Monday, May 22, 2017

FHE Lesson for Toddlers: Baptism

I have been majorly FAILING at doing a real FHE with Cohen. Partially because, come on, he is only barely 17 months. BUT! I want to get in the habit of doing lessons for him now so when he starts nursery next month and gets a little older, maybe he's a little bit more used to sitting still and learning about Jesus! He has started folding his arms when we pray or tell him it's time for prayer (melts my heart every time), so I'm hoping this is (somewhat) successful. I found a bunch of different resources online for child/baby/toddler FHE lessons, so I'm taking inspiration from those and putting my own spin on them, too. Today's lesson was mostly inspired by the blog News with Naylors who also posts tons of educational lessons and recipes!

Song: When Jesus Christ was Baptized

Opening Prayer.

Scripture: John 3:5 In order to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again, we all must be born of water which is called being baptized. Jesus sets a perfect example for us because he was baptized, too!

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Video: Point out that Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.

Testimony: Share a memory from your baptism and bear your testimony.

Activity: Put 1 cup of water in a clear glass and add a few drops of food coloring. The food coloring represents sin. Then pour 1 1/2 cups of bleach into the water and explain that when we are baptized our sins are washed away!

Closing Prayer.





Tuesday, March 21, 2017

It's none of my business....

Something beautiful happened in the parking lot of my grocery store yesterday. There is a man, who I assume is homeless, who is often in the far corner of the lot and waves to all the cars driving by as he holds a sign and sits in his camping chair. Usually, if I have just bought some fruit, I will offer him some, and he always accepts.

Yesterday, I noticed him and took out a banana to give him and threw it in my diaper bag so I could easily grab it as I drove by him. As I pulled out of my parking spot, I looked over at him to try and read his sign. For some reason, I always doubt that he will just want a piece of fruit. I'm so sure he just wants money, so I wanted to see what his sign said in case it said something like "Money for beer, please". As I backed up, I noticed he was wearing white headphones. I literally stopped the car where I was and thought, "If he can afford headphones, he definitely doesn't want my piece of fruit! Not today." I kept backing up and switched into drive as another thought came to my mind. I stopped again. "It's none of my business how he got those headphones, or that he even has them at all. That is his business. My only job is to love."

You see, I just finished taking a life changing make up course taught by Michelle Money. How is that related? Let me explain. Michelle (yes, from The Bachelor) wants to teach women their worth. She also believes that the more in tune with ourselves, our minds, and our thoughts we are, the better able we are to love! She gives amazing tools to help you recognize your thoughts, determine if they are true, and choose if you will let it affect you. One of the tools is called minding your own business. For example, if someone is rude to you, that is none of your business! That is THEIR business. Michelle teaches how to not be affected by things that aren't your business!

So, I had decided my business was just to love this man and offer him a banana. I drove up and rolled down my window. "Would you like a banana?" I said, as I pulled it out of the diaper bag. "No, no, ma'am, that's your lunch! I don't want to take your lunch," he said. I told him not to worry and that I had just bought it in the store and he was welcome to it. He thanked me and said God bless you and returned to his chair.

As I drove away I realized just how ridiculous I had been for even thinking that he didn't deserve my banana. I drove to a nearby park where Cohen and I often go to play and eat lunch. I just parked and sat there with my hand over my chest, in shock with what had just happened. I have grown up learning the gospel of Jesus Christ and trying to be a good, loving person, but it wasn't until now that I truly felt in tune with Him and his teachings. It is because I have learned to recognize how God sees His children. He sees us as love.

As I took this two week online course, I loved how much of it is aligned with the teachings of Christ. Michelle has a way of teaching what I know God wants me to know, but with little tips and tricks that can be applied in very real situations.

Yes, I learned how to better apply my make up (still workin' on those dang brows and lashes), but I learned even more about how to love myself and others. It has opened my mind to see how whole and true the gospel of Jesus Christ really is!


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Taco Tuesday: Laura's Kitchen

It looks like this might be my last Taco Tuesday post. I think we are going to stick with one or two of our favorites from now on if we want tacos!

Location664 Freedom Blvd 200 W, Provo, UT 84601

Asada: I loved that this meat tasted so real! No gristle-y pieces or chewy fat.

Pastor: Sooo yummy! Amazing flavor, pieces of pineapple mixed in, but just ever so dry. I know, pastor is kinda supposed to be dry, but I just can't help it, I like it juicy!

Meat of the week: Barbacoa! Very juicy and smokey with just a little bit of sweetness. I was very surprised how much I liked this meat. Definitely a favorite! I also tried their dorado de papas taco here and I was not impressed :/ The tortilla and toppings were great, but the potato filling was a little watery and had zero flavor.

Rice and beans: Beans were the perfect consistency and topped with cotija cheese. Rice was also great. The only thing I didn't love was that they were slightly more expensive than other places and gave us smaller servings. Taste was spot on, though.

Salsas: Probably my favorite salsa bar. They did not have the creamy green salsa that I like but their orange (spiciest) was sooo good! And I also loved the red this time, too, which is rare. Dark green sauce was great, as usual. No complaints!

$: We heard they have $.99 tacos on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they charged us full price :/ ($1.50 I think) By the time we realized it was probably too late to do anything and we didn't know if maybe they weren't doing that anymore. Bummer. So we paid a little more than expected, but I was so pumped about the barbacoa taco being so good I didn't really care....

Atmosphere: Such a sweet little spot! Tiny inside, but the staff was great! You could tell they were all family and they loved waving at Cohen and making him smile. Great people and not busy at all around 5:30. I imagine it picks up later. Loved the music, too!

I hope you've enjoyed this Taco Tuesday series! Thanks for reading!

Monday, February 13, 2017

How I Trick Myself Into Running Farther

Basically, I distract myself. If I had no distractions, I would be giving up after five minutes. Keeping my mind off the little discomforts and monotony of a track let me run a little farther each time and improve my cardio! I also love finding ways to conserve energy and make the run easier on my body.


Imagery: Growing up dancing and studying dance in college gave me tons of practice using imagery to get my body to do what I wanted. There are five major images I use to conserve energy and stay comfortable while running longer distances.

     1. Scapulas- Knit together. Not pinched! And no hunching forward.

     2. Picking Grapes- As your arms swing, let your relaxed hands reach in front of your belly button as if you are picking grapes!

     3. Heel to Toe- Be quiet on your feel and roll from heel to toe each time your feet strike the ground.

     4. Soft Face- Let your muscles around your face melt until you aren't holding any tension there. Even your tongue inside your mouth can release tension. And no grimacing!

     5. Bones vs. Muscles- I like thinking of my bones being pulled forward (especially the pelvis since it carries the most weight in one place) and my muscles doing as little work as possible. Only superficial muscles are engaged. Of course this is just an image, please keep your deep muscles engaged, too! Imagine you were jogging downhill. Let gravity pull you and only use the muscles that are needed to keep you from crashing. This might make no sense to you, but it is a huge help to me!

Music: Here are some girl power dance party songs I love....
   
     1. Hair by Little Mix

     2.  Shout Out to My Ex by Little Mix

     3. Work From Home by Fifth Harmony

     4. Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne

     5. Countdown by Beyonce

     6. I'm Gonna Love You by Tiffany Houghton

     7. Getaway Truck by Aaron Watson (Not in the same category, but still a great one if you love country)


Breathing: I like starting out my jog by taking two steps as I inhale and two steps as I exhale. Then later on in my run I check back in with my breathing and see how it has changed. If I'm huffing and puffing, I see if I can relax my breathing or slow it down. Just being aware of this can be calming and distracting.

Start Slow: Keep track of your pace and try to push yourself a little more after a certain distance. It is much better to start slow and finish fast than to start fast and die out before your goal distance. Also, I love sprinting to the finish. Always have.

Listen to your Body: Don't make aches and pains worse by trying to push through them. You could end up injuring yourself even more! Listen to your body and decide if it's a serious enough pain to take a break or walk the rest of the way.

Running Buddy: Talking during a run is the best! It's a good measure of your aerobic ability and it can be fun to keep track of your pace together and push each other to run faster or farther.

How do you trick yourself into running farther?

Thanks for reading!

Monday, February 6, 2017

Taco Tuesday: Taqueria El Vaquero

Location: 286 100 W
                      Provo, UT 84601
                      (Just southeast of Smith's and next door to Laser Assault)

Asada: Great quality meat. Delicious, but nothin' to scream about.

Pastor: A little dry and not my favorite flavor. Everyone seemed to love it, though, so I'm probably the weird one! I am picky about my pastor....

Meat of the week: The dorado de papas taco was so yummy to me! Not meat, I know, but I loved it! The tortilla is fried and crispy and filled with potato. I was surprised how much I liked it. Squeezed some lime on top and dipped it in their dark green salsa. My favorite this week!

Rice and beans: The perfect baby food beans. Almost runny! I prefer just a tad thicker, but flavor of beans and rice were both great. Nothin' funky or out of the ordinary.

Salsas: Dark red was hot and smokey. I stuck with my green salsas as usual. And their baby limes are so cute!

$: Tacos were $1.35 and rice and beans were $1.25 for both which is crazy cheap! 

Atmosphere: Mellow and quaint. Soccer on the TV, friendly face at the counter, not too busy! They also had mango Jarrito's and Coke in glass bottles which really turned Taco Tuesday into a tastey meal! Super convenient location for BYU students, but not very well-known. A little gem!

Monday, January 30, 2017

Beauty Loves: Winter 2017

I used to spend WAY too much money on make up. I felt (imaginary) pressure to have all the new products. Then I had a baby. I stopped working. I started wearing make up only like once a week. And I realized I had over 50 lipsticks.......Time to purge! I got rid of over 30 lipsticks (along with other products I didn't use), decided to use up what I have, and made a goal to only buy things that 1. I really need, 2. I really use, and 3. are affordable.

I thought I'd share with you some of my winter beauty loves that are all pretty affordable. The last thing I want is for you to feel like I'm telling you to go out and spend money on these things. My hope is to share what I love, hear what you love, and hopefully help each other feel more beautiful!

Loofa: This Eco Tools Bamboo Bristle Bath Brush has changed my exfoliation game. I use it as a dry brush before I shower and exfoliate all over (except my face). Utah winters are no joke and the skin on my body can get really irritated if I'm not constantly exfoliating and moisturizing. Sluff off the dead skin (I hate that phrase) before you shower and moisturize right after! Only $7.90 at Walmart and I've never had softer skin!


Wet Skin Moisturizer: I feel like these just got popular in the last year or two. I tried the Nivea brand, but my favorite is from Jergens. The coconut scent is very faint and it leaves a subtle oily feel to your skin which is exactly what I want! Apply before drying off in the shower, pat dry, and all that moisture is locked in. $5.57 at Target!



Turbie Twist: I've always hated how heavy towels are when I wrap my hair and twist it on top of my head after a shower. This one I definitely didn't NEED, but I use it every time I shower and it's pretty affordable, if you ask me. Only $5.99 at Walgreens, what? Now, the main reason I love it is that it is not bulky at all and it's super light. My least favorite thing in life is how cold I am when I get out of the shower. This makes it so that I can get into my warm, cozy clothes while having my hair wrapped up nice and warm, too! They claim it's "super absorbent" and your hair will require less blow drying....I've yet to see that actually be the case, but maybe I'm just not observant enough.



Setting Spray: If you have never used a setting spray YOU NEED TO. I feel like I can confidently say that because they really are life-changing and you can find them super cheap! The Nyx Dewy Setting Spray is my favorite (dry skin for life) and you can find it for $5.99 on Amazon. There is also a matte option. The cheapest, though, is by Wet n Wild and you can find it at Walmart for only $4.68!

 
Aquaphor: In case I haven't said it already....I HAVE DRY SKIN. Sensitive and dry. Woohoo! I got pretty sick of my flakey skin and it looked horrible when I applied make up. I exfoliated occasionally (my skin freaks out if I do it too much) and I moisturize morning and night, but it finally cleared up when I started applying Aquaphor on top of my normal moisturizer. Here's how I use it: Morning and night I wash or splash my face with water, pat dry, wait 5-10 minutes, apply moisturizer all over, and then Aquaphor on the dry patches (my T zone). No more flaky skin! I even stopped using it for a week because I was lazy/forgot and my skin got soooo yucky without it! Never again. My husband was sure it would clog my pores and make me break out, but nope! Shout out to my freshman roommate, Haley, for using this on her lips everyday. Never knew it existed until then! P.S. A little goes a long way! $12.89 for a big tub at Target, or try the small tube for $4.99 and get 5% off with your REDcard!

       

Matte Lip Color: Cheapest option here is E.L.F. Matte Lip Color in Natural (I also LOVE Tea Rose), longest lasting option here is NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Tea & Cookies (much pinker in person), and my favorite color and most moisturizing here is Maybelline Color Senesational Creamy Matte Lip color in Lust for Blush (I also love Faint for Fuschia). I tried to link the cheapest options, and I know, it's pretty clear I have a love for rose/blush/nude shades.

NYX Liquid Suede (Tea & Cookies)          Maybelline New York Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color, Lust for Blush, 0.15 Ounce



What are some of your favorite beauty loves?


Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Taco Tuesday: Street Tacos Don Joaquin

Location: 150 W 1230th N St                

                 Provo, UT 84604

                (On Bulldog between L&L and Subway)

Asada: Super tender and juicy meat. Lovely flavor. Tortillas were little softer here. Jake loved them, they were alright with me. 

Pastor: Yummiest flavor! A little dry and not the most tender, BUT they throw on a slice of pineapple which makes up for it tenfold. Now I just need to find a place with tender meat, perfect flavor, and pineapple! Any suggestions?

Meat of the week: They had lots of other options, but all of them were a little too out of my comfort zone. For example, cabeza (head), tripa (gut), lengua (tongue). They also had chorizo, but I wasn't feelin' in the mood for that. 

Rice and beans: Beans were just a little chunky, but it wasn't too noticeable and the flavor was nice and plain, just like I like 'em. Rice was great with a smokey flavor, too. Not my favorite, but I can appreciate the individuality. 

Salsas: If I remember correctly, there were 3 to choose from. Two green were my favorite, as usual and nice and mild. The other option was hot, but I found myself really liking it. Cilantro, onion, and lime, were great as well. I never really go beyond that, but maybe I'll be more adventurous next time and try the other options!

$: Tacos were $1.25 to $1.50 and rice and beans were $1.50 each.

Atmosphere: Pretty dang clean. They were busy, busy, busy, so we wiped down our own table, but no complaints. Staff was very friendly and lively. I like that you could see the cooks workin' back there. Looked like they were having fun together. Lots of sweet families and a big old BYU group date lookin' thing. Those are always good for people watching.


My plate:

Displaying 20170117_185135.jpg

Friday, January 13, 2017

Taco Tuesday: Doña Mary Mexican Grill

Jake had the brilliant idea of hitting up a new taco joint every Tuesday this semester before we leave Provo after graduation. Whoop, whoop! After week one, we decided maybe this should be an every other week thing.....trying to eat healthier plus stuffing our faces with tacos doesn't quite add up. BUT we won't let that stop us from finding the best tacos in Utah County.

I decided to break up my review into categories. My favorite taco is carne asada, but I feel like tacos al pastor is very telling as to whether or not a restaurant knows their stuff, so I'll try to keep those in the mix every week. I'll also do my best to throw in a review for a third taco just to keep it interesting. Next would be rice and beans (Cohen's domain), salsas, then price and atmosphere (cleanliness, friendliness, overall viiiiiibes). I didn't take a pic, but I will try to remember to do that next time!

Located at 1462 State Street in Orem, Doña Mary's is our first stop for Taco Tuesday. 


Image result for dona mary orem

Asada: Beefy (obviously) and moist. Still tough enough to make you rip into it with your teeth, in a good way, but not so tough that your jaw gets a work out. YUM. Add cilantro, lime, and onion, and it's Anna's perfect taco. 

Pastor: I have had a couple 'womp, womp' experiences with tacos al pastor, so I wasn't too pumped about trying a bite of Jake's, But helloooo, these were amazing. So saucey, so much flavor, cooked onion in there, too. I was very pleasantly surprised. "Definitely top notch pastor," says Jake.

Meat of the week: Birria! Jake says, "The birria was juicy and very flavorful. My two favorites were the asada and pastor."

Rice and beans: We got a HUGE serving of rice and beans for about $3. All three of us shared it and we couldn't finish! Cohen ate a ton of the beans and even enjoyed the rice, which is not usually his favorite. The refried beans had no weird flavors and not a ton of whole pieces of beans (I like 'em smooth). They did, however, have a couple little pieces of some kind of green chile which I was not expecting. Cohen spit those out, but I didn't mind. The rice was not overpowering, but had some good flavor, too. 

Salsas: The light green avocado sauce was, surprisingly, the spiciest! Green chile sauce was yummy on the carne asada. I didn't try the red pepper sauce and the red salsa with cilantro was pretty good on chips, but not my favorite in the whole world. Had an interesting flavor that I couldn't get over and have no idea how to describe....not for me. 

$: Tuesdays AND Wednesdays $0.99 tacos!

Atmosphere: This place was so clean! They had soccer on TV, which totally set the mood, especially when the announcer was yelling GOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLL. That was probably the highlight of my evening. So fun! And the girl who helped us was great! She spoke very little english and was very smiley and kind. I'm pretty sure the only other guy in there was her boyfriend, who was very friendly and kept making Cohen laugh. I was shocked at the lack of a crowd because it was SO good. Although, a group of co-eds did arrive as we were finishing up. Granted, we eat dinner a little early around here, so maybe they are busier later!

Other: Free single serving of chips for each person at your table!


Image result for 4.5 out of 5 stars

What's your favorite Taco Tuesday joint? We just might have to add it to our list of places to try!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Probiotics: What is the Best Option For You?

Remember how I agreed to write some blog posts for a company reviewing their probiotic supplements in exchange for free product? The agreement was for two months and I never received the second month's supply....so I decided to try a less expensive option that was recommended to me. I ordered and waited for it to come in the mail. After a week off of probiotics I knew I needed them back! The return of tummy issues. I immediately got another bottle from Silver Fern to keep Cohen on them, and tried this cheaper brand for myself. It seemed to work fine, but I still had issues every once in a while. Yes, it was the holidays and I wasn't eating my best.....or anything close to my best, but I didn't feel like they were doing their job. I decided once I finish that bottle, I will switch back to Silver Fern with Co. Wish me luck!

How to have success:

Follow instructions. One a day for a week, then two a day from then on (for Silver Fern brand). It can hurt your tummy if you start with too much, depending on the brand.

Do you have to take them forever? No. BUT, taking them for a short time will not correct a lifetime of poor gut health. To work best, a combination of probiotics and a whole food diet work well. It is even better to start with a healthy diet and THEN add in the probiotics once you've made it a lifestyle.

The most damaging things to intestinal flora are sugar, excessive grains, caffeine, and alcohol. And, of course, antibiotics.

I don't really have an answer as to how long you need to take probiotics....sorry! I am going to try it for a year and see how I feel about it.

Other benefits: 

Did you know that taking a probiotic might help prevent cavities? There are currently tons of studies out there testing this. If you've had a lot of cavities, you know that too much acid breaks down your tooth's enamel, which leads to cavities. Lactobacillus strains help neutralize your overall pH balance, including in your mouth. I haven't been able to find information that says taking a probiotic WILL prevent cavities, but I think it's only a matter of time until we discover a way to make that happen.

Probiotics also boost your metabolism. See this post to read more about it.

What are your options?

Please note, I have not done any research on these brands except for price. I still believe Silver Fern is the best product based on what it contains, how it is stored, and their quality assurance process (which can be found here under Why Silver Fern Brand?).

Silver Fern: $0.66 per capsule if you take one*, $1.33 if you take recommended dose.

Walmart: Equate, $0.39 per capsule

Walgreens: Walgreens brand, $0.59

Target: Up & Up, $0.66 per capsule

Costco: Florastor, $0.47
             Nature's Bounty, $0.14
             Trunature, $0.13
             Align, $0.65
             Culturelle, $0.29
            Digestive Advantage, $0.22
            Webber Naturals, $0.31

Smith's: Kroger, $0.66 (On sale for $0.56 when I checked last month)

*Babies and children should only take one capsule per day. Adults who take one Silver Fern capsule have also seen benefits.

Where I found some of this information:


http://www.medicaldaily.com/probiotic-pill-oral-health-cavities-377698

http://curetoothdecay.com/blog/how-lactobacilli-bacteria-prevent-tooth-decay-oral-thrush/

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Quality-control-of-probiotics-is-lacking-study-suggests