Mothers Day 2010

Well, the best Mother's day I have had in terms of Doug remembering.  The kids are only 2!  They brought me a card this morning, so cute!  Sara told me Happy Birthday!  I loved it!  We went to 3 parks this morning, came home took a nap (we so needed it) then we went and had some local ice cream.  Came home played outside and ate dinner.  Sat on the couch watch Toy Story 2 then went to bed and read 2 stories.  It was a perfect day! Doug and I went to a play Friday, Little shops of Horrors in Bloomington, then at 10 pm after it was over we went to eat.  It is graduation weekend so it took awhile to find something.  Went to Lous Grob (something like that) spent 100 dollars, but it was GREAT steak!  Just a few more weeks of school, then 2 months off for the summer!  Hopefully I will have the kids potty trained by the end of summer or they cannot start preschool.  We may go to Florida, but with potty training it may set them back, so as much as I want to go, and I REALLY want to go.  We just may need to wait until December and go down.

Trying to figure out what to do with their B-day this year!  Thinking about just doing close family and have it at a local park.  The last 2 years we have had a big cook out with all family and friends.  They were lots of fun, but expensive, thankfully my mom and Doug's mom paid for almost everything and Bonnie and Mellissa made food for us, so that helped out a lot.  We drove up to Anderson and I think this year, just something local and simple would be just fine.  Their Bday is on a Tuesday this year then the week after I start school YUCK!!!!  We could have it on Tuesday or the Sunday before the 1st.  We will see

Back Pain

Use the squat for all the many times a day you bend instead of bending wrong

• Both feet are side by side.
• Your upper body stays upright, not bending over forward.
• Keep both heels down on the floor. Don't lift your heels.
• Both knees stay back over your ankles, not sliding forward, which hurts the knees. Good bending saves your back and strengthens knees and prevents knee pain
•  
• another way to bend properly is the lunge (left) for all the many dozens of times you bend every day.

Keep front knee over ankle (left) not forward (right).

• Stand up, feet apart. Slide one foot comfortably back, keeping foot straight not turned out.
• Tuck hip under to remove back arch and stretch back hip.
• Bend knees to dip to the floor without touching the floor. At least dip down a few inches.
• 
  
  Don't let your front knee come forward. Keep your front knee over ankle. This is the most important part of using the lunge to save your back - you shouldn't hurt your knee. Done properly, the lunge strengthens and protects your knees too.
• Don't arch your back. Tip your hip under to prevent arching and straighten your posture. Don't lean back. 

How To Stop Back Pain From Lordotic Arching
The free abdominal muscle article summarizes, and the book The Ab Revolution teaches exactly how to reposition the spine and use the repositioning for all you do. In short,

1. Stand with your heels, backside, upper back, and back of your head against a wall.
2. Press lower back toward wall. The large space between your back and the wall becomes a smaller space. Do not flatten against the wall. Belt line is horizontal from front to back. Back pain from overarching should stop right then, if you do this right.
3. When you walk away from the wall, use this new neutral spine position all the time.

• Use your own muscles to reposition your spine, no matter what else you are doing
• Don’t lean your upper body back when carrying things in front of you (anterior loads) like a chair, grocery bags, a pet, or baby.
• Don’t lean back when lifting or reaching overhead.
• Don’t let bags or loads pull your posture away from healthy position. Stand straight no matter what you are carrying.

•  

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake Break-up!

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

1 cup gluten free flour ( I used 1/4 cup millet flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 cup white rice flour and 1/4 cup sweet rice flour to achieve a fluffy, light texture)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

12 egg whites, room temperature (to maximize volume of egg whites)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Separate egg whites in a stainless steel bowl and let them come to room temperature. In a separate medium bowl, sift gluten free flour, salt, xanthan gum, and 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Beat until the egg whites form soft peaks. Beat in the other reserved 3/4 cup of sugar about 3 Tablespoons at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold in flour mixture about 1/4 cup at a time. Once the flour mixture is combined, fold in the vanilla. Slowly pour the batter into a tube pan (preferably one where the inside lifts out) and spread the batter evenly. Run a knife through the cake to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 50-55 minutes until top is golden and sides begin to pull away. Cool for 10 minutes. Run the edges of a knife along the pan and pull out the insert to the tube pan. Run a knife along the bottom of the insert and invert onto a cake plate. Serve with topping of choice!

Angel Food Cake is a great make ahead recipe.


Now for the Break-up part:

Angel food break-up

¼ cup of butter

2 c powered sugar

4 eggs yolks

16oz cool whip

1.        Directions:

Mi1.  Mix all together

    2.  Crumble angel food cake in pan

    3.  Pour mixture over cake

    4.   3-6 heath bars on top

Kids

Matthew and Papa Francis, taking one of the many walks they take.  Papa allows Matthew to sit on every rock they come across.  He loves to be outside and Papa will stay with him as long as needed.

Matthew all dressed up for his Easter pictures.  He is so grown-up.

Sara!  I know she is a mess, but I love this picture!  We just had ice cream and she is running around the field near the ice cream shop.  

My kids

GOD I LOVE THEM and THANK-YOU so much for giving them to me!

They are growing so fast. I am amazed at what they can do. Still no potty! Matthew went twice today, Sara went twice in her underwear! I know they will get it, I am just crazed at how to teach them. Perhaps they are not ready.

WOW

Today I am using this to vent!

First, Friends:

I understand that as we get older, our needs change and sometimes that means friends change. But, how can friends just completely drift apart? I am tired of being the one trying to get together when the other friend doesn't care. I decided not to try anymore and for the last 5 or so months I have not been upset about it. It is what it is! However, this so called friend says they want to get together, so against my better judgement I let them know when we could get together. 1 month has gone by, about, and no response from the friend. Figures! I am not as upset as I was last year, but it still hurts.

Second, Family:

OK, this one is messy and involves several people for different reasons. I do not need to know every 3 hours that you love your life and I don't need to know everything you own or just bought. I don't think that this is jealousy, but I don't know, I have never had that feeling of jealousy before. I figure there are lots of people who have more than I do, and people who have less than I do. That is life! But, are you trying to tell me (everyone) or yourself that you love your life. I mean, don't we all? Otherwise why would we still be here? I just get so annoyed, even when I try not to get sucked in, someone always brings it back to me. Why? I don't need to know why you are annoyed, you are annoyed the same reason I am and that is why I choose not to talk to this person, or look at their FB status. I don't want you to tell me what it says. I do not want to know! Perhaps you should not look either, it makes for a much happier life! However this said person, had some words to my mom. YOU DO NOT DISS MY MOM!!! Especially since my mom raised this person, and treats this person like their own child. WHat a B I T.... Won't type the word, but I am feeling it! Then this person has cheated on their spouse more than once, was going to leave their spouse, but my mom stepped in and made sure that the spouse wasn't taken advantage of, we have seen it way to many times. I guess this persons plan of leaving their spouse and getting everything was screwed up by my mom. MY MOM was trying to help, so that nothing bad happen again. This person got upset and said things to my mom, that should have never been said. Anyway this person and their spouse are back together and they are telling everyone how happy they are... BLAH BLAH BLAH! Again I say if you have to tell everyone you are happy then you must not be. People should be able to tell it by the way you act. Anyway, I am sure the divorce that didn't happen, will happen as soon as the person figures out another way to take their spouse for everything.

Other family vent issues
You don't have to like me, we don't have to agree, but at least respect me as I do you. Don't pretend. If you don't want me around then have the balls to say so, don't treat me like dirt. I can take it and I can dish it out! I am trying really hard not to dish anything. My kids deserve better and I respect myself. However, enough is enough. I will not let you walk all over me and not say anything. I am trying for my kids to be kind and I know that is what God wants me to do. So, you better keep praying that God helps me keep my frustration away from you!

What a beautiful day!

WOW! Such a great day outside! Thank-you God, to bad I stayed inside all day :( Must take the cat to the vet tomorrow to see why she is losing her fur. Doug is going to get his new phone. Kids are with my mom.