olson fam stories, funny or not, here they come!

ummm, only the absolutely best cinnamon rolls ever...

2011-12-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

september 2011

So, I'm 35 now, and have struggled with how to get my dang bread dough to rise. Plus, I use freshly ground white wheat when we bake, which can make things a little heavier to deal with. But, thanks to "Our best bites," which I love their book and website, they gave excellent tips, and I turned out some of the most amazing cinnamon buns, if I may say so myself. It's a great thing when one thing turns out after years and years of hoping! Now I've learned the tricks, and hope that each batch will be as rewarding as this one! And please, nothing but cream cheese frosting, I will accept no substitutes!

And since I can be very weak with any bread-like substance, we had these for breakfast the next day. And I didn't care...or feel guilty!

cam's missionary moment...

2011-12-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

september 2011

Camden felt like she should share a Book of Mormon with a little neighbor girl, and wrote a note to go with it. It's wonderful seeing your kids follow the inspiration they receive.

cam and mom open birthday presents together...

2011-12-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

september 2011

We had a little family birthday moment, since Jarom is mostly home on weekends, that's when we set aside family time, and nothing else! So we opened presents together, Cam and I, and we had a little family fun.

Jarom has always been amazing at making sure we have gifts, they are wrapped, and he's very thoughtful in his presentation. Me, on the other hand, am a little more scattered with the whole present thing. So I'm glad our kids have daddy to help out on that issue.

our little cam...

2011-12-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

september 2011

Our little Camden turned 8. She has always been more mature than her age, and very independent. Cam is competitive, and loves a good challenge. Beating Alex in checkers is a great victory, now she's on to chess, trying to beat Alex. Our little Camden will research information, print out hand-outs, have her research in a page protector, and give a fabulous speech. She's very organized, and very intellectual, as schoolwork comes very easy to Cam. Cam's love language is gifts...she loves to give gifts, and loves to receive gifts. She is a hard worker, and loves to surprise people. Camden has a sweet heart, a strong testimony, and a wonderful imagination. We are so grateful to have you sweet Camden in our family!

Cam's birthday breakfast was homemade egg mcmuffin. oh, ya, a fave of ours!

ohio visit...20th reunion...cam's birthday...

2011-12-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

september 2011

Our visit to Ohio for the weekend was quite busy! We got to visit Jarom's old high school, take the kids to a high school football game, do the reunion family picnic where Jarom was the entertainment with his remote helicopter, and a little time with family. We celebrated Cam's birthday with a cake and a present, and just had a fun time.

beach visit...

2011-12-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

august 2011

Luckily, we live not too far from the beach...well, like 4 hours, which is great! We made it down to the gulf of mexico coast in Florida. It was a good little getaway, but as getaways go, still very busy. Since we were still eating milk, gluten, and mostly sugar free, we ate good, but had to make everything homemade. (Thank goodness we don't have to do that anymore...it's a lot of work for a family!)

Jarom came down with us Saturday, stayed until Tuesday, and then came back on Saturday to drive home with us...so he was a bit busy but we got to see him a few days nevertheless.

We had a lot of science opportunities for sure. A man on the beach next to us caught a baby shark. After a big storm one night, we went out the next day, and there were about 6 jellyfish floating where we like to swim...so in order for my kids to try and get back in the water, I went and fished them out, including getting stung...we saw crabs...birds...it was so great.

Now for a ton of pics...

the girls' creativity...

2011-12-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

august 2011

The girls are all so creative, and let's not forget, dramatic! So it's even better when they put their drama together, and become creative with it. They love to do plays, and even come up with the story line, parts, costumes, and some good acting. It's wonderful to see them having so much fun together.

The Set

The narrator

Scene 1

Cast having fun behind the scenes

Audience enjoying the performance

Great characters

Plot thickens

The princess is saved!

Everyone is happy in the end

Cast party

the best summer snack...

2011-12-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

august 2011

One of our favorite snacks, is dehydrated fruit. It takes 8 hours to get it dehydrated, and we usually eat it in about 10 minutes, but it's soooo worth it! And healthy of course, which I love!

a special note...

2011-12-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

august 2011

What a sweet note to get from one of your children...have to remember it forever!

nothing like friends, junk food, jammies and a movie...

2011-12-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

august 2011

The kids, well, the younger ones, had some friends over, and they ate junk, played, and watched a movie together. We have been very blessed with such great friends.

another year older...

2011-12-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

july 2011

Jarom is slowly edging up to 40...how is that possible...how are we getting to this age already? I guess we have an almost 13 year old, but still...doesn't seem possible. And yet, Jarom still plays and exercises and travels like a 20 year old!

little brother visits...

2011-10-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

july 2011

Cody, my little brother, came to visit us for a week in July, and we introduced him to 100% humidity! He loved it, much more than the drier Arizona weather, and I guess we've just adjusted to it, trying to hide our slight discomfort there and again. Cody just finished serving a 2 year mission in California, for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We had a lot of fun showing him around parts of Atlanta. We visited the aquarium(world's largest tank), the zoo(great zoo!), Fernbank Science Museum(that was ok), and I'm not really sure if we did anything else...Fro-yo. Can't forget that! Oh ya, we went to Piedmont Park in the center of the city, when it was really hot, and thought we would have a picnic, but didn't, and watched Jarom fly his helicopter contraption. It was fun:) Then we would end our busy day with a movie and some yummy fresh popped popcorn with olive oil...if you haven't tried it yet, let's just say it's so good, you wouldn't want to go back to microwave popcorn!

Here it is...1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup popcorn kernals...put into a pan with a lid(or we have a whirly pop from target that you just spin the handle and it spins the kernals evenly in the oil inside the pan), and shake until you hear it stop popping...pour into a bowl, salt, and enjoy. It's THE BEST!

nadia and leticia...

2011-10-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

july 4th weekend- 2011

Leticia, Nadia's birth mom, came to visit for a few days. Leticia brought Zoe, her daughter, and a friend to keep her company on her driving trip from Texas to Georgia. Even though Nadia doesn't understand what's going on, (she is three...), she still will look at pictures and say, "that's my birth mom!" I asked her what birth mom meant, and she said she didn't know.

We want to be open about the wonderful blessing and occurrence that happened of how Nadia came to join our family, and that she is sealed to us for all eternity, and has always been apart of our family, she just came to earth through someone else. We are grateful for the adoption experience we went through with Leticia, and are glad we get to visit every now and then.

madison off for a week...on her own...without me...

2011-10-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

june 2011

Because we live near Emory University, Madison was able to participate in the one week camps for kids who have had health issues and have been in the hospital...they have a week for heart kids, a week for cancer kids, and other medical needs kids.

So Madison was able to go, all expenses are paid for each child, and she went to a heart camp where all the kids have had heart surgery. I thought for sure I would hear from Madison sometime throughout the week. They are allowed to call or text using the camp leaders phone if they get homesick, but no, not a word. I guess she was having too much fun kayaking, horseback riding, swimming, crafting, eating, and whatever else they did. This being Madison's first time away without any family nearby, she did a great job, and showed us that she is secure in herself and knew we would be here for her when she got back. We missed her so much, but were so glad she had this opportunity!

madison returning...hair braided, nails painted, bag full of goodies...

had to get a little fro-yo...so hot in June...and had to celebrate our madison coming home...

cool shot alex took using the mirror...a great little photographer!

where does the time go?

2011-09-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

june 2011

It seems like yesterday we had just had our little alex, now she is already going to girl's camp. I love this girl so much! She had a blast, and as yw president now, I went up for the day, and she managed to say "hi" to me in passing, she was having so much fun.

We were just talking in the car how she only has six years left before college. Really, less than that, more like 5 1/2. I feel like I still have so much to teach her, and not enough time!

Mothering is never done I know, but it is the most rewarding for sure! I love being a mother, being home all day with these girls, teaching them, and spending what precious time I have with them before they leave home. It's going by so fast, I can't believe it, nor can I believe I'm old enough to have an almost teenager! Holy Cow!

spark 3...oh i can't wait...

2011-08-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who would love a little two day get-away, I have the perfect fit!
Spark 3 will be Oct. 21-22 in Lindon, UT this year...a two day creative event and artisan market...with meals and snacks prepared for you...all you have to do is enjoy the beautiful ambiance, and the fun things to make with everything set out for you and easy instruction. Not to mention Mindy Gledhill will be performing, who I absolutely love.

So meet me in Utah, we'll share a hotel room, and have some fun...just the girls! Alex my oldest gets to come with me this year, she's working hard to earn her tuition(it costs $350 for two days full of everything(which I probably brought back home half that much in supplies, not to mention all the stuff I made and brought home-they really spoil you!), and I hope it sparks her creativity even more...she's already amazingly creative!

If you want to see some pic's of what to expect...copy and paste link below, then scroll down just a bit.

http://chocolatechipsandpeanutbutter.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-26T12%3A53%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=499

You'll see beautiful inspiration eeking out from every room...it was so inspiring, and it did spark my inner crafty self, I can't wait to go again!!!

Copy and paste the link below to get a peek at what will be goin' on!
Come on, you know you want to come!

http://www.sparktheevent.com/

the opportunity to use and better my talents...

2011-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

may 2011

I was called to be YW President in May, and it has been a wonderful opportunity. I have gotten to know such wonderful women in our ward now that we serve together. We have such sweet young women too, such driven and talented great girls! Plus, I get to do fun activities with Alex, and see her interact and grow as her own self. What a wonderful thing for me to be apart of.

I thought it would be fun to spotlight a girl and a leader each Sunday, and give them a necklace, which makes me solder jewelry every week. I otherwise probably wouldn't do it very much as life has gotten busy and a bit more complicated.

Also, we added some fun pic's of other things, a little decor, yummy cookies Alex surprised Jarom and I with after a date(gluten, dairy, and egg free-and they were delicious!)...and any other random things we have made or done. One of my YW made a loaf of gluten-free bread for us, and it was so yummy!

p.s. I wore one of my necklaces into the salon where I get my hair done, and my stylist loved them, and wanted some personalized and made for her and some gifts for friends, so I was able to exchange jewelry for three salon visits...not bad I'd have to say!!!

our lovely 2nd outdoor movie night...

2011-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

may 28. 2011

Our second outdoor movie night was a hit, thanks to all that came(around 60-80ppl.) and those that helped out. One of my Young Women is a chef like her mom, and she came and made three different kinds of cupcakes with three different kinds of frostings, all of which were "gluten-free." Thanks to the awesome flour I have found through Authentic Foods, we can bake cup for cup and it tastes great!

We also were able to get ahold of a vintage popcorn machine, and I found cute vintage popcorn boxes, which made it so much fun!

It's just great hanging out with friends, eating, chatting, and getting to know people better. We are just so very grateful for this wonderful ward we are in. Sitting on blankets under the stars is so very calming, and brings a wonderful peace and appreciation for this beautiful place!

(nadia with her nursery teacher...so sweet!)

(mariesa, a good friend-i made her a necklace as a going away present...she was moving to boston)

(ohhhh...so cute when the boys have fun together!)

(I guess where the teens were hanging out:))

virginia beach lds homeschool conference...

2011-08-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

may 9. 2011

oh, how I absolutely love the lds homeschool conference! How I love meeting other mothers and families that homeschool, and I love learning from them how to better myself and our family and our schooling. The spirit is so strong there. Such a wonderful keynote speaker was Michael Ballam. Alex took a class once studying "music and the mind" he wrote, and it was absolutely amazing all that we learned through ways of music! It was a wonderful experience my friend Juventa had, being on the board, getting him to come and speak. We were so grateful to meet a world famous opera singer(he's performed at the Vatican and The White House), professor, and wonderful man that he is!

We got to meet old friends, play on the beach, walk the boardwalk for miles, and even though it was the middle of the week when the girls and I drove up, jarom got to join us for the weekend, which was wonderful!

(the girls found Alex in the youth group and loved running and hugging her!)

(I love Nadia's 40's swimsuit...I'm not sure what girl we had gotten this for first, but I love the hand-me-downs!)

mother's day...

2011-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

may 8. 2011

mother's day was lovely! I had a healthy omelette and oj brought to me in bed...roses...dinner was made without my help...and a fun scavenger hunt that the girls did for me around the house. I'm so grateful for this amazing man I'm married to, and these sweet girls! It was a lovely day!

perspective...

2011-08-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

august 13. 2011

I have come to love Ferris Wheels...Jarom and I rode one in France last year outside the Louvre...and I have come to appreciate the perspective that a Ferris Wheel can give. Sometimes you are on top, and can see everything so clearly with a far perspective, and other times you are heading downward, and can only see things really close with a very narrow perspective of things. We swing up and swing down in life. Things are great, things aren't going so well, but as we are taught in Sunday School, it's how you handle the ups and downs that really matter. I just want to say, as the downs are very difficult, we find the ups to be liberating, we are grateful, and we enjoy them more knowing the downs we have experienced.

So that leads me into our family journey...one might say it sounds like the ferris wheel is heading down, but I beg to differ. I feel it swinging up...it may get stuck a few times, but it's heading up.

Looking back on the day, when I would meet someone who had a food allergy, I remember thinking that I just don't know how they could live without milk, or gluten, or eggs. I'm grateful for our process of receiving the news line upon line. Before testing anyone else in our family, I thought it was just all me, since my symptoms of lack of health were obvious. But it has led us on a journey of discovering that you can be allergic to foods without even knowing it, and it causing long-term health effects if not treated. So yes, I am grateful for having had my journey, a hard one as it has been, but now knowing the food allergies our whole family has, has given us the chance to rebuild and strengthen our bodies and hopefully giving us not only longer lives, but more importantly, a quality life.

The answers to a few tests have come in.

Allergies to food: Alex and Camden are allergic to gluten, dairy, eggs, and each one has a few more allergies individually. ( We have come to love Almond milk now, but both are allergic to almonds. So now they have come to love Rice Vanilla Milk. Thank goodness for so many options!)

Madison only has a few food allergies, which I was very surprised about! Eggs, bananas, pineapple, and asparagus.

Now as to the test that overwhelms me more than any food allergy, is the lyme test. All three older girls are positive.

So, now what? Thank goodness for yahoogroups! The response of one mother who has a 13 year old who can't even leave the house because her lyme is so bad, responded to a thread of mine, and mentioned besides the salt/c protocol which we both do, they started NAET, a way of relieving the body of allergens, and helping bring balance to the body.

For those of you who haven't ever been sick, one might say... what? You just go to a Western Medicine doctor, they say, "you have this or that, or we don't know what it is", and then you take the medicine they give you. Well, one could live that way, and I'm not knocking Western medicine, because it has a time and place to be used, and can save lives in some instances. It saved our second daughters life as they rebuilt her arch in her heart at 7 days old. But long term health isn't healed and resolved this way. So our next journey, will be what happens, how we respond, and hopefully positive things from NAET. It's going to be a tough journey, as your body has to work through healing. So, here we go!

the good, the bad, and the ugly...

2011-07-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

july 2011

So this one is a mind-boggling subject...most of us haven't heard of or given this a second thought...even me...until now.

After being "diganosed" with fibro and fatigue in early 2005(which is an umbrella term for "we don't know what is wrong"), because I was almost bed-ridden from complete exhaustion, and my rheumatologist had me on four narcotics for pain because he didn't believe there was treatment for what I had...(great doctor), it's been a long battle for health. So to say the least, I've been finding my way through doctors.

Being in Georgia for almost a year and half...I saw a couple doctors while waiting for the good one I have now (the wait list was a couple months out), both had run the test of LYME...which came back positive, and they mentioned a couple ways to try and deal with it, which weren't really great(like I.V.'s of hydrogen peroxide!)... and I just figured it was something that would go away on it's own...I kept thinking we could take care of whatever "fibro and fatigue" was, and whatever LYME was would take care of itself. Also, within a month of moving here, I gained 15 pounds in a month, which isn't normal, obviously! I can barely fit in my clothes, even living off of around 1,000 calories. They (LYME) have compromised so many things now in my body, including my metabolic function, it's extremely not possible to lose the weight until the kill load is more, and I can detox more of them out.

Then my doctor now, who is a natural internist, figured out something that made him start to pay attention to my LYME...and start to take notice. Then we started figuring out how really bad this stuff is...this is where it gets crazy!

After researching, he thought maybe he'd test his dad who has had Hashimoto's(thyroid disorder) and other health issues...POSITIVE. Then my doctor has a friend who has "chronic fatigue,"...POSITIVE. Then, my doctor thought he would test some of his other patients he has coming to him for fibro...a husband and wife...POSITIVE...a boy with Tourette's syndrome...POSITIVE...then he decided to test himself, a doctor- who he himself is also allergic to gluten, dairy, and eggs, has felt moderately tired for 20 years...POSITIVE...
his nurse...POSITIVE.

So what does this mean...anything! If you've ever been outside...it could be you. If you live in any country, you could also have been bitten. They are in every state, and throughout the world, thanks to migratory birds, and animals.

Something for you to watch, even if you think this is the craziest thing you've ever heard of, and probably figure you've never been bitten by a tick...take a closer look... www.underourskin.com. Click on the link at the top that says WATCH...there are many free online resources to watch this...we used our netflix streaming. This show will give info on the world epidemic that is spreading rapidly, and being overlooked for many reasons by many doctors...having tremendous negative effects on many lives-paralysis, brain damage, and even death.

Or how about this little golden nugget...www.lymephotos.com. Not for the lighthearted.

These little buggers are entered into the bloodstream when the tick bites you, and releases the bacteria that will enter and spread everywhere in your body, becoming the "great imitator." Your body can't find it to fight it, even if you take the old recommended ways of two weeks of antibiotics. They are too smart, and can cocoon themselves. Test results aren't always the best indicators either. You have to go by symptoms if you think you may have it, listen to your body, and not what a blood test says. CDC has it's own standards, but others follow a better standard regarding blood tests and what they indicate.

Lyme can get into all systems, imitating anything. ANYTHING... for instance...(the bugs spread everywhere in your body, corkscrewing themselves into your tissue and hiding, causing any health issue)!

Here are some symptoms and diseases linked to Chronic Lyme...

Fatigue
Insomnia
Brain fog
Poor memory and concentration
Autoimmune Diseases
Parkinson's Disease
Alzheimers
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Light and Sound Sensitivity
Seizures
Muscle Pain
Muscle or facial twitches
Tremor
Joint Pain
Back pain
Painful soles especially in the AM
Neuropathy
Neuropathic pain
Digestive problems...reflux, ibs, microbial imbalance, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation/diarrhea
Feeling hot and cold
Thirst
Hot flashes
Fevers
Sweats
Swollen lymph nodes
Frequent infections(sinusitis, bronchitis)
Hormones
Mitochondrial damage
Impairs liver detox
Mood disorers
Dizziness/vertigo
Blurry vision
Tinnitus
Restless legs
ADD
Autism
Poor Wound Healthing
Air Hunger
Chest Pain
Hair loss
Weight Problems

So the good, I know what I'm fighting now...
The bad, it's not an easy road to kill the buggers...
And the ugly, it can be transmitted through the womb...if I got it before I was married, I could have easily passed this horrible nightmare to my children. And yes, I'm highly suspicious Jarom has it too.

The fight continues...
Here's to a healthy life! Onward and Upward!

april and may birthdays...

2011-07-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

april/may 2011

So Madison's friend party was having lunch at American Girl here in Atlanta(not one of the best of 'em for sure, I'd say New York is the best one!).

Then a little action at Monkey Joe's, getting some energy out...they had so much fun. We went the last hour of the day, and no one else was there...so I guess you could say we rented it out...you know, kinda...or maybe just timed it right!

Madison and Nadia have been really cute sharing a day to celebrate, which we won't always do, but since Nadia's birthday is April 29th...Madison's birthday is
May 2...and we got Nadia three days old on Madison's birthday...it's become a wonderful time to share between these two.

pinkwood derby...otherwise known as the pinewood derby

2011-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

april 2011

This was great fun for Madison to participate in, especially the time she got to spend with dad building and cheering her car on.

It's so cute seeing Jarom having fun with buddies...he knows Ryan from the good 'ol days of being at Rick's College before the mission.

gluten, milk, and eggs-oh my!

2011-07-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

june 2011

So a wife's intuition can sometimes be spot-on...and sometimes not...but in this case, I was grateful for Jarom listening to me.

He just seemed a little more tired lately, exercising and eating better, with no weight-loss, and honestly I would tease that he must have more estrogen than me because he was unusually moody.

Thank heavens for a good doctor, natural internist, treats the body as a whole, and tries to find out why your body is doing something, not just prescribing a medicine for it.

So, let's cut to the chase...we are BOTH allergic to gluten, milk, and eggs. Gluten has been a change for me for a year or two, but milk and eggs were a shock! And then for both of us to be allergic!!! My husband who can drink a whole gallon of milk in a day...NOT ANYMORE!

So, from what I've read or been told, most americans are allergic to gluten, around 80%, and don't know it. The allergic reaction that happens without an outward manifestation can sometimes be worse, causing long-term damage and other effects. Also, 60% of autistic children have been found to act "normal" on a gluten-free diet. So, as I once read, our food is our medicine, our medicine is our food!

So, this is what we have found to be good: Authentic Foods has the best gluten free flours and mixes. Do NOT buy frozen gluten-free bread, gross! The best milk we have liked is Silk Almond Milk, and their Dark Chocolate Almond Milk is delicious...I let the kids eat that with Rice Krispies or Chex.

We are adjusting pretty well, and the girls are now on a gluten-free diet as well...their bloodwork was done, and awaiting results, but we'll be a gluten-free family. And for the record...Jarom's estrogen was double mine...so we're working on that and other things like our thyroid...naturally, teaching the body to learn to do it on it's own, and detoxing the bad stuff, instead of popping pills for the rest of our lives.

We are grateful, hopeful. We want to live a long life with good health.