Walking for a good cause

On May 10 Andy, Rick and I participated in the annual Elevate 5K walk/run to benefit six families who have someone in their family fighting cancer.  Our community has participated in this event for several years now and it has grown to include thousands of people.  All of the proceeds go to the people who are battling cancer.  The families who benefited this year are listed here.  It was fun to see people we knew and to see all the businesses and organizations that donated to this worthy cause. 
Rick and Andy ran the route and I walked it.  My time was 55.36 which wasn't bad considering I got a new knee three months ago. 

It was a beautiful morning and it was fun to participate.  The annual Susan G. Komen race for the cure was going on in SLC at the same time.  I would have participated in that again this year, but instead decided to stay and contribute in our community. I felt good to be cancer free myself and to walk for those who are in need.  I hope our efforts helped them not only financially, but emotionally to know that many good people are behind them.

Monetary donations and race registrations that are made on behalf of a specific family will be transferred directly to the family. Funds that are not designated for a specific family will be divided between families - See more at: http://elevateutah.com/elevate-5k/about-the-race/#sthash.nWQ20tDh.dpuf

Cooking with Ann

I get in a rut sometimes when it comes to cooking.  Since I've been back to cooking for just two for awhile now, I've had to find some motivation to keep at it.  After 35 years of cooking meals, it can get old. And it's not over yet. 
We always ate as a family when the kids were going up.  6:00 pm sharp.  Our children noticed that they usually had three items on their plates...the main dish, a vegetable and a fruit or a side dish.  I also made a lot of homemade bread, cookies and other baked goods.  I don't bake much anymore.  We can't eat a whole dessert and we don't need the extra calories. I enjoyed cooking good meals for my family.
It's a lot easier to make some simple meals for just the two of us such as salad and a grilled chicken breast, a pot of soup, or a sandwich and veggies, etc. I use to stock more "kid friendly" food, but now we're down to mostly lean meat, a little fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.  We don't buy soda, potato chips or other treats and we don't buy packaged or much frozen prepared food.  We really try to shop around the perimeter of the store where the real food is. We're pretty successful at eating healthy and cutting out sugar and the non-healthy choices. 
We've started the habit of buying a variety of veggies and then making "veggie bags" to take to work each week.  The veggies fill a gallon size zip-lock bag and will usually last for a week or so.  Rick eats his within a few days, but it takes me longer to eat mine.  I like mine with some lite ranch dip and he likes his without any dip. We usually include: carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, colored peppers, snap peas, cucumbers and grape tomatoes. It's a great snack at work.
I also got some new cookbooks.  Claire gave me two issues of the Pioneer Woman's cook books and I really like them.  Ann Romney's Family Table has motivated me to try some new recipes.  My daughters gave me the cookbook for my birthday.  It has some good recipes in it. So far  I've tried:

chicken pasta primavera with fresh veggies

*crispy chicken fingers with dipping sauces

sweet pork burritos

Mitt's meatloaf

beef tenderloin

butternut squash soup

minestrone soup

mango salad

Caesar salad with homemade dressing

butter lettuce salad

The dessert section looks inviting and I'll try more of those when company comes around to help eat it. What do you do to keep cooking interesting and to serve healthy food??

This recipe is from Ann's book and we really enjoyed it.  I served it when we had some friends over for dinner and it was a hit!  It's healthy and lite.

*Crispy chicken with dipping sauces*

1 3/4 cups walnuts
1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs, divided
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
In a food processor or blender, blend walnuts and 1/4 cup bread crumbs until finely ground.  In a medium bowl, combine nut mixture with salt, pepper, and remaining bread crumbs; mix well.
Beat eggs with fork in a pie plate.  Dip each piece of chicken in beaten egg, then in walnut mixture to coat; place on prepared pan.  Bake chicken 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
While chicken is cooking, prepare sauces.
Apricot balsamic sauce:
Stir together 1 cup apricot preserves, 2 T. balsamic vinegar and 1 T. soy sauce
Honey mustard sauce:
Stir together 2/3 c. Dijon mustard, 1/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. honey and 3/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
Blue Cheese sauce:
Mix together 1/4 c. mayonnaise, 1/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 t. Tabasco sauce, 1/4 t. coarsely ground black pepper.  Stir in 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese.
Enjoy!

Mothering

Mother's Day always brings a mixed bag of feelings for most of the women I know.  Some are mothers, some aren't.  Some wanted to become mothers, but couldn't.  Some became mothers and didn't want to. A few opted out of motherhood. Some never married.  A few lost their mothers at a young age.  Most love being a mother and consider it one of their greatest accomplishments in life (myself included.)  Some had great mothers, others had terrible mothers.  Some mothers scarred their children and some helped them lay a solid foundation for their lives.  Some tried and failed to meet their own expectations.  Some didn't try very hard or didn't know what to do.  Some took the road out and abdicated their role to others.  A few gave their children to others to raise because they knew they couldn't get the job done. Others feel guilty because their children have made wrong choices and have headed down thorny paths.

Whatever the case, the emotional baggage of this day is enormous.  Love, pride, guilt, sense of accomplishment, sense of guilt, shame, remorse, heartache, blame, longing, and unfulfilled expectations are just some of the emotions that women deal with on this day when we celebrate Mothers. Most of the emotions are positive, but if they are negative, then can be really negative.  It's common knowledge that mothers have a huge impact on their children and can bless their lives or make their lives very, very difficult. This is messy business. It isn't measurable. It isn't defined. We can't always see the results of our efforts. Mothers often minimize their successes and maximize personal weakness.

I really like this article I read recently entitled "how (and why) to be the meanest mom in the world."
The author suggested the following strategies to work towards the title of being the "meanest mom in the world."  She suggests:

1. Make your kids go to bed at a reasonable time.

2. Don’t give your kids dessert every day. 

3. Make them pay for their own stuff.

4. Don’t pull strings. 

5. Make them do hard things.

6. Give them a watch and an alarm clock. 

7. Don’t always buy the latest and greatest. 

8. Let them feel loss. 

9. Control media. Control media.  Control media.

10. Make them apologize. 

11. Mind their manners.

12. Make them work — for free. 

Of course the words "make them" and "meanest mom" actually show who is the mom and who is the kid.  It may sound forceful and too mean, but I think it actually shows something positive.   Sometimes I think that parents are so busy trying to be "the best friend" that the lines between who is the parent and who is the kid are blurred.  Those lines tend to disappear then a children grows up and leaves  home, but for ages 0-18 years of age, I think they need to be in place.  Someone (mom and dad) need to be in charge and set EXPECTATIONS for behavior, time management and future goals.  I always liked the motto that parents need to have "a tight grip on loose reins."  Parenting styles vary considerably, but I think that those who are most successful are those who are in charge, who set expectations, who set limits and who enforce those limits not with an iron fist, but with love and firmness and kindness.  Children need to know that their parents love them first and foremost, but they also need to know that they are being prepared for the future and that they can use their agency along the way.  Sometimes the best teacher is suffering the consequences of poor choice.

How can we share the good of this holiday with our own daughters so the next generation of mothers feel the sacredness of their roles without the pressure to be perfect?

My own wonderful four sisters are great examples of these principles.  Between us, we have raised 21 children to adulthood (with a couple of teenagers bringing up the rear.)  It hasn't always been easy.  There have been bumps along the way, but we have all tried our best for the most part to have "a tight grip on loose reins."  We knew what to do because we had a mother who taught us how to be mothers.  My mom, Mary (and my dad Earl), raised the five of us along with two brothers.  We each had different temperaments, different talents and abilities, and we each presented her/them with different challenges as a mother and father  We still do! But, she stuck with it and over the years we have shared so many wonderful experiences and we have learned a lot from their examples and teachings. I grew up knowing that my parents had high expectations for me because they LOVED me and BELIEVED in me.  I've try to give as good as I got and I thank my mother and her mother before her and her mother before her... for teaching me how to be a good mother. This is a gift that is beyond measure and I thank my mother for being "the meanest mom in the world."

Praise for R

Can a mother-in-law ever say enough good things about her son-in-law?  Some may have to dig deep in order to have a list of good things to say.  I am not one of those MILs.  I have two outstanding sons-in-law and today one of them has a birthday.  Happy birthday R!  He doesn't like to have a lot of info about himself put on the internet, so I'll respect that.  I'll just say that for a MIL, I struck pay dirt. Here are some things I appreciate about R:

• he works hard and has make a name for himself in his profession - check
• he was named one of the top young professionals in his field recently - check
• he is well respected in the community and has made some very impressive connections with persons higher up - check
• he comes from an outstanding family and was well taught my his parents - check
• he possesses all the social graces and knows what to do in different situations - check
• I always enjoy talking to him and he shows interest and concern - check
• he knows a lot about music and enjoys playing the piano - check
• he is a handsome gentleman - check
• he is a wonderful father who loves his little son and daughter and who cares for them deeply - check
• he is SO HELPFUL around the house when he visits and does a ton of chores at his own home - check
• he is a great husband to our daughter and he is yin to her yang - check
• he has a great sense of humor and participates in our crazy family activities - check
• he is devoted to his religion and serves with distinction in his ward bishopric - check
• he is a good man who loves God, country, family and who is grounded in all the things that matter most in life - check

Here is another write up I did about R a few years ago.  He just continues to get better with age.  We all love you R.  Thanks for all you add to our family. I hope Claire spoils you today.

Whoosh Cecil!

A new era begins today at BYU.  President Cecil Samuelson steps down as the 12th president and Kevin Worthen takes the reins as number 13.  University presidents really set the tone for what goes on at a university.  President Samuelson went around every year and visited the colleges and departments at the university to meet the faculty and staff and learn about the work they do.  I met him early on in his administration and when I saw him again on campus, he remembered my name. That really impressed me about him.  He really seemed to want to get down in the trenches and know what was going on at the university.  His 11 year tenure comes to a close and we are all anxiously waiting to see if he returns to wearing red (the U of U colors and his alma mater) or if he stays true to Cougar Blue.  Time will tell.
The BYU students started a tradition of saying "whoosh Cecil" after every scored free throw at basketball games.  Cecil would then give a thumbs up.  He continued this tradition for many games over many years.  He was a good president who was very approachable.  He will be missed at BYU.
His replacement, Kevin Worthen is a fine choice as a new president. He was in Rick's class in law school and Rick knows him and says he is a fine (and very smart and capable) person.  Goodbye and good luck President Samuelson and welcome and best wishes to President Worthen.