St. George Relaxa Shalaxa

Okay. I don't know what I just wrote in the title, but basically, the boys and I got invited to THE MOST relaxing getaway ever!! It included: eating, laying out by the pool, and sleeping . . . my 3 favorite things! It was awesome!! Thanks, Marisa, for the vacation!!

Kids chillin' in the hot tub!

Marisa and I went to see "Grease" at the Tuacahn. So fun!!

Ian never took his goggles off!

Boys snorkeling in the hot tub!

They even had a value menu at Denny's! The kids thought they were in HEAVEN!!

Eating Denny's all-you-can-eat pancakes with a knife is Ian's new favorite activity.

Watch out for Lightning!

An afternoon at the reservoir. Wind. Rain. Lightning. Thunder. Moms huddled under blankets. Happy kids.

My kids found the scuba gear from the almost forgotten cruise Aaron and I took a few years back. They put it on. These are the results.

Happy 4th of July

Flags. Face Painting. Funnel Cakes. Sparklers. Freaking out on new thyroid medication. Which one doesn't belong?!

Feathers

Since when do people wear feathers in their hair?! I guess since 2011!

The girls have been begging for feathers, so . . . here they are. My two bird girls.


I opted out of a feather and got my nose hairs waxed instead. I know. Aren't you glad I'm sharing?!

Hot Pots Adventure

Up, up, up Diamond Fork Canyon, there is a little place called the "Hot Pots" that nudists like to frequent. Natural hot springs are perfect for getting naked. At least that's what I've heard.

A couple of weeks ago, Aaron was at work, the girls were away on trips, so the boys and I decided to take a little adventure: hike up to the hot pots to see "who" or "what" we'd find there.

It was actually quite a bit of a hike. The boys drank out of their Camelbacks constantly and made about 10 "pee" stops.


After an hour and a half of hiking, we finally spotted the "hot pots." One problem. There was a VERY LARGE SNAKE on the path leading to the hot pot!


Because I didn't want to freak out in front of the boys, I calmly said, "Oh, let's just wait a minute. I bet it will slither into the grass and let us by." Eventually it did. We literally SPRINTED past the brush it disappeared into and SCURRIED onto the rocks surrounding the hot pot. Luckily we were the only people there so Ian ditched all of his clothes, including his underwear, stood in the hot pot with his hands in a victory sign, ready for a picture to pass onto his posterity. I lifted up the camera to catch this special moment, and . . . what do you know? Out of batteries. LUCKY YOU!!

Two more snakes were spotted by the boys soon after Ian redressed so the boys and I hurried back down the path towards the car. We will not return any time soon. Our curiosity about the "HOT POTS" has been satisfied!

I Have a New Condition

(Charles' shoe was not injured in anyway during the filming of this project!)

Recently (by recently I mean the past 6 months) I have thoroughly enjoyed chewing on pieces of crushed ice. I especially enjoy it after the ice has been sitting in a glass of water for about 10 minutes. It has a perfect chewing texture at this point . . . not tough ice that may break a tooth, not almost-melted ice that instantly melts on your tongue . . . but . . . basically, a perfectly cold, but chewable piece of ice. Make sense?!

My family has questioned my ice chewing recently.

"Why are you always chewing on ice, Mom?"

"That's going to break your teeth, Mom!"

"Is there a reason you are crunching ice cubes again, Mom?!"

I tried to explain to my children that I'm sure the ice chewing ties into the iron deficiency that I was diagnosed with. I was anemic for a total of 2 days before the doctor decided I was no longer anemic. Confusing, huh?! Well the kids know that I was only diagnosed as being anemic for 2 days, so they thought that explanation for my ice chewing was just plain silly. I thought about calling the doctor about my ice-chewing problem so that I could have a more educated explanation for my kidlets, but decided my doctor may think I'm already wackier than he already does. Instead I put on my sleuthing hat and decided to Google "ice chewing" instead. This is what I found out.

The practice of chewing on ice is known as PAGOPHAGIA and is considered to be a form of pica, a term used to describe the practice of munching on non-food items. People affected by pica not only chew on ice, but may also chew on clay, rocks, and other items not meant for the digestive tract.

(THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME CHEWING ON CLUMPS OF DIRT FROM MY BACKYARD YOU'LL KNOW WHY!)

The practice of pagophagia has been associated with nutritional deficiencies, most notably iron deficiency anemia.

(SEE KIDS! I KNEW I WAS RIGHT!)

In some cases pagophagia and the desire to chew on ice can be associated with stress and underlying emotional problems. Chewing on ice becomes a way to deal with issues that can't be dealt with in a healthy and more productive manner.

(UH! OH! I DON'T THINK I'D BETTER TELL THE CHILDREN THIS PART! IT LOOKS LIKE I BETTER CALL MY THERAPIST FRIEND FOR ANOTHER APPOINTMENT . . . I WONDER IF SHE'S EVER DEALT WITH AN "ICE CHEWER" BEFORE?!)

If any of you have a more effective way (than ice chewing) to deal with stress and underlying emotional problems, please let me know ASAP. You never know what this PAGOPHAGIA may have me chewing on next!

Multi-Tasking During a Marathon

I am a great multitasker during everyday life: I do the dishes and watch a television show on the computer simultaneously, I vacuum and listen to music, I mop the floors and talk on the phone.

During a marathon, I am usually only good at doing one thing at a time: running, or talking, or drinking, or pooing . . . Keep it simple, right?! One thing at a time.

Well, today I switched things up a bit. I multi-tasked during the entire marathon:

1) I felt sick to my stomach and ran at the same time.
2) I ate GU chomps while running, gagged profusely, and spit them out onto a fellow runner -- all at the same time.
3) I stopped at a Porta potty at Mile #13 to get rid of some Runner's Runs. While sitting on the dirty potty, I opened a buzz bite, chewed it, swallowed it with some water, and violently threw up everything into the urinal and onto my lap. It was my finest moment.
4) Made 5 new friends WHILE running. By friends I mean, I talked to people I didn't know before the marathon. Most of the conversations were instigated by the lettering I had applied to my legs earlier that day. My left leg read: The Runner's Runs Suck. My right leg read: I Am A Silly Yak.
5) I danced while running and listening to a rap song at Mile 23.
6) I laid down on a cot at the "Sick Tent" after the marathon, listened to music, talked to a nurse, and drank a chocolate milk . . . all at the same time.
7) Took a shower when I got home, collapsed in the shower from stomach ailments, sat on the pot, threw up in a nearby trashcan, and texted my mother-in-law . . . all at the same time.

As you can see . . . I'm pretty much an AMAZING Marathon MULTI-TASKER!! Currently, I am typing this blog entry, eating chips and salsa, drinking Diet Pepsi with lime, and thinking about puking in a bucket again. I'm telling you, the multi-tasking never ends!