Processed Foods

I almost commented on someone's blog about processed foods but my husband's comment of, "people will be so annoyed with you"...stopped me.
So I decided to write a blog post about it.

Get ready to be annoyed.

Processed foods are sooooo bad for you. Oh my gosh the plague! I can't eat something canned. Actually you can. Just don't eat chef boyardee.
Processing a food is anything and everything. If you don't eat processed foods then you can't eat anything. Really. Washing something counts as processing. So stop washing your food. Cutting means processing so stop cutting your food- don't make that really healthy vegetable soup that has you slicing and dicing. Peeling is also processing. So, always eat your oranges with the peel on. Even picking fruit off the vine is processing a food.
My food science class makes me so smart.

The nutrient level of your freshly picked apple is at its peak so eat it as soon as it comes off the tree. If it sits in your fridge for a few days the nutrient level plummets. After food has been frozen it drops a bit in the nutrient level...then it stays stable for months. MONTHS. Same with canning. Cutting your tomatoes, adding salt and water and a bit of chloride actually retains nutrients. And chloride doesn't kill you-it firms up those tomatoes.

Check your ingredient labels, look up what things are. BHT is a preservative and it's not harmful-unless you eat a whole can of it. Moderation in all things.

Eat your fresh fruit and vegetables, cut out things you don't want in your body but please know what processing means before you start cutting it out of your diet. You would die.

I get that people like to be healthy. I like being healthy but don't freak out if you see something like velveeta in your pantry. Sure, don't eat it everyday, but use moderation. Be moderate about being healthy. Enjoy life and enjoy eating.

I'm done. Are you annoyed?

Virtual...Reality?

I never write on this blog.
I'm sorry.
I also deleted my facebook account...so you have virtually (ha) no connection with me unless you call me. I also hardly answer texts back. Really though, unless you're my mother, sister or husband it takes at least a day or two for me to text you back. If you call, I will call you back sooner.

So I have disconnected myself from the internet...besides Pinterest. You can still find me there. I just recipe hunt and yes, I actually do make the majority of what I pin. So follow me there if you're starving for a bit of my life...on the internet.


I had two experiences this weekend I want to share.
1) We had a show in Twin Falls Idaho. As I'm changing and frantically trying to clean up my scattered costumes, someone comes to tell me that my friend is here and wants to see me. I rush out to greet her. It was so fun to see her for a few minutes. I hadn't seen her in quite a while...is a year a stretch? It was close to that. In any event, we chatted for a second and she commented on doing something in her life... here was this friend who I hadn't seen in a while and I knew she was dating someone, what he had done for her for Valentine's and other things going on in her life...weird.

2) I caught a ride home from my friend and her husband who are in my ward. Very kind of them. We were chatting and catching up, because again, I hadn't talked to her face to face for a while. I asked where she would be student teaching/interning this fall. She told me the school and I realized, oh, I already knew that because I read your blog.
Again, slightly creepy

Really I'm just sharing thoughts because it's been two weeks since I've said anything and I know some people want to read what is going on in my life. I like reading your blogs too and I'm not going to stop and I will continue to know things about people I never speak to anymore and it will be slightly creepy. Yay for the internet.

But I know it isn't reality. We're not really friends just because I read your blog. It's like reading about Harry Potter...You're his best friend and you know everything about him, his thoughts, hopes and dreams. Then one day, you run into him and you have nothing to talk about because you're like...I grew up with you and know you...but you don't know that. And then you have nothing to say because you don't need to ask questions-they already post all the answers on the internet.

So strange.

Read Elder Bednar's talk about this. So good.

Have a lovely Monday tomorrow :)

My own worst enemy

I'm frustrated right now. I have just spent the last half hour trying to learn a Chinese dance for the back up folk dance team. I have to teach seven girls this dance tomorrow and I have never seen it performed. Chinese is confusing. This dance involves long sleeves that the girls wave around while they are jumping to and fro. I can't watch a movie of this and figure it out. I can't see which foot they start on to save my life and with their arms going and heads waving I just get frustrated. So after trying to figure out step after step and only getting about 6 counts of 8 written down, my body still can not do it. How am I supposed to teach these girls a dance I am just trying to teach myself from a little movie where the women look about half an inch tall? I got overwhelmed. I sat on the floor and cried. I sat there beating myself up and telling myself that I would never be able to learn this dance, that it was an impossible task. Then I cried some more. My thoughts turned to my awful dancing and awful teaching, about an experience I had teaching this week where a student blew up in my face. And then I was mad at myself for thinking those things. I was mad I wasn't being positive and that I wasn't handling the situation the way I should. I was mad that I wasn't being stronger, more resilient and that I was giving up. I was mad that I was handling the stress I was feeling wrongly. I hated myself for the way I was acting.

I remembered that I was my own worst enemy. My mother reminds me of this often. I am just so so good at beating myself up. I am so good at thinking negatively about myself. Then I am so good at saying that I am a bad person because I am beating myself up, because that's wrong isn't it?

What is the solution for this? How do I not make myself spiral out of control? I know it's okay to be overwhelmed, stressed and feeling discouraged but I can not let that stop me from progressing. This life is for growth and progression and I can not beat myself up for not progressing at the pace I think I should be. I can't get mad that I'm not handling a situation the way I wish to. I can try again tomorrow. I can take a break from that silly Chinese dance and learn it later. I am still good. I am good regardless of how long it takes me to learn that dance. I am good regardless of how I handle stress in my life. I am good even though I don't always have a control of my self-degrading thoughts. That does not mean I am bad, or worthless. I am a daughter of God and I am good.

Politically Speaking

So...
Tanner and I have gotten into politics lately. I figured since I was 22 it was high time I registered to vote (still haven't done that-I need my name change applied to my driver's license. And yes, I realize I've been married for six months BUT our Christmas tickets were purchased under my maiden name...) So we have spent the last couple of weeks reading about the candidate's views, opinions and watching the debates. Quite entertaining and quite informative. I find that whenever I read about education I get worked up, especially when the word charter comes up...and people endorse it. That's just my opinion though. In any event, we're really enjoying all the articles circulating the news about Romney and Mormonisn, Gingrich (I can never say his name correctly) and cute Ron Paul. Ron Paul is seriously adorable in his 76 year old way...that being said I would like to know what he believes in rather than peace, friendship and a government that hardly governs.

Okay, so I really have nothing to say of importance...and I really don't know a whole lot yet. BUT I'm learning and I love it. I love coming home and diving into the news and reading about our country. I live in a great country. It may be rough around the edges and people may be dissatisfied and angry but America is great. We are so blessed to live here. We're blessed that people can run for office and that we get to vote. And our votes really do count for something. We won't be killed for thinking something contrary to the government officials. We're blessed.

Are you getting into the primary's? What are your thoughts?

Beautiful and Stirring

I found this on my friend's blog. It was too good to keep to myself.

Therapy

Some friends came over tonight and we sat and talked for just a bit. They're great and they're getting married in March. We're excited for them. As we handed them some marriage books, (we are so weird) I realized that one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard from someone about marriage was from an old dance director. Edwin.

One afternoon during mid-semester tour in California, I was having my headache massaged out by our wonderful dance trainer. I'm just lying (laying?) there enjoying the quiet and in walks Ed. If you know him, you know he's not the quietest fellow (it's also one of the best things about him). He just walks up to the table where I'm lying (laying?) and randomly asks me, "can you and Tanner talk?" I was taken off guard a bit. "Yes," I questioningly replied. He responded with, "Good. Because you know, you really need to marry someone who is your therapist and who you can talk to about anything with. My wife is the best therapist in the world".

That took a little while to sink in. We were only engaged at this point. I soon learned how true this therapy stuff really was.

We all have problems. Really we do. Not everyone has the same problems, but we do have them. Therapists help you work through problems, especially trying to undo some crazy ways in which your brain has learned to process things. BUT let me tell you a little secret. My husband is a better therapist than that professional I once went to. Well okay, better in some ways but not all. Here's the reason why.

Communication is really important in relationships. The most important part of communication however is listening. We forget that sometimes. We learn about communication and meta-communication, different strategies of how to bring up sensitive topics and how to get our point across nicely. Most times we forget to learn how to listen. We are not always taught to listen with your heart and with the purpose of understanding. Get inside that person's brain. Feel what they are feeling and then don't try to fix it the moment a solution pops into your head. Good therapist's LISTEN. They write what they are hearing and they listen some more, they process and then when the person is done talking, they give one or two simple things for that person to do and then they build that person up and validate their feelings (it's called emotion coaching-I'll post about that another time).

So why does your spouse need to be a therapist? Because you have problems. And why do you need to be a therapist for your spouse? Because they will have problems. And you HAVE to learn how to listen.

New Years....

I just thought I should let you know that I have been 100% perfect flossing my teeth since Dec 31st. That was a whole week. 7 days of perfection. I am awesome. Ahem.

How are you doing with your goals?