Hydrogen Peroxide is Amazing

Friday night, Dan and I took Nolan and Miles to Trafalga. It got really dark while we were miniature golfing. Miles was trailing along behind us when Dan heard Miles crying. Dan turned around and picked Miles up. Blood was pouring out of Miles' mouth. I grabbed him and ran him to the ladies room and tried to get the bleeding stopped. I tilted him forward and the blood started pouring out his nose. The general manager of Trafalga saw us rushing to the bathroom and came barging into the bathroom to see if we needed help (and the GM was a man). There were two sweet young teenage girls trying to be helpful as well. Eventually the bleeding stopped and Miles stopped screaming. I cleaned him up. I cleaned the bathroom up. The blood was all over his shirt though (and I mean all over and of course, it was the one shirt of his that I really, really like) After reassuring the GM that Miles was fine and that there wasn't anything he could do for us and we weren't going to sue Trafalga, we hung out a while then left to go get Jonathan. We picked Jonathan up, went home, and I saturated Miles' shirt with stain remover because we were out of hydrogen peroxide. I washed the shirt Saturday morning, then examined it... blood stain city. Because I really, really like this shirt, I wasn't ready to declare defeat. I went to the store and bought a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and soaked the shirt in it for several hours before I washed it again. This time, the shirt was stain free!!! Hydrogen peroxide is amazing.

So what caused all the blood in the first place? I don't know for sure. My suspicion is that Miles was picking his nose and (because it was dark) tripped and fell and the fall caused him to jam his finger far enough up his nose that when he was standing upright, the blood poured out his mouth, but when tilted forward, it ran out his nose. Maybe this incident will inspire Miles not to pick his nose.

Family Reunion 2011- Belnap Style

Dan's immediate family held a reunion this week. We did a whole variety of activities... family night, yard work, an evening in the canyon, Snowbird, a movie night, etc.

Dan's parents live on 2.5 acres and it seems to have a mind of its own. Newell passed out a chore list and everyone got busy. Joel the Weed Whacker!
Newell the Pruner
Kevin the Tiller
Jonathan the Weeder
Parley the Paternal Farmer
Miles the Shoveler
Emily was a lifesaver as she watched over the little ones!After yard work, everyone cleaned up and headed up South Fork for dinner and a wild baseball game.. kids vs. old people.
Jackie and Joel
Nolan
Lynn and Sierra
Holly, Bona, and Parley

The next day we met for lunch at Chuck-a-Rama then went up to Snowbird to play. Everyone chose their activities- tram ride, zipline, alpine slide, mechanical bull, ropes course, etc. Nolan on the Ropes Course
Hannah going for a ride
Dan
Lynn and Sierra
Sydney
Jonathan the Cowboy!

We took a family photo (including one with everyone, but I don't have a copy of that one yet!)
Here's the grandchildren picture... I think we were only missing 1 grandchild!

Skinny Dipper

Garden on Steroids

I planted a vegetable garden just after Mother's Day. For weeks and weeks it did nothing... it was too cold. Yesterday I had one o those "Whoa" moments as I looked at the garden and it seems to go viral overnight. There must be steroids in the irrigation water.The peas are inaccessible due to the overgrowth of tomatoes and pumpkins. The peppers are still lame though... growing, but not impressive. I poked around to see if there were any soon-to-be ripe veggies. Here's what I found.

Keeping Up with the Brothers

Anything they can do, Miles attempts it too...


He's jumping off everything that is high up now... dressers, desks, couch arms, etc. I think it's just a matter of minutes/days until we are visiting the ER with a broken leg or split open head. Fearless is not necessarily a good thing.

Bountiful Baskets

Bountiful Baskets is a produce co-op. Today was the first time I participated (because they just opened a new pick-up location in Lindon!). For $16.50, your buy a share of random produce. I was curious what was going to come. I'm basically pleased. I got a large head of romaine, an English cucumber, a bag of green beans, a bunch of celery, a carton of cherry tomato sized heirloom tomatoes (I'm going to eat them with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a wee bit of olive oil!), 6 bananas, a pound of strawberries, 2 mangoes, 7 peaches, 6 plums, a cantaloupe, and 10 mystery starchy root vegetable. I have no idea what they are. The are about 6" long and skinny. They are brown outside and white inside and taste like nothing. Seriously, like nothing! I've been trying to figure out what it is. My best guess is Cassava Root/Yucca Root, but I'm really not sure. They look to be the right size, but mine aren't so scaley! Whatever they are, obviously they are really in season somewhere right now!

Play Group and the Learning Box

My life is owned by Kids on the Move. In addition to Miles' 5 therapists that visit him weekly or bi-monthly, I have been attending a parent's floortime series of meetings (which, I think, are a waste of time because unlike the other people attending the meetings, my child likes to play with me and I don't have to coerce him into interacting with me. In fact, I am the one to make up excuses and reasons to end playtime). Miles (and I) has started attending the Structured Playgroup at Kids on the Move twice a week for 90 minutes each time. We call it "Miles' school" and he carries around a picture of it. We just started going last week because we couldn't start the playgroup until Miles had his "Learning Box" brought over.

So, the Learning Box... it's a plastic tote filled with "challenging" activities for me to help Miles learn to do. It was put together with him specifically in mind. It's supposed to "stretch and challenge" Miles as he works on the tasks in the box and help him to follow directions better as the contents of the Learning Box are "my toys" and are to be played with on "my terms". We got the Learning Box a week ago Friday. It contained 2 puzzles, a bead stringing activity, nesting cups, a color sorting activity, a shape matching activity, a shape sorter, and a 3D to 2D matching activity. We've been asked to do the Learning Box twice a day for up to 20 minutes per session. Well, Miles loves the Learning Box and we do it 5+ times per day. I've taken to hiding the box because "out of sight, out of mind". Other than Miles wanting to do the box 24/7, we do have a Learning Box problem... Miles mastered everything in the box by the day after we got it. So much for "stretching and challenging" him. He breezes through it in 12 minutes. Evidently Miles' therapists have not realized that his intelligence level has not been affected by his speech delay.

We go to playgroup on Tuesday and Thursday. The Structured Playgroup is awesome. It starts with 30 minutes of free play in the "Motor Room" which is filled with balls, tunnels, slides, swings, ramps, etc. He loves the playtime. Then the group transitions to the classroom where everything in the room is child-sized. We do the Learning Box next. I told Miles' therapists/teachers that his Learning Box is too easy for him, so they "supplemented" it... added 2 more puzzles and another sorting activity (and he mastered everything by that night). After Learning Box time, we have group activity time... blocks, or cars, or something like that. Then it's "sensory bin" time where the kids scoop and dump and pour and play in a bin of "something"- rice, beans, etc. This week it was something like sand grain sized wood stuff. Next comes snack time. Snack time is a real challenge for Miles. Since he's anti-food, he doesn't like the insistence that he stay at the table until snack time is over. While he has yet to eat anything offered to him, he loves to pour his own drink! They put the kids' drinks in mini-pitchers and the kids pour their own juice. After snack, the activity varies... singing, playground time at the most awesome playground ever, or whatever the therapists dream up. It's a great program.

Miles has been to playgroup twice. Tuesday he did okay, and Thursday he did better. He struggles with the transitions between activities and by having to sit until he his dismissed. It also coincides with his nap time, so he's really worn out at the end of playgroup. I think that this is the best "thing" that Kids on the Move has offered to Miles so far. I'm hoping that playgroup will help him go to nursery!

One of the main things that I get out of playgroup and the parent meetings is appreciation for the set of "challenges" that we deal with with Miles. I have yet to encounter a parent receiving services from Kids on the Move that I would trade "issues" with. In playgroup, Miles is the only child who purposely makes sounds, other than expressing dislike through screaming. At the floortime meetings, it appear that I have the only child who likes to play with toys and people. At one meeting we were asked to share how our child plays. I had to "dumb Miles down" because I felt like I was bragging... I said he plays cars, trucks, and airplanes, cooks, jumps, and likes music. One parent said her child likes to turn doorknobs. Another parent said that his child doesn't play, he just wanders around.

Miles' occupational therapist came on Friday. Last time she came, it was a bad visit. Miles tantrumed the entire time. This time, the therapist brought a myriad of toys and Miles was happy to play with her and her toys and on the therapist's terms.

Tomorrow is nursery. Wish us luck!

Summer is Flying By

We're half way through summer break and the boys have been busy. Jonathan is a working machine- picking up shifts left and right and loving the paychecks. He rides his bike to work most days (because evidently bikes become cool when you could be driving instead); that's 19.9 miles round trip! Last week he was trying to get the waterpark closed up for the night when a thunderstorm hit. He was working under the slide tower stacking the tubes up nicely. Afterward, he was told that the slide tower was hit by lightning as he was beneath it doing his job. Thank goodness for lightning rods! Marching band is on its summer break. The band marched in 4 parades this summer. It resumes in about 2 weeks and band camp is shortly after that. Saturday, Jonathan leaves for his second river rafting trip of the summer. Staying up late and sleeping in are his favorite activities. Oh, and he got his AP Biology test result today- he got a 5!

Nolan is in love with the new basketball hoop that Dan bought last Saturday. The old one toppled over in a wind storm and was removed from life support when the cost of replacement parts was evaluated. A new-to-us basketball standard was picked up on Saturday and Nolan's been working the shots since. Nolan is finally getting tired of earning merit badges, but he still likes to get them. He's only earned 13 so far this summer with 9 more in progress and 2 more that the classes haven't started yet. He loves staying up late with Jonathan and is learning to sleep in like a teenager.

Miles has decided to be a jabberer. Last week he learned his colors and now labels his favorite things along with their color. However, because he is Miles and does things his own way, he has decided that the color "red" is not "red", it's "Lightning" as in "Lightning McQueen". Last week, Miles decided to learn some more letters... He now tells us "S-T-O-P" when we reach intersections. (And this is my speech delayed child who seems to be making progress quickly... now if others could understand him as well.)

Kids These Days

I feel like a grumpy out-of-touch old person by writing this, but as I do I am shaking my head in disbelief at the teenagers Jonathan works with. Background--- before one is hired at SevenPeaks, one submits a list of time off required for the summer. Why? I do not know, because, personally, I think the scheduler looks at the days requested off and intentionally schedules the employee on those days just to mess with him/her. Jonathan has had to find shift coverage for EFY, Driver's Ed, and the High Adventure Activity. I can't wait to see how many times he is scheduled to work during band camp and for Amy's wedding. Anyway, back to my story/rant (background completed)... Evidently the scheduler is either experiencing extreme PMS or is trying to kick a caffeine addiction because it appears that very few people Jonathan works with are happy with this week's schedule; Jonathan is the exception. So here's my gripe. Lots of tube rental/parking attendant employees are trying to get shifts for this week covered. Jonathan's already helping out 2 kids, but the "Help me" emails keep pouring in. What is driving me nuts is that the employees send out the "take my shift" emails but then want replies by text only. Return email doesn't seem to work for them. Today there were 3 emails from the same guy begging for shift coverage. Yesterday there were 2 from him and 1 on Saturday. Obviously the begging via email isn't getting the results he desires. Here's my advice, this is what has worked for Jonathan every time he has needed coverage... rather than send out an email for help and then stew around on your lazy rump waiting for the "I'll help you"
text to magically buzz, PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL SOMEONE AND ASK THAT PERSON TO TAKE YOUR SHIFT! Emails are easy to ignore. Jonathan has never had anyone pick up one of his shifts via email, but has had no trouble getting coverage when he dialed a phone number and specifically asked someone if he/she could take a shift. He's even willing to work a double shift for someone if asked via the phone. So there, you lazy new technology dependent whippersnappers... give the dial tone a try.

Movie Obsession

Miles tends to get hooked on one movie at a time. He's gone through a Finding Nemo stage, an Aristocats stage, a Toy Story 1 and 2 phase, a Monsters Inc phase, a Pixar Animated Shorts phase, and a Cars phase. He's even gone through an "I hate movies" phase. This weekend, Miles has gotten hooked on a new film. He is obsessed with The Queen. Yes, that's right, The Queen- the Miramax movie starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and was about how the monarchy reacted (or failed to react) in the days immediately following Princess Diana's death. I don't know what he likes about this film, but he's watched the movie 5 or 6 times since Friday. He brings me the DVD case and asks me to open it. He puts the disk in himself and starts it up. Yesterday I put Monsters Inc in the DVD player, he removed it and put The Queen in. Strange choice for a 2 year old!

Lisa Mangum

Lisa Mangum is an author. She wrote the Hourglass Door trilogy. These books are a time traveling vampire-free love story. I found out about them from a librarian friend of mine. Skeptically I bought the first one, then the next one, and of course, the last one and enjoyed the series. The best things about the books is that they were imaginative and squeaky clean- no language issues, no "makes me blush" sexuality; completely age appropriate in all areas for the author's intended audience- teenagers/young adults. Today I was cruising through Costco and noticed that a book signing was going on. It was Lisa Mangum who was promoting book 3 in the Hourglass Door series. I already have the book, so I didn't buy it, but I had the chance to talk to Lisa. I told her I enjoyed her books and that I thought it would be confusing to keep all the details straight. Then I thanked her for keeping the book clean from start to finish. She thanked me for noticing and said that was one thing she insisted on as her books went through review- she would not compromise on language or sexuality. I thought that was awesome. While Lisa may not be a Pulitzer Prize winning author, I will continue to support her writing career as long as she holds to her high standards!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

I go on cooking quests. My first quest was for the perfect brownie. I discovered that Bona's recipe with slight modification was my ideal brownie. Then my quest was to find the "best" chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have been on this quest for years. I've tried dozen of recipes and bought cookbooks that are dedicated to chocolate chip cookies. I've found several really good recipes, but I didn't think that any of them were "the one". I have found what I've been looking for. I don't know what makes this recipe so special, there's nothing really unique about it, but it's amazing enough to get me to use my oven on a hot July day and for my boys to ask repeatedly for me to "make them again". Here's the recipe (with my modifications, because sometimes I can find ways to simplify the process without altering the final product in any noticeable way)...

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream for 5+ minutes

• 2 1/2 sticks of Butter (mine is always straight from the refrigerator)
  
• 1 1/4 C Brown Sugar (or 10 oz, because I prefer to weigh it)
• 1 C + 2 Tbsp Sugar (8 oz)

Add 2 large Eggs
Add 2 tsp. Vanilla

Add...

• 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix it well, then add 4 C Flour
Add 1 bag DARK Chocolate Chips

Scoop into large balls (golf ball size) and place in a plastic bowl with a layer of plastic wrap between layers of dough. Cover last layer completely with plastic wrap and snap on the container lid. Refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours and up to 72 hours (evidently this is critical and I haven't cheated on this step). The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies 6 at a time for 18 minutes. Remove from oven as top is browning, but insides still look wet. Leave on baking sheet until completely cooled.

I just took a batch of these cookies out of the oven. Nolan had one cookie while it was still hot, then came back for seconds! I've restrained myself and only had 1/2 of a cookie.

Try them! They are magical!

Scout Camp 2011

Nolan got to go to scout camp this year. He's been looking forward to his turn to go for 4 years. He and his 3 leaders and 11 other boys left last Monday for camp. Here's what I know about Nolan's week. Nolan earned 5 merit badges (horsemanship, rifle shooting, lifesaving, wood carving, and wilderness survival) and one certification (BSA snorkeling). Nolan's favorite merit badge class was also the hardest class (horsemanship). Duncan threw up on the first night at camp. They got rained on 3 different days. Nolan lost a pair of pants. They played a game where they tried to flip each other out of a hammock. Nolan ate 3 grilled cheese sandwiches at one meal. Adam got fired as the fire marshall and tried to take on his scoutmaster in a feat of strength (think David vs. Goliath with Goliath emerging the victor). They had to share the road into camp with cows and cowboys.Nolan didn't shower the entire time he was at camp. Nolan started a fire using a magnifying glass and it took under 5 minutes to accomplish that feat. He played a game called Sneaky Buffalo. Jordan draws funny pictures. Sounds like an awesome week to me!

High Adventure Activity 2011

Last Monday, Jonathan was picked up at 4 a.m. to head out on a high adventure activity. He and 21 other teenagers and 5 leaders went to a camp near Jackson, Wyoming for a wild activity. They spent the first day doing a short "training" canoe course. The second day was spent paddling a 21 mile long whitewater canoe course. The third day was spent hiking in Teton National Park and whitewater river rafting. Jonathan got home late Wednesday night and while he was too tired to give us many details, he let us know that he had a great time!

Provo River

Usually the Provo River is calm and placid as it makes its way through proper Provo. Actually, it's a calm river as it makes its way through Provo Canyon. Usually it's calm enough for young children to float down and for fly fishermen to stand it. This year the rivers in Utah are running high. We had an exceptionally snowy winter with a cold spring so the snowpack is just now coming down. On Saturday I got my first look at the Provo River as it flowed through the heart of Provo. I was shocked to see rapids! The usual calm and gentle flowing river was a raging torrent. Miles was upset that we wouldn't let him close to the bank to throw rocks into the river. Maybe in August...

Big Balloons

This past week, Miles' speech therapist as "banned" us from "one word repeats" with Miles. This is to help expand Miles' vocabulary. So if Miles says "car" we are to respond with "red car" or "fast car" or "big car". On Saturday we took Miles to see the balloon launch in Provo. He was excited to see the balloons. We told him they were "big balloons". Miles quickly made the connection and added the word "big" and the phrase "big balloons" to his vocabulary. Today Miles is carrying around pictures from the balloon launch and has turned into a broken record of "big balloons." He loved it so much that Dan is taking Miles back to see more "big balloons" on Monday.