Sammy-isms

I haven't been the best scrap-booker/recorder of all Sammy's milestones and mini-milestones. But some moments are just so sweet/hilarious, I know I'll want to share them with Sammy when he's older. I'm posting them here. Read along, if you'd like.

• Sammy often goes around singing "La-Da-didl-da-da-Da-Da" to the tune of Vivaldi's "Spring." (I posted incorrectly on Facebook for those of you who read that update.) Click on the video. The part he sings starts about 0:35.
• He says "oosh" instead of "shoe." And "oaf" instead of "phone." Adorable dyslexic pronunciations. Oh, and bananas are "deedle-deedle-deedles."
• Sammy's favorite game has been peek-a-boo or any variant thereof. For example, sometimes we'll just be sitting around and suddenly he'll hide his face behind his hands. This is my cue to say, "Where is Sammy? I can't see him anywhere." At which point, he pops his head out and we both have a good laugh.
• When we go out to play in the front yard, Sammy constantly tries to run past me to get out to the sidewalk, and perhaps the street. I stand in his way, and basketball defense-style I slide along to keep him from being able to get by. Frustrated one day, Sammy tried a different tactic. He put his hands up in front of his face (remember from the last bullet point, that "I can't see him" when he does that) and charged forward. Part of me was tempted to reward his creativity by letting him out onto the sidewalk, but . . . safety first!  I could still see him, and thus kept him safely corralled in the yard. 
• He loves going on walks outside. Many mornings after he's finished his "ood" (food) and "gurt" (yogurt) he'll start saying "waaaht" and knocking on our sliding back door.
• When I say "Hugs!" and spread open my arms, Sammy comes running to give me a big hug.
• For several months now, when he's playing at the railing near our stairs, he'll pause with his face between two bars and pucker up for me to come give him a kiss.
• Lately, he's been trotting around a lot more - one arm extended in front of him and the other pulled in close to his body. Adorable.

Just had to get these written down.

Mo out.

A little something I've always found interesting.

A connection between Arizona and Tibet.

As far as starburst-inspired flags go, the only other two I can think of are Nepal and . . . Macedonia . . . maybe. (Don't feel like googling it myself just now. Sorry folksies.) Arizona's is the only one of the fifty states that I know of to have such a distinctive design.

All that said - the fact that the flags of two such disparate places could be so similar is just something I find interesting.

Props to anyone who can uncover their secret underlying connection! (Because obviously there is a connection.)

Money for Nothing . . . (and your chicks for free)

I'm listening to Pink Floyd's "Money" right now. How apropos.

Recent experience has refreshed this thought: even our most frugal friends have things they are willing to spend money on.

After the Dairy Queen comment (in the last post), one girl (the one who said Dairy Queen was expensive) went on to talk about a recent pet peeve - baby clothes turning dingy after only one washing. I'm somewhat acquainted with her buying philosophy, and I'm sure she

1) doesn't like to spend money on baby clothes;
2) doesn't like to spend money on laundry detergent;
3) I'm also sure that she is using a cheaper quality washer or dryer (just because that tends to be the case in most rentals).

This is what I like to call a compendium of cheapness. I feel for her. When Sammy was brand new (as her baby is), I too was guilty of this same cheapness complex. One of these three on its own may not lead to dingy clothes after one washing. But cheap clothes and cheap detergent thrown into a cheap washing machine? A fatal combination.

I'm telling you this story not to make a judgment about this girl's choices other than to say that she's choosing to spend money not on baby clothes, neither laundry, nor fast food. However, she has a brand new iPhone.

My friend and I both have found balance in our budgets, even though we've weighted things differently. I would love to have an iPhone, but I don't. I spend a little more on baby clothes.

I'm not saying that I've bought any Burberry shorts, Hugo Boss suits, or Armani Junior shorts for Sammy - 'cause I haven't. But having experienced the results of buying cheap baby clothes (and because I use cheap detergent), I watch for sales at Baby Gap, Nordstrom, J. Crew, Gymboree, and the like because I've noticed that their baby clothes last through many, many washings even with the cheaper soap.

All that being said, what are some areas that you feel are worth it to spend a little more money on? What are some things that you're not willing to spend money on?

(Now as I finish this post Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" is playing. Interesting.)

Live life and prosper

The following dialogue last week between two of my buddies:

"My husband and I went out for Dairy Queen blizzards last night!"

"Really? Those are expensive."

"Oh, we had a coupon, so it's okay."

This conversation troubled me.

So, I'm just gonna say it here and now: it's okay to spend money. Spending money is how many good things come into our lives or into the lives of people close to us. I'm not saying to be foolish or wasteful with your money. I'm just saying . . . if you want to go out and buy yourself an ice cream treat, it's okay.

Even if you don't have a coupon.

Mo out.

(Also, for the record, it's okay to spend more than $5 on an item of clothing. Even baby clothing.)

The First Vision in my head

Sammy and I were on a walk to Macey's yesterday afternoon when quite unexpectedly the thought came to mind that it had been a long time since I'd told the story of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Time was, I told this tale several times a day . . . in Tagalog.

The exact wording of Joseph Smith's own account -- or rather, the official Tagalog translation of Joseph's own account that I memorized before leaving the MTC -- began running through my mind. It was a bit of a challenge remembering it all word for word. I guess eight years takes it toll, but surprisingly it all came back.

A few thoughts came to mind:

• God knows each one of us by name and answers our prayers.
• The Tagalog way of saying "I saw . . . " is a mouthful when compared to English, or even more so Spanish, "Vi . . .." Tagalog phrases it as either "ako ay nakakita . . . " or "nakita ko . . .."
• I miss speaking Tagalog.
• I miss sharing Joseph's story daily with people who have never heard it before.
• I know a lot of people who can relate his story in a lot of different languages. In my immediate family alone Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Tagalog, and German. One evening my siblings and I sat around and shared the first vision with each other in our respective mission languages. It was cool that even my siblings who had been home for years and years still remembered it. Treasured memory.
• I love that God chose this kid from a farm in nowhere-ville New York to become a prophet. He didn't choose someone who was looking for a chance to "be someone" or trying to learn "leadership skills." He chose someone real that I feel I can relate to.
• I believe him. That he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
• My life has been powerfully impacted because of that belief.

Potassium is a Mother

I've been wanting to do a post about potassium for a while now. Yet, even as I type, it seems like a strange choice of topic.

A few months back I began tracking my nutrition on myfitnesspal.com. At first I tracked vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber. Apparently I'm really good at getting those vitamins and fiber in my diet. I hit my daily recommended amount nearly every day. I was on a nutrition-guru high! Boo-yeah!

Then I decided to switch things up. I began tracking protein, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Um . . . fail! Almost every day, I came under in each of these categories.

Thanks to myfitnesspal I've found where my nutrition needs tweaking. But of those nutrients, potassium by and far has proven to be the most difficult for me to include sufficiently in my diet.

Many of you are probably thinking, "Just go eat a banana!"

It's harder than that. I do eat plenty (plenty!!!) of bananas daily - usually at least 1 or 2 every day. Each large banana has a little under 500 mg of potassium. That takes me part of the way to the recommended 3500 (some say 4700) milligrams, but bananas aren't the sole solution.

I've made changes to my diet. I've started eating more yogurt and cottage cheese. I've started seasoning more of my food with herbs like thyme, basil, parsley, and oregano (all high potassium/low calorie additions). I've started throwing spinach into everything from eggs to smoothies to burritos. A tablespoon or two of cocoa in my smoothies gives me a little bit more. Eating beans and lentils is one area where I was already doing pretty well, but I don't eat them every day. Tuna and salmon have been excellent sources as well. Also I eat a good amount of veggies every day.

All that said, there's only been one or two days where (by my calculations) I've successfully reached my recommended potassium intake.

What more can I do?

I still don't want to take a supplement. My goal is to tailor my nutrition in such a way that I get what I need without pills, but man!

Potassium is proving to be a mother!

Anne Geddes Gone Old . . .

I think we're all, all-too familiar with Anne Geddes' (and her cronies') images of chubby children bedecked in all kinds of vegetation and frou-frou-ery.

Here are a few examples: (As you may assume, I don't own the copyrights to any of these. Thus if you would like to own a calendar or mug with any or all of these images, simply visit the website noted on most of these images.)

This one's creepy . . . why must we squash baby into a sack?

 

 

Many of you may be able to guess my thoughts on these images, despite the perfectly-pinchable cuteness of the babies and admirable photo technique. (Don't think that I hate these images. I don't. They just feel a bit too controlled - I like baby pictures to feel more spontaneous.)

Because of that, imagine my joy (yes, joy!!!) when I was introduced to the perfect photographic counterpoint of these images: vegetation-bedecked old folks in natural settings.

These lovely, playful images were created by Riittai Konen and Karoline Hjorth. Follow their link (seriously, do!) to find even more images they are currently putting together.

These pictures make me smile. Here are a handful for you to admire, appreciate:

I love this old lady with a wreath of branches on her head. I also like that they gave one man a beard of babies'-breath.

Finally, a photo credited to Anne Geddes that made me chuckle. This has got to be what it's like most of the time on her set -- crying and distracted babies in every pot.

One Step Forward for Womankind . . .

Or at least, it was a great step forward for me. At the grocery store last week I did something incomparably brave . . .

I didn't choose the nonfat yogurt. No, I didn't even choose the lowfat yogurt. For the first time ever, I chose the "Original Style," i.e. whole fat, yogurt.

It was the greatest step I've taken thus far to act on some recently changing food paradigms. I just realized that fat percent doesn't matter as much as I used to think. (There are obvious exceptions to this, but I'm talking about fat count in foods that are generally accepted as healthful . . . like yogurt.)

I've decided to put the following idea to the test: eating foods higher in fats and protein (of course mixed in with fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc) will help me feel fuller longer.

The reason this was such a big step for me? I grew up thinking lowfat and nonfat were the only options for intelligent people. And, since I like to think I'm intelligent, why would I ever choose anything different?

Time will tell whether this was a wise or a rash decision. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the new sensation and creamy texture that is full-fat yogurt.


PS: Forgive the lazy photography. This image actually is in-focus, but I didn't adjust the depth-of-field to get the entire wordage on the container sharp. Note the blurry field down the middle of the container. That part was closer to my camera than the "M" I had selected as my point of focus. I just didn't feel like taking another photo once I had already sat down to write this post. Next time I promise a good photo.

Disclaimers

At the end of most movies there's always that little disclaimer about how none of the events, characters, places, etc were based on real events, people, etc.

For some reason I found myself laughing when I saw it at the end of "The Dark Knight Rises."

It just hit me as singularly funny that someone after watching this movie might think (or even exclaim aloud), "Holy crap! That was totally my life in a nutshell!" or "Oh man! That's my friend Brad all the way!"

Just sayin'.

Sometimes I think I'm sooo funny

I don't know if my penchant for puns comes from my dad and if this in-born appreciation was merely nurtured by serving a mission in the pun-lovin' Philippines, or if far more mysterious forces are at work. Whatever the reason, I found myself cracking up at a pun I thought of last night.

This is (roughly) the conversation (including my brilliant and hilarious pun) that Jon and I had last night.

Jon: Modern day tae kwon do is kind of useless. It's all about competition fighting and scoring points.
Me: haha! If only you knew Tagalog.
Jon: (ignoring my obvious set-up to tell him why I wished he knew Tagalog) Yeah, it's pretty lame for a martial art. It wouldn't do you any good for self-defense . . .
Me: (clearing the throat) You haven't let me tell you why you should know Tagalog!
Jon: (pausing)
Me: Because instead of being Tae [pronounced: tie] kwon do, it would be Tae [pronounced: ta-e] kwon do! hahaha!
Jon: Yes . . . and that would be so much better . . .
Me: It would mean "crap kwon do." (laughing and figurative knee-slapping continue)

My question this morning: When did 10:30 at night become late enough for that pun to be funny?

Oh dear.