Angie Windheim

Time to rev up my engines and get back on the road to weight loss. I took a pretty long break after losing 20 pounds. I’m going for another 10 pounds now. My key tools are the Lose It! application for my iPhone and Netflix DVDs. I did a Jillian Michaels DVD this morning. That is a butt-kicking 45 minutes. Ouch!  I wrote an article recently about using technology to help with weight loss and I’m following my own advice 🙂

I have a lot of fun each year coming up with ideas for Christmas card photos. I like them to be a little different, a little creative.  You can read more at eHow.

My photography is taking an interesting turn from the usual candid and sports photography to portraits. You might think that should be easier.  And, in some ways it is. However, it’s definitely more nerve racking. The candid and sports shots are unsolicited, so no one has any expectations. It’s just a fun surprise to deliver a great shot to an unsuspecting friend or fellow team parent. Portraits are deliberate and analyzed and there is a definite higher quality assumption by both my subject and myself.  That said, I’m still having a great time with it. I get so excited when I get a great shot. It’s making me study my camera and photography in new ways. You can see some of fun on my photo sites new portrait page.

I’m spending my school volunteer time a bit differently this year. I’ve joined both the Site Council and the Sherwood School District Math Committee as a parent representative for Laurel Ridge Middle School.  Both assignments are stretching me in new directions and I’m learning a lot about the great things and people who are so invested in making our school and kids successful. The level of debate and thought behind the curriculum decisions being made in Math Committee is exciting…and overwhelming. Lots of good things are already happening, but there is lots of work to do to fulfill the vision. The district will adopt a new curriculum this school year for 6th through 12th grades. It will be fascinating to see how we get to a consensus and school board recommendation early next year.

Perhaps the most important discovery in both groups is how much school leaders appreciate having parent and student input. We are repeatedly thanked for our involvement. Yesterday in the Math Committee meeting, the teachers were so excited to have students (including my son, Ben) be involved in analyzing potential textbooks. And the kids really seemed to get into it as well. They had strong opinions/reactions and it was clear that their comments were valued. Student input will be a vital piece of the pilot programs to take place in the near future.

Here’s an excerpt from my latest eHow article: Time after time I hear my fellow moms express their exasperation that their kids don’t talk to them. Kids often grunt, shrug, or mumble the word “fine,” but they don’t really communicate. We all want our kids to be able to talk to us about anything and everything. We want them to want to share their troubles, their triumphs, their e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I am one of the fortunate moms that can honestly say my boys won’t shut up. It is something I treasure and can share some practices that could make it happen for you.

Adult nights out are few and far between, so we have to make each one count. The semi-new Oswego Grill in Lake Oswego gets it right for a grown-up evening. You’d never know that the very casual Chili’s used to inhabit this very hip and fun restaurant. I liked the Stanfords-esque dimly lit feeling atmosphere as well as the Stanfords-esque menu.  Note that I didn’t even know at the time that this was semi-intentional as the owner is actually a previous Stanfords regional manager. Anyways, after grabbing a quick drink at the bar (one of the best Long Islands I’ve had in a long time), we sat down to a great meal. We did have to slow the server down, ordering a few appetizers and making sure not to order a meal until we were good and ready 🙂  Sometimes service can be too good! I think everyone would agree that the gorgonzola fries and artichoke dip were amazing. I could have eaten each order myself, but, alas, the guys made sure we didn’t get a chance. Everyone’s dinner looked delicious. I enjoyed the crab and shrimp stuffed salmon with asparagus. There was much to choose from and I’ll look forward to going back to try many other options.

Ben and Joe are gobbling up the books. We beg, we borrow, we buy books, books and more books to keep up with their ferocious appetites.  I know many of you are in the same boat and it’s always nice to get a lead on a new author or book series for the kids. So here are a few that have made it into the 4 to 5 star category for Ben (age 12.5) and Joe (age 10).

* 5 Stars for The True Meaning of Smek Day, by Adam Rex

* 5 Stars for Horns and Wrinkles, by Joseph Helgerson

* 5 Stars for Superfudge, by Judy Blume

* 5 Stars for Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, Lynne Jonell

* 4.5 Stars for Ravens Gate, by Anthony Horowitz

* 4.5 Stars for Evil Star, by Anthony Horowitz

* 4.0 Stars for Tracker, by Gary Paulsen

* 4.0 Stars for Surviving Antarctica, by Andrea White

I’ve been making my own version of an African peanut soup for years. It’s easy and so yummy and now I’m sharing the secret…

How to Make Angie’s Amazing Tomato and Peanut Soup | eHow.com.

What a fabulous soccer season. We had a lot of good weather, excellent coaches (thanks Brian and Chuck) and an incredible group of boys for the Sherwood Cobras U9 team. They were so fun to watch. The other teams out-sized us greatly, but our kids played ’em tough. The mighty cobras showed those other teams what you can do with good passing, spacing and skill. And they had tons of fun!  I took oodles of photos of these guys, of course, throughout the season and put together a photo book to add to their memories of the season.

The Lit Ladies Book Club rallied from the difficult to digest Angela’s Ashes last month, to the eat-it-up-quick-as-you-can Julia’s Chocolates. Cathy Lamb channels The Secret Life of Bees and The Ya-Ya Sisterhood with this turn on a lost soul of tragic beginnings who finds her true self through the company of some very unique and extreme friendships.

Lamb’s story centers on Julia. She is running away from a horrible past and even worse future. We get to witness her growth and awakening in the arms of her Aunt Lydia and a cast full of good friends, good neighbors and even good lovin’.  Lamb is at her best when she writes about the funny and endearing moments between the characters.  She peppers the book profusely with candid words, and most of the time it adds a nice punch to dialogue and the story.  The tension-filled moments don’t deliver as well because you just can’t believe in it. Julia’s fear of her “dreadful disease” and of ex-fiance Robert’s revenge seem too far-fetched.  This is Lamb’s own fault. We come to appreciate Julia as a thoughtful and intelligent woman.  So much so that even with allowing her battle-scarred insecurities to play a part, you just can’t quite believe she’d leave herself so vulnerable.  She’s so insightful with her friends, that she couldn’t be that blind to herself? Right? It’s kind of like watching the movie character walk into the dark house when the door was ajar and they hear footsteps inside. You’re shouting, “Are you an idiot? Don’t go in there! Who would EVER go in there?!”  That said (or shouted really), I enjoyed reading Julia’s Chocolates. It made me wish I had an Aunt Lydia. It made me wish I lived in a small town. It made me want a stronger sense of community and an inspired sense of generosity toward family, friends and neighbors.  It’s chic lit at it’s finest.