…that was all before picking the kids up from school and going to little man Mack’s first T-ball practice.

We met the team and passed out the shirts and hats. Spencer really wanted to be a part of the action…

I wish that photo wasn’t so blurry because I just love it. I took Spencer to go play on the playground while the big kids practiced running the bases and playing the field positions.

This morning is off to anything but a blissful start. The kids were total Grumpy McGees and I barely got out the door dressed and ready for work before leaving to get Mack to kindergarten on time. Luckily, Mack was dressed and ready. Spencer was not so lucky. He’s at preschool now wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday. He was a grump when he went to bed so there was no change to PJs and he was a grump when he got up this morning. Screaming and throwing himself around when I tried to change his clothes.

I managed to get us all into the car and drop Mack off at school, taking a bag of fresh clothes to get Spencer changed into once we got to school.

Except that the bag I packed is still at home. I forgot it in the hubbub.

Don’t worry I’ve already turned down my nomination for mom-of-the-year.

Meanwhile, my hair is not dry and my pants are wrinkled.

I still need to head into the office and work a few hours before heading up to Park City for the blogger conference I’m attending this weekend. Oh and stop by the marathon expo and write up a post about what’s going on there… and submit a freelance article that’s due this weekend. Oh and pack for this trip. All that by noon. Yeah, sure Kim… If my morning so far is any sign of things to come I’ll be lucky to get up to Park City by midnight.

But once I’m there… ahhhhh! I can’t wait

As if that is not exciting enough, when I get back to Ogden I have a massage with Ogden Organix which was a gift from Nick I’ve been holding on to. Basically, I’m spoiling myself today since I’ll be out of town for my actual birthday. . I’m sooooo ready for that massage!

Then it’s the first day of Mackenzie’s T-ball league, which Nick is coaching.

Ahhhh! I can’t wait to wrap up my computer work and start the fun! It’s a beautiful day in Ogden!

Speaking of, there’s a ton of events going on this weekend because of the marathon – check out my post for Historic 25th to see what specials are available to runners, spectators and volunteers.

Another birthday present – Zevia Soda

You might remember a while back I mentioned that Zevia had sent me an early birthday present. Well, what they sent was a case of their sugar-free sodas in a variety of flavors. Grapefruit, Grape Soda, Strawberry, Cola, Cherry Cola, Ginger Ale, Ginger Root Beer, Cream Soda.. to name a few.

Now when I first mentioned Zevia to you guys, I admitted that I was leery of anything with a sugar free endorsement. I hate aspartame and all the rest of the fake sugar substitutes and I think, in general, we still don’t really know about a lot of these newer sweeteners like Stevia and Splenda.

This particular soda is made with Stevia, which has been signed off by the American Diabetes Association as a safe alternative to sugar because it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar levels. I’m not diabetic but this is still something to be happy about – it means no sugar high and therefore no sugar crash.

When the company offered to send me the sodas I also gave them fair warning that “we aren’t big soda drinkers” here in the BangBow household. They were very kind and basically told me to try ‘em out, if I didn’t like them just pass them on to my soda-drinking pals instead.

That was nearly a month ago, so what do I think now?

Well, I can honestly tell you that I am still not a huge soda fan. But, I do like the flavor and bubbly-ness of the Zevia sodas. I like them enough that I will probably keep a few on hand for those times when I really just want something with fizz and pop. I like them enough that I have packed them around in a cooler on various car rides – I feel fine letting Mackenzie have one and he feels like it’s a special treat. (Though, it does come in a regular soda can and I had to tell him that he still isn’t allowed to have regular soda so don’t get any crazy ideas there boy…)

All in all, I think its a nice option. I like the grape soda and the grapefruit flavors the best. But since I’m really not a big soda drinker, I had to enlist the help of a few friends to feel confident providing a legitimate product review.

The two friends I chose to help me out are both avid diet soda drinkers. They’ve told their stories of “bad breakups” with Coke and how they never seem to really break it off clean. The lingering bad boyfriend that you know is wrong for you but you can’t quite break free of…

The Diet Coke drinker told me that she prefers the taste of Zevia over Diet Coke and that she would be willing to make the switch for the “happy factor” knowing she was making a healthier choice. The Coke Zero drinker, however, said that she still prefers the taste of Coke Zero more than Zevia though she would be willing to change over for that same “happy factor.” They both admitted that they had always preferred regular Coke and that the change to the diet versions was something they had “grown accustomed to.” I find this part especially funny – the “acquired taste” for a product you now feel addicted to.

Anyway, they both agreed the Zevia was a good option with good flavor, healthier ingredients, and that “feel good something or other,” as they called it.

The only real drawback of Zevia is that it is more expensive than our typical soda/cola options. At $5.99 for a six-pack, it’s not really competing. Personally, I think they should change up the packaging and put it in line with the more specialty-looking beverages for which their price point is far more competitive. I also think that as a country we should stop making our nutrition choices based on what’s cheapest, but that is a whole separate story.

Zevia is available at several large retailers nationwide, including Target and Kroger as well as several local grocers across the country.

What do you guys think? Will you try a Zevia in place of your standard soda? 

I know one thing, I’m cracking open an ice cold Grapefruit Zevia right now…

* I was not paid to write this post. I did receive free product which I sampled and then reviewed. Opinions are entirely my own, or that of the friends I enlisted to help sample soda flavors.

I spent the rest of my day working out of the coffee shop and was able to cross loads off my to do list.

It was the last day of baseball for Mackenzie and we had a really fun last practice. We had a kids vs parents mock game which was a total blast.

Immediately after baseball I headed over to Ben Lomond Suites for the Junior League annual dinner which is sort of the “passing of the torch” ceremony. We celebrated all that JLO accomplished in the past year and inducted the new president and board.

It was a super fun night and so nice to hang out with all the ladies and not work on a project.

Shoes for South Africa

My friend Emily, who is also in Junior League, is heading to South Africa next week with her husband and their five kids! They are doing a very cool service project together as a family – providing shoes for the kids in a small village.

Emily and her husband adopted a boy from South Africa several years ago, a boy they met on a college service trip.

You can read all about their Shoes for South Africa project on Emily’s blog.

And because it is my birthday on Saturday and I get to ask for things, I’m asking that you all click through and read Emily’s post and consider pitching in, either a pair of shoes or money via the PayPal account. Remember they are leaving next week so please act fast. Can’t support them financially? Then I ask you’ll keep the Ballard family in your thoughts and prayers during their three week travels.

Spread the love!

We’re a real classy bunch with our fancy games and toys. Spencer’s new bed arrived in the wrong color and had to go back – meanwhile, the mattress for it has become the greatest toy of all time. The boys have taken that spring mattress and paired it with a twin sized memory foam pad to create a slide/fort from the stairs to the basement. They’ll play in that heaping mess for hours if you let them.

Once it had cooled down, the boys headed outside to help water the veggie garden and came up with another super advanced game.

Bicycle kicking! Kick, laugh, repeat.

Just goes to show, the best things (even games) in life are free

I do remember that Saturday was craaaaaaazzzaaayyy in the best way possible. Nick had ordered his first “real” mountain bike and we found out it was ready a week early. Boo ya! I had already made plans with Jack from 3 Squares Produce to help get some planting done so the boys dropped me off for my farm duties while they headed down to Provo to pick up the bike.

I had a great time farming with Jack and his father-in-law Ralph who is really quiet and then says the most funny things. What a charming life… this farm, an adorable grandma and grandpa. I was quite lucky to be a part of their Saturday afternoon.

You guys know we wouldn’t just get a new bike and take it straight home right? Oh no. Nick picked me up from the farm and we immediately headed over to Lagoon for a ride on the trail. We rode the Lagoon Trail behind the park, which is fun for the kids because there are buffalo and reindeer back there. Then we hopped on the Farmington Creek Trail and headed south.

Tired kids and a hot day… we didn’t get too far down that trail. But I’m glad we got out for a little bit at least.

A quick shower and change of clothes…

Best of State Awards! Quite literally, from the farm to a very fancy table.

I was so incredibly honored to have been invited to the Best of State Awards by Tina, of Tona Sushi here in Ogden. Tona won an award for best sushi and Tina was also receiving an award on behalf of the 25th Street Association (which I just started blogging for). You can see my post about the awards ceremony here.

It was a really fun event and we had a great group at our table.

I woke up Sunday morning to these two little hooligans. They made me breakfast in bed…. and then ate it themselves. Thanks guys – it’s the thought that counts

What I really wanted for mother’s day was to get the dry river bed I’ve been picturing in my head to become a reality.

We got quite a bit done – the trench dug out and then lined with the small pebbles. Planted a few perennials and some fun annuals to add some color. We’ll fill in the trench with larger river rocks which I can pick up on Tuesday. I’ll be sure to post more photos as the project comes together more. I know it doesn’t look like much yet, but it will!

Special thanks to Nick for putting up with me even though I was a grumpy banana on Sunday. He loves me. A lot. And I’m so grateful that he’s willing to put up with me through thick and thin.

What were you guys up to this weekend?

Mack and Spencer exchanging hugs as they part ways between kindergarten and preschool.

Working in the community garden in the sunshine surrounded by smiling, hard working volunteers.

Helping a little girl plant her very own garden for the first time. Her smile will light up a room for days and days.

Donating blood without getting whoozy.

Family bike ride into the sunset.

Wasting away hours into the evening listen to little boy giggles until their eyelids could no longer stay open.

Happiness is….

A Thursday well spent.

Happy Friday friends!

Now tell me, what is happiness for you?

Nope, today is Make a Difference Day and the street is a buzz with people helping out.

General street cleaning and beautification is just one of the many projects going on around town today.

I’m actually headed up to the Oasis Community Garden as soon as I shut down this laptop. I’ll be one of about 100 people working at the garden today. We’re making our difference by weeding, cleaning and helping the gardens get set up for a successful season.

What are you doing to make a difference today?

Snuggles and early morning cartoons? That’s the life.

When it was time for me to get up and shower, the boys went downstairs together – Mack made both himself and Spencer a bowl of cheerios and I hopped in the shower. Whenever I have to shower and the kids are home I always rush through washing my hair and turn the water off as quickly as possible, often to the sounds of screaming or whining about this or that. Not this time, I turned off the water and heard a ruckus but what’s that sound? Perk my ears up and what is that I’m hearing? Laughing. I went downstairs to find the boys careening themselves off the couch and onto the floor repeatedly. Fall then laugh, repeat.

I love those boys.

Because they had woken up so early and had been so easy peasy for me to get ready, I decided to treat them to a “coffee date” before school.

Did I say I love those boys? Grins for days.

Once I got Mack off to kindergarten and Spencer off to preschool, I dropped by the blood bank to donate again and then headed home to work on some freelance projects.

I can’t have coffee before giving plasma so when I picked up Mack for our pre-baseball snack, I headed straight to the coffee shop. Iced latte for me and a healthy snack for the little man.

Remember a couple weeks ago when Mack was being a spaz at baseball and I asked him what he needed to focus in and pay attention? Remember his response? That he needs a healthy breakfast and a good snack… Yeah he’s FIVE, but he knows what’s up.

Except…

I asked him what kind of sandwich: “Turkey and avocado, Ham, Chicken, Bacon Lettuce Tomato.”

His response: “just bacon.”

He ordered a bacon sandwich.

Apparently in the mind of a five year old, bacon means healthy.

I made him get some chicken in there to round things out a bit. Gotta pick your battles.

Oh and his seating choice (in the window sill) was totally a spy move. He has a major crush on his yoga instructor and we had seen her sitting outside the coffee shop on our way in. I’m guessing that picking the seat as close to her as possible was….just a coincidence? Right…keep telling yourself that.

Nick and I managed to get in a decent bike ride on the river parkway after baseball practice. I need to get out on that trail more! I need to get on my bike more!

After giving blood, I really wanted a big hunk of steak for dinner. Grilled steaks it was. But I also threw together a really light and refreshing salad.

It’s rather pretty isn’t it? Just a little chopped cabbage, sliced zucchini, diced tomatoes and avocado topped with some slivered almonds and fresh lime juice (I used key limes which I think are just way more fun than the regular limes).

The zucchini is a bit unexpected, I suppose, but it really brought everything together quite nicely.

Hope you all had a good day too!

Question of the day:

What are the sounds of happiness in your life?

Obviously I love the boys laughing but I also really enjoy falling asleep to the sound of rain and waking up to the sound of birds chirping – two things I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the last two days.

Again, the wind was raging last night and we had a rough night of sleep. Spencer woke up really early, crying and upset, so Nick took him to preschool early hoping to give me a bit of a break this morning and extra rest before I got up with Mackenzie. I doubt either of us anticipated this.

Things started off pleasant enough as I went in to wake up Mack.

But then, I had the audacity to ask if he wanted oatmeal for breakfast.

What was I thinking?

He wants to make it himself. Okay, I get it.

But seriously, what had I been thinking when I asked him about breakfast?

Lesson learned.

With Parkinson’s, I have set a Google alert so that any time news comes out, I get a flag from Gmail and can check it out. There’s actually quite a bit of stuff going on right now, exciting things, lots more funding, lots more people aware, lots more studies.

There have been several studies trying to correlate blood plasma and a predisposition for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Even though the signs/symptoms and effects on the brain are highly marked in those with PD, there is not yet a “biochemical marker” which could aid in early diagnosis or even prevention of the disease. The studies using blood plasma are comparing healthy plasma samples with those provided by patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s to see if there are cues that would suggest a predisposition for the disease. Of the studies that collected plasma samples from healthy patients, they have followed these patients for years (some studies for several decades) to watch if any of them developed the disease and had any indicators from their original sample. [1][2]

I’m not a qualifier for these studies. In fact, there is no such study anywhere remotely close to me. But, I’m guessing that somewhere out in the world there is someone else who has a relative – a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, a close friend – that is fighting some disease or disorder and is in the same boat as me. Wants to help but maybe doesn’t qualify for a kidney transplant, or isn’t the right blood match, or isn’t healthy enough to donate. So I think, if we can, we must. Not because my plasma donation will directly impact my father-in-law but because it will direct impact someone’s father-in-law and wouldn’t I want them to do the same? Don’t we all hope that if we get into some terrible accident that there will be blood at the hospital waiting for us, blood for a transfusion we absolutely need?

I remember once when I was going in for a surgery, I had to wait for like three hours until the blood arrived for my transfusion just in case I might need it during my surgery. The waiting was so incredibly awful. With every tick of the clock I became more frightened for the impending surgery, more and more scared of what might come. And God you think of the people who are really waiting and who really need this stuff. A kidney, a blood transfusion, a plasma-based treatment. They’re just waiting. And I can’t imagine the fear that comes from waiting days, months, years… The three hours I waited was bad enough.

What is plasma?

Plasma is the yellow, liquid portion of the blood. It is more than half of our overall blood volume and is made up of water, enzymes, salt, antibodies and proteins.

What is it used for and how is it different from donating blood?

Blood plasma is used to create treatments for a wide variety of diseases and disorders; chronic diseases, genetic diseases, neurological and autoimmune disorders. These include: bleeding disorders, primary immunodeficiency such as AIDS, liver disease, and tons more. Because plasma is our body’s source for proteins and antibodies, it is used to create many therapies to treat chronic, life threatening diseases – treatments such as albumin, clotting factors, immunoglobulins.

Plasma protein therapies are also used to treat shock, trauma and burns.

Read more about diseases and disorders treated with plasma.

What’s the process for donating plasma? Is it painful?

The process was really quite simple and straightforward. I went in for my first donation yesterday morning. The first one takes quite a bit of time because they do a full screening, medical evaluation (physical exam) and ask a bunch of questions. Once you’re through the whole screening process, you are taken to a room that doesn’t look all that different from a dialysis treatment center. There are comfy lounge chairs with a machine next to them. You get a needle put in at your elbow just the same as if you were donating blood or getting blood work done at the clinic. Because it was my first time donating, they took a full blood sample which was sent off to the lab. I won’t have to do that part again for four months. Even so, they only use the one needle and then just have different tubing to use for the blood sample versus the plasma donation.

With the plasma donation they actually draw blood up into the machine, add an anticoagulant so the blood doesn’t clot in the tubing. Then a little spinner that pushes the heavier whole blood down and the remaining liquid portion – the plasma – is transferred to a collection tube. Then the red blood is added back to your body. This is the part that feels a little strange because the anticoagulant gives a “chill” sensation and also a bit of a metallic taste in the back of your mouth. This process was repeated five or six times, though the number of repetitions varies widely based on your body composition.

The donation process only took about 50 minutes, but with the medical screening and all that I spent exactly three hours at the clinic. From here on out, it will only be about an hour for each donation.

In order for any treatments to be made using my plasma, or anyone’s, they need to have at least two donations. So I’ll be going back in the next couple days to do that.

The more water you drink beforehand the quicker your appointment will be. You also need to be sure to eat healthy the night/day before as well as just before your donation.

Why should I donate?

Obviously there is the moral side of this. People need it, you have it, why not share?

But maybe that’s not enough of a reason or maybe you can’t part with that much of your time – so they actually pay you for your time. They don’t “buy” your blood or your plasma – that would be illegal – but they do compensate you for the time. I got $45 for donating yesterday. The amounts vary based on where you go, what state your in etc.

It’s all regulated and totally safe, there are rules on both the state and Federal level. The clinic was super clean, totally professional.

I’ve thought about donating for several months and was always a bit leery because they pay people. I thought the clinic would be full of weirdos that just wanted to get quick cash or that I’d get sick trying to donate…all manner of reasons to put it off.

But my coworker mentioned the other day that she does it on a regular basis. She just takes a book and reads for an hour then goes about her day. If she can do it, I can do it. So I made an appointment.

After reading this, will you make an appointment?

***

I’m out the door early this morning. Mack won a reading contest at school and gets to partake in their "slumber party” – it’s during the day and it’s in their classroom but they get to wear their jammies, take blankets, pillows and bring snacks for a movie. Way awesome right? I wish that at work you got to have slumber parties during the day for doing well on a project – except I would want it to be a grown up slumber party with sushi and perhaps a martini

Have a great day friends! And be sure to check out my calendar of events for this weekend. Lots of good stuff going on – including the first Friday art stroll!