Well, it works for me!

I have been that mom who goes back to the grocery store several times a week because she didn't have the time to sit down and make one comprehensive list, ultimately forgetting some things. I'm not super organized with a weekly menu or anything, but I do keep one master grocery list saved on my computer. That way I can print it out and check off all the things we could need that week. Everything we ever use or eat is on that list, so it is virtually impossible for me to forget anything!

Works for me!!!

Moral of the Day Monday

Sometimes effort alone is enough.

Yesterday we were 30 minutes late to church. It starts at 9 in the morning, and is a daunting task to have 6 people there by then.

Of course, the more agitated everyone got as they scurried through the house getting ready, the more things went awry... stubbed toes, knocked over cups of juice, neglected toddlers left to rip the newspaper into thousands of teeny, tiny shreds. It's Murphy's Law at its best. But we have made a commitment to go to church every Sunday, come what may.

So we get there and everything is going pretty well. The kids are reverent... for about 15 mintues. Then my 4 yr. old notices that his usual Thomas magnet set is missing from the "Sunday grab bag". Oh crap. The Thomas color forms and felt board were not a suitable substitution. So he lied down in the middle of the pew and began to cry. Daddy scooped him up, took him out into the hall, talked to him, and brought him back in. Everything is fine again... for about 15 mintues. (Lol, do you see where I am going here?) Things went sour two more times, same child, before the end of our meeting.

With a sigh of relief, my husband and I ushered everyone out of the chapel doors and on down the hall to their respective Sunday School classes. Again my 4 yr. old protested. What side of bed did he get out on, I am beginning to wonder? My husband had to get to his class that he teaches and I am standing in the hallway with a very reluctant 4 yr. old, a 7 week old and an almost 2 yr. old who looks like he's teetering on the edge of a meltdown as well. For the 2 yr. old, it is expected, in fact normal, to have separation anxiety. We deal with it. For the 4 yr. old, not so much. Daddy checks in on his class and takes our toddler to Nursery, says he be right back for the "middle child". He comes out of Nursery and gives me a thumbs up. Phew, all went well. The preschooler, however, is lying down again - this time in the middle of the hallway. So, Daddy scoops him up again and takes him into class with him to teach.

Not 5 mintues later, said "middle child" is being disruptive in Daddy's class. I was still outside in the hallway chatting away with some other hookey players ;), and showing off the baby, and therefore had no excuse not to rescue him. Just then the nursery leader comes out and tells me "Oh, Sister so-and-so has your son, he started crying so hard I thought he might puke. I knew you had the baby and that your husband is trying to teach right now, so I handed him off to her." I look down at my 4 yr. old who is pouting and on the floor again. Now I am officially short handed. I take the 4 yr. old back into Daddy's class, quietly explain our dilemma, and go check on my toddler. He's nodding off in my friend's arms who mouths to me "Don't worry about him." Love her. Because by now, the baby is fussing and ready to eat. So, off I go to feed and change her. She pees all over her dress. I do not have another one to put on her. S-okay. I am able to clean her up fairly well with wet wipes, God's greatest creation, and feed her, and catch the last 20 minutes of Relief Society. Of course, I am exhausted, my back is in knots, my head is beginning to ache. As I walk by the fawyer, I notice that no one is occupying the sofa. Hmmm, tempting, but I get on to my class.

I sit down and begin to wonder quietly, why do I put myself through this? Is it worth the enormous effort to only get 20 minutes worth of meaningful church in? I look around the room and into the tired faces of all my sisters. We then sing "Abide With Me; Tis Eventide" together:

Abide with me; 'tis eventide.
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near thy side.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
O Savior stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.

I realize then that my effort alone is worth it... to hear a few of God's earnest words alone is worth it. The Lord is by my side at all times... both when I am folding the umpteenth load of laundry and when I have come to worship Him, but coming to worship Him, making Sunday His day, is the least I can do to show my gratitude. And so I say to all my sisters, keep on... the Lord is by your side and has been through it all, including the Sunday morning frustrations.

And that's the moral of the day.

Moral of the Day Monday

I am not certain of its original roots, but whomever coined or interpreted the phrase "Cleanliness is next to godliness" must not have had children. 4 children to be exact. I'm no sloth; I love an inviting and tidy home where the Spirit can reside. But I have learned to let go when I need to and to forego perfection in favor of quality family life. And it's a good feeling, to know that I can now look at:

laundry or art supplies left out on the table,

a few toys sprinkled on the family room floor,

or a little boy that's so excited to go outside and play he forgets to put any pants on, as signs of a happy home. And not be concerned with lining up the tassles on my oriental rugs. Because we all know that happiness is really what's next to godliness.

And that's the moral of the day!

We have a suspect!

Nevermind the fact that he looks like he's been extracted from Cabanel's "Birth of Venus", this little cherub is guilty of hitting, pushing and refusing to share!

I think we'll strap on some wings, give him a bow and arrow and call it good this Halloween!

Moral of the Day Monday

I really like to uplift and inspire my readers. That's kind of the voice I've chosen for this blog. It's fun every now and then to share a funny anecdote or show off some stuff, but my main purpose for blogging is to share my outlook on life with others. So, I've came up with the idea for Moral of the Day Monday. WAY better than Wild Card Wednesday! (shameless plug, lol ;)) I hope it's a success and that you'll drag your manic selves over here each Monday and find something beneficial and empowering.

The other day I was out doing some shopping and I had a moment where I was, for lack of a cheesier cliche, filled with love - for life and for everyone around me, friend or foe. What brought this on, I can't say exactly, but these moments happen from time to time, unexplained sensations that pass through me during no particular task or time of day that make me want to sing out loud. It's just a feeling of complete happiness. A feeling you want to share with everybody around you. A feeling I usually respond to with a smile. I love to smile! I love to be smiled at! And I have a hard time with the assumption that a smile is a sign of weakness or vulnerability. A smile doesn't have to mean "you can walk all over me", although sadly it can be taken as such.

I remember one of the popular girls in my middle school coming up to me once and asking me why I was always smiling. And she told me that it was pretty annoying. I probably should have asked her why she was always pouting... I imagine there are a lot of unhappy people that find happy people annoying! A genuine smile is an immediate sign of acceptance. It says, "Hey! I will not reject you or judge you, you are safe with me!" And I think that in today's world, we need a little more of that reassurance. It felt so good that day in the store to walk up and down the aisles smiling at everyone, and getting some smiles in return. I felt connected with everyone. I could feel that we all came from the same place. Maybe it was one of those moments where the veil is thin; I don't know. But I'm thinking there's got to be a special reason why we have this reflex. And I call it a reflex because it's a natural response, whether you can see or can't see, whether you're a newborn baby or a wise old soul, whether you're poor or wealthy, whether you speak my language or you don't, whether or not you look like me. It's not something you teach or copy or have to learn how to do. It just happens when stimulated by goodness.

And that's the moral of the day.

Be a doll...

... and let me know if I am on your blogroll. I would very much like to return the favor.

:)

Today I am grateful for...

a beautiful baby to bless
family and friends to share special moments with
creative outlets
rain and lush trees
healthy, happy children
a good night's sleep

~and~

chocolate (you never know how much you appreciate something until it's gone)

Can I get a woohoo?

I've posted 100 entries! Yeah!!! And, AND, Blogger is letting me post pictures! WOO HOO!

Okay, so my recent project has been baby announcements and I wanted to share... there are two kinds of paper because I couldn't find enough of just one print. It was fun to mix it up anyway!

That second picture won't rotate for some silly reason. And the coordinating paper inside of the second version is the darker pink you see with lighter pink polka dots. (Not shown because I'm not going to display all the personal info included.)

Too bad it's not Tip Tuesday, because I think I have one to put an end to sibling squabbles. First thing this morning I had a serious talk with my children. I told them "Mommy has a goal today, and that goal is not to yell. I want you two to make a goal as well... I want you not to yell or fight or hurt one another. Do you think we can work together to accomplish that?" Then I read my scriptures and told them that we cannot be happy when we are not good (Mosiah 2:41). Result: Today has been SUCH a good day. We've had lots of reminders, but what a difference I see! I don't know if summer boredom had set in, or if the anxiety of school beginning in 2 weeks was getting to them, but our days were getting pretty crazy with whining and bickering (that includes me, lol). No matter how much fun I planned or structure I implemented, we were all loose cannons. I like the feeling that we are all going to sprint through the next 2 weeks together with a good "goal" in mind. I'm thinking of getting all cutesy and making a chart. Thinking. ;)

I got tagged by The Mother Load to do a "baby meme" for Sasha.

3 things that scare me:

~the occasional bonk on the head or shriek from excited siblings
~Daddy's sudden and very loud sneezes
~when I'm not laid down ever so carefully (I have a strong startle reflex)

3 people that make me laugh:

~so far, Mommy is the only lucky one who gets smiles (bright and early in the morn)

3 things I love:

~being held
~being fed
~being sung to

3 things I hate:

~my swing
~being naked
~getting my diaper changed

3 things I don't understand:

~baths: sure I get lots of love when all is said and done, but what's with all the head sniffing?
~being set down: all is well, I am very comfy on my Mommy's chest, and then she goes and just PLOPS me down to tend to some other child's needs, or for Pete's sake, to go to the bathroom!
~changing clothes: what's the big deal? I get it, baby girl clothes are cute, but I'd rather stay warm in what I've got on than be undressed and redressed.

3 things on my floor:

~a playmat
~floor pillows for reading and cuddling
~a lavendar rug from the Land of Nod that Mommy just loves :)

3 things I'm doing right now:

~staring at my hands
~making facial expressions
~learning how to get what I want :)

3 ways to describe my personality:

~pensive
~sweet
~easy to please

3 things you should listen to:

~Mommy serenade me on her violin and viola
~lots of lullabies
~lots of stories

3 things you should never listen to:

~the banging and clamoring that my siblings call playing
~Daddy's CDs
~"Just a minute, Sasha" when Mommy can't get to me RIGHT AWAY

3 things I want to do before I die (in other words three things my mom wishes for me):

~feel the love that is all around me
~learn discipline
~give generously

3 absolute fave foods:

~Mama's milk
~Mama's milk
~Mama's milk!

3 things I'd like to learn:

~how to talk, man do I have a lot to say!
~how to turn down the volume around me :)
~how to grasp those dangly things in my bouncy seat

3 shows I watch:

We're not there yet!

3 babies I tag:

~London @ Mayhem in Mexico
~Mini Man @ Here Today... Probably Tomorrow Too
~Camden @ Teacher, Mom, Mad Woman