My little sick boy. Oh, he is just so cute, even when he is sick!

Good to know!

Makenna told us last night that "the fat in your stomach is used to make your boobs!"

She read it online. The things the internet will teach you!

Kenna's new room!

The basement is finally done! We are slowly moving in starting with Makenna's new (PINK) room! She LOVES it!!!

And if the leg warmer situation was not enough to make you think I am a complete freak who is stuck somewhere in the 80's, here you have it.

My trusty sweatband.

I am officially the geekiest runner ever!

There, I am now out of the closet. Now that feels better!

All I want for Christmas...

One day it is there (barely)

...notice his lip, he just fell flat on his face bumping his whole mouth.

And the next it is gone!

Problem=Solution

NO! This is not me at my 1988 aerobics class!

It is cold here in Utah. This morning I decided to let my treadmill have a break and got ready to brave the elements and run outside for once. As I got on my favorite running pants I sighed. My ankles are exposed and they get SO dang cold. Numb really! I looked around hopelessly for another option but came up with nothing. Finally, I used the Martha Stewart in me and came up with this crafty idea. Cut off some warm cozy socks just past the toes and VIOLA...

Kankle warmers!!!

Now... what to do about this knee sweat. Did you know that knees sweat? Well, they do! Especially when you have to wear knee bands to run so that your knees don't fall off. Another problem for another day.

I do think I might have started a trend here. Time will tell. I mean don't they look great? LOL!

Tell you how I really feel?

I had three problems today. First, my messy kids and all of their clutter including a big life sized cut out of a Vampire named Bella. Second, I am SO irritated at how fast people drive down my street, I mean really this is a neighborhood! And last but not least, I just felt a huge urge to let people know how I really feel.

Here is how it went down. I gathered the troops, meaning my little slaves that I gave birth to, and put them to work. They vacuumed and did laundry along with finding the floors of their rooms. Coren is a slob and a GIANT pack rat that I really need to whip into shape.

They whistled while they worked well not really but they didn't complain too much and before they knew it they had accomplished SO much!

I felt good about what they had done but I still had two problems. Fast drivers and that dumb vampire. Sorry y'all but I am just not into the whole Twillight thing. Call me weird, call me sane, call me what you will, but I think it is dumb!!! So there, I said it, now everyone will hate me and not want to be my friend. Oh well, at least I have my pride! LOL, just kidding!

So, I tore her into three (Bella that is), in a truly murderous way. I am not going to lie, their was some anger there. I placed her in the garbage just right hoping to scare some fools, and went to the window to watch. I thought I was so funny and clever... as usual.

Right away I got some lookers. What happened next shocked me. The neighbor that never talks to anyone and breaks up our late night parties by calling the cops on us drove by (did I mention that I shoveled his driveway once to be nice. Well I did and he didn't even care!!). He stopped his car. I was SURE he would call the cops on me and have me arrested. I guess I deserved it, treating that sweet vampire this way. I know, the world is in love with her. But I think she is freaky looking. Just FREAKY!

As I waited for the PO-PO to come and haul me away he turned his car around. He went home and started to march my way, his kids in tow. I was ready for him! I mean bring it, this was not a real body, and from what I have heard vampires cannot die (if I heard that right)! He walks right up to my garbage can, pulls out his phone and then..... starts to laugh and takes a picture of it! I was shocked! I bet he hates her too. I mean he is a HATER, right? I bet he likes me now! Now all of my neighbors like me. Ummm, I think! I HOPE! What is not to like? LOL. I might shovels his walks again just so he knows that we are kind of tight now.
Here is what I learned today. My kids can clean when forced to and I am going to make them do it more. Unexpected people find me funny after all and take the time to laugh at my jokes, while those that know me best expect me to murder vampires and drive by just as fast as usual.

People slow down or you might just be seein' the inside of of my little green can. Kenna, sorry but she had to go. Maybe if she was a Jacob cutout we could have kept him and drooled over his SEVENTEEN year old body. SEVENTEEN... girls, really? You should be going to jail! You and your nasty thoughts!

I bet Bella is missing in the morning. I would laugh so hard. She is a collectors item after all.

**** Update. After just two hours Bella had been stolen. I hope she is happy in her new home!**********

And finally!

The tooth is out! Now we just need to get rid of that other one!

Please read!

John Hopkins Update - Good article

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKIN S IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2 . Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3 When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors..

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs..

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers.. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper.. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

Drama Mama!

It's always something. Right? Late last night when he should have been asleep, Carson walked out holding his mouth declaring an emergency! He opened his mouth a little and all I saw was blood. It was then that the flood gates opened and he was freaking out. Carson doesn't like pain. He explained that he had somehow turned his tooth around and it was stuck that way.

To me it was simple, I would just turn the tooth back around, or better yet yank it out. But that was hard to do when he wouldn't let me touch his mouth. Finally he decided that if I didn't get it out then it would fall out in his sleep, he would choke and die. The only problem was he still wouldn't let me try to pull it out.
Finally he let me try a few times, I got it straightened out, but he was always yanking my hand away so I finally gave up. I assured him he would not choke in the night and that it would fall out in the day. That was a task.

Today he went to school looking pretty dorky with his tooth just hanging there. Makenna lectured me that you cannot send your son to school looking like a hobo, but I explained that you can when your child is slightly wimpish.

And yes, his tooth used to be straight in there!

My date.

Coren took me out on a date. We had so much fun, just the two of us. I let him plan everything. He decided that we would go out to eat and to a movie.

First we went to Sweet Tomatoes his favorite restaurant. We had a great time, and he was actually able to carry on a great conversation with me. It was almost like going out with an adult!

Then we went and saw the movie Astro Boy. He was so into it.

When we first go to the theatre, we were the only ones there. I wish it would have stayed that way, but soon it was filled with rowdy kids who's parents let them be annoying. Oh well, at least my date was well behaved!!!
I had such a great time. I love you Coren!!

Lucy Kenna Lowry

7 lbs. 15 oz.

20 inches long

born at 5:20-ish

Lucy Kenna Lowry

She is SO SO SO SO cute!

WOW, I scare myself!

Seriously, this seems too crazy to be true, but today I was in the McDonalds drive-thru, and I backed up and backed right into a car.  I wanted to punch myself in the face!!!  I didn't see it.  It came out of no-where!

I got out and luckily there was no damage.  The guy (who looked like he could care less) tried to open his door but it wouldn't open.  Then, he struggled to get his window down (yes, it was a nice car LOL) and I was like... "OH MY GOSH, I am SO sorry.  There is no damage but I feel so bad.  Do you want to look at it to make sure?"

He looks at me and says, "No, it's OK, this is my Dads car.  Do you need me to back up?"

It was the weirdest thing... but honestly why do I keep backing into things????

I am such a loser!

What a lucky guy!

I know that this may seem a little weird, but I wanted to start off the new year letting Steve know how lucky he is to have me!  Usually women say how grateful they are for their husbands, but that just isn't the way I roll... plus, I do SO many great things that this should make for an excellent post!

Let me start by saying how exciting I make life.  Never a dull moment when I am around.  You never know from one second to the next what you are going to get.  Happy one minute, mad the next, laughing then yelling... and the list goes on and on.  Overall I am the most exciting wife ever, with frequent outbursts of excitement and spasticness.  It is a wonder he can even contain himself!

I am also an amazing shopper.  I always come home with the cutest stuff for me to wear.  I think he loves it!!  In fact, I am going to make it my New Years Resolution to shop more.  He always says things like, "Wow, another shirt.  I can see why you needed that!?!"  So he sees it.  He also tells me that I have a shoe addiction.  I am aware of it and so happy that he supports it.  I think that this year I will buy even more shoes.  Then he will see what addiction really is.  Deep down he loves me buying shoes.  I love it too!

I am a great driver (except that last garbage can incident) and I always give him the best driving advice.  Honestly, he wouldn't make it anywhere without me.  I am a constant reminder of how he should drive, and if I am really passionate about something I scream and jump.  He loves it!  So much!

I am a great cook!  I make a mean bowl of cereal.  I think he is grateful to me for helping to keep the families weight under control by not cooking TOO much.  However when I do cook, it is the best food he has ever had.  He especially loves the leftovers!

He was so excited to run with me this last year.  He was so happy to be forced to run a marathon and loved every training run he did with me.  He really liked it when I would run in front of him.  He liked me to yell at him telling him to get his butt in gear, and he liked crossing the finish line of one of our halves right before me after I waited for him the whole race!!!  He laughed at me when I got mad at him for it.  In the end I didn't care, and that is why he is so lucky to have me.  

I love to talk.  He says I never shut up.  He likes it!  At night when he is trying to sleep, I talk to him.  I think it is soothing.  I even turn on the TV when he ignores me and laugh really loud.  TV can be so funny!  Right?  Sometimes it even wakes him up and I get to tell him what I am laughing about.  Those are good times.  I can always feel the love!!  Those are times that he feels like he is the luckiest guy in the whole world!  Some wives would just be quiet and ignore their husbands so that they can rest.  Not me.  I want Steve to know that I am there for him.  Just in case he wants to get up and join in the fun!

I think he is way grateful that I have managed to keep the kids alive.  Some days he seems to have his doubts, but deep down I think he is just jealous of my awesome parenting skills!  I would be if I was him.  Really, he just looks up to me and wants to be like me.  He is lucky for my example.

In closing, I would like to quickly list a few of my excellent qualities that are pretty self explanatory.  A beast in the morning, rebellious, anxious, nasty PMS at times, always say what I am feeling, selfish, and last but not least I am smarter than Steve!

You're Welcome Steve.  I am glad I can be there for you and be your dream girl.  You are SO lucky to have me!!

Wedding Pictures

Here are some pictures from Zak's wedding that my cousin Matt took.  More to come!!!