Test Kitchen Baker or How it's Going to be even Harder to Lose Weight.

One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is The Mormon Momcast and last year they interviewed Josi Kilpack who is an LDS author. One of her projects is a series of culinary mysteries which includes recipes for the dishes that are discussed in the book. Her latest that is about to be release is called Devil's Food Cake.

To make a long story short, I'm now one of the cooks in her test kitchen! I can't share any of the recipes I try until the book has been released, but as compensation I will get a copy of each book I contribute to and acknowledgements. Many of the recipes are desserts, which I tend to avoid having in my house anyway. Looks like I'll be logging a lot more time on the elliptical.

Sometimes your all just ain't enough.

I give up. I believe that I gave a valiant effort but I just. can't. do. it. anymore. Last week Tom and I were going over our family goals for the year when he says, "I think we need to re-evaluate homeschooling." I agreed that I had been thinking the same thing earlier that week when I ended up having a breakdown over my cluttered house while on the phone with a friend. We had been snowed in and stuck in the house for three weeks and my house never got clean. As soon as I got one room cleared and clean, another would be destroyed.

I know what you're all thinking, "Well, she just needs to teach her kids to clean up after themselves." To you I say a big fat,"Whatever." The point is that I had an epiphany amongst our wrecked, crowded, cabin-fevered mess. If I couldn't keep things together for a few weeks while the Tank was out from pre-K and we couldn't go outside, what the heck was I going to do next year when they were all home, all the time? Not to mention how miserable Tweedledee was with the lack of daily social interaction with her peers. Once a week at the library just wasn't enough. Tweedledum was a little disappointed when we told them but he's been fine since they started. They both love their teachers and are excited to be with their friends again.

I took them down to the school last Monday, filled out the mountain of papers and then walked them to their new classrooms. They desperately wanted to be in the same class but there weren't two spots in any one class. Tweedledum was first and interestingly enough, the class he is in is the one he was originally assigned to at the beginning of the year. Tweedledee was next and when I told her teacher that I had been homeschooling her her response was, "Yes, I know." Ummmm... do the teachers have nothing better to talk about in their spare time than the fact that I had decided to homeschool my kids? How did my family become a conversation piece in a school so large that it has five classes per grade?

While I feel that we made the right decision, I still worry about what to do when they get to middle school. I've heard nothing but the bad things that happen at the middle and high schools. How do we teach our kids to be in the world but not of it? I know that they need to learn how to stand up for their values and what they believe in, but how do we keep them from unnecessary exposure to the evils of this world? I suppose I just don't have faith in my own ability to raise my children to not make the same mistakes that I made in my youth.

the most cliche blog post

Well, I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon and post my goals for this year(which I don't think technically is a new decade since there are ten years in a decade and our current one wouldn't have started until 2001, thus making this year the tenth year? am i wrong? After all, the end of the first year, AD, would have been when Christ turned one, not the day he was born. For that matter, should we really be celebrating the new year at the end of December anyway? Okay, I'm rambling.)

1. Lose at least 30 pounds. I'm determined to start a Clean Eating approach to food even though it does not coincide at all with my favorite Christmas present, a hot chocolate machine.



2. Read my scriptures daily. I know! You're shocked that I don't already do it but it's true.

3. Write in my journal once a week. I know that every day is ideal, but seriously? I know it not gonna happen so why set myself up for failure? I even signed up for ldsjournal.com where they send you reminder emails and everything is filed safely away from natural disasters.

4. Learn to play the piano. Since we actually have a piano in our house now and my kids are taking lessons I have been inspired. I never had lessons as a child(despite my mom playing both piano and organ in church callings) and tried teaching myself in my early teens but quickly tired of the juvenile songs that were used in the learning book from when my older brother took lessons. I was able to memorize the right hand of one church hymn but quickly forgot it. I was always in choir in school and have a general knowledge of music. Time signature and all that. Plus, watching Little Einsteins with my kids for years has helped me remember all those Latin terms that are so essential in music. I've looked at reviews of a few adult piano course books and think I've found the right one. Anyone familiar with Albert's?

5. Blog more often. Because really, who out there doesn't want to read more of my thoughts on life?

6. Post more picture of my kids. Because I know that there are family members who do NOT read my blog to hear about my philosophizing of life.

7. Exercise at least 3 times a week. We have a fantastic new elliptical machine and I can count on one hand how many times I've used it.

8. Get organized! I really need to get my act together if the entire Primary program in our ward is not going to fall apart while it's in my care. I need to not feel bad about delegating things to my counselors and just let the Spirit guide me in my lessons. I also really need a secretary.



So, what are you aiming for this year?