Thankful Thirty #26 (Service)

Source: crosscards.com via Michelle on Pinterest

I'm grateful for the sweet woman who held a twin during church  
so my husband and I could wrangle older children without killing all of them.

Thankful Thirty #25 (Children)

Source: pinterestcommunity.com via Michelle on Pinterest

My husband took my oldest son up the canyon for his first ski lesson of the season today and left me at home with our three littler boys.  IT WAS SO NICE!

I can't remember the last time my house was so quiet.  I can't remember the last time I've gone an entire day without yelling.  It was fun to watch our 2-year-old playing what he wanted to play for as long as he wanted to play it.  It was nice to read a book while feeding the babies instead of squeezing bottles into my role as referee.  And it was really nice to be showered in hugs and help when the ski day was through.

Another day like this might not come again for quite some time, but that's okay.  It's not one I plan on forgetting any time soon.

I'm grateful for an uplifting change in routine.

Thankful Thirty #20 (Humility)

"I want, I want, I want!"  I'm sick of hearing it already.  The Toys 'R Us toy catalog came in the mail nearly a month ago and I haven't had a quiet day since.  Every time I think I've hidden it, thrown it away, or incinerated it the blasted magazine reappears, a little more banged up, but still readable and enticing.  My kids are begging me for things they've never heard of and I guarantee would hate as soon as they found it underneath the Christmas tree. To try and combat the vacuum of materialism that can put a damper on the holidays, we sat down as a family tonight for a lesson I called "I Want/I Have." First we did an activity I adapted from the Groovy Storytimes blog.  She said,

For an object lesson on greed, build a small "table." Use building blocks at either end for legs, and a rectangle of thin cardboard, (I used a postcard) for the top...Place a small pile of small stones beside the "table."(We used building blocks) Pick up one of the stones and say, "I want a _______." Fill in any item that you know your kids like. Place that stone on the cardboard tabletop. Pick up another stone and repeat.  Again, fill in the blank with anything, from a bicycle to a Playstation to a pet dinosaur. Place this stone beside the first one on the cardboard. Continue in this fashion until there are so many stones on the cardboard that it collapses. Explain to the children that, if we're not careful, our "wants" can overwhelm us.

Everyone in our family took a turn doing this and then we talked about how when we want things, we'll never have everything we want.  We'll never be happy enough.  Then we did the activity again, but this time I moved the "table" legs together to make a sturdy base for the postcard to lay on.  With each block we stacked this time, we said, "I have ______."  When all our blocks were stacked steady on top of each other, we talked about how focusing on the blessings we have to be thankful for help us to be happier and stronger.

The second part of the activity was to draw a turkey on the chalkboard.  Each person named a thing they are grateful to have and added it as a feather on the turkey.  Then I explained to my boys that every time this week that they started a sentence with "I want...", I would stop them and we'd add another "I have..." feather to our turkey.  They were excited and I thought I was a genius.

Then my great activity kicked me in my own behind.  As we ate our family night treat and got ready for bed, I caught myself choking on my own "I wants...".  Real art when we move into our next house, a newer car seat for my toddler, new pans on Black Friday, and on and on and on.  Apparently, I'm as bad, if not worse, than my kids with their toy catalogs.

I didn't add more feathers tonight because I was able to stop myself before sharing all the material things I was wishing for.  But tomorrow morning, I will add a few important things to our turkey and hopefully by the end of the week our entire family will be focused a little more on the many blessings we have to be thankful for.

I'm grateful for the lessons I learn when I thought I was teaching my kids.

Thankful Thirty #16 (Relationships)

Source: flickr.com via Michelle on Pinterest

You are probably reading this at the beginning of your day, but I'm writing it at the end of my day and I'm tired and I'm ready to crash and I'm so glad my husband was willing to give the babies their bath tonight so I could sit for just one minute and relax.  He's a good dad.  He's a great husband!  I love him.

I'm grateful for thoughtful partnerships.

Thankful Thirty #11 (Strangers)

Source: antonioandrade.tumblr.com via Michelle on Pinteres

We got hit with our first snowstorm of the season yesterday.  It's beautiful-everything is blanketed in white.  As the snow began to lightly fall I loaded my kids into the van and headed off to do my Costco shopping.

Costco carts are great (read: HUGE).  I had two carseats and both my older boys loaded in along with all the things I was buying.  We may have been a spectacle, but everyone was behaving and having a good time.  Then came the part of having twins babies I have not gotten used to yet...the attention.  I swear to you every other person in Costco felt the need to stop me and proclaim, "You have twins!  I can't believe you're out in this kind of weather."

Notice above that I did not say we were having a blizzard.  It was snowing...lightly...

Two of those dozens of people did touch my heart.  The first was a much younger mother whom I passed as she carted kids out of the bathroom and I toddled my in.  She remarked, "I thought I was brave bringing my three today."  She was wearing her baby in her Moby wrap and had two older boys the same age as mine.  It was refreshing in a sea of aghast faces, to feel like at least one other person in that store was like me.

The second person approached as I was standing in the check-out line.  She asked rather shyly, "Do you mind if I ask how old your babies are?"  I told her and she went on to tell me she's waiting for her babies to get out of the NICU.  They were born at 33 weeks and have been in the hospital for 3-1/2 weeks.  Everyone she knows has her panicking about taking them out in public once they're home and she was encouraged to see me out with mine.

I re-assured that sweet mother that babies are resilient and I'm sure she will have impeccable judgement on when her little ones are ready to venture into the big bad world.  Maybe, though, I should have fed into her fear.  Going out with twins does make you an anomaly people can't resist commenting on.  Better to know that now than being bowled over on Day 1 with an unexpected barrage of attention.

I'm grateful for well-intentioned strangers, even if they don't quite know what to say.

Thankful Thirty #9 (Parenting)

Source: pinstagram.co via Michelle on Pinterest

I chose this picture today for three reasons...

1. It made me think of the drawings plastered across my refrigerator door, my office space, and my children's bedroom walls.  My boys are ALWAYS coloring, cutting, and pasting.  I love watching them cultivate their creativity.
2. She (the bunny) looks like she's been through the wringer, or a war-zone, or my house today.  My 5-year-old NEVER runs out of energy and if his mouth is running, then he is running.  Literally.  He does almost all his thinking out loud.  And while he's telling himself whatever it is he's thinking, he's running laps through our living room, dining room, kitchen, and back again.  All day long today.  He was telling me the Cars 3 movie that was playing in his room with his Lego guys as the main characters.  Believe me when I say it could be the next Disney feature-length film, both in content and length.  At the end of the day, my head is SPINNING!
3. The most important things are not always the easiest to remember when I'm having a bad day.  Sometimes it takes all I've got to remember what's really important when it comes to that little guy. He's going to grow up one day and I have no doubt I'll be so incredibly proud of him then.  But I have the chance right now to marvel at the imagination that will catapult him to who he's going to become.  I need to remember that instead of letting it annoy me.

With tears on my cheeks, I'm grateful for 

that little 5-year-old boy

 who loves life so much he can't help sharing it with me.

Times Two

"Why did they send you in here today?"

"Just my normal 20-week ultrasound."

"Have you been measuring larger?"

Instant thought to myself: "Great, I'm a month farther along."

Actual response to the questions: "Nope."

LONG pause and then LONG grin...

"Um, there are two babies in there..........................................."

Yep, twins.  Coming out of my body and into our family in September.  Two more boys to add to my all-boy family.  Guess it's a good thing I had my travel mental breakdown 6 weeks ago...

Uniquely December: Find An Evergreen Day

Today I'm re-sharing a post of one of my favorite childhood holiday memories ...

The winter holidays are meant for kids.  Santa Claus is real, snow falls solely for sledding and building snow families, and a baby (just like I used to be, they'll say) was born in the hay.  When else do we let them bring trees in the house or bury them with brand new toys, shiny paper, and glittery ribbon?  In the thick of it, they'll tell you every bit of it is magical.  It's not until we get a little older that particular pieces of that holiday magic begin to plant themselves in a special part of our memory.  For me, the enchantment was the Christmas tree.

Growing up in Iowa, the formula for the perfect Christmas tree involved waiting for a bitter cold day and swirling biting winds.  The whole family piled out of the station wagon at the country Christmas tree farm, picked up a hacksaw and trudged acres and acres to the farthest, most un-harvested hill.  The arguments then ensued as six girls poured out their hearts in defense of their " perfect"  tree.  Ultimately, Mom got the one she wanted, and the saw went to work chopping down her tree.

The adventure continued on as we dragged our enormous tree back across the snow-laden hills looking for a tractor and trailer willing to give us a ride back to our car.  If we were lucky, the tree would fit in the baler-one year it would not-and a great big Christmas tree bundle got strapped to the top of the car.  Piling back into the station wagon, we raced home to set up our tree.

The happy memories don't end there.  Getting the tree home was only half the act.  Enter Pa-pa and his voice of reason.  "Dawn, that tree is too big.  It won't fit in our house."  He was right nearly every year.  The tree's trunk always  received a second round of shearing before taking it's place front and center in the living room window.

After the tree was decorated and lit, we enjoyed seeing more and more presents accumulate underneath.  We would plug in the lights in the late afternoon and sometime before going to bed, Mom and Dad would unplug it again.  Until Christmas Eve.  On Christmas Eve we all knew the twinkling lights stayed on all night.  Early in the morning (or later in the morning depending on how old we were getting to be), six girls would tumble out of bed, shuffle into the living room and be greeted with the most breathtaking sight!  The glow of the Christmas tree illuminated the room, shining off wrapping paper, and calling attention to a big bag from Santa. Spread out on the floor, in front of the tree, were six stuffed-to-the-brim stockings inviting us to come and partake.  With the allure of new toys, the moment was over in the blink of an eye, but the living room aglow on Christmas morning is what Christmas time magical to me.

Imagine then, the struggle it's been with a husband who grew up a little bit differently.  In a home that in all ways seemed even more frugal than my own, the electric bill at Christmas time apparently just went out the window.  He wants the lights on all the time, day and night and any extra time in between.  Last year we followed each other around, secretly plugging and unplugging.  I was certain he was being obstinate only because he didn't like digging around for the loose cords to fit into the socket.  There had to be a solution before we started our holiday celebrating again this year.

In come our kids.  Even before talking about getting a tree, Beck was telling us excitedly and assuredly that Christmas trees have lots of presents and candy canes.  I have no idea where the candy canes came from, but he was certain and now our tree is covered in candy canes and he's eating one every day.  The first night we had our tree up I heard Beck telling his dad that if he couldn't sleep he would just come out and look at the tree.  The second night we had our tree up, I found him Beck sleeping on the couch and when he woke up the first thing he said was, "I just wanted to lay here and look at this beautiful tree."

A mom's heart melts.  It's a struggle to walk by and see the lights on at all times of the day.  I want my family to know joy the way I remember it as a child.  At the same time, who am I to take away a three-year-old's joy?  Children make the holidays!

Uniquely December: Bathtub Party Day

 I'm a shower girl.

I find sitting in the bath to be extremely boring.

I can't stand rubber duckies getting all moldy on the inside.

The paint on our current bathtub is peeling off.

My kids like to use it as a floating raft for their non-molding bath toys.

Sometimes we feed the kids in the tub to keep the rest of the house from getting dirty.

Wondering how many people in the tub makes it a party?

Uniquely December: World Aids Awareness Day

I was just a kid when Magic Johnson announced that he had been infected with HIV/AIDS.  Back then everybody was scared.  We didn't know about the disease, didn't understand how it evolved, how it was spread, or what a life with AIDS could be. That was twenty years ago.  Magic Johnson is still living and the face of AIDS has changed tremendously.

I have to admit I haven't had personal experience with HIV/AIDS and honestly have not given much thought to the disease.  I do know that while AIDS is present in people all around the world, infected people everywhere are living longer due to increased research, treatments, awareness, and education.  Unfortunately there are still places where the infection is still an epidemic-in particular, many nations of Africa.

A prominent reason for the AIDS explosion in these undeveloped countries is transfer of the infection from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, and/or breastfeeding  With the uneducated stigma of such a terrible disease, mothers too often receive inadequate information and resources to treat themselves, and they don't know there are precautions they can take to keep their babies healthy and safe.

The good news is that the picture of HIV/AIDS is looking better.  The 2011 UNAIDS report shows a significant drop recently in the number of new infections.  This has to be a result of hard work to increase the availability of testing and education and I've been especially touched by the efforts of the organization mothers2mothers.

mothers2mothers provide a full range of help to mothers in Africa dealing with the AIDS epidemic.  These include:

•  education and support to pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV to increase access and adherence to lifesaving interventions for them and their infants
• Provide education to clients before and after they take their HIV tests during pregnancy
• Provide one-on-one peer education and group support sessions to pregnant women and new mothers with HIV
• Offer services to women together with their partners as a couple

Visit the mothers2mothers website and find out more about the important work they are doing in Africa and Europe.  While you're there check out this sweet idea to get involved...

I have no affiliation with mothers2mothers-just a cause that moved me :)

For more information:

http://www.unaids.org/en/

http://www.aidsresearch.org/index.html

http://www.amfar.org/

http://www.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2021888,00.html

Not That I'm Holding A Grudge...

I come from a devout Scrabble-playing family.  When I was a girl my mom was my spelling idol; she won that game every single time she played.  Her magic weapon? QAT...a short little "q" word that does not need a "u."  Time after time I'd watch her school her opponent and many times that was the word that I remember shooting her ahead.  I pretty much had a love affair with that word until the middle of 2nd grade.

In 2nd grade I was in a combination class with six 2nd graders and around fifteen 3rd graders.  My teacher was Mrs. Cummings and at the time I held teachers in pretty high esteem.  She was the first to tarnish that image for me.

Every once in awhile Mrs. Cummings would let us have a vocabulary challenge.  Two students were chosen and given a whole day to think of a word that would stump the class.  I have no idea what the reward was for winning, but I was confident when I finally got to have my turn.

Without thinking twice I came to class knowing I was going to win.  I was pitted against 3rd grader Brian Fisher and I don't think I even heard him say his word for the class.  How important could it be?  With  uncharacteristic boldness (I was a pretty shy child) I told that combination class that my word was "QAT! Q-A-T"  Stunned, dumbfounded faces.  Of course nobody knew that one!  Even Mrs. Cummings' expression portrayed silent stupefication.  Then my confidence started melting away.

Mrs. Cummings said she'd never heard that word before.  Was I sure I hadn't forgotten the "u"?  She asked what I thought it was and I proclaimed, "It's an evergreen tree!"  She was still less than sure.  She suggested we look it up in the dictionary.  I wasn't worried-my mom's red dictionary definitely had that word in there.  I'd look it up lots of times.  

The classroom dictionary pages started turning.  The "q" section was located and the page turned back and forth, fingers scrolled up and down.  More than once.  Back and forth again.  No "qat."  Anywhere.  Mrs. Cummings declared that my word was not a word and 3rd grader Brian Fisher was declared the winner.  In an instant my mom became smarter than my teacher.  And of the few memories I have of that combination-class year, being ignorantly stripped of my title as vocabulary challenge winner stands out as though it had happened only yesterday.

(I just looked "qat" up in the dictionary again and discovered that while "an evergreen tree" is a loosely correct interpretation, it's actually the leaves of a middle-eastern plant used to make narcotic stimulants.  Maybe it's a good thing Mrs. Cummings didn't look into it further and call to ask my mom some questions...)

A-P

Joy

On my new blog, Eating the Nibbly Bibs, the focus is 100% joy.  Both for my two boys and for me.  I'm working out of a fabulous book named Teaching Your Children Joy where I do a daily activity with them and then record my thoughts and observations on how it went.  

Here is a post from last week:

I'm InWhat I'm learning about parenting is this:  You have to be all in.  Children grow up whether you're intensely involved or not.  The opportunity we have is to be a part of that during the short amount of time we have with them.  And we choose the degree of intensity.

During the past four years I've had ups and downs-periods of complete attention and periods of viewing from the sidelines.  The last year I'd evaluate as fairly well checked out and the results are there to prove it.  Beck and I argue like he's a teenager.  Indeed I look at him and can see exactly what 14-year-old Beck will be.  But the good news is that that's true for the good times too!  I've noticed before, and I'm seeing it now...when I'm anxiously engaged in being mom to my two boys, they smile and laugh and want to be anxiously engaged with me.  It's a lesson worth learning, and one I'm sure I'll need to keep learning again and again.

Today's Teaching Your Children Joy activity was to "make spontaneity a high priority."  Be open to letting it happen anytime and anyplace.  It's hard to get past the point when you holler "No," or "Stop," "Sshhh!", but when you do it makes the world more interesting for both you and your child.

So try it.  Let them splash in a puddle.  Follow the direction of their pointing fingers and over-enthusiastic shouts of "LOOK!"  Clear the way and let them spin the kid cart while walking through the grocery store.  They'll be happier and you might just find yourself barefooted squishing mud between your toes.  

If you have little ones, or if you don't, I'd love to have you come on over and check it out... 

Eating the Nibbly Bibs

For earlier A-Z posts...

Child-Friendly Entertainment

I was contacted recently to review a new animated video project by Sun Swing Media, and though I've tried not to turn this blog into a commercial venue, I appreciate what they're trying to do and agreed to share their concept and my thoughts with you.

The concept is to take a previously published story from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' children's magazine, The Friend, and produce simple animations of the story for parent's to download and share with their families.   The creator's are hoping to provide simple entertaining animations with a clean and positive message.

The first video Sun Swing Media has completed is "The Decision."  The story follows three boys walking home one day, happening upon an inappropriate magazine, and their reactions as they decide what to do with it.  The animation itself reminded me of the "Home Star Runner" animation clips.  And at about 4 minutes long, it's short enough to keep children's attention.

I love the idea behind these videos.  My little boy is 4 and loves getting his Friend magazine in the mail each month.  These videos will be a great supplement to the stories he sees in there.  If you're not familiar with the Friend magazine, don't be scared away.  The intention is to produce animations of topics that our kids are encountering in their lives today.

I'll be upfront with you.  I did not show "The Decision" to my little boy.  I agree that we need to be open with even our small children about the threats awaiting them in the world.  I don't feel, however, like he needs to be introduced to words like pornography quite yet.  For children at the higher end of the target audience, though, (6-10ish) the video does deal with the subject tastefully and appropriately.  Also, the creators are honest about not being screenwriters.  The dialogue pretty closely follows the story, but I don't feel like the simple animation style necessarily lends itself well to the depth of emotion the creators were striving for.

Would I buy this video for download?  For the $1.00 price tag, absolutely!  Not because this particular video was 100% captivating, but because I know that as Sun Swing Media produces more and more videos, the quality will become better and we NEED more child-friendly entertainment options available for our families.

Interested in finding out more?

Download "The Decision" Now

Link to the original story printed in the Friend

Family Lesson Material to go along with the video

Official Press Release

Other Reviews Here and Here

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this video or anything else you want to share about the media options available for children today!

*Sun Swing Media, while having permission to work with stories from a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints publication, is an independent production company and not an official representative of the church.

A Little Piece of Paper Defines Me

My passport has expired.  I'd lost my driver's license and was hunting for the legal documents I needed to replace it when I came across the well-worn little blue book.  I opened it up to take a mini-trip down memory lane and instantly felt a dagger of pain tear through my traveling soul.  I let out a scream and started to cry.  My husband came running to see what was the matter and then stood in a stupor fearing I'd finally completely lost my mind.  I felt like my life was over.

The truth is that my life has been changing.  I've noticed over the past few months that my travel-planning is more of an afterthought.  The dreams are constantly in my mind, but the opportunities pass and I'm left reflecting on how I let practicality or financial responsibility make the decision for me.  Where in the past I would have spent the last two months spontaneously road-tripping, the farthest I've actually been is 2 hours from home on a Sunday afternoon.  It's a numb feeling inside of me that normally would have me kicking and screaming.  Instead I'm resigning to my current reality.

Which is not to say that all is lost for me!  I've written before about the big plans my family has for traveling. That dream is still alive and well.  And to reawaken the life-breath inside of me, I'm going to share the latest rendition of our plans with you...

I recently discovered that kindergarten is not required in the state of Utah.  This is wonderful news for me!  Our little boy Beck will be old enough to start school  in September 2012, one year from now, and so that has become our target date for packing up and leaving.  Rather than loading up with notebooks and pencils, his backpack will be full of maps and traveling activities (he is adorably in love with reading maps and telling us the way).

We're going to go east first for a stay with my family in the Midwest and a chance for my husband to work and make a little more money before leaving the country.  After that the world is wide open for 9 months of traveling.  Right now we're thinking to spend a month at a time divided between cute comfortable cottage-like rentals and camping;  a temporary home-base where we can get get a feel for community, but also venture out for days at a time and see the most of what there is to see.

More details?  No, not yet.  It's still a year away.  Right now I only have one important job to complete:  Tomorrow's mail will carry my passport renewal form and photos away, along with my 18-month-old son Peyton's first application.  I remember the excitement I felt seeing Beck's photo inside his very own passport, and I know it will be a party the day our mailwoman delivers my travel freedom back to me.

I promise future posts on where we're going to go, how we'll make sure Beck gets his kindergarten education on the road, and many other travel-related topics that get me smiling.  Until then, I'd love to hear anything you have to say!

In My Heart On Thursday

The Echo

'Twas a sheep not a lamb

That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek 

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know, 

Wherever the sheep may stray.

When sheep go wrong, 

It won't take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when the sheep are lost

What a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay.

-C.C. Miller, as read by Elder Richard J. Maynes, Establishing a Christ-Centered Home

What Do You Do In a Family?

Yesterday I had the great privilege to teach a lesson at church on family responsibility (basically, parenting).  A week ago I was irrevocably convinced I was the last person on earth qualified to teach that particular lesson and almost called to back out.  As the week progressed I thought to myself, "If any of my neighbors are in class on Sunday, I'll have to feign immediate illness."  They would surely call me out as a completely unqualified hypocrite.  But the Holy Ghost does wonderful things when you turn over your life in humility.  When it was all said and done, the 35 minutes I spent in front of the class was the most spiritual time I've ever felt while teaching.

Here are some of the things the spirit taught to me:

 My kids are children of our Heavenly Father.  They have His spirit, and their spirits studied with Him, learned from Him, and grew to maturity before they were given the opportunity to come to me. When I look at them I need to see what He sees and ask, "Who are you?" instead of "Why are you doing that?" or "What were you thinking."  My role as their mother is as much to learn from them as it is to teach them the things that I know.

In the grand scheme of things, what is really important for me to teach them?  To have faith.  To believe in the power of repentance.  That by making right choices, they can have the Holy Ghost as a constant guide.  And to pray (D&C 68:25, 28).  And if these are the things they are to learn, then I need to be sure to teach them in meekness and with patience.  I need to be ever kind and focused on true knowledge rather than my human confusions.  I need to be able and willing to clarify their mistakes with love.  Everything I do needs to pull them closer towards me rather than build up a moat that pushes them away (D&C 121:41-44)

It is a marvelous thing to have a family and that part of that family compound is a spouse to share both the burdens and the joys. I appreciated the council provided in my lesson material for my husband laying out simply the three things which are essential in his role as a father:

• Being worthy of the sacred calling to be a father and living in a way that allows him to perform in that capacity
• Making it a priority to spend time individually with each of his kids.  To get to know them and build a relationship where they can always feel comfortable calling on him.
• To provide for his family 

I especially appreciated the order of those three things.  His focus, and our focus together, should always be on the spiritual things first.  And while it is his responsibility, if possible, to provide for us, it should never become his main priority.

That brings me, then, to what I should be doing as a mother.  More than anything, my little boys need me to be spending time with them.  They need me to play with them and teach them life doesn't always have to be serious.  Children learn the best through play and I should never pass up the opportunity to listen to the things  they are imagining and dreaming.  

I need to do everything in my power to provide the best example of faithfulness and spiritual strength.  My actions and attitudes go a long way in allowing the spirit to dwell in our home and bring the peace children need to feel when surrounded by family.  Someday they will leave our home and head out into the world.  When they do it won't matter if someone else has to teach them to sew on a button or properly wash the dishes.  I would never dream of leaving their seeds of testimony to be planted and cultivated by the outside world.

A story in The Book of Mormon teaches about of a group of 2000 young men who fought valiantly for their families and their communities in battle.  Through trouble and strife, they ever laid the source of their courage at the feet of their mothers.

...and they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage...but behold, this was not all-they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.  Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him...yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying, : "We do not doubt our mothers knew it." Alma 53:20-21, 56:47-48

That brings me to the last, and most important, thing I took away from my lesson yesterday: A mother's testimony can have a profound influence on her children.  I would add that a mother without a strong testimony will have an equally profound influence on the testimonies of the spirits with which she has been entrusted.  And yet, we are not alone.  Being a parent is far from easy and there will continue to be times when my spirit is dampened and trampled.  Yet I know there is no need to worry.  The Lord is watching over me.

Reminder: Come Camping With Me!

I have an invitation for you!  I'm going camping and I want you to come along...WAIT...I know you don't live near me, but keep reading...it's going to be exciting!

Camping has always been a fun activity for me, my friends,and my family.  Growing up I was a proud member of Campfire Boys and Girls and have innumerable memories of the camping trips that made it possible for me to participate in (most of the trips involved being soaked in the rain and eating food we thought was disgusting, but they still make me laugh and smile).

In high school my parents rented a group campsite at our local lake and allowed each of my sisters and I to invite friends for a weekend of outdoor adventure.  It was a first camping experience for several of the kids who came along and we felt like the luckiest family on the planet!

And now that I'm grown?  I still love camping!  In my early (and poor) married days my husband and I made it a priority to buy quality camping equipment.  It served us well while we working and playing in Alaska and has lasted long enough to introduce our two little boys to the joys of sleeping outside.  Living in Utah we have the ability to camp in the most amazing places and try to take the opportunity as often as possible.

That brings me to the invitation I teased you with at the beginning...

The National Wildlife Federation, REI, and KOA are hosting the 2011 Great American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 25th.  The Great American Backyard Campout provides an opportunity to support NWF’s work to return nature to childhood for the health benefits and for the fun of it!  My personal memories of camping, as well as the joy of watching my little boys outside, inspired me to join the fun and I want you to share it with me.

So what do you do?  Join the team at http://online.nwf.org/goto/campwithme.  Then start planning your adventure and share the excitement with your friends and family.  How fun to have a team spanning the entire country!  Participate on the team website or leave a comment here to let me know what you are planning.  

Then, the week following the campout, share your experiences on the Wandering Still Facebook page for a chance to win a gift to inspire you to spend more time this summer in the great outdoors (more information on the giveaway posted on FB June 24th).

I look forward to seeing you out there!

Reality

My husband is in California today.  He had to get up at 4AM, wait at work for his unreliable boss to show up and take him to the airport, and get on a plane to fly to Sacramento.  He's doing 2 hours worth of work there and then driving a box truck (think Uhaul) across Nevada and arriving back home sometime tomorrow.  Oh, and did I mention that he just sent me photos of himself sitting in the co-pilot's chair in the cockpit of the jet he flew on?  I have no idea what that was all about but the grin on his face tells me that something extraordinary happened to him this morning.

What was I doing when the photo arrived?  Reprimanding my toddler for wiping his bum without toilet paper.  Losing the argument that he needed to use HOT water to wash his hands.  Insisting that he go get clean underwear instead of running around the house naked.  And hearing him tell me after he's run on the carpet that he's found poo on his feet, too.

So, what was my initial reaction to my husband's moment of joy digitally captured and sent to me over the airwaves?  Hatred and disgust, honestly.  Completely gone was the sympathy I'd felt when he'd exhaustedly crawled out of bed in the dark.  The gentle prayer I'd offered up that he would be safe and alert on his drive back our way completely buried.  Also forgotten were the laughs I'd had with my two boys just hours earlier as they piled on top of me in bed, and any thought of encouraging words or shared enthusiasm.

That's how my days tend to be.  I know my husband words hard at a job he doesn't always like.  But because he gets to leave the house, and the kids, I tell myself his life is easy.  When he gets home at night I continue on with cooking dinner or finishing the laundry, but check out from anymore taking care of the kids.  Dad's home, Dad's turn.  It seems like it's working because he loves playing with his boys more than anything on the planet, but it's probably only working because I give him no other choice.

Do you find yourself having the same thoughts or reactions with people and events in your life?  What helps you throughout the day to focus on the beautiful and fun things that are happening instead of getting buried in individual nasty moments?

How do you show your spouse/family/friends that you appreciate the sacrifices they've made for you?  And what gives you balance throughout your day?

Idea For Something New

I got my first scanner recently and have been excitedly digging through boxes of photos and momentos looking for items to give a renewed online life.  One of the things I've found are Ziploc bags full of magazine cut-outs that once upon a time I used in my scrapbooking; so many cute sayings and moving illustrations that aren't doing me much good in a drawer.

Sorting through the piles I found this cute cut-out and thought it would make a great banner for my blog.  So, combining it with random photos I've unearthed, welcome to my new feature, Back in the day;).  Let me know what you think!

This photo invoked a belly-aching fit of laughter from my husband once I explained that the very professional looking clowns were my mom, my sisters, and me (that's me on the tricycle).  

He's hardly one to be surprised at the things our parents make us do-he grew up performing in his own eclectic line of "family shows."  But, nonetheless, he thought it was pretty funny.

My mom was a creative and motivated lady when her girls were little.  There were always craft projects in progress and new ideas brewing.  My five sisters and I always knew she was a great artist and her most impressive talent was being able to use her beautiful handwriting completely backwards.  I don't know how or when she honed that skill, but little girls don't think there's anything much cooler than seing their names written in reverse cursive.

Our hometown held an annual summer "Old Settlers" celebration with a special morning parade.  These were where I remember my mom's biggest ideas coming forth, as can be witnessed in the photo above.  There was no special reason for us to be in the parade.  We weren't promoting a cause or advertising a business.  My mom just set to work making each of us our very own clown costume and put us in the parade.  Naturally.  Why wouldn't your family parade in front of the entire town and half the county for the fun of it?

I'm sure there were other times we entered the parade as a family.  I don't remember.  When I was older I do remember my mom being in charge of the PTA float.  She dressed all the neighborhood kids (including my sisters still in elementary) in different occupational uniforms and spent hours dubbing a cassette tape (that's right, I said dubbing a cassette tape) with the opening lines of Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All" to play as they proceeded past the crowds.

I feel my mom's influences in my life nearly everyday.  Often it's in the times I'm wondering why I struggle so much with being a fun and loving parent, wondering where my anger and quickness to punish come from.  My husband looks at me peculiarly each time he comes home to find a brand new craft project splayed across our dining table.  He completely doesn't understand the fun in working side by side my sisters at a weekend craft show.  Or why I get so excited about our children winning cheesy baby contests so we can decorate a "float" and be in the parade. 

This photo of my family "clowning" around is a joyful reminder that my creative and positive quirks come from my mom as well.

Learning From Memory

Le Havre, France.  Not a town most people would know or remember.  Probably it's only claim to fame is being a logistically decent place for cruise ships to stop and send their passengers off for day tours of Omaha Beach and other noteworthy WWII sites.  Give me a few paragraphs, though, to convince you of it's redeeming property.

Travel back in time with me to April 2008.  My husband Ben and I, with our 1-yr-old son Beck, set off on a celebratory tour of the continent of Europe.  Ben had finally finished his bachelor's degree so we packed our bags, got on a plane, and flew away!  Not until we were halfway across the Atlantic Ocean did we realize we'd left behind an important piece of equipment.

This is Beck:

No, he isn't what we left behind. But, at age one, you can imagine that Beck was an incredibly mobile child-not yet walking, but more than willing to get himself somewhere in a high-speed crawl.  Even at his best, however, we could hardly expect him to make do on his own for 6 weeks of budget traveling.

Figured out what the missing equipment was yet?  We'd left our backpack carrier in the car at home.  All of a sudden the idea of carrying a squirming, wiggly baby in our arms for hours and hours and days and days seemed daunting.  It was the first time we'd considered that traveling with a child might not be fun.

Enter Le Havre.  We happened to be there at the beginning of our journey and an angel of a tourism official directed us to a second-hand store where we might be able to find redemption.  She seemed ashamed not to be able to send us to a fancy department store.  We gave prayers of gratitude that our first unexpected purchase with euros might not break the bank.

This is the store:

Neither Ben or I speak French and the shopkeeper of this adorable store knew very little English.  After a lot of pointing at Beck and then at our backs, we found ourselves following this nice lady out of her store and up three flights of stairs next door.  She unlocked a door and offered up her entire store room for us to find what we were looking for.  We were inundated with choices and she let us try on everyone.  Grateful and overwhelmed we finally settled on the pack we liked and hoped we had enough money in our pockets.  Truth is, to this day I don't know how much we paid for that backpack carrier.  What I do know is that it was worth it's weight in gold!

This is the pack: 

Honestly, it was perfect!  Beck slept in it, ate in it, laughed in it, played in it.  He rode on our backs through  eight countries.  It was incredibly comfortable and I carried him on my back for six of the seven miles on the Cinque Terre Trail in Italy.  That accomplishment is still a feather in my cap!  We have searched high and low and haven't found this exact backpack anywhere.  They don't exist.  But we have one.  It's our little miracle.

Why, you're asking, am I taking you on this trip down memory lane?  I mentioned in my New Year's post and also my Wandering Still post that my goal for a year from now is to be traveling and exploring exotic locations.  Ben and I have finally talked it out sensibly and we are really going to make it happen!  We have debts to pay before we can start the planning, but knowing that he knows how important is to me has given me the hope I needed to start openly dreaming.  

These are the lessons: 

     ~We've done it before.  Let people be confused and think we're being irrational.  Kids travel and we wouldn't think of leaving them home.

    ~Things will most certainly not go completely as planned.  We'll forget things and there may be setbacks and delays.  That makes journeying all the more exhilarating.

    ~I love my family.  I easily get bogged down in my day-to-day.  Life doesn't magically become perfect when I pack my bags and sail away.  My husband and two cute boys are going to be there along the way.  If I can learn to make the most of the time I have here with them, they'll make sure we live life to the fullest when they're out there (wherever there may be) with me. And that is all I'm hoping for.

And lastly:

    ~Don't leave the backpack carrier in the car at home!