My Dad

Awards and Progress

Yesterday, in addition to her straight A report card, Laine brought home a stack of awards from her school. First, she was accepted into CJSF (California Junior Scholarship Federation). She was on the Honor Roll for first and second semester, and received a perfect attendance reward for both of those semesters as well. She also received a "Block B" award, which is essentially a citizenship award. And (we're not done yet!) she received an award for meeting her reading goal.

Johnny's pack meeting for cub scouts was last night, and he, too, walked away with a ton of awards. He received his Webelos badge and the following pins: Communicator, Showman, Aquanaut, Family Member, Handyman, Outdoors, Scholar, Fitness, Naturalist and Citizen. He also received the citizenship belt-loop. He's almost done with his Arrow of Light, which is one of the only things that he can put on his new Boy Scout uniform that he'll be getting next month. (He can also keep his religious square knot, which he earned long ago.) He'll be beginning 11 year old scouts very soon...his birthday is March 7th. Next month at the Blue and Gold dinner, he will be honored for the Arrow of Light. He can't wait to get out of cubs and into real scouting. He'll be eligible to go to the week long Scout Camp this summer and he's beyond excited! I'm beyond excited, too...no more cub scout day camp!

Secret passions

I asked the kids to recall some thing that I like and I was surprised that they could remember a few of those. Here are some things I love that many people don't know about:

Andrea Bocelli (his voice makes me weep!)
BIG tractors and other types of equipment
Camping (okay, so maybe that one's pretty well known)
Candles
Funnel cake
Hiking
Hardware stores...an exception to my "I hate shopping" philosophy
Jazz music
Jersey cows (brown cows - I seriously would have one if I could)
Museums
Old weathered, falling down buildings (barns, sheds, etc)
Oceans
Reading
Raising chickens (organic eggs...yum!)
Roses, while we're on the topic of flowers! Especially yellow ones
Tabby cats (grey or ginger)
Towels (probably a result of growing up with the rattiest towels known to mankind)
Tulips - any color, but I particularly like red ones
Watching construction of any kind

The New Semester

It's going to be a busy semester! I have four classes on campus and two online courses. My two online courses are taught by the same instructor, and both classes promise to be difficult. One of the courses is the Psychology of Aging, and the other is multi-cultural aging (one of the required core classes for my minor). I have to write a big paper for the second class, but both classes are mostly studying the textbooks and web pages, as well as watching videos.

I have Social Psychology on M/W/F. My professor in this class seems like a great lady, who livens up her lectures with lots of YouTube videos and supplemental information. So far we are examining a lot of different studies about how people interact with and affect one another. I feel like I've learned a lot, but it's overwhelming trying to keep all the different studies straight in my head.

Also on M/W, I have Developmental Psychology. As the course name implies, the area of study is how people grow and age over time. This course is fascinating, but really hard. The instructor is a grad student, which isn't what I signed up for. However, the professor is apparently dealing with some health challenges and was unable to teach this semester. The current instructor is interesting and engaging, though, so that helps. I'm not too crazy with the way she has formatted the course, but I'm sure I'll adjust.

My first class on T/Th is Cognition. In this class, we look at what happens in our brains when we think and experience the world. I love the material so far. The professor is very strict. Our whole grade rests on three tests, so that makes me nervous. The professor is very entertaining, but a bit hard to follow because he jumps around so much and is easily distracted by environmental sounds and his own thoughts. I'm learning to follow him a bit better and I think I'll really like the class.

My second class on T/Th is Applied Behavior Analysis. This class looks at methods for changing behavior. I like the instructor very much. She has a wonderful Scottish accent that's fun to listen to, and she's a great lecturer. Half of the class is group discussion and interaction, which I really like since it helps cement the ideas into our brains. Since I've covered much of the first six chapters in Learning and Memory and my Psychological Research Methods class, I'm not expecting to have too much trouble with this course.

That's my update for this semester! I am thankful that I only have one more semester after this to complete my bachelors. Phew! I'm trying hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA to make it easier to get into grad school, get grants and other financial aid.

Keeping Up

Over the years, I have learned that I have a tendency to slip into depression and world avoidance from time to time. I've also refined several strategies to keep these tendencies at bay. Usually I'll find that I get into hermit mode for a while first...I don't feel like going out, even for essentials, and I don't feel like talking to anyone. These are my first signs that I'd better take action, and quick.

The only thing that keeps me from completely vanishing out of the world some days is the fact that I have kids (and pets) to care for. One of the most important things I've found that helps me is to have a schedule. When I have consistent times for getting up and going to bed, I function better, my body feels healthier, and my perspective is clearer. When I have people to help, places to go and things to do, I feel like I have a sense of purpose. And engaging in volunteer work (like the Bishop's Storehouse) boosts my self-esteem and gives me something truly meaningful to do. Having and maintaining a schedule is easier when I have the kids at home...when they are gone, it seems like most of my motivation vanishes. However, when I feel myself starting to slip into the "deep," I have to force myself to stick to this schedule, and sometimes I succumb just because it feels too hard to do anything else.

In addition to the schedule, I've found that food is an important component in how I feel. When I have someone to eat with, I eat less and I eat healthier. I've learned that eating spicy food helps to keep depression at bay. Add a few peppers to one or more meals a day and it will subtly enhance your mood. In general, the more fruits and vegetables I have in my diet, the better I feel. I recently learned that walnuts, salmon and tuna are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and they fight not only depression, but inflammation, cardiovascular problems, and stroke, and improve brain function. I've been trying to incorporate more oatmeal and brown rice in my diet; brown rice because it's high in B vitamins and folic acid, and oatmeal because it is also high in B vitamins and helps stave off blood sugar crashes (and fights cholesterol to boot!). I just found out this month that I should add more cabbage to my diet as well...it fights off stress, infection, heart disease and cancer, as well as depression. In addition, I cannot neglect protein, since it is vital to my body in staving off migraines.

A messy environment gets to me, too. I know that I can't do everything, especially right now while I'm going to school and studying every moment, but I know that having things messy eats away at my emotional well-being. When I begin to feel that way, I will set the timer and spend 15 minutes on whatever is bothering me most. When things reach a certain tipping point, I set everything aside and clean, clean, clean. I'm trying to engage the children in helping out more at home. They will help, but frequently they are not as willing as I might like. The fact that they go back and forth between their dad's house and mine makes it hard for everyone...chores get forgotten or only partially completed, and the schedules and responsibilities differ between the two houses.

 Getting out into the sunlight and exercising or doing yard work for a little while each day is also key. The outdoors have an added benefit of making me realize how beautiful the natural world is, and it reaffirms my faith in God. In addition, I make myself interact with people, especially those I like talking to. Though this is sometimes really hard for me to initiate (I question why anyone would want to talk to me), I have found that once the conversation starts, usually the other person has a lot of interesting thoughts to offer.

I have found that if I miss church, don't follow the routine of prayer and scripture study, and temple attendance that it has a huge impact on my mental state. I try to keep it up and fulfill all my church responsibilities. I have come to see that when I try to speak positive things, think positive things and keep focused on all of my blessings, it really makes a difference. Nevertheless, it's hard to do from time to time.

I'm grateful for all the insight I've gained over the years. I'm a very practical person, so strategies like these suit me. I wish it was easier to keep moving forward. The last month has been hard, but I just keep telling myself to stick with what works, and eventually I'll come out of it. I always have!

They Might Be Giants

Well, we went to the doctor this week for a check up for Joe. It turns out that he's six feet tall now! And he's only 14. He still has six or more growing years ahead of him, so I wonder how tall he'll be eventually? According to the growth chart, he's taller than 95 percent of boys his age. On the other hand, 60% of boys his age weigh more than he does. His BMI is great.

All of my children are tall for their ages. I was thinking this week about how blessed we are that the kids are very healthy. They resist even colds or flu very well, and fortunately, we've been free of the usual breaks and illnesses that children and teens usually get. I'm so grateful to my Father in Heaven for helping us to be strong, and I really hope it stays that way.

Vineyard Pruning

Saturday was a busy day. I went to pick up Kelly and Joe at the their dad's house (Fowler & 168), then drove out to the vineyard for pruning. There were breakfast burritos and fruit to enjoy (yum) as well as a lot of work to be done. We all learned to wrap and tie and cleaned up the vines for the growing season. We spent a few hours doing that, then I drove the kids back out to Clovis to their dad's. (A LOT of miles put on my car yesterday.)

The vineyard is a special responsibility. Each ward in our area is responsible for several rows. We harvest the grapes, roll them, and pick them up during the summer. In the winter, we prune and tie the grapes. There are other responsibilities as necessary, but these are the main jobs. It's a lot of fun to participate...people laugh and talk, sometimes singing as they do the work. There's a lot of teasing along with the sweating and working. The reason we can do such hard work so joyfully is that the fruit of the vineyard becomes raisins that are sent around the world for humanitarian aid provided by our church. The assistance is for both members and non-members. It is such a blessing to be able to help serve in this capacity, though it is also hard work.

After the vineyard, I went to purchase my books for the Spring semester which starts on Tuesday. It cost nearly $700. Ouch! I also repaired the faucet in the boy's shower.  I'm dreading calling the pest control companies next week about our termite situation, but it must be done.

Termites

Yesterday Kelly complained to me that dirt was dropping onto her bed from the ceiling. Dirt??

I gathered up some of the "dirt" and looked online. Turns out, it's poop. Termite poop to be exact, which means we have a termite problem.

Just what I needed.

Resolute

I don't really make New Year's resolutions. I prefer to think of each day as the start of a New Year...we can begin anew and change our lives starting right now, right where we are, this minute. (That isn't to say that I'm not above praying for changes to occur in the new year.) I'm making a few goals the focus of concerted prayer and fasting, but since these are things that I work on every day, and will continue to work on each day, I don't think of them as resolutions. Some things that have become part of my life day by day, things I am resolute about:

Be a parent first and foremost
Be grateful for everything!
Keep the commandments and repent quickly when I err
Be a better, more compassionate, service oriented person
Teach my children about the gospel, about the atonement, and about service
No wallowing...seeking instead for joy!
Actively seek education and excel at it
Take care of my own health and that of my children
Prepare myself further to be a worthy companion

This year, if all goes well, I will be finished with my bachelor's degree. I'll be taking the GRE and the CBEST. The GRE will help me have more options for graduate school, and the CBEST will (when combined with my bachelor's degree) permit me to earn some money substitute teaching before I begin graduate studies and possibly even during the time I'm in graduate school. This is requiring a lot of faith on my part as I'm trying to determine precisely the course the Lord wants me to take.

Game Day

Erin and Nick dropped in after Christmas to visit with the kids. They also brought a ton of really fun games for the kids as presents. "Swish," "Fastrack," "Quadrago," "Repello," and "Knot so Fast." So far the clear favorites are Fastrack and Quadrago.

Quadrago is like connect four, only three dimensional. Knot so Fast should be great for teaching everyone, but especially the boys, knots. We've been so addicted to the other two that we haven't given it it's fair play time yet.

So far, the days of vacation have been rather lazy...lots of sleeping, eating, and playing. We did get to the Bishop's storehouse on Tuesday, and it was wonderful, as usual. Other than that, not much productivity in the Cavanaugh house!

The kids have been enjoying the meals this week. Amazing how much energy I have for cooking when I don't have to worry about studying! Christmas we had chili verde (yum!), Monday - pizza, thanks to Erin and Nick, Tuesday was pasta, Wednesday we had BBQ pork sandwiches and  cheesy potatoes. Tonight I'm thinking tacos, though I might save that for dinner on New Year's Day. I'm still reserving portions from each meal in individual containers in the freezer to make eating when I'm alone when my classes start much easier. When I made the pasta sauce, I made twice as much as I needed so I could save enough for a meal later in January. I wish I could get up the energy to do those "cooking for a month" days. It would be great to have pre-made meals ready to go when I'm being tortured by my college professors.