Sunshine = CTW

First a little background.....The boys are in a new primary class. They graduated from Sunbeams by the skin of their teeth and have moved on to CTR 5. In their new primary class they recieved CTR rings and learned all about choosing the right. Since then we have also had several FHE lessons on what it means to CTR. During one of these lessons, Jeffrey asked, "What are the letters for Choose the Wrong." "CTW," we replied.

Just the other day, temperatures reached the 50's and the boys spent their first day in a long time, outside. Let's just say that the warm weather wiped the idea of CTR right out of their minds. Here are just a few things they managed to do in the space of an afternoon.....

• Stole cookies from the cupboard that I specifically told them they couldn't eat until after preschool, running outside to eat them so as not to get caught
• Ransacked Mary Kate's room and doll supplies, breaking and losing everything. Mary Kate spent an hour crying while trying to locate and put items back together, many items were outside
• Stole the outgoing bills I had just put in the mail box, tore them open and scattered their contents over the neighbor's lawn
• Flung hundreds of golf tees all over the grass
• Turned on the hose in the backyard and drenched each other
• Ripped big chunks out of the loaves of freshly baked bread I had sitting on the counter, running outside to eat the said chunks so as not to get caught
• Destroyed almost a whole bushel of Mike's apples that were in the garage by taking one or two bites out of each one and then depositing them back in the box
• Got into the neighbor's garage and emptied an entire can of black car polish on their garage floor and then proceeded to tromp through it
• Took the gas can from another neighbor's backyard and tried to fill up their jeep with the gas, spilling it all over the road and their shoes
• Let Winnie out the front door at least eleven times forcing me to go chase her down
• Took boxes of cereal out of the cupboard and spilled them on the driveway after being told hundreds of times that cereal was not to be taken from the kitchen

That evening, after taking all the toys out of their room as punishment, we had a discussion with the boys about all the things they had done wrong that day. I named just a few things on the list and asked them if they were choosing the right when they did those things. Jonathan hung his head dejectedly and said, "Nope, they were all CTW things mom. We just CTW all day."

The temperature is back down in the 30's today and so far we have had mostly CTR from the boys. But, if the other day was any indication of what summer will be like I think I might just prefer winter.

We had some twin boys in our neighborhood growing up. Their mom told us that when they were little, during the warm months, she would tie them to the clothes line with leashes of rope in an attempt to keep them from causing havoc all over the neighborhood..........

I think we'll be installing a clothes line this summer.

Setfa

I did some baking today. I made Setfa. Setfa is a Swiss bread, dense and slightly sweet. You braid the dough before baking to make the beautiful looking loaves. If you're part of the Johnson family you must make Setfa, you're compelled to make Setfa. It's tradition. My great grandmother made this bread, my grandmother made this bread, my mom makes this bread, my aunts and uncles make this bread, my cousins make this bread. It's delicious, it's tradition, it's wonderful.

As I was kneading and braiding and baking all I could think about was my Grandma and all the happy memories of her. There's nothing like the smell of baking bread to bring back terrific memories. To celebrate those memories I even made a few cinnamon pull -aparts with the extra dough.

There's many ways to eat this ultimate comfort food, but my Johnson mama taught me the right way... bread and milk. My grandpa called it, "bread and milk sandwiches." To make bread and milk sandwiches you take a big, thick slice of Setfa, break it into pieces in a bowl, pour on some milk, let the bread get a little soggy and dig in. Amazingly delicious!

If you think this dish sounds disgusting then you aren't genetically a Johnson. My kids definitely have Johnson blood running through their veins because they love bread and milk and have loved it since they were old enough to eat solids. Even Jeffrey likes bread and milk and that's sayin something. Mike isn't genetically a Johnson, but he likes bread and milk too. I knew we had to get married when I introduced him to bread and milk those many years ago and he loved it. It was destiny!

Starting Again

Intuitive Eating blog followers: My life has calmed down somewhat from last week so we are going to start the group up again. The new reading assignments and questions for this week are posted as of today. Can't wait to here from you.

Love, Love, Love

Awhile ago I made a picture show to one of my favorite Beatle's songs and my kids watched it over and over. I updated it a bit for Valentine's Day. Watch.....maybe you'll see someone you know.

Happy Valentine's Day. I love you all!

Check, Check, and Check

Sometimes I feel like my weeks are so boring and slow that I'm searching high and low for projects to keep myself busy. Other weeks I can hardly find time to breath. This week is going to be one of those. It seems as though I've got obligations and things to do every minute of every day. My to-do list consists of various items, from shopping at Albertson's on double coupon day, to throwing a Valentine's Day party for Mary Kate's school class. I hope I can keep everything straight. I've made a list, but I'm not sure I've remembered everything. When things get this busy I inevitably forget a few important things.

I'm not complaining, mind you. Weeks like this are stressful, but in some ways I enjoy them. When I'm really busy, the days seem to fly by quickly, which is good during the winter months, and at the end of it all, I feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

I'm going to bed because I know I'm going to need the rest. Tomorrow I kick off the craziness with laundry and typing up a handout for a Relief Society class. Wish me luck!

P.S. Intuitive Eating blog people who are still reading: I'm taking the week off and won't be posting. You'll have a chance to catch up if you're behind. We will resume readings next week if anyone still wants to.