIs.  Others participate but mostly stand around.  I'm the crazy parent who is running all over the place, blocking the ball when we play basketball, trying to kick the ball away in soccer.  I asked Anastaya if she thought I was too aggressive but she said I'm doing just fine.  One great thing is that whenever anyone does anything positive, like score a point or pass successfully, all the parents give lots of cheers and compliments.  The gym has a 2nd floor track on a catwalk around the perimeter.  While we're playing, the young men are often watching us, waiting impatiently for us to clear the gym so they can get back to basketball.  I've wondered if they are envious to see the teens in the program playing a game with their parents or if they're laughing at the lack of athletic ability evidenced in teens and adults alike (me included).  It's probably a bit of both.

In addition to ACT, we get to the Y two more times.  Because life around here is so busy, the best time to go is early morning.  The alarm goes off at 5:30 am on Mondays and Fridays and we're soon on the road, arriving at the Y by 6:00 am to begin a 60 minute strength training workout.  Anastaya is usually half asleep on the way down but by the time we're coming home, she's got more life in her.  I know she'd rather go after school but if she has to make a choice between going early or not going at all, she chooses to get up.  It's a great way to start the day.

General Conference
Two times a year, we have the opportunity to hear from the leaders of our church through a broadcast that is transmitted over the Internet.  They teach us the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ, things like: forgiving others, serving others, creating a happy family, prayer, scripture study, and feeling the influence of the Savior in our lives.  We listen to four hours (divided into two sessions) on Saturday and another four on Sunday.  We have a few traditions we look forward to each year.  One is homemade cinnamon rolls.  I make the dough and create the rolls Saturday evening.  They spend the night in the fridge.  Sunday morning, they go into the oven and we enjoy tasty rolls while listening to conference.

who snuck into the photo?!

Another thing we do to help the kids listen is come up with something they can do quietly while they listen.  This year, Isaac experimented with turning a cheap Wal-Mart boat into an RC boat.

He spread his mess out along the entire length and width of the kitchen island which made rolling out those cinnamon rolls a bit challenging.

Elizabeth built a roller coaster with her dad.  As soon as she sent the car around one time, she was ready to tear it apart.  She was eager to get on to the next project.  Part way through the morning conference on Saturday, the mail lady drove up with a package.  It contained a model airplane.  She couldn't wait to get started but Dode told her they needed to finish the roller coaster first.  

Anastaya kept her fingers busy scrapbooking.

Miriam loved the close ups of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Murphy's Law

As a part of our religious practices, we fast for one day each month.  We use our fasting time as an opportunity to draw closer to the spirit of God, receive answers to perplexing questions, and to let our spirits be in charge, not our physical bodies.  We donate at least the cost of the two meals we missed to the church.  That money is called a fast offering and is used to meet the temporal needs of members both in our own congregation and throughout the world.  Fasting usually happens on the first Sunday of each month, termed Fast Sunday.  Because we were having General Conference on the first Sunday of April, the last Sunday in March was designated fast Sunday.  What happens when you forget that the day is fast Sunday and make your hot cereal in the microwave like you do every other day of the year?  You start cooking your cereal and suddenly remember that it's fast Sunday.  You hate to waste the food and contemplate eating some very dried out cereal later in the day.

When you go to take your cereal out of the microwave, you find that the bowl has exploded.   There was no way I was going to eat that bowl of cereal once the fast was over!  It was my favorite bowl and I used it every day.  Now I have to find a new hot cereal bowl!

Miriam's words of wisdom

Miriam came up to me and earnestly said,

"Never jump into a pile of leaves....

... with a wet lollipop."

Deep, profound, and very true!