make-over

Two of my friends hosted the cutest bridal shower last week.  I loved the colors they used....red, blue, and silver.  When I got home, I took one look at my dining room (still decorated from Christmas.... don't judge), and decided that I would give the room a valentine make-over.  I used lots of mercury glass to decorate for Christmas, so it was an easy  transition.

I found the "love you more" sign and placemats at a local boutique.  I reused lots of red and silver christmas ornaments, and Michaels's actually had a lot of fun valentine's decor (like the cupid below...don't forget to print an online coupon if you go).  I also picked up the bird cage and blue mesh (for the table runner) at Michael's. I found the red globe lights at Pottery Barn.  

 

And now, I'm even a little ahead, since it's still officially January....next week, the kitchen.

creative baking

 Yesterday, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I decided I needed a peanut butter-cup blizzard from Dairy Queen.  I was obliged to take the children with with me.  Really, sometimes, a gal just needs some sugar.  But, with that said, I haven't given up on that quest I mentioned on Tuesday.  And, I've realized that I'm going to have to be a little creative to help my family change some of our more unhealthy eating habits.  Last week I was perusing (don't you just love that word?!)...anyway, yes, perusing the cookbook section at Barnes and Noble and discovered this...

Mr. Jerry Seinfeld's wife has whipped up this little cookbook using one basic premise... pureed veggies can be easily hidden in lots of recipes.  I was curious, and bought the book.  These are the veggies I started with ......my total prep time (to cook, steam, puree, and freeze) was 1 1/2 hours.

Click HERE for directions for each type of vegetable.

This will be an ongoing experiment for me.  

This is the first recipe I tried.

Applesauce Muffins 

(with Butternut Squash)

Toppings:

2/3 c. old-fashioned oats

1/4 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

2 T. margarine ( I used butter), melted

Batter:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. old-fashioned oats

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. skim milk ( I used 1 %)

1/2 c. butternut squash or carrot puree ( I used butternut)

1/2 c. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 c. vegetable or canola ( I used light olive oil...better for you)

1 large egg

1). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups. 

( Note-this is a heavy, sticky batter, so if using cups, lightly spray interior of cups with cooking spray also.)

2). Make topping: stir together oats, sugar,  and cinnamon in bowl.  Then stir in margarine (or butter).

3). Batter: Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or zip-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with wooden spoon.  Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened.  Don't over mix.  Batter will be lumpy.

4). Divide batter evenly among cups, sprinkle with streusel topping.  Bake until the topping is lightly browned and muffin comes out clean with tooth pick.  About 18 minutes.

Sierra thought these muffins were, "good", Gentry actually ate half of her's, and I have loved them as a "quick grab" health snack when I'm on the go. 

More tasting testing to come.

cream puffs, veggies, and a new year

I love starting a new year and making resolutions and goals.  High on my list (again) this year is  this one: Eat better, Feel Better. 

A little story....
Last Sunday our friends were having an open house for their son who just returned from serving an lds mission.  A standard staple at these open houses is often cosco cream puffs ( and a whole lot of other goodies loaded with sugar).  Gentry is my addict.  The girl loves sugar in all its many forms.  Part of my new year's goal was to try and help her "detox" on some level.  So , that night, before the open house, we are all sitting around the table eating dinner.  Gentry (as usual) didn't want her to eat her's.  I reminded her that we would be going to the open house soon, and that I would love for her to be able to  chose one treat at the open house if she finished her salad.  I've been trying to teach Gentry  to navigate these kind of scenarios.  In other words, it's so fun to have a treat, but you don't need to have six treats just because they are available.  After taking a moment to extol all the virtues of spinach, I congratulated Gentry for putting something good in her body and excused her to go get changed for the open house.  As she jumped up from the table, she ran down the hall singing, "CREEEEEAM PuffS! CREEEEAM PuffS!"  And then, I couldn't help myself, as I yelled down after her, "Don't you mean Cream Puff!?" and then I started laughing  (because sometimes I think I am hilarious)...and then, when  Sierra and Gentry caught on and they started laughing. And, later, when we got to that open house, I watched in dismay as Gentry went over and polished off a cupcake and a cookie before I could even get across the room. Sugar (1). Mom (0).  Game on.  

outside the "electronic" box

Today I told Gentry she was DONE with electronics for the day...You know, the video games, movies, kindle games etc.... 

 This was the result.

Full ninja armor for "Pola" and "Brownie", plus a camouflage boat ("It looks like an ice cube so it will blend in in the Antarctica").

And, a special flag with their "polar bear emblem and two tridents".

I love to see what my kids do when they unplug.

singulair

Okay,  here it goes.... I have to bring up something that I had to put aside for a few years.  Singulair allergy medicine.  Many of you are already familiar with my story.  If you know me, I am forward and honest regarding things that are important to me.  Especially regarding things that affect my children.  Yesterday my friend called to tell me that her pediatrician had prescribed Singulair allergy medicine for her five year old son.  She also told me that the pediatrician did not take the time to mention any of the serious (now well documented) side effects of Singulair.  After hearing this, I felt a very familiar and painful tug in my stomach as I thought back five years ago to a time when Singulair changed my daughter's life (and not for the better).   Rather then retell this story, I am simply including a series of emails.  Starting with an email that I sent to Sarah Sellers, a Safety Evaluator with the FDA.

---

Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:55 AM
To: Sellers, Sarah
Subject: Singulair side-effects

Dear Dr. Sellers,

Please find below two paragraphs that detail my eight year old daughter's experience while taking Singulair for the past two years.  I wrote the first in preparation to submit a complaint against Singulair with the FDA.  The second was a post I recently  made on the web site Medications.com.

I am a "stay-at-home" mother of four.  My BA is in psychology and my husband also has a BA in business administration. We are financially stable and have provided a loving, happy home for our children.  I add these details simply to give a back ground and hopefully credibility to our story.  I have been shocked and outraged by the dismissive responses so many families have received from their medical care providers when they have questioned the side-effects of Singulair.  I continue each day to witness my daughter feeling healthy and happy again since discontinuing her Singulair on March 29th of this year.  Unlike Merck, I do not have the resources  to share my story with millions.  I implore you to listen to the families of the children that have suffered the most horrible side-effects of this drug.

            

Approximately two years ago my daughter was put on Singulair by her pediatrician to treat allergies.  Shortly after this time she developed leg pain that was debilitating enough to force her to withdraw from the dance class she was taking.  The leg pain persisted and eventually I was referred to an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed the problem as '"growing pains".  During this time my daughter also developed stomach pain.  After several visits to her pediatrician and subsequent visits to two different pediatric GI doctors,  the cause for the pain was still undiagnosed.  My daughter, who before Singulair was a happy, energetic child graduallly became very unhappy and seemingly unhealthy.  She began to suffer from constant fatigue.  She became angry and sad and suffered from severe crying spells.  She began to have an extremely poor appetite and often would refuse to eat completely.  She also developed severe insomnia and would wake in the morning upset and angry the majority of the time. These symptoms have continued for the past two years.  In early March of this year, 2008, I contacted my pediatrician and requested to meet with him.  I wanted to find out if there were any tests not previously performed on my daughter to determine what could be physically wrong.  In response to my request, my doctor recommended that I take my daughter to a psychiatrist.  On March 28th a friend sent me an e-mail describing recently reported adverse side-effects of Singulair.  I was shocked to read the similarities between my daughter's symptoms and other parents descriptions of their children's side -effects while taking Singulair.  On March 29th I stopped giving my daughter Singulair.  As of today, April, 15th, 2008 I have witnessed unbelievable changes in my daughter's health and behavior.  Within 3 days of being without Singulair her appetite began to return.  She is able to go to sleep and night.  She is smiling and laughing again and her normal energy level has returned... in summary, she has returned to herself again.  

May 1th
2008
2:31 AM

After visiting this web site everyday for the past four weeks, I feel the need to share my daughter's (and my families') experience with singulair. My 8 year old daughter was put on singulair aprx. 2 years ago in addition to zyrtec to treat her allergies. Shortly after starting the drug, she developed stomach pain. After a few weeks of chronic pain, I pursued help from our pediatrician. After visits to two different pediatric GI doctors, an allergist (to test for food allergies), and an orthopedic surgeon ( because of sudden leg pain), the results were inconclusive. During this time my daughter also became very sad, angry and fatigued. She also completely lost her appetite and refused to eat much of the time. I attributed all of these symptoms to her stomach pain . In addition, she developed difficult sleep patterns and would often wake-up exhausted in the morning. Over time she also began to have more and more "melt-downs", breaking into crying spells over the smallest provocation or challenge. I recently contacted my daughters pediatrician to discuss what other testing or direction we could take to help my daughter. In the interim of making that contact, a friend told me about this web site. As I read page after page of other parent's experiences, I was in tears. I felt as if I was reading about my own family for the past two years. I say "family" because when one child is living through this kind trauma, everyone in the family is negatively affected in some way. My husband and I felt completely frustrated and unable to help our daughter. Our older children began to resent the great amount of time and energy I spent on behalf of our daughter. My younger daughter who had always looked up to and loved her older sister was sad and confused by her sister's anger and impatience.On March 29th I took my daughter off singulair. Unbelievable. Within 3 days, my daughter's appetite returned. On the second day, she came home from school and requested a corn dog and then some ice cream. She suddenly wanted to eat breakfast again. She started smiling and laughing again. She has suddenly become capable and responsible for doing her homework and chores. She is going to sleep more quickly and waking up happy. The best part is having our daughter back...the sweet, wonderful, happy six year old who I feel like I lost for two years of her life! As a side note-the return call I got from my pediatrician was that he wanted my daughter to see a psychiatrist. That's how close we were to taking another (completely unnecessary) path to helping my daughter. I also recently spoke with my daughter's allergist about our experience. At first he was somewhat dismissive. I asked him to listen to me parent, to parent for just a moment. He seemed to soften and said he would take a second look at singulair and its side effects. I encourage every parent who's child has been so adversely affected by this drug to be proactive. First, please contact the FDA to report your experience. Second, talk to your children's physicians and share, with confidence your experience. Third, share this web site or a similar one with everyone you know. I have been astounded how many children are on singulair just within my own small circle (school, church and play group). I really believe one voice can make a difference. I have to believe that for the sake of all the children still suffering.May 1th

Dear Terra,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding your daughter's experience while taking montelukast.  You mention that your child was also prescribed Zyrtec--was this medication discontinued at the same time as montelukast (Singulair) or is it something that she continues to take?  Clarification on this point would be helpful. Also, you indicate that you were preparing to submit a report to FDA through the MedWatch system.  If you haven't already, I would encourage you to do this if it is not too much trouble, being as specific as possible regarding past medical history, when the medication(s) were started, when symptoms emerged, when drug(s) were discontinued and what happened subsequently.  The report can be submitted on-line athttps://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm. 

Please be assured that the information you have provided will be considered in our review of this concern.

Sincerely,

Sarah Sellers

Sarah Sellers PharmD MPH
Safety Evaluator
Division of Adverse Events Analysis I
Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology
Food and Drug Administration
301-796-2403

Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 12:16 PM
To: Sellers, Sarah
Subject: Re: Singulair side-effects

Dear Dr. Sellers,

        Thank you for responding so quickly to my e-mail.  I discontinued giving my daughter Zyrtec approximately six weeks after starting her on the Singulair.  I wanted to see how this would effect her allergies.  The Singulair itself seemed to control the allergies (ironically),  so I never started her back on the Zyrtec.  I think its important to note from a "scientific" perspective that the only variable that has changed in my daughter's life recently has been the discontinuation of the Singulair (as mentioned on 3-29-08).  Also, as mentioned, the changes have been remarkable.  I am in the process of trying to interpret her medical records at this time and hope to be able to submit the results to the FDA sometime this week.  Again, I want to express my most sincere gratitude for responding to my e-mail and taking the time to review our information.

Sincerely,

  Terra

So, dear readers, there it is.  I have one simple request of all medical professional who are in a position to prescribe Singulair.  PLEASE, inform parents about possible side effects!!! If you are too busy to verbalize them specifically, PLEASE, express to the parents the importance of reading about the side effects after filling the prescription.  And YES, as parents, it is our responsibility to read those about those side effects.   But, I trusted my pediatrician and trusted his judgement.  If I had known what to look for, I would have made the association between my daughter's behavior and the medication immediately.  Unfortunately, it took me two years.  As a side note....after our pediatrician became aware of my daughter's situation (keep in mind he wanted to refer her to a psychiatrist), he stopped prescribing Singulair all together.

  

Okay, I feel better now.  Thank you for listening.  Moms,  please pass this info on....Singulair is one of the most widely prescribed drugs for children under seventeen.

Oh....and some additional reading if you'd like more info...

Asthma Drug Gets New Labeling
Medications.com Singulair Side Effects

* And I promise, my next blog post will be a lighter!

mormon rockstar

Us Mormons are funny creatures.  Sadie just text me this picture.  President Uchtdorf is speaking on the byu campus today and Sadie and her roommates have been waiting outside in line ( it's eleven degrees in provo) for the last two hours so they can get a front row seat to hear him speak.  

I understand their motivation.  President Uchtdorf just "gets it" and I always feel peaceful, happy, and motivated after I hear him speak. Click here to read one of my very favorite talks.

President Uchtdorf, One Direction's got nothing on you!

Wishing you a your family a beautiful Sunday.

January in Arizona.....the payoff for July in Arizona.

onward

Sadie returned to byu on friday.  Friday night I was hit with that awful, and now familiar void as I passed her bedroom. Gratefully, that feeling passes more quickly than it used to. Gentry had a hard time going to sleep without her big sister across the hall.  Sierra remarked on Saturday, "It's kind of sad not having Sadie around, it was actually fun having her home,"  which is Sierra's way of saying that she really misses Sadie.  I overheard Drew taking to Sadie before she left, "Wow, I can't believe you have to go back, I was getting used to having you home".  I appreciated what he was trying to say.  Life is full of transitions.  Some are more difficult than others. I know Sadie is where she's supposed to be, and I know she is having experiences she couldn't have if she was here. So, even though I miss her, I also feel so happy for her.    
     My heart felt a little better on Saturday.  I got up and went for a walk. When I stepped out my front door, I was greeted by this beautiful, peaceful sunlight and fifty-five degree weather.  There is something cathartic for me about being outside, especially this time of year. Walking seems to move me to a thought process that's deeper than my day to day, "What do I need from the grocery store," monologue.  There's so much wisdom to that old adage, "Take a walk, it will clear your head." Often, my walking time turns into a prayer. I love having this time to talk with my Heavenly Father and ponder the path I'm on and where I want it to take me.  Being outside always helps me feel closer to God.  Looking up into a vast blue sky is always a good reminder to me of my own smallness.  I know God knows me, and truly cares about the details of my life, as insignificant as they might be.
     I loved our church meeting yesterday.  This past week, one of the families in our congregation welcomed home their third son from serving a mission in Texas. He shared just a few of his amazing experiences from the past two years.  This same family's oldest daughter has decided to serve a mission and will leave this coming Wednesday to serve in the Independence, Missouri Visitor Center mission.  Talk about packing a lot of emotion into one week. My friend Glenda also sang, "Families can Be together Forever."  Glenda is a stunningly beautiful black women.   Before joining the lds church almost 30 years ago, Glenda was a member of her baptist gospel choir.  Her singing always makes me cry (the good, super-inspired, happy kind of tears)...something that's hard to describe. I love those kind of Sundays.
    The kids went back to school today, and it was nice to regroup.  I'm looking forward to a new year, new growth, and even (to some degree) new challenges.  That's kind of what life's all about, right?  And the best part for me, is knowing that I never have to do this life alone.  No matter what the circumstances, I believe our Heavenly Father will guide us, uplift us, and love us. Always.

new year's eve

New Year's Eve. McKenna Faith and the Believers with Radio Disney on Mill Ave.  

Pre-show dinner at Five Guys (best. burger. ever.)

Riley, Sadie, Chad, McKenna, and Thomas

Final make-up.

Disney red carpet.

McKenna.  I so wish our audio equipment  was a little more advanced...Thomas' brother posted songs on you tube....you can watch my favorite here. Unfortunately, all the songs with the cahon drum didn't record well, but this song was my other favorite... such a bummer about the sound distortion, but I think you'll still get the idea.

Proud Parents:)

More proud parents.

The band with their coach, Jeff.  

By far the most fun new year's eve we've had in awhile.  Sadie goes back to byu tomorrow.  I'm hoping it will be a little easier this time, but I have a feeling that it won't be.   I scheduled a hair appointment for this Saturday, because there is nothing that helps this dirty blonde feel better than a session with my hair dresser, Suzanne, and a couple of bowls of bleach.  Love You Sadie Lauren!!!