Valentine's Day = Yummy in my Tummy

by Emily

My daughter is now in preschool. I'm not sure yet what the Valentine's Day protocol for preschool is, but I am kind of excited. I'm not the over acheiving parent who is going to make all adorable martha stewart one-of-a-kind valentines for my children's classmates on Valentine's Day. But I might make these Jello Jigglers.

You can find the recipe HERE.










The Family Fun website (Disney company) is great, and I get their newsletter in my email once a week. It is the same stuff that is in the magazine! How cool is that--online for free! (though, sometimes it is just better to have it in print :) )


I think I must also make something chocolate.
Yes, definitely. Chocolate.


Find the recipe HERE.

















This will do, as well:





(I did this one year, but with a heart on top. Cut out a heart from paper, discard the heart. Put the paper heart-shaped-hole on the cheesecake, and sprinkle powdered sugar to make it super fancy. What a treat!)




Recipe, is, of course, HERE, because I am so nice like that. ;-)





Do you have any Valentine's Day plans, or suggestions? Please share--and feel free to include a web link!

Cell Phone Age

Sweet Sixteen is sweet at our house for one reason:

Cell Phone Age

Sure its also the age you can date, drive at night, and its NCAA March Madness (coming soon!) but the real reason 16 is sweet is the cell phone. We have purchased three 16 year old cell phones.

Here comes baby Ike. He is the most darling 13 year old boy. He is also obsessed with getting a cell phone. He is the only 7th grader in Colorado who doesn't have a cell phone.  He claims he needs one in case of an emergency. But he is surrounded by 7th grader (and 6th grader) cell phones, so he can borrow theirs.

Here is something to chew on:

• NPR reported a recent study that show that children under the age of 15 spend an average of 5 hours a day on their cell phones. 
• A Korean study found that teens who used their cell phone 90 times a day (apparently not unusual) scored significantly higher on tests measuring depression and anxiety than students who used their phones a more sedate 70 times daily. 
• 30% of teenage cell phone users have received "sexts" sexually explicit texts. 
• 37% of teens felt they would die, a long and painful death, if they didn't have a cell phone. 
• 39% of teenagers said they lie about where they are and what they are doing when they use the cell phone. 

But these aren't the reasons we wait until 16. It is more a right of passage than an issue of trust or worthiness. Honestly, I'm not ready for him to grow up and a cell phone screams "GROWN UP!" He is the one person in our house who maintains eye contact with me during conversation because he isn't texting. I worry about the girls calling and texting. Currently they are forced to stop by the house to talk to him  (using the parent's phone is unheard of) and I like to meet them and watch the awkward flirting.

We will probably cave and get him a phone before he is 16. That will open a whole new can of worms with the older kids and will kick off years of accusatory exclamations: "We never got to do/have/travel/act/buy/say/watch/listen to that!"

But for now we are holding strong. Just say no.

Bossy Blog 2010 Fitness and Health Challenge: FINALLY!

By Sally

I am finally following up on my previous post. Sorry it took so long! We were out of town, frolicking in the snow, and sans computer. But I'm baaaack! And ready for 2010 (well, kind of ready)!

So, wonderful readers, what are your health/fitness resolutions for the new year? If you need some ideas, see the blogpost below. It is time for you to share yours. Here are some of mine:

1. Eat more healthfully
2. Become a proficient runner
3. Lose 15 lbs by July 1

As you all know, it's hard to accomplish a goal without specific milestones in your plan. So here are my milestones, just as an example (don't read if not interested):

• Add 2 cups of veggies to my lunches and dinners at least 10 times/week (already started this) 
• Cut out carbs for 2 weeks (this I started yesterday) and then introduce healthy carbs (whole grains and fruit) starting no sooner than Jan 18 (this is basically the South Beach diet) 
• Start fitness walking and make sure my quad is healed (that is this week) 
• Start running at least 4 days/week, in the AM before family is awake. Stretch after running. (this starts Monday if my quad is sufficiently healed). 
• Get daily runs up to 3 miles by Jan 29. 
• Run 5 miles continuously by Feb 27 or sooner. 
• Get daily run up to 4 miles by Feb 27. 
• Run a 10K race by end of March 
• Train for a half marathon--get a group of friends together (I kinda already did this, I'm hoping they'll want to do it again) 
• Run a half marathon by Nov 1
• Increase core strength by doing ab and back work after my Monday/Wed/Saturday runs.

This is me doing a run/walk half marathon in 2005. I loved it and I want to feel that way again!

All of this is going to require determination, hard work, and self-control. I will do better at it if I have a support group, and you will do better with your resolutions too, so let's help each other!

Please! Post your fitness/health resolutions for 2010! Leave a comment that is as detailed as you like, and we will encourage and congratulate each other! We will check in on this topic once/month so you can post your progress if you like.

Also: we Bossy Sisters have been talking about doing something fitness-y this year and inviting any and all to join us. One option is the Women's Fitness Celebration in our hometown of Boise, ID. It is apparently the largest women-only 5K in the world, it's in September, and it looks like a LOT OF FUN. My guess is that some of you have done this event or are planning to--please let us know! Another option is the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in LA on May 8. That is a nice time to be in Southern California and I'll be doing that one for sure.

Okay: please, click on the comments, and tell us your goals. 2010 is going to be healthy!

Bossy Blog 2010 Fitness and Health Challenge: Just think about it.

by Sally

Attention, attention:

In less than a week, it will be 2010. The year's name alone (2010!) boggles the mind and it seems that we should all be zipping around in personal flight pods with silver jumpsuits and perfect bodies.

Hmm. Maybe we will all be driving these by the end of next year?

Well, I do have the silver jumpsuit, but my body isn't perfect. And I want to feel more fit and healthy. So I am asking you to join me in a challenge to set goals to improve your health and fitness for the coming year.

You don't have to commit now, but think about it. You can set a goal to start walking for fitness, get more sleep every night, eat more healthy food, start a running group, learn yoga, stop a bad habit (too much Diet Coke!), or run a half-marathon--whatever you want to do to improve your health and fitness. On or around New Year's Day, I will post a little more info and invite anyone who is up for it to comment with their personal fitness/health goals for 2010. We will encourage each other with monthly check-ins and lots of support and positive feedback! I hope you will join me.

We can be exercise buddies.

Some ideas to get you thinking:

WebMD recommends 5 healthy eating habits for 2010

Benefits of adding fruits and veggies to your meals

Get walking for fitness with this 12 week training program!

If you can walk, you can run!

Couch to 5K

Beginner's Running Program

Top 10 Questions asked by new runners

A "My Turn" essay written by a self-proclaimed "fat runner"

Think about your own health goals for 2010 and share them with us next week!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to our wonderful readers, from the Bossy Sisters.

Please enjoy this beautiful video, especially appropriate for little ones.

Texting saved my marriage. Or, procrastination.

by Emily


We started texting with some regularity about a year ago. It didn't really "save" my marriage, but that sure caught your attention, didn't it? Sorry if you feel misled.

If you don't text, let me give you a few reasons why you should try:

• It can add some spice to your love life: it's a great way to deliver a love note. I would recommend this to newlyweds and experienced partners alike. Texting by nature is short, so you don't feel obligated or pressured to come up with a lot to say, just a simple love phrase goes a long ways. And if you're busy, it isn't demanding--you can text your wife in the middle of that meeting "Thinking of you...(or your hot legs)", or your husband in the middle of that piano lesson "you're my hunka hunka man" or maybe it's a simple, "I love you" or "Thanks for..."
  
• Besides your love life, what about your loving relationships with others? If you have kids with cell phones, you can text them "I love you's" and "I'm proud of you's" and "CTR's" as much as you want--they will read it. They have to read a text, it is like an all powerful force in their lives. They can't resist the ring of a text.
  
• Meeting up. If you're meeting someone at a crowded event (football game, concert arena, church?) you can text your location "second row, left." This is good if you're in a loud environment and talking is difficult, or you're in a quiet environment (like church, movie theater).
  
• Grocery lists. No more excuses when your spouse or teenager is running to the store: "don't forget: milk, butter, and grapefruit...and diapers" no excuses, no excuses...you'd hate to have to go back for the diapers.
  
• Change in schedule. This happens to us (me and my husband) where one of us will be in an irregular meeting of sorts (doctor's appointment, etc.) and the other is in charge of x, y, or z, which he or she is not usually in charge of. For example, "your turn to feed the meter" (when we park on campus, and we're both in class), or "don't forget to pick up the kids at 4." It's a friendly reminder.
  
• "Remind me to tell you about..." what Roo said this morning...or, that past due bill...or, the Walmart Wacko. You know, these are the things you think of telling someone during the day, but it just isn't the right time for a phone call. You can text a prelude to your conversation instead.
• Avoid sounding like a nagging naggy nag: You can text from one room in the house to another. Some of you might think this is ridiculous, but it is not. It saves you from nagging loudly at the top of your lungs (not pretty, and usually ineffective), and the message is clearly received. Consider doing this the next time you need your teenager's help. Or, how about when your spouse is glued to the computer/tv and you want to invite him/her to join you in something, without having to sound like a nagging pest?
• Apologies. Avoid insincerity. This is only to be reserved for those rare occasions when things go wrong, you can't apologize in person, and therefore a text is the next best option. It also helps to pave the way for a genuine apologetic follow-up phone call. A plea, so to speak. Humor helps too. "I'm really sorry, I was a stinky poo poo, and I hope you will forgive me. ;-( I love you."
  
• Venting Anger. If you really need to get that message across, you might feel better doing it by text. For example, if your teenager is driving you to the edge, your text might read: "I'm really mad at you." Or, "If I had a gun, I'd hit you with it!" This is sure to get the point across, and will not be easily forgotten. [That's an inside joke for all you Boss-me regulars ;-)] On second thought, this might not be a good idea. Don't text when angry. Take a deep breath, count to ten, maybe walk around to block. Just put the cell phone down and think twice.
  
• Distraction/procrastination. Okay, this is not a virtue of texting. It is a vice. As in, I blog, therefore I procrastinate. I text, therefore I procrastinate. Kinda how I'm procrastinating writing my 20 page paper on Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day and Mary Louise Pratt's Contact Zones theory--by blogging, and by texting my husband who is at school while I write in our basement. But it is worth it, all you bloggers know it is worth it. Beside, texting is no where near the time-suck that blogging is, unless you're 14 years old.
  

That's all I got. What would you add to this list? My marriage is just a little bit better because of texting. Please don't text and drive.

Too much Christmas music?

by Melissa

Maybe. I only say this because I'm beginning to analyze the songs too much. I mean really, if I had been Rudolph's mother, I would have told him that people who only like him once he becomes useful to them are not his true friends. And Frosty? kind of breaking some laws running here and there! (not to mention that whole "catch me if you can" thing. I do enough 2 year old chasing, lets not encourage it!)

I think my favorite, laugh out loud lyric comes from the song Here Comes Santa Claus.... I don't know who was singing it, but when I heard it last night on the radio I laughed hard. The original lyrics are lovely... but this guy added a few extra words here and there...

"Peace on Earth will come to men, if we just sorta follow the light..."

Sorta? Um, again the mom in me comes out. "My homework was sorta late." "I sorta cleaned my room" "I sorta have a job" "I sorta did something nice for someone" "I'm sorta out of money in my bank account".... Sorta just doesn't cut it around here.

I guess I need new Christmas music. I'm taking suggestions please!

The Twilight Years

I saw Twilight on opening day with a bunch of darling women who screamed through the entire show. Sally asked me if it was good. I answered, "The show? or the experience? The experience was great!"

For your viewing pleasure:

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

Idaho Statesman Obituary

by Emily

My siblings (mostly Robin) with the help of my mom, wrote this lovely obituary of our father. My mother and father were married for 34 years, which the obituary does not specify.

Obituary for David Wright Austin, in the Boise Idaho Statesman newspaper.

Be ready for less funeral, and more fun, shortly to come! We can't stay sad every minute of the day, though we will all have our moments.

Love to you all, love to Dad.

xo

In Memory of our Dad

by Emily

Today we are celebrating the life of our father, David Wright Austin. He passed away last week on Thanksgiving morning. He used to always joke with me that it was Thanksgiving everyday for him because (due to food allergies) he often ate turkey and sweet potatoes. One of the things I like to remember about my dad was his sense of humor, like that recurring Thanksgiving joke.

We loved our Dad, and we will miss him. Here is a video to honor him, we hope you'll join us for a moment and enjoy the video. You can also read beautiful posts by Kristen, Robin (here and here), and Melissa, on their personal blogs.

A slideshow presentation in memory of my father.



David Wright Austin

May 27, 1938 - November 26, 2009