happier this way

I've been off FB since the election, mostly.  Today recently lP said something so awesome I wanted to share it.  And I was tempted.  Then I came across an article that was so upsetting, I wanted to share that too...  And that's why I had to stop.  I can't avoid the drama. 

In other news, today I bought brusselsprouts on the stem!  Yay!  I'll post a picture of that when I find the device I took it on...  I know it came home but then where did it go?

Bedtime is hard, but not so bad.  The children mostly follow their routines and don't actually cry much or often.  I'm just going to take a moment and enjoy how much better it is than at some periods in our recent past.

This guy is so sweet and adorable when he's not crying. 

I had to stay home with sick kids on Sunday and sorted out the lego area and firepit/toy area.  I felt really good about using that time to make those areas more inviting to the children.  I also read many talks and cuddled little ones with coughs.  It was a very restful Sabbath.

Communicate

A few days ago G didn't have a good time at school and said he didn't want to talk about it.  The next day I deliberately asked him if he was feeling better at the dinner table.  I wanted to send the message that it's OK to talk with all of us.  P's family doesn't talk about peoples' business.  That's admirable.  I like to know when people are struggling so I can be supportive.

I think it's really important to talk things out.

Youth

Today we visited a tourist attraction in town with our Co-op.  We haven't visited this location for 4 years because they started charging residents for entry.  Can you believe it?  And it was totally worth it so I'm glad we went.  They have added several nice features.  We were there with our friends for 4 hours! 

I've been walking for the last 4 weeks thanks to some friends at church who helped me resolve to do it.  I'm so grateful for good friends that help you along the way to make good choices.  My sister and I used to walk/run when we were in college.  We had to wake up early and it was often cold.  I'm glad she helped me do that.  I feel like my body remembers that time and I'm surprised at how easily I can just get up and go walking before the whole house is awake.  I usually take at least one child with me, sometimes 4! 

We walk the mile around the block, then we have scriptures and prayer with the family.  Then by about 9am I am making breakfast.  Before I started walking we didn't have breakfast until then anyway.  So this is a great time for us.  I'm getting some exercise and we're reading the scriptures and we're not trying to fit it into a busy day.  We're just getting up earlier to get a good start on the day.

Not eating sugar helps me get up early.  When I eat sugar I wake up in pain.  It also helps that I'm not pregnant or nursing for the first time in 13 years!  But this is the first time in my life that I'm waking up to no aches and no sore feet.  I'm so grateful for the ability to avoid sugar.  In many ways I do feel better than I have felt in 13 years.  It's great!

young love meets young testimony

I met someone who grew up in the same faith as me.  When she was a teenager she was dating someone and wound up going to church with them more often than to her parent's church.  As we discussed her understanding of Evangelical doctrine versus mine, I thought it was interesting that she had a personal relationship with Christ, but didn't have a church structure that supported that.

She said she grew up in a small congregation where everyone said the same things at Testimony meeting.  She even listed off a few points that I agree are often repeated at Testimony meeting.  They are repeated because they are important truths.  Things like "I know our Prophet is THE Prophet" and "I know families can be together forever" are important.

Our kids are currently being brainwashed to not date until college.  I hope their testimony is firmly in place by then.  Young love is addictive.  By college you are an adult and free to choose whether to go to church or not.  I hope none of the children ever stop going to church because they are in love and trying to please their girlfriend/boyfriend over serving God.

There is a doctrine that teaches that marriage is a relationship between a husband, wife and God.  And I believe that is very true.  If you marry someone who does not share a similar relationship with God, that will always be a tension in your relationship, unless you let go of your relationship with either God or your wife/husband. 

Today I also told the children that they should never take pictures of naked people or themselves naked.  This world is crazy.

Integrity

I had a decision to make.  There was a benefit I could claim if I broke the rules and lied.  So obviously I couldn't claim the benefit.  So I asked the people in charge of the benefit if we could have the benefit because we had worked hard but didn't technically qualify for the benefit.  Rather than break the rule, we asked the rule makers if they could make an exception.   We'll see how that goes.  It did actually hurt my pride to ask, but at least my integrity is intact today.

Timeline

For FHE we did a timeline activity.  I made labels for the various pre-historic eras and asked the children to draw pictures of animals.  The scribbles are B's contributions.  The one on the left is a jellyfish.  The dark blue one is "the biggest fish ever".  I wanted to post these eras of time on the fireplace because many of the rocks have fossils in them.  It's so cool.

I love doing these timeline activities with the children.  I feel like it's so educational to learn about things and be able to stick them in a context of history that you can see.

We read scriptures in the morning.  I've started to create a page about each book and post it on the wall as we finish.  I'm so grateful to have this time and mindset to focus on the children learning.

learning from the mistakes of others

The kids like to watch videos online like Grant Thompson, Dude Perfect, Lifehacks for kids...  I read recently of another youtuber that is being charged with child endangerment because of a stunt they did.  They filmed the child riding in the back of a pick-up full of water beads driving around town.  Later they dumped the beads which caused traffic problems and clogged the sewers.  So they are being charged with child endangerment and fined for illegal dumping.

I've told the children to stop watching these stunt videos.  People have always done dumb, dangerous, and destructive things to impress their dumb friends.  Now people are adding dumb to videos to attract attention online.  So they are doing more outrageous things to try to get more views.  And they are creating a video record so they can be prosecuted by the police. 

Kids, if you're going to be dumb, do so privately.  Anything you do can follow you for the rest of your life.  Anything you do and video or photograph and put on the internet, WILL follow you for the rest of your life.

Love,
Your Mother

relationships

Recently M and G have had some struggles.  G has hit a very hard part of his online class.  M has been learning that honesty is important to her parents.  We've been seeing how these struggles effect our relationships with each other.  When the we are upset, tired, guilty, we don't want to be with one another.  We also drive away the Holy Ghost with actions like staying up too late, or telling lies.   We can fix our relationships by saying sorry and acting honestly and helpful.

My kids have a strong "show off" streak.  I hope to teach them to be a "Show up" instead of a "Show off".  Put in the time, do the work, be honest in all your dealings.  Do things because they are good and the right thing to do, not to impress others.

after all we can do

This is a recent picture of me and the kids that go to a co-op.  Our co-op was on a field trip to a place with large reptiles and it's rather amazing how close you are to them and how very possible it would be for a child to fall in the water.  Yikes.  But we still enjoy going...

I taught Young Women's today about the Atonement.  The word "Sinners" is often used to describe those that need the atonement.  And I think most of us don't consider ourselves sinners.  So I focused on how the atonement is there for you when you need to repent, yes.  And the atonement is there for you to not feel alone or misunderstood because you have Christ, who understands everything we're going through.  And the atonement is there for you to be able to have eternal families and not loose the good you have created in this earth, but can't keep without a savior.

This movie helped me see that we will still lose the good we tried to do if not for a mediator because we are fallen.  We are fallen not because we are wicked.  And we are not wicked just because we are fallen.  Our choices make us wicked.  And we are fallen because Adam fell, so it is our nature as human beings, descended from Adam.  But we have a Savior.  I am so grateful for that.

If I'd never had children, it wouldn't be so bad that I couldn't be with them after this life.  But having had them, and they are good, I don't have the power to make our family eternal.  But Christ does, and has made resurrection possible.  And through temple ordinances administered through the priesthood, the power of God on earth, my family can be together forever.