When I started this blog, most of my posts were about books or works I read. I started this blog during a relatively slow easy time of my life. While pregnant with #5 I had time to start to learn the guitar, I was a member of 3 book clubs and I was part of some very nice homeschool groups and I had some very good friends. After having #5 I managed to read plenty, keep up with my book clubs, homeschooling, housekeeping, guitar and piano playing, running, yoga, cleansing, healthy cooking and other fun activities for both me and the kids. I was called to serve in Young Women's. I was in there about a year and learned a lot. It was very good for me to see what my girls were headed towards. A year later I was back in primary and about 6 months later I found out I was having twins. My life has not been the same since. I have grown as a person a hundred fold. That pregnancy was incredibly difficult. The following year and a half were also difficult for varying reasons. I have a sense now that we have switched wards (congregations), we'll be moving into a new house with an awesome layout, and my husband's work paying off more that we may get to experience some less stressful and growing times for at least a little bit. I know life doesn't slow down -- so I could be wrong about all that, but I still want to remember what I've learned these past couple years so that I don't ever forget.
Starting with the twin pregnancy: It was incredibly difficult. I was unable to keep up with most of what I had been doing before. No more exercising, playing the guitar or reading. It was all I could do to feed the kids and clean the house. By the end I seriously felt that I could better understand people with serious health issues. I have so much more empathy for people who are bedridden. At least for me it was for a wonderful cause and I had something marvelous to look forward to, and I knew it would end. How disheartening for someone for whom there may be no end to the pain and constant discomfort. That is the first thing I don't want to forget: I don't want to forget how it feels to be incapacitated. The first trimester I felt terrible-- I just let the kids watch TV and eat sandwiches and fruit. I just ate whatever I could get down. The house got so bad that we couldn't even walk down the hall. I am embarrassed to admit this on a public site, but it is the truth. The 2nd trimester was a reprieve, but the last trimester I got so big that I could barely get around. People were asking me all the time if I was pregnant with twins. I started to swell and I had to wash dishes and cook sitting down on a tall stool. I mostly just sat and slept.
The next thing I don't want to forget is how being a young mother alone feels. After the twins were born, I didn't have time to keep up my relationships with people and some of my best friends moved during this time. Also some of my friends were done having children and their youngest started school so they were no longer available for the get togethers I enjoyed with my older kids when they were young. Also, I essentially had a job teaching those older ones and I was unavailable for get togethers unless it involved my older children. Gone were the leisurely days of spending hours at the zoo or the museum or even the store. I finally realized and experienced how many first time mothers often feel alone and overwhelmed with their baby. All my babies have slept well and been calm and I'm pretty laid back so even 5 young children didn't slow me down or make me feel overwhelmed. Twins did it. I didn't have any time for anything besides caring for my new babies and my older children and my house.
But I still love my older children and I take my responsibility to care for them very seriously and I made sure they had friends and activities and schoolwork to help them grow. We didn't do as many outside things as before but we had these cute babies to play with and care for and it was pretty fun. We read a lot and got a lot of schoolwork done. Once the twins were about 6 months old I felt that we could breathe a little and I wanted to get back to being more involved at church and with our homeschool friends. One thing that was very annoying to me during this time were people who didn't want to "burden" me by asking me to help with things that affected my own children. I felt that I was perfectly capable and with older kids, I could certainly get away from the twins for an hour to help with something with the older ones. I didn't volunteer any help during the twins' first 6 months of life, but when I was ready I expected that others would be happy to have me back. This was not the case. I sensed that people wanted to keep me away. They didn't like me and were glad that I had been out of the picture and they wanted to keep it that way. This was mostly at church which I've written about before. But I don't want to forget how that feels because I don't ever want to do that to anybody else. People also assumed that I had to be so busy and because of that I was basically unable to do anything outside of my home at all. Especially the older women-- I think most of them had forgotten what it's like to have a bunch of little ones at home. It is very important for young mothers to get out of the house sometimes, interact with other women and do some things by herself-- not all the time, but it is necessary at least a little. Having a bunch of little ones is very physically demanding. There is very little leeway. If the mother hasn't thought out meals and snacks ahead of time, there will be a bunch of crying, hungry children and then it is almost impossible to make anything for them to eat.
It is not possible to just "run" to the store or check on this one thing real quick. Nothing is quick with little ones that you have to buckle and unbuckle in their carseats constantly. Going anywhere is a major undertaking that has to be planned ahead of time. The less stops, the better. There are lots of things that have to be packed like snacks and diapers and jackets and socks and blankets, etc. These children cannot be left alone at anytime. They have to be supervised at all times. It is a 24 hr. job. There is no "winging" it and when you have several children, eating out is just too expensive. Everything must be planned or you can't go. Older ladies especially seem to forget this-- so many of them just really don't have enough to do. They go shopping, they do projects, they read, they attend classes, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but they need to be sensitive to strain that young mothers bear. I hope I don't ever forget that. When I'm old I want to make sure I give a smile, kind word and encouragement to young mothers. I want to drop off homemade bread or just stop by to chat for a little bit. I want to reach out to their children and make them feel that they have a friend in me and I want the mother to feel at ease with me around her children and know that I really do love her and her children. I don't want to get caught up in all the projects and activities I'll finally be able to do. I want to be sensitive to the feelings of those around me.
Another thing I want to recognize when I'm old is that these young moms who will look sooooo young to me are full grown adults with personalities and opinions that are just as valid as my own. I never want to think that I am so much wiser just because I am older and have already raised my children. Those mothers deserve my full respect because they are working 24 hours a day and most do an amazing job. I hope I realize that I probably can't do half the stuff I was able to do when I was young-- and if I can, then I need to try to help out at least be respectful and encouragin and loving.
The other thing I experienced as I realized that I was being shunned at church is what it feels like to be subject to people who don't care about you-- how it feels to have no one care what you think about anything even though it affects yourself and your children. I sensed a lot of leaders willing to take my children and teach or serve them, but totally unwilling to reach out to me as a person. It was as if I didn't matter as a person-- just my children were important. The attitude was "thank you for bringing me your child, now please go away". They wanted zero input from me. Really they didn't want me to be me. They wanted me to fit some other mold that I couldn't. I closed up. I stopped interacting with these people. I avoided them, and I only went to church to worship and take the sacrament, not for social reasons. I finally understood first hand how inactive members and non LDS members must feel. I don't ever want to forget that because I don't ever want to make anyone feel the way I was made to feel. I want every person I meet to know that I care about them and love them as a person, not just because it is my duty to act like I care. I want them to know that I truly and sincerely care for them regardless of if I am in a leadership position in the church or not. I also want to remember what it's like to not have a calling and how ostracized it makes a person feel. It is much easier to deal with people's insecurities and letting your children go with them when you have another job in the church to do as well. But when you have nothing, no responsibility and not a soul who can help you that cares, how awful that feels. I don't forget that. I am so much more empathetic towards others. A lack of love, concern and care really does kill a person slowly. I never knew how bad until I experienced it myself and I hope I never forget.
It is so important to reach out. Even just an encouraging smile that shows your love can do wonders. Life is hard. You never know what people may be going through. We must love each other. We can all feel different and on the outside for various reasons and we need to lift each other and pray for charity for it truly is the greatest gift of God. Charity. Charity. Charity. I hope I will always remember this so that I never make anyone feel sad or lonely or weak. I hope they will feel love and that I will be able to love each and every person I meet.
I am really grateful for these hard times. I was strong enough to learn from them. I don't know if I would have been ready for these lessons earlier in my life. I am grateful to understand humanity better. I think I was very naive before. I loved people, I tried to be good and reach out, but some of the feelings people would tell me about, I just really didn't understand and now I do. I pray that I never forget. These have been most valuable lessons for me. I feel more connected to real people and to life. I don't think I'm scared of much anymore. I feel very empowered. I know that my worth and testimony are not based on other's opinions of me, but on my personal relationship with God. I feel that I understand better what our Savior went through with the hatred of those who should have accepted Him. I am so grateful. I pray that I never forget. I have much more to learn, but that's O.K. I will continue to learn and grow. It's O.K. to be wrong. Life is good, repentance is real. The Savior and the Atonement are real. Life is good. I am very thankful to have some new friends and a wonderful, welcoming, accepting ward where I can feel the Spirit and the Savior's love each week. Thank you new ward full of such wonderful people. Amen.
Showing posts with label musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musings. Show all posts
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
Baby #8 is already making his/ her mark in the World
I think each child I have had has taught me something. Having so many children has forced me to learn how to clean efficiently and organize my home-- I don't think I ever would have gotten around to it with only 3 children. I'm still not very clean, but I'm much better than I would have been without being responsible for so many. I've also learned to put my children first and read to them at night even though I'm tired, and make sure I am available to help them with whatever school work they need help with, and just take care of them and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. It has taken a lot of time and attention to figure out how to get it all to work. I'm far from perfect, but I'm much further along that road because of my children.
Even with 5 kids, I was handling my life fine-- I had time to learn how to play the guitar, time to read and time to learn all sorts of cooking and food prep. Enter the twins-- I went from 5 kids to 7 and it was rough. I am jut 5'2" tall, so the pregnancy was very heavy for me. By the end I could hardly walk and I struggled to finish the dishes by sitting on a stool, I also sat on a stool to cook. The pregnancy was hard from the beginning-- I was twice as sick the first trimester and twice as big the 3rd, the 2nd was O.K. I was too tired to do anything besides take care of my 5 children and my pregnant self. Once the babies were born I literally could do nothing except take care of those babies, pull meals together and read to the kids or help them with their schoolwork while I nursed those twins. There wasn't enough time to clean, our house was really, really messy. The kids would have helped, but it was so out of control that they just couldn't because they wouldn't know where to start. I did have meals brought in at first and my mom helped with laundry, but wow-- the whole year is kind of a blur. I loved those babies and enjoyed them, but there was no time for book clubs or playing the guitar. We barely made it to our homeschool group once a week. School was O.K. because I could do that while I nursed, but that is about all I did. I don't even remember much about Christmas because I think it was still a blur. Once those babies turned 1, my life started to ease up. I was ready to join back into life and social events as I am a very social person.
That was a rude awakening. My 3 best friends had moved during that year and 3 others the year before. The couple of friends who were left who I had done things with when my older kids were young no longer had babies. They were entering the phase of motherhood where the youngest child goes off to school and they suddenly have some newfound freedom and opportunities. I felt like everybody left me behind, and I think they did. It was time for me to grow further and it was time for our family to move to a better environment closer to my husband's work. That didn't turn out to be very easy, and only after it got really hard for not just me, but for the kids, we knew we had to force the move and just do it. We are in the process now- still haven't moved, but we are feeling much better because we are building a great house in a great neighborhood and area for our family. Things I've learned and experience I've gained from these experiences are really due to those twins.
I read that only about 0.5% of women nowadays have 7 children or more. In Utah, there are a good number of families with 4 and 5 kids, 6 is less common but accepted as normal, and very few families have 7 or more children. So I think I was considered "normal" with my 7 because the last 2 were twins and that is "acceptable". Those twins are so cute and so sweet. They are worth every pain I endured. With a promotion at work and a new house being built with plenty of room and a feeling of someone missing, we decided to have another baby. I am no longer considered "normal" even though it is just one more kid than my 7. Some people are having a hard time accepting it. I find myself growing again, going against the culture and defending my freedom of choice and being fine with staying away from negative people and just doing what I think is best regardless of what others say or think.
So far baby #8 has already changed my life forever. I am officially "unusual" now and officially in the BIG family club. I do have a very nice big family group I'm a part of and those ladies are wonderful and very encouraging. I have some good friends with varying sizes of families who are supportive of me and that make me feel good.
I read a quote by Joseph Smith the other day that perfectly describes how I feel about this:
( this is from Daughters in My Kingdom page 23)
I had no idea there was even so much to learn and do in this life. Thank you baby #8, I am already a better person because of you. Thank you to my husband for always being there for me-- at least we have each other!! Thank you to all my sweet and good children for putting up with me and loving me despite my weaknesses. Thank you to all the people who have shown love to me even though they may not understand me or even know me or have met me in person. Thank you to anyone who has been kind to me and smiled despite the throng of children usually following me around. Thank you for being nice. Going against the grain is not an easy thing to do-- there are plenty who mock and don't even try to understand. Thank you to you for being a true friend.
p.s., the morning sickness is finally starting to subside, I exercised for the first time today in about 6 weeks-- it felt sooooooo good-- I should be pretty much back to normal in a week or 2 so I'm sure I'll be back on here posting updates-- the past few weeks have been rather boring with me laying down and resting every time the twins go to bed. Fortunately my kids watch so little TV that they actually guiltily like it when I'm sick because then they pretty much get to watch as much TV as they want. My husband was sick last week too so they had a couple days of marathon Curios George shows on Netflix. They're hoping to watch a lot of Kipper too, but I'm starting to feel better and I made them all do aerobics and yoga with me today. They'll thank me later!!
Even with 5 kids, I was handling my life fine-- I had time to learn how to play the guitar, time to read and time to learn all sorts of cooking and food prep. Enter the twins-- I went from 5 kids to 7 and it was rough. I am jut 5'2" tall, so the pregnancy was very heavy for me. By the end I could hardly walk and I struggled to finish the dishes by sitting on a stool, I also sat on a stool to cook. The pregnancy was hard from the beginning-- I was twice as sick the first trimester and twice as big the 3rd, the 2nd was O.K. I was too tired to do anything besides take care of my 5 children and my pregnant self. Once the babies were born I literally could do nothing except take care of those babies, pull meals together and read to the kids or help them with their schoolwork while I nursed those twins. There wasn't enough time to clean, our house was really, really messy. The kids would have helped, but it was so out of control that they just couldn't because they wouldn't know where to start. I did have meals brought in at first and my mom helped with laundry, but wow-- the whole year is kind of a blur. I loved those babies and enjoyed them, but there was no time for book clubs or playing the guitar. We barely made it to our homeschool group once a week. School was O.K. because I could do that while I nursed, but that is about all I did. I don't even remember much about Christmas because I think it was still a blur. Once those babies turned 1, my life started to ease up. I was ready to join back into life and social events as I am a very social person.
That was a rude awakening. My 3 best friends had moved during that year and 3 others the year before. The couple of friends who were left who I had done things with when my older kids were young no longer had babies. They were entering the phase of motherhood where the youngest child goes off to school and they suddenly have some newfound freedom and opportunities. I felt like everybody left me behind, and I think they did. It was time for me to grow further and it was time for our family to move to a better environment closer to my husband's work. That didn't turn out to be very easy, and only after it got really hard for not just me, but for the kids, we knew we had to force the move and just do it. We are in the process now- still haven't moved, but we are feeling much better because we are building a great house in a great neighborhood and area for our family. Things I've learned and experience I've gained from these experiences are really due to those twins.
I read that only about 0.5% of women nowadays have 7 children or more. In Utah, there are a good number of families with 4 and 5 kids, 6 is less common but accepted as normal, and very few families have 7 or more children. So I think I was considered "normal" with my 7 because the last 2 were twins and that is "acceptable". Those twins are so cute and so sweet. They are worth every pain I endured. With a promotion at work and a new house being built with plenty of room and a feeling of someone missing, we decided to have another baby. I am no longer considered "normal" even though it is just one more kid than my 7. Some people are having a hard time accepting it. I find myself growing again, going against the culture and defending my freedom of choice and being fine with staying away from negative people and just doing what I think is best regardless of what others say or think.
So far baby #8 has already changed my life forever. I am officially "unusual" now and officially in the BIG family club. I do have a very nice big family group I'm a part of and those ladies are wonderful and very encouraging. I have some good friends with varying sizes of families who are supportive of me and that make me feel good.
I read a quote by Joseph Smith the other day that perfectly describes how I feel about this:
When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind.
( this is from Daughters in My Kingdom page 23)
I had no idea there was even so much to learn and do in this life. Thank you baby #8, I am already a better person because of you. Thank you to my husband for always being there for me-- at least we have each other!! Thank you to all my sweet and good children for putting up with me and loving me despite my weaknesses. Thank you to all the people who have shown love to me even though they may not understand me or even know me or have met me in person. Thank you to anyone who has been kind to me and smiled despite the throng of children usually following me around. Thank you for being nice. Going against the grain is not an easy thing to do-- there are plenty who mock and don't even try to understand. Thank you to you for being a true friend.
p.s., the morning sickness is finally starting to subside, I exercised for the first time today in about 6 weeks-- it felt sooooooo good-- I should be pretty much back to normal in a week or 2 so I'm sure I'll be back on here posting updates-- the past few weeks have been rather boring with me laying down and resting every time the twins go to bed. Fortunately my kids watch so little TV that they actually guiltily like it when I'm sick because then they pretty much get to watch as much TV as they want. My husband was sick last week too so they had a couple days of marathon Curios George shows on Netflix. They're hoping to watch a lot of Kipper too, but I'm starting to feel better and I made them all do aerobics and yoga with me today. They'll thank me later!!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Just be nice!!!
Life is too short for meanness and cruelty. Sometimes we think we're not being mean by making fun of someone-- we're just joking. Maybe we think we're not being by talking bad about someone's faults when they're not there-- we're just trying to find a way to help them. The worst is passive agressiveness by people who are supposed to be nice- so they won't be outright rude or mean to someone-- they will just be on the lookout for that person's failure in anything so that they can subtletly point it out at an embarrassing moment for that person. They take secret pleasure when life is difficult for others.
We don't know what each other is going through. We don't know the pain we can cause, especially to those who trust us. Betrayal is such a terrible feeling.
Just be nice. Look for the good in people all the time and let them know. Overlook their faults and build them up. Give them opportunities to do good things if you can and be happy for them when they succeed. Be kind, say nice things, don't make fun of people. A kind word and a smile can do wonders for anybody. Life is tough enough, it is almost unbearable when surrounded by ridicule. Be nice!!!
This is from 2 Nephi 27:31,32 in the Book of Mormon:
We don't know what each other is going through. We don't know the pain we can cause, especially to those who trust us. Betrayal is such a terrible feeling.
Just be nice. Look for the good in people all the time and let them know. Overlook their faults and build them up. Give them opportunities to do good things if you can and be happy for them when they succeed. Be kind, say nice things, don't make fun of people. A kind word and a smile can do wonders for anybody. Life is tough enough, it is almost unbearable when surrounded by ridicule. Be nice!!!
This is from 2 Nephi 27:31,32 in the Book of Mormon:
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
32 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Another Great Conference Talk-- Boyd K. Packer -- following the Spirit
I'm kind of behind in the whole conference discussion, because I really don't pay that close attention during conference mostly because of all the excitement that is constantly around me when all 7 kids are awake. But then afterwards as a I read or listen to the talks, I find these great nuggets of inspiration. This whole talk is great. Every sentence contains great wisdom. I'll just blog about these couple quotes:
http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/counsel-to-youth?lang=eng
This quote is very comforting to me:
As I get older, I am better at recognizing the promptings I receive. Especially as I look back on my life, I can see times where I should have recognized promptings better and other times where I am so thankful that I did follow promptings. There have been a couple times where I feel so bad about something, that even though there is no logical explanation for my feeling- I can't do the said thing.
The big one that comes to mind is from my BYU years. It was summer and I had gone down to the Y to finish setting things up and I stopped by my apartment for the year. While I was there looking at it, one of the girls who was living there for summer term asked me if I would trade apartments with her for the fall, her fall apartment was just upstairs. I said sure, because the only roommate I would know was the one I was sharing my room with, and I figured she wouldn't care. On my drive home, I just had a terrible strong feeling that I should not live in the apartment upstairs. It was so strong that I knew that I should either live in the apartment I signed up for, or find a different place to live. I called the girl and told her I wouldn't trade and when it came time to move in, I was very nervous because I had not met any of the other girls yet and I was afraid they really liked that girl and would be sorry that I had taken her place.
It turned out that we all 6 of us got along great. We still get together periodically and keep in touch. My room roommate especially bonded with the other girls in our apartment and that just wouldn't have happened for either of us had we lived with the girls upstairs. That was also the year I met my husband. He came to our apartment because he heard it was the fun place to be and it was. He never ventured to that other apartment. The Lord really was watching out for me and now that I can look back, when I get that bad feeling I know it is the Holy Ghost warning me about something. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what it is, depending on how strong it is, but the Holy Ghost truly acts in my life guiding me and helping me as I go along. I definitely get answers to my questions and prayers. It is such a profound blessing in my life.
I also loved this quote:
We have a tendency to get down on ourselves when we are not perfect and I know people who feel they are too far gone to even try to take advantage of the atonement. I wish everybody knew what I know-- that God loves us and wants us back no matter what. His time was spent among sinners when He was on the earth, and it is never too late to come unto Him. He loves us and He will help us no matter how good or bad we are as long as we let him. He will take us from wherever we are and help us get better little by little- He won't make us do more than we can. He is perfect and He loves us.
http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/counsel-to-youth?lang=eng
This quote is very comforting to me:
The gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought or a feeling put into your heart. The prophet Enos said, “The voice of the Lord came into my mind.” And the Lord told Oliver Cowdery, “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you.”
It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church.
As I get older, I am better at recognizing the promptings I receive. Especially as I look back on my life, I can see times where I should have recognized promptings better and other times where I am so thankful that I did follow promptings. There have been a couple times where I feel so bad about something, that even though there is no logical explanation for my feeling- I can't do the said thing.
The big one that comes to mind is from my BYU years. It was summer and I had gone down to the Y to finish setting things up and I stopped by my apartment for the year. While I was there looking at it, one of the girls who was living there for summer term asked me if I would trade apartments with her for the fall, her fall apartment was just upstairs. I said sure, because the only roommate I would know was the one I was sharing my room with, and I figured she wouldn't care. On my drive home, I just had a terrible strong feeling that I should not live in the apartment upstairs. It was so strong that I knew that I should either live in the apartment I signed up for, or find a different place to live. I called the girl and told her I wouldn't trade and when it came time to move in, I was very nervous because I had not met any of the other girls yet and I was afraid they really liked that girl and would be sorry that I had taken her place.
It turned out that we all 6 of us got along great. We still get together periodically and keep in touch. My room roommate especially bonded with the other girls in our apartment and that just wouldn't have happened for either of us had we lived with the girls upstairs. That was also the year I met my husband. He came to our apartment because he heard it was the fun place to be and it was. He never ventured to that other apartment. The Lord really was watching out for me and now that I can look back, when I get that bad feeling I know it is the Holy Ghost warning me about something. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what it is, depending on how strong it is, but the Holy Ghost truly acts in my life guiding me and helping me as I go along. I definitely get answers to my questions and prayers. It is such a profound blessing in my life.
I also loved this quote:
You may in time of trouble think that you are not worth saving because you have made mistakes, big or little, and you think you are now lost. That is never true! Only repentance can heal what hurts. But repentance can heal what hurts, no matter what it is.
We have a tendency to get down on ourselves when we are not perfect and I know people who feel they are too far gone to even try to take advantage of the atonement. I wish everybody knew what I know-- that God loves us and wants us back no matter what. His time was spent among sinners when He was on the earth, and it is never too late to come unto Him. He loves us and He will help us no matter how good or bad we are as long as we let him. He will take us from wherever we are and help us get better little by little- He won't make us do more than we can. He is perfect and He loves us.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A Great Talk and New Church Websites
I was checking out the some of my churches' new websites. I really like the www.newsroom.lds.org It has a lot of basic info about the church as well as church news that is quite interesting.
I also like www.new.lds.org. The search is really great. I'm looking forward to using it. But I couldn't find the link for the online ward directory so I gave up and went to the old site to find a phone #. I'm sure I'll get used to it and find other great stuff on the new site. I really want to start having my kids watch Mormon Messages and download them to watch on my mp3 player. Then I read a great quote on the site and followed the link to the whole talk here:
https://new.lds.org/new-era/2010/09/line-upon-line-precept-upon-precept-2nephi-2830?lang=eng&signmein#
It was given by Elder Bednar in 2001, actually on 9-11, anyway-- it is a great talk on listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and how to tell if it is just yourself or if it is really a prompting. Elder Bednar points out that the Lord works line upon line, and often gives us many small answers that lead up over time to a big answer. He gives the example of dating his wife. He never felt like he got a specific one answer that this is the one, but rather over time as they got to know each other he could see that she was a good person and that they would get married. He said they dated for 15 months and knew each other 4 months before that before they got married. I very much enjoyed the talk and feel edified from having read it. Here is a quote I especially liked:
Thanks for reading!
I also like www.new.lds.org. The search is really great. I'm looking forward to using it. But I couldn't find the link for the online ward directory so I gave up and went to the old site to find a phone #. I'm sure I'll get used to it and find other great stuff on the new site. I really want to start having my kids watch Mormon Messages and download them to watch on my mp3 player. Then I read a great quote on the site and followed the link to the whole talk here:
https://new.lds.org/new-era/2010/09/line-upon-line-precept-upon-precept-2nephi-2830?lang=eng&signmein#
It was given by Elder Bednar in 2001, actually on 9-11, anyway-- it is a great talk on listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and how to tell if it is just yourself or if it is really a prompting. Elder Bednar points out that the Lord works line upon line, and often gives us many small answers that lead up over time to a big answer. He gives the example of dating his wife. He never felt like he got a specific one answer that this is the one, but rather over time as they got to know each other he could see that she was a good person and that they would get married. He said they dated for 15 months and knew each other 4 months before that before they got married. I very much enjoyed the talk and feel edified from having read it. Here is a quote I especially liked:
The process of discerning between our will and God’s will becomes less and less of a concern as time goes by and as we strive to rid ourselves of worldliness—and thereby cultivate the spirit of revelation in our lives. That is, as we mature spiritually, we begin to develop sound judgment, a refined and educated conscience, and a heart and mind filled with wisdom. It is not just that we have grown older, nor have we simply become smarter and had more experiences on which to draw, as important as those experiences are. Rather, the Holy Ghost has over time been expanding our intellect, forming our feelings, sharpening and elevating our perspective, such that we increasingly think and feel and act as the Lord would under similar circumstances. In short, we have made steady progress in obtaining “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Thanks for reading!
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Princess and the Frog -- Loved IT!!
We watched Disney's new movie, The Princess and the Frog a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved the message. The whole movie was very well done all the way. It is set in New Orleans in the 50s and is about a girl who has a dream of owning and operating the restaurant her father never got to open even though he worked so hard. They are a black family and the contrast between them and her rich white friend is nicely done without condemning or unnecessarily glorifying either race. There is some voodoo in the movie, that's how she turns into a frog along with the prince who she falls in love with, but even that is shown as truly evil. Anyway, the princess has devoted her life to working in order to buy the restaurant despite all the nay sayers and friends and even her mother who hopes for grandchildren. She gets turned into a frog after kissing a frog prince who was turned into a frog by voodoo and they start on a quest to turn human again. The prince has played his whole life and never really had to work, but has been disinherited. He learns that he can work and learn new skills and he loves the princess, but she has a much harder time slowing down and discovering what is truly important -- namely relationships and the most important relationship of husband and wife. She is forced to choose between gaining her dream and losing her lover- the frog prince, and realizes that love is more important than working forever on a dream no matter how worthy it may be. Of course in the end she gets it all-- her frog prince, they turn human again, and the restaurant. It is a great message of love. The side love story of Raymond and Evangeline is also sweet and a great complement to the story. This movie is a masterpiece. It is so nice to have something modern to assist in the teaching of my children rather than working against it constantly. If I had the ability to create a story with a good message, this is the message I would create. Thank you Disney!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Lots of time and work Learning Good Stuff-- Our Schedule
Wow!! Now that my kids are "older", we have really been working hard. Homeschooling is a lot more time and work than I anticipated, but I still enjoy it, and I think it will be worth all the hard work. I made up a chart for each kid, so they know exactly what they are supposed to do each day, and they can check it off as they do it each day. When I added up the time I estimated each subject to take, it came out to about 5 hours a day for the 10 and now 9 yr olds, 4 days a week and that didn't include the enrichment of story-time or singing time or art. I limited the 10 yr old to 2 hours a day of math so that she would have time to work on other subjects. She is doing better, and understands the concepts, but we are now working on speed and accuracy. I hope she can move on to 4B soon. Her 9 yr.old sister is just about done with 4A and will probably pass the test and move on to 4B in a couple weeks. That is a little frustrating to the older sister, but that's just how it goes. Maybe the younger one will be able to explain things to the older one or at least motivate her to really focus and concentrate. It doesn't come easy to her, but she still has to and can learn it. It will take a lot more practice for her than it will for the other children.
The great thing now is that the girls are getting up, cleaning their room, getting dressed and ready for the day and starting their schoolwork on their own around 9 a.m. It is so nice!! They are able to do so much on their own and are really learning and doing well. They are realizing that starting earlier means finishing earlier, and I think they are leaning to appreciate the fun of working hard and succeeding at difficult tasks. I am really quite proud of them. They are actually growing up.
The little boys are easy to teach now that I've been through the girls and found the best curricula for everything. They also love computer games and when they finish their schoolwork and their chores, they get 15 min. each on the computer. That has been awesome motivation for them finish and learn. I'm really proud of them too. They are finally getting those simple addition and subtraction facts down and are understanding the concepts. My reluctant reader who is now 7 is really close to reading the Treehouse books on his own.
So the schedule that seems to work best at this point is for me to get up around 6-6:30 a.m., make breakfast, exercise and get ready for the day. Have the kids start their chores, eat breakfast and get ready for the day around 8 a.m. The girls can then get started on their schoolwork with the stuff they don't need me to help them with around 9 a.m. Depending on what kind of house stuff I need to do and what kind of mood the little ones are in, I can read little kid books to the little kids at 9 or let them play a little. I then help them get all their work done by 11-11:30 and they can all take a break and go play outside for a bit. Then we can eat lunch, clean up and have singing time and story time which includes scripture and poem recitations, Spanish practice, Science and some history as well as learning new songs and reading interesting stories mostly from Yesterday's Classics.
After that the younger kids are pretty much free to do anything constructive or fun while I help the older kids with Spelling, Greek, Science and Math. It is fluid from day to day, but that is the goal. We try hard to be done by 5, but with activities scheduled during the week, we usually have to finish up in the evening. I try to leave the required reading and instrument practice for the evening and have them do those last. For a couple weeks, I wondered if I was pushing them too hard. But we seem to get done a little earlier each week as they get better at focusing and realizing that they have to finish even if it's late. So I think it is paying off.
I am finding that consistency is very important. We seem to be making great progress because we have been consistent. Doing a little bit each day seems to be better than cramming a bunch of info in a short period of time. It has been very rewarding to see my children work hard and grow and learn so much. Not that I am never frustrated and wonder how many times I will have to explain estimating and rounding. But overall, I'm feeling good about our academic homeschool. There is always room for improvement, but I think we are on the right track. Here is the chart for the oldest. The numbers are the estimated time for each activity, mostly 4 days per week. We are now doing spelling each day and the emphasis is more on goals accomplished rather than time spent. The time spent thing doesn't work well for us, because I have some kids who are masters at sitting at their desk and accomplishing nothing, but it is helpful for them to know about how much time each subject should take.
(Sorry the chart isn't more legible, but I don't want to take the time to fix it. You can still get the idea!!)
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Clean room
Get Dressed
Eat
Brush teeth
15 min. Clean
Scripture 10 10 10 10
Journal 10 10 10 10
Grammar Practice 5 5
Word Study 5 5
Sentences 5 5
Spelling 15 15 test
Poem 10 10 10 10
History Report 30
Composition 30
Book Report 30
Math 120 120 120 120 120
Science 15 15 15 15
Greek 5 sec. 20 20 20 20
Spanish 10 10 10 10
Music 15
Drawing 60
Piano 30 30 30 Lesson 30 30
Violin Lesson 20 20 20 20 20
Required Reading 30 30 30 30
History Reading 15 15 15 15
The great thing now is that the girls are getting up, cleaning their room, getting dressed and ready for the day and starting their schoolwork on their own around 9 a.m. It is so nice!! They are able to do so much on their own and are really learning and doing well. They are realizing that starting earlier means finishing earlier, and I think they are leaning to appreciate the fun of working hard and succeeding at difficult tasks. I am really quite proud of them. They are actually growing up.
The little boys are easy to teach now that I've been through the girls and found the best curricula for everything. They also love computer games and when they finish their schoolwork and their chores, they get 15 min. each on the computer. That has been awesome motivation for them finish and learn. I'm really proud of them too. They are finally getting those simple addition and subtraction facts down and are understanding the concepts. My reluctant reader who is now 7 is really close to reading the Treehouse books on his own.
So the schedule that seems to work best at this point is for me to get up around 6-6:30 a.m., make breakfast, exercise and get ready for the day. Have the kids start their chores, eat breakfast and get ready for the day around 8 a.m. The girls can then get started on their schoolwork with the stuff they don't need me to help them with around 9 a.m. Depending on what kind of house stuff I need to do and what kind of mood the little ones are in, I can read little kid books to the little kids at 9 or let them play a little. I then help them get all their work done by 11-11:30 and they can all take a break and go play outside for a bit. Then we can eat lunch, clean up and have singing time and story time which includes scripture and poem recitations, Spanish practice, Science and some history as well as learning new songs and reading interesting stories mostly from Yesterday's Classics.
After that the younger kids are pretty much free to do anything constructive or fun while I help the older kids with Spelling, Greek, Science and Math. It is fluid from day to day, but that is the goal. We try hard to be done by 5, but with activities scheduled during the week, we usually have to finish up in the evening. I try to leave the required reading and instrument practice for the evening and have them do those last. For a couple weeks, I wondered if I was pushing them too hard. But we seem to get done a little earlier each week as they get better at focusing and realizing that they have to finish even if it's late. So I think it is paying off.
I am finding that consistency is very important. We seem to be making great progress because we have been consistent. Doing a little bit each day seems to be better than cramming a bunch of info in a short period of time. It has been very rewarding to see my children work hard and grow and learn so much. Not that I am never frustrated and wonder how many times I will have to explain estimating and rounding. But overall, I'm feeling good about our academic homeschool. There is always room for improvement, but I think we are on the right track. Here is the chart for the oldest. The numbers are the estimated time for each activity, mostly 4 days per week. We are now doing spelling each day and the emphasis is more on goals accomplished rather than time spent. The time spent thing doesn't work well for us, because I have some kids who are masters at sitting at their desk and accomplishing nothing, but it is helpful for them to know about how much time each subject should take.
(Sorry the chart isn't more legible, but I don't want to take the time to fix it. You can still get the idea!!)
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Clean room
Get Dressed
Eat
Brush teeth
15 min. Clean
Scripture 10 10 10 10
Journal 10 10 10 10
Grammar Practice 5 5
Word Study 5 5
Sentences 5 5
Spelling 15 15 test
Poem 10 10 10 10
History Report 30
Composition 30
Book Report 30
Math 120 120 120 120 120
Science 15 15 15 15
Greek 5 sec. 20 20 20 20
Spanish 10 10 10 10
Music 15
Drawing 60
Piano 30 30 30 Lesson 30 30
Violin Lesson 20 20 20 20 20
Required Reading 30 30 30 30
History Reading 15 15 15 15
Monday, November 2, 2009
What to do with Halloween Candy?
We have a bucket where the kids can put candy and treats throughout the year and when it's full, we leave it outside for the "Toothless Fairy" who takes the candy and leaves books, toys or movies in its place. We usually let the kids have one small piece of whatever they got and put the rest in the bucket. That way we don't have to make anyone feel bad for giving us candy, we just say thank- you and then put it in the bucket when we get home. We always leave the bucket out on Halloween and this year the fairy left a coupon to go to the skating rink and to the children's museum. I felt guilty throwing the candy away because there were some whole candy bars in there, but I think I will donate it to the food bank or a Christmas stocking project this year. I know some people who can't have any candy at all will have their own party or go out to dinner or to a movie to avoid the whole trick or treat thing. Around here it is a neighborhood thing and lots of people wanted us to be sure to come to their house, and it is fun for the kids, so I'm glad to have a plan of goodwill for the candy. Some houses gave out toys or pretzels instead of candy. I think most parents don't like all the candy. It's just too much for anybody especially our little kids. There also seem to be more and more diabetics and allergies and autism, that maybe eventually the candy will be replaced by something healthier!! Maybe it is wishful thinking!!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Our First Week of Homeschool for the New Year!!
We officially started school this year last Friday for our first Friday Fun Day. The plan is to cover all the core subjects (Reading, Writing, Math, Greek, Science, History, Literature, Spelling) from Monday to Thursday. Then Friday will be an enrichment day where we'll study art, artists, music, composers and play games and do activities. Friday turned out great. The kids loved it, (except for the 1st grader for the first part --he didn't want to play the recorder, but did later after being in time-out for awhile). We set up the desks like a real school and basically played school. We also learned a song in Spanish and a song in French. I decided to go ahead and do both languages this year. The Europeans learn a bunch of languages, so why can't we? We'll see how it goes.
Unfortunately, the rest of the week didn't go so smoothly, starting with Monday. We ended up getting new carpet that day and having a mold clean-up crew come on Tuesday and Wednesday because of a leak in the shower we didn't know about. We were without air conditioning on Thursday, and it was hot, but at least we could use the bathrooms. Also, my kids are so out of the habit of doing anything difficult because of my laxness this summer, that it was a real struggle to actually do any work at all. The 5th and 3rd grade girls basically just did math, a little bit of journaling and one composition this week. The preschooler and 1st grader fulfilled their requirements of handwriting, math and reading each day, because it doesn't take them long at all. But I really missed doing the fun part of homeschool which is reading stories and great literature to the kids, learning history and science, singing songs together, memorizing scriptures and learning languages and grammar. That's the fun part we missed this first week.
The girls took an average of 2 hours working on their math assignments because they are so out of the habit of concentrating. I've decided though, that that math has to be done first thing when their little brains are the most fresh, and we'll keep the fun and interesting stuff for after lunch. Had I had my house together and not under construction, I think we would have done better, but overall I think it was pretty good given the circumstances. I really hope the girls will move along better in math next week, so that we can do the fun stuff, but it may take them another week to acclimate to that math concentrating part of their brains. I just about have to sit with each of them individually to remind them to look at their book and write down the answers to the problems. They have gotten a little better each day though, and it is very rewarding to see the sense of satisfaction they feel when they are finally done!!
I can't wait to get my house and life back together. I feel like we went on another long vacation. Hopefully I can get a lot done this weekend so that we can do all the things I hope to do this week!! By the way, the twins are boys and look good so far-- that will be 5 boys in a row-- I'm a little nervous. I am really going to have to find ways to keep them out of trouble!! My 3 boys seem to get wilder everyday, they really need the fun stuff. They love listening to stories and learning songs. Once we get the house organized, I hope they will calm down a little bit. At least I can send them outside!!!
Unfortunately, the rest of the week didn't go so smoothly, starting with Monday. We ended up getting new carpet that day and having a mold clean-up crew come on Tuesday and Wednesday because of a leak in the shower we didn't know about. We were without air conditioning on Thursday, and it was hot, but at least we could use the bathrooms. Also, my kids are so out of the habit of doing anything difficult because of my laxness this summer, that it was a real struggle to actually do any work at all. The 5th and 3rd grade girls basically just did math, a little bit of journaling and one composition this week. The preschooler and 1st grader fulfilled their requirements of handwriting, math and reading each day, because it doesn't take them long at all. But I really missed doing the fun part of homeschool which is reading stories and great literature to the kids, learning history and science, singing songs together, memorizing scriptures and learning languages and grammar. That's the fun part we missed this first week.
The girls took an average of 2 hours working on their math assignments because they are so out of the habit of concentrating. I've decided though, that that math has to be done first thing when their little brains are the most fresh, and we'll keep the fun and interesting stuff for after lunch. Had I had my house together and not under construction, I think we would have done better, but overall I think it was pretty good given the circumstances. I really hope the girls will move along better in math next week, so that we can do the fun stuff, but it may take them another week to acclimate to that math concentrating part of their brains. I just about have to sit with each of them individually to remind them to look at their book and write down the answers to the problems. They have gotten a little better each day though, and it is very rewarding to see the sense of satisfaction they feel when they are finally done!!
I can't wait to get my house and life back together. I feel like we went on another long vacation. Hopefully I can get a lot done this weekend so that we can do all the things I hope to do this week!! By the way, the twins are boys and look good so far-- that will be 5 boys in a row-- I'm a little nervous. I am really going to have to find ways to keep them out of trouble!! My 3 boys seem to get wilder everyday, they really need the fun stuff. They love listening to stories and learning songs. Once we get the house organized, I hope they will calm down a little bit. At least I can send them outside!!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Out of the Mouth of Babes -- Alma 32:23
This is a lovely scripture from The Book of Mormon, you can read the whole chapter here, this chapter is mostly known for its beautiful explanation of faith being like a little seed, but verse 23 is the one I want to share today:
23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, anot only men but women also. Now this is not all; little bchildren do have words given unto them many times, which cconfound the wise and the learned.
I had the privilege of experiencing words of truth from my little 4 yr. old boy. He is so sweet, I think all 4 yr. olds are. Anyway, we had just found out that I was pregnant with baby #6 (yes it was planned), but we hadn't told the kids yet. I was in the kitchen and my little boy came up to me out of the blue and said,"Mommy, there's 2 babies in your tummy." I was a little surprised, but it got me wondering and thinking about the possibility. I didn't want to get too excited, but I was anxious to get that first ultra-sound nevertheless, and sure enough -- we're having TWINS!!
We are very happy and excited about it. Our families are excited, and our ward is excited. I'm so grateful to have so many people who care about us and support us. I am also grateful for this privilege. I feel so blessed. I don't think I will even mind being cooped up for a few months while we wait for the cold season to pass after they're born. Anyway, it has also caused me to sit and think about how precious our little ones really are, and what do they remember and know and see about heavenly things that we have grown out of. Truly we must "become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven" (3 Nephi 11:37-38).
23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, anot only men but women also. Now this is not all; little bchildren do have words given unto them many times, which cconfound the wise and the learned.
I had the privilege of experiencing words of truth from my little 4 yr. old boy. He is so sweet, I think all 4 yr. olds are. Anyway, we had just found out that I was pregnant with baby #6 (yes it was planned), but we hadn't told the kids yet. I was in the kitchen and my little boy came up to me out of the blue and said,"Mommy, there's 2 babies in your tummy." I was a little surprised, but it got me wondering and thinking about the possibility. I didn't want to get too excited, but I was anxious to get that first ultra-sound nevertheless, and sure enough -- we're having TWINS!!
We are very happy and excited about it. Our families are excited, and our ward is excited. I'm so grateful to have so many people who care about us and support us. I am also grateful for this privilege. I feel so blessed. I don't think I will even mind being cooped up for a few months while we wait for the cold season to pass after they're born. Anyway, it has also caused me to sit and think about how precious our little ones really are, and what do they remember and know and see about heavenly things that we have grown out of. Truly we must "become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven" (3 Nephi 11:37-38).
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Simple Baked Lentils -- and Gardening
In an oven safe pot or casserole dish that you can cover well combine:
2 1/2 c. lentils
4-5 1/2 cups of water
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
3 chopped carrots
2 onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 t. Real salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 bay leaves
about a half cups worth of fresh sage, oregano and thyme mixed and chopped
Cover the dish and put it in the oven at 375 F for about 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Take out the bay leaves before serving. That's it!! Even my picky eaters ate it. It had such a good flavor, it's kind of like a stew.
I got the fresh herbs from my garden and believe me, if I can grow herbs, you can too, it's totally worth it. Herbs are so incredibly forgiving and easy to grow. I have killed everything else imaginable and grown really sad tomato plants that produce like one tomato and I have even ruined zucchini, but my herbs are wonderful, so that tells you how easy herbs must be to grow. They don't need much room or sun or even water. Of course, if you actually take care of them they'll grow better, but you don't need that much of them to make a big difference in your cooking. So I just thought I send that tip.
By the way, I'm hoping for a decent garden this year, I'm being more proactive than I've ever been with it and I am being a conscientious waterer which I think will help. The sad thing is that I love plants and nature and I even have a degree in horticulture, but I have had the worst time growing vegetables, but I will not give up. I love vegetables, and I will learn how to grow them well. My garden is looking O.K. now, and now that the sun is finally coming out, we'll see!! Any advice is appreciated!! I hope to have a good report at the end of the summer!!
2 1/2 c. lentils
4-5 1/2 cups of water
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
3 chopped carrots
2 onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 t. Real salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 bay leaves
about a half cups worth of fresh sage, oregano and thyme mixed and chopped
Cover the dish and put it in the oven at 375 F for about 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Take out the bay leaves before serving. That's it!! Even my picky eaters ate it. It had such a good flavor, it's kind of like a stew.
I got the fresh herbs from my garden and believe me, if I can grow herbs, you can too, it's totally worth it. Herbs are so incredibly forgiving and easy to grow. I have killed everything else imaginable and grown really sad tomato plants that produce like one tomato and I have even ruined zucchini, but my herbs are wonderful, so that tells you how easy herbs must be to grow. They don't need much room or sun or even water. Of course, if you actually take care of them they'll grow better, but you don't need that much of them to make a big difference in your cooking. So I just thought I send that tip.
By the way, I'm hoping for a decent garden this year, I'm being more proactive than I've ever been with it and I am being a conscientious waterer which I think will help. The sad thing is that I love plants and nature and I even have a degree in horticulture, but I have had the worst time growing vegetables, but I will not give up. I love vegetables, and I will learn how to grow them well. My garden is looking O.K. now, and now that the sun is finally coming out, we'll see!! Any advice is appreciated!! I hope to have a good report at the end of the summer!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Life Progression -- Marriage, Homemaking, Health
Life has been very interesting to me. Some things in my life have turned out way better than I could have ever imagined and some things have not turned out how I thought they would at all. I turned 34 years old last Monday, so I'll try not to make this a memoir since I hope I won't be dying anytime soon. But I do want to recognize how far I've come in my life and how grateful I am for progression and learning and improvement, and especially for the love and mercy of God in being patient with me and blessing me tremendously and many times through other people.
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Words of a Prophet
"To you parents, express your love to your children. Pray for them that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may grow in faith and testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others."
This is from President Monson's final talk at General Conference this April 2009 Sunday afternoon session.
I really like that, because it shows what is the most important goal and desire we should have for our children. First they need to feel and know of our love as parents toward them and that they are special and important and loved. Then we need to pray for them, that they will withstand temptation and evil and learn of God, and be good people willing to help those around them. I love the simplicity of the gospel.
Here is Alma 37:6 :
6 Now ye may suppose that this is afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
I am learning that this is so true. It is the simple decisions we make everyday that make the difference in our lives over the long run. I'm learning it with cleaning my house. When I follow Flylady's regimen, even though it may not seem like much to clean the bathroom everyday, it makes a huge difference, and the other little, small simple things do too. Same with raising kids. Teaching them, loving them, reading to them, cooking for them, helping them, may seem simple and unimportant because it is so constant, but those are the little things that turn into big things.
I'm so grateful to have a prophet of God remind us in simple terms of what is most important.
This is from President Monson's final talk at General Conference this April 2009 Sunday afternoon session.
I really like that, because it shows what is the most important goal and desire we should have for our children. First they need to feel and know of our love as parents toward them and that they are special and important and loved. Then we need to pray for them, that they will withstand temptation and evil and learn of God, and be good people willing to help those around them. I love the simplicity of the gospel.
Here is Alma 37:6 :
6 Now ye may suppose that this is afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
I am learning that this is so true. It is the simple decisions we make everyday that make the difference in our lives over the long run. I'm learning it with cleaning my house. When I follow Flylady's regimen, even though it may not seem like much to clean the bathroom everyday, it makes a huge difference, and the other little, small simple things do too. Same with raising kids. Teaching them, loving them, reading to them, cooking for them, helping them, may seem simple and unimportant because it is so constant, but those are the little things that turn into big things.
I'm so grateful to have a prophet of God remind us in simple terms of what is most important.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
General Conference
I thoroughly enjoyed general conference today and yesterday, although it can be hard to get everything and hear everything in those 8 hours (10 hours if you're a priesthood holder) over 2 days especially when there are little ones who need attention and it's just a long time to stay focused with everything else going on. But what I heard, I really liked and enjoyed and my cup was filled.
My favorite talk was from Elder Hales Saturday morning on living within our means and accepting that we can't afford everything we might want. He has a good wife to refuse to allow him to spend their money on her when he really wanted to. What a great example.
I enjoyed all the good examples of righteous living and stories of people choosing the right. The gospel really is so simple and good and straightforward. Something I'm learning is that if a teaching, philosophy or idea claims to have higher knowledge or a new view and better of things, it probably doesn't. There is probably a flaw. If it is hard to grasp or understand, it is probably because it's not right and the presenter has to try to take you down another path in order to accept their strange notion. Anyway, the gospel is not like that. It is simple and true and real and open and easy to understand.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He loves us. He wants us home. He wants us to be happy. He understands our pain and sorrow. Nothing is too much for Him. He loves us so much, He will help us follow His ways and keep His commandments and get and stay on the straight and narrow path. I am so grateful for this gospel. I am so grateful to have the true church on the earth again. I am so grateful for a living prophet and apostles with so much love and wisdom to direct His church with the proper priesthood authority from God. My heart is full of gratitude and love.
You can watch it for yourself at www.lds.org .
Groetens! Tot Ziens!! (til next time, that's Dutch!)
My favorite talk was from Elder Hales Saturday morning on living within our means and accepting that we can't afford everything we might want. He has a good wife to refuse to allow him to spend their money on her when he really wanted to. What a great example.
I enjoyed all the good examples of righteous living and stories of people choosing the right. The gospel really is so simple and good and straightforward. Something I'm learning is that if a teaching, philosophy or idea claims to have higher knowledge or a new view and better of things, it probably doesn't. There is probably a flaw. If it is hard to grasp or understand, it is probably because it's not right and the presenter has to try to take you down another path in order to accept their strange notion. Anyway, the gospel is not like that. It is simple and true and real and open and easy to understand.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He loves us. He wants us home. He wants us to be happy. He understands our pain and sorrow. Nothing is too much for Him. He loves us so much, He will help us follow His ways and keep His commandments and get and stay on the straight and narrow path. I am so grateful for this gospel. I am so grateful to have the true church on the earth again. I am so grateful for a living prophet and apostles with so much love and wisdom to direct His church with the proper priesthood authority from God. My heart is full of gratitude and love.
You can watch it for yourself at www.lds.org .
Groetens! Tot Ziens!! (til next time, that's Dutch!)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Answer to Life's Problems-- Sunday Verse
After all this energy I have expended on Love and Logic, it is nice to know that there is an answer to the evil. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are some of the words of King Benjamin:
Mosiah chapter 4:
" 9 Believe in aGod; believe that he is, and that he bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all cwisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
He continues with how we should act:
"13 And ye will not have a amind to injure one another, but to live bpeaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due."
Here's how we should raise our children and teach them, notice he uses the word teach, not inspire, not make them figure it out and suffer consequences -- TEACH them:
"14 And ye will not suffer your achildren that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye bsuffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and cquarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the devil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
Mosiah chapter 4:
" 9 Believe in aGod; believe that he is, and that he bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all cwisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have atasted of his love, and have received a bremission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own cnothingness, and his dgoodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of ehumility, fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing gsteadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
He continues with how we should act:
"13 And ye will not have a amind to injure one another, but to live bpeaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due."
Here's how we should raise our children and teach them, notice he uses the word teach, not inspire, not make them figure it out and suffer consequences -- TEACH them:
"14 And ye will not suffer your achildren that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye bsuffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and cquarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the devil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
15 But ye will ateach them to bwalk in the ways of truth and csoberness; ye will teach them to dlove one another, and to serve one another."
In light of Love and Logic and other strange educational philosophies I have been dealing with, this scripture came to mind:
"29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them."
We have to be more careful and more discerning about things we think are good. If it is not simple and strait and narrow, then it is probably not good. If it is not meek and humble and easy, and something that everyone could do if they wanted, then it is probably not good. The gospel is simple. It is the way to happiness. We don't need to know the mysteries to be happy. Enjoy your children, your husbands and wives. Be happy. Stop trying to find hidden meanings and deeper understanding. There are several scriptures that say this:
In light of Love and Logic and other strange educational philosophies I have been dealing with, this scripture came to mind:
"29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them."
We have to be more careful and more discerning about things we think are good. If it is not simple and strait and narrow, then it is probably not good. If it is not meek and humble and easy, and something that everyone could do if they wanted, then it is probably not good. The gospel is simple. It is the way to happiness. We don't need to know the mysteries to be happy. Enjoy your children, your husbands and wives. Be happy. Stop trying to find hidden meanings and deeper understanding. There are several scriptures that say this:
- 13 ¶ Enter ye in at the astrait bgate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to cdestruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday Verse - one of my favorites!
One of my favorites sections of scripture, it never ceases to touch me and inspire me to do a little better: Doctrine and Covenants Section 6:33-37
33 aFear not to do bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow dgood ye shall also reap good for your ereward.
33 aFear not to do bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow dgood ye shall also reap good for your ereward.
35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and asin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Motherhood -- What makes a Super Mom?
Cnn.com had a self report topic at the bottom of their page today on Super moms.
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=219983
It saddens me to see women, good women, good mothers write about and really believe that to be a super mom you have to balance work and home responsibilities or run a business. One lady was in the military when her baby was born, and she left the baby soon after to fulfill her orders, then came back and finished school and is now working to go to law school and is pregnant with baby #3. They write as though working and sending your baby to daycare is the norm.
It did look like there may have been some that actually stayed home and took care of their own children. There was one who worked on a family business and homeschooled her kids and worked with them, so obviously she got to spend time with them. I hope there were others, and honestly most the people I know stay home with their kids and really enjoy them.
Why do we need more than that? Why isn't the following description of a supermom enough?:
I quit work and stayed home with my baby from the time she/he was born. My education, my glory, my objectives were put on hold. Now it is my turn to give to my baby what I was given or wish I had been given. Her/his needs come first. Baby/Toddler/child needs time and that's what I give. Daddy works to support us as any real and honorable man should. We do whatever it takes to keep me home. I want to be the one to clean off those sticky hands and face. I want to be the one to put that little guy in his crib for a nap. I want to be the one that baby runs to in time of need. I even want to be the one who changes diapers and potty trains!! That's a mother!! That's it!! With little kids, just keeping the house somewhat clean and meals on the table is a huge accomplishment enough to be a SUPERMOM!!
Does this mean that a mother shouldn't do anything that doesn't involve her children? Of course not!! It just means that in the list of priorities, the children are first. They grow fast. They are only little once. There will be plenty of time to do other things when they are grown. But there will be no way to go back to their childhood. It doesn't take much Mom time to feel refreshed because being a mother takes brainpower and skill, and it is very rewarding to see your children growing up and figuring things out. Mothers do so much that we take for granted until we try it such as: running a household, serving nutritious meals, gardening, exercising, cooking, cleaning, organizing, beautifying, understanding child development, teaching, nurturing, nursing, learning patience and love and the list goes on and on!! Mothers even get more time to do things they enjoy like read, write, play music, play with the kids, discover a new world through the eyes of the child, teach a completely clean slate etc. And when those tired little people take a nap or go to bed--you get to do what you want.
Does this mean, it is easy? No!! Nothing worthwhile is easy. But it is worth the effort and the so-called sacrifice.
I feel pretty fortunate to admit that staying home has never felt like a sacrifice to me. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of it. I know it is not a possibility for everyone. I especially feel for single mothers who have no husband to care for them and their children. That is very sad. But it does seem like more could stay home than do. It's really not good in this kind of economy either, because so many households depend on 2 incomes and the probability of one of the wage earners losing their job is that much higher putting more families at risk, plus that 2nd income earner is not there to take a new job til things get better. It is just bad news for the family, there's no cushion.
Am I glad I chose to stay home and was able to have a bunch of babies? Yes!! I love it. I learn something new everyday and I know that my work is worthwhile and my kids know that I love them and that I am there for them. Is is hard sometimes? Yes, but then they will say something cute and make it all better. Will I regret it? I doubt it. I was fortunate to travel a bunch, graduate from college, work a little, compete in sports, and do other interesting things, and none of it compared even slightly to the experience of being a mother. There really was nothing better to me!! I know they will continue to grow way too fast, my oldest is almost 10, and I don't want to miss a minute. I want no regrets--don't they always say that people on their deathbeds seldom wish they had worked longer hours, but they often wish they had spent more time with the people they love.
To close this rant here is a quote from the visiting teaching message for February 2009 from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Relief Society of the church is the largest women's organization in the world):
Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president: “I have a testimony gained from pondering and studying the scriptures of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father’s plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was given to us. We can’t delegate it. We can’t pass it off to anyone. It’s ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do.”
I couldn't have said it better myself. Enjoy your children, spend as much time as you possibly can with them. Stay home with them, watch the bugs and the clouds and the trees and the sky with them. That's a SUPER MOM!!!
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=219983
It saddens me to see women, good women, good mothers write about and really believe that to be a super mom you have to balance work and home responsibilities or run a business. One lady was in the military when her baby was born, and she left the baby soon after to fulfill her orders, then came back and finished school and is now working to go to law school and is pregnant with baby #3. They write as though working and sending your baby to daycare is the norm.
It did look like there may have been some that actually stayed home and took care of their own children. There was one who worked on a family business and homeschooled her kids and worked with them, so obviously she got to spend time with them. I hope there were others, and honestly most the people I know stay home with their kids and really enjoy them.
Why do we need more than that? Why isn't the following description of a supermom enough?:
I quit work and stayed home with my baby from the time she/he was born. My education, my glory, my objectives were put on hold. Now it is my turn to give to my baby what I was given or wish I had been given. Her/his needs come first. Baby/Toddler/child needs time and that's what I give. Daddy works to support us as any real and honorable man should. We do whatever it takes to keep me home. I want to be the one to clean off those sticky hands and face. I want to be the one to put that little guy in his crib for a nap. I want to be the one that baby runs to in time of need. I even want to be the one who changes diapers and potty trains!! That's a mother!! That's it!! With little kids, just keeping the house somewhat clean and meals on the table is a huge accomplishment enough to be a SUPERMOM!!
Does this mean that a mother shouldn't do anything that doesn't involve her children? Of course not!! It just means that in the list of priorities, the children are first. They grow fast. They are only little once. There will be plenty of time to do other things when they are grown. But there will be no way to go back to their childhood. It doesn't take much Mom time to feel refreshed because being a mother takes brainpower and skill, and it is very rewarding to see your children growing up and figuring things out. Mothers do so much that we take for granted until we try it such as: running a household, serving nutritious meals, gardening, exercising, cooking, cleaning, organizing, beautifying, understanding child development, teaching, nurturing, nursing, learning patience and love and the list goes on and on!! Mothers even get more time to do things they enjoy like read, write, play music, play with the kids, discover a new world through the eyes of the child, teach a completely clean slate etc. And when those tired little people take a nap or go to bed--you get to do what you want.
Does this mean, it is easy? No!! Nothing worthwhile is easy. But it is worth the effort and the so-called sacrifice.
I feel pretty fortunate to admit that staying home has never felt like a sacrifice to me. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of it. I know it is not a possibility for everyone. I especially feel for single mothers who have no husband to care for them and their children. That is very sad. But it does seem like more could stay home than do. It's really not good in this kind of economy either, because so many households depend on 2 incomes and the probability of one of the wage earners losing their job is that much higher putting more families at risk, plus that 2nd income earner is not there to take a new job til things get better. It is just bad news for the family, there's no cushion.
Am I glad I chose to stay home and was able to have a bunch of babies? Yes!! I love it. I learn something new everyday and I know that my work is worthwhile and my kids know that I love them and that I am there for them. Is is hard sometimes? Yes, but then they will say something cute and make it all better. Will I regret it? I doubt it. I was fortunate to travel a bunch, graduate from college, work a little, compete in sports, and do other interesting things, and none of it compared even slightly to the experience of being a mother. There really was nothing better to me!! I know they will continue to grow way too fast, my oldest is almost 10, and I don't want to miss a minute. I want no regrets--don't they always say that people on their deathbeds seldom wish they had worked longer hours, but they often wish they had spent more time with the people they love.
To close this rant here is a quote from the visiting teaching message for February 2009 from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Relief Society of the church is the largest women's organization in the world):
Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president: “I have a testimony gained from pondering and studying the scriptures of a plan of happiness given to us by our Father in Heaven. That plan has a part for His daughters. We have the female half to take care of, and if we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. The half of our Father’s plan that creates life, that nurtures souls, that promotes growth, that influences everything else was given to us. We can’t delegate it. We can’t pass it off to anyone. It’s ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do.”
I couldn't have said it better myself. Enjoy your children, spend as much time as you possibly can with them. Stay home with them, watch the bugs and the clouds and the trees and the sky with them. That's a SUPER MOM!!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Right for Me -- Musings 1
What is right for me, may not be right for someone else. I think this is why the scriptures are not super specific. Times change, circumstances change, ideas change, paradigms change and specifics change. Overall principles stay constant, but application of these principles vary from individual to individual.
Let's take cleaning the house: the overall principle of keeping a clean house is the same for everybody : you should keep your house clean and orderly. How you actually go about doing that varies greatly from person to person -- some people like to clean in the morning, others at night, some people like to or are able to do a lot of cleaning in one sitting, others have to spread it out throughout the week, some people have a lot to clean a big house etc. Some people are just naturally good at it and enjoy it. Others (like me) have to learn to make it a priority and clean up after themselves as they go along and it may take some time. ( Flylady is a great helper in this regard). The specifics don't really matter so much as long as the overall principle is kept -- clean house. Of course some ways may be better than others, but each individual must decide how far they want to go and how much they can do since we all have so many ways we could spend our time.
Another principle is to educate yourself. We are happy and excited when we can learn and do new things, but what we learn and how we learn it, will vary immensely from individual to individual. One person may love music and spend a lot of time with that. Someone else may love philosophy or art. Someone else may feel an urgent desire to learn how to garden for survival and be driven toward the goal of self-reliance. Another may want to learn how to sew, scrapbook, cook, clean, organize, read, write, science, mathematics etc, etc, etc. Just because our passions may be different doesn't mean that one is right and one is wrong. People can do 2 completely different things and be right, and keep the overall principle of educating oneself.
Another interesting twist to this idea is also that what may be right for one, may not be right for another. An example in my own life is sewing -- I taught myself how to sew when I first married and was pregnant with my first baby. I love to sew, but right now my time is taken caring for my growing children. Although I would love to make them all sorts of things, my time is much better spent cleaning, cooking, and teaching them, so in a way, for me sewing a whole bunch would be wrong, but it was wonderful for me when my time was a little more free and I was learning a new skill.
This is also why it is so important to not judge people or to compare yourself with others. You just don't know what is going inside people or even what is going on in their lives. What you think is awful or wonderful, may be just the opposite for them. So this is a great thing for me to always remember: Just do what is right for me and don't worry about everybody else. They are doing their best. The Lord loves them as much as he loves me and he will guide them just as he guides me. The only person I can control is myself, and the only sure way is to follow the Spirit, or my heart, whatever you want to call it, so that the Lord can guide me and help me along. Then I will be satisfied with where I am and what I've done. That is hard enough without worrying about everybody else!!
Let's take cleaning the house: the overall principle of keeping a clean house is the same for everybody : you should keep your house clean and orderly. How you actually go about doing that varies greatly from person to person -- some people like to clean in the morning, others at night, some people like to or are able to do a lot of cleaning in one sitting, others have to spread it out throughout the week, some people have a lot to clean a big house etc. Some people are just naturally good at it and enjoy it. Others (like me) have to learn to make it a priority and clean up after themselves as they go along and it may take some time. ( Flylady is a great helper in this regard). The specifics don't really matter so much as long as the overall principle is kept -- clean house. Of course some ways may be better than others, but each individual must decide how far they want to go and how much they can do since we all have so many ways we could spend our time.
Another principle is to educate yourself. We are happy and excited when we can learn and do new things, but what we learn and how we learn it, will vary immensely from individual to individual. One person may love music and spend a lot of time with that. Someone else may love philosophy or art. Someone else may feel an urgent desire to learn how to garden for survival and be driven toward the goal of self-reliance. Another may want to learn how to sew, scrapbook, cook, clean, organize, read, write, science, mathematics etc, etc, etc. Just because our passions may be different doesn't mean that one is right and one is wrong. People can do 2 completely different things and be right, and keep the overall principle of educating oneself.
Another interesting twist to this idea is also that what may be right for one, may not be right for another. An example in my own life is sewing -- I taught myself how to sew when I first married and was pregnant with my first baby. I love to sew, but right now my time is taken caring for my growing children. Although I would love to make them all sorts of things, my time is much better spent cleaning, cooking, and teaching them, so in a way, for me sewing a whole bunch would be wrong, but it was wonderful for me when my time was a little more free and I was learning a new skill.
This is also why it is so important to not judge people or to compare yourself with others. You just don't know what is going inside people or even what is going on in their lives. What you think is awful or wonderful, may be just the opposite for them. So this is a great thing for me to always remember: Just do what is right for me and don't worry about everybody else. They are doing their best. The Lord loves them as much as he loves me and he will guide them just as he guides me. The only person I can control is myself, and the only sure way is to follow the Spirit, or my heart, whatever you want to call it, so that the Lord can guide me and help me along. Then I will be satisfied with where I am and what I've done. That is hard enough without worrying about everybody else!!
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