Random things on a sunny day

Today is a glorious, sunny day! We slept in, which got us off to a great start :)

Then gymnastics class. I just shook my head watching Rychen try to keep up with the other kids. He's probably the youngest in the class, and least experienced with this type of structure--and you can tell. He kept running into other kids and in other ways acting aloof. But then his teacher helped him to a few new things, and he is learning well! (He's actually brave...for HER)

The tots teacher invited Elisabeth to do obstacle courses with them. It was fun! She didn't really "get it," but she does enjoy walking on the balance beam, climbing up the bar/ladder toy, and doing the "Ta-da!" pose. It actually surprised me that she was too nervous to do some of the other things.

Afterward we went to the park to play for a while. Rychen P. practiced his basketball skills (this park is so cool - not only do they have a lower hoop for kids, but there always seems to be lots of friendly Latino kids running around, eager to play with strangers) while I watched Elisabeth on the playground. Well, mostly she played with bark chips while I sat and watched this other guy skateboard. He was amazing! There was a girl, probably 9 or 10 years old, dancing to some "Hannah Montana" dance (yes I asked). She kept practicing this dance over and over, while I watched. I really wanted to jump up and ask her to teach it to me. But I was too chicken. :(

Rychen totally impressed me on the playground. He did two things for the first time today, that he's always been too afraid of before - Monkey Bars (with no help ... before, he was too afraid to try, even with help!) and the Climbing Wall, both of which he just decided to do voluntarily. Totally surprised me. With all the times this kid says "Look Mom!" undeservingly, I was actually quite impressed today! Maybe the gymnastics is helping him overcome some things after all.

In other news, Rychen P. has been eating lots of tangelos with no sign of allergy. Yay!

And cute word of this day: Rychen P. says that Elisabeth is very "obeyable." Maybe she should teach him.

Mickey Mouse Memory!

This is our new favorite game, a Mickey Mouse memory game my mom gave Rychen when Elisabeth was born! But lately it has come out again. I am just glad a found a game I can play with him that I honestly enjoy too!! It's a fun challenge, and our abilities are pretty close, so it's competitive!! (actually this kid has a WAY sharper memory than I do. But he makes enough careless mistakes to be an even match for me) We're hooked. We've been playing 1-2 times a day for the past month or so.

Speaking of which, it's fun for me to compare strategy styles. I am more of an intuitive player, playing by visual memory instead of counting or repeating phrases in my mind. Rychen Sr., on the other hand, memorizes them via coordinates. Rychen P. somehow just memorizes them. And Elisabeth's strategy is to mess it all up.

Biggest Loser

I really enjoy the show The Biggest Loser. Last night it was about nutrition so it was interesting to watch. Altogether I am satisifed with it, and I do feel that if America adopted these food principles, disease would decrease dramatically! It would be absolutely amazing if America could give up refined sweets, fast foods, and other empty calories. For most people, this would be very significant and would result in a higher level of wellbeing. I am not so arrogant to think that everybody need be as extreme as I am in dietary approach. That being said, I do have some criticisms from the nutrition dogma that is taught on mainstream media, all of which is verified through any serious research on the subject.

Milk Does the Body Good.
So, in one of Jillian's marketing clips, she teaches the contestants why they need to drink their milk. All the same stuff we've heard before. "Good source" of protein and calcium. Little does Jillian know, the two cancel each other out and leave the body not only in a deficit for calcium, but in a state of toxicosis as well (see explanation below). Besides that, why are we all ignoring the obvious fact that this is BREASTMILK from an ANIMAL? Am I the only person disgusted by this? Can we please, as a nation, wean ourselves? I think a 50 year old is a little old to be drinking breastmilk. And what do you think happens to the calf who you are stealing it from?

Protein as a Synonym for Meat.
On the show they had various whole foods sitting out, from various food groups. This represents the idea of a "balanced diet," as you have your complex carbs (grains), your protein (meat), your fruits and your vegetables. To the mainstream dieter, this is a complete meal, a balanced diet, the sum of all its parts. So when a person excludes a food group - a vegetarian takes away that "protein" - the uneducated, mainstream person is left questioning "How can you remove your protein? Then where do you get protein from?" Since to them, grains equate to carbohydrate, and fruits and vegetables are neither. So to answer their question, they only need a sentence or two of information. Dear American Public: grains and beans actually do have quite a bit of protein, and fruits and vegetables actualy do too; in fact, fruits and vegetables alone have just as much protein as the World Health Organization recommneds and that all credible research indicates that humans require.

This whole idea of compartmentalizing foods irritates me. It makes the public grossly ignorant. To think that meat = protein, grains = carbs (even that whole grains = "good carbs"), banana = potassium, orange = vitamin C as if they contain no other nutrients!! On one clip of the show, Bob teaches them how to make a healthy sandwich, combining a "protein" (lean meat) with a "healthy fat" (avocado) and a "good carb" (whole wheat bread), completely ignoring the obvious fact that both the bread and the avocado actually contain all three!! You don't need separate foods to obtain various nutrients. An avocado contains essential fats, protein, carbohydrates, as well as many minerals and vitamins, and something no cooked food has at all - enzymes!

The truth is, you don't need to look for "a good source" of protein or fatty acids at all. Every natural food contains protein. Every natural food contains healthy fats. There is no such thing as a low-protein diet or a fat-free diet, unless you eat exclusively refined foods (white sugar is 100% carbohydrate; oil is 100% fat). If you are interested in learning more about what foods contain, visit http://www.nutridiary.com/ for nutrition facts on any food.

The recommended protein is about 50 grams per day for the typical person. I personally eat about that much on fruits and vegetables alone!! It is a MYTH that you need to eat a dead animal to obtain this nutrient. Not only do you not require excessive protein, but excessive protein is actually toxic to your body. It creates an acidic environment where cancer cells flourish, auto-immune disorders rise, and the body as a whole breaks down. To buffer this acidic environment, your body leaches calcium and other alkaline minerals from your bones, resulting in osteoporosis and malnourishment.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Do some research. At the very least, begin by realizing that the information provided by the media is always funded by somebody promoting a certain product. The whole idea of "getting enough protein" is a campaign the meat industry put together (and geniously so, considering how effective it has been) simply to market their product. This is just a fact of life. Most information in the media is coming from a marketing campaign. If you want real research you need to read books and non-biased studies to obtain the information yourself. And your lives will be blessed for it.

"as a little child"

Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved. (3 Nephi 9:22)

How many times have we heard the phrase "as a little child" and then make jokes because little children aren't exactly known for being humble, submissive or obedient! But today while studying this chapter, it dawned on me. No, a child like Rychen Parker is not at all what the Savior is talking about. But Elisabeth is quite the opposite!

Elisabeth is delighted to follow our every instruction. She aims to please. At this point in her life she is very obedient. It seems she takes such pleasure in pleasing us and doing exactly as we say - service with a smile!! No, she is not stubborn or argumentative at all. No questions asked. No doubts, refusals, or "Well, I think my way might be better..." Elisabeth seems to be so full of love, and yes I would say willing to submit to whatever we ask of her (because she would hold no grudges against us; she would always love us no matter what). And I think this is EXACTLY what Christ was referring to!

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19)

Running Update

I said I would do it and I did it. I got out and put on some miles every day this week. Granted, some days it was just the quick 1-mile while Rychen was home in the morning, but that is fine. What a great way to start my day! I am LOVIN' this! And it is getting easier the more I do it. There are some kinks to work out, of course, like how long after a meal should I go? how hydrated do I want to be? and other factors influencing what time of day is best.

I am trying all sorts of things... running with stroller, running alone, walking up hills and running down, interval sprints, etc. One cool thing I like doing is running and then when I need a rest, I stop and do some stretches instead of taking time to walk (interval training). I like how that keeps my muscles loose and warm. (Plus, what passer-by doesn't want a good view of my backside?? ha ha!) My favorite run was today when I included several flights of stairs at a local school, up and down several times. Target those thighs/butt!

So altogether my Weekly miles are 12.5. My goal for the month is 50. I am not timing my runs yet (trust me, it's nothing to brag about!) but I think I'm approximately 10-min/mile overall.

There was a 5K in Eugene today that I considered. I would love to join my family and do a race with them, but that was a bit too far away to worry about kids' needs and all that... I think I will run the Iris Festival 5K coming up.

And don't forget the 5K races that Rychen and I are putting together, for free. March 20th we'll be doing a Family Fun Run at the park with our homeschool group, and on the 27th I've got various events for all ages going at the church - anybody is welcome! I'm inviting Facebook friends and our Salem SAHM meet-up group. (If the 27th doesn't work for you and you want to run, join us the 20th!) Ask me for details if you're interested! :)

GYMNASTICS!

Wow, Life is getting exciting now! With Rychen enrolled in both piano class and gymnastics, our schedule is filling up. I feel like a "real mom," with an actual kid who has a weekly schedule! This is the first time we've enrolled him in anything or paid for something like this, but both these opportunities came up, at great prices and great social outlets, so we couldn't pass them up. (several of our homeschool friends are enrolled in the same gymnastics class - in fact, the gym gives us a discount!)

Gymnastics today was very exciting on a number of levels. Not only did Rychen have the time of his life (and Elisabeth too!) but it was so sweet for me as a mom to watch him run off and forget about me for an hour; to enjoy himself, taking instruction from another adult; and to do things easily that he has always been shy or too scared to do! I honestly didn't know how he'd handle gymnastics since he's always been so reserved on playgrounds. But he loves the balance beam, and even swung from the rings!

Fortunately I still have some gymnastics knowledge from my youth, so I'm able to work with him on bridges and rolls at home, and then at playgrounds we'll practice bar and build upper-body strength.

I don't know how long he will continue, but it would be so wonderful to see him dedicate to something and excel in it. He still wants to be a professional basketball player though, so many gymanstics/dancing will be Elisabeth's thing :)

September Roses

This is such a beautiful story. I checked it out so I could read it to Rychen P. but he wasn't interested at the time, so I read it silently while he was busy with something else. It's a good thing I wasn't ready it aloud because I just sat there and cried quietly to myself for a few mintues, reliving 9/11. Why did I become emotional? I don't know. There was something significant about the twin towers. Were they not a symbol of our nation's pride? our success and accomplishments over the span of our history? And appropriately so, our enemies attacked us right at the heart, and we lost our pride. Has our country not been changed since then?

A few months after 9/11, I found this scripture:

And it came to pass that ... the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations...that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the lamb.

- 1 Nephi 11:36

The Book of Mormon was written for us in the last days, and many prophesies apply both to what was specifically referred to at the time of the prophesy, and also to events in the last days (the writings of Isaiah are also multiple-fulfilled prophesies). There are patterns throughout the book of righteousness and prosperity, and then the downfall of peoples because of their pride. Literature is full of this theme; it's called the "tragic downfall" that comes with a certain character flaw in each tragedy, most often pride and rigidness in our own ways. As we know, pride is the ultimate way to "fight aginst the lamb," as our will is the only thing in our control, the only thing in the Universe that God cannot control.

What pattern has our country taken? We were once a righteous, God-fearing nation. We were indeed a "promised land" where freedoms were established and the Restored Church could come forth. We flourished. And after relishing in our bounteous blessings a bit much, we became prideful. We became lustful and wicked, living after the manner of the flesh. And thus began our downfall. The prophesied downfall that would preceed the second coming...

I am excited to study the Book of Mormon to find more patterns that apply to us. I'm so grateful for it as a book of scripture, specifically written for our day, giving us warning and teaching how t overcome the adversary and stand true amidst tragedy.

Joe's apostasy sketch

Well I just thought this was so cool, so I wanted to share :) My brother Joe is currently serving an evangelical mission in Brazil. Here is a sketch he drew to show the pattern of apostasy through the dispensations. It's in Portuguese but I think it's pretty self-explanatory if you're familiar with the scriptures.