I Wrote a Book on Parenting

Kristen and Jared were in charge of our Ken Hinton family reunion this year.  They asked me to teach a class on parenting.  In preparation for that, I wrote a book.  I know: who died and made me the expert?  Nobody, and I am no expert. But it was fun to put together this book for my kids.  I actually wrote the original when Kristen and Jared were expecting our first grandchild- fourteen years ago.  I gave it to Kristen and Jared when they had our first grandchild, Brielle.  Back then, I used a slide-in photo album and cut cardstock cards the size of pictures and printed the verbage.  I decorated it with lots of stickers.

My plan was to make one for each of our daughters as they had their first baby.  But, my enthusiasm waned, and I guess I got shy about coming off as the expert.  So the other two never got their books.  But with this assignment, I decided to resurrect the book and have it professionally printed.  This time I used pictures of our grandchildren with their parents and us.  Following are a few of the pages from the book:

Being a mother was/is my life's work.  It is who I am.  I have very poignant feelings about motherhood.  I am grateful for the privilege of being a mother and for my three beautiful daughters and their families.  I am grateful for Ken, my parenting partner.  I think we made/ make a pretty good team.
It is rewarding to watch our children parent.  Our grandchildren are lucky to have the parents they have.  May they continue to be blessed in their eternal pursuit.

Hidden Among the Stars

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book seemed written just for me. It included so many elements and themes that are important to me: It’s historical fiction, it was set in probably the most beautiful place I have ever visited: Hallstatt, Austria, it was about a book seller who loved children’s books and did a children’s story hour in her shop, it’s themes were sacrifice, love, and importance of family, and a little bit of mystery and romance. It was set in the past (1938, WWII Austria) and the present. It is the story of how those two worlds came together in a miraculous way. The book was well-written and story memorable.



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Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes!

We have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year.  Following are three things I like to make when we have abundant tomatoes:  

Nectar of the Gods (Tomato/ Basil Soup)  Find the recipe here: http://hungryhintons.blogspot.com/2010/09/nectar-of-gods.html

I freeze this soup in quart bottles or bags BEFORE I put in the cream or milk.  Then when we use, it we add the milk.  We did a dozen quarts the other day.

Garden in a Bowl Salsa  Find the recipe here:  

http://hungryhintons.blogspot.com/2011/08/garden-in-bowl-salsa.html

A delicious fresh salsa with a secret ingredient!

And last the best of all the game, Summer Tomatoes.  Find the recipe here:

http://hungryhintons.blogspot.com/2010/09/summer-tomatoes.html

This is SO SO good.  

So, just in case you also have more tomatoes than you can eat, here are some recipes you can try.

Home Fires

Available on PBS Passport, Home Fires is a story about women living in a small village in England during WWII.  We really enjoyed this series.

Ressurection of the Mantras!

One of my favorite things I have done on this blog was a series I did on Mantras.  I regularly posted favorite mantras between March, 2012 and July, 2016.  Then I just quit.  I don't know why.
Well, I guess it was while we were on our mission and I just let it go.  I have decided I would like to resurrect my mantra posts.  They really helped me be a better person.  I could use a mantra right about now!
Here is a copy of the first post I did on mantras.  It posted on March 8, 201:


Ahhhh! Somebody stop me! I have had SO much fun! I've had an idea for blog posts for quite some time: I want to share my mantras. Or, at least I want to share what I think a mantra is. See, I really didn't know for sure what a mantra is. I had only heard the word used in conversation, and had figured it out in context. So, I went on the Internet and I've been reading about mantras for the last few weeks. I have learned a lot and it's been really interesting and fun for me. I've listened to chants of mantras and read many articles on how to develop business and personal mantras. I've read lists and list of people's mantras. It has been so enlightening and interesting. I want to just keep reading, but I think it's time to write this post or I'm going to end up with a book! Here's a smidgen of what I've learned:

A mantra is a tool or instrument for transformation. From what I can gather it started in the Hindu religion. It's a repeated word or phrase used during meditation which is believed to have the power for change. One article I read said it shouldn't be more than three or four words long (but believe me, I've seen many exceptions to that rule!)

In Hindu meditation, the mantra is repeated over and over and over again, instigating change. "Om . . . " is a common and frequently adopted mantra. You can't get any smaller or more simple than that. It becomes a relaxation, deep breathing exercise. Try it. Just say/sing ohmmmmmm on a single note and hold the "m" as long as you can. Then say it or sing it again. I took a voice class once that showed us "Om" computerized (as well as other sounds.) "Om" makes a perfect circle with concentric circles around it when computerized. It is believed that "Om" is the center of the universe. Chanting it taps into the center of the universe. I just can't help but notice that if you put an "h" on "Om" you get what I believe is the center of the universe: HOME. Anyway, have I lost you? Stay with me. This is fascinating stuff!

In business, the effect of a mantra is supposed to be the same: Get the phrase into employee's heads, get them weighing every business decision and interaction by the mantra. Get them repeating it over and over and over in their heads, so it's so ingrained that mantra-based decisions are just natural.

My interest in the word, though, is in developing personal mantras. I guess I shouldn't use that word in the plural. A mantra is supposed to be singular- one powerful word or phrase that has the power for change. But, I have and have had many "mantras" in my life. And since this is my blog and my post, I guess I can make the rules. I want to share my mantras with you . . .over a period of time . . . . kind of like "my favorite things" posts. And, I would very much like you to share your mantras with me. What phrase do you repeat over and over and over that motivates action and change in you? You don't have to answer right now. Think about it. To get you started, here's some from individuals and businesses you might recognize:

President Spencer W. Kimball: Do it

Walt Disney: Dream big

William Faulkner: Kill your darlings. (I guess if this was my mantra, this post would not exist- but it isn't; so it does.)

Federal Express: Peace of mind

Ralph Waldo Emerson: The world belongs to the energetic

Albert Einstein: Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character

Abraham Lincoln: Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds out to be

John Shaw Billings (started what became the National Library of Medicine): Only begin.

Steve Jobs: Real artists ship.

Kurt Vonnegut: I was sick, but I'm better now, and there's work to be done. (This one might be my favorite on the list)

Thomas Edison: There's always a better way; find it.

Anne Mollegen Smith: Done is better than perfect.

Some guy whose article I read: Look for the Second Right Answer

See? Aren't mantras amazing? There's so much food for thought- and this is just a sampling of the buffet I've been enjoying. Like I said, I've really had fun- a veritable word feast! So, look for my mantras on here from time to time. I'm formulating my list and my thoughts. And again, when you feel so inclined, please share yours with me. And, maybe someday, I may write that book with everyone's mantras included. Wouldn't that be fun? "OOOHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

So, here we go again.  I have started a list of mantras and will post one from time to time. I would love to hear yours, too!  I need them for that book I may write!

A Warm-up for the Family Reunion

Ken was out of town on his biking trip.  Shonna's husband, Blake was out of town for dental continuing education.  So, Shonna put her kids in the van and came down to St. George for a few days.  Michelle decided to join the party with her kids.  It was a great warm-up for our family reunion which would be in a couple of weeks!  How we love to be together!

Shonna arrived on Wednesday evening.  Michelle and kids came on Thursday.  We started the party with a trip to Sand Hollow Aquatic Center for swimming and fun.

Little Gabe- named after my dad.

"Hi Grandma!"  from the slide platform.  All of them love the slide.

The Fearless Foursome ran as a pack, climbing the rock climbing wall, going down the slide, playing tag, and having lots of fun all afternoon.

I got them to pause long enough to take a picture.  Love these kids!

Friday was St. George Children's museum day, after peanut butter sandwiches, of course.

The performing stage is always a favorite of the grandkids.

Caleb reading to the younger kids.

The St. George Children's Museum is a wonderful, happy place.  It's inexpensive, air-conditioned, and full of great fun for kids.

Reading books is always part of visiting grandmas.  I have quite a collection.

For my birthday, Shonna and Michelle took me to Tuachan to see When You Wish.  We hired two young women from our neighborhood to tend the kids and had a delightful Girls Night Out together.

These two are SO fun to watch a Disney show with.  They are so happy and enthusiastic and knew every word of every song.

Treasured memories.  If only Kristen could have been there!

No pictures allowed during the show, but I took this one before.  You can see we had excellent seats.  It was an absolutely delightful show- including scenes and songs from many Disney shows.

The next day was water fun at Grandma's.

Brian came up from Vegas for the day.  As soon as he arrived, he became the target.  All kids against Brian in a huge water fight.  He outsmarted them all by getting the hose.

Their water guns were no match for Brian and his hose.

He turned on the sprinklers and they all had such a fun time getting soaked on a very hot day.

Drying off while eating lunch.

Hannah loved the tomato soup and grilled cheese.

That evening, we celebrated my birthday.  This is the gift from Kristen.  She had Michelle go to Trader Joe's in Vegas and fill three buckets with yummy Trader Joe's stuff.  My sister, Joan and one of Michelle's friends counseled her on what to get.  What a great gift!

Brian barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs and they made a delicious meal, insisting that I not help.  I had fun playing "War" with Kenny, singing with William, and reading to Hannah while they prepared the meal.  Pam also stopped by, bringing delicious food.

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  Happy birthday to me!!!

Pretty pink roses and a cute photo bomber./

 Later in the week, Pam had me over for lunch.  Pam always makes the most delicious food.  We had a nice time visiting and she gave me very nice gifts.

Enchiladas, salad, bean salad, etc.  Everything was delicious and the table setting so beautiful!

Even without Ken there (he was stuck in an airport), I had a very nice birthday.