Table for Eight

We recently moved our TV from a room we hardly ever used, to a room we basically LIVE IN. And you know what? Wo- Man ! TV can be a time-suck! We have started watching shows that I never knew existed. And while I'm sure there are thousands of studies that demonstrate the negative effects this recent increase in TV-viewing has had on me, my family, our pets . . . Here's what I have to say about that : I HEART THE CAKE BOSS! And I heart that show even more thanks to our DVR. (Seriously, was there really a time when we sat through commercials?)

Today's post is brought to you by The Armchair Life Coach (me): No matter what struggle you are facing today, you can find peace if you try to SEE and FOCUS on the good all around you. How do I know? Beause every person in my life is facing some kind of struggle. Every. Person . (And I include myself in that group.) But you know what? They are facing those struggles AND still smiling. How is that possible? Well, I think it's because they know that the struggles are just part of life. Part. Of. Life. Not all of it. Just part of it . We are here to live and love and grow. And that sometimes requires struggle. And while I know this isn't news to anyone reading, I wanted to just remind myself today . . . struggles are part of life. And the way we endure them , and triumph over them , is by focusing on the GOOD amidst the struggle. Because the GOOD is always there. So, don't forget to focus on the good today . And smile . ...

Prochaska and DiClemente's Stages of Change (UCLA professors)  I've been thinking a lot about change lately. (I blame today's existentialism on the weather.) I'm not talking about the kind of change that happens TO you (like illness, divorce, natural dissaster, job changes, etc.). I'm talking about the kind of change YOU create/cause to come about (diet, exercise, perspective, habits . . . ). So today I'm wondering, "Is change possible?" I have such conflicting thoughts on this topic. One part of me remembers a Maya Angelou comment, "When people show you who they are, believe them." (I think Oprah told me that one afternoon, so it may not be Dr. Angelou's comment. LOL!) Anyway . . . That comment makes me think: people don't change . My second thought is the Bible scripture that says basically "With God ALL things are possible." Now that comment makes me think: people can change . So which is it? Ca...

It's not breakfast, it's dessert! (white chocolate, Tootsie Rolls . . .) Okay, I have to admit, I don't really know much about the origins of April Fool's Day . Is it a holiday? Does it commemorate something? Someone? I'm 40 and I still don't know. But, give me a legitmate reason to play a few practical pranks on the ones that I love, and  . . . I'm in!  Unsuspecting loved ones.   And mothers, I think you should follow my lead: this year: make April Fool's Day a day to remember ! Wallpaper a space with tin foil? Why not? Or are Post-It Notes more your style?  Make them a cake (by frosting a box).  Put masking tape over the sensor for the computer mouse. The possibilities are endless! PS: Family Fun also has these cute little "calling cards" you can print--to let your family know they've been pranked. It's like a Hallmark . . . only not. Click here for the free printabl...

I have posted these " 10 Points of Joyful Parenting " on another tab here on my blog . . . because I love it . I hope it inspires you the way it has inspired me: From "Ten Points of Joyful Parenting" by Ann Voscamp 1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God. 2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else. 3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry. 4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling! 5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air....

Praise the Lord! It's Friday! That means our Kick-Off ( Welcome Spring: Let's Eat More Green ) officially ends tonight . And I, for one, am soooooo excited! Seriously excited. (I actually dreamed about a peanut butter and marshmallow FLUFF sandwich last night.) I didn't realize just HOW MANY processed foods our family eats in one week. (A lot!) And while I don't really know how other families eat, if you're anything like our family, your cupboards are filled with lots of boxed foods: cocoa-puffs, macc-n-chese, fruit snacks, bagged cookies, marshmallows, goldfish crackers, and more! So, cutting those things out for a week is actually really hard to do. You miss the sugar/corn syrup. You miss the salt. You miss the RUSH of eating simple-empty carbs. You miss the convenience of the little happy packages (the hilariously-shaped treats). And a whole lot more! But I do think the benefits outweigh the losses. And I think, over time, if we ate fewer proces...

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, I woke up feeling so excited and empowered. I was ready to tackle the world. (Well, at least my world--the gym, child-raising, teaching grammar and usage to college students, being a good friend to Dave-man, and saying no to processed foods.) But by the end of the day, I felt pretty much defeated . I think it's kinda funny. (Kinda.) How can I know something with all of my heart one minute . . . and the next minute completely forget it? It reminds me of something my mom used to say when my brother Dane and I were kids and someone (usually Dane--wink) would make a mistake: "Sometimes I forget." How true is that? (Can I get an Amen!) Sometimes we forget . . . that washing darks with your whites is a bad idea. that Cosmic Brownies aren't on the Food Pyramid. that babyoil isn't a tanning lotion. that microwave popcorn BURNS when you use the "popcorn" button on the microwave. that ye...

If loving Snickers is wrong, do I wanna be right? So yesterday we began The Kick-Off, our family's attempt to welcome SPRING by doing "All Things Spring"--wearing short sleeves, wearing brighter colors, eating more GREEN (fresh) foods and 86ing processed foods. And if you read the blog yesterday, you know I promised to check in and update you on our progress. (We're doing this little exercise from Monday-Friday at noon. Each child that keeps to the plan earns $5.00; each person that falls off the plan OWES the family $5.00. PS: We will donate that money to the ARC.) So, here's our update after our first 24 hours of The Kick-Off : Dave--still on track. (Although Dave worked 13 hours yesterday, tethered to a computer, so he didn't have much ability to exercise FREE WILL. Don't get me wrong, he did great. I'm just sayin', spend a day preparing meals and snacks for the kids and then tell me it's easy .) Dawn--still on track. (But I...

Even though it's officially "spring" here in Utah, I don't exactly have a spring in my step. Yes, we've had some sunny days since October. BUT, generally speaking, we've spent a lot of days indoors. A lot of days in pants. A lot of days in (the same) long-sleeved shirts and London-y jackets. And I'm beginning to feel a little like a hamster who has been storing food in her cheeks . . . for a long long time : STUFFED! So, I'm taking matters into my own hands (which is SO unlike me--haha)! That's it, Old Man Winter . Here on Hysteria Lane we are ACTING AS IF it is Spring this week.   So, THERE! That's right. We're wearing bright colors. We putting on short sleeves and sandals . We're opening up our windows as much as possible. And I may even get out the Tropicana SunTan Oil! (BTW: We'll still put on our jackets, but only when it's absolutely positively necessary.) BUT most importantly, we're eat...

  Hope is the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Happy Weekend everyone! I'm keeping today's post simple--just a bit of extra encouragement to you and me both: ALWAYS KEEP HOPE No matter what your situation, circumstance or life event . . . always keep hope. And if you've lost yours . . . call a family member or friend and they will lend you theirs for a bit. Promise. 

The Tsunami/Earthquake in Japan really has turned my brain upside down. It's just really hard to fathom how temporary life can be. How unpredictable it can be. How downright HARD it can be. But, for all of the overwhelming sadness I have seen/felt, I have also seen/felt how much goodness SHINES in us when we help one another. For example, the goodness of the 50 people who have been working in the Japanese nuclear power plants, risking their own lives/exposure to radiation in order to cool the fuel rods. Or the goodness of Sandra Bullock (whom I already heart) who donated 1 million dollars to the Red Cross Fund this week. Or the goodness of  a group of BBC journalists who formed a human chain to transfer people stuck in trees, on top of cars, and on brick walls to safety once the tsunami hit Japan. There are so many stories of humankindness. And I think, when something like this happens--something of epic proportions--we have to focus...

 Little gnomes left gold coins and a touch of green this morning.  Happy Saint Patrick's Day! (Don't forget to check the Giveaway tab.)  How are you celebrating St. Paddy's Day? What? Your not wearing green? You're not Irish? Not a holiday fan? SO WHAT! Holidays give us a reason to hit the pause button and CELEBRATE the TRULY WONDERFUL PARTS OF LIFE : FUN (music, decorations), FRIENDS, FOOD, and FUN MUSIC!!! So get out there and celebrate! The whole IRISH gang! (Yup, our surname is IRISH! And Jay definitely plays the part well.) Green eggs and ham (with rolls). by Jay

First of all, don't forget to check out the Blog 5 Year Anniversary Giveaways this week (Monday through Friday). The odds are SO GOOD. Really, this isn't The Pioneer Woman's blog. LOL! Yesterday we had fewer than 10 entries. Woo hoo! PS: I moved the entry details to the tab--menu--at the top of the blog. ************** Oh little loaves of bread . . . I heart you. I would count baking bread among my Top 10 Favorite Things To Do. I just love baking bread. In addition to loving the making and eating of bread, everytime I bake, I learn something. And I love that! I really think baking bread may be a revelation for me--kind of a "Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned Baking Bread": Sunshine helps you rise. Take your time. Don't worry about imperfections . . . they give you character! It really doesn't take much to make something wonderful! etc., etc., etc. But my point! I think I love baking bread even more after baking it these ...

I see and read the news about the tsunami in Japan and I am overwhelmed. It's hard to believe. How can there be THAT much devastation? How can there be that much loss? And how can this NOT be the first--and last--time we have witnessed such a catastrophe? It's just not right. How do you find joy in daily life when you know others are experiencing such pain? Ugh. That's such a BIG question for me. Can I really be thinking about taking my kids to the movies when I know that a mother half-way around the world is searching frantically for her children after a natural dissaster? How can life be both beautiful and awful? How do we live amidst the chaos? And I mean really LIVE . Well, I'm not a psychologist, but I play one on my blog . . . and as I've thought about this question the last 72+ hours, I've come to a kind of answer for myself: I think the best thing we can do is appreciate our lives and enjoy the good that comes to us every day. And then, ...

Some how, some way, I hit the 5 year mark for blogging this month. I honestly had no idea I've been journaling/blogging regularly for five whole years. And while I know there are lots of other really positive habits I could commit to--I'm still really overwhelmed by the notion that I committed to doing something 5 years ago . . . and I'm still doing it! Woo hoo--I think this calls for a celebration! Five days of them! So, to celebrate 5 Years of Blogging, each day I'll be hosting a Giveaway. Monday, March 14th through Friday, March 18th. You can read the Giveaway TERMS below. In the meantime, here's today's Giveaway--in honor of "where it all began" (the blog's origin: Garden Gnomes and Cherry Cola): One 8-inch sized Exhart Gnome statuette. Here are the Giveaway TERMS: 1. To enter the daily contest, just send an email to gardengnomesandcherrycola@gmail.com  with your answer to this question: In the last 5 years, what a...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oquirrh Mountain Temple Today marks the one-year anniversary of our Temple Day with Jr and LuLu! Where have the last 12 months gone? Wow, that went fast! If it weren't for these reminders of their adoptions, I promise you I would forget that Jr and LuLu are adopted. I'm so serious. Not a day goes by when I don't think, "This was meant to be--it feels like we have always been a family. Always together. Always." Jr and LuLu are amazing kiddos--and I am grateful everyday for the love that they have given and taught our family. (And grateful to Jay, Bam, Papaya and ZuZu for sharing their love with Jr and LuLu from the minute we decided to be their foster family.) (PPS: For my non-Mormon amigos, when you get married or adopt, you are able to have a special ceremony performed at the Temple, called a sealing . The sealing ceremony/ordinance unites your family on earth and in heaven. It's like an e...