Addiction

Hi. My name is Suzanne. (Now you all say, "Hi, Suzanne"). I'm addicted to Afrin. I've been using now for 10 days. It all started with a severe sinus infection that turned into mild bronchitis which in turn caused a humongo cold sore on my top lip. Thus, Afrin has become my drug of choice. I guess I just have a thing for breathing at night while I'm sleeping. Breathing, that is, with my mouth closed. Once, while suffering from a cold, I actually tried sleeping with a straw in my mouth just so I could sleep with my mouth shut. It didn't work so of course I had to resort to my old pal Afrin.

Don't worry about me though. I'm on antibiotics and as soon as my sinuses are clear again - I'll start the detox process. Detox means only using in one nostril and alternating nostrils until I can breath on my own again.

In the meantime, if you feel the need, you are welcome to send chocolate to comfort me until I am done negotiating my addiction.

My Son Ferris Bueller

When my boy was in third grade, he came home one day with his school pictures. I immediately asked him to hand it over for inspection. I scanned the rows looking for his face. Our family is usually on the front row due to a height challenge. But I actually found him on the third row back. He looked like he had just got the surprise of his life. His mouth was wide open, and his eyes were big as saucers. We laughed ourselves silly.

A few years later he was at school having the eye test. Just for fun he decided to fail it on purpose. He squinted and squirmed and called every F a P and every C an O. He was taken aside afterwards by a kind elderly lady who said, "Sweetheart, when you get home you need to tell your parents to make you an appointment at the eye doctor." He laughed all the way back to class.

More recently he had to miss a football game for his back brace check up. His team wore his number on their helmet. The team called him before the game. They were seriously in tears. I wanted to remind them this isn't cancer people, it's just a back brace. But I let them have their moment of inspiration.

At school he is loved by all, including the staff. When they had intramural football games during lunch last week, we were out of town. They decided to hold off playing until he came back! Several teachers enjoy having him come to their classroom just to hang out and talk Cougar football. And don't even get me started when it comes to his coaches. They are crazy for the kid.

So yesterday my husband and I were picking him up from school and we asked ourselves, "who is this kid?" Then it hit us: we're raising Ferris Bueller! Only one day he'll decide to take the day off school and the principal will call to see if he can join him.

Thankful

Today I am thankful. We had a great report from the Dr. at Primary Children's Hospital. My boy looks good! So he keeps wearing the brace and we come back in six months. We'll keep this routine going for the next six years, hopefully with the same great results.

I'm thankful too for health. While at the hospital we saw lots of kids. Kids in wheelchairs. Kids with scars and sutures from surgery. Kids with birth defects. Kids with trouble greater than that of my boy. I pray for them.

I'm thankful too for family. While we were in town my mom and I spent time together and my wish was her command. She came with us to the doctor just in case we had another "fall off my chair" moment. Thank heavens we didn't! We did some Christmas shopping and ran necessary errands together. She is our angel and I'm so blessed to call her mother.

I'm thankful too for the love and support of family. Friday night, after a long day spent at doctor offices I was lucky enough to have my sister-in-law (who is a masseuse, and a nurse and a mother of eight) give me a full body massage. It was awesome. And after, she fed me homemade wheat bread with honey collected from their very own beehive in their backyard. To die for I tell ya. I'm thankful too for good food.

I'm thankful too to be home today with my handsome husband. Thankful the football season is over and we can now enjoy the holidays together. Holidays that are meant to remind us to be thankful.

Check Up

We're in Salt Lake for my boy's back check up.

Wish us luck!

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Big news on the kindergarten playground yesterday. Fred and Daphne were kissing on the school bus on their way to school. (names changed to protect identity)

I can't decide if this is a cute story, or a sign of the apocalypse.

Memory Lane

Recently I've been listening to the all-Christmas radio station. I love it because I can hear all the old classics I know from when I was a kid. One of my favorites is "Walking In A Winter Wonderland" by Johnny Mathis.

And when I listen to old Christmas songs, I remember that Johnny Mathis was my Dad's favorite singer. I grew up in the 80's listening to Madonna and Boy George. My Dad would always say to me, "Can they sing Moon River?" I thought he was ridiculous until I grew up and had kids and understood what he was talking about. There is just something about a classic sound. No synthesizers, no gimmicks.

And thinking about being a kid reminds me of the Christmas when we had a flocked tree that was decorated with only red lights. The ornaments were little mirrors, different shapes, that my mom glued red ric-rac on around the edges.

And thinking about that Christmas tree will make me hungry for the homemade treats my mom used to make (and still does make with my kids today). Divinity, fudge and suckers flavored with cinnamon, butterscotch and peppermint. Yum.

And my mouth watering will make me want to run to the corner gas station for a treat.

And on my way I hear Johnny Mathis singing "Walking In A Winter Wonderland."

Click here to enjoy it for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crXJ81GjCWY&feature=related

Perspective

I like my job at the elementary school, which is good because it used to be that other people's kids weren't my favorite. I really didn't like negotiating with other people's kids. I guess when my own kids were little, I'd had enough snot and tears so that other people's snot and tears pushed me a bit over the edge. Or it could be that I've matured and gained a little perspective so that snot and tears don't bug me like they used to.

My job title is "intervention aide." I guess intervention is the new resource. Resource must have gained a bad reputation over the years. Resource is defined as: a source of support or aid. Intervention is defined as: interference in the affairs of another. From my perspective, resource seems like the better choice. Nonetheless, my job is to help kids who are either falling behind their class, or who are getting ahead of their class (so basically intervening in their affairs).

One of my groups is kindergarten. Yesterday I stopped in the kindergarten room to pick up my 14 friends who need help learning their letters. One girl, who is not in our group, stood up when I entered the room and said, "I've never had a turn to go with you. Not once. I want a turn!" I loved how, from her perspective, theses kids who were taken out of class each day for 20 minutes were the lucky ones. Little does she know water boarding is a great way to teach the alphabet.

So I suppose life is how you look at it. Me, myself, I'm a "glass is half full" kinda gal. I agree with the perspective of a little girl who thinks that any individualized attention must be a good thing.

Dinner

I'm trying to negotiate what's for dinner. Since it's rainy and cold outside. . .I choose this:

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
(courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 pound shredded cooked chicken
(I use a couple cans of chunk white chicken to make life easier)
1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes - mashed
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Directions:
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours or high setting for 3 to 4 hours.

I like to buy hard shell corn tortillas and crunch them up over the soup before eating. It's best if you squeeze them in your hand then blow them into your soup like Nacho does in Nacho Libre. Also quite tasty if you add sour cream and guacamole.

Dinner problem solved.

The Human Touch

Our family uses the word "mug" as a verb, not meaning we physically assault each other, but that we physically give love one to another. A "mug" usually consists of a hug and a kiss. I often tell my husband or kids that I need to "mug" on them. Mugging is something I like to do when I'm putting them to bed or waking them up in the morning.

I was thinking about this because each morning and night when I'm helping my boy put his brace on, I take a few minutes to mug on him and his back. I get out the lotion and rub his back down to help with the stiffness he gets from being locked up in a brace all day and night. It has turned into a small ray of sunshine in the gloom that is the brace. It is a moment we connect and I enjoy giving him a little relief.

My mother is actually the person who has taught me the importance of the human touch. My father passed away of "early on-set Alzheimer's" at the age of 55. He was in a care facility the last two months of his life. During this time my mother would spend evenings at the care facility giving hand and foot massages, not only to my father but to all the residents of the facility. She knew that physical attention and love can penetrate deep, even to someone who is mentally unaware. I know that she is right.

I believe the human touch is slipping away in a world of technology where we can conduct all our business without even leaving our house. Kids are losing the ability to interact socially because all they do is text. This is why I like to look at name tags. When I'm getting my Coke fix at Wendys I can say, "Thanks Carlos! You're doing a great job, keep up the good work." My kids beg me not to do this, and even though it's not a physical touch, it's a connection and I like it.

So my negotiation du jour will be to find more opportunities to mug!

A Challenge

Last August my husband's little sister was in a terrible plane crash. If you don't know the story, her blog is nieniedialogues.blogspot.com. She is an amazing woman and hers is an amazing story of survival. What I want to share is how her accident changed our lives.

Shortly after the accident, life was pretty darn serious. Our dear sister and her husband lay in a coma for three months. There were days we weren't sure if they would survive. Daily activities, such as shopping at WalMart or running through In-N-Out for a burger felt pretty silly. I consistently thought, "How can I be doing these things while our family members cling to life?" But life marched on, so we had to carry on.

During this sensitive time in life we inadvertently cut the world out of our life. Frivolous songs on the radio were replaced with quiet music, often times hymns. Reality TV got turned off and good books were read. Mindless activities like video games were traded in for board games played together around the kitchen table.

As time went by our loved ones got better, came home from the hospital, and continue to make efforts to heal. It only seemed natural that it was time to let the world back into our life. Only thing is, we found we didn't like the world so much anymore. It wasn't hard to recognize how harsh outside influences are and how they hurt the tender new spirits we'd developed. My kids were actually asking me to turn the radio off and put the hymns back on!

So I'm throwing out a challenge. A challenge for you to turn off the junk on the radio and replace it with uplifting music, books on CD, or perhaps the 24/7 Christmas channel. Turn off the guilty television pleasures that you enjoy after the kids have gone to bed. Read a good book instead. May I suggest the conference issue of the Ensign that just came out? Make some time for family time. Time to share a laugh and make some fun memories together.

Give it a few weeks and see if you don't notice a difference in your life. I guarantee you will. Also, I'd love to hear about it. I've fixed my "comments" so anyone can leave one without jumping through hoops. There are so many ways to negotiate how we will spend our valuable time. May I suggest we choose the better part.

Good Advice

Sunday was our Stake Conference. When we arrived we found that we would be taking part in a conference involving 72 stakes. We had the pleasure of watching a broadcast from the conference center in Salt Lake City. President Eyring was one of our speakers. He gave us good advice on how to keep the Spirit with us. I'd like to share it with you.

First, start each day with prayer. I agree that this is a must. I'd let my kids go to school naked before I'd let them go without a prayer. In fact, you might as well be going out naked if you haven't had a prayer because you will be just as susceptible to the elements. Not weather, mind you, but Satan's elements of deception.

Second, choose to be in safe places. He said that we should choose to be in places where Satan is less likely to tempt us. For kids, that would mean places like seminary. It would also mean staying away from places where the Spirit cannot attend you. For adults, it means places like the temple.

Third, he spoke of being "spiritually sensitive." The power to resist Satan comes from the Holy Ghost. We must be obedient to the commandments so the Holy Ghost can be with us. If we are spiritually sensitive, we will be able to determine those activities and thoughts that invite faith in Christ and invite the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. What a blessing!

Negotiating our way through life is difficult. I know of no better way to ease these negotiations than by following the advice of our leaders. I am thankful for leaders like President Eyring who encourage us with good advice.

H1N1

This weekend I left my kids to negotiate life for themselves. I felt like a captain abandoning ship. While I would be taking a private charter with my husband to South Dakota, my kids would be following a typed schedule posted on the fridge of who needs to be where, when. The schedule was pretty hectic, but all that went out the window when I got a call from my youngest.

The airplane has just touched down and we had barely received the announcement that it was o.k. to turn on our cellular devices. It was then that my phone rang. "Mom, I feel sick - hold on a minute (the sound of hurling, then crying). Mom, I just threw up. Can you come back home?" Awesome. Lucky for us my high-schoolers were at lunch together and a were easily reached. They were able to pick her up before the sawdust even dried in the hallway.

So the weekend of high hopes went straight away down the drain. The T-Birds lost, I didn't get to see Mt. Rushmore or my husband. Instead I spent the weekend alone in an ugly hotel room texing correct amounts of medicine, telling them what to do for a fever, and reminding them to keep a bucket close by so there wouldn't be a mess to clean up. The kids spent the weekend sipping soda while lying on the couch bed.

I had really hoped we would be able to avoid the swine flu. When Dr. Oz said one in three would get the H1N1 virus this winter, I knew we were done for. Seeing as there's six of us, I guess we've got one down and one to go.

South Dakota

I'm off to South Dakota today with my husband to see the Thunderbirds play football. Things I hope to see while I'm there:

1. my husband
2. a T-bird victory
3. Mount Rushmore

Kindergarten Babies

I recently became employed at an elementary school. One of my responsibilities is to supervise "kindergarten arrival." This means the kids are dropped off by the bus or parents at 12:25 but they aren't let in their classrooms until 12:45, so they play on the kindergarten playground for 20 minutes and are supervised by me.

When I was in kindergarten, older kids would yell "kindergarten babies, born in the gravy." I have no idea what that means. It can't be that bad, gravy is mmm-mmm-good. I guess that's why kindergarten kids have their own playground now, so as to not be teased and taunted by older kids.

My baby is nine, so hanging out with kids who are five has reminded me of what innocence is all about. These kids have no inhibitions. Some things I've heard on the playground include, "Wanna be friends? Sure! Friends forever." "Who wants to play pirate?" (That one was yelled really loud). "Your hair looks cute today." "Let's hold hands."

I love to see them negotiate games of tag and duck, duck, goose. They have few insecurities that I can see and they certainly don't fear the swine flu. I love the openness and love the kids have for each other. I think we could learn a lot from these little people.

They say youth is wasted on the young. I disagree.

Pucker Up

My mom loves to iron. In fact, when I was a kid, she ironed my jeans. That's right, creases in the jeans. I think I hid my jeans, just so they couldn't be ironed. I hate to iron. Negotiating a hot iron can be difficult, one look at my forearms is proof of this. But I did learn from my mother that clothes that are ironed look more classy than wrinkled ones. So I iron.



My husband is a college football coach. On game day I like to iron his clothes so he looks classy when he wins. This past Saturday I was in a hurry and I put a hot iron, a hot iron set to "wool," onto 100% polyester game-day pants that require a "cool iron." The result? Puckered pants.



I went to my husband with a sorry face and "exhibit A."



His reply? "You can pucker my pants any time."



It's good to be loved.

Negotiating Small Town Lingo, N'Stuff

We live in a small town. The kind of town that people have never heard of and you have to tell them the larger city next to it before there is an understanding of where you're at. Shortly after we moved here we noticed most people added the words "n' stuff" to the end of their sentences. For example, "I just went rock climbing, n'stuff" or "I'd like pancakes for breakfast, n'stuff." At first, we were confused and tried to make sense of it. We tried to figure out what this extra "stuff" was everyone was talking about. Then we were amused and began counting "n'stuffs" during conversations to see who could come up with the most. I once counted 18. We are easily amused.

One time I was in WalMart trying to get an extra key made. The gentleman at the counter said, "We don't got those kind of keys, n'stuff. You'll have to go to old man Nisson's place to get one." And I'm thinking, "Old man Nisson? Am I guest starring on an episode of Scooby-Doo?" Then I find out that no, Scooby and the globetrotters are not in town. Mr. Nisson has a store down the street from WalMart and it's probably been there since the town was founded.

In fact, Mr. Nisson also owned a grocery store in town that recently went out of business. Our local newspaper told the story. There was a quote from a 100-year old woman who was asked how she felt about the store going out of business. She said, "That really rankles my cockles." Now this is something I had to take to Dictionary.com to figure out. Turns out it means she wasn't too happy about it.

Another phrase people in our small town like to use is: "up north." Whenever they are traveling in a northern direction, they are going "up north." At first we thought maybe they're going to The Great White North (which, if you're going to Cedar City you might as well be because it's just as cold). Then we realized everyone was using it even though they were headed different places. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that our town is situated in the Southern-most edge of the state - only six miles from the boarder of Arizona. So I guess everywhere else in the state actually is "up north." Even still, I guess I'm a fan of specifics.

I'm also a fan of the city. Small towns are beautiful and I enjoy living here, but I prefer tall buildings and hustle and bustle. I prefer places to go and things to do. I prefer the big city, n'stuff.