World Congress of Families

 con·gress  (knggrs)n.

1. A formal assembly of representatives, as of various nations, to discuss problems.

2. The national legislative body of a nation, especially a republic.

As most everyone knows, the United States Congress (definition #2) meets fairly regularly (not counting holidays).  It is extensively covered with the proceedings of each day hashed and rehashed on news stories via any media platform you choose.   The debates, discussions, and votes that occur there affect the lives of everyone in the USA, and sometimes many people outside of it's borders. 

Did you know that Congress is meeting?  No, not the US Congress or even your state legislature, but the World Congress of Families (definition #1).  Never heard of it?  Me either, until last week.  It is a group of scholars, educators, religious leaders, pro-family organizations, and basically anyone interested in preserving  natural families as the fundamental unit of society.  They meet to discuss ways to strengthen families and thus society as a whole.  This is the 7th meeting of this Congress since it was started in 1997.  It's proceedings are rarely, if ever, mentioned in the news, but the topics discussed there affect every person in the world- not because they form laws or dispense money, but because every person on this earth is part of a family.

(I'd love to be there, especially since this one is in Sydney, Australia- only a few hours from my parents in Melbourne.  It would be fitting to visit family and the Family Congress at the same time, don't you think?!  But, I digress.)

I've read a little about the proceedings on a couple of blogs (Middle-aged Mormon Man, We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ and WBMW) but haven't heard a thing about it otherwise.  From what I've read, it sounds like an amazing gathering.  Some days I feel like there are only isolated little pockets of people around the world who have even the remotest interest in maintaining healthy families.  Almost everything I read or see in the news media seems to be pointing readers/viewers in the opposite direction.  How refreshing it is to see that good people from all over the world and from all kinds of religious backgrounds can gather, discuss, and agree on the fact that healthy families are what this world needs more than anything else.  I honestly believe that no real community change (neighborhood or world wide) can occur until we stabilize the families that form them.  It's like trying to build a tower with blocks of jello verses knox blox or jello jigglers.  It just won't hold up unless every part has enough gelatin to hold it's own.

So, I'm not at the Congress (either definition 1 or 2!), but I can spread the word about the World Congress of Families and I can look for ways to strengthen families in my own little corner of the world- maybe start with the one that lives in my own home.  The more we know, the better we can act and lots of little acts can combine to make a world of difference.  Let's follow the example of those meeting in Sydney and find ways to affect change on scales large and small.  Be kind. Be there.  Be aware.  Almost every family I know could use at least a little more gelatin.

 “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
― Mother Teresa

Mazel Tov!

ma·zel tov  

/ˈmäzəl ˌtôv/

Exclamation A Jewish phrase expressing congratulations or wishing someone good luck.

Today's the day.  Erica's up, dressed, out the door, and leaving on a jet plane in an hour.  She meets up with 81 other students and they'll arrive in Jerusalem tomorrow morning our time.  Can't wait to hear about all the adventures over the next 31/2 months!

Mazel Tov!

(After taking my parents to the airport for Australia and Erica for Jerusalem, I'm feeling like heading somewhere exotic myself. Somehow grocery shopping tomorrow is just not cutting it for me!  Oh, wait, I get to drive to school again this afternoon.  That should do it... or not!)

Merry Christmas, Lest We Forget

Like most people I know, I've been following the tragic news stories coming out of Newtown, CT.  My heart goes out to the friends, families, and neighbors of those who were taken much too early and for a community who will fill the week before Christmas with funerals rather than parties.  The stories say that Newtown is removing its Christmas decorations and one high school student was quoted on his first day back to school as saying, "There's going to be no joy in school.  It really doesn't feel like Christmas anymore."  The early end to Christmas festivities seem appropriate.  After all, who could possibly be in the mood to celebrate much of anything?  The thought hasn't sat quite right to me, though, and I've mulled it over the last couple of days.  This morning it dawned on me that Christmas is exactly what we need to be celebrating right now.  I don't mean the shopping-party-food-commercial aspect of Christmas.  I mean the baby-born-in-a-manger-to-live-a-perfect-life-die-and-be-resurrected-to-redeem-all-of-mankind aspect of Christmas- the real Reason for the Season!

Who doesn't need to see a million nativity scenes to remind us that the Savior really was here and really did do what He came to do?  Or angels from heaven who proclaimed His birth?  Or candy canes- the symbol of the shepherds who were the first to seek the tiny babe after learning of his birth from the mouth of an angel of God?  What about the need for a star to guide us to the one place to find real, lasting hope and peace? A Christmas tree with it's evergreen leaves to remind us that life is eternal?  Lights to see reminders every where we go of the One who lights our way when things are darkes?  Red wrappings and bows and poinsettias the color of the blood that would be spilled to guarantee eternal life for each of those dear individuals and every other person who has ever walked the earth?  Bells to ring out the joyful news?  Music to give voice to that news?  Families, friends, and neighbors looking for more ways to serve and love each other?  Even Santa, who is a symbol of giving, loving, and caring for each other?  We need every one of these symbols of Christmas.

One does not need to be Christian to still find reasons to celebrate this time of year.  Though it came to a close the day after the tragic events, the lights of the menorahs celebrating Hanukkah served as a poignant reminder that there is a God in heaven and He does watch over his children.  There will be tragedies and heart break and hard times, but the tender mercies of a loving, all powerful God will be there to remind us that He's there.

So, may I shout from my virtual house-top:

Merry Christmas!!!

Yes, we do need Christmas, and this year more than ever.  Let's lay aside the commercial trappings, but let us never forget the real reason; for that is the greatest gift of all.  That is where our Joy will be found.

Sandwich Rolls

(Upfront apology:  I dutifully took pictures of every step of these sandwiches, but my camera was on a scout camp out and my phone did not do such a good job.  I could post them here, but they would make you wish you had a new prescription in your glasses- or that you had glasses if you don't already.  I got a headache looking at them as I tried to insert them today.  Maybe I'll try again and use the real camera, but probably not.  Sorry.)

Last week I read about an very ingenious idea on Everydayfoodstorage.net- make sandwiches cinnamon roll style, bake and freeze them.  The kids just grab one (or two if they are teenage boys!), throw them frozen in their lunches, and they're ready to eat by lunch.  I don't know why I have never thought or heard of this before, but I tried them for dinner on both Friday and Saturday and my family loved them.  We had them 2 nights in a row because the first night I tried ham and cheese.  The second night I tried pizza.  Both were good and both were gone.

The members of my family are not huge mustard fans, so I did make a couple of changes from the recipe at Everydayfoodstorage.net.

First, I used the basic bread recipe from Fasteasybread.com because I'd used it before and it was familiar to me. I also knew I could substitute some of the white flour with wheat and it would work fine.  It makes 2 loaves worth of dough which I made into 24-30 sandwiches, depending on how thick I cut them.  I rolled one half on the dough at a time into about a 13" or 14" x 9" or 10" rectangle.

Second, instead of a honey mustard sauce, which no one would eat, I improvised a ranch flavored sauce from a chicken recipe I use.  First, I mixed up one can's worth of a food storage Cream of Chicken soup mix recipe that I have.  It makes 2 or 3 cups of powder.  I mixed 1/3 of a cup of powder with one cup of water, brought it to a boil and turned it off.

Cream of Chicken soup mix
2 c. non-instant powdered milk
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. chicken bouillon (about 12 cubes smashed)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil (optional)
1 tsp thyme (optional)

Mix 1/3 c powder with 1 1/2 c. water, bring to a boil while stirring.

For these sandwiches I only used 1 cup of water because I wanted it a bit thicker to spread.  You could probably use a can of cream of chicken soup, but I only had large ones on hand and didn't want to open one.

I mixed the soup with 4 oz. of cream cheese (reduced fat) and a teaspoon or so of ranch dressing powder for flavor and spread it on the dough.  This ended up making enough "sauce" for 3 batches of sandwiches (about 36 rolls).

Next I covered the dough with a single layer of ham lunch meat and covered it with shredded cheddar cheese.

Rolling like a cinnamon roll was easier than I expected and cutting them into 1 inch slices was WAY easier than cinnamon rolls.  Usually with cinnamon rolls I use dental floss.  These cut really well with a sharp knife.  When I made the pizza rolls I used cheese only, no meat.  Those were easier to cut with dental floss.

The recipe from everydayfoodstorage says to bake at 400 for 10 minutes on a greased cookie sheet or in greased muffin tins for more a more "gourmet" look.  I tried both ways and found the muffin tins made rolls that stuck together better and were a more uniform size.

I let the sandwiches cool for a little bit in the pans, then all the way on a cooling rack, wrapped each in plastic wrap, and tossed them in the freezer.  The boys all took them for lunch yesterday and I thawed one for several hours on the counter at home to see what it would be like.  Obviously, they are much better right out of the oven, but they tasted pretty good thawed from the freezer.  The boys all took them again today, so that's a good sign.

This gives us something easy and different for lunches, at least for a while.  Plus, they have less fat than mayo on sandwiches, use less meat and cheese than a regular sandwich, I can get some wholewheat into the lunch bag, and there's less cleanup from lunch-making in the morning.  Wonder what other combinations we could try.  Roast beef and mozzarella?  Maybe with a little pepper and onion in there?  Turkey?  We ought to have a few weeks worth of experimentation ahead of us!

Top Heavy

 We removed the bush under our front window over spring break and replaced it with a 4 inch stump of a hibiscus plant.  It's a hardy variety bred to survive our winters.

It didn't seem to do much for about a month and then we noticed little green shoots.  Those little shoots grew like crazy, and now we have three- 3.5 foot stems.  Before we left for vacation they were loaded with blossom buds.  They began opening while we were gone. This is how the front of the house currently looks.

The hibiscus is actually supposed to become a bush about 4 feet high and fill in the space with green leaves and beautiful red flowers.  Can't wait for that.  Until then, these huge blossoms make the little plant look somewhat top heavy!  I hope it really does survive our winters.  A tiny piece of a Hawaiian vacation in our front yard would be nice.

 

Left on a Jet Plane

Just realized this morning I never posted this.  The 2 weeks are up and our superheros are not only on their way, they've already landed and gotten to work.  So far they love it.  We'll miss them but are so excited to hear how the work progresses!  Thank heaven for phones, blogs, Skype, and email.  They help make this huge world seem a little smaller.

They're Off! (sort of)

MTC missionary life during the day, our house being grandparents by night. Two short weeks of superhero life and they'll finally be on their way to Australia!

Happy April 22!

Nothing special today.  Just hoping you have a great one!

"Lazy" Chess

Chess is big at our house.  All those with Y chromosomes love it.  Those without?  Not so much.  I don't think we have any up and coming world champions, but the guys do all like to get together and play.  Joseph, Steven, and Ryan have all participated in the Chess Club held at the elementary school on Wednesday mornings.  Greg usually helps run it, so he and our elementary aged children have some fun together each week.  Last Wednesday was the last day of the club.  Friday of this week will be the tournament during school.  Then Chess Club is done until next year.  (Can you believe we're down to just a few weeks of school left?!)

As there was no chess club this Wednesday, Ryan and Greg had some extra time before leaving for school and work.  Greg offered to play a little chess with Ryan if Ryan would go downstairs and get the game.  Ryan got out the game pieces and timer, but not the board.  "Too lazy" he said to go back downstairs for the board, Ryan set up the game on the tiles of our dining room table.  It's 8 tiles long (just right), but only 4 wide (half right).  The benches each are 2 tiles wide, but only 6 long.  So, the "board" was set up with the two rows on each side being lower than the middle.  The four end squares on each lower section were made by dividing a regular chair into 4 sections with rulers and a tie.  They gave up using the timer because without black and white squares and with a two-level board, it was taking too long to figure out which square a piece moved to.

They ran out of time to finish before Ryan had to leave for school, so no body won.  But, they had fun and got a good mental spatial orientation workout to boot.  It even seemed to still be more worth it to Ryan than a quick trip downstairs for a real board!

Treats and Sacrifices

The boys opted to get ice cream and have hot fudge sundaes at home last night after the Priesthood Session of General Conference instead of going out for ice cream.  There are two bonuses for that.

1) Ryan and I got to have ice cream last night with them and listen to their recap of the evening.
2) The left over ice cream allowed for some After Conference P'zookies today.  Steven and Ryan even made them.  All Greg and I had to do was show up.  Sweet!

Thanks for teaching my kids all about these, Christie.  Thinking of you this evening.  Sisters are awesome!

Basic P'zookie recipe: Make a batch of the chocolate chip cookie dough of your choice.  Bake in a pan until half done.  Remove from oven and top with ice cream.  Eat right out of the pan while hot.  Enjoy.  (Tip: Let your kids eat part of your share or you'll be asking yourself what you could have possibly been thinking as you run or walk about 20 miles a day for the next several weeks to counteract all the calories.)

Tomorrow we're having popcorn and apple slices dipped in caramel sauce for Family Home Evening treats while we talk about what we learned this weekend.  Good thing Conference only comes around every 6 months.  It's going to take me until October Conference to calorically recover from April Conference! 

(I guess we all have to make sacrifices sometimes!)

Molloscum Contagiosum

This is turning into a medical blog.  Not exactly the direction I'd hoped to take, but outside of school, the doctor's office is becoming one of our most visited places.  At least this experience involves a new (specialized) doctor.

First, a little background.  Last fall Spencer started having a red, irritated eye.  He said it didn't bother him too badly.  I figured it was just allergies, since he has them seasonally.  When he went in for his contacts eye appointment, the opthalmologist found a little growth right on the edge of his eyelid.  I can't remember what he called it, but he described it as a viral growth similar to a wart and looked something like this (only on the upper eye lid:

 He said it was probably shedding virus into Spencer's eye, causing mucus secretions that lead to a bacterial infection.  He treated the infection with antibiotics and a steroid cream and it went away.  He cautioned us to keep an eye on it (no pun intended!) and let him know if it came back in the next few months.

Well, come back it did, so we were referred to an oculoplastic surgeon who told us that, yes, it was probably a virus or it could be cancer.  What?!  The biggest thing in our favor (not cancer) was that he had no swollen lymph nodes.  He gave us a prescription for an anti-viral eye cream and asked us to come back in a week.  If it was virus, it would heal up noticeably in a couple of days and the growth would go away.  (By way of caution, anti-viral eye ointments do not come cheap even with insurance.  The first indication was that we could only find one pharmacy in all of Provo who carried it and they only did because this particular doctor was upstairs and had started prescribing it.  Good thing vision in our children is so highly valued in our family!)

The first two days Spencer's eye was more red and swollen than before.  It settled down a bit, but never looked better than before the medicine.  Not good considering "cancer" was floating out there as an option.  Not to mention the tube of liquid gold antiviral ointment that we now owned. 

We went back the next week.  The doctor took one look and said, "Yes!  This is what I was hoping for!"  (I momentarily pictured us treating him to a Hawaiian vacation this summer!)  Turns out the real viral culprit had finally manifested itself.  (Yea for no cancer!) The growth had developed two pustules.  That meant the doctor was now 99.9% sure it was a virus called Molloscum contagiosum  and it does not respond to liquid gold anti-viral ointment.  It responds to surgical removal instead.  Awesome!  Basically, the virus is extremely common and is a big cause of skin rashes in day cares and wrestlers as it's spread by contact with people or things.  It runs around causing a general infection somewhere in your body until your immune system corrals it and creates pustules.  It's not usually a big concern unless it leads to a secondary bacterial infection.  It usually goes away on it's own after several months or can be treated with a different ointment, or can be removed surgically which usually ends the infection.  We don't know how or where Spencer picked it up, but the usual ointment can't be used in eyes and without surgery he'd have 10 or 20 pustules on his eyelid within the week.

Fabulous!

Spencer was thrilled to have outpatient surgery scheduled for that afternoon as it meant he got to miss his World Civ test.  Greg and I dropped the rest of the day and headed to the surgical center with him.  The actual procedure took less than 10 minutes but required general anesthesia.  We were there a couple of hours from check-in to check-out.  It could definitely have been worse.

Before:

After:

He did really well- never got remotely sick to his stomach or even needed a Tylenol for pain.  He got to wear the lovely ice pack for a day and then was left with what looked like a little eyeliner on one side of one eye lid courtesy of stitches.

Other than not being able to wear his contacts this week, needing to put a different ointment in his eye, and wearing an eye patch at night it's been no big deal.  His stitches came out today and the contacts went back in.  You can hardly even see where the scar is.  

One more visit in 6 weeks and it will be a done deal.  And that is that.

 

 

Round 2 (and this time he got it right)

It's not even been 4 months since our last visit to the doctor for a foot x-ray for what turned out to be a false alarm, but Joseph and I found ourselves there again today for the same purpose.  This time was not a false alarm.  His turn for redemption, I suppose.

Yesterday he kicked the door frame to his bedroom as he was heading in to get ready for a trip to the temple with the Teacher's Quorum.  He managed to hit it hard enough that he has a small crack on the large (most proximal) phalange of the middle toe of his right foot.  There's nothing to be done but let it heal.  He'll keep it taped for a while and maybe try crutches for a couple of days to relieve the pain.  It's the worst of both worlds- the pain and annoyance of a broken bone but no cool cast or brace for sympathy purposes.  Oh, the trials we are called on to pass through!

Very Limited Time Offer

Ok, time to talk about another child.  Today it's Steven.

 Steven is currently working on several merit badges for Scouts- this afternoon it was the Communications merit badge.  Requirement 7 has 3 options.  One is to start a blog.  He decided that would be a better option than designing a newsletter for an organization or writing a letter to the editor of  a magazine or newspaper.  I'd probably agree.  He going to write about his experiences with his month-long fencing trial.  The merit badge only requires 3 postings.  The first was posted today at fencersteven.blogspot.com.  One down, only 2 to go.  They may become collectors items as there's a real possibility there will only be three.  Better hurry and check it out before it's old news! 

Licensed to Drive

It's been a big month for Spencer- contacts and now a driver's license.  (Yes, it was snowing that afternoon.)

This is my second child to obtain a license.  The third will get his permit in 2 months.  It's hard getting into a car with a newly permitted teen.  It's almost harder letting them drive without me.  Does it ever get any easier to wave goodbye as they head out on their own?  I never thought this right of passage would be such a mixed bag.  I dream for years of them being able to get themselves every where and when it happens I'm on pins and needles until they're home.  What a crazy mom I am some times.

Congrats, Spence! 

(Cant' you just frame the license and hang it on your wall.  It will look great there!)

Free at Last! (well, almost)

Day One of new contacts.  So far they don't bother his eyes at all.  Only a couple of days to get his eyes used to longer and longer wearing and the glasses can stay on the shelf.  This is one happy young man.

Routines and Being Educated by a Bag of Cheese

Our family loves cheese- and not just because it's in a three-way tie for Ryan's favorite word ("banana" and "stuff" being the other lucky winners).  We eat more of it than is probably good for us.  As such, I buy shredded cheese in big 5 pound bags at Sam's Club.  We eat it more sparingly if I buy smaller bags, but the price is better in big bags.  To get the best of both worlds I buy the big bag, cut open the top, and then divide it into smaller bags which are stored in the freezer until we need/want them.

 It's usually a process that creates quite a mess on my counter because there just isn't a real great way of getting a handful of finely shredded cheddar from one bag to another without dropping some on the counter.  I've done it this way for years and never gave it much thought.

Forward to today.  I cut open the top of the bag and it split down the seam that runs the entire length of the bag.  At first I was irritated.  Then I realized my life was just simplified for years to come.  Do you realize that with the bag split open like that I can fill a baggie right over the open bag?  Any cheese that drops falls right back into the pile of cheese ready to be part of the next handful.  I don't even want to mention how many years it took me to realize this and I didn't even do it on my own.  I really need to get my life out of it's rut more often.

 Makes me wonder just how much of every day is wasted because I do things the way I've always done them.
(Oh, and I'm feeling incredibly brilliant right about now.)

Not Quite the Horrible Parent I Thought I Was

Joseph and I had a little visit with the orthopedic doctor today.  Turns out he most likely does NOT have a broken foot (parental redemption!) but a strain of some sort on either the tendons that attach to the 5th meta-tarsal or the growth plate at the end of the bone.  He even took an x-ray of his other foot to prove he has the same "break" in both feet.  He recommended a set of shoe inserts and gave Joseph some pointers on ways to change his gait when he runs.  Joseph tends to run on the front of his foot and toes more than he should and that puts strain on those insertion points.  He should see improvement soon.  If not, we go back in three weeks.

So glad it's not broken and the treatment only involved a trip to an orthopedic supply place this afternoon.  That is a much better option, in my opinion, than surgery or a brace for several weeks, or whatever else.  Joseph is still not completely convinced that the doctor isn't scamming us, but does agree that the inserts feel "squishy" and better on his feet.  They also make him a little taller.  That alone makes the day worthwhile.

Amazing Parenting 101- Step by Step Instructions

Step 1:

When your child complains of a sore foot, tell him to give it some time because he probably just strained it participating in PE that day.

Step 2:

Figure it must have gotten better since he doesn't ever complain about it again- just mentions it in passing.

Step 3:

When he brings it up again in the middle of soccer season 2 YEARS later, tell him it's probably just from soccer and see how it feels when the season is over.

Step 4:

Ten days after the season ends, finally take him in to the doctor.

Step 5:

Bask in your amazingness as you tell the doctor and the nurse and the x-ray technician- out loud and to their faces- that your son has had a sore foot for 2 YEARS (even though he hadn't really complained about it and played soccer two more seasons, and had 2 rounds of PE, and all that other stuff and seemed to be fine.)

Step 6:

Be totally impressed with your son when the x-ray appears to show he's had a broken foot for 2 YEARS and he's not really complained about it and played soccer two more seasons, and had 2 rounds of PE, and all that other stuff and seemed to be fine.

Step 7:

Be somewhat concerned that even though it appears to just be an avulsion fracture it still hasn't healed in 2 YEARS and agree that a referral to an orthopedic surgeon is probably warranted.

Step 8:
 
Agree to not make said son do the mile run in PE on Tuesday, but stand firm in demanding that chores be completed.  After all, he's not really complained about it and played soccer two more seasons, and had 2 rounds of PE, and all that other stuff and seemed to be fine for 2 YEARS.  I think a couple more days of vacuuming the living room before seeing the orthopedic surgeon isn't going to make matters all that much worse.  (But go ahead and buy him a cookies and cream candy bar.  You don't have to be totally heartless.)

Sorry Joseph.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- It's amazing, sometimes, that humans live to adulthood.

 There's probably some way to mark this, but I don't know what it is.  The fracture is the edge of the bump on the right.  The doctor circled it with a pen, so it looks like a dark line of shadow surrounded by a hairline fracture.  The hairline fracture is just ball point pen.

Welcome Fall!

Today started out like summer and is ending like fall.  Shorts and t-shirts to school, sunshine for the walk.  Rain arrived right as the last child got home.  I baked cookies and we had tomato soup, pop corn, and grilled cheese for dinner.  Temp is at 58 and falling.  The windows are open and the smell of rain and chocolate chip cookies is everywhere.  We got the final layer of our new street yesterday.  Greg is on his way home from 100 degrees in Houston.  Perfect start to the weekend!

Post Vacation, or, What happened to all that time that was looming before me just a few weeks ago?

I think I take longer to recover from vacation/being gone than I do to get ready to go.  It's taken 10 days, but the laundry is caught up, the house has been completely cleaned once (not in the last half of the 10 days and really could use it again!), groceries are in the cupboards, and the check book is caught up.  2 sons have left for a week-long camp and returned, the husband has left for his camp out. I spoke in church, got Erica to and from work, and Spencer to and from band, enjoyed visits from several family members, had a birthday, planted carrots for a fall garden, found several geocaches with another son, enjoyed some AMAZING rain storms, attended a sealing and an endowment session with Greg, took the kids to the temple for baptisms, registered the last son for 5th grade, bought most school supplies, helped a friend move (a little), took same friend to the airport, saw HP with most of the family, and slept at least 7 hours most nights since getting home.

I still have a newsletter to write, 6 closets to sort through with their owners, 2 other birthdays to shop for and celebrate, soccer practices to start, school clothes to buy, one child to get moved into a dorm, the schedule of one high schooler to get changed, several days to spend helping my Grandma, and an anniversary to celebrate (if we're every at the same place at the same time again!) all before school starts on the 22nd.

Ahhhh, life!  Someday I'll think about recording things on a blog again.  (Thank heaven for plants!)