My Missionary Service-Training

As part of my service I spent 10 weeks at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT.  (This is how everyone's service starts.)  My parents dropped my off, I was issued materials, assigned a dorm and given a couple hours to unpack before classes started.  My time there consisted of training which was vigorous.  Our instructors were amazing.  They were college students who had served full-time missions and taught us doctrine, language classes, and built up our faith by sharing their experiences.

 

Our average day we got up at 6:00 AM and went until 10:00 PM.  There is a cafeteria there and a gym (we had assigned times to use the gym) and we spent most our time in classes.  We learned to teach the basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ first in English and then in Spanish.  We took turns teaching other missionaries in training and had two hours of personal study each day to work on our knowledge base.  The schedule was rigorous but it was amazing how quickly we progressed.  There were challenging moments as we spent most of our time in a 10 X 15 classroom with the same 10 other people everyday but in the end I had 10 great friends who had shared their story of their faith growing and helped my faith to grow.

 

When the time came to fly out it was hard to say good bye to the MTC.  I was so touched by the people I met there and the experiences I had helped me be more prepared to go and give of myself.  One of the biggest lessons I took from the MTC was the realization that the Lord uses regular people to teach the gospel and do His work.  Peter was a fisherman who became a disciple and teacher, he wasn't an educated man or a man who was a great public speaker yet he was chosen.  This gave me some confidence that the Lord could shape me into someone that could help others.

Mother Tereasa once said something to the effect that I am just a pen, the Lord is the author, I am just an instrument.

Children And Media

 It's Summer at the King house which means lots of outside time!  Parks and lakes and playgrounds, Oh My!  We've had some serious reflections on how we spend our time lately.  Well, we've always been concerned about how we spend our leisure time and now that the kids are getting older I have become more interested in what is in their best interest.  I remember when my oldest turned about nine months old and I was thrilled that I could sit him in front of "Little Einsteins"  and he'd be entertained for an entire half hour.  It was a little while before I started wondering how much screen time was good for my child.  I found this article from the American Academy of Pediatrics that gave the guideline of media for children.  You can read the article by clicking here.  They recommend no TV (I interpret this to mean any time with an electronic device) for children under age 2 and for children and teens no more than 2 hours per day.  Two hours a day you say, how will I keep from going crazy.  I thought that too at first and would like to share some things that shaped my opinion.

My sister challenged me to a media fast about a year ago.  Her challenge was to stay away from things that were meant to entertain and focus on things that really matter.  I was allowed to set my own rules so I gave myself 10 minutes of facebook per day and left my cell phone home most days.  I was also encouraged to limit music and books unless they were spiritually uplifting.  I know, it sounds crazy and I'm so glad I did it.  My immediate recourse when I'm limiting my computer time is to read a book or listen to music so it was really hard at first but I started to notice a change in my home.  I noticed I wasn't really listening to my kids and most of the time it took them several times to get my attention.  The saddest part of all of this is they were so aware that they weren't getting my full attention.  I was, in essence, saying to them, "what I'm doing is more important than you."  I was amazed at how they would jabber constantly when we were driving when I was actually listening and they were so funny.  After a while I enjoyed listening to what my children were saying.  It was great.

So, after having this experience I realized I was in need of having my own media time limited.  I sat down with my husband and we set some limits.  I didn't want to go as extreme as I had during my media fast but it was clear I needed to make some changes.  We set up our router so our laptop has internet access only after 3 PM on week days (we have a desk top that's slow but I can still use it if it's something I really want to do).  We also put an internet curfew of 10 PM so there is no internet after that time (I found I was staying up late on the computer and not getting enough rest and was a bear to my children the next day).  I'm much more pleasant when I haven't been sucked into a screen for hours on end and my whole family benefits.

I've noticed that my kids have the same tendency to be grumpy when I turn their computer game or TV show off.  We've tried several things to help this.  I once had my kids earn their TV time by doing chores (at that time my oldest could earn three tokens a day and they were worth 1/2 hour of screen time).  Now we have a designated TV time from 3:00-5:00 on week days but they have to straighten up the living room and put their toys away before they can have it.  We have also taught our children that media is a privilege and can be lost if their behavior isn't good.  Often they will fight in the morning and loose their privilege and I will give them an opportunity to earn it back by doing extra chores.  Some days they choose to go outside and play instead of doing the extra chores but it was their choice.

Anyway, we've tried several things to keep our kids involved with real life.  From what I've noticed they want to do what I do so the most important thing is to establish good habits myself and they will be prone to follow.  I worry about a society that is addicted to media and always has their face in a screen of some kind.  I honestly believe it isn't healthy and it's hurting us socially. So, you might wonder, what do you do with all that media-free time.  Here's some of the things we like to do:  make cookies, play with play dough, draw, read, sing, work in the yard, clean the house, visit a friend, play games (hide and seek, tag, cards, checkers, freeze tag...), build a fort, ride bikes, take walks, visit the park, go second hand shopping, canoeing, visit the library, invite a friend over, do letter worksheets, paint, and that is just the beginning. 

My life has been so much better as I've worked to make media an smaller part of it.  Family movie nights are a treat and there are even afternoons when I'm having a hard day that I sit with the kids and watch a movie with them during their TV time.  It's also helped me to focus on what's really important.  One of the strategies we've really applied to our parenting is to spend less money on our kids and more time with them.  I'm hoping that the good habits we develop now will help us get through life as our children grow and it gets more complicated.  I know things will change as our children grow and our methods will need to be adapted for our current situation but this is what's working right now.

Glass Houses

I ran across this blog today and was impressed with some of the things she had to share.  It's one of those "Mom Blogs."  This mom is named Sierra and her blog is called "His Eye is on The Sparrow."  I was first led to her through a facebook share of her post on not apologizing for the way our kids ask when they are acting like children (not bad manners but being excited or getting a little too loud).  You can read that post by clicking here.  Anyway, the post I really liked came from a friend of hers that does a quote of the day...I know sharing something someone else shared is lame but I really liked it.  She talked about how easy it is to judge others for their mothering choices  and to feel judged for our choices when the truth is we are all glass houses.  Do we realize how personal and difficult it is to make those decisions and how hurtful it is when someone criticizes our carefully made decisions?  Yes, I too am guilty of this.  The point is that we could all do better.  What I loved about this post is she pointed out the positive of both choices and did it in a humorous way; when describing the decision to use disposable diapers she says, man can those things hold a bunch.  The quote ended by simply saying, "Glass houses, friend. Glass houses." Please go read her full  post here.

My Missionary Service-The Decision To Serve

I've spent a good chunk of my time lately typing up my old journals.  I've always wanted to do it but since I love to write it is quite an undertaking.  My first project is the journal I wrote while serving a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  So as I'm working on this project you get to take part in reliving my missionary opportunity through a series of Missionary Service posts.

 

 The first part of my journey was in deciding to take that journey.  The decision to leave my college education for a 18 months was difficult.  I was nervous and unsure of my ability to share things that are so special to me with other people.  I knew I was committing to be away from my family and dedicate ALL my time to serving others and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For those that don't know part of committing to full-time service means leaving home for 18 months (two years for guys) and having contact only family only through e-mail once a week and letters.  We call home only on Mother's Day and Christmas.

I had felt in my heart that it was something the Lord wanted me to do but it took several months to convince myself that I was capable of actually doing it.  (I actually spent that time fighting with the Lord insisting I could not do this.) For a 20 year-old college student I was pretty unsure of myself.

 

I filled out my application and received my assignment to serve in the Quetzaltenango, Guatemala mission.  I barely knew where Guatemala was (my older sister had lived there for six months) but I was excited.  My fears of inadequacy did not diminish with time but little by little I learned that the Lord would make up for my shortcomings if I would only trust in Him and rely on His ability to work through me. 

 

What was to come was the most amazing, difficult, scary, rewarding time of my life to that point.  It was incredible what I learned and experienced through the next 18 months as the Lord molded me and changed me.  I learned what's really important in life and it was the best decision I've ever made (I would say marrying my husband was the best but if I hadn't grown as a person through my missionary service I would not have been worthy of my husband).  

Being The Mom-Ordinary Heroines

If I were to define the word mother my definition would be "ordinary heroines."  People who do extraordinary things everyday and don't realize their actions are herculean in nature and really amazing.  Those who carry a full bucket of awesome of which they are totally unaware.

I've been a mother for over five years now.  I must admit that I have learned a ton in that time and still quite often have moments when I feel I am an amateur and nowhere near the "ordinary heroine."  When I think of what it means to be a mother I think of the amazing women in my life that embody the term "Mother."  First there is my own mother who taught me that serving others means helping them in the way they want you to help them, even when it's doing a dirty job and that there is joy to be found in the dirtiest of jobs when you are serving others.  This has been of great value to me in doing the dirty jobs of motherhood.  I was also blessed with amazing grandmothers who were amazing examples of love, work, and tireless service.  My mother-in-law is also amazing to me.  I have known her for seven years now and most appreciate her for how easy she is to talk to, how loved I feel when I'm in her home and how my life is blessed everyday by the little lessons she taught her son.  I must also include in this group all the Young Women and Sunday School teachers I had during my teenage years.  They loved me so much at a time in my life when I was not very loveable and only now that I am trying to be one of those leaders do I truly appreciate how amazing they were and how much they blessed my life.

The most amazing thing about all these women is how ordinary they all think they are.  They have no idea how much they teach and touch other's lives.  Due to the awesomeness of these women I have always had a hard time placing myself in their ranks.  I very often have caught myself using the term "mother" in the third person with my children as if there is some other person who knows all the answers and has ultimate authority in all matters (and a full bucket of awesome).

Today I am recognizing how far I've come and officially declaring, "I am a Mother!"  I know I have so much to learn and I will spend the rest of my life slowly filling my bucket of awesome by "mothering" those around me and learning by serving each day.  Thank you to all those mothers who have patiently taught me and continue to teach through example and loving counsel.  You are helping me become the woman of God I want to be and being a mother is a huge part of that.

I also want to recognize the amazing contributions of those who have no children of their own and engage in the work of motherhood in working and blessing the lives of their extended families, church congregations and communities.  You have no idea how much good you do.  Your bucket of awesome is overflowing and you are the most unaware of it.  Thank you.

Smarter Everyday

My husband is an engineer.  In short this means he likes math, science and building things.  The other day he came across this youtube channel called "Smarter Everyday."  They teach science concepts in everyday concepts and explain how they work.

This man is from Alabama and he's just an "average joe" kind of guy who I'm pretty sure is an engineer.  What I like about it is his explanations are simple (minus the math part) and he's really funny.  I keep telling my hubby that if we lived in Alabama I'm sure he'd be friends with this guy.

So take a minute and check it out.  You just might get smarter. :)

Please Feed The Fish

I used to love animals...I guess I still do but am much more aware now of how much work they are...and I have children. Growing up we almost always had a dog, a handful of cats (to eat the mice), a horse and off and on we had other animals including sheep, calves, pigs and wild rabbits.  In the almost seven years we've been married we have often talked of getting a pet.  My husband is partial to birds and fish and I'd rather have a dog or cat.  After a long, somewhat silly conversation one day we had decided the only practical pets we could stand right now would be a pigmy goat or a miniature donkey and we came to that conclusion only because it would eat the lawn.  Neither one of us was serious and the only pet we've had to date, besides our children which totally count as pets, is our virtual fish that live on this blog.  My three-year-old asks if he can feed them almost everyday when I'm working on my computer but half the time I tell him no.  So, when you stop by the blog feed the fish they love it and I'm sure they won't get huge like Otis in the book "Fish Out Of Water."

Rainy Day Marshmallows

It started to pour at about noon today.  We'd already been outside for part of the day so we were ready to be inside but not ready to stop our adventures...so I got to try out my new rocket stove. (You can see it built up in my fireplace with bricks.  It keeps the fire contained and functional.)

We used skewers for marshmallow sticks.  The littles barely warmed their marshmallows before they ate them up.  After eating about a half dozen each I cut them off and we let the fire burn out.

 

I will admit my fire building skills need some work, we mostly burned strips of cardboard that I rolled up next to a piece of wood that eventually burned up.  I loved that the rocket stove limited the amount I could stick in and kept the fire so small and contained.  The design is for cooking as the fire is contained so you can put a pot on and cook.  I look forward to many more adventures cooking this way.

Weeds

Our yard is full of dandelions, like most lawns.  They like to come in and take over.  I spent an hour out in my yard pulling dandelions yesterday.  I had decided if I can't get rid of them I can at least slow them down by picking the flowers before they go to seed.  I must admit it was unforgiving work and I'm not sure I made a dent, although I did get this happy feeling when I looked out my kitchen and noticed the absence of the yellow flowers when I look out my kitchen window.  The bad news is that I started with the side of the yard that wasn't as thick with them.

 

All this time I spent pulling me out got me thinking.  As I looked at the seeds I thought how amazing it is that I was looking at the tiny seeds and how much potential there is in that one seed to make a big dandelion plant which will, in turn create more seeds until my yard is full of them. So, it there is that much potential in a little seed how much potential is in a person?  How much effect does a kind word or an act of service have?  Random acts of kindness are like those dandelions, they lead to more.  So the next time you have the opportunity to do something good, something small that will make a difference, don't hesitate.  You never know how much good you do.

Back To Basics

I was cleaning my kitchen today and there was a smell, you know the one, that musty, yucky seemingly untraceable smell that begs the question “what happened here?”  Being a bit of a neat freak I really don’t like my kitchen to ever have one of those mystery smells.  I proceeded to do dishes, clean out the sink, wash counters and wipe everything down.  It was toward the end of my cleaning that I found a bag sitting on my counter full of food garbage to put out in the compost bin.  It was stinky and a simple fix to my smelly problem.  It would seem natural when faced with a smelly kitchen to first take out the garbage, start with the obvious and go from there.

Life often gives us difficulties and just like with my kitchen smell we often seek a complicated solution to our problems instead of going back to the basics.  A couple months ago I was feeling depressed (which is not uncommon for me during the gray time of year) and I got all kinds of advice about what to do.  In the end, getting back to the basics helped more than anything.  I found that when I start my day with prayer and scripture study it sets a better tone for my day and improves my mood.  I also found that going to bed at a consistent time and NEVER skipping meals makes a huge difference.  Drinking water also improves my mood and energy level very quickly. 

Exercise also makes a huge difference.  I’m a huge advocate of yoga, yes it looks ridiculous, yes you will feel silly until you get the hang of it but you can do it in your pajamas, you don’t even have to put shoes on and hulu.com has several programs that are FREE. Maybe I’ll get brave and post a picture of myself doing yoga someday…because I want the world to see me in my pajamas…never mind, that’s NEVER going to happen. 

So the next time you have a problem or are feeling a little down get back to the basics.  Prayer, scripture reading, sleep, food and exercise.  You’ll be surprised how much difference it makes in your life.  Oh, and while I’m on my soap box teach your children the basics too.  I have met so many people whose households are in total chaos and my first question is always “Is everyone getting enough sleep.”  Watch Super Nanny if you need some ideas but teach your kids to go to bed and get some good sleep.  If your kids are hard find more resources to help you.  Also, teach your kids to eat a variety of foods.  So many parents give up when their kids spit something out the first time, their tastes change everyday and most of the time my kids have to try something three times before they start to like it.  They will be healthier and happier if they will learn to eat a variety of foods and it will make feeding them so much easier.  Okay, I’m putting my soap box away.

Get back to basics, find joy in everyday and live a happy life.  Yes there will be challenges but when you take care of the basics first you can handle the crazy… and yes, there will be crazy. :)

Forgiveness

My husband was asked to speak in church  some time ago, his topic was Forgiveness.  He shared a story about a man who delivered milk to an Amish community.  One day the man went into the town and shot several people before taking his own life.  The Amish community must have been suffering terribly for the loss of life that had been caused by this troubled man.  In their grief they reached out to the family of the milkman and offered their forgivness and love.  My husband expressed how great an example this had been in his life of forgivness when we have been wronged.

The story was very touching and came from a conference address entitled The Healing Power of Forgiveness .  (You can click the title to read the entire message.)  After sharing the impact this story had on his life my husband said something to the effect of, "I haven't anything major to forgive in my life and the most I've had to use forgiveness is with my wife."  As these words left his mouth I felt several heads turn in my direction to catch my reaction to his comment.  I'm sure they were all wondering what caused his remarks and if he'd be in trouble later.

The truth is that we haven't had anything huge happen between us and we hardly ever even disagree.  Knowing this, what he meant by his comment was that we forgive the little things and it has been a blessing in our marriage.  At that point I had a choice, I could be angry with my husband for seemingly airing our dirty laundry to our entire church congregation or I could take the comment for what he meant, not what he said and feel happy to have such a great husband.  Luckily, I chose the later.  I had several people stop me in the hall and inquire what that was all about and I was already prepared to say, "No, he's not in trouble, I know what he meant."

We were watching a movie the other day called Faith Like Potatoes, in the movie the main charactor is a farmer/preacher and at one point they had a terrible tragedy in their family.  His wife was walking down the street one day and someone said to her, "If you'd had more faith this would not have happened."  She was taken aback by the comment but continued on her way.  When she got to the restaurant where she was meeting a friend for lunch she had tears in her eyes.  When her friend asked what was the matter she replied simply, "someone said something thoughtless."

How often are we approached by individuals who make comments that are terribly hurtful.  Many times they are unaware of our current challenges and almost all the time would have held their tongue if they had known how much hurt their remarks would cause.  So there is a two fold challenge in this; first, to try not to make comments when you are unaware of the situation and thus aviod causing offense, the second I believe is far more difficult, making a decision to not take offense when such comments are made toward us, to realize that it was a thoughtless remark and let it go.

Betty Lou Porritt Crozier

Last Friday my amazing Grandmother passed away.  She was 82 years old.  When we returned home I was visiting with my neighbor who asked me, "Did she know Christ?"  I understand the meaning of her question and should have answered that not only did she know Christ she followed his example in the way she lived.  She loved her family, she loved her neighbors, she was a happy person and never afriad to work.  She was patient and kind and an amazing example.  She raised five sons and a daughter all of whom are genuinly good people one of which is my father.  Nothing I could say would be a sufficient tribute to the life she lived.  What I will say is that she will be greatly missed by many and we all look forward to a happy reunion with her in the next life.

 

When I was young I was always puzzled at the great saddness that was prevelant when someone passed away.  I had been taught about life after death and knew it to be a good place and the thought of being reunited with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ was such a happy prospect that I didn't understand all the sadness.  What I have learned since then is that the saddness we feel at the death of a loved one is not evidence of a lack of faith but evidence of our love for them.  We grieve for the time we will be apart from them and it is good to grieve.  I know that one day I will see my dear grandmother again and am so glad of the peace it gives me and the motivation to live in a way that will continue her legacy of love, faith and endurance.

Daddy Time

My husband likes to take things apart.  A couple of days ago he had pulled the DVD player apart for a repair.  The littles watched in awe of all the little screws and parts and were instructed only to watch, not to touch.  The repair job worked for about 30 minutes before breaking again and we discussed what could be done.

We came to the conclusion that it should be disassembled as a learning experience and the kids could spend some quality time with their Dad. 

 They had so much fun finding all the screws and taking them out one by one, actually two by two as they both had screwdrivers.  At each step Matt told them the names of the parts and then quizzed them later.  They spent the better part of an hour playing with it.

So the next time a small appliance breaks in our house it will be saved for future dissasembling with Dad.  There's nothing like some quality time taking things apart and it's hard to say who of the three enjoyed it more. :)

Setting The Tone For The Day

Why is it that the tone of the day is set in the first ten minutes?  It seems like everyday, within moments of waking I can feel what kind of day I'm going to have.  Today started with the thud of my three-year-old kicking the wall.  This is pretty normal.  Before long there were feet coming up the hallway and a five-year-old informing me that he had wet the bed.  Before I knew it the little one was frieking out about what we were making for breakfast and the older one was refusing to take a shower.  So I decided we'd try starting over again.  I put the little one back in bed and told him we were going to start over again...he came out a few minutes later with a better attitude. (Thanks Angie for teaching me that trick!)  Next I stuck the big one in the shower. Despite his protests he came out clean and calmer than before.

 

I was determined to not let that ruin our day.  I sat and visited with them while we ate breakfast and re-set our mindset for the day.  Later in the day we visited the dollar store and that was an adventure as always.  The afternoon has been pleasantly quiet except for one biting incident and we're all over it now.

Serving Our Children

I was asked to share an experience with our church women's group about serving our families, specifically small children.  I was amazed at what came out when I began to type.  Then I was asked to share these thoughts at a conference this morning.  The following is what I shared:

 

Ministering to our families is a tender subject to me as being a mother did NOT come naturally. I remember the first time I heard my own child cry, I knew my life would never be the same. I had a moment of panic in the hospital when the baby was fussing and they brought him to me. All of a sudden I was supposed to know exactly what to do.  I spent most of the next two years frustrated at my inability to serve in a capacity that seems to come so naturally to so many. Even though I struggled there was never any doubt in my mind that this was the work that the Lord intended for me to do; knowing that made it easier to serve.

As time went on my daily prayers for help in teaching and serving my family became more fervent. Before long I was called to nursery. I learned so much through my missteps and started to feel confident in serving these little children. Despite my insecurities we welcomed a second little boy into our family two years after the first. My prayers became more focused as my time was divided between these little ones and my husband. Before long I felt impressed to start a play group that ended up including 10 children. The following year I participated in a joy school and continued to develop my abilities. The Lord had found a way to teach me to better serve my children through teaching and interacting with them in a more formal setting.

Many times the best way I can serve my family, especially my young children, is to involve them in what I am doing. Sometimes they need me to drop what I am doing and do something with them. Last fall we would often drop everything when the sun peeked out  and take a walk or ride bikes to take advantage of the moments of good weather. Many times we would collect leaves and sticks, play at the park, splash in puddles or watch birds. Another way I serve my children is being available for moral support. Many times when they are performing a task they can do on their own but just need a little encouragement. It takes patience to stay by them but many times a little moral support is all they need.

I have to laugh a little whenever anyone compliments my ability to teach pre-school age children. “You are such a natural,” they say.  I assure you it did not come naturally. Each step I take toward being a better mother and teacher is a battle hard fought but worth every effort. I truly feel that I have been blessed for taking on this calling in my life despite my inadequacies. When we seek to do the Lord’s work He has promised to make a way for us to accomplish what He commands us to do. I really see this as I strive to serve my children.

I have always been a little ashamed to admit to my shortcomings and I was amazed at how liberating it was to share and surprised to see how much I have grown in the past five years. It is my hope that this will help someone else who is struggling find their voice.

 



Memories of Fall

Today it's cold outside and not looking like spring is ever going to come.  So I'm thinking back on all the fun we had before the weather got cold.  This year we visited Thomasson Farms, it's one of my favorite places to go in October.

They have lots of activities for the littles and we've gone every year for the past three years.  We actually went twice this year.  They've even expanded from last year.

This got me to thinking about the analogy of the winters in our lives.

We have seasons of growth where we are motivated, learning and growing...

We have seasons when we feel stagnent and our growth becomes dormant and I become frustrated, stuck in a rut...

but even in the winter of our lives we can hold on to the memories of the periods of growth...

and the joyful times we have had.

Turning Criticism to Confidence

In high school I had determined that life as a hermit was ideal.  I didn't hate high school but it presented enough challenges to make a life of seclusion seem a viable option.  I always had an attitude that the opinions of others didn't matter to me and especially ignored the opinions of my attention seeking peers.  I continued with this attitude through college and it worked out pretty well.

 

As a new mother I found myself constantly second guessing my decisions.  I felt so clueless and was constantly asking other people for advice.  It wasn't too long before I started seeking the approval of those whose opinions I sought.  Before long I was driving myself crazy; whenever someone would give a suggesion I would think, "oh no, I'm doing it wrong."  I stessed about this for a long time before I finally figured out the solution to my predicament.

 

I needed to change my decision making process.  When I was faced with a situation with my children I needed to stop and evaluate what the real issues were.  Then I would get suggestions from several people and maybe even read a parenting book before making making my decision.  This process helped me to make informed decisions that I could feel good about.  Also, it helped me to understand my reasoning for doing what I chose to do so when someone would offer a suggestion that sounded critical I could use that as an opportunity to explore the issue and could then be confident that I had made a decision with which I was comfortable.  It also gave me the confidence to tell my children, "This is what we do at our house." 

I Am Superman

"Be yourself, unless you can be Batman, ALWAYS BE BATMAN."

I don't remember when I first heard this statement but it made me laugh so much.  My children, especially my oldest loves Batman.  My littel ones love to play super heros.  Three days ago my husband came home from work and joined the kids dressing up and playing superheros.  For a moment I forgot about all the stress in my life and my "to do" list and joined in as well.  The look on my husband's face as I came running down the hall in a breasplate with a sword was priceless.  I probably participated for about five minutes and it totally changed my day.  So there's my first lesson on superheros, don't take life too seriously.

 

There is something intrigueing about the stories of the average guy turned super hero; Batman, Spiderman, Green Lantern, Captain America, Fantastic 4, Iron Man they were all pretty normal guys who became something spectacular.  I am drawn to them because they tell me that anyone can be extraordinary, and that's superhero lesson two, anyone can make a difference.

 

I recently watched the Avengers...multiple times.  My superhero feddish was only fueled by YouTube videos HISHE (how it should have ended) and their series of Superhero Cafe. Check them out HERE.  I also spent many an evening over the past couple months sewing capes and masks for my kids for Christmas.  It was the most fun I've ever had on a project (I also sucked a few friends into my project and we had so much fun, Thanks Melynda, Kari and Angela!).  My normal bedtime is between 9:00 and 10:00 and there were nights I'd think, I'm okay to do a little more.  Everytime I tried to push myself beyond 10:00 something went wrong with my sewing and I spent the next 15 minutes undoing what I'd tried to do.  So, my last superhero lesson for the day is, know your limits.  There are days when you can run around getting tons of stuff done and feel great about it but chances are you are going to pay for it the next day.  Even the Avengers needed some time off after a hectic day of fighting evil.

 

So, I guess I need to modify the saying from the beginning.  "Always be yorself, take time to be Batman, or my personal favorite, Superman, but always come back to being yourself."

I Figured It Out

 

I figured out how to put pictures on my blog again...and it only took me half an hour. :)  I'm pretty proud of myself and had to share this picture from our snow day.  We played outside two days after Christmas and it was so much fun.

 



Drops of Awesome

This mother shared so pointedly what I needed to hear today.  Please read her blog here.  She talks about how we need to celebrate little victories and not let our shortcomings deter from our successes.  I just had to put this up for all my readers as it touched me so much.

A Very Merry Christmas

We have spent Christmas at my families or my in-laws for five or our six married Christmases.  I'm always surprised at the effect being around my family has on me.  My little ones LOVE going to visit the grandparents and I find so much joy in the fact that they have influence in my children's lives.  We live so far from almost all of our family that it is so fun to get a glimpse into your lives if even for a couple of days.  I'm so impressed how much we work and change in six months time.  I was so impressed at the conversations I had with my little sister who is very much a mature, perseptive, kind, beautiful woman.  We used to squabble all the time, now I will miss her dearly when she moves to Wyoming.  For all of you who shared in our holidays, Thank You, we love and appreciate opening your homes and hearts to us. (And your patience with the stomach bug we seem to bring with us each year.)  For all of you who we didn't see this year, you were greatly missed and we hope to see you soon. There's a reunion this summer and we hope you can make it.  If not, just know we are thinking of you and hope you are well and finding joy in your lives. 

 

I feel so very blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.  As I started my Christmas list this year there were so many that I wanted to give something as a sign of my appreciation and the list just got too long.  So if we missed you this year please know you were thought of and my heart was very full as I counted my blessings this Christmas.

I have pictures but am having trouble figuring out how to download them.  So you must all wait in suspense. :)



A New Year

As I look back over the past year I feel joy at all the good memories we’ve made.  I’m especially amazed that, despite their best efforts, my children have not managed to kill themselves.  It has been a year full of jumping and climbing, falling and flying, bike riding, running, and playing super heroes.  It has been so fun to see my children’s imaginations grow and their minds soak up so many new things.

I can’t say that the change in myself is as obvious as that of my young children.  I spent some time being angry with everyone and being quite introverted for a time.  Luckily, that time passed and I came out with a greater understanding of my need for good people in my life and my need for friends.  I have also come to find joy in serving my husband this year that I had not felt since our early days of marriage.

This year has been a year for working with children and I have taught and been taught by so many little ones.  I had the blessing of teaching the 6 year old Sunday School class at church.  I have mostly worked with little boys, teenagers and babies up until now and it has been a joy to be part of these five little girl’s lives this year.  It has given me a new appreciation for these vibrant young children as they are slowly outgrowing their childish ways.

I learned this year that I love to be outside, especially with my family.  I also learned that the time I want to be alone is the best time to reach out to someone else.  I also came to remember how much I love the beauty of written word, art and music when it is done well.  It is my hope that in this new year we will all take time to find beauty in the things and people all around us and thank God for them every day.