I Thought I was Normal. . . .

When I was a little kid, I operated under the false assumption that I was fairly normal. Boy was I wrong! The older I've gotten, the more I've come to realize how very not normal I am.

Below are 10 tidbits about me that are just NOT NORMAL.

1. The sun makes me sneeze. Until recently, like about 4 minutes ago, I thought that when I felt the urge to sneeze, looking up at the sun would "help" get it out. What I didn't get was that it was the sun that made me need to sneeze in the first place! I thought that worked for everyone, but apparently, I'm in the minority. It's a syndrome. Most people don't sneeze from looking at the sun.

"ACHOO syndrome, or Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst. Autosomal dominant stands for the way the 'sneeze gene' is inherited; an individual has a 50-50 chance of passing this trait on to a child. "Compelling" because it was well, interesting, or at the very least, quirky. "Helio" meant sun, "ophthalmic" meant eye, and "outburst" the end result.

Although this reaction might seem unusual, it's not that uncommon. By one estimate,18% to 35% of people get a tickling sensation in their nose when their eyes meet intense sunlight. Some folks may also get this weird response to bright artificial light, such as the eye doctor's or dentist's light or a photographer's flash."


http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/05/12052942-does-the-sun-make-you-sneeze-its-not-just-you?lite

2. One day in 8th grade I was sitting innocently at my desk, stretching my fingers, and the boy next to me yelled ( he literally yelled at me) "Stop it! That's so gross! I can't stand seeing that anymore!" I was so shocked. I didn't even understand what he was upset about, until I noticed he was pointing at my hand. That was when I found out that bending my fingers backwards is not normal.


There's a test for people like me- hypermobile people. I score the highest possible score and really, I should score even higher. I'm bendier than the test even tests for. I can touch my pinky to the back of my wrist. Here is the test:

The Beighton Score

Score one point for each yes answer, up to a total of 9 (one for each task or right/left side). A score of at least 4 is required for a preliminary diagnosis of hypermobility. See a medical professional for additional tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other conditions.

1. Can you bend your pinky fingers backwards beyond 90 degrees?

2. Do your elbows hyperextend when you straighten your arms?

3. Do your knees hyperextend when you straighten your legs?

4. Can you bend your thumbs down to touch your forearms?

5. Can you place your palms on the ground when bending over with your legs straight?


About 20% of people are hypermobile.


3. I don't look like most people. I grew up with 2 parents and 4 of 5 siblings who looked a lot like me. I thought my coloring was fairly common, but I was wrong. I have pale skin, blue eyes, and dark hair.


Blue Eyes

Blue eyes are genetically recessive, and therefore much less common worldwide. Blue eyes are formed by the absence of pigments in the eye, where the blue color is formed by the scattering of light as it's reflected off the iris. While blue eyes are less common than brown eyes, they are frequently found from nationalities located near the Baltic sea in northern Europe. It's estimated that approximately 8% of the world's population has blue eyes.https://www.aclens.com/Content/Display/323


Blue eyes are just not very common.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/world/americas/18iht-web.1018eyes.3199975.html


I can't find an actual statistic on brown hair and blue eyes, but I've learned from experience that it isn't the norm. I just thought it was because so many people in my family have blue eyes and brown hair. We're different. . . together.

4. I knew I was special in the next way, and I'm glad glad glad to be. . .LEFT HANDED! After all, only lefties are in our right minds! I seriously adore left handed jokes. Roughly 10-11% of the population would agree with me, which makes us all pretty special. This percentage of handedness was true way back when people were carving tools with stones and sticks and it's stayed pretty steady for thousands of years. I did consider marrying a left handed man, but never actually dated one, so that didn't work out. Still, I'm pleased to announce that 2.5 of my 6 children are left handed.


5. I'm really good at taking tests. Don't hate me. Just remember I'm not normal. I've always found multiple choice tests to be very easy. I was IQ tested as a child ( a REAL IQ test) and let's just say.. . . Mensa.

"The scores above 115 are generally considered as “high IQ,” and those above 130 to 132 (depending on the test taken) are usually considered highly gifted and are in the top 2 percent of the population. This level also qualifies you for membership in American Mensa."


Interpret your supervised test score - American Mensa, Ltd.


https://www.us.mensa.org/testevaluation/

6. I don't have any scientific evidence for this one. I'm only going off of what people say on
facebook, but, it seems to be true I am in the minority for LIKING having my
kids home for the summer.

7. I can play two recorders through my nose in harmony. Okay, in all fairness, just about
anyone could do this, but how many people DO this? I think it's safe to say this puts me
in a VERY small minority of people who are NOT NORMAL.

8. I have 6 children.
The average American household in 2016 consisted of 2.53 people. As shown in the statistic above, the number of people per household decreased over the past decades. The U.S. Census Bureau defines a household as follows: “a household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence."

• Average size of households in the U.S. 1960-2016 | Statistic

https://www.statista.com/statistics/183648/average-size-of-households-in-the-us/
A lot of people judge me harshly for deviating from the norm in this way, but I would like
to point out that in my 2,700 sq. ft house, 8 people reside. 8 people share 2 cars.
8 people share the appliances. 8 people are heated and cooled at the same time.
8 people eat mostly homecooked food. 8 people watch 1 television.
8 people live here with a smaller carbon footprint than most people in most homes
in America.
I'm glad to be "not normal" in this way.

9. I like talking in church. I think that's why I never get asked. I've only had 2
opportunities since moving into my ward 10 years ago. I go to church every week, and
I listen to 3 or 4 people give talks, and somewhere between 50- 75% of
those people make comments about not wanting to speak, not liking to speak, and being
sorry for getting tricked into answering the phone or starting a conversation with
a member of the bishopric. So, I guess enjoying talking in church isn't, well, normal.

10. Last but not least, I have had my teeth cut off and reattached. That is just not normal
at all. I am not being dramatic. The only thing keeping my teeth from completely exiting
my mouth was my soft palate. The surgery was called lefort osteotomy.





This is kind of what it looks like inside of my face, although I have some screws all
the way up by my eyes. It was rather unpleasant. You can read all about my experience
here on my blog.

http://beckyandjudd.blogspot.com/search?q=paper+chain
So, there you have it. 10 ways I'm not normal. I could come up with more,
but, enough about me. How are you not normal?

"

Reuben Missionary Questionairre

For FHE last week, Emmeline and I prepared a questionnaire about Reuben for each person to fill out.  Some answers were silly and some were serious, but I'd like to preserve them.  This blog entry isn't one I plan to promote on my facebook page or tag so that people will find it in Google searches, but, if you are here, and you are interested, go ahead and read it.  For Reuben, the last few questions were about Emmeline, like, "What is your favorite memory about Emmeline?" So, remember that when you read his answers.  In order to remain authentic, I am usually keeping the same spelling and punctuation that each person used.

When will Reuben get his mission call?

Dad- May 12th- of Course
Mom- April 1st
Reuben- April 1
Tim-February 39th to the square root of 2084 -4 X 19.78 + 1032
Amy- May 3rd
Clara- July 12
Audrey- June 4th
Emmeline-April 3rd

Where will Reuben go on his mission?

Dad-Dallas, Texas
Mom- Canada- Quebec
Reuben-Switzerland
Tim- somewhere outside of Utah with lots of people
Amy- Madagascar
Clara- Nevvada
Audrey- Missouri
Emmeline- Idaho

When will Reuben leave to go on his mission?

Dad- July 19th
Mom- July 12th
Reuben- When I do
Tim- when he gets over breaking up with his bed.
Amy-June 16th
Clara-August 21
Audrey- July 21
Emmeline-August 10th

Where do you think Reuben WANTS to go on his mission?

Dad- Baltimore, MD, French Speaking
Mom- France
Reuben- [answer illegible] (intentionally)
Tim- Maybe the mattress store, or someplace where everyone is nocturnal
Amy- Somewhere in the U.S, French speaking
Clara-France
Audrey- France, China, stay here
Emmeline- He wants to stay here or France

What is your favorite memory of your brother Reuben?

Dad- Watching him run around a chair, singing I am a child of god, until he passes out.
Mom- Reading stories together when he was a baby.
Reuben- In memory of my sister Emmeline.  May her memory last forever in our hearts.
Tim- having him tell me to go away in the school library
Amy- Going on the cruise and stuffing ourselves with ice cream
Clara-I like when he went to the church and we played dart guns and donuts!
Audrey-when he held me as a baby
Emmeline- Severle( Several)

What do you want to do with our family before Reuben leaves?

Dad- Family night activity- everyone turns the doorknob 4 times before closing the door. Visit animals at the animal shelter- Kitty City.
Mom- campfire somehow, somewhere.  baptism temple trip.  eat crepes.
Reuben- Nothing in particular. . . .
Tim- have a sleeping party
Amy- . . . maybe have a legit water fight, like with balloons, or maybe a marshmallow fight.  Or both.  Or laser tag.
Clara- I want Reuben to fall in love!
Audrey- have a huge birthday party for all the birthdays he will miss
Emmeline- go swimming and ice skating

What will you miss about Reuben when he is gone?

Dad- His voice. :)
Mom- having him burst into song at any random moment, like when he is loading the DW and hearing him play the piano.  seeing him interact with Lemon. ( Emmeline)
Reuben- Chasing Midge ( Emmeline) around like a monster.
Tim- him complaining about people trying to give us rides home.
Amy- I will miss his teasing, and teasing back.
Clara- He will not be here to babysit, so we can't do stuff and NOT be watched!
Audrey- I will miss how he was so picky and when he chased me and Emmeline and said he was an ostrich.  The last thing I will miss is ROOSTER.
Emmeline- everything

Product Review: Dolphin Swimsuit, Instant Pot, Squatty Potty, Mighty Plugs, Tiger Tail, Whirlpool Washing Machine, Eye Cream,Glitter Zone Hair Curlers

I'm not a big shopper AT ALL.  But, when I find something I like, I want to let other people know about it. And when I buy something that is LOSER, I want to tell you about that as well.  And, honestly, it bugs me when people leave reviews RIGHT after buying something.  So, I thought you might like to know how I feel about some items I purchased in the last year. I'll start with the ones I love! Amazon is not paying me to promote these items. Nobody is paying me to promote these items. Hmm, maybe they should. .

TIGER TAIL

Everybody should want to own a Tiger Tail, cause it's such a cool name!  Well, I didn't really buy it for the name, but I do like it.  The Tiger Tail is a massage tool.  It is essentially a padded pvc pipe with rubber coated handles, like a rolling pin for your body.  Coming from someone who has actually used a rolling pin to massage, you can trust me when I make that comparison.  So, why not stick with the rolling pin?  Well, the Tiger Tail's size allows for getting into some tight spots more easily and the padding offers a comfort level the rolling pin lacked.  I'm still all about the rolling pin, but this item has lived up to it's reputation.  It's not cheap, but everyone in my family uses it and loves it!


Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Original-Tiger-Tail-Massage-Stick/dp/B00ZPMAIO6/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1488465713&sr=8-2&keywords=Tiger+Tail

DOLPHIN SWIMSUIT

I started attending water aerobics just over a year ago.  It took about two months for the frequent chlorine dips to ruin my swimsuit.  I asked the ladies at the pool what they wear and they all told me I needed a polyester swimsuit.  I went to BIG 5 and found one for about $20!  I chose the brand Dolphin, but there are others. The important thing is for it to be 100% polyester.  It looks as good as the day I purchased it. Apparently the thread will wear out before the fabric.  These have different sizes than I was used to.  It is based on your bust measurement. So, I wear a 38 instead of a 10 or 12. Not all Dolphin swimsuits are 100% polyester, so read the label.  I wear this suit for casual swimming with my family as well and I never have to worry that it is becoming see-through.


https://www.amazon.com/DOLFIN-CHLOROBAN-BLOCK-SWIMSUIT-WOMENS/dp/B00DUJA1WK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1488465962&sr=8-6&keywords=dolfin+swimsuit+polyester

INSTANT POT

These have a cult following on facebook.  Instant Pot Community.  It's because they are amazing!  I have two of them, and I wouldn't mind having three.  I first bought one so I could cook meat faster, because I NEVER remember to start a roast in the crock pot early enough on Sunday morning.  With the Instant Pot, I start a FROZEN pork roast 2.5 hours before I want to eat and it is falling apart when I open the pot.  I also love to use the rice cooker function.  I got a second pot so I could make homemade yogurt.  It's so easy, much cheaper than store-bought, and has no added sugar unless I want it.  And, I've recently starting making hard-boiled eggs, or more precisely, hard steamed eggs.  It takes about 15 minutes start to finish and I don't have to watch the pot.  Most of that time is the pot heating up. The pot has to heat up to cook anything and it takes about 10 minutes. I only steam the eggs for 6 minutes.  They are easier to peel too!  Next I'm going to try pasta!  Seriously, if you don't have one of these, you want one of these. The sky is the limit with what you can cook with ease, freeing up time to spend however you wish instead of slaving in the kitchen.

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-IP-LUX60-Programmable-Electric-Pressure/dp/B01MFEBQH1/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1488466394&sr=1-2&keywords=Instant+Pot

SQUATTY POTTY

I'm always leery of things that look to good to be true. Plus, the ads for this are hilarious but also a bit creepy. But, let me tell you, I like this stool.  The basic idea behind the Squatty Potty is that humans are biologically designed to squat when we, well, eliminate waste.  But, we didn't build our toilets that way.  Modern toilets kink us up and make it harder to do our business.  I don't know if it actually makes things more pleasant or not, but I like the Squatty Potty. Maybe it's the cave woman in me. And it tucks neatly under the toilet so it's not in the way for those who don't prefer to use it.


https://www.amazon.com/Squatty-Potty-Original-Bathroom-Toilet/dp/B00ESKVN7W/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1488466661&sr=8-1&keywords=Squatty+Potty

MIGHTY PLUGS
These are the BEST ear plugs.  I've tried those cheap orange ones from Walmart and that was a RIDICULOUS waste of my money.  The only good ear plug is one that actually works.  And these ones have saved my life.  I started to have trouble sleeping about a year or so ago.  It was partially insomnia and mostly my darling bed partner's extremely loud snoring. Once that started, I had no chance of falling asleep, and he has the gift of falling asleep VERY quickly.  After trying a lot of solutions, I researched ear plugs and found these.  They do not block out 100% of sound.  I don't think that is really possible, or even desirable.  But, they block out enough that I can fall asleep and I don't hear the snoring.  I do still hear my alarm clock in the morning.  These ear plugs are soft and moldable,  and made from ingredients you can spell- Filtered Beeswax, Pure Lanolin, Sterile Cotton, Corn Starch, Grapefruit seed extract. 
They don't last forever because little bits of them disappear over time.  I'd say a pair lasts about 2-3 months.  But, they are worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.  I bought the 12 pack.  


https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Finest-Plug-12-pair-Personal/dp/B003GVTDQW/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1488466743&sr=8-3&keywords=Mighty+Plugs

BEVERLY HILLS MD EYE CREAM

I bought this dark circle eye cream online.  I bought a lot of it, cause it was cheaper that way.  It was supposed to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes.  I watched a really long video explaining how it was actually going to fix the problem instead of just covering it up.  Part of how it is supposed to work is by reflecting light and it's also supposed to actually get rid of the dark circles over time.  Major waste of money and major disappointment.  I tried it for a month.  I didn't notice any improvement and the product is annoying. It SITS on my skin and if I touch it, it pills up and peels off. It says to apply it at bedtime too so it can work alongside my body's night time regeneration process, but if it doesn't soak in, I'm not sure how it's going to do anything at all.  I don't feel like I can add makeup on top of it for this reason.  Don't waste your money on this stuff.

GLITTER ZONE HAIR CURLERS
I saw these on facebook and they looked awesome so I ordered two sets for my girls. They weren't cheap, but I wanted to have a hair curling option that doesn't damage their hair and is more comfortable than foam curlers.  I ordered these on January 28th. I'd like to review them for you and tell you how amazing they are, but I never got the order.  I got an email that said I could track my order, but that doesn't work.  I emailed the company twice and they have not responded.  I finally found some small print and it said that my order would take 2-5 weeks for it to come.  So, today is 4 weeks and 5 days. NO PRODUCT.  On their site, they only offer refunds up to 30 days from date of purchase- pretty clever in an evil scammer way. I'm sending them a facebook message today, but whatever the outcome, it's not worth ordering from a company that takes so long to ship( and it wasn't even free shipping) and doesn't reply to emails.  If I don't get my order by next Monday, I'm going to see if the credit card company can take back the payment.



WHIRLPOOL WASHING MACHINE

Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to tell you about my new washing machine. Okay, I promised I had owned all of these things for a while, but since this is a negative review, I don't think that matters. I had to buy a new washing machine a few weeks ago.  I decided to go with a less expensive, no bells and whistles model to save money.  But, I purchased the 5 year warranty. With a total cost of around $600, I figured that the cost of washing clothes in my home is $120 a year for the machine and if it lasts longer than 5 years, that's a bonus.  So, I purchased this machine from Lowes.


And it worked correctly ONE time.  ONE TIME.  After that, when we turn it on, the machine washes and rinses and then goes back to the wash light and stays there indefinitely.  The clothes are soaking wet.  We then have to manually cancel the load and then run a drain/spin cycle.  After trying 8 different loads I called for a repair.  I HATE ( 1st world problem) waiting for repairmen.  Somehow, I am never ever at the beginning of their shift.  I waited for almost 5 hours for him to come and tell me a part was broken and he was ordering a new one and it would take 5-6 business days to come in. So, it's still broken, but there is hope it will get fixed.  I'm REALLY REALLY glad I bought that extended warranty, although, at this point, I used the one year manufacturer warranty for the repair. I'm not saying not to buy this machine.    I'm really hoping it's a good one.  What I am saying is, we may have a lemon, and I'm glad I bought the extended warranty.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-4-3-cu-ft-High-Efficiency-Top-Load-Washer-White/50254189

So, there you have it- my honest review of some things I've bought in the last year.