Reliance on technology = big fat fail today!

If you couldn't tell, I was a little frustrated in class today! I love this lecture and I love to talk about music so I was pretty upset that the technology was not on my side today! :(  It got me thinking just how much I rely on technology for teaching. I have a powerpoint for every class. What would I do if it failed? Could I just give the whole lecture? I'm pretty comfortable with the material now, so I rarely, if ever, bring any sort of notes to class, so I wonder if I could just wing the whole thing.....could be interesting! I also really rely on my media clips and go through huge effort to find good ones to show, so when technology doesn't work for me, I feel a bit lost! It kind of breaks up the whole lecture, so I apologize for having to skip around today!

This could have been me today....if I were a man.



What makes it even worse is that the only other time I have had technology fail on me during teaching was last semester....for the MUSIC LECTURE! Again! This time, the projector wouldn't work, so they set up a portable projector.....which didn't have itunes so I couldn't show a single clip. Boooooooo! This lecture is cursed! Next semester better be on my side!

On a side note, I was listening to NPR on the way home (yes, I know, I am officially a nerd) and they were talking about.....MUSIC! Apparently during the recession people are listening to something called "bubblegum pop" which is really happy, very shallow music. Apparently, it takes our mind of things like not having a job, or losing your house! But now that things are getting better, songs with deeper, more introspective lyrics are coming back on the scene. Very interesting! I never thought about how the economic climate can influence what songs are popular!

SO Wicked!

I LOVE theater! And my all time favorite musical is Wicked, so I was thrilled when it came to Salt Lake this summer! I've had tickets for an entire year and have been so waiting patiently for it to arrive.

We decided to take Nate with us. He knows all the songs (yep...I'm that person....we got the CD and listen to it all the time in the car), and is actually really well behaved at the theater. He was a little afraid of the monkeys (who isn't? Those things are evil!) but LOVED it! It ended around midnight so I was impressed he stayed up so late!

I just love the messages in this movie. There are lots about following your dreams, overcoming persecution, love, friendship, etc. But what stood out to me this time was a message of tolerance.

I just got called to be the Primary chorister, which is an awesome (though busy and tiring) calling. We were learning the song "If you don't walk like most people do" and I thought this theme was expressed perfectly in Wicked. So the same week I saw the play, I walked into primary and painted my face green. The kids were seriously transfixed. I told them the story of Wicked and how just because someone has a different color of skin than you, doesn't make them bad or weird, or anything. We then talked about the words to the song and what it really means if you say that you are going to "walk with someone", no matter what!  I then had a doll that I painted green, taped to a paintbrush, and then tied a rope around her. When the kids sang loud we made her "fly" just like in the show (anyone who isn't inspired by "defying gravity" is pretty much heartless!) Honestly, I have never heard these kids sing so loud. I almost started crying as their voices yelled out "Jesus blessed all He could see, then turned and said, come follow me, so I WILL! I WILL!" The Spirit was so strong, and I hope they could feel it. Primary can be a pretty thankless calling, but this was one of those perfect, golden moments that makes it all worth it. Thank you Wicked!!!!

My first 5k ever!

Okay, it's taken me a while to make this first post: we've been trying to get our Disney Princess study up and running and it's kind of been an insane first few weeks of the semester!

So this isn't all that exciting in the grand scheme of things, but it's really exciting for me. This last weekend I ran my first 5k! I know it's not all that long, but I've wanted to run one for a long time! Between having 3 kids, and a number of injuries over the last few years, it's just never worked out. But Saturday was the day!

I found out because one of my "friends" posted a link on his Facebook account to a race going on in Spanish Fork the next morning. So I thought, now or never!!

I ended up 4th in my age group and got a really good time for me! I'm so glad that I at least tried this, cause I ended up having a lot of fun! The best part (besides finishing) was grabbing a cup of Gatorade, swigging it, and then throwing it on the side of the road. I don't know why this was so fun, it just made me a bit giddy! :)

Here is me at the end of the race

What I noticed is how much music influenced my run. I ran the whole way and I don't think I would have been able to keep up the pace without music! I have lots of songs on  my playlist, but here are some of my favorite songs to run to:

Beautiful Day (U2)
Elevation (U2)
Eye of the Tiger
In the end (Linkin Park)
Since you've been gone (Kelly Clarkson)
Everyday Life (Rascal Flatts)
American Girl (Tom Petty)

and my very favorite.......

Lose yourself (Eminem..edited version)....which doesn't exactly fit my personality, but is such a fabulous song to run to because my feet just go exactly on the beat when I hear it and it always motivates me!

I've had the same workout list for a few years now, and I want to update it! So, what is your favorite song to run or exercise to?!?

Rugrats relational aggression

I'm working on my Relief Society lesson right now (I know....it's Saturday night, not the best planning this week!) Hannah was watching Rugrats, and she came in and said, "Mom, can I tell you something?" I wanted to brush her off, as she's already bugged me like 10 times in the past half hour, but I said, "sure, what?" She said, "I was watching Rugrats, and Tommy's friends were being mean to him. They said they wouldn't be his friend anymore, and only Chukie was his friend". "Well, what do you think about that?" I said. "It made me feel bad inside, and sad that they were mean to Tommy. So I turned it to a different Rugrats where they were being nice to eachother". I gave her a massive hug and told her that she was choosing the right and I was so proud of her. So glad that she could recognize what relational aggression was, that it didn't sit right with her, and at age 4 she turned the show off herself. This is one proud media momma here!

Now, enough procrastinating, back to my lesson! I think I'm going to spray the whole Relief Society sisters with water....should be good times! (we are talking about personal revelation). Yep, I do crazy things in my RS lessons, just like I do in class! Keeps those sisters on their toes! :)

My husband watched Miss Representation!

My husband took the two older kids on a daddy-kid camping trip this weekend (I stayed at home with the baby....no complaints! :) He couldn't sleep, and my ipod was still in the car, so he watched the only full length movie on it-----Miss Representation! 

Here is what he sent me from his phone:

So i think my view of that show and what it portrays is jaded by the fact that i am the father of a daughter. I like the idea of my daughter being secure in her body and character, enough to challenge conventional notions that may hinder her development or aspirations in any way. However i don't want to entirely let you of the hook. One of them commented on how female news aanchors look more like cocktail waitresses with their tousled hair and tight revealing clothing, yet look at how many of the women espousing those views in the interviews are dressed to the nines and loaded with make up. 



Awesome that my husband actually watched the movie, and we ended up having a really great conversation when he got home that evening. I'm not sure why this is writing in "white" now, can't fix it!

I think he makes a good point here, that all the women talking on the film are really dressed nicely themselves, with perfect hair and makeup. Though I think there is a huge distinction between women wanting to look nice (and respectable) and looking trashy. I can morally handle a bit of makeup...what really distrubs me is how the media sexualizes women, and this goes so far beyond a bit of eyeliner! This year I actually wanted to make a point in class. I was planning on coming to class with NO MAKEUP (seriously, I don't leave the house without makeup. I know this is totally shallow and lame, but it is what it is!) But I got a huge zit that morning (sigh....still getting zits in my 30s....does this ever end?) so I chickened out. But at least I thought about it, right??!? Baby steps.......

Strawberry Shortcake Saves the Day!

My daughter, Hannah, age 4, was playing with her little friend, Avery. Avery is about 8 months younger than Hannah and is just learning how to play, and sometimes has a little trouble. After playing at Avery's house, Hannah told me this is what happened:

Avery: "I'm not going to be your friend anymore! You have to go home!" (CLASSIC relational aggression)

Hannah: "Avery, on Strawberry Shortcake, they say you have to 'talk it out' when you are angry. If I go, then you won't have any friends to play with and we'll both be sad. How about we 'talk it out' instead?"

Avery: (after awhile) "okay, let's talk it out"

And they did! And they made up, and played nicely together for the next hour.

Okay, so we talk A LOT about relational aggression in our family (comes with the terroritory of doing research on the subject for the last decade), so I feel my kids are pretty well versed in this topic. But I LOVED how Hannah used the phrase "talk it out" after watching an episode of Strawberry Shortcake. I was a bit wary of this show, mostly cause I was so mad that they changed the way Strawberry Shortcake looked.....before she was this scrappy little red head, now she is yet one more example of a very thin, beautiful, character....BLAH. However, there are some really great messages in this program, and it definitely came out in this case.

I was very proud of how Hannah dealt with the situation and I think it showed a lot of maturity for her age (that she often lacks in sooo many other situations!) Hooray for positive media!!!!!

A recent pic of Hannah at her dance recital. How I love this little girl! :)

My famous cousin!

Check out my very famous cousin, Peter, in this Revlon commercial! It stars Olivia Wilde (13 from House!) and Peter is the guy who dances with her! Very cool!

How chocolate clusters helped me love the movie Waterworld

Today my daughter, Hannah, and I made one of our very favorite treats: Chocolate clusters. They are no-bake cookies, extremely easy, and are delish!

Every time I make them I think of the movie Waterworld, with Kevin Costner. I am probably one of the only people on the entire planet who thought this movie was really good. I was a teenager when it came out, and I remember making chocolate clusters that day, putting them in the freezer, and then eating like 10 of them throughout the course of the movie. Sooooooooo yummy! I blame it on classical conditioning: I have definitely paired the movie with these treats, and now remember it with fondness!

You know the treats must be good if they helped me to like this particular film! Here is the recipe in case you want to try it out.

Ingredients
1/3 c butter
15 large marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips
1tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c of coconut
1 1/2 c of oats
1/4 c water

melt butter in large pot on medium heat. When melted, stir in marshmallows and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add vanilla, coconut, oats, and water and stir until mixed. Spoon into balls onto a foil covered cookie sheet and put in fridge. Enjoy!

The Avengers and why Utah County is the worst place ever to see a film

After some serious peer pressure, my friends talked me into going to see the Avengers. Which if you know anything about me, is seriously not my type of movie. But everyone I had talked to had said it was sooooo good, so I thought, fine. It's been awhile since I've been to the theater so here are some thoughts I had.

1. $9 a ticket to see a movie???? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!? This is highway robbery.

2. $7 for popcorn!?!? See above comment. This has got to be marked up at least 10,000%.

3. Because of 1 and 2, I am only going to see movies at our local Water Gardens theater. $3 for tickets, $3 for a large popcorn...definitely worth the wait.

4. Do not bring your baby to the movie theater. Especially if it is to a packed out movie theater, on a late Friday night. The same goes for 2 year-olds who run around and yell the entire time. I would guess that Utah County has the biggest offenders of this annoying and disrespectful practice. It's not fair to your kids and it's not fair to everyone else in the audience. I didn't spent $25 on a babysitter so I could listen to your kids ruin the movie for me.

5. The Avengers is not appropriate for your 5 year old. Or your 6 year old. Or your 7 year old. It's rated PG-13 for a reason.  I could not believe the number of really young kids in the theater! The movie is FULLLLLL of violence....what are these parents thinking?

6. The Avengers was just okay for me. Honestly, I was kind of bored at the end. I mean, just how long can you extend one battle scene? Too much action, and WAY too little plot.  However, there were some really funny moments, that made up for a lot. Robert Dowey Jr. was the savior of that film...hilarious! It almost makes me want to go see Iron Man.

7. Snuggling at the movie theater with your husband and without three kids hanging off of you....worth sitting through all the above! :)

Media = death?????

Weird conversation the other night!

My husband was watching some random show last night. Suddenly he turns to me, and says, "What do you want to do with your body when you die?"

I turn to look what's on his screen and it is somebody spreading his wife's ashes in the ocean.

So, then we have like a 30 minute, rather morbid conversation, about what we want our funerals to be like, and what we want to happen.


I didn't want too post too morbid of a picture, so chose a cute one of Jack Skellington....how cute is this guy?



















Me, I'm very traditional, happy to be buried in Spanish Fork cemetery. Paul, on the other hand, just wants to go the very cheapest route. What's the point of spending anywhere from $6000-$10,000 on a funeral? He decided that he wants to be cremated, and I should spread half of his ashes in Ireland (where he was born), and the other half in the center of Old Trafford (where Manchester United play....though I'm pretty sure if I tried this, I would get arrested!). And some on his dad's grave so he can haunt him in the after life! :) Okay, I think he was teasing about most of that, but I thought it was a really interesting conversation to be had, all spurred on by.....the media!

I love my phone!

I went shopping at the mall today. Before I got to the checkout at the Children's Place, I thought I would check online on my phone to see if I could find a coupon. It took like 2 minutes and BOOM, 15% off! I tried the same trick at Bath and Body Works, and found a coupon for $10 off my purchase! One of the many reasons why I love my phone!!

Disney channel saves lives!

Did you hear about this on the news? A 6-year-old girl in Sacramento saved her best friend’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver earlier this week, something she learned from watching a Disney Channel TV show. “She was choking and then I helped her,” Beanie told ABC News. “I asked if I saved her life and she said, Yeah, you did.” However, the question remains, how exactly did a 6-year-old know how to do the Heimlich? “I saw it on A.N.T. Farm,” Beanie said. “I asked my mom, Can people really do that? And she said, Yeah.” Chalk one up for the Disney Channel!!

John Adams

My husband and I are both media buffs, so we always like to have a show that we watch together. It's probably not the best use of spousal time, but sometimes after a long day of work or taking care of three crazy kids, it's about the only thing we have energy for! We just finished watching The West Wing through (2nd time now!) and are looking for another show. In the meantime, we are watching "John Adams". This is a miniseries that is a few years old, obviously about our 2nd president of the United States. It is EXCELLENT! I'm not really a history buff at all, but I'm loving this show. I feel like I'm learning so much about John Adams himself, but also about the birthplace of our nation. We just watched the episode where they draft the declaration of independence, and it was thrilling (never thought I'd say that!) Besides being informative, it is just very well done, and I would highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, it's only a few episodes long. So, does anyone have any ideas for shows that my husband and I could watch together? Right now we are considering Friday Night Lights cause we've heard good things about that.....but I'm not going to lie: Football and Texas are not really two of my favorite things! (no offense to all you lovely Texans out there!)

LGBT students at BYU speak out

I saw this on KSL news and it was really eye opening for me!



Did you know that there are more than 1,800 LGBT students attending BYU (WAY more than I ever would have thought!!!), and 74 percent of those students have contemplated suicide (and 24% have attempted suicide)? I had no idea. Being LGBT at BYU must feel like an impossible thing.

This type of video would NEVER have been created at BYU a few years ago, but I think it's a good thing that BYU is becoming more accepting of LGBT students. No, we don't condone the behavior, but we are getting better about not rejecting the PERSON now. I love how one of the students says, "I don't go to school with a bunch of hateful people, which is what I thought before, I thought I was surrounded by homophobic people who would hate me if they knew." I still think there are plenty of people at BYU who are homophobic, but I do think "it's getting better" as they say in the video. Definitely worth a watch! Love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Conference craziness

I've loved reading all your cute posts about conference! I'm glad so many of you had such a wonderful and inspiring experience with General conference this weekend.

Well, girlies, enjoy it while it lasts!!! Conference with 3 very small kids is NOT the same experience as when you don't have kids!

I REALLY tried. We downloaded conference packets for the kids, played conference bingo, had snacks, games, special coloring books, puzzles, etc. Lots of things to keep the kiddies quiet so we could listen. But that's not exactly what happened. I literally do not remember a single talk on Sunday. How sad is that?? I heard that Julie B. Beck got released, which was sad, but I couldn't tell you about anything else. Let me tell you: Sitting quietly and listening and a 1 1/2 year old do NOT mix. Which I already knew. I'm a child development scholar for crying out loud! But for some reason I thought if I really tried hard, it would all work out.

Conference bingo sort of worked. But the kids don't read well, so they kept asking me to jump up and check to see if they had one. Which I did happily about every 30 seconds until it got old. Then Aidan kept snatching the Froot Loops the kids were using as Bingo markers....even though he had a whole cupful for himself! He stole their markers, ripped their pictures, and generally wrecked havoc. Which is exactly what toddlers do, so I don't know what I was expecting! Funniest moment. Paul was on the couch eating a bowl of Cheerios. During conference, Aidan wanders over to Paul to get a bite, trips and falls right on the bowl of Cheerios. It tips and dumps ALL over the poor baby's head! So he's crying and crying (I'm trying not to laugh). Paul is pissed because there is milk and Cheerios all over the floor and we JUST had the carpets cleaned. I get Aidan cleaned up and dressed in new clothes. Then he climbs up on the stool at the counter and falls off and whacks his head. Which wasn't funny at all. But this gives you a sense of how conference went!

I love this mischievous little monkey!



So I'm feeling particularly sorry for myself and jealous of all you lovelies who get to just listen to conference. Then the closing hymn came on. It was "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". One of my favorites. If you remember, there is a part where the men's section comes in really strong. When they started singing, suddenly everyone in my entire house was quiet. I really felt the Spirit here, especially the part that says, "here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above". It hit me that my heart was in the right place and Heavenly Father knew that I was trying my best even though things didn't exactly work out as planned. I had a strong feeling of His love for me and a peace that my family was exactly where we needed to be.

Here is the choir singing this beautiful song (from 2007, but it's the same version. I LOVE IT!)



Well, that was the morning session, and the afternoon was pretty similar. But conference was a success in my opinion....I'm just glad that the Ensign publishes all the talks cause I'm going to need to read them! :)

Murder Mystery Party

Last weekend I threw my sister, Laura, a surprise Murder Mystery Party! She was turning 30 so I knew I had to step up my game!

Luckily, I found a great website: www.dinnerandamurder.com and found the perfect murder mystery. The website is great: they give you all the character backgrounds, evidence, "weapons", confidential information, instructions, nametags, and more. There was even an online RSVP center where you could manage the party! It was NOT free, which is the only way it could have been better!

Here are some pictures of the party! The theme was the 1920s, and we had a blast getting all dressed up! Enjoy!

My sister the birthday girl! She was totally surprised!


Just some of the many decorations



Okay, my dad was HILARIOUS! He is generally very straight laced and serious, but he totally got into his "role" as an Italian mob boss. He did an accent the entire night and totally cracked us up!



My dad and Paul...partners in crime.


I totally could have lived in the 20s! LOVE the clothes!



Me and Paul...who ended up dying! SAD!


The boys...and my sister Marlena who ended up playing a boy!


The girls...how I love you all!


So, if you've never done one of these, they are a TON of fun, so have a look at the website for your next party! Also, a TON of work (I was there for hours decorating!) but it was seriously a blast!

P.S. I was NOT the murderer! :)

Disconnect

Today I skived off work early and Paul and I went to the temple (haha, don't tell my boss! :) There's not a lot of media in the temple! It was so refreshing to leave my phone in the car, and completely disconnect for a few hours. I had the distinct thought that sometimes it is so sweet to turn off all the media in our life and to just.......listen.

A big surprise at the Caucus meeting

I'm blaming it on the West Wing.

You all know that the West Wing is my absolute favorite show in the whole wide world (well....tied with Girlmore Girls). It has helped me become interested in politics and now I actually CARE what is going on in the world. Paul and I are re-watching the whole series. We are currently on the 7th and final season, where surprise, there is an election! We just got through the part where there are the primaries, and the debates, and it is so well done that I actually enjoy watching it, even as we are watching the REAL primaries and debates for the current presidential race!



In the real world, I've been following the primaries with great interest: I would love Romney to win.



Not because he is Mormon, but because his political ideals lie fairly closely with mine, and because I think he would be a great president. Rick Santorum is okay, but will never win. Newt is....well Newt. Seriously, who is voting for this guy?!?!?

So, I actually voted for Obama in the last election (don't send the hate please! :) Apart from a few things, I think he's been a very good president, and I honestly think that the Republican nominee would have to be excellent for me not to vote for Obama this time round!



I definitely call myself an independent and carefully consider all the candidates regardless of party. So with this in mind, and after the multiple announcements in church, I decided to attend my local caucus last week. I had no idea what to expect. But it was kind of cool! And.....somehow I got elected to be my precint's delegate for the state convention in about a month! Talk about getting involved!!! I'm pretty nervous, but excited to actually be getting involved in the political process. I mean, realistically, it won't matter much: we all know how Utah is going to vote! :) But thanks to the West Wing, I am doing my part to be civic and politically minded and I'm feeling pretty good about things so far! Now....who to vote for???

Pandora, oh how I love you!

I'm working in my office right now and am listening to pandora. I just discovered this like 3 months ago....where have I been?!?!? It is the best thing ever! I listen to it all the time in the office now. Right now a group called "Honor by August" is playing. I've never heard of this group, but am loving it! Pandora is great because it takes your musical preferences and finds similar songs and so far it has been great! (except for that one Brittany Spears song that came on....FAIL!)

Oh Canada!

I'm baaack! This last week I attended the SRA conference (Society for Research on Adolescence) in Vancouver. Not very many media talks, unfortunately. However, at one I learned that there is something called "transportation" that is very predictive of media effects. This means you feel like you are actually "transported" into whatever media you are watching. The woman who came up with this concept is a big Harry Potter fan and felt transported to Hogwarts whenever she watched the movie or read the book. Interesting!!

Laura Walker and Larry Nelson were there as well, and we took one afternoon off the conference to do a little sightseeing. Nobody brought a camera, so good thing I had my phone to take these pictures! Yay for new media! Here are a couple from our trip.

Note the flag in the background....Oh Canada!


Cute market on Granville Island


Read the sign, and think back to our fear and media lecture! Blah!



Fish and chips for lunch...I specifically took this picture to make my husband jealous!


Steaming clock...very random


By the totem pole made the the first nations people


Okay, this is after I got home, but how cute does Aidan look as a Canadian? :)


Overall, a nice conference: I learned a few more things about media and adolescence and importantly met some very big names in the media world. I'm glad to be back, though! See you in class next week!