Senior Pictures

I got Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac a few weeks ago and I'm pretty disappointed. It doesn't have some of the features that Elements 6 for PC has. And I didn't realize how much it couldn't do compared to the full Photoshop. I've still been using my iPhoto to do all my editing because it goes so much faster than photoshop. It was $400 cheaper, but I'm sort of regretting my purchase. I think I need to figure out a better process so that using Elements will go faster, but right now its a pain.

Anyway- these are some senior photos I've taken the last couple weeks. I don't think they are fantastic, but they are probably better than the school photos they are used to getting.

Our tires got slashed a few nights ago. Well, one tire. A "gang" was out on a Tuesday night slashing tires (many of the victims were teachers at the high school). They also did a bit of graffiti that night. I'd be more mad if I didn't think it was so LAME! One of the gangs here calls themselves the "White Picket Fence" gang. I just want to mock them till they understand how stupid their gang is. These kids here are just bored out of their minds. Today in church one of the speakers talked about how we need to engage ourselves in uplifting activities to keep away from the adversary. That's exactly these kid's problems. There isn't a whole lot offered here in the way of after school activities. No dance or violin lessons. No roller skating rink. They are idle and not engaged in anything good, so the bad stuff finds them. And alot of them come from messed up homes with parents who are on drugs or gamblers or adulterers, etc. The parents don't value education either, so that makes it hard. There is alot working against them.

Thurm & I were discussing the other day how we have taught kids in two very different cultures. Our experience in Taiwan was completely different from here. In Taiwan, school is their whole life. They go to school all day everyday except Sunday. And when they aren't in Chinese or English school, they take music lessons or some other kind of extra curricular activity. Alot of the kids don't get home till 9 o'clock at night, just enough time to do homework before bed. They got excited when they had a few hours on Sunday to watch TV or play video games. However, alot of these kids are under so much pressure to perform that the suicide rate is pretty high.

On the extreme opposite are the students here in Wendover, a 90% Hispanic population. They could care less about school. They go because they aren't old enough to work and its a social activity. And when they go home at 3pm they have nothing else to do for the rest of the day BUT watch TV and play video games and get in trouble. School is not valued at all here and even the smart kids are not challenged enough to keep their interest, so they are lazy students as well.

Poonem Note

My mom read my blog about the word "pudem" or "poonem." She gave me a call and informed me that I got it from Tweety Bird. I knew it! I told everyone that when I first was asking about it. But everyone thought I was confusing it with "puddy tat." I have a vague memory of the Grandma telling someone that they have a cute "pudem."

Ok... I'm done.

Tour of Wendover

Thurm & I took a little drive today and decided to document the desert, dust-bowl that we call home. The first picture is the H.S. Thurm teaches at. The second picture is the elementary school I teach ESL at. Third, the LDS church, a half-block from our apartment. Fourth, the trails Thurm runs. Last, the only green in within a hundred miles, the golf course. These pictures are actually just so you'll feel sorry for us and the depressing town we live in and invite us to come stay at your house, or take us on vacation with you. Preferably somewhere green. Like the Oregon coast?

The two stores we shop at... because those are our options. The Montego where I worked for a couple months. A view of the "strip."

Our Apartment

The flash on my camera actually makes our apartment look pretty good. It looks so white and clean. Note the bathroom picture how you could sit on the toilet while washing your hands.

Cheesecake-Topped Brownies

1 package fudge brownie mix
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate frosting

1. Prehead oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix as package directs. Spread into well-greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch till fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Add egg and vanilla, beat till smooth. Pour cheesecake misture over brownie batter.
4. Bake 40-45 minutes or until top is lightly brown. Cool. Spread frosting. Store covered in fridge.

Makes 3 dozen brownies.

**Note: They are better when they are room temperature. These are the BEST brownies I've ever had!!!

Wendover HS Spring Fling

I was asked to take dance pictures for the spring fling on Friday night. I thought for "Spring Fling" I would do a Springy background. So I put up a blue backdrop, a fake tree, fake flowers, etc. I asked the kids what they thought and they all really liked it. But I just couldn't do it. It was so cheesy-high-school-dance. I asked them what they have done in the past and the reply was butcher paper, die-cut outs, whatever is available... yuck! I needed to save these kids from crappy dance pictures. So I just did good ol' classic black. If I had access to a some stores other than Smiths (or "The Smith" as the Hispanics like to call it and what Thurm & I now like to call it) and the Dollar Store I might have been able to come up with something better, but I had to make due and black seemed the best choice. I realized after I picked all my favorite pictures from the dance that they were all the same pose. I must really like that pose. These kids were all so serious! I kept trying to get them to smile to no avail.

One of the little girls I teach told me today that I look like I have TWO babies inside of me. And that she wants me to bring the baby by when it's "done." Done cooking? You can always expect the truth from kids. My belly might be lined with a healthy, very healthy, layer of fat, but I'm trying to think of it as extra padding and protection for the little guy.
I woke up with swollen glands and a sore throat this morning. Its all I can do to stay awake till 9 pm and I already took an hour nap after work. Thurm thinks I'm so tired because I'm in my third trimester. Maybe. I should just take advantage.
Thurm coached his first track meet yesterday. I slapped him on the butt and called him Coach on his way out. It seemed like the right thing to do : ) I love that he is so excited to coach and that he's had the opportunity here. He also had his first Boy Scout meeting tonight. Plans were made for the next two months for hikes, fishing, knot tying, wood carving, etc. It seems like a good group of boys, even though one spilled red punch on our carpet. Nothing the carpet in our palace probably hasn't seen before.
Thurm has 3 1/2 weeks left of marathon training before the big day. Any of you that would like to support, he's running April 19th in SLC at 7am. It starts up by the UofU hospital.
uhh.. guess thats it. Maybe I'll go to bed, its almost 8pm.

New York Photos

Here are a few photos from our trip. Pregnant Natalie with pregnant Picasso, NYC Skyline, Grand Central Terminal.

Pictures of Wall Street, the view of the alley from our hostel window, an awesome mosaic at the MET, and Thurm in front of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

New York 2008 Log

Monday
7:00am-Arrived JFK

8:00-10:00am- Took Super Shuttle to Upper West Side-Candy Hotel. Shuttle took 2 hours because of Parade & crane accident. Hotel bed was great and I was really glad!

11:00am- Took subway to 5th Avenue & 50th Street to watch St. Patrick's Day Parade. While we were there we went to the Rockefeller Center. The ice skating rink is tiny, much smaller than on TV. Went to Saks 5th Avenue and laughed that people actually pay $200 for a hat or scarf. Went to the toy store FAO Schwartz and saw the big piano Tom Hanks played in "Big."

2:00pm-Went to the Museum of Natural History. Thurm can't even remember it because he was so tired, he didn't sleep at all on the plane so he was going off no sleep. I liked the ocean life and dinosaur bones sections of the museum.

5:30pm- Dinner at Famous Ray's Pizza.

6:15pm- Went to a taping of the David Letterman Show. Brooke Shields and Seth Meyers (Saturday Night Live) were on.

9:00pm- Went back to hotel and went to sleep. We were really tired.

Tuesday
11:00am-Went to Manhattan Temple and did a session.

12:00pm- Ate at Thai restaurant, Lemongrass. I had Panang curry and Thurm had Squid & Shrimp black bean paste stir fry (his looked disgusting, but he assured me it was delicious).

2:00pm-Tried to get boat to Statue of Liberty, but were too late. So we walked around Wall Street area of town. We also saw the huge hole where the World Trade Center was.

4:00pm-Tried to get to Little Italy & Chinatown, got lost. I got frustrated because I was cold, tired, and pregnant. So we gave up because I didn't want to be outside anymore.

5:00pm- Went to Empire State Building. We got special treatment because of my pregnant belly and didn't have to wait in a half hour line like everyone else : )

7:30pm-Went to eat at Katz Deli (famous for "When Harry Met Sally" scene). Didn't eat there because I couldn't bring myself to pay $15 for a sandwich that didn't even come with chips or fry's. Plus I was just cranky to begin with.

7:45pm-Ate panini sandwiches at "Sweet Eats" instead. Had to listen to really annoying girls talk very loudly. Sat next to an Adena look-alike.

Wednesday

10:00am-Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I loved this museum, by far the best one.

1:00pm-Lunch at "3 Guys"

2:00pm-Guggenheim Museum-loved the building, hated the artist. They rotate a new artists work every three months. It felt like the Emperor's New Clothes. The art sucked, but no one wanted to say anything because then they would be accused of being close-minded. So even though no one really liked it, everyone said "wow, amazing talent!" The city sort of has that feel. Everyone is too scared to say "you know this isn't as great as everyone thinks it is." Its a city of image and status.

5:00pm-Took subway to Harlem, got off on wrong stop and walked a few scary blocks before we got to the Apollo Theatre. Bought tickets for the Amateur show.

5:30pm- Shopped at H&M. Ate at Burger King.

7:00pm- Went back to Apollo and watched a very entertaining show. If you haven't seen this on TV, you should, it's really entertaining. Performers come on stage and if the audience doesn't like them, they get booed off the stage. One woman behind us said, before the singer even opened his mouth, "That boy looks like he needs to be booed!" It was a tough crowd, but really fun.

Thursday

7:00am-Thurm ran the entire loop of Central Park while I slept in.

10:00am-Museum of Modern Art. We both loved the paintings. Saw lots of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Tippy-tippy-day-day, Picaso, Degas, etc. I loved the furniture displays. Cool chairs and book shelves I would love to have in my home.

1:00pm-Tried to eat at Serendipity (famous for its frozen hot chocolate) but it had an hour wait and we had lots to do. So we ate at Patsy's Italian across the street. I had a delicious Spinach Ravioli in a cream pistachio sauce. MMMmmm.

4:00pm- Took a Harbor Cruise around Manhattan. Took some great pictures of the skyline.

6:00pm-Went to Times Square. Played at Toys R Us, bought chocolate at the Hershey Factory, tried to get tickets to a musical--but all sold out.

8:00pm-Ate at a Mexican restaurant, Viva Pancho, which wasn't that great. But we live in Wendover, where the Hispanic population is 90% and the food is really good. So our Mexican standards are pretty high.

Friday

9:00am- Second attempt at seeing the Statue of Liberty. Didn't go because it was a 2 hour wait in the freezing cold.

10:00am- Little Italy/Chinatown-bought a great Dolce & Gabbana knock off bag. Who actually pays the $2,000 for a real one? That's insane. I also got a $2 purse at a Chinatown dollar store.

12:00-Lunch at "Novella." I ate Chicken Parmesan & Thurm had Chicken Marsala. Mine was delicious. And a canoli for dessert. Mmmm.

1:00pm-Swung by Greenwich Village. Browsed a cool bookstore.

4:00pm-Grand Central Terminal-took great pictures and browsed a cool market.

5:00pm- Chrystler Building

6:00pm- Dinner at City Diner. I had eggs, fruit, toast & potato's. Thurm had a New York Steak. Really good.

Saturday

7:00am-Thurm ran Central Park while I packed our bags.

9:00am- Walked around Central Park. Ate a hotdog and candied almonds from vendor. Saw Strawberry Fields and building where John Lennon was shot.

11:00am-Had to check out of Hotel.

12:00pm- Ate lunch at Indian Buffet.

1:00pm-Took subway to JFK : (


The trip was great and way too short as always. I would have enjoyed it even more if it wouldn't have been FREEZING cold. We didn't pack for 20 degree weather so there were a few days that I wore my entire wardrobe. Two pairs of pants, five shirts and a sweater. And being pregnant and walking all day long wasn't my favorite. Outside of those complaints, it was a great trip. Thurm probably would have enjoyed it even more without my complaints too. : ) Once we figured out the subway, it was super convenient. (Its definitely the most ghetto subway I've been on). The feel of the city was fun, but I'm glad I don't live there and have to keep up with it. I think its a city I would have loved to live in when I was 21. People were really nice to us, but we did see some really rude interactions. Must be subway rage. I felt like a celebrity/freak with my pregnant belly, people stared constantly.
We are going to enjoy relaxing on this Easter Sunday and eat a few deviled eggs. Then tomorrow we are going to start to prepare for our next adventure, parenthood.

Name Note

Just so everyone knows, Thurm has already vetoed Kale & Moses. Well, everyone has vetoed Moses. I'm still sticking by Moses, I think its cool. But apparently you have to be a black football player to be named that. While the voting results don't reflect this, I think Quinn probably has the biggest chance of making it to the finals. I had lots of other cool names that never even made it to the polls. Ainsley, Finley, Gwen are a few of my favorites. I tried to convince Thurm that Pacey was a cool name, but he didn't like the idea of his kid being named after my early-twenties-Dawson's Creek crush.

Does anyone have suggestions? Don't bother suggesting any name that is a mutated version of another name, like Jaden or Kyler or Colter. We want real names only, please.

Who thinks Jonathan should write his own blog? The world deserves his entertainment.

Sorry Jonathan, I had to post this... it was too funny.

GNAT-

I just wrote a whole comment that I was going to post on your blog but
I am so paranoid about it being a family place that I fear my cynicism
may not be welcome by all who read it. I liked my comment though, so
I thought I would at least share it with you. Plus, it is another
long one that makes me think I should start a blog of my own. I
hardly have time to keep up with my facebook. Here it is:

I am really writing to comment on the name selection poll, not the
whole "pudem," "pumem" charade, but while I am here I do have one
thing to say about your most recent blog, it is this: BUY A TV
ALREADY! Trust me, you will like it and Quinn/Roman/Moses/Kale will
thank you--and me. Look, you grew up with a TV and turned out fine.
We had nearly as many TVs as people in our house and I Lizzy and I
survived. Sure, I am shallow, emotionless and sometimes brutally
sarcastic, but that has nothing to do with TV. Ok, maybe a little.

So, back to the names. I was holding off voting until I saw some form
of Jonathan, Tyler, JT etc on the list but it is becoming clear to me
that if I want a kid to be named after me, I am going to have to get
someone pregnant myself or start sending $.89/day (just the price of a
cup of coffee) to a child in sub-saharan Africa who might befriend a
kindly priest and ask for a "Christian" name. Now that this is
officially not about me, I will tell you I voted for "Moses." I had
to. I am sure this might offend a family member (that I may or may
not know) but I didn't want the name "Kale" to win. I mean, kale is
the grossest of the leafy green vegetables. Kids have it tough these
days (or so I hear) without that kind of burden. Come to think of it
"Roman" is just two letters away from being "romaine" which, while
quite tasty in a Caesar salad, is another leafy green vegetable. What
are you trying to do to this kid? On the other hand, Moses is not a
vegetable or vegetable-related but could be a lot of pressure on a
kid. I can just see you talking to people you run into at the mall,

Person at the mall: "Oh, what a cute baby! What's his name?"

Nat: "Moses."

Person at the mall: "Oh, just like in the Old Testament."

Nat: "Ya, kind of, but without the tablets, the unparalleled
spirituality that garners attention for aeons of time or the strong
leadership skills."

Not to regress, but you are right, TV might screw up kids.

***********

Really, the pictures are great and MAN! you are pregnant. Still seems
surreal. I do like the name choices and know you well enough to know
they wouldn't be conventional. I like the idea of names not many
other people have (just not Soda or Seven). I am starting in the ER
on Tuesday, which means I am only working 40 hours/week. That should
give me time to catch up on old emails and my facebook page--and call
you.

Talk to you soon,
Jonalove

Poonem

A few months ago I told Thurm what a cute "pudem" he had. Face. He laughed and said it wasn't a real word and that I just made it up. But I swore that I had heard it some where and that people used it. Over the months, we've asked our friends, no one has heard of it. I googled it, couldn't find anything. And tonight, I had a REVELATION! It's Yiddish!!! I looked it up in a Yiddish dictionary and there it was, not "pudem" exactly, but "poonem." YAY! My word is a real word! (Thurm is laughing at me that I'm blogging about this).

Pregnant Belly

A few of my long distance friends requested pictures of my belly. Thurm posed as a pregnant woman so I could set up the photos for me. I got a few handsome pictures of him while I was at it. I just bought some new lights a black backdrop so I can have a little home studio. There are a few high school students here that have requested senior pictures. Should be fun.

New York City or Bust

Thurm & I are going to NYC for Spring Break. I’ve done a bit of traveling in my life, and I’ve always wanted to go to NYC but never have. If you would have asked me where I wanted to go most when I was 16, I would have said NY. It’s taken me a decade to get there, so I hope I like it.

Our itinerary includes all the touristy sites and museums. Plus Thurm is going to run a few times at Central Park, which he is very excited about. We are flying stand-by, which is always a huge hassle. You never know if you’ll actually make it to your destination and how long it might take you to get there. I have many memories of sitting in airports waiting to get on a flight. The other thing that might be an issue is that we are staying in a hostel on the upper eastside. Normally, I wouldn’t even care. I’ve stayed in lots of hostels. But with my pregnant belly, I’ve been having lower back pain at night. I just hope our bed is decent so I’m not crippled the whole week. And I hope it’s not ghetto, because I have to make lots of mid-night trips to the bathroom. Thurm wouldn’t be too happy if I woke him up to come with me every four hours : )

I think I’m most excited to take photos of the architecture and eat food in Little Italy. Three more weeks!

Snow Day!

Today we got a Valentines Day present from our employer. Thurm got a call early this morning that school was canceled for a snow day! We looked out our window and there was a skiff of snow not even covering the grass. But apparently Tooele, which is what district we are in, got dumped on last night. So they canceled school for the entire district. Pretty cool.

Some Pictures

*Thurm's Birthday-- I made him a "More Cowbell" t-shirt and put sparklers on his pie. The letters on the t-shirt started peeling off that day and sparklers left black ash on pie : (

*The delicious Margarita pizza that I made.

*Valentines Cookies--Thurm made them and I decorated them. We are a great team in the kitchen.

I have officially felt the baby move. I think I've been feeling it for weeks now, but its hard to pin down. Its along the same sensation as having gas : ) So you can imagine my confusion. But I have now figured out what it feels like. Its cool/weird having another living person inside of me. Sometimes I feel like there is this alien parasite living off my host body. And other times, its so amazing to me that I'm in the beginning stages of motherhood. I've read about the nesting stage of pregnancy, I think I've definitely hit that stage. What with all the sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc. At least I have an excuse as to why I'm loosing my cool self to "mother Natalie." Thurm likes to call me "mama." But he's been calling me that since before we were dating. When we rode our scooter together around Taiwan he'd look back at me and say "ready mama?" He thinks its hilarious. But its making a come back now that I have a big belly.

Today feels like Spring here in Wendover. Its about time! We were so excited about it, we washed both cars inside and out just to be in the sun. Thurm went on a 15 mile run today. He has two months of training left before the marathon and he's doing really well. We had a realization the other day that we only have four months left in Wendover and before the baby comes. Which means we need start looking for jobs in Idaho and figuring out our future plans. We are gone over half of the weekends we have left on vacations, doctor appointments, etc. YAYAY!!! I'm trying not to get too excited about leaving Wendover in case we have to stay here another year. I don't want to cause myself an emotional breakdown : )

Awesome Pizza Crust Recipe

Pizza Crust

1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
3 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix water, sugar, & yeast. Let yeast froth. Add the rest of ingredients. Mix. Let rest 10 minutes. Spread onto pizza pan. Add toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe is really good. I made Margarita pizza the other night and it turned out SOOO good. Restaurant quality good. The recipe makes a lot of dough, so next time I might make two pizzas so the crust is thinner. While I preheated the oven, I put the empty baking stone in the oven to heat it up too. On the counter, I rolled out the dough into a big enough circle. Spread on the tomato sauce and sprinkled on mozzarella cheese. You could brush olive oil on the outside edges of the dough to make sure they don't get too crispy. I took out the baking stone, sprinkled it with corn meal, slide the pizza onto the stone. Baked it for 20 minutes. Right when I pulled it out of the oven, I laid fresh slices of tomato on top. REALLY GOOD!

The story I'm about to tell is pretty embarrassing and most people wouldn't blog about it, but it’s just too funny not to tell.
I went to the baby doctor on Friday for a check-up. Every time I go, I have to pee in a cup in a tiny, little bathroom. After I was done I grabbed my purse, my coat, and my cup and open the door. Well there is not much room and as I opened the door, it caught my coat, which bumped my arm, which caused me to spill pee down the front of my shirt. Pretty mortifying! My first thought was "what am I going to say to the nurse!" I quickly got a paper towel and wiped up my shirt. Thankfully, my shirt was new and the pee beaded up and wiped off without soaking in. So there actually wasn't even a wet mark. However, I was worried about the smell. Especially since I had eaten asparagus the day before.

TV & Kids

Thurm & I get alot of crap from family and friends about not having a TV. We haven't had one since we've been married and I don't miss it at all. And we still watch movies on our computer. I just read this article about TV and kids that I thought was great:

A great deal of research has been done on the effects of television on children’s lives. The first step in making the decision is to get the facts. Because nearly all of us have one or more TV sets in our home, and since most of us watch some TV nearly every day, we may not want to hear what research tells us, but these are things parents need to know.

Experts suspect that babies younger than two years old view TV as a confusing array of colors, images, and noises. They don’t understand much of the content. Since the average TV scene lasts five to eight seconds, your baby or toddler doesn’t have enough time to digest what’s happening.
Cartoons and many children’s shows are filled with images of violence. If you find this hard to believe, surf the TV on Saturday morning. The realism portrayed in today’s cartoons has moved light years beyond the Bugs Bunny type of violence. Many children’s shows almost are animated versions of adult action films. Research shows that exposure to this type of programming increases the risk of aggressive behavior and desensitizes children to violence.
Babies and toddlers have a very literal view of the world. They can’t yet tell the difference between real and pretend, and they interpret what they see on TV as true life. Research has demonstrated that many young children believe that TV characters actually live inside the TV set. This can confuse young children’s understanding of the world and get in the way of their learning what’s right or wrong. It can paint a picture of a frightening, unstable, and bewildering world and your little one does not yet have the faculties to put what he sees into proper perspective.
Television watching can be addictive. The more that children watch, the more they want to watch. Even toddlers can become drawn to the set. Once addicted, turning off the TV can become a daily battle. Children who watch TV excessively often become passive and lose their natural creativity; they eventually have a hard time keeping themselves busy, and they lose valuable time that should be dedicated to “play” the foundation of a healthy childhood and the primary way that very young children learn.
Parents sometimes unwittingly begin to use TV more and more as a way to keep their children happy and quiet. It takes a strong will and dedication to avoid the easy route provided by this free and easy yet sometimes dangerous babysitter.
Children experience unparalleled physical, mental, and emotional growth in the early years of life. Time spent watching television is time taken away from more healthful activities that nurture growth and development.
Children who watch a lot of television during their early years are at risk for childhood obesity, poor social development, and aggressive behavior. They often have trouble adjusting to preschool or kindergarten. According to a study by Yale Family Television Research, teachers characterized children who watched excessive television as less cooperative, less imaginative, less enthusiastic about learning, and less happy than those who watched little or no TV.
You may have noticed that all of these points demonstrate the negative aspects of letting babies and toddlers watch TV, and you’re wondering if there are any positives. There are a few, but I’ll be honest: I had to be very creative to come up with this list, since published research doesn’t demonstrate many good points for putting a young child in front of a television. But we need to be realistic and acknowledge that most of us aren’t going to put our TVs in the closet until all of our children start school. Here are some of the good points of television for children:
Quality children’s programming can teach your child basic academic skills, such as the ABCs, counting, addition, science fundamentals, basic language skills, manners, and even early reading skills.
Your child can view things she might not otherwise see in daily life: exotic animals, distant lands, musical instruments, historical places, and diverse lifestyles. Your child can learn about the world beyond her home and neighborhood.
Your child can learn basic social skills from watching wholesome programming: how to play with other children, how to use good manners.
Using extraordinarily careful selection and restraint, a little bit of television can provide a parent with much-needed down time, or time to catch up on tasks that need adult-only attention.
TV watching tips for parents of babies and young children
The following tips may help you minimize the negative and maximize the positive effects of television watching for your little one:

Hold off introducing television even videos to your baby as long as possible. If you wait until your child’s second birthday, you can consider yourself incredibly successful in starting your little one off well and with the kind of real-life interaction that is so important for his development. If you decide to allow TV before your child turns two, choose programming carefully, limit viewing time and skip days when possible. (Daily viewing easily becomes habit.) The less watching time, the better! Set a goal, such as no more than 30 minutes or an hour per day, or one favorite show, so that you’ll not be tempted to turn the TV on too frequently.
Watch programs yourself before you allow your baby or toddler to watch them. Just because a network markets a show to young children doesn’t mean it will reflect your own family’s morals and values. You will be amazed to discover that many programs aimed at children contain violence or topics that are inappropriate for your child. Don’t assume that your baby can pick out the moral message from a program that features violence or conflict on the way to an important lesson.
Pay attention to commercials surprisingly, an excellent children’s show will sometimes feature commercials that depict the exact things you don’t want your little one to see
Choose programs that are developmentally appropriate for your child. For you, this means shows that are slow, boring, and probably somewhat goofy. But choose programs from your child’s perspective, not your own.
Invest in a collection of appropriate and educational videos for your child so that you won’t be confined to network programming schedules when you are ready to let your little one watch something.
Watch along with your child when you can so that you can monitor your child’s reactions to what he’s seeing. Invite questions and discuss what you are watching so that you can understand your little one’s take. Point things out and talk about what is being taught to get the most of out of educational TV. You may even follow up with some lessons afterwards.
Avoid keeping the TV on when no one is actively watching. Many people do this and are used to the background noise the set generates, but your child will almost surely be exposed to programming that is inappropriate for her.
Make a conscious decision about how you will use television in your family; don’t watch it by accident or default.

Hum Drum...

*I'm starting to feel a little more pregnant. Mostly because I can't suck in my stomach anymore. And I feel like I'm waddling.

*I had to walk(waddle) a few blocks to work today because my car wouldn't make it up a really steep, ice-covered, hill. It was very blizzardy.

*Thurm & I gave talks in church on Sunday about Temples. Thurm talked a bit about Pres. Hinkley's mission to bring temples to the people. Seemed fitting.

*I made rolls last night and forgot about them while they raised (I put them in a semi-warm oven). This morning I woke up to very flat balls of dough (the oven got cold over night). I cooked them anyway. They look like cookies, but still taste pretty good.

*I started crocheting a baby blanket last night. The pattern was really cute with blocks of different shades of blue and white. But I am no crochet master and just couldn't figure out the instructions. So my blanket is now straight rows of blue and white.

*I'm not sure if it's being pregnant or if its living in a dinky town with no TV, but I'm starting to feel very "homemaker." I told Thurm since he is trying to study two hours a night and training for a marathon, I would take care of all the household duties. So I cook every night and clean. But on top of that I've been doing a sewing class. And I'm crocheting a blanket. And I bought fabric to make a fleece blanket. And I enjoy baking. The list goes on. Guess this is a new stage in life for me.

*Thurm and I took the color test to find out our personalities. He is an overall white with a bit of blue. I am exactly half red, half blue. I think he felt satisfied in finding out that I have pretty much no yellow in me. To those who aren't color test connoisseurs, this means I am no fun. Now Thurm has backing when I am being boring. I was interested to find out there are a whole group of people with Thurm's personality! The "white" personality described him exactly. I just can't believe there are more people out there like him! I really thought he was one of a kind. I just come from a family of reds and have rarely encountered whites till Thurm.

We had our ultrasound on the 21st and found out we are having a little boy. The tech guy at first thought it was going to be a girl because he didn’t see anything. I asked how sure he was; he said “90%.” But I guess he started doubting himself because he looked again and there it was! A boy!
Thurm instantly started talking about how he needed to get his fishing buddy a pole. And he wanted to get the baby a jogging outfit so when Thurm takes him running in the stroller he’ll have something to wear. That made me laugh out loud. I think the baby is going to be like his daddy. He was lounging out in my stomach with his feet kicked out and an arm behind his head, just like Thurm sits. Looked pretty comfortable.
The consumer science teacher at the high school has been offering a sewing class once a week that I have been going to. Last night I mended two pairs of pants, finished a receiving blanket, and sewed a panel into a pair of my black pants making them maternity pants. I love maternity pants, I might never go back to non-elastic waist pants. They are so comfortable. I was pretty proud of my sewing accomplishments. I have never been able to sew in a straight line, so I felt pretty good about it.

I haven’t talked much about my new job, but I really love it. I think in Taiwan I didn’t love teaching as much as I could have. And I think a lot of it had to do with not getting enough sleep at night. I was always so tired during my classes (mostly due to romantic evenings spent with Thurman).
I teach ESL to grades K-6. For kindergarten, I take all Spanish-speaking kids in a class at one time. There are usually about 10-15 kids that I take for 45 mins at a time. The 4th-6th grade kids, I just tutor in small groups or one-on-one. I really like all the kids and all the ages. But those little kindergarteners are hard not to love. I’ve decided that age five is the cutest age. They know just enough about life to be hilarious. I have one little boy, Jonatan, who is an entertainer. I have to be careful not to spell or say his name Jonathan or he will immediately correct me. The first time he was in my class I had the kids sing me the ABC song to see if they knew it. The song ended and the kids stopped singing except for Jonatan who added a little flair at the end in the spirit of Aretha Franklin. Another time while letting them dance to a song about “things inside your house,” Jonatan managed to quickly organize the other kids into a conga line and danced them around the room.
It’s an ideal job except for the low pay. I don’t have a boss breathing down my neck. I run the classroom how I see fit. I work independently and am trusted in my decisions. And I get to be around fun little people all day. I really love it.

Before Marriage & After

What happened to my long-haired traveler? He is now an English teacher in a small, desert town with a pregnant wife : )

This year the adults in my family decided to not get each other gifts and save the money to go towards a cruise in a few years. There were some worries voiced that then we wouldn't get enough stuff for Christmas (I won't name names, but my little brother is pretty greedy). As you can see from the gluttony shown in one of the pictures below, we had a VERY merry Christmas and everyone had lots to be thankful for.
Thurm and I had 10 days off and we spent it between our two families. We spent those 10 days EATING, playing games, watching movies, EATING, and more eating. I gained five pounds, but I thought I had gained 10. So I'm not sure if I should feel guilty or not.
The big news that Thurm and I announced to our families is that we are having a baby!!!! YAY : ) I am three months and due June 18th. Thurm and the doctor disagree with that date, but I feel pretty sure about it. It was a surprise to our families as well as us, but we are ecstatic. After about 10 minutes of shock, we were both really happy and excited. Thurm has been ADORABLE about me being pregnant. I think being a father is going to be what he is best at in life. He is a fantastic husband, a great brother and son, a creative and entertaining writer, a genius boggle player, but he is going to be an AMAZING dad. I'm just as excited to see him as a dad as I am to see our new little baby. I haven't really felt too pregnant. I've been really lucky. I had morning sickness (all day sickness) but if I had a snack every hour or two I felt pretty decent. So I'm hoping the rest of the 6 months I feel just as good.
I haven't thought too much about the post-pregnancy. I do see crying, tantrum-throwing kids occasionally and feel a little dread. But Thurm & I know our kids are going to be angels, so we don't have much to worry about : )

2007 Christmas

Ham Blockage

I have a piece of ham stuck in my throat. Well, maybe not anymore, but I can't tell. Three years ago I had to get my esophagus stretched because its too small (not terribly common, but not unheard of). They told me in 2-3 years that I would have to get it stretched again. Well my three years is up and a piece of ham let me know that. I freaked out Friday morning (after an entire torturous night of trying to get the ham to go up or down) and made Thurm take me to the ER in SLC. They basically told me to wait it out and it would go down. They didn't have a doctor on staff that could do the procedure and they ONE doctor that they called was booked. So I've been suffering for four days and I think it has finally gone down. Moral: I will chew my food 50 times before I swallow.

Adena asked what the school district was going to do to fix our situation with the door. Apparently some time this week, someone will be out to build a wall on their side of the room. Our side will still just have a door that goes nowhere. Whatever, as long as its sound proof. Did I mention the electricity? I guess they can't switch the electricity over, so our neighbors have to pay us $30 a month in utilities. I can imagine the problems that might arise.

I had my first day of work at the elementary school as an ESL teacher today. I really dug it. But I didn't have any students today. I was just organizing my office, doing some paperwork, and looking over the teaching materials. I just liked the atmosphere and it was fun finding a book of stickers that I can hand out as rewards. After work, I went to the casino to say good-bye to my co-workers ( I missed my last day due to the ham in my throat). They had bought me a candle and wrote a really nice card : )

I am supposed to be helping Thurm grade papers but I'm guiltily blogging. Hope everyone is having a festive December!

Two become Eight

For the past week Thurm and I have had a family of six living with us. When we first arrived in Wendover our neighbors asked us if we needed our extra bedroom. They have four kids and are living in a two bedroom apartment. We, of course, sympathized and wanted to help out. So we said "Of course! Please have our extra bedroom." It was our understanding that a wall or heavy double doors would divide our two apartments and our extra bedroom would become theirs. It has been months since this transaction has been talked about and so I was surprised to come home for lunch one day and have three men in our house discussing how they were going to change over this room to the other apartment. Being ever trusting, I assumed these men knew what they were doing.
I came home from work that night and heard children in our home. But at closer examination, the kids were just in our extra room. The men had basically just put a deadbolt on our flimsy cardboard door and cut a door out of the opposite wall for the other apartment. We can hear every word our neighbors say and they can hear every word we say. Tonight I listened to the mom read her children a bedtime story as I brushed my teeth. I walked past some cheerios laying on our floor that had somehow made their way underneath the door to our side. Thurm & I have been talking in hushed whispers to try to keep some privacy. The poor little girl who lives in the room has heard every noise that comes from our bathroom.
I've been assured by the School District who owns the property that the situation will be rectified this coming week. We'll see.

My Hilarious Brother...

My brother wrote a response on his blog as to hobbies I could take up:

1.You could take up cross county skiing or downhill skiing, or salt flat skiing. I realize that local geography has a lot to do with the feasibility of this one.


2.You could take on a few craft projects that perhaps could be sold on e-bay or given as gifts. I found a bag full of old LP’s and LP covers in the shop a few weeks ago.
(I got excited about making record purses and selling them on e-bay for a week. But its never went further than my dad's shop.)

3.The Internet is full of educational opportunities, a lot of which can be free. Here's a site that has endless articles on everything you can imagine. How Stuff Works. http://www.howstuffworks.com/ You could use the time as a chance to learn how to put oil in your car for example, or how parking brakes work.
(My family likes to make fun of the various times I've tried to destroy/wreck my cars)


4.Florecita suggests starting a club that could provide a service to the people of Wendover. Perhaps teaching others about one of your passions. Examples:Music, Politics, Photography, Morality, or Anti-Snobbery.
(So I'm opinionated, sue me)


5.I have stacks of Mac magazines, they have lots of entertaining tidbits of Mac wisdom.
(I don't believe in calling Tech help for my Mac when I can just call Dave-he's programed into my phone, unlike Mac)

I need some hobbies. Thurm’s nights are spent either running or studying. He has decided to run the SLC marathon in April and has started training with Carlos, our Mexican friend who doesn’t like our red curry. He is also studying for his online teaching certificate. He has a list of twenty text books to read by spring. And I am bored! There is only so much cooking and cleaning a girl can do. And I’m a little read-out at the moment. I have consented to be the co-leader for the local Brownie troop once a week. And I am going to take a sewing class at Thurm’s high school once a week. But that leaves five more nights a week with not much too do. I have put up flyers for photography, but only a few people have called. And this town is too damn ugly to be photographed. I have told myself I’ll practice the piano and guitar, but haven’t done much of it. I think I need a new hobby to get excited about. Any suggestions?

I have been counting down the days till Thanksgiving. I feel like we haven’t left this ghost town in MONTHS and I can’t wait to see some trees. We are leaving tomorrow night to go to Idaho to see our families for four days. And after this trip we only have two more weekends to do our Christmas shopping. I guess I could do some of the shopping online, but that’s no fun.

Thurm & I have been discussing politics and war the last few days. Neither one of us knows as much as we would like about those subjects, there is just so much to know. I had a discussion with my dad one time about how I had given up on the news. I feel like we never get the whole picture, there are always half-truths, lies and cover-ups. My dad’s argument is that if you watch enough news from different sources, that you’ll be able to sift through the crap and get to the truth. Maybe.

I’m sure most generations have felt like their generation was going to pot, but I really feel like our world and our country is falling apart. It’s full of sickos that hurt children and other people. It’s full of liars who say they are looking out for our best interest. It’s full of selfish people who only care about themselves. Our government is spending more on war than on everything else combined. And what is America going to be like when the government & big businesses decide they are satisfied with the situation in the middle-east? When they’ve made enough money from being at war. What about our kid’s education? What about the drugs and violence in our society? The poverty? The lazy-ass slackers draining our welfare and social security? The illegal immigrants draining our welfare and social security? I think our government is corrupt, and the U.S. people are apathetic, ignorant, or don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m in the “don’t know what to do” category. And I think that’s why a lot of people are apathetic. It seems so futile and that my one little voice will never change anything. So why worry about it. There needs to be a revolution. The American people need to stand up to the government and change things. Not with fighting, but with a refusal to go along with how things are being ran currently.

Life's a Dance...

Our branch/ward here is never boring to attend. It is full of colorful people who make it constantly entertaining. This week Thurm & I attended Sunday school where the teacher, we'll call him John, was a bit aggressive. I'm not sure aggressive is the word... John is an older man, around sixty. And when the branch president asked if could interrupt for an announcement, John told him "no, you asked me to come teach and that's what I'm doing." I think John is just a big tease, but no one is quite sure how to take him. So his style of teaching was to play devils advocate to get the class into a big discussion. However, he was a little too good at it and some people were getting flustered or passionate. The discussion was getting pretty rowdy and John made a comment about people making mistakes in the gospel. John and the branch president were sort of talking over each other and suddenly the branch president yells "Hey, life's a dance, you learn as you go!"
It was at that moment, Thurm & I knew that you get blessing for going to church. We've been laughing over that for two days now. I can't wait for next week to see if any other country lyrics are thrown out during a discussion of the gospel.

Sandwich Artist

Tonight Thurm met me at work to walk me home. We walked past Subway and I had a craving for a sandwich for dinner, so we went in. THIRTY minutes later we left with a footlong. ONLY IN WENDOVER!!! When we arrived there was a man who was getting two sandwiches made----15 MINUTES this took. I didn't really notice the time because we were talking about work and how our days went. Five people piled in line behind us by the time he got to us. There was one man working who was, to put it nicely, slow & odd. We ordered quickly and I even passed up getting vinegar & italian spices on my sandwich to make it easier. I searched my purse for cash to make it easier, but I had to use a debit card. When he ran it, the machine started making wierd beeps. He said "oh my boss must be on the phone, I'll go tell her to get off." He tells her. Waits a couple minutes and tells her again. THE BOSS finally got off the phone so my debit card would go through. When she came out to help make sandwiches I wanted to give her the stink eye, but didn't. Bizarre.