smart water

1. Drinking water enhances fat loss
Water is an essential nutrient. All chemical reactions in the body depend upon it. If you’re trying to lose weight, this can’t be ignored. You won’t be able to lose weight without water to flush out the by-products of fat breakdown. When there isn’t enough water to dilute the body’s waste products, kidney stones may form. When the kidneys aren’t working to their full potential, the liver must step in and help. Once this happens the liver can’t optimally perform its other important functions. As a result, burning fat has to wait.

2. Combat ailments by drinking more water
In many cases, fatigue, headaches and back pain may be caused by dehydration. If you suffer from an afternoon nod off, try drinking more water at lunch. If you or your children complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking could be responsible. And, muscle spasms are also caused by not being adequately hydrated.

3. Drinking water can reduce hunger
Experts say that hunger pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water. Try drinking water before your regular meals and see if it helps you cut down on the amount of food you eat. It really works as an effective appetite suppressant. Avoid counting tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluid intake. Sodas and juices are too sweet—because the body must dilute them, they cause more dehydration.

4. Look younger - drinking water hydrates your skin
When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant. Water will keep the toxins flushed out and help you to cool off through perspiration. Muscles need to have enough water to make them look full too. Deprive yourself of water and you’ll see the difference in the mirror.
Are you dehydrated?
Just how do you know if you’re getting dehydrated? If you have a dry mouth, produce less urine, have very dark urine and/or feel dizzy or faint you probably need water, quick. Drink at least 8 glasses a day. Experts now recommend even more, up to 12 glasses a day. To be more precise, drink ½ ounce per pound of body weight. If you exercise or are very active increase the number to 2/3 ounce per pound. Try monitoring your water intake closely for the next month. When you drink enough, you’ll look and feel better.

get yourself a super cute glass water pitcher and fill it up with good water. add sliced lemon, oranges or cucumbers. if you would like fresh lemons, i have them coming out of my ears. and...i beat the diet coke addiction, and am now on water only...if i can do it, anyone can. time to get with the program...i'm not gettin' any younger.

God be with you till we meet again...

because of emma's particular age, 19, she has all of these friends who are leaving to serve full-time missions. they are leaving by the droves. every time one leaves, they take a piece of her heart. these darling boys so obedient and sweet. their lives about to take off. the adventures they face are so exciting. the lives they will touch innumerable. the growth they will see in themselves, mind boggling. they will return "real" men. and for us on the home front, nothing more exciting than getting a letter in the mail addressed to "sister johnson", like i received the other day from elder evans. something the mailman doesn't see every day.

ryan's family came to pick up emma this morning. their destination, the airport. just so happened, that emma was on the same flight to salt lake city...the flight he will take to enter the mtc. what a solemn, almost sacred pilgrimage she was lucky enough to take part in. i walked out with emma to get in their car, the little sisters in the back seat with wet eyes already, a beautiful and serene mother, waiting to get on with it, and take her boy where she knows he needs to go...a mission for him as much as for the Lord. chuck at the wheel, confident and positive. his strength was silent too. the scene was quiet and tranquil. one that very much impressed me. i guess that's why i am writing about it, tearing up as i type. i cant help but think this scene will be mine in about 5 years. hopefully, i can conduct myself with the grace and dignity of the pinner family.

ryan came for emma the other day. they were off to the horse races for a fun day spent with ryan's uncle. apparently ryan's uncle owns a horse who was racing. exciting for emma, as we have never done that before. something new and different. when ryan came to the door, he was so sweet and kind (like he always is), however there was a difference in him. a noticeable difference. it was almost like he had a special aura about him. like he glowed. he all of a sudden, too, was all grown up. i knew what it was. the change in him defies description. words cannot express what i saw and what i felt.

i have no doubt whatsoever, he will make an amazing missionary. i am excited for him to experience a new place (west virginia) and impact the lives of many who need the Lord and the gospel in their lives. and i am sure there are many, just waiting patiently for him to get there. the people there are lucky to have such a wonderful representative of Christ, elder ryan pinner.

i am so proud of ryan, and his beautiful choice to serve the Lord. i am grateful for young men like him who are magnificent examples of what my boys can and should become. thank you to all of these remarkable and valiant brothers, from the bottom of my heart. i love all of you little boys.

magic escape

well, i have to say that some years disneyland really "does it" for me, other years i could go without it and not even miss it. we have had passes in the years past, and sometimes not even hardly gone at all. this year is different. we like to go for some odd reason. it is our "escape". i have to admit, it is a walk down memory lane every time i pass through the turnstile. i remember times when i had a stroller in front of me with an excited toddler or two in tow. other times, a newborn swaddled in that same stroller, numerous not so little ones following behind, complete with wide eyes and big smiles. i think one of my favorite places on earth is the grand californian hotel. love the craftsman architecture, beautiful stained glass and original art not to mention the roaring fire and little chairs all lined up in a corner of the lobby with a tv streaming classic disney cartoons. we have stayed at this wonderful hotel numerous times, in fact we were there soon after it opened. i remember the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night (they were still getting the kinks out, i think) and we all trudged down the long hallway in our pajamas, the kids kept asking, "is this a real fire??". i remember the time harry potter came out. we went out at midnight to get 3 copies at the local anaheim ralphs for the girls to read. they hung out in that gorgeous, huge lobby, sprawled out on separate, beast size sofas reading till like 4am till the security guards kicked them back to the room. we have the valet parking routine down, and the buffet at storytellers is just what we do every time we go now...of course, to justify the valet park job. one summer we stayed and hung out by the huge pool for a few days. relaxed on sumptuous lounge chairs amongst amazing landscaping. the kids snacked on mickey mouse ice cream bars and mouse shaped chicken nuggets. where else can you get all of that? what fun memories.

when emma came home this last week, the first thing she wanted to do was visit the magic kingdom. this year, we are into it for some reason. maybe it's the escape we are seeking. if that's the case, i am ok with that...i will say, i hate it when it's crowded!! nothing better than a magic kingdom with few human beings.

brave times ten

this is my niece's son payton. go to this website to see how brave this little boy is. we are all standing in awe of the incredible strength in both he and his family. chelsea (payton's mom) is my oldest brother dale's daughter. i have fond memories of playing with her and her 4 brothers and sister as little children. o, i am old, i know. kind of makes you remember what is really important. check out his website and say a little prayer.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paytonnortham

let's dance

well, it was mormon prom again. for those of you who dont know all about it, it is a quad stake dance, treated like a high school prom. way fun. this was eden's first, since she just turned 16. we host a fancy dinner beforehand for the kids. they ate homemade enchiladas, barbie pink cupcakes and chocolate dipped strawberries, took photos and exchanged floral "things" (which half of them forgot) then left for the dance at soka university. emma, bless her little heart, has helped me all week prepare for the dinner and get the house ready not to mention applying eden's amazing make-up and curling her hair (which took like an hour-that girl has soooo much hair). I'm not feeling good at all...really bad when the mom gets sick. anyway, this one was especially fun cuz eden's good friend ethan asked her. no romance, just fun. next year she'll go again, then the year after that hunter will get to go too. we're taking bets as to who he will go with. cj smith maybe?

quote of the day

dane is watching/playing some super anime/manga (whatever it is-i know they mean different things) video game. all of a sudden, when this evil character shows up, dane yells out, "it's creeper status time!!" maybe you had to be here, but it was super funny.

broccoli boycott

well, in an effort to keep the dogs healthy, i have been driving long distances to a special dog food store to purchase really expensive special dog food for them, free of any grains, unhealthy additives and full of high end protein. fyi-dogs aren't supposed to have grains. they are carnivores. duhh. have you ever seen some random coyote chewing on a corncob? in addition to all of the healthy, high priced food i am giving them (i have a prolific money tree growing in my back yard designated with a little sign on it, "for dogs") i gave toby some left over steamed broccoli, thinking it would be good for him. vegetables, you know, good idea, right? not. he is a farting machine now, who reeks of stagnant, rotting broccoli. as if his previous gas problem wasn't bad enough. uggh.

Spanish 101

This is some random spanish teacher who won some award for being a really great spanish teacher. i think tesoro needs to hire him. quickly.

you know, i have NEVER had any complaints about tesoro high school. in fact, all i can do is sing it's praises. we have been there since almost day one. witnessed the giant flying titan santa claus being painted on the wall of the gym, aenon on the very first girls water polo team. fun times. i am also very proud to say that none of my children have ever been in trouble at tesoro, except when emma almost didn't graduate when she had like 40 absences (44 to be exact, i think) in her dance class. luckily she pulled it off with her great persuasion skills and much brown nosing. good job, emma.

when i have been on campus in the past, it has usually been for some really insignificant reason-dropping off a left at home essay, or forgotten cell phone. really, most if not all of my jaunts to tesoro campus have been pleasant...until yesterday.

eden has a jerk of a teacher for spanish. i should actually splash his name all over the internet, but will refrain from that childish behavior. i can think of many obscene words to call him right now. he is abusive, and yes, i actually looked up the word, and, he is abusive. he is loud. he slams his fists on the desks and uses a sharp whistle to "communicate" with his students. he walks up and down the isles of the classroom like a drill sargeant, yelling at anyone who dares to move. he is into humiliation and general fear. and...gives detentions on a regular basis. even made a student stand up and translate a sentence written on the white board about her..."hina is a bad girl". what??? does he really think this behavior makes students want to learn let alone have any interest in the spanish language? i thought school was a place where children, like sponges were inspired to become great adults? this has been the case with my older girls (and eden) who have been taught at tesoro by beautifully educated teachers who inspire, lead and motivate. hats off to miss willett, miss henshaw, mr kaplan, ms thompson, mr langdale, mrs bowen, mr and mrs harnett, ms nuzman and even keiko faeta (emma's dance teacher) who have shown my girls what educating a new generation is all about.

to make a long story short, we had a meeting yesterday with him because eden (the straight A student, and most mild mannered, easy going, kind, obedient, going to the celestial kingdom person i know) was given a detention from him. i guess she didn't submit to one of his ridiculous requests.

there he sat opposite me in this sterile conference room in the guidance office. his furrowed brow and too tight t shirt clinging to his most likely hairy back (i know, disgusting thought). i had to tell myself to speak in a calm tone, and be as diplomatic as possible. good thing i am not a lawyer-i would be disbarred for sure. and...i guess it is common knowledge that i raise my voice quite frequently (i am oblivious to this fact, of course)-i actually wanted to climb across the table and wring his fleshy throat. again, long story short, nothing was resolved and the wrinkled, unsigned detention slip sat square in the middle of the table, untouched as if a leper had just handled it. no one wanted to touch it. it was the elephant in the room.

11:30am this morning, i get a call from tesoro. it is the witch of a vice principal on the phone. "mrs johnson, we have determined that eden will need to serve her detention". i saw red. at one point in the conversation she told me to lower my voice. i promptly told her i would not do her any favors, and she wasnt going to tell me what to do. i think i sounded like a 13 year old talking back to a parent. craig says it's the henrie in me. quite possibly it is the huntington in me, because i am pretty sure my mom and my grandma wouldn't take his crap either.

needless to say, we have an appointment with dr burch, the head honcho. im bringing my lawyer with me.

i will keep you posted.