Preschool Pictures and Update

So far we've had three classes of preschool. We do it for about 40 minutes (or longer depending on her) twice a week. Last week we focused on boats and babies. (Babies will be a recurring theme until probably August.) 

Anyway, so last Thursday we made a paper boat together--and she actually did help. I would fold it over and she would crease the edge of the fold. Then we pulled on the ends together to pop the boat out. 

When I suggested we take it into the tubby she said, "No. The boat broken." (Mike made her a boat one time and, of course, it got wet so by the time she was done it was a little soggy.) So she tried flying it instead. I explained that only the paper airplanes fly so she asked me to make one. So, the purple airplane is mine, the red boat is ours, and the yellow "airplane" is Madie's.

THEN she wanted to get in the tubby--with the airplane.

So here's Madie in her swim suit with her "ski plane" and Kaleb has the less-desirable (but much longer-lasting) boat.

This week we're working on flowers. We talked about the parts of a flower while we made this one. This was really good practice with the glue stick, and more importantly, she loved it. 

I kept asking her to hold up the flower and look at the camera. I meant hold it up by her face, but she raised it way up like this and would only glance at the camera for a second. She really, really likes this flower.

 Of course then we planted some real seeds. I let Madie pick what she wanted of the packets I had. She liked putting them in the dirt, but wouldn't touch the dirt to cover them. This shocks me because she and Kaleb love to go out on the balcony dig up the dirt in one of my pots, even after I have repeatedly asked them not to. Ai ai ai!

Anyway, I suggested we put her flower in the pot with the seeds so everyone can see it. That made her really happy. 

We also colored in a flower, and this is the first time I've asked her to color only a specific part of a picture before. (Well, actually no, but it is the first time she actually has only colored in what I've asked.) I'll have to get a shot of it next to another work of art so you can see the difference.

Fall is upon us!

We are now starting our third week of school, and have both been enjoying our classes. Our schedules have worked out so well this semester with work, school, and Madie. Special thanks to Tari McDonald for babysitting Madie! Mal is taking about 15 credits, and I'm only taking 6. It works out really well. I'm glad I get to spend so much time with her during the day. I figure that I will never really have the opportunity to spend this much time with any of our kids in the future due to working full-time/grad school/etc. So here is what has been going on!

The name "Madie Ali" has been coined by Mallory's sister Alexa, due to her dukes always being in fight mode. We snapped this shot at TGI Fridays, very fitting.

Madie is helping me do some homework here. This is the slug I have been referring to laying across my chest.

Another trip to Grand Teton National Park you might ask? Well, of course! When you buy a National Parks Pass, you've got to take advantage of it and get your moneys worth. Our mission today was to find some fall foliage. We found it in it's beginning stages.

Here is Mal and Madie (if you can find her) at Jenny Lake. She did so well on our trip today.

Our friends Angela and Andy came with us for the trip. Here is Ang and Mal trying on apparel.

The marina at Coulter Bay with the Tetons in the background.

Beautiful aspen trees.

I have quite the knack for running into moose. We drove by this bull while driving back to Jackson. I would have gone a little closer had the bull not been in an National Elk Refuge enclosure.

We finished the day in Jackson, and ate at a really good Mexican Restaurant. We snapped this photo in the restaurant of Madie clinging to her pacifier. We walked around a few shops afterwards, and enjoyed some afternoon rain. It was an awesome day.

Sorry about the lack

of posting. It's finals and our lives at the moment consist of little else. Mike has three finals out of the way. Which is really nice. He still has a one more final, a presentation and a debate next week, but for the most part it's all out of the way. I've got ALL my finals left. Stupid teachers - holding everything over 'til the last week. I'm not too worried about most of them though. I've got a final of four essay questions for American Lit. I think that's going to take up the most time, mainly because one of the questions involved a book I only read the first two parts of and there are four, so I have to get caught up on that. (Here I smile sheepishly and you all forgive me.) Then I've got three final tests, only one of which is kind of comprehensive, thank heavens! The other two are actually just like other unit tests. My teachers don't believe in comprehensive testing, and neither do I! (For the most part, I mean, there are times when it's necessary, but overall, I think it's ridiculous. You forget half the stuff later anyway. You just need to know where to find it.) Other than that it's a presentation, fairly short, and LOTS of eating! Oh, finals parties. There's very few things like them.

We are getting ready to eat and head off to Conference. It's too hard for us to watch/listen to Conference at home. Too many distractions. That's how it's always been for me. I remember begging my parents to let us go to the chapel and watch it with people who didn't own a computer or satellite or cable. It just made it easier to pay attention.

Well, waffles are calling - oh no, that's Mike. Whatever, one in the same right now.

Forum Day

At BYU-Idaho, each department gets to invite a guest speaker once per year to enlighten us on something pertenant to the college department. For example, in the past we have had Michael Medved (Jewish Conservative talk radio), Nolan Archibald (CEO Black and Decker), and many more. These are some really big names! So February happened to be the Health Science Department's turn to put on a Forum. We invited Lt. Colonel Winterton from the US Air Force, who is an epidemiologist. Last week, my advisor asked me if I would give a seven minute speech at the Forum Breakfast. I agreed to do it, I thought it would be a pretty cool experience. Then the thought hit me of who was going to be at the breakfast...Vice-President Eyring (President Eyring's son), Colonel Winterton, the Dean of my college, my Professors, and four other guests (all of which are either Presidents or Directors of their respective companies). I think when I made that realization, my stomach had inverted itself! It was quite an intimidating thought to give a speech in front of these people. But, after Mal heard me practice reciting the speech over and over last night, I was feeling pretty comfortable. I gave the speech this morning and felt really good about it. After that, another student spoke, and then Vice-President Eyring addressed us. He looks and talks just like his father, the resemblance is quite astonishing. After that I conducted a Forum Panel by introducing the four guests, and facilitating the Q&A session with them. It was quite a day! Definately not what I was used to. Later that afternoon, we had the actual Forum. Lt. Colonel Winterton speak. He did such a good job, it was very interesting. There was a story he told of when he was in Afghanistan to immunize children five years and under. Some of the villagers were getting very suspicious of the Americans because they thought these immunizations were "sterilizing" their children. There were a lot of upset people, as you could imagine. As the crowds continued to grow restless, Colonel Winterton marched in the middle of the crowd, grabbed a canister full of immunization, and chugged the whole thing. I don't think anything else needed to be said. The crowd dispersed, and all was calm. Immunizations continued. Don't we all wish we could do something heroic like that?

Think Twice!

I am taking an Environmental Health class this semester, and it has been very interesting. There was this concept that we reviewed called "Defect Action Levels". I don't know if anyone has heard of this concept before, but it goes a little like this. It is absolutely impossible to keep food preparation areas 100% sanitized, I think we can all understand that. Due to that concept, the FDA has come out with these Defect Action Levels to permit minor exposures to rodent hair, insects, fly eggs, larvae, etc. Here are some levels that I'm studying for my next exam:

Peanut Butter - 30 insect fragments per 100 grams, or 1 rodent hair per 100 grams

Tomatoes - 10 fly eggs per 100 grams

Broccoli - 60 aphids or mites per 100 grams

Corn - 2 larvae skins per 24 lbs

Apple Butter - 5 insects per 100 grams

Berries - 4 larvae or 10 whole insects per 500 grams

Ground Paprika - 75 insect fragments per 25 grams

Chocolate - 80 insects fragments per 100 grams

Canned Sweet Corn - 2 3 mm-length larvae, cast skins or fragments

Tomato Paste - 2 maggots or 30 eggs per 100 grams

Wheat Flour - 75 insect fragments per 50 grams

Hope you enjoyed a little piece of my study material!

Freshmen Say the Darndest Things

The following are actual lines from an English 101 class I TA for. I have all the papers I'm taking these from right here with me, except one, but believe me, I remember exactly what it says. The prompt isn't always important, but I'm including it anyway for the ones that do. I'm also including my comments and, in rare cases, the comments I wish I could've written. I have made NO variations to what they've written in these quotes.

Prompt: What do you think the difference is between an educated person and an uneducated person?

"For all intensive purposes..."
I believe it's, "for all intents and purposes"

Prompt: What is your favorite book and why?

Sheila B. Favorite book: Bloody Jack, by L. A. Meyer
"You can always tell if a book was well written because it will be turned into a movie."
"Always" and "will" are absolutes. I advise you not to use these.

"I bet if every story had a character this loveable, there would be better books around so you wouldn't have to resort to classics for good reading."
I don't think people really "resort" to classics. I think they just like them. Also, there are some great contemporary novels. I bet you'd love them.

Cherie L. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
"The love in this love story feels so real, the feelings that the characters feel instantly grows onto the reader."
LOTS OF FEELING GOING ON HERE.

Jennifer G. Favorite book: Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
"This is a type of fairytale that isn't for 5 year olds, but it is a kind of fairytale that's only found in the super natural world."
How do these two clauses relate at all?

Jake R. Favorite book: Sahara, by Clive Cussler
"Then in the present day Dirk and Al are trapped between some terroriests and an evil corporate Executive are polluting the Nile, which is spreading towards the ocean."
What exactly is going on? And who exactly is involved?

Rebecca K. Favorite book: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Anne Brashare
"Turns out her father was preparing to be remarried to beautiful blonde woman and her two children."
(Aside from the grammatical corrections): He's going to marry her two kids?

Kayla B. Favorite book: The Chamber, by John Grisham
"...it makes since that this fear will be different for each individual..."

AND THE WINNER IS...
Jon W. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
His closing sentence is: "A book that will leave you crying at the end to finding out that you are not actually Bella."
So, you didn't want to be like the main MALE character of the book? You want to be like Bella? (This one left me in utter perplexity, but I refrained from making any actual comments.)

Confessions of a Cookie Fan

An article Mallory wrote for a magazine in her English 450 class, sans works cited.

What makes cookies comfort food?
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines the term "comfort food" as "food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking." Other definitions bring up nostalgic and sentimental significance, along with a sense of familiarity. According to these definitions, cookies of all sorts - particularly those that are more traditional - are the epitome of comfort foods.

Let's take a classic comfort cookie: chocolate chip. One of my personal favorites. The cookie recipe I use, which I consider fairly typical, is choc-full of carbohydrates: flour, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and of course, chocolate chips. The only other ingredients are baking soda, salt, butter, and eggs! All these carbs add significantly to the virtual high we get from gorging ourselves on these delightful little sweets. Working alongside familiarity and nostalgia, carbohydrates give us a subconscious, very temporary emotional comfort from our woes.

In a study run by Judith Wurtman, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, women especially are comforted by the effects of carbohydrates. This is probably because of the fact that carbs boost levels of serotonin - a neurotransmitter found extensively in the human body. Serotonin has been shown to have a calming effect on the brain and to restore mental energy. So, we are in fact justified physically for our love affair with cookies. All those carbs just brighten our day! At least when that day is more of a mad dash...

So, I'm like, a college student. What's this have to do with me?
Definition of a mad dash: Wake up at 7:50; late, of course. There's no possible way for me to get from point A to point B in time for my 8 a.m. class ten minutes away and be dressed decently. Then, classes from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., promptly followed by work, then gym, then home with family/roommates. Did I eat lunch? When is lunch again? What is it? Nevermind that. I've got to move on. Dinner. It's already six. What is there that I can take to the couch and will be relatively time-efficient, tasty, and make me feel like I can push through the last few hours of this never-ending day? (Scrounge through the rather pathetic-looking cabinets); EUREKA! Oreos.

Yeah? So? What's wrong with that?
Look, I like cookies and their 72-hour-kit-worthy stash of carbs just as much as the next girl. But let's face it: they're not exactly what should pop into mind simultaneous with "dinner." What exactly goes into a balanced meal? According to FamilyEducation.com, a site dedicated to providing relevant resources to parents, teachers, and kids, a balanced day in terms of food for a 19-30 year-old female should include 1 cup of grains, 3 cups of beggies, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk product, 4/5 cup of meat, nuts, and beans, and only 7 teaspoons of oil. Let us reminisce about our beloved chocolate chip cookies again. According to allrecipes.com, the nutritional information for a typical chocolate chip cookies - one serving - is the following: 122 calories, 6.2 grams of fat, 19 miligrams of cholesterol, 70 miligrams of sodium, 16.4 grams of carbohydrates, and 1.3 grams of protein.

What about that information looks scary? Could it possibly be the whopping calorie count? Or maybe the ridiculous amount of sodium and carbohydrates (most of which are simple, by the way)? To me, it's the fact that this is all contained in one cookie. ONE COOKIE! In one cookie, I have already thrown one of my daily meals off balance. I have way too many oils, way too many simple carbs, and no where near the amount of protein or complex carbs I need.

Okay, point taken. So, what am I supposed to do?
There are a few options for lowering a comfort food dependency. Limit how much you eat of it for starters. That is definitely one of the harder ones for me, just because once I get the taste of cookie/dough in my mouth, I really have no interest in stopping. Ergo, I try to seek out something that has a little less effect in my death-by-way-of-blocked-arteries but still gives me the necessary feel-good serotonin high I'm craving.

According to Wurtman, fruits don't give me that boost. To that I must say I agree to an extent. Fruit do have carbohydrates; the problem is that they have complex carbs rather than simple. Complex carbs are healthier but take longer to go through your system, and therefore take longer to work. I need something and I need it NOW! So, combine a nutritional, quickly-filling fruit (pick your favorite - I use apples) with a small amount of fast-acting simple carbs, like sweetened condensed milk, or cool whip. Personally, I like to alternate dipping apple slices in peanut butter and a sweet element. Other combinations:

Straberries and chocolate
Bananas and chocolate
Topping a (as in one) scoop of ice cream with your favorite fruit.

If you've just got to stay with the cookie, choose one that is higher in nutritional value, such as oatmeal raisin. Just try to avoid cookies with names like "death by chocolate." They're only half-joking.