Entrepreneurial Ideas

I tried lemonade stands when I was little. I think I cleared a whole $2.75. Sada and Alexis started a store this week and invited their friends over to help run "The Quarter Store." They manned it for 14 hours and made $22! Yes, there were a few generous customers who didn't take their $.75 in change, but still! And the best part was I didn't have to help set it up!

They sold "Assorted Items" like giant crystalized rocks, lava rocks - "bubble rocks" that send up bubbles when dunked in water, necklaces, bookmarks, fresh herbs - thyme, sage, mint, lemon balm, sugar snap peas from the garden, plaster paw prints (best sellers) and plaster bug fossils. And for $.25 each item they did great! They did split the money between 5 or 6 helpers, but Sada told me that the amount of money wasn't important. "The most important thing is that we earned money by working hard and doing a good job." They plan on keeping it up through the summer and changing the inventory daily. Yes, they are adorable.

Graduation!

At Sada's physical therapy review last Tuesday, the team decided she's progressed enough that her basic need now is endurance and strength training - both so easy to work on during the summer without having to go to the clinic! Sada was thrilled not to have Sergio stretching her weekly and promised him she will work on her exercises so when we go back every 4-6 weeks she can show off. He will continue to keep tabs on her to make sure she's not compensating for balance or vision in ways that could turn into future problems. Just one extra appointment each week that I don't have to plan around brings such a sweet smile to my face - and she's earned a break. She is more limber than I've EVER seen her before, she can walk and run farther than ever before, and the workouts have affected her whole body from her walk to her sitting posture to even the way she holds her pencil while writing. Sergio has really helped her with a miraculous gross motor and balance recovery and thrown in a bunch of extra bonuses to boot. Everyone should have their own personal trainer for a few months at least once in a lifetime to knock out the bad habits we don't realize we have. But truth be told, Sada is glad to get rid of hers finally!

EIEIO

We tromped through two - count 'em two - farms this week. Thanks to some very patient friends, they've fed horses, cows, calves, farm dogs, chickens, been ignored by goats, geese, turkeys and roosters, and snorted at 4 pigs named Porkchop, Bacon, Kalua and Sausage. These city kids have all decided we will never raise chickens. While I'd love the eggs, wow - fresh air was mighty hard to come by when 400 chickens are fowling the air. (Bro-ak!) And I now see why rubber boots are essential farm tools... especially after a downpour or two while tromping through a minefield of cowpies. Sometimes, a hose with running water can truly brighten up the day!

Eau du spring

Paige, Jason, Kyra and I were running errands when it finally stopped pouring and started sprinkling. We rolled down the windows to feel the raindrops and breeze. I asked, "What does it smell like?"

Paige was the first to the buzzer. "Snail slime. And it kind of stinks."

"Do you want me to roll up the windows?"

"No, because now it's starting to smell good, like clean dirt."

We left the windows cracked until the next downpour started.

Zoo Night

We all headed up to the zoo this evening because they were having a special "late night" where gates didn't close until 9pm. It has been pouring all afternoon, and we hit a few showers on the way up, but by the time we got to the zoo it had just about stopped and warmed up to 70 degrees - perfect to run around without getting hot and the rain got rid of all the mosquitos (and people scared of getting wet).

We had a blast - the big kitties were prowling around, including the leopard and snow leopard (which we've NEVER seen moving before), they had a special birdshow with new jokes and hands-on helpers for the 40 of us that showed up, and when we rode the carousel there were only four others with us! We fed the birds while we ate dinner and pretty much did whatever because there was no one else to bother. Yes, that meant we had chimpanzees swinging from fences and zebras running down the paths chasing cougars, but the animals who were already asleep didn't seem to mind and we went home with very, very tired critters who slept the whole way home (except for Sada who couldn't stop talking until we put in a quiet music CD and told her to think instead of speak).

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain

Today we went on a nature walk in the rain. Rainboots and ponchos and hoods kept toes and heads dry while we played in a hammock, splashed in puddles and ate teeny tiny bright red strawberries. All of them were really good, even the lighter colored ones. They were still red enough. The air smelled good - rainy and fresh.

We also planted our tomatoes so they can grow while the rainy week lasts. I love June!

Princess windows

Did you know that Oquirrh means shinning mountains, glowing mountains, and wooded mountains depending which Indian language it is translated into? They're the first mountains in the Salt Lake valley to be hit by the sun when it rises each morning.

We went through the Oquirrh Temple openhouse this morning - gorgeous! The girls' favorite part was the celestial room with the clear diamonds in the sandblasted windows - they kept pointing out princess windows through the rest of the building. The lower floors have a lot of dark brown and tan, then it all gradually lightens to a light cream in the top rooms. There are also a lot of circle patterns that start out as curved designs, then change to half circles, and end up as full circles interlocking with each other. Really amazing!

Fossa vs. Lemur

We took a four-hour trip to the zoo today - avoiding the summer crush by going this week before all the SL schools start their summer vacations. The latest exhibit up there is Madagascar animals - complete with hissing cockroaches and even a fossa! He's the size of a large cat, and looks like an emaciated rottweiler with muscles bulging everywhere and giant fangs that poke out when he yawns. I asked if they ever put lemurs in with him to make the exhibit a little more interesting, but apparently there aren't enough lemurs in captivity to make it doable. Oh well!

There was a downpour in the afternoon so the kids played on the playground that was suddenly deserted (my duckies know how to run through the raindrops and enjoy sprinkles). They had the whole thing to themselves for about 15 minutes until it stopped pelting, then the families who had taken shelter in the gift shop returned. We left it to them and went on the zoo train instead. Choo choo!

I like you just the way you are

MRI results this time around - no change! Which is a really good thing considering the tumor grew to its current size in four months but hasn't changed at all over the past two months. The scan looked almost identical to the March scans with a few micro-differences (could be how she was tucked into the scanner). The neurosurgeon said tumors this size will often stay the same size for years, although sometimes they will start growing unexpectedly. He has seen a few shrink and disappear on their own but it's only happened a few times to his patients. He had a pretty big smile on his face when he left the room and said he was "very, very happy" with this scan. Much better than the alternative!

So instead of having surgery, Sada's planned a humongous pizza party tomorrow night to celebrate - and eat all the fruit and carbs she can. A fitting reward for sticking to less than 20g of carbs a day for months. A banana has 39g carbs, a piece of homemade bread has 50g carbs, and a 1/2 cup of pinto beans has 21g carbs (without salsa or rice), so we've become very creative with dinners and lunches. Dreaming of Hawaiian pizza has gotten her through the past two weeks of taking pills and supplements - we're going to make it worthwhile!