Overacheivers

Before we get too far into summer--the first week is already over!--I thought I'd take a post to brag about my kids.  They've had a busy school year!

#2 competed in the Sixth Grade Spelling Bee, meaning she is one of the top twelve spellers in her grade, which is a cross to bear because 12-yr-olds don't consider spelling to be cool.  However, she found more success in the science fair, where she advanced through the school and regional fairs and ended up spending a day at the district science fair at BYU explaining her project, eating pizza, climbing a rock wall, and enjoying a magic show.  Woo hoo!  Science is fun!

But this girl isn't all brains.  She's got the moves too!

For her after-school activity, she decided to join a ballroom dance class taught by Provo High's JV coach.  #2 ended up being one of the star performers for each routine mostly because she was the only students who could remember all the choreography for the three routines.  Next year she'll be attending the gifted program for seventh and eighth graders at PHS.  Thank you Freedom Prep Academy!  You prepared her well!

#4 had a good year in second grade.  She tried an after-school Spanish class for awhile, and became more confident in performing at the piano.  I could kick myself for not taking more pictures of her, but here on the right is one from the "American Girls Mom and Daughter Tea" that the school's librarian put together.

As you can see, #4 (on the right) is a sweet girl, and she quickly found a place in her teacher's heart.  She didn't love doing math homework, but she never procrastinated the extra credit projects that came home.  My favorite was the optional assignment to make a poster about Native Americans.  I kept trying to put off helping her with the research until the deadline drew closer; but she was so excited about this project that she worked on it a month early and made a poster about everything she knew on the topic (off the top of her head--it's pretty entertaining):

I like the drawing of North America.  If you look at the far left drawing on the second row, you'll see that "The Indians were so good at planting!"  She drew some corn and some grapes.  When she showed me her progress, I commented that I didn't think the Native Americans focused much on grape growing.  This became a humorous part of the assignment as she crossed out the purple grapes and then emphasized her improved knowledge by adding an entire square saying, "Indians did not plant grapes!  NO grapes!"  (You should click on the photo to enlarge it and see the rest of her vast knowledge on the topic.)  She had fun with this assignment, and was able to laugh at herself when the rest of us found humor in the pictures, too.

#5 started school this year.  I am amazed that nine months later he can read, write, tell time with analog clocks, count change, and sing the national anthem.  Here he is reciting "Hot Cross Buns" in front of his class as part of Mother Goose Day.  He helped me make hot cross buns as a treat for his classmates, too.  (A little brag about myself: I made his hat out of butcher paper, staples, and two grocery bags in eleven minutes!)

For his after-school activity, #5 chose to join a Zumba class.  He was the only boy, which meant most of the choreographed routines they performed centered around him.

After learning to stand on his head last fall, and after watching some parkour videos on YouTube, he decided to switch to gymnastics.  (Our city only offers parkour classes to children eight and older; but we figured gymnastics is a good introduction.)

#5 also reached two other (farcical) milestones.  He went on his first "date" around Valentine's Day--his sisters wanted to play restaurant, so they put him up to this.  I told him no more dates until he is 16!

He also "graduated".  I think it's pretty ridiculous to recognize promotion from Kindergarten, but I have to admit that he looks quite handsome.  (The school paid for the photo.  I never would have.)  Way to attend school #5.

I suppose "graduating" from eighth grade is a little more legitimate, but still....  It annoys me that society deligitimizes (yes, that's a word) actual accomplishment by handing out rolled-up "diplomas" and dressing kids up in cute caps and gowns.  Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now.


Yes, #1 finished eighth grade and will move on from Freedom Preparatory Academy to PHS next year.  FPA is offering high school grades now, but #1 (and her parents) think a large-campus high school experience will be better for her.  The charter school has been a great environment, and has provided all sorts of extra-curricular activities, in addition to the advanced and creative curriculum.  (You saw her stop-motion film, right?!)  #1 has involved herself in more than a handful of activities:

Last fall she led the cheer squad for the first semester.

She also participated in cross-country.  (She's on the right.)

She was a frequent soloist at choir concerts, and even taught herself to play guitar so she could perform "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift.  This was part of her Hunger Games obsession.  (The song is from the movie's soundtrack.)  In this photo, she and her BFF posed after the choir sang "Footloose".  (Yikes!  Did I really dress like that at her age...in public...on purpose?!)

She auditioned for the Mock Trial Team (it helps when your mom is a coach) and became a star attorney.

#1 also auditioned for the school's performance of Shakepeare's "Twelfth Night".  She won a lead role playing Olivia.  It was fun to see her shine in this role as she memorized lines in Shakespeare's English, and then transformed those lines through her acting to bring out the humor and wit of the play.  All the young cast performed impressively well.  Bravo!

She and her sisters also joined the new service club at the school and gave of their time to fix meals for the homeless at the Food and Care Coalition, make quilts for the Red Cross, and clean the nature trail at Utah Lake State Park.  It's been great to get our family more involved in service in our community.  

#3 really blew us away this year!  She blossomed as a student and took off in her reading and math abilities.  When the fourth grade performed their program about Utah, she was the only "Spanish explorer" serious enough about her role to put together a costume.  You should have seen her shake her maracas!

Over fall break, she teamed up with a UVU student to make a picture book that was displayed at an art exhibit in downtown Salt Lake City.

After that, she started racking up the awards:

First, she begged for gymnastics classes, and got a medal (along with all the other students) to represent her progress as a beginner.

Next, she won first place in the Fourth Grade Spelling Bee, and ended up in the top eight in the school spelling bee against fourth-through-eighth graders.  That's her at the podium with the competition narrowed down.  She was spelling words I've never heard of!

In January, she entered a photo in the Inspirations Contest (similar to Reflections, but for charter schools).  She won first place at both the school and regional level, and her photo went on to the state charter school competition.  Click on the photo to see it better.  She made this effect by manipulating the shutter speed and waving light sticks around a birthday cake.  No digital touching or effects were used in the making of this photograph.

In this last picture, you see #3 receiving congratulations from her peers at a school-wide, end-of-the-year assembly.  What was she applauded for?  If you receive the Freedom Festival magazine this summer, flip through and you'll see her picture.  She won the essay contest for her age division, which was open to all Utah students as well as students from a few other states.  Along with a $100 check, #3 gained a better understanding of how our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits, as stated by Fisher Ames, Framer of the First Amendment.  (I can email a copy of her essay if you would like to read it.)  I was pleasantly surprised when she deposited the winnings straight to her savings account to save toward college.

Update:  The Freedom Festival magazine arrived in today's mail.  #3's picture is on the second-to-last page, along with a quote from her essay.

Good job to all my smarties!

Freedom Techno Dance

#1 took a broadcasting class this semester, and one of their projects was to make a stop-motion film.  Their teacher played several of the films immediately following the eighth grade promotion ceremony last night, and it was fun--and even a little amazing--to see the students' work.  Their teacher posted all the films on his YouTube channel today, minus the end credits with the students' names.  Check them all out here: brockolee02.

I know I'm biased, but #1's group film was my favorite.  Her BFF's group did a fun film, too.  Here they are for your viewing pleasure.

#1 is the lead dancer is white.  The lead dancer in black is the girl who choreographed the dance moves--and one of my Mock Trial students!  The music is "Techno Jeep" by Julian Smith.




In this film, #1's BFF is the girl swimming underwater.  They created animation with a green screen, and filmed the stop motion in front of the screen.  Very creative!  I like the music they chose, but I don't know what it's called.



If you liked those, be sure to see the other videos too.  "Water Vs. Fire" and "The Worst Circus" are good!

36 and Five Pounds

After #2 was born, Kent and I decided we wanted to be fit and healthy, so we put ourselves on the Body-for-Life program.   Yes, it's the program where people send in before-and-after photos of themselves in bikinis.  (No bikini shots for this post, just a logo.  You're welcome.)  BFL is quite inspiring and I recommend the program. We stuck with it pretty well for probably six weeks, but eventually I couldn't keep up with the constant meal prep, and we didn't have money to spend on meal-replacement shakes. However, I did stick with the exercise part of the program and I've continued it pretty steadily over the past 12 years. I found that alternating aerobic workouts with weight-lifting workouts fit into my schedule quite well, and the workouts let me maintain my body size while still eating pretty much whatever I wanted.
Until 36.

I turned 36 this winter, and my body has decided to react differently to food and exercise. Maybe it's more accurate to say it reacts to food, but not to exercise. I rarely weigh myself, but when I noticed some clothes fitting a little more tightly recently, I hopped on the scale to discover that I've gained five pounds over the winter. I know, five pounds doesn't sound like much; but you must remember that fat doesn't weigh much, and I'm pretty sure I've added a good layer of fat to most of my body in the past four months. Yuck. I guess the 25-minute exercise routines didn't stave off all the butter and cream and cookies and--well, you get the idea--that I've been indulging in.

When we were in Mexico in December, I got to know the sister, C, of my friend K. C and her family were part of the trip. K had told me that C enters triathlons and somehow motivates her friends to join her. I think C is at least seven years older than me, but I have to say she looks younger than me, and it's probably because of how well she takes care of herself. During the trip, though, she told me she was rethinking her training in an effort to relax and be more like K.  I'd like to be more like K too, so  I took C's expert opinion as evidence for adding more yoga and no running to my workout routine.

But I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome it would be to look as good as C when I'm in my forties.

I don't trust my knees enough to start running or training for any races, but the mailers from the local gym starting tempting me.

Then, last week when I saw an announcement about an aerobics group that meets at the church across from my house, I figured that would be a lot more convenient to my schedule--and my wallet--than joining a gym. So I gave it a try. Honestly, I think a gym would have been easier! For two hours we pumped weights, did lunges across the floor, killed our abs, danced Zumba, and stretched into yoga poses.

See the cute Zumba instructor in the front who is having tons of fun?  That's not me.

I'm more like the person behind her who can't figure out any of the steps, but I figure there is still some  aerobic benefit to shaking my hips and wildly waving my arms around.

 I'm pretty sure the ladies who lead the group are professionals, because they had music and microphones to keep us all motivated. It was a lot of fun...until the next morning. I could barely move! Who knew there were muscles in the front of my throat and covering my ribs?!  In fact, my abdominals were still complaining five days later! Did I go back for more this week? You bet! You see, when the class started at 9:00 a.m. that first Friday, I was thinking, "This will be a good way to get back to my maintain-the-weight-while-still-eating-cookies-and-ice-cream routine." Two hours later when I left at 11:00 a.m. my approach had changed to, "If I'm going to work this hard, there is no way that I'm counteracting my efforts with cookies and ice cream!" So am I on a diet now? No. But I am watching what I eat a little more. This past week we had a lot of low-fat dinners, more salads and protein, and green smoothies twice. Yes, cookies did make an appearance, but now I'm satisfied with just one instead of sneaking an extra two or three or..let's be honest...five more. 

Okay, so one BFL-type bikini shot.  But it's not of me!

(Why can't the lady on the left be holding an apple and the chocolate?!)

Here's to good health and pants that fit by the end of the summer!

How to Scare the C**p Out of Your Kids--Literally

I'll start this post with a couple of my usual disclaimers:

1) Yes, you can thank me for not including any photos in this post.

2) When her sisters laughed hysterically about this, #4 emphatically requested that I not share this via email. I promised that I wouldn't...but that I would publish it on the blog. I figure we need to save this childhood story for their posterity.

First, I'll set up the scene. The bathtub in the kids' bathroom is up against a window. The glass is mottled so you can't see into the room, but you can make out shadows of people if they are right against the window.

#4 and #5 were taking a bath this evening at dusk. I was working in the backyard garden. I thought it would be cute to tap on the glass and see if they would tap back. I gave a soft series of taps, which #4 later admitted to hearing. They ignored the sound because they thought it someone was knocking on the bathroom door, and that whoever it was would just come in.

Time for a side note. I realize that in most households, if no one answers your knock on the bathroom, you would probably double check whether anyone was in there. However, we have a pretty open policy about nudity in our home. No one freaks out if someone walks in on someone else to find them showering or dressing. When one of us wants privacy, we lock the door. If it's closed and unlocked, you knock first and then may proceed in.

When I got no reaction from the bathers, I drummed my fingers in a much louder, arpeggiated manner. This time I got a reaction, but not the one I was expecting!

My tapping on the window was followed by shrieks from #s 4 and 5 who leaped out of the raised bathtub and split from the bathroom. All of this happened in about 1.5 seconds!

I am not exaggerating. The bathtub is raised so the rim is about at my waist when I'm standing. Because of their short lets, the kids usually creep carefully over the edge to get out of the tub, or just wait for me to wrap them in a towel and lift them out. This time, I could see their hurried shadows fade rapidly away from me as I saw one and then the other vault over the tub's side and bolt from the bathroom, screaming in fear through the house!

I figured they were seeking safety with their sisters who were in the family room. So I walked over to the deck and looked through our huge picture-glass sliding doors to see #4 and #5 standing in the buff exclaiming something to #s 1-3 who looked a little surprised and worried. I raised my arms in the air and waved jazz hands to the kids, which caught #1's attention. She practically fell off the couch laughing when she realized what had happened! Then everyone else looked my way, and the little nudies started yelling and shaking fists and berating me! I shrugged to indicate that I couldn't hear anything they were yelling, so they skulked away, stomping back to the bath.

To set their fears more at ease--and yes, to be a bit playful--I tapped the "Thanks for the doughnut" rhythm on the glass, hoping they would finish it with the "Goodbye." All they did was yell at me to knock it off because it was still scaring them!

I finished in the garden and went inside to find puddles of water through the hallway and kitchen. I happily mopped it up, figuring the cleanup was worth the laugh we all got. I chuckled more when I found the bathroom floor was a small pond with the long-hanging toilet paper wicking up the moisture. The icing on the cake, for me, though, was a small ball of excrement sitting on the edge of the bathtub, right where the adrenaline-pumped children had made their exit. It was perfect! And it brought more laughs from the three oldest sisters, along with grumpy looks from the younger two!

A Piece of Provo's History

Wednesday night Kent and I were with some friends who mentioned that BYU had excavated the foundation of a tabernacle that was built by the pioneers before the current (old) Provo Tabernacle. The foundation has laid underneath a park to the north of the standing tabernacle. Our friends said it was worth seeing while it was still exposed.

Today, I happened to be driving downtown around 3:00 p.m. and decided to take a detour to check out the site. Half of the excavation pit was filled in with dirt, but I could see the four-feet-thick walls of the north end of the foundation, along with the remains of two entrances that had led directly to the basement. I was strolling along the fence, reading posted signs about the history of the first tabernacle, when a bulldozer that had been running in the background drove up and dumped a load of dirt on the foundation. It probably shouldn't have shocked me, but it did. I thought, "I wish I had my camera! I should definitely bring it and the kids to see this tomorrow before it's covered back up." I was also struck by the irony that weeks of careful digging and dusting dirt away from the limestone was being unceremoniously reversed by a bulldozer.

Tonight, just six hours later, I was driving the whole family home along Univerity Avenue and decided the foundation would be just as interesting to see in the dark. So we parked at the site, unpiled from the car, and discovered that the whole pit had been filled in. I had been lucky enough to get a last-chance glimpse at a piece of history that will likely never be unearthed again. The site will be under the grounds of the new Provo City Center Temple.

Following are some articles that I found interesting about the old tabernacle. One of them states that the foundation stones were donated to Provo City, and that the pit would be filled in after the stones were removed. I'm here to tell you that if some of the stones had been removed, there is still a good, recognizable portion of foundation under there. Because I get a little sentimental about community history, I'm glad my friends mentioned it, and I'm more glad that I saw it when I did.

Provo Tabernacle Archaeological Work Almost Done

'Old Tabernacle' Excavation at Provo Temple Site Called a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Archaeology Students Make Surprising Finds at Tabernacle Dig Site

Every Six Months

This past weekend was the 182nd annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church holds this conference each April and October. My family has found that if we are engaged in activities that don't require too much brain power, we can listen to the conference speakers and get more from their messages than if we simply sit and listen (and fall asleep). I like to also study the talks in the Church's Ensign magazine and online in between conferences.

Because General Conference occurs every six months, some people assign bi-annual chores to that weekend as a way to remember to do them. My oldest daughters, for example, rotate bed assignments in their room, which ensures they each get a turn at the top bunk, and they each have to deal with the trundle for six months. Some of my neighbors rotate their water storage on Conference weekends.

I cleaned out my fridge this weekend.

What you see is 14 plastic containers that were recently holding moldy and decomposing food. I figured that both of you who read this blog would appreciate seeing the containers rinsed and ready to sanitize, rather than with their contents. You're welcome.

Truthfully, I do clean out my refrigerator more frequently than twice per year. It's at least three times. Also truthfully, I just couldn't sit still during Conference. Staying busy kept my mind focused. As a result, I now have alphabetized spices, organized pots and pans, and a greater testimony of my role as a mother, the pattern of family, and the Atonement and mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's been a good weekend.

Warning: Political Content

I don't post about politics too often, so if you don't want to hear my little rant, stop reading now.

I am not a fan of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare. Not only do I think the government has no right to dictate our healthcare requirements and benefits, but this act has affected our family personally.

A few years ago, after shopping for family health insurance, that would still protect us , we found a plan that we could afford, would protect us from severe medical problems, and let us continue with our doctors--albeit with a $10,000 deductible. Less than a year later, ObamaCare was passed and our monthly premium jumped 150% WITH NO CHANGE IN OUR BENEFITS. To get the benefits that President Obama promised to everyone (free annual checkups, etc.), we would have to pay an additional $50 per month. ObamaCare has been costing us an additional $1,800 per year. It hurts those small-business owners like us who are trying to turn around this rotten economy by creating jobs. I swear, the president and federal government in general want us on their dole to increase their power. ObamaCare was an attempt in that direction, directly and indirectly. We refused to cancel our insurance and get on government-subsidized healthcare, but I would bet that other families in our situation either switched to government healthcare or accepted free school lunches, etc. to offset the increased cost.

Now for the reason for the timing of this rant. I take any chance I get to fight ObamaCare. When it was first signed, I added my name to a couple of petitions, one of which was collected on the internet, printed on stacks of paper, and delivered to congress on a stretcher. I thought that was a nice touch.

One of the political watchdog groups I pay attention to, Grassfire Nation, sent this link to a new petition calling for the repeal of Obamacare. It's geared toward seniors, but anyone can sign it. If this is an issue you care about, I encourage you to sign this clearly stated petition here.

Ahh, there. I just stepped back down from the soap box. Now I need to go set a doctor appointment for #3 to have her swollen toes looked at. I anticipate he'll tell me--for $115--that it's nothing to worry about. (One toe on each foot, but not the big toes, has swollen and been red/bluish red for over a month now. I'm worried they're infected. It's finally worth $115 to me to know what's going on.)

Update: After finishing this post, I read my email and saw another petition to end ObamaCare sent from Kent's mom. You can sign that one here.