Happily Ever After: Free iPod Touch

This is a quick update about my previous post.  

Janson told the Genius Bar (IT guys at the Apple store) what was going on with my iPod.  The guy looked at Janson like there was no hope for the poor little machine and asked when we bought it. 

He then handed us a sparkly new iPod.  For free. No money or plastic exchanged.  Nothing. 

Because the iPod is still under warranty, I guess they thought it was easier to hand me a new one and eventually refurbish the old one.  Or whatever they do with the old ones.  (For the Apple interested folk, it is still a first generation version.  They are probably more willing to hand out the soon-to-be outdated hardware.)

I think it helped that the Apple Genius only had 10 more minutes of work on New Year's Eve. Hurray for him. Hurray for me!

  

Mobile Efficiency

It has been over 48 hours since my iPod Touch gave up on me.  I hold no harsh feelings because it was being used between 3-8 hours a day for the past 5 weeks.  It was also the occasional victim to Mari's drooling mouth and sharp teeth (I tried hard to avoid this, but alas, I am a mother with babies surrounded).  Before that it received months of use by Janson; in a more protective manner but daily nonetheless.

Since its leave of absence, I have sorely missed my:

• email
• calendar
• address book
• Facebook
• RSS feeds (blogs)
• recipe collection
• weather updates
• maps
• scriptures
• music
• grocery lists
• packing lists
• to-do lists

The anti-tech people out there may say, "I told you so."  I understand that.  I have paper or digital back-ups of everything, so nothing is lost forever.  Yet while transient and couch-ridden (oxymoron, I know, but still true) having all of these resources condensed into the palm of my hand has been invaluable.  It's also a wonderful alternative to hauling the paper book versions of these resources in a suitcase, or stacked around the couch.  

I watched the poor iPod turn itself on and off three times in a row.  It looked so confused.  After that I took off its rubber skin and water dripped off the machine.  Oh dear.  Results of Mari's mouth or a wet kitchen table, who knows.

Hopefully the warranty will cover my poor iPod, otherwise I know where my Christmas money is going.  I have experienced the wonders of mobile efficiency, and I'm not sure if I can walk away from that.

The Little Drummer Boy

For two years now this has been my favored Christmas book.  More often than not my throat clenches up when I read/sing this to the girls.

Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
Our newborn King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
So to honour Him, pa rum pum pum pum
When we come.

Baby Jesus, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give a king, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then he smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

When the drummer boy was told to "come... to honour Him" he quickly obeys.  In this holiday season this first verse quickly sobers me, as I question whether or not I am honoring Him.  

Often I feel like a "poor boy" too, with "no gift to bring, that's fit to give a king."  I am human and make mistakes.  Yet the drummer boy sees what little he has to give and offers, "Shall I play for you?"  

As I try to do what little I can, I know I am rallied with blessings and support just as "the ox and lamb kept time."  I hope that I can someday say "I played my best for Him."

Need more Christmas music?

It's that time of the season when my holiday music collection is getting old.  That's saying a lot, since I've got 190 songs.  Are you feeling that way?  Well, never fear, I have your cure.

Cubworld is giving away five Christmas songs.  Yup, you read that right: giving away.  His music is fantastic and clean.  Check out the site for the free downloads, you've got nothing to lose.  If you like it he has more albums out there.

Keep it coming, Jacob.

Fantasy Couch Shopping

I'm tired of my couch.  You would be too after months of couch-ridden life (verses bed-ridden).  I won't actually get a new couch (especially since Grace is still potty training), but I can pretend.  

Optimistic Couch

Literally has optimistic adjectives all over it.

Cadillac Couch



Dog Couch
There were more ornate ones, but I couldn't get the images. This one costs seven times as much as the one I am currently sitting on.


Lip Couch


Scrub Brush Couch



Flying Carpet Couch



Wall Climbing Couch



Vote for your favorite!

Dobie the Delinquent Disk

Miraculously, my friends haven't given up on me despite my recent transition to an anti-social recluse. Lately people have been asking for an update. If you haven't heard from me, it's because the redundancy is getting embarrassing. I'm embarrassed to keep saying, "No, my health situation isn't getting better. There's actually this new thing going on..."  But I'm not going to lie.  

I promise I am not someone always looking for a health condition. I find no secret joy in the extra attention and dependence. Every day I yearn for more independence; a time when I can pick up and care for my own baby. I've been served and I'm ready to serve.

Since that day is not near, and questions are coming, here's an update.

Facts

I was starting to do much better and loved being available to change a few diapers, make some dinners, and get off the couch. Quite suddenly, my sciatic leg pain has come back. My neurosurgeon estimates that another piece of disk has dislodged and is pressing against the nerve. For seven weeks after my original partial diskectomy (which took out the piece of disk pinching the nerve) I had no nerve pain. Yay! The problem was fixed and there was no permanent nerve damage. So we know this current pain is not just old nerve damage, there is something new going on.  Well, sort of new...

Ideas

Because an MRI image would be vague so soon after surgery (scar tissue), we can only guess what is going on. I didn't really want an MRI before Christmas anyways, in case they saw a need that would land me in the hospital over the holiday. YUCK. 

My guess (and my guesses are getting pretty good) is that my previous disk herniation made the disk go ka-put (aka damaged it so it's now a sickly little thing that can't do it's job). 

Let's name this dear little (L4-L5) lumbar disk Dobie.  Instead of being a cushy, little pillow between my bones, Dobie's squishing out, pinching my nerve, and causing leg pain more severe than ever.  If Dobie was damaged before, no wonder it's now falling apart. If that's the case, let's get that thing out of there so I can eventually get back to being a mother! Well, that's my completely non-medical take on it.  There were way too many if's in this paragraph.

Pain & Permanent Damage

I said that delinquent Dobie was causing me pain.  You might be thinking, "Ah, what's a little pain, be tough Lynn!"  If that was the only effect of the pinched nerve, I'd just say, "Give me narcotics, I'll live through it and take care of my kids!"  (Well, they have given me narcotics and my husband can attest to the fact that they are the only thing keeping me from being a complete scrooge.  To make an understatement: the pain makes me edgy.)  The pain, though, is a message.  Dobie's efficient little nerve pinching could cause paralysis and permanent damage of bladder/bowel functions, leg function, and who knows what else.  I really don't want to know.

Health & Motherhood

So, as I have made each decision about the care of my health and my kids, my top priority has always been motherhood.  I want to do whatever it takes to mother my kids.  In some instances I've said, "Hold off, I need a few days with my kids and husband."  Like now.  In the long run, though, I have to be cautious now so I can be the best possible mother later.  And by later, I mean the rest of my life and the lives of my kids.  

It would be irresponsible for me to throw caution to the wind, stay home with my girls and care for them at any cost, and then end up with permanent damage that will handicap my mothering abilities for the rest of my life.  

To sum it up

In a week I will probably have an MRI and know what's going on.  Until then, Janson, Grace and I are at home while he works, and Mari is up with my parents because I can't lift her.  We are determined to spend Christmas as a family, which means driving up to my parents house to be with Mari.  Luckily Janson's boss changed his mind and he now has Christmas morning off.  How kind.

The Doghouse

What women don't want for Christmas:

Beware of the Doghouse Video

Ironically, I did ask for a gym membership for Christmas.

Nifty Little Help With CHRISTmas

Grace isn't even three yet and her holiday excitement seems focused around Santa, Rudolph, Frosty and presents. Oh, and her upcoming birthday. We've used that to tangent towards "Jesus' Birthday!" with weak success.

So I've been looking for Christ-centered fillers to put in the days of my advent calendar. With the amount of time and energy spent talking about Santa and the works, I figured I could easily dedicate some of the holiday talk to the Savior.

After a bit of searching, I hit gold: the Primary Sharing Time for this month. It has a list of scriptures for each of the 25 days before Christmas. Each one is a story about Jesus.

So each night we'll pull out a piece of chocolate (of course!) and a story about Jesus. Ideally. We'll see how it goes. I expect the chocolate will be great incentive, especially for me.

I thought I'd just pass on this great find.

If anyone else has simple tips for teaching the lil ones the true meaning of Christmas, please share!  Simple meaning very little glue, cutting, tape, toothpicks, flannel boards, costumes, acting out, memorization or choreographed song and dance.   Well, the choreography I may use.

Twilight: Confronting the Controversy

(This is my response to the questions on morality in the Twilight series.)

Reasons my children will be allowed to read the Twilight series:

Edward has qualities rarely idealized of teenage boys in media: chivalrous, commited, loyal, chaste, protective (to a fault) and self-controlled.

Both Jacob and Edward's family characters provide ample opportunities to teach lessons on putting off the natural man and controlling appetites.

The heroine chooses the mature, self-controlled boy rather than the less mature, unpredictable boy.

Premarital sex is shunned.

The heroine, as a married woman, shuns infidelity.

The heroine gets to experience the wonders of motherhood before the saga ends.

The Cullens are a "forever family." (Haha!)

My children will be reading.

My children will be reading something I have read.

The series can invite parent-child discussion about dating, marriage, making decisions, communicating with parents, good versus evil, disguised temptations, and fantasy versus reality.

The Controversial Twilight

I am not ashamed: I like Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

I have read the series three times to come to that conclusion. The first time I read the books quickly, intrigued by the plot. The second time I declared mature disinterest... but still finished the series. Then my interest was peaked when I heard of readers that didn't like my hero of the books, they liked 'that other guy.' So then I had to read the books again to see what they were so excited about. I still don't see.

Yes, I will admit that her language is nothing spectacular. She doesn't string words together in a way that leaves me awestruck; itching to read a sentence over again for the beauty of it. Sometimes the cliché phrases make my eyes roll.

That said, I think Meyer is a genius with plot and character development.

Masterful Plot
I am an avid reader and yet this is the first and only series I have had to buy the books because I couldn't wait to borrow. It's the only series I've read more than once. After the third book I was so frustrated that a conclusion hadn't been reached, I swore off the books. The boycott lasted a few months. From what I hear readers get through these books quickly, eager to see what happens next. What she lacks in vocabulary she makes up for with sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat plot.

Dynamic Characters
Have you ever heard of a romance novel where the readers are rooting for different prince charmings? It's rare. Usually we're all rooting for Mr. Darcy or... Prince Charming. It's typical to have the protagonist and antagonist... aka the good guy and the bad guy. That's how I read it the first time. But now I recognize that many readers see my hero as the bad guy. Meyer knows how to cater to her different readers, recognizing that we are not all attracted to the same type of people. I have noticed a pattern: many of the Jacob fans are the younger readers, while the Edward fans are older, often married. Perhaps some young Jacob fans could find their preferences changed ten years from now. Either way, I am intrigued that Meyers is able to create these round characters that trigger such a wide range of responses. For the critics out there, could you create such dynamic characters?

Speaking of critics, I hear some refer to these books as "guilty pleasures." Guilty because the hero is ridiculously chivalrous? Guilty because the boyfriend does NOT want the relationship to progress physically? Guilty because there is NO premarital sex? The moral standards depicted are much higher than most other media. Heaven forbid our youth should enjoy media that shuns premarital sex.

If I am guilty by approving of a male figure that opens doors, shuns long kissing, wants to marry his girlfriend, and is trying to live above the natural man (er, monster) in him, then so be it. My approval of Edward in no way lessens my intense love for my husband. It does make me relieved that my beloved shows no interest in drinking my blood.

Calling All Good Comedy!

Man, my blog is really boring. Unfortunately, it's a reflection of my boring life of bedrest these past few months. Well, I have a another big life event looming in my near future. Next week I have a surgery scheduled (pseudomeningocele repair) to fix complications from my last surgery. But surgeries aren't the typical fun stuff found on blogs, so I'm not going to burden you with blah blah details.

What I am worried about is the post-op 3-5 days of strict hospital bedrest. Yuck, I've learned that life stuck in a hospital bed is depressing and can wear you down. So here I am asking for help: comedy, comedy, comedy!

For the next week I'm collecting and saving up comedy suggestions: movies, books, magazines, YouTube, TV episodes, etc. What's your favorite comedy? What makes you laugh? I need to know! :)

Bits of Wisdom and Gratitude

I detest a stagnant blog, so here is a new post. Our lives are definitely filled with unusual material to blog about, but in my post-op state (To answer the inevitable questions: laminectomy, discectomy, related spinal headache and possible spinal fluid leak) I am unable to even lie on my back to make use of a laptop. So picture me manually punching in the letters of this post on my iPod touch. Side note: I highly recommend these fun gadgets to both the bedridden and not. Thank you, dear husband, for so unselfishly giving me yours so you had no choice but to buy a newer version for yourself. What sacrifice! :)

Motherhood- when can I get back to it?! It's been nearly three months since my back gave out and I was rendered unfit to pick up my baby. I miss being a mommy. Everyday I pray, "I promise I won't complain of another poopy diaper, just help me be well enough to be a mother to my kids." I am an emotional basketcase these days, but found some good laughs and inspiration in Kerry Blair's Counting Blessings. Here's some keepers:

"If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system." - William James

"Worry not about the possible troubles of the future; for if they come, you are but anticipating and adding to their weight; and if they do not come, your worry is useless; and in either case it is weak and vain, and a distrust of God's providence." - Hugh Blair

I also crave to publicly express gratitude to the dozens of friends and family that have made dinners, cared for the girls, sent encouraging cards and balloon bouquets, lost hours of sleep to help, prayed for our welfare, or done us another act of service. Yet everytime my mind settles on the issue, I am paralyzed by tears of gratitude. Thank you, everyone.

With fear of jinxing myself, it looks like things may be taking a turn for the better. With some luck our family may be able to spend at least a week all under the same roof before Janson's upcoming rotation. In our case distance does make the heart grow fonder!

Dear John: Book Review (Murmur, Murmur)

Today I read Nicholas Sparks' Dear John. I needed a light, happy, lovey read and figured Sparks would hit the spot.

It didn't. Maybe I should have taken more warning from the title. He set up a fairly depressing start, included abouted 20 pages of happiness, and then let it just roll on downhill. The literature, morals, and basic ideas are inspiring, but the story line is depressing. Here are some "highlights:" [Spoiler alert!]

• Boy finds Girl on a short two-week break, the best two weeks of his life


• Girl says she will wait for Boy while he fights in Iraq


• Boy and Girl spend most of book separated, teary and sad


• Girl marries someone else


• Boy comes back to Girl, finds her married to Dying Man


• Dying Man tells Boy, "Marry Girl when I am dead"


• Instead, Boy secretly gives up his inheritance and savings to cure Dying Man


• End: Boy still loves Girl, but walks away supposedly happy that Girl is happily married to No-Longer-Dying-Man

Sorry, now you know the end. Perhaps Sparks got enough complaints that his books were too unrealistic with their happily-ever-after-endings, and decided to throw us a dark one. Personally, I like depending on Nicholas Sparks for an occassional happy, lovely story when I need one. Darn.

P.S. If you have any good suggestions of nice, light-hearted reads (preferably fiction) please, please leave me a comment. Obviously, I could use some help picking books.

Humbly Waiting

I have been humbled. I cannot diaper, clothe, bathe, or feed my own children. Why, oh why does this happen to mothers? So here I am sitting at my parents house, watching them change the stinky diapers, shovel in the baby food and perform bathtime. Did I ever think I would be envious of changing poopy diapers? Well, I am. I am so grateful for the many, many friends and my loyal family who care for my girls.

I am being taught patience. Every medical professional aware of my symptoms has declared my situation fairly emergent. And yet I am then directed to wait... wait for an urgent care visit, or an appointment later in the day, or an MRI report to come in a few days, or an insurance counselor, or another MRI test days away.

While a medical professional declares "see you in a day" to be immediate service, waiting one more day for treatment equals a lot to a mother. That one more day of waiting equals...

• a dozen diaper changes,
• 3-4 messy, intensive meals,
• a bedtime routine,
• 6-8 filled sippy cups,
• 6-8 bottle feedings,
• 2-3 naptimes
• 2-10 toddler tantrums
• and a possibly sleep-deprived night.

A mother on bedrest cannot perform very many of these tasks. In the defense of the medical professionals, I am not the usual patient to be suffering from these disk problems. They are not as well-acquainted to the toll these ailments place on the family life of a young mother. Maybe one or two future medical professionals can gain some tips from this read.

Hopefully the days of waiting are coming to an end, and I can begin the journey of recovery so I can once again.... change gloriously poopy diapers!

Update: I jinxed myself. Twelve hours after finishing this post, I listened to the doctor say, "See you in ten days." So take the above list, times it by ten, and the result equals my parents work load (in addition to their own work schedules, health concerns and other children). Luckily the doctor combined that phrase with some new drugs, so there is still hope I can soon change poopy diapers.

Book Review: Project Mulberry

I love Linda Sue Parks, and she did not let me down with this book. I read it two months ago, but it's still on my mind, so I figure it's worthy of a quick review. Here's what I loved: in between each chapter is dialogue between the fictional main character and the author. Intriguing? The main character complains to the author about her annoying brother and the way she wants the plot to go. Absolute genius. Who says young adult books aren't great literature?

BPA

Since herniating a disk in my back I have tried hard to avoid the subject on my blog. Unfortunately, the event is causing dramatic changes in my life. My mind goes blank when I try to think of a blog post topic unrelated to my pain. So I'm just going to face it head on and address the issue. Hopefully my thoughts can be helpful to others, rather than meaningless complaints.

I feel like I should be in a circle of people sitting on folding chairs as I introduce myself: "Hi, my name is Lynn and I have chronic back pain." Once a week I'll slip out of the house disguised with hat and sunglasses as I attend my BPA (Back Pain Anonymous) meetings. Ok, so the BPA thing is completely fictional, but it probably exists somewhere.

When I first herniated my disk I kept thinking, "I'm not going to let this rule my life. I'm going to get my life back." Well, I'm learning. Such as... I dropped by mayoclinic.com (a fav site of mine) to help Janson out with canker sore home remedies. Afterwards I searched "herniated disk." As I was reading information I already knew, I noticed an unusual subtopic: Coping and Support. Why, oh why?! The word "cope" was not something I wanted to link to my pain. I wanted words like "cure," "healed," or even better, "miracle."

As we all know (and as Mayo Clinic so kindly reminded me), the first step of coping is acceptance. Hence my previously stated introduction. I am slowly accepting chronic pain as a part of my life, and trying to adjust my life so that I can rule my pain, rather than it rule me.

I have a profound, new respect for others who suffer from chronic pain. That includes one of my favorite TV characters, House, MD. Stay tuned for more on that thought...

Book Review: Saving the World

We are not alone. We are here together.

Julia Alvarez repeats that phrase throughout Saving the World. Recommended by my dad, I read this book while recovering from my herniated disk. Masterfully piecing her words, Alvarez writes parallel stories of two women, two centuries apart.

A personal message I received from the book dealt with the title. Alvarez shows that we, especially women, can "save the world" through our nurturing and loyalty to relationships. While the male characters take flamboyant and obvious actions to save their world, the women at their side do so in a more subtle yet powerful manner.

It's a long book, full of beautiful language and scenes. There are very few books that have played with my emotions, but this one had me choked up at the end. Partly because it was over. My favorite passage:

I suppose only an almighty God can see all of our differing stories. Only He can love each narrow, aggrieved, and petty self and applaud each time one of us, inflamed by love or enlarged by loss, manages to see briefly beyond the confines of our own self-interest into another's being. I see you. You are not alone. We are here together.

Extended Post Adolescence

Our BYU Magazine arrived in the mail yesterday and, as always, I devoured it within a few hours. I was drawn to this article in their Family Focus section, "In-Between-Ness: How to help your emerging adult through an extended post-adolescence."

Do you know anyone between 18 and 25 years old experiencing an "extended post-adolescence?" I do, and according to the article, this is becoming common. I think this article especially attracted me because I am just barely still in their target age. Being the mother of two children makes me feel that I am certainly an adult.  I didn't feel like an adult at age 18, but sometime when I got married and became more financially responsible I took on that heavy, burdensome title of "adult."  

I got a kick out of this article. Some statements I gave my full-fledged agreement, other parts left me wondering. Their main argument behind the slow emergence to adulthood were two-fold:

1. It takes longer to receive enough training and education to land a well-paying job.  Especially one that could raise a family, thus the tendency to wait later for marriage.
2. "Children are getting a message that adulthood is onerous." a.ka.  They see their parents going through divorces and hating their jobs, so they think, "I'll take my time and do it right."

Since it's a long article, and the HTML version not nearly as fun looking as the glossy magazine page, I'll put out a few interesting quotes:

"Most men and women ages 18 to 25 do not consider themselves adults, and neither do their parents."

"About a decade ago researchers identified the emerging-adult idea and found that this age group no longer believes traditional milestones mark entrance into adulthood, such as marriage, parenthood, and home ownership. Rather, says Nelson, they believe that adulthood is reached with 'internal markers—developing greater concern for others, accepting responsibility for the consequences of your actions, gaining financial independence.'"

"[...] Cutting a child loose at age 18 would be like letting a 13-year-old fend for himself in the 1950s. The realities of life are simply different, and most emerging adults need more time to search out their beliefs, explore careers, and learn about relationships."

I know several twenty-somethings that show no interest in "growing up." I have no idea what support will help them or hurt them. I picked out some of my own useful tidbits of advice from this article. Do you agree with these ideas?

Memories: Fruit Roll-Ups

I don't remember this picture being taken. I don't even remember who is on the left. But I like the shot. I was six years old, and my brother on the right was four. We're sitting outside of our Glenview, IL townhome chompin' down on some fruit roll-ups. I'm already showing a good deal of attitude at six years old.

Now it's your turn! Leave a comment with a memory you have of me, and then post your own memory on your blog. Thanks Heidi, for the great idea. I'm excited to see everyone's memories!

Movie Review: Wall-E

This afternoon our family saw Wall-E in theaters. It was our first time going to a movie as a family, and it was a success. Not only did the kids sit through the film's entirety, but the parents gave it two thumbs up!

I came out of that movie motivated to make some lifestyle changes. Doesn't that seem to be a sign that it was a good movie? At least a highly persuasive one. Wall-E reminds me to treasure and care for our precious planet, along with my own body that allows me to live on Earth.

It looks as though the film is creating some hot-tempered controversies. Having just read through a few outraged posts, I feel even more inclined to voice my own opinion. There were several times during the viewing that I looked over at Janson, raising my eyebrows in surprise. Pixar makes some strong statements. Mac users will appreciate some sound effects, including Wall-E's boot-up tone. Janson noticed some shadows of Steve Jobs in this film, seeing that the CEO of Apple also has a hand in Pixar. Without spoiling the movie, I simply want to show my support behind the film's message. While the film offered constructive criticism concerning my way of life, I was motivated and buoyed rather than offended (as some viewers appear to be). I would recommend this movie to anyone, and hope that the mass viewing of Wall-E can make a slight alteration in the course of our planet's future.

Evil Villains

The evil villains in this week's chapter of My Dieting Adventures:

Oberweis Dairy Pistachio Ice Cream:


Point Root Beer (born in Stevens Point, WI, but I just discovered it lurking around our local Oberweis):


Sweet & Salty Almond Bar:



Despite their best efforts, these evil villains could not deter me from my accumulative four pound loss. Woohoo! I guess that means I'm still the hero of My Dieting Adventures. Stay tuned to see if the streak continues as I battle against this week's evil villains. I think I see beautifully buttered movie popcorn and heavenly chocolate cake along the horizon, headed my way.

Power Up Playground

I just read about this and was really touched.  After spending a night grumbling about silly things, it's nice to put things in perspective.

An LDS missionary noticed that an elementary school in Ghana had no playground equipment or electricity (probably one of many).  A group of BYU students installed a merry-go-round at the school that will generate power for the school whenever it is used.   

This project must have been beneficial to so many...  

1. Obviously the Ghana kids get some great play time and light in their classrooms.  Education can change their lives.  
2. In a small village a change like this can benefit the entire village: parents, teachers, leaders. 
3. The senior BYU technology students gained experience and life lessons.  They had to create a useful, efficient piece of equipment but still disguise it as a toy the kids would want to play with.  They also had to use materials available to the Ghana residents, which probably set up huge hurdles to jump.  What an amazing system that allowed these students to fly to Ghana, work in the local shops amongst the villagers, and see their plan brought to life. 
   
4. Empower Playgrounds, Inc. now has publicity and support to continue the effort with more merry-go-rounds, electricity-generating zip-lines, and maybe even swings!
5. I might as well add that projects like this help others understand the values and mission statements of the Church and BYU.  Sharing the gospel happens in many different forms.

Here's a great little video clip.

Now the entire village is probably saying, "Play kids, play!"  

Fireflies

My previous post was a bit heavy, so I thought I'd post something fun.  

The fireflies are out and it makes me giddy!  Like many others, I connect fireflies to fond childhood memories.  I remember watching fireflies from the back porch of my grandparent's farmhouse.  

For this post I did some Wikipedia reading.  This section made me laugh:

Female Photuris fireflies are known for mimicking the mating flashes of other fireflies for the sole purpose of predation. Target males are attracted to what appears to be a suitable mate, and are then eaten. For this reason the Photuris female is sometimes referred to as "femme fatale".

Of course I then had to click on the "femme fatale" link and read all about that.  Such fun.  I also learned that rare groups of fireflies synchronize their blinking!  Wow.  These little lightning bugs have some brains, especially those females.  :) 

Parenting Advice

I am often overwhelmed by parenting advice. Sometimes I am sensitive to the more and less obvious judgment of others. I know that no matter how hard we try to perfect our parenting, someone will think we:

• put them to bed too early, or too late
  
• spend too little time with our kids, or too much (as in, not enough for ourselves)
  
• keep our kids too busy, or not busy enough
  
• toilet train them too early, or too late
  
• discipline them too harshly, or call us push-overs
  
• read them too few books, or too many (and not enough time vacuuming)
  
• breastfeed until they're too old, or not old enough
  
• teach them new things too soon, or too late
  
• spend too much time caring about our own appearances, or not enough
  

I'm not the first or last parent to recognize and worry about the importance of parenting.  I feel like a terrible mother at least once a day. I also feel quite alone at least once a day. In a desperate potty-training moment, I realized that the challenge at hand was solely mine.  No one was coming to save me. Not at that moment, not later that night, not next week. When the going gets tough, Dr. Sears isn’t going to come calm my temper, or the “wise” neighbor down the street isn’t going to put my children to sleep in the manner she deems appropriate. Then I had this mental conversation with my husband:

Me: I feel so alone! I can’t do this by myself!
Janson: Oh Lynn, you are never alone.
Me: stick my tongue out...

And I did the only thing left to do: got down on my knees and prayed. As parents the only trustworthy advice is that which comes from above. How refreshing it is to throw out the advice of books and others and simply trust the Lord. Now I just need to kick that annoying habit I have of caring what others think. Wish me luck.

Too Much Furniture

Upcoming Phase-Out of Analog TV + Economic Stimulus Check = 

• New TV and
  
• New entertainment center 
  

But doesn't that just sound too good to be true?  So add to the total...

• 10-store, 6-hour furniture hunt (with kids in tow) to appease our...
  
• Criteria of 8 factors we deem necessary for our new entertainment center (ranging from kid-friendly to well-built to aesthetic)
  
• Rearrangement of furniture throughout house, while conducting...
  
• Assembly of wooden furniture
  
• Random tantrums by babe and toddler (well-deserved and understandable)
  
• Many words of frustration voiced
  
• House strewn about with hammers, TV cables, 2 loads of laundry, toys, dozens of books

(Visualize: 

"Where'd Mari go?  I left her rolling around on the floor right here." 

Quick scan of chaotic room.  

"Oh wait, isn't that her chewing on the lamp cord, half-way laying on the hammer, and rolling dangerously close to the teetering pile of 9 books?  Oh, and did she just spit up on that load of laundry I just washed?")

Ah, what we do so Grace can view Curious George in clear detail, rather than watch the monkey through a snow storm.  Oh, and to enhance Janson's news-viewing pleasure.

At some point I will enjoy the infamous electronic device and wooden piece of art it rests on, but for now I cringe at a mere glance.  I will admit that it made for a nice viewing of The Bucket List last night; some humor was definitely in order.

Next time we will forego our patriotism and simply pay bills.

I Love the Midwest Sky

I have no photography skills, so these pictures obviously don't do it justice.

Book Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I'm desperate for good new titles, so I'm reading ahead for our book club. I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards within 24 hours. Yup, I couldn't put it down for very long.

One sentence summary: In the 1960's a doctor is forced to deliver his own twins, and makes the detrimental decision to send one away rather than raise it.


Since it's been a week, my initial observations are fading into the back crevices of my brain (yes, I'm sure that's anatomically incorrect, oh well). So I wouldn't even bother with this review... except that parts of this book keep coming back to me.

Specifically: I think Kim Edwards did an amazing job with the portrayal of postpartum depression, or depression in general. If you've read the book, or will be, I'm referring to the doctor's wife, Norah. That wasn't the main issue of the book, so I'm surprised that it hit me so hard. Edwards does a fairly good job describing the thoughts and motivations of the main characters, and Norah really blew me away. Maybe others can't relate, but I could almost understand and justify why Norah did some of the stupid things she did. I'm not going to add any more details concerning her portrayal of depression because it's just too complex, you have to check it out for yourself.

From reading this it would be easy to assume that the book is an overall depressing book. I wouldn't agree with that; I thought it was inspiring, thought-provoking, and had a fairly happily-ever-after ending. Edwards just had a talented way of writing about depression. In case you were wondering, she does find a way out of her depressing moods.

I briefly read up on the new movie based on this book. I hear it didn't do justice to the Norah-depression issue. So if you're interested, don't just watch the movie... try out the book!

I also gained a better understanding of the progressive views towards Down Syndrome. This was an excellent companion to my recent viewing of the highly educational and powerful movie, Music Within.

For those of you haven't read the book, you're probably lost. Maybe these thoughts will entice you to pick it up, or make you want to steer clear. Either way, that's what I have to say.

p.s. If you have much interest in photography you'd also probably appreciate this book.

Book Review: Princess Academy

This review deserves some little background info first.  

I'm a huge fan of Newbery Award and Honor Books.  They're well-written young adult books, so you get the great literature without some of the more heavy-duty adult topics and content.  I like almost every book with the silver Newbery sticker on the cover.  I picked up this Newbery book by Shannon Hale last year, read the first paragraph, and decided against it.  It's a fantasy book about a princess... at the time not exactly my cup of tea.  I think I was going through a historical fiction phase.

Fast forward to last week's Book Club and someone's mention of Shannon Hale as an author of "girl-power" books.  This peaked my interest, and luckily I have matured to an acceptance of fantasy.  (Ever since last summer, when I finally read the entire Harry Potter series a week before the last book came out, I have become a fantasy fan.)  So I read Princess Academy in a couple days time.  

Miri, the main character, was a little too "girl power" perfect for me.  You know those girls that have an unlimited amount of courage, and are constantly breaking the image and expectation of girls, without any negative repercussions?  

Holmfeet Going Private

Yup, Holmfeet is going to be a private blog within the week. Leave a comment or email lynnoba@hotmail.com if you want access to Holmfeet (our family blog). I need your email address to send you a Holmfeet invite.

This blog will stay public... fully accessible to all the crazy strangers. :)

Movie Review: Lars and the Real Girl

[For you theater-goers this may be "so last year" for you.  Oh well.]

I have to write up a quick review of this movie because Ryan Gosling blew me away as the main character.  He plays a delusional 27-year old man who truly believes a life-size plastic doll is his girlfriend.  In the small rural town, his doctor convinces the town to play along with his delusion.  That part of it seems a bit unrealistic, but the compassion portrayed is beautiful.  Patricia Clarkson, who plays his doctor, is my second favorite actor in this show.  For some reason I couldn't get enough of the clothing styles.  There's one area that didn't seem to have a conclusion: what is up with Lars' brother Gus?  Why isn't he working?

Speaking of Gus, there's a conversation between the two brothers that I loved.  Like so many of us, Lars seems to be resisting the reality of adulthood and growing up.  Lars asked Gus, "How did you know when you were a man?"  And Gus replied:

Gus: Well, it's not like you're all one thing or the other, okay?  There's still a kid inside, but you grow up when you decide to do right.  And not what's right for you, what's right for everybody, even when it hurts.

Lars: Like what?

Gus: You know, like you don't jerk people around, you know.  And you don't cheat on your woman.  And you take care of your family, you know.  You admit when you're wrong, or you try to, anyways [...] It sounds like it's easy and for some reason it's not.

Etsy's

I have a mad crush on this new site: Etsy. It's just one of those "oo, you're new and different" crushes, and Etsy's is still completely unaware of my feelings. I may have to reveal my crush after I hit publish on this post and go back to checking out these sweet baby leg covers: (Definite easy access diaper changes!) Hopefully my self-control will stay strong and I won't hit that Add to Cart button, but I have a long day ahead of me.

For you crafters out there, this site is definitely worth a 2-minute browse (I dare you to keep it under 5!). Word is that it's easier to sell your handmade goods on Etsy's than on eBay. In my book handmade equals one -of-a-kind. I think there's a good deal of SAHM's* and WAHM's* selling their makings, and I'm all about supporting my fellow girls. They even have a Father's Day Showcase where your gift is bound to be like no other. Well, time for me to go back to browsing the baby leg covers...

*SAHM= stay at home mom; WAHM= work at home mom

True Blue

Last night I won the contest with four BYU articles on my person. As a family we were sporting a total of 9 articles of BYU paraphernalia (I think that is the first time in my life I have typed that word, it feels strangely foreign). Unfortunately we were not going to a BYU football game or party. Janson actually has never been to a BYU football game, although he is a proud alumni. Janson had just come back with the BYU goody bag and I was anxious to try it all out. And get a great true blue family picture.

As you can tell, I hold nothing back with my loyalty to BYU. (I almost said "the Y," but have learned better from my days amongst the BYU-Hawaii crowd, who take offense.) I was a Provo baby, often woken up by a parent singing, "Rise and shout, the Cougars are out!" (Don't tell my parents that I still don't have the fight song memorized!) My love seems to be contagious, for Janson now takes quite a liking to his old alma mater. We like to make a big deal about this, because it is honestly one of the few things we have in common. We like different types of music, eat different styles of food, like to use our time very differently, and lived fairly different childhoods. Even our liking of BYU has vastly different histories: I am a true blue born and raised, while Janson showed no interest in church schools until after his mission. And I still think teaching at the MTC was his main reason for coming to Provo. Either way, we have become a true blue family and it is so fun!

We are already planning a family trip to Provo next spring. When I say planning, I mean plotting out where we will park to make the reminiscent hike up to campus with our kids, where we'll eat, what buildings we'll meander through with our kids, even which plot of wall/grass we'll eat a leisure picnic.

Many of you probably can't relate. I will admit that even I rolled my eyes every time my parents dragged our family through Provo saying, "This is where I used to live... this is where I went to biology class... etc." But we have such good memories from Provo, and I love the walk down memory lane. So you may scoff and scorn all you want, but I'm sure you also have that special place or time in your life worthy of a fond "walk down memory lane."

Janson's Take

Peaceful Bedtime: Priceless

For the last two years bedtime has been the most dreaded part of my day. Bedtime was always an hours-long ritual. We never had any luck if we tried to initiate bedtime before 9pm. Our techniques went from
feeding-to-sleep,
watching movies-to-sleep,
watching-boring-news-to-sleep,
reading-to-sleep,
and each technique included a long 30-45 minute stretch of laying with Grace and waiting for her to reach deep sleep before daring to leave her side. Then there was the inevitable one or two per night wakings. My one "bright side" was that Janson always did Grace's bedtime ritual. It was his daily "quality" time with Gracie. Realistically, it took so long it was our main daily family "quality" time. Janson often fell asleep while trying to get Grace to sleep, or I would quickly crawl in bed once she was asleep to get my own needed shut-eye. So that necessary kid-free time was nonexistent in our household.

I spent hours worrying about our bedtime struggles with Grace. I was always worried about her lack of sleep and apparent fear of falling asleep. I worried about how her sleep deprivation might be a stumbling block in her mental and social development. I worried about how the no kid-free time strained our marriage. I worried about reliving my mistakes on Mari.

And I especially worried about what I would do when Janson was away. Grace's bedtime was his mountain to climb, the burden he carried. I couldn't imagine going hour-by-hour, day after day without adult contact, without a peaceful naptime, and yet let the nights stretch on with Grace until 10pm. I knew I would need some downtime, even if it was alone time. When Janson left I truly feared bedtime. I had no idea how I was going to successfully get both girls to sleep on my own. I had nightmares of 11:00pm insanity with two little girls running around and yelling "Mommy! Mommy!"

Now enters my sister Sara. As Janson said, "We needed someone to come be the parent for us." Within a week Grace is going to sleep in her own bed (rather than the couch) and the bedtime ritual is taking a mere 30 minutes. Within two weeks the ideal situation has already been reached.

Bedtime last night:
- Bathtime, pajamas
- Milk sippy cup, three books
- Say "sleepy time!" and leave bedroom
- Grace falls asleep on her own! GLORY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH!!!!!!

This is an absolutely wonderful, amazing gift for a mother. I cannot begin to tell you how life-altering this feels for me. I do not fear bedtime anymore. Rather than wait for Grace's exhaustion, I initiate bedtime whenever it is best for me. Her bedtime ritual is so short (and yet she's still getting important "bonding" time, don't worry) that Mari can contently play in the livingroom while I read the necessary books and say the necessary words. I walk out of Grace's bedroom and into an incredible stillness. I feel a sense of empowerment, a feeling of freedom.

Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter to pieces. I love spending time with her, and that is probably how this whole mess started. But I know this is what is best for her, and definitely best for me. Now I can paint my toe-nails, read my scriptures, do some journaling or blogging, clean the house, do the finances, work on a craft, have an uninterrupted adult conversation, watch a good movie, or read an amazing book... without ignoring my daughter. I've always given myself these little "gifts" of the self, but in the past I've had to take away valuable mommy-daughter time to do so. Now all parties involved are pleased.

Big kudos to my sister for giving me this wonderful gift. Now can you come back for potty-training? :) Once again our parental-instincts are failing us.

Self-Sufficiency: A Work in Progress

I feel I have done a fairly decent job keeping life in order during Janson's absence. With his upcoming return, I've been evaluating my self-sufficiency. Seeing how he was already putting in long hours before his departure, my week days are fairly normal. I am more confident in my abilities to keep things under control. Well, with my sister helping every minute of the day (and night... sorry Sara!).

I have taken over many tasks Janson usually does. To my usual chores I now add trash take-out, sweep/mop the kitchen floor, vacuum, and clean the bathroom sink (Yup, he did a lot). There are a few areas where I have failed miserably; where I haven't even tried to fill his void.

1. Putting ink in the new, fancy printer: The "needs new ink, cannot be used" light is currently flashing in my face as I write. It has been doing so for three weeks now.

2. Drain ground beef: Yup, that's right. I only drain ground beef when Janson is around to lift the heavy pot. I can just feel that fat pumping through my arteries. To spare you all, maybe I won't have dinner guests while Janson is away. No, I think I'll take the plunge and attempt the draining next time. Wish me good luck, I'm afraid of those nasty steam burns.

3. Checking car tires and putting air in them: I drove over some amazing potholes, and kept saying for two weeks, "I should check these tires." Technically, this void actually has been filled thanks to Dad. He taught Sara and I the valuable life lesson of tire-checking and then putting air in the tires. That is, after we accidentally let a bunch of air out of one of the tires (when we thought we were filling it up) and then drove through town with it dangerously low.
f
4. Sacrament meeting survival (aka Make-it-through-the-entirety-of-sacrament-meeting-without-giving-up-and-retreating-to-the-foyer): This is another area that I tried, but I didn't try all that hard. In future situations I'll probably enlist the help of a young woman or friend. Grace simply does not know how to whisper.

5. Staying Sane: I can't explain it very well, but I feel imbalanced without Janson around. I wear a cloth of sanity that masks my truly frantic, restless, frustrated, partly insane self. My sister can attest to the fact that this cloth of sanity is gradually becoming more threadbare as each hour of the day progresses. With every two year old whine, with every pooped or peed on outfit, with every public toddler tantrum, my calm confidence wanes. Well, I think "calm" exited the building about two weeks ago. (The adjoining picture shows Grace crammed into the baggage compartment of the stroller. This was of her own doing, and she is having a royal tantrum. I took the picture to show Janson what fun he was missing.)

Overall, thank goodness for Sara's constant companionship, and Janson's nearing arrival. I'm learning that one truly cannot do it alone.

Sidebar Quotes

If you are like me and read most of people's blog posts via RSS feed, you don't see the layout content or templates of blogs very often.  So I am making a post here directing you all over to my recent sidebar addition, I-Need-to-Read Quotes.  These are quotes that, as it says, I currently need to read on a regular basis.  This is also proof of my laziness.  My initial motivation behind seeking out these quotes was to post them around the house.  But the ink has been out on my fancy new printer, and with Janson out of town I haven't taken the time to learn how to refill.  Soo... this is my creative way to digitally post these quotes without the required printing.

A Poetic Mother's Day

I was recently introduced to this poem. It fits my personality perfectly, so it's framed and stationed in the entrance of our home. Well, I wouldn't choose the word like in the last stanza. I usually don't support words accredited to "unknown," but I sure like this poem and will continue my search to find the author. Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Excuse This House
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there,
Ours boasts it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.

For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges are on the doors
I should apologize, I guess
For toys strew on the floor.

But I sat down with my child
And we played and laughed and read
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine,
His eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I’m forced to choose
The one job or the other,
I’d like to cook and clean and scrub,
But first I’ll be a mother.

Author: Unknown

Designer Do's & Diaper Disasters

This is what we did today:

Sara cut off at least 6 inches. We had to take pictures immediately, since we'll never be able to style it the same as the professionals.

While Sara was enjoying her therapeutic shampoo and restful sit in the salon, I was dealing with The Poop Explosion of the Year. Well, hopefully I don't have an equivalent in the next year. I need time to recuperate. Here's my idea of mommy math:

Detection of suspicious smell while shopping
+ Slippery grasp of babe as I take her out of car seat (baby screams begin)
+ Yellow poo smeared on seat back, straps, cover
+ Puddle of yellow mush on diapering table (still screaming)
+ Destroyed onesie fit only for garbage can
+ Exhausted supply of baby wipes and wet paper towels (still screaming)
+ Sticky poo baby hair (still somewhat existing as I write)
+ Rushing around mall with baby wearing only diaper
+ Rushing around mall with big poop slash across my chest (still screaming)
+ Buying clearance baby clothes and mommy shirt
= Poop Explosion of the Year

Cubworld Concert

There is a great Cubworld concert on May 23rd in Laie, HI. I put a poster for it on my sidebar, but wanted to make an actual post about it to point you over to the poster. I don't think I have very many readers in Laie (or anywhere else, for that matter), but I still wanted to advertise. Wish I could be there. My favorite song of his (and one of the best love songs I've heard) is For Love. Those that are in the area, go have fun for me!

Novel Paranoia

My mom just got back from BYU Women's Conference and stopped here for a night on her way home. While she was out west she picked up a novel for my sister. I recognized the author and tried to think of what other books she'd written. Then it dawned on me: I recognized the name because I personally know the author. She was in the BYU singles ward where Janson and I met.

So now I'm reading a book written by a girl from my old ward. I've only read a dozen or so pages, but I've already gained an eery paranoia. Some of the characters seem very similar to people from that ward. Perhaps it's a coincidence. I have a feeling that I'll stumble upon even more "coincidences" as the novel progresses. My paranoia is that she's going to write about me. My sister has diagnosed this as a paranoia and not a legitimate concern because I don't remember holding a conversation with this girl. I was only in the ward for eight months so I probably entered and left her world without making a dent. Yet I have this narcissistic concern that somewhere in this book she publicly humiliates me. This is driving me to finish the book and rid myself of the fear.

Leaving this self-centered train of thought, the finding of this book has opened my eyes. I read her bio and saw her picture and thought, "Wow, we're really all growing up." People my age are really starting to go places and do things. I've been watching this slowly happen lately, especially with old high school buddies. Oddly enough, I seem pretty satisfied to watch others climb the ladder into the spotlight of fame while I contently sit at home with my two babes.

Happy Lei Day!

May Day, known to me as Lei Day, is one holiday I miss celebrating in Hawaii. As you can tell by the name, we wore leis and more importantly, huge performances were put on by the schools. Students practiced for months to perform on May Day, and I can name the May Day Kings and Queens from my school years better than I can name the prom royalty. Watching the May Day performance is one thing I miss about Hawaii. I hope my friends in Hawaii have fun for me!