Christmas News Letter

J is in fifth grade this year, and can now wear my shoes.  His interests are soccer, electronic games, beyblade (although I’m told that beyblades are no longer “in”), and origami.  At school he sold origami creations as part of his class store, and got really good at folding ninja stars.  Mom got really good at folding boxes.  For his birthday this year, he invited his whole class and had a movie outside in the field, and found out what happens when you put mentos into diet coke (we did that on purpose, we were’t just feeding kids diet coke and mentos...).

A is in second grade, and is still just a happy kid.  He loves his teacher, his friends, soccer, and legos.  His smile is infectious, and his teacher has told me several times that he really knows how to make her heart melt.  There are few things better than knowing your child’s teacher loves him as much as you do.

CP is in preschool this year.  When I pick him up he likes to ask me, “so, what did you do today?”  He also played on his first soccer team this year.  Preschool soccer is fun to watch, since most of the kids don’t know what’s going on, and are busy climbing their coach or playing house in the goal net.  CP, thanks to his older brothers, knew what was going on, and we got some good footage of him running down the field to score a goal.  In a few years when the other kids figure it out, that may be a little trickier.

E is finally walking, at 15/16 months.  His favorite things are going down the slide, being carried around, and playing fetch, I mean catch.  He’s a happy kid, except when he’s teething, and we’re so happy he’s part of our family.  CP especially likes having a younger brother to play with (and carry around- E is not so fond of that).  Time is going by so fast, that we’re just trying to enjoy his babyness as much as possible before it’s gone.

This year I’ve discovered that I have hobbies again!  I had forgotten about them for a long time.  I ran a couple of half marathons and my very first full marathon this year (after which I promptly stopped any form of exercise- I’m still recovering- I’ll get back to it one of these days...).  I also rode (and finished) a 100 mile bike ride with some of my friends.  I felt great until mile 70 or so, after that I was grateful to my friends for keeping me going.  

Kyle had a pretty busy training schedule earlier this year when he was training for the St. George Ironman.  He finished, and is crazy enough to want to do it again in a couple of years.  He’s decided that triathlons are more fun that single-event races.  (I tried a sprint tri this year, and am unconvinced.)  

We’re still working on getting our houseplans ready for building in the spring, and are keeping our fingers crossed that everything works out to proceed as planned.  Hopefully next year I’ll be writing this letter from the comfort of my very own home.  Maybe you can all come visit.    All Our Love,  Kyle, Alice & the boys.

Track the progress of our house at http://flaglotliving.blogspot.com

Saturday Morning Chores

I went for a run while my Mister picked one apricot tree clean.  The trees are a bit sparse this year, so even though these aren't the prettiest (they're pock marked), we're canning them anyway.  

He also worked on getting the dead bees out of the wax from the crooked combs he had cut off before our vacation.  He was using a fork to scoop the bees out, when I got home and saw what he was doing, I suggest we get a solar wax melter.  Ours was pretty pricey.  Here's a close up:

Our solar wax melter seems to be working pretty well. 

Still just one hen laying, although others have been in the nesting box off and on, so I'm guessing the others should start soon.  

We let the chickens out to free range a bit, they like eating the weeds.

We have several more projects going on today, so I'll post about them later.  I also picked the black caps again.  My Mister finished up the last little bit of drywalling in the garage, and fixed the garage doors.  

J starting out on his 1 mile fun run.

J Finishing his run


A in his 1/2 mile fun run. He's wearing a dark blue shirt and looks back at the camera after he's passed.


CP in his 1/4 mile. My Mister had a hard time finding him, so he doesn't show up until toward the end. He's wearing a bright green shirt. He managed to avoid all the crashes. I love CP's gait. 4-year-olds are adorable.

Summer so far...

The boys have been busy with various day camps.  They took a sewing class one week, and made pillow cases and these backpacks, they loved it and want to do it again next year.

We all (except Baby E) ran the Centerville Fun Run.  Mister and I ran the 5k (he took 3rd in his age group, and I was 13th in mine- with a personal best- 8:36 minute miles), J ran the 1 mile, A ran the 1/2 mile (he fell at the beginning, but got right back up and finished with bloody knees), and CP ran the 1/4 mile (which was the cutest thing ever).

A couple of parade floats were passing out otter pops, which Baby E was really happy about.  

A and his friend S show that BYU and Utah could be friends if they really wanted to (although A says he doesn't like BYU anymore, phew...)  They're wet because they went down a big inflatable water slide at the carnival at the park.

Here's CP going down- he went down 3 times in a row.

J going down.

A couple of weeks ago J and my Mister did the Tsunami Tri over at the rec center.  J did the novice 150M swim, 3 mile bike, 1 mile run.  He took 2nd place in his age group!  My Mister took 3rd in his age group (he likes 3rd apparently).

After the Tri, we came home, I went for a run, we did some garden work, then we headed up to Park City for a Mtn Bike race.  J won his race.  

IronMan to BeeMan

We spent the weekend in St. George where my Mister competed in his first IronMan.  It was a crazy weekend, but pretty amazing to consider what he did.  2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a marathon.  140.6 miles total.  He finished in a little over 14 hours.  Pretty amazing.  Even more amazing is that he'd like to do another one.  He figured he'd do a lot better on the run if he took some Ibu after the bike ride.  

The volunteers at check-in gave us extra swim caps.  The boys can't wait to wear them to their swimming lessons next month.  J keeps saying that he wants his teacher to teach him "extra" stuff because he's going to do his first triathlon this summer.

Taking the bike to the swim/bike transition area.  

This is where the 2 mile swim would take place.

Just coming out of the bike to run transition, he's looking pretty good.

Halfway done with the marathon.  He's hurting.  Luckily he heard another runner's advil bouncing around and asked for some.  After they kicked in, he finished strong.  We missed him coming in at the finish line because he sped up so much the last few miles.  

I did get this picture of him with my cell phone after we met up with him at the finish line.

Our friend did get this clip of my Mister Crossing the finish line, he's pretty pleased.  He said he smiled the last several miles because he felt so good about what he had done.

We arrived home on sunday night, and on monday we had to head to Orem to pick up our bees.  This is the hive minus the top.

The bees. (and my mister)

The queen

Installing.  This was freaky.  My Mister got stung twice, and several bees chased us into the house.  I 'm kind of wondering what we're thinking.  Hopefully they calm down now that they're not getting violently shaken into the hive.

Photo To Do (or I did) list:

Today I fed the little chickens, they're still in the garage and will be until we think they're big enough to safely mix with the older chickens, if that time ever comes.

 CP "helped" me mow the little area of lawn just outside the door.  Even the small area was a lot of work, but it felt good.  I love my reel mower.

I checked on the older chickens, they don't want to come outside, even though it is such a nice day.  I picked a few up and pushed them out the pop door, but they looked around and went back in.  Silly birds.

I put the cage over the peas.  Something (and by something I mean quail) has been chewing them to stubs.  Hopefully the cage protects the peas and they recover from their munching.  CP didn't think I could move the cage, but I told him I was pretty strong.  Afterward, he thought I was pretty strong too.

Here are the chewed on peas.  Kind of sad looking.

I uncovered the asparagus, and found several coming up.  I love spring.

I uncovered the artichokes, and I'm not sure any of the plants survived.  I'll give them a few weeks and see if there's any sign of life, then I'll plant something else in that spot.  The onions look good though.  

I had lunch.  Leftover stir fry on brown rice.  I didn't post about it at the time, but it was really good.  It was just olive oil, garlic, (would have had onions but I was out), carrots, broccoli, canned tomatoes, cashews, edamame, teriyake sauce, and a little curry.

I made bread.  

While the bread was baking CP and I went back outside and worked on mowing a little soccer field in the top half of the big field.  We're going to let the grass grow high around the edges to keep the ball from rolling where we don't want it, and also mow a maze into the bottom half. 

Goals or Resolutions?

I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions.  Especially the generic ones that get broken by January 2nd.  When the government passes a resolution, we all know it's pretty meaningless.  I do have some goals that I'm working for this year however (some of them are kind of generic, but I like having lots of things on my to-do list because then I have more to cross off- especially when I would have done those things anyway)...

Suburban Homestead Goals:

Help my Mister build a safer chicken coop, and order new chicks in the spring.
Bug my Mister until he builds a beehive (before the bees arrive in april).
Learn how to take care of the bees, and harvest the honey.
Learn about things I can use beeswax for.
Grow and can as much produce as possible.

Other Goals:
Learn to ride my bike outside without falling over or crashing into anyone/anything.
Learn to fix a flat/change a tire
Run a marathon.
Spend less than we earn.
Build our savings.
Get rid of clutter (have a garage sale at some point).
Clean365
Find ways to spend meaningful time with each kid everyday.
Do one nice thing for my Mister everyday (even if it's just making the bed)
Try to shop local first.
Plan ahead for dinner.

Shameless Friend Promotion

My totally amazing former college roommate is the author of the blog The Great Fitness Experiment.  She's hilarious and wonderful, and now you can enjoy even more hilarity in her book (preorder it now-I did-, once it's out, the price will go back up):

J Snowboarding

This is his 3rd time (we go once a year):

What do you do for fun?

I can't remember what I used to do for fun when I was single.  I'm sure there was something.  I guess I liked reading, listening to music, shopping, playing my guitar, hanging out (is it just "hanging" now?) with friends.  

After I married my Mister, and even more so when J was born, I couldn't answer if someone asked me what I did for fun.  

Last week, someone asked me that, and I surprised myself with how many things I thought of.  I think maybe it just took me awhile (nearly 10 years?) to figure out how to be a wife and a mother and still be me, and have things that I do for myself, for fun.  

Running the 1/2 marathon was really good for me in that way- It forced me to put myself ahead of other things.  I had to run, or I wouldn't be able to make it through the race, so instead of running if I had time, I made time, I let go of some other things in my life and made running a priority.  Sometimes it messed up dinner times or nap times, but we all survived, and I'm happier because of it.  

I'm cutting back running to three times a week now that the race is over, but I plan on keeping my running time a priority.  It makes me feel good, gives me more energy, and it gives me time to think about whatever I want to think about.  Same with gardening.  I love getting my hands dirty, and watching things I plant grow.  Right now the raspberry canes I planted awhile back are starting to sprout tiny leaves and it makes me happy to know that I did that (and especially happy about the berries, I can't wait!).

So when someone asks you what you do for fun, what do you say?  (I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to realize I have a better answer than "I know I used to have things I liked to do, but I can't remember what they were".)

Good Things

-The bulbs are up, there's no stopping spring now.
-I feel pretty good after my 6 mile run this morning.
-I pruned the fruit trees.
-If I'm really lucky, I might just get some new raised beds built today. Maybe.

Training Schedule

I pulled out a calendar and planned my runs now through race day. Now that I know what I'm looking at I'm only a little worried about it. :) Last week (well, three days of last week) I ran 2.5-3 miles. I'm going to run 3 miles monday-friday this week, and on saturday 5 miles. (I hope the weather is good, because 5 miles on a treadmill sounds boring.)

Next week I'll run 4 miles M-F and 6 miles on saturday.

The first week of march I'll run 4 miles M-F and 7 miles on saturday.

The second week of march I'll run 4 miles M-F and 8 on saturday.

The third week of march I'll run 5 miles M-F and 9 on saturday.

The fourth week of march I'll run 5 miles M-F and 10 on saturday.

The next week I'll run 5 miles M-F and 13 on saturday.

The second week of april I'll run 5 miles M-F and 6-8 miles on saturday.

The week of April 13th I'll run 4/3/4/3/3 with the BIG Race on saturday.

Typing it all out makes me a little worried. But hopefully I'll be ready, and not over train and injure myself. May- you interested in coming out for some of the longer runs (or the short ones)? We could run on the legacy trail, if it would stop snowing! For the short runs I'm staying on the treadmill, but treadmills get awfully dull after so many miles.

I Ran!

2.5 miles at a fairly constant speed around 12 minute miles, so not my personal best, but considering I haven't run regularly in almost two years now, I'm pretty pleased with myself.

I haven't registered, but the SL 1/2 Marathon in april might be in my future... (and yes, I know, I have a lot of work to do)

Yoga Kids

A sat down to do a yoga DVD the other day (he's been doing them nearly every day) and CP decided he wanted to do it too (and that he needed a "yoga" mat too).

Yoga Kids

I've been a little worried about my 5-year-old. He's very energetic, and doesn't have a good sense of where his body is in relation to other things (like my face, or the wall). In an attempt to help him learn some body awareness, I did a little online research and decided we should sign him up for karate or yoga. Until summer, we'll pass on the karate, and I invested in a set of 3 "Yoga Kids" DVD's. A picked the ABC one today, and we all did it, even CP (sort of).

I can't recommend the others since we haven't done them, although A is putting another disc in as I type (which must mean he really liked the other one), but we had a lot of fun with Yoga Kids ABC's- if anyone is interested in trying it out let me know!

(The funny thing- he keeps getting a wii remote out to use with his yoga (since he sees me do yoga on the wii fit).

Funny Things My Kids Say...And an Exercise challenge

A: Mom! MOm! (me running into the bathroom thinking there was an emergency) Mom- Look, I made an ocean in the potty. The pee is the water, the bubbles are the island, the little poop is the fish, and the big poop is the shark.

J: Mom? (Also in the bathroom- we spend a lot of time in the bathroom around here) Do you see my muscles? (he points to his ribs)
Me: Those are your ribs- they're bones, not muscles.
J: Oh, but I'm still strong, see? (flexes his arms).
Me: You are strong!

And, this isn't funny, but today walking A home from preschool, his hands were cold so he was holding my hand, and his little hand felt really nice in mine, and it made me think how fast they grow up. J still holds my hand sometimes, but not as often, and his hands are not too much smaller than mine these days. Being a mom is a pretty good gig, even if I do get pooped, slobbered, and boogered, and-every-other-bodily-functioned on, on a regular basis (I don't really get pooped on very often, but really, once is enough for a lifetime).

Also in other news, I'm joining the Great Fitness Experiment's January experiment. Charlotte is taking Shape Magazine at their word to see if their "Drop 10lbs this month!" workout really works. The format is as follows:

Monday - Shape Magazine strength circuit
Tuesday - Boot Camp interval workout (you can sub biking, running, swimming or any other activity that gets heart rate upupup and then takes it down for a rest and then back up again. The key is the intensity - you want something short and hard. Don't go over 45 minutes. You want a suggestion? Do the 8/12 bicycle sprints!)
Wednesday - Shape Magazine strength circuit
Thursday - Yoga/walking
Friday - Turbokick interval workout (again, sub in what you like)

I think for the interval workouts, I'm going to do several short rounds of wii fit hula hooping to make up 30-45 minutes worth. Charlotte posted pictures of the Shape Magazine strength circuit on her blog, but It's hard to read the words, and some of those, I can't tell how the model got from one position to the next, so I'll probably pick up a copy at the store, or at least read it in the check out line...

Anyone care to join me? I figure this will give me a little bit of accountability to actually follow through. I'm starting today with a wii fit hula hoop interval workout. I don't think this is going to help me gain muscle, but the hazy, cold weather has me feeling a bit blah, so I think this will help, and I don't think I'll lose any weight with it, when I workout regularly I crave eggs. :)

New Years Resolutions

I don't really like the idea of new years resolutions, I do, however, like the idea of setting goals for myself, and a new year seems like a good time to set some goals, so call them what you want- here are mine...

-Gain a few pounds of muscle. If I weighed a bit more, I'd theoretically be less susceptible to illnesses, and I'd prefer to not gain fat. This goal might be the hardest. Any tips for gaining muscle and not fat? I'm guessing ice cream every day is not the way to go here... Is weight training necessary for gaining muscle?

-Clean out clutter. I have too much stuff, and would like to simplify and organize things.

-Be content with what I have. This goes along nicely with simplifying and organizing. It's easier to clean out clutter if I am careful about what I bring into my house in the first place. I'm not going to stop buying things (I love books, and nice quality kitchen things, and my kids like games and toys), but I'm going to be more thoughtful about what I buy.

Wii Fit...A Poor Substitution for the Real Thing?

Web MD reviews the wii fit, and concludes:

If you're going to substitute giving your thumbs a workout with the Wii video games for a Wii exercise game, that's a good choice, in terms of actual activity and caloric expenditure," he says. "The hope [however] is that if we can engage people in trying some of these sports through Wii, we can entice them to try the real thing and get some real exercise.

According to the article linked above, many of the activities do not burn as many calories as doing the actual activity. I've been trying to decide if wii fit is a good way to stay in shape, or just a fun side activity.

The four areas are; balance, aerobics, strength training, and yoga.

The "balance exercises" are games, and I don't see any physical benefit to doing them, I haven't decided if doing them regularly will improve my balance or not.

The aerobics exercises start out very easy, but I think I'm in fairly decent shape to start with, the hula hoop has gotten more difficult as I've done it more, so perhaps the others would too.

The strength training has some exercises that I find challenging and some that I don't think do anything, since there are no weights to make them more difficult.

The yoga is probably my favorite. I've never done a lot of "real" yoga before, so maybe those who have wouldn't like it as much, I'm not sure, but I like how the balance board can tell you if you are holding the position the way that you should be.

My conclusion is that it should not replace all other physical activity. It won't replace a gym membership- it can not replicate weight training especially, which I think is critical for women especially to maintain bone density (can you tell I'm pretending to know what I'm talking about here?). It is fun though, and if that gets you off the couch (and in my case, away from the computer), it's a good thing.

There is a place on wii fit to enter in outside activities into your log, although short of having all your workouts logged in one place, I don't particularly see a benefit.

I'm still sore from hula hooping, and the jackknife challenge, so if muscle soreness is any indication of a good workout, It was one.

Hula Hoops

Some of my college roommates may recall my talent in hula hoop-ing. It's a gift, what can I say?

We got a wii from christmas (from everyone, to everyone- made shopping pretty easy), and I did a 6 minute hula hoop competition on the wii fit yesterday. My back muscles are so sore today.

I unlocked 10 minutes, so I'm going to do that tonight.

I still like the actual hula hoop better, but this counts how many rotations you get, which is fun. Plus, is amusing to watch people hula hoop without the actual hoop (watching with the hoop is fun also, but this is funnier).

I've done some of the ab exercises also, and those have made me quite sore as well. I'm not sure the wii fit would be the best thing if say, you're training for a marathon, but I think it's fun, and you can get a decent workout on it.

Last aerial dance class tonight

And sadly, my sis was ill, and didn't come, so no video, which is a shame. It was just the teacher and I, so I got to do some awesome stuff- swinging was involved (think peter pan flying on a string).

I'm seriously thinking about signing up for another class this fall (the rest of the summer is going to be too crazy)- if any of you are interested, it's really fun!!!!