Update on my Mother-in-Law

      Spencer's Mom received the good news yesterday that her cancer appears to have been contained in only her uterus, as there was no trace of it in her lymph nodes ... hallelujah!  Her doctor did say, however, that the cancer they found was aggressive, so as a preventative measure she is scheduled to meet with the chemotherapy and radiation department as expected.  But what a relief!

      When asked how she feels she just says, "worn out"!  She doesn't suffer much pain anymore, and she is healing well.  The past couple of days really wore her and Dad out though.  They had to mentally prepare themselves for which ever scenario played out.  Luckily, the best one came to fruition! 

The Blue & Gold Banquet

    Every February, Cub Scout Packs everywhere hold a Blue & Gold Banquet to celebrate the birthday of the Scouting program, it's kind of the highlight of the year.  They serve dinner, they go all out with decorations, and all pack members are asked to bring a homemade cake decorated in that year's chosen theme.  This year's theme was "Cowboys". 

     So for anyone who doesn't already know this, my husband has a hidden talent for cake decorating! He is very artistic and creative, so I always let him shoulder this project.  And to this day he has not disappointed!  Three years ago he created this lizard out of brownies, which hands down in my opinion was his best work!  It went a long with our desert theme. 

      Last year, to go along with our Native American theme, he created this buffalo's skull, and let Austin go to town bringing in color with M&M's. 

      And for this year's theme, which was "Cowboys", he decided upon a cowboy boot.  He really pulled this one out last minute though.  Neither of us even had a concept of what to make a couple of hours beforehand, but I went ahead and baked two batches of brownies anyway.  By the way, he always uses brownies because you can mold them into what ever shape you want.  Plus brownies and icing together are deee-licious!  I guarantee if it was up to me to decorate a cake (or brownies) they would not be this creative or nice looking!  Edible yes, but not nearly as pretty :-)        

   

Teaching Kids The Value of Money

      How do you teach kids the value of money?  That is a question I have asked myself over and over again, and I still don't know the right answer!?  I have so many questions: Should I give my kids an allowance, if so how often?  Should I tie the allowance to good grades or doing chores?  What is the appropriate amount of money I should give?  My questions go on and on ...

      Teaching financial responsibility is hard!  I honestly don't remember my parents teaching me how to handle money, and that's probably why I've been so bad at it through the years!  I've had to learn through trial and error how important it is to have these skills, and I want to teach my kids what I have come to learn.  Ultimately, the lessons I want to instill is that all money is limited and they will be best off if they learn to put a little thought into how they use it.  And secondly, I want them to get into the habit of saving and paying their tithing.  So over the past couple of months I have spent some time re-evaluating our current allowance system to see if it's really working to help us reach our goals, or not.  These are the questions I had to ask myself:      

1.  Defining Allowance - Should I give allowance and why?

      I think that kids should get an allowance.  Should it be tied towards their work performance?  I say no.  This idea is a change from my previous way of thinking.  In the past I tied allowance towards work performance and I found myself getting frustrated way too often when they would do a lousy job at their chores.  Plus I feel that it's my boys' responsibility to help around the house because they are a part of our family and we should all contribute.  And secondly, I feel that if I make one contingent on the other, I'm taking the chance that they will choose to forego the cash in favor of not doing their chores. And the whole purpose of giving them allowance is for them to learn how to handle money.  So changing my expectations on what allowance is was my first step.     

2.  How Much and How Often?

      I have always struggled with how much money to give as an allowance.  In the past I chose to give both Austin & Cameron $10 a month and Andrew (being much younger) $5 a month.  The reoccurring problem I found was the fact that the kids really didn't have enough money to buy anything useful.   Because after putting aside 20% (10% savings & 10% tithing) they were only left with a few dollars, enough to shop at the Dollar Store.  So re-visiting the dollar amount needed to be done. 

      I read that when it comes to an allowance, it should never be so great that kids can buy what ever they want, or so small that they can't make some money decisions.  And most experts recommend that children get $1 per year of age, per week, for an allowance.  So they recommend my 11 yr. old should get $11 per week, equaling $44 a month.  To me, that is TOO much!  I can't afford that.  I do, however, like the concept of $1 per year of age, but I am choosing to do it bi-weekly instead.  That is definitely more affordable with my 3 kids and it will allow them to have some decent money to work with.      

3.  Allow Spending Freedom?

      This is the hardest part for Spencer and I.  When you turn over your hard earned money you want your kids to appreciate it, and value it, and most of the time they just don't!  And it can be so irritating!!  But I think it needs to happen.  Controlling how they spend their money teaches them that strings are attached and that the money really isn't theirs.  I think we need to allow our boys to make spending decisions, both good and poor, and then encourage a discussion of pros and cons before more spending takes place.  Oh we still caution and offer our advice, but we are trying to do it with a no-strings attached attitude, and it's not always easy!!!

      The hardest part about parenting is trying to learn as you go and testing what may, or may not, work.  I am definitely not an expert, but I'm trying, and this new system seems to be a good fit for us, but I love learning from other people!  With that said, I would love to know how you are teaching your kids the value of money.  What things are you doing with your kids to encourage good habits?  Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me!

Great Basketball Season

      I am so happy that my kids love playing basketball!  I don't have to sit outside in the cold, rainy weather, and the games are full of constant action.  I only wish the season was longer!  Both Cameron and Austin played this season and Andrew will get his chance next year. 

      Cameron was placed on a good team with a great coach, but we quickly learned that he had a lot of ball hogs on his team.  Now while Cameron is an aggressive player he is not at all a ball hog.  He really wants everyone to be able and score.  We actually had to discuss with him that it's okay to keep the ball and shoot yourself instead of always giving it away to someone else.  He is pretty generous that way.  He ended the season strong scoring 10 points for his team during their final game, and received an award for "Best Ball Handler".

      After nearly being forced into coaching this year, Spencer ended up last minute coaching Austin's team.  He enjoys coaching, but being in the middle of a job change and not sure what the future holds left a lot of questions about whether or not he could do it.  Luckily it all worked out and he was given a great team.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching him coach because he taught the boys set offensive plays which I noticed no other coaches in his age division did.  The boys not only looked organized out on the floor, but they kicked butt every game!  They ended their season undefeated, with a score of 43 - 8 their last game.  Austin contributed 12 points during that final game, his personal best, and received an award for "Most Improved Player".

        At the conclusion of the season the basketball league held a ceremony where they passed out some awards.  One of the awards was titled, "Toughest Coach" or in other words, the toughest team to beat and the nominations came from fellow coaches.  Spencer did not receive that award.  Later that night we received the email below that literally left me at a loss of words.  This email was sent by the father of our best player on the team.      

To whom it may concern,

    Apparently none of you that run the basketball league have even watched a game or bother to look at team scores. 

 

    Maybe certain coaches of the league don't want to speak about or nominate a coach that this year has took a 5th and 6th grade team the " killers " undefeated all season against their teams. 

 

    This coach is "Spencer Waite".  Not only did this coach teach the kids, but he was one of the few if any to have more than one practice a week for the kids so they could learn and play even if schools were closed for weather or holidays. He rented a gym and kept his team playing and practicing because basketball season is by far the worst supported sport in the league but he wanted to give his kids more of a chance to play the game they love. 

    With this all said he now has a great group of undefeated boys that should be recognized and if that doesn't qualify him as the toughest coach in the league I don't no what does.

 

      That was a pretty nice compliment Spencer received, I think! 

My Absolute FAVORITE Good-For-You Cookie!

      I thought I would share one of my favorite good-for-you cookie recipes that my family just loves.  This cookie is super clean, no white sugar, no butter, and no white flour, and can you believe it ... they're delicious!  The recipe I use is an adaption of a recipe my friend, Paige, gave me years ago.  I did a bit of tweaking to eliminate the vegetable shortening, sugar and flour and added in a bit of protein powder as well.  Whenever I make these cookies my kids beg me for one, and Spencer loves them too!  That's saying a lot because I don't know how on board he is with the whole "clean eating" thing :-) Slowly, but surely, I will convince him though!

      Let it be known though, that these cookies are not the kind of cookies you want to over-indulge in, you'll see why:

My Favorite Good-For-You Cookie
1 C Light Brown Sugar
2/3 C Prune Puree (combine pitted prunes with enough water to puree)
1/4 C Truvia
4 Tb Unsweetened Applesauce
2 Egg Whites
2 tsp Vanilla
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C Vanilla Protein Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 C Oatmeal
Chocolate Chips (as many as you like)

      I mix all the ingredients together and then let it sit in the fridge for a half hour to firm up.  I then use my large Pampered Chef scoop (the one to fill a muffin cup) and place them on my cookie sheet.  I bake them at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  They turn out perfect every time.

      So as you can see these power cookies are high in fiber, so I wouldn't recommend eating more than 2 or 3 in a day.  I actually worry about the amount of fiber my kids get in their day, so that is another reason I love these cookies so much.  Lately I have been making smoothies for my kids in the morning and I give them one of these cookies to accompany it.  Give it a try.  They really are delicious! 

My Dear Mother-in-Law

      At the conclusion of our vacation we learned some heart-breaking news that Spencer's Mom has been diagnosed with uterine cancer.  We found this out via a text message when we finally turned our phones back on once we reached Miami.  It was so frustrating being three hours ahead of our family because we wanted to call and find out what was going on, but it was just too early to call.  The news we were told was that Mom had been cramping and bleeding for a few weeks before she went in to the doctor (this is a woman who has gone through menopause, so those two signs were not good)!  After some blood work and CT scan it was confirmed that she does in fact have uterine cancer, but they are hopeful that with a full hysterectomy, and removing some additional lymph nodes, it will rid her body of the cancer.  Unfortunately, the doctor told her to prepare herself for the possibility of going through a round of chemo and radiation as well. 

      Her surgery was today, and it appears to have gone well.  She is doing fine and starting the process of recovering.  Obviously it's our hope that the cancer shows no signs of being in her lymph nodes, but we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.  We will know more once the lab gets a chance to process everything.  I have been very impressed with her attitude about all of this though.  There is no doubt that she is anxious, but she has also shown a lot of strength that I haven't ever seen in her before, and I know that strength comes from her faith.  She knows that God is in control and that He has a plan.  I strive to have that kind of faith too in my life, but its not always easy! 

Eating Clean

      A few weeks ago I made the decision to start eating clean by simply avoiding processed and refined foods and implement more whole foods into my diet.  I base a lot of my nutrition and fitness routines off of the Body for Life philosophy.  It's a regimen that I know works for me.  The main reason I love Body for Life is because it forces you to plan out your day in advance and set goals for yourself.  I am much more motivated to eat right and exercise deliberately when I have a plan.  I do this six days a week.  On the seventh day I have a free day.  On my free day I can eat whenever and whatever I want ... guilt free!  No planning, no recording, I love it!!    

      So this last Sunday (my free day) the boys and I came home from church and were trying to decide on what to eat for lunch.  I don't know about others, but when I get home from church I want to eat everything in sight.  I feel ravished!  So after taking suggestions from the boys on what we should eat, it was unanimous they wanted top ramen.  So top ramen it was, as well as 1/2 a can of Diet Dr. Pepper, I really went crazy! ;-)  A half hour later, I was so SICK!   I was on sodium and carb overload.  That's when it hit me.  If I feel like this now, after nearly three weeks of getting all that garbage out of my system, how are my kids feeling?  It can't be good.  That's when I decided to make a change in our household.  The next day I did a lot of purging.  I gathered up a lot of our processed snacks and got rid of them.  Shhh...Spencer doesn't know this!     

      I then went to the store and replaced it with healthier versions.  I thought it would be a lot harder to do then it was.  I read labels on the food and made sure that neither flour, enriched flour, sugar or high fructose corn syrup were listed in the first four ingredients.  The other thing I am trying harder to focus on is having healthy snacks ready for the kids as soon as they walk through the door after school.  I have always been way too lenient when it comes to snacking.  Not only does that allow the kids unnecessary eating but it gets expensive too.  Well time for a change!  Lately I've been putting out a plate with cubes of cheese, whole grain crackers, and carrot sticks, and low and behold it's gone.  I also have them drinking smoothies in the morning before school instead of eating sugary cereal.  Victory!  Slowly but surely I am trying to implement more healthy habits into our household. 

      Eating healthier definitely takes more planning, but the pay off will be so worth it!                       

My Letter to Southwest Airlines

      So I'm still waiting to hear back from the airlines, talk about frustrating!!  Below is a copy of the letter I sent them:
________________________________________________________________

Southwest Airlines
Central Baggage Services
PO Box 36663
Dallas, TX 75235-1663

Re: Request for Reimbursement for Delayed Luggage

To Whom It May Concern,

      On January 19, 2014, my family and I flew with Southwest Airlines from Portland, Oregon, to Orlando, Florida. We were scheduled for a cruise out of Miami the following day. Upon arrival into Orlando, we learned that our luggage, which consisted of three suitcases, were lost. At that point, Baggage Services did not know where our luggage was but they were confident that they would be able to locate it, fly it to Ft. Lauderdale, and have it delivered to the Miami cruise terminal before we departed on our cruise ship.

      The following morning at 7:00 a.m., my husband called Southwest Airlines and they confirmed that they had the luggage and that it would arrive to the ship before 4:00 p.m. It wasn’t until 10:30 p.m. that night (January 20) that we learned our luggage was never shipped. We were then told that our luggage would be sent to Nassau, our last port stop on our cruise. The night before our arrival into Nassau, we once again contacted the airlines and they told us that our luggage was sitting in Orlando and would stay there until our return flight home on January 26, 2014.

      As you can imagine, this was EXTREMELY frustrating for us!! Never once did the airlines contact us as to the status of our bags. We always had to call for information. The information we were told was inconsistent, as far as where our luggage was, in addition to any spending allowance given to us by the airlines. We were also told that reimbursement would only be for the cruise days. I am not satisfied with that! We had no plans of coming back to Orlando until Sunday, January 26, the day we flew home. Am I supposed to cut my trip short, and cancel reservations we otherwise had?

The following is a list of additional frustrations we experienced:

• I spent two full days onboard our ship with no swimsuit as the cruise line doesn’t sell any;
• Our family lost time playing on the beach during our port stops because we were frantically trying to clothe ourselves;
• We were limited on dining options because we did not have appropriate dress;
• We were forced to pay expensive (tourist) prices to clothe ourselves and buy toiletries; and
• One of our checked suitcases contained snorkel gear for our family, as well as an underwater GoPro camera. These items were irreplaceable for our family activities.

      These frustrations made for a very stressful trip! And the upsetting part is, it’s not over. I still have to file this claim with you in hopes that the situation can be made right.

I have included the following documents to assist you in processing my claim quickly:

1. Southwest Airlines Lost/Delayed Report Receipt;
2. Photocopy of our baggage check;
3. Photo ID for my husband and I;
4. Flight reservation information for each member of our family (My husband, myself & our three boys)
5. Photocopy of our cruise itinerary, and
6. Photocopy of receipts totaling $2,149.48

      With all this said, I am requesting a full reimbursement in the amount of $2,149.48 for expenses incurred and that a portion of our points be refunded to our Rapid Rewards Account. 

      I thank you in advance for your help in getting this matter settled. Should you need to contact me, I may be reached at ….

Very truly yours,

Nicole Waite
　

Inclement Weather

      "Due to inclement weather ..." is a phrase I have heard used repeatedly in the last five days.  It all started Thursday morning around 8:30 a.m. with snow flurries that rapidly started accumulating.  Within the hour a couple of inches could already be measured.  It was insane how fast the snow was building up!  By 10:30 a.m., the County announced it's closure at noon and shortly thereafter the School District announced an early release.  The kids got out of school at 12:50 p.m., and this is how much snow we had by then.  And it just kept coming down!  I WAS LOVING IT!!!

      Of course, due to inclement weather, school was cancelled Friday, which made us all very happy.  And the best part was, the snow was still coming down!  It continued on much of Friday and was pretty consistent Saturday as well.  By Saturday afternoon church meetings had already been cancelled for Sunday, and I'm sure you can guess it, no school Monday as well. 

 

    This "inclement weather" didn't stop us from getting in our fair share of fun though.  We had an absolute blast playing in the snow.  I think it might be a sign of me aging though when I start thinking my kids should be wearing a helmet when tubing.  I recognize that I am not as crazy and free as I used to be.  But I do still like to have fun and I hope that I never outgrow that!  Yay for snow days!   

Miami & Orlando

      Saturday morning we woke up docked in Miami and ready to debark our ship.  After one last feast aboard the ship we made our way to the Miami Airport to rent a car.  While sitting in the airport I did a Google search on airboat rides near Miami and was surprised to learn how close and inexpensive they were.  So we had to do it!  It was only a 35 minute drive West of Miami until we reached the Everglades.   

      I had absolutely no expectations going into this adventure.  My only concern was not being able to see any alligators in the wild.  Luckily, that was not the case!  The place was crawling with them.  I think what made this adventure so memorable, was being there with our boys and seeing their reaction to it.  It was really exciting to see their faces light up the minute they would spot one.  That right there was worth the effort!  After our 40 minute airboat ride we watched an alligator show and walked through their museum.  Before we left the Everglades we decided to stop for lunch and have ourselves some Gator Bites.  They were very good, but a bit chewy.    

       After our fun in the Everglades we made the 235 mile drive back to Orlando.  Along the way we stopped at a rest stop and my kids, who are notorious for this, brought back a ton of flyer's on the Disney theme parks.  One of the flyer's was for a place called Downtown Disney.  It looked pretty cool and when I saw the part that said, "Parking and admission to Downtown Disney area are complimentary", I was sold!  So that is how we spent our last night on vacation, shopping in the world's largest Disney & Lego store.  The kids were in heaven!

      I feel really grateful to have had another successful family vacation.  This is our second year of opting to go on a family vacation in lieu of having a big Christmas, and I don't regret it for a minute.  Even though there was a lot of underling stress of dealing with lost luggage our entire trip, it didn't ruin the vacation in any way.  We had a great time together and a lot of memories were made!