What Better Way to Say Happy Birthday Mr. President, Than Going On a Hike? 2015

We've had unseasonably warm weather in Utah.  Until today when the wind is blowing outside and it feels like 27 degrees (which is nothing compared to what the East is experiencing).  When President's Day weekend rolled around and the boys were out of school and Mark was off work, I decided we needed to get out in nature while the warmth lasts.  My neighbors have told me about a rope swing that we can hike to almost directly East of our house. So we packed up water, treats and a dog and headed up the mountain and into Deuel Creek Canyon, where we rediscovered how wonderful it is to be among trickling water, trees, though leafless, and small paths that make you feel like you are far away from freeways.

The Cube of Rubik

There are two fads my kids are experiencing this school year: Kendama and Rubik's cube (flashback to the 80's - I still can't do it).

D.J. has two friends that can solve the Rubik's Cube in under 1 minute.  D.J. decided to take on the challenge of figuring it out himself.  Well, not really himself, but close enough.  There are multiple videos on youtube and other sites that will teach you algorithms to solve the cube no matter how mixed up I can make it.  D.J.'s best time is 1 minute 23 seconds.  To help reduce his time, D.J. bought a speed cube in which you can adjust the tension.  James and Spencer have also caught on and they enjoy impressing their friends with their mad Rubik's skills.  D.J. will show you how to do it here:

Two Mighty Wrestlers

If you had asked me 20 years ago if I thought I would be going to wrestling meets, I would have given you a blank look and said no.  I would've been wrong.

Last year Spencer came home from school and asked if he could be on the wrestling team.  Uhhh. . sure?  He started a pre-season in November and then the Jr. High wrestling season the following February.  He loved it and I love it too!  It's great for camaraderie, we've got great coaches for role models, it's a fraction of the cost of football, the matches only last around five minutes and it tires the boys out because they work really hard at practices.  The only thing I don't like is when they think they have to lose or gain a few pounds within days.  I've put a kibosh on that.

In true Spencer form, he's recruited D.J. to wrestle with him this year, along with a few other friends, because if he thinks it's awesome, so will other people.  They are in different weight classes so they will not wrestle each other (thank goodness).

Most of the pre-season was just practice, with one tournament, to help with experience. But the Jr. High season has started and they both had a great first meet.

Here's D.J. first Jr. High match.  He is in the red shirt and gray shorts.  There were not enough singlets for all boys, which Spencer is disappointed about because he think's they make him look sexy.  I think he's trying to convince himself.

Spencer's first Jr. High match as an 8th grader.  He is in the white shirt and blue shorts.

"If You Give Kids Everything They Want, What Will They Have To Look Forward To?"

After graduating from college, I worked at a dialysis center while waiting to hear about a possible internship.  Working at the dialysis center taught me many things, but two prominent lessons are: I will always to my best to take care of myself so I don't lose kidney function, so I can always enjoy home grown tomatoes (those on dialysis have to limit their tomato intake), and also, I shouldn't spoil my kids.  I didn't have kids at the time, but while I was putting large needles into the cannula of one patient, he taught me something I've never forgotten.  He was an old German man, with the cutest German accent, but not-so-cute attitude.  He was complaining to me about how kids these days are spoiled rotten and how that is a big problem.  He said, "If you give kids everything they want, what will they have to look forward to?"  That struck me as a truth to live by.

I'm not saying we've only given our kids sticks and rocks to play with and sometimes we have gone overboard on buying (as our bottom basement verifies), but there are things that we have been especially strict about: namely screen time and all things associated with it.  We have many reasons, and there are many studies regarding screen time supporting our reasons, which I won't go into here, but because of our strong feelings about the affects of video games and such, we have held off on giving out kids cell phones, iPods, iPads and such.  We are in the minority, as our kids report to us often, i.e. "but ALL of our friends have cell phones!"  We of course knew we could not keep them away from devices forever and know that they will be useful tools, so we devised a plan for the boys to earn the privilege to have an iPod touch.  We wanted them to earn it because we want them to respect it and respect themselves for working hard for it.  So, here's the plan:

If you live in the Astling household and are in Jr. High, you can earn an iPod touch if you receive straight A's (including A-)for three terms straight.  Mark likes to call this the carrot approach, as opposed to the stick approach.

We are the meanest parents in the world.

But, we wouldn't set this standard if we didn't know the boys could do it and in Jr. High, they need the motivation to figure out how to begin good study habits before they hit high school.

Spencer took the challenge.  We at first had to use the stick approach by taking distractions away (books), and by doing so he achieved straight A's in one term (last Spring).  He was so proud of himself for getting straight A's and felt very satisfied that he was capable of straight A's and confident that he could do it again, now that he knew what it took.  He was rewarded with a dinner at Chuck-A-Rama, his favorite place to eat out.

His second term he was so close to straight A's (two B+), that Mark told him he would accept this term IF he could for sure get straight A's for the third term.  Spencer worked very hard during the third term.  If grades dipped, he made sure to talk with teachers about the reasons and get extra credit if he needed to.  The end of the term was in January on a Friday, but final grades were not posted until the following Tuesday.  There are two ways to look up grades at our Jr. High: you can log on to the student account and grades show up on the first page and then there is a link at the side that shows final report card grades.

That Friday, Spencer went on a scout winter camp (Klondike), and returned home Saturday morning. right when Spencer returned home, he ran in the house to look up his grades.  We were all outside unloading the camp trailer, when we heard a huge bellow from inside the house followed by Spencer running outside yelling, "I did it! I did it!'  After congratulating him on a job well done, we looked at the computer together.  He did indeed have straight A's on the student account page, but when we looked up the final report card, his science teacher had given him a B+.

Balloon popped. Parade rained on.

Spencer wrote to his science teacher asking her to please change the grade on the report card.  I sent her an email too, asking for her to explain the discrepancy.  She did not respond on Saturday.  Or on Sunday. Or on Monday.  Through multiple conversations we helped Spencer understand that it was out of his control now and to just be patient.

The kids were out of school for Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day, so we decided to go meet Dad for lunch down town at their second favorite restaurant: Crown Burger.  As I was walking into Crown Burger, I had the feeling that I shouldn't be waiting for a response from the teacher, but that I should check the report card again.  I discreetly checked the report card on my phone.  I passed the phone over to Mark to take a look.  Spencer saw Dad crack a smile. "What, Dad?"  "Are those my grades?!?!"  "Did it change?!?!?"  We pass the phone to Spencer.  He does a happy dance in the booth seat.

Balloon inflated. Parade on.

After lunch we went directly to the Apple Store to purchase an iPod touch for one happy straight A student.  You may wonder (as did the helpful apple store associate) why we just didn't go with an iPhone.  My kids go to school within a block of where we live and I go to nearly all sporting events with them, they don't need a phone for that reason, and phones are much more expensive, along with including them in a plan.  And really, they boys just want to play games on their own handheld device.  I'm sure a phone is in the future when it becomes necessary, but for now this is a good in-between step.  So here he is with his new precious:

And here is his first selfie (which is technically a groupie):

And his second selfie/groupie:

Since then we've had to lay down a few rules, but he has been very responsible with his use and makes sure it is put away until he finishes daily jobs and requirements.  He's learned a couple of things like: you should not send texts to people that say only this: "Will you please take a survey for me?" Sorry Uncle Dave and Stephen for freaking you out about being hacked! Hopefully you needed a password change up anyway. And that texting friend is great, but sometimes pointless.

Spencer, we are so happy that you are happy about owning an iPod.  But we are more happy that you know what you are capable of when you put your mind to it.  May you always remember these two lessons: 1) You can do anything with determination, patience, good communication and hard work and 2) What will you have to look forward to if you get everything you want?

We love you!

Cake Review 2014

Cake Review 2014.  There were a few more cakes than I usually make this year.  Two friends asked me to make a cake for them, one for a wedding and one for a 1 year birthday.  Both of the friend cakes confirmed to me that I will only ever make cakes for family (if I can ever master the ability to say no).  My anxiety shot through the roof with the thought of making it perfect for other people.  I can handle making cake for boys.  But, I took the opportunity to make something other than Lego/Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings cakes, and learned a lot in the process.

All cake making begins a few days before with making, coloring and shaping fondant, a late night before the birthday and relieving help from my sweetheart husband who must think I'm utterly crazy.  I think I'm utterly crazy.  But it's worth the surprise and pleasure the boys have upon seeing their cakes in the morning. I say this every year. It must be true.

D.J. had just finished reading The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien and so his wish for a cake was the two towers.  This is the first cake I used PVC pipe wrapped in Rice Krispies to form both towers and a hot glue gun.  It worked out alright I think.  I've used food coloring more and more as water colors to paint on the cake and with this one, the ALL-SEEING EYE OF SAURON!

Mark spent most of his helper time figuring out how to get the eye to stick in between the two thing-a-ma-bobs at the top.  Whatever he did with toothpicks and glue worked because it lasted for a week! 

Not to be outdone, Spencer requested a scene from the Two Towers as well: Helm's Deep.  Only instead of lego mini figures or fondant people (which I refuse to do) he wanted gummy bears to represent the armies. The blue bears are the Orcs, the Red are the men, the yellow one is Legolas (elf) and the green one is Gimli (dwarf).  All bears are equipped with a toothpick spear and came with bow ties.

My friend Wendy, married her high school sweetheart (30 years after high school).  It was a very happy occasion! She used burlap to decorate and purple and orange.  It turned out better that I thought it would (sweating bullets) and I even covered up the spot where my elbow plowed through the side.  I am now addicted to buttercream frosting.

Speaking of butter cream frosting, I thought this was a funny juxtaposition.  After completing a cake, my insulin pump informed me I needed to refill (not because I ate all the frosting, my three day reservoir was empty), when I set the bottle down I realized it was in front of frosting laden cupcakes.  I giggled a bit.

The second friend cake was for a 1 year old girl.  It was to be a "smash cake" where the baby is allowed to smash, or dig in however she pleases.  It became just a regular cake though because I informed the mom that it took a large bottle of red food coloring to get the flowers red and she probably doesn't want the pretty white dress to get stained.  More fun with butter cream frosting and decorating tips.

James asked for a Lego cake last year with lots of mini figures on top, but for some reason, I didn't go for it.  He renewed the request this year and since he wanted Legos for just about everything else, I caved.  Thanks to ebay, I got a good deal on figures, though some were weirdly matched.  The figures are standing on three stacked blue lego blocks, the circles are fondant covered mega stuffed vanilla oreos.  I forgot to tell Mark that the oreos were for the cake, but thankfully I had enough and one left over to complete the cake! Two of the favorite figures are a white Batman and a Utah Football player.

In addition to the mini figures, James requested a purple cow because his class decided it was their mascot for the year.  I didn't quite know how to do this, until Mark suggested covering a Lego horse - so even the cow is Lego - sort of. Brilliant Mark!

And so goes another year of fondant and merriment!

Double Digits for James - 10!

 Here he is: 10-year-old James. No longer single digits. Sigh.

Last year he asked for a cake with lots of lego mini figures on it, but was refused.  He remembered the refusal and made the request again.  I acquiesced. There were something like 35 mini figures on the cake, plus one purple cow (apparently the fourth grade class mascot).

He received a Lego superhero Xbox game, more mine craft Legos and more Skylanders.

A Christmas break birthday party means lots of friends.  And this year lots of friends brought lots of kendamas - the new rage at school. Ryker, Austin and Tyler.

I introduced "Heavy, heavy hang over thy poor head" to the boys, who were not shy about giving James a "bump on the head." Sam Echeverria

Nate Tullin, Sam Echeverria and Jack Pierce

Tim and Noah Chinsky

1st row: James, Nate Tullis, Jack Pierce, Noah Chinsky.

2nd row: Sam Paniagua, Timothy Chinsky, Theo Larsen, Ryker Warner, Tyler Shultz, Austin Dunn (Tyson Morley came later).

Each boy got to choose a mini figure to take home.

The movie of choice was Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, interspersed with kendama and hide and go seek. It was a loud, crazy, fun time!

Happy Birthday James!

Christmas 2014

The days leading up to Christmas Day were busy with homework, piano performances, wrestling, swimming, Tae Kwon Do, holiday parties, donations, sickness and more.  But Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were nice and calm.  

It's always fun to decorate the tree as we pull out decorations from years past.  Our homemade decorations bring memories of family fun or people who made them with us, dating back to Minnesota years.

Some decorations were given to us to remind us of phases the boys have been through.

Some were given to us by good neighbors and friends.

And one year, I discovered that Granna had some painted wood ornaments that were just like the ones on my tree when I was a little girl.  She graciously let me take them for our tree.

Pajamas for Christmas Eve. After 20 shots, we finally got a picture of all of them smiling and looking at the camera.  Thank you digital age.

 Granna came to have dinner with us on Christmas Eve, for our traditional Christmas fixings: ham, mustard sauce, green beans, salad and cheesy potatoes and a light angel food cake with fruit sauce (to combat all the chocolate, toffee, frosting, caramel, etc. that we've indulged in up to that point).  After dinner Granna stayed to read from the Bible with us and to play a few rounds of Word-A-Round, before she left to avoid any speck of snow.

One of the first things we do before opening presents is give Roxy her gift, to tear apart and stay away from Christmas morning crazies.  She dismantled the so-called "durable" stuffed buzzard within five minutes.

One of the funnest events for the boys is planning, buying and exchanging gifts.

Spencer and James gave DJ a book of random facts (right up his alley).

D.J. and Spencer gave James a lego set (right up his alley).

D.J. and James gave Spencer Magic the Gathering card holders (right up his alley). I guess they know each other pretty well!

This big gift for this year was an Xbox!  Spencer was so excited and surprised that he passed out on the box!

D.J.'s shocked face. Shock because Mom and Dad, the meanest, most strict parents in the world, would never give them an Xbox.

Spontaneous hugging from teenage boys. 

Not too old for legos. Never too old for Legos.

Minecraft legos bring happy faces.

XBox games: Madden 15 (football), Skylanders and Defense Grid Tower. 

After Spencer received books, he almost forgot about the rest of his presents.  My hands are holding the iPad to help Grandpa and Grandma Skype from South Africa and join in the Christmas fun.

Thank goodness for Legos and books, because after hooking up the Xbox, we discovered that there were problems with Microsoft.  SuperDad Mark spent somewhere around five hours trying to work out the bugs, praising MAC systems, degrading the Microsofts systems, using laptops, wires and a lot of Mountain Dew, and finally got the Xbox to work.  A few other highlights: Earlier in the month I was reading an advertisement which showed a necklace in the shape of a dauchsaund with a cubic zirconia diamond thing within it.  I told him sarcastically that I wanted that for Christmas.  Low and behold what did I get? That very same necklace with accompanying earrings.  Mark also joked with me that all he wanted for Christmas was a UofU sticker.  So he got a variety of stickers Christmas morning!  Oh what fun it is to ride in the Astling home todaaaa-ay!