Meal-time Adventures

Well, I tried a new recipe on the family last night. I bet my family may be a bit like yours when it comes to trying new recipes! For me it is at times comparable to trying a tooth extraction on a wild, ferocious shark. My sharklings however, are getting a better about it with time...mostly.

The first time I tried a "new" recipe on my family...well, lets just say my husband still teases me. He taunts me saying "it was like lumbus bread, a little can go a long way!" For any Lord of the Ring fans out there, you may know that is as far fetched from a compliment as say... um I dunno the ozone from the earths crust.

Another time when I tried a new recipe I was sceptically asked "Where did you ever get the idea that someone would enjoy this?" (I will admit I was wondering the same thing in that particular instance.) I am still not sure what I was thinking...either of those times.

Not all of my tried recipes have had those effects on my family. In fact we have found a bigger selection in favorites as everyone continues to grow. For some reason though, there is always one who thinks I should have just stuck to something basic, you know, mac'n'cheese, spaghetti, or hot dogs.

Last night I decided I was going to try a vegetarian lasagna on my family. My husband was a bit skeptical about my choice. he tried to talk me out of it. Let me preface by saying: our family has a rule where each child has a night of the week where they choose the dinner meal. We have done this with the rule that they can not complain about any other meals of the week. If they would like they can rate new meals from 1-10, but they need to try everything.

I have one child who will try everything and even tell me it is good. You can really tell by how much he dishes up, and actually eats. I have another who I can actually depend on hearing how gross something is before he even tries it(thus the rule). My two year has hit the phase where anything that big bro thinks is nasty must be, even if we ate it at a friends and she chowed down...how does that work?

So back to last night! Everyone liked it! It was a hit! Score one point for me! Those points matter moresometimes than others. By the way the rating? it was 7-9, pretty groovy eh?

Motherhood is a One-Time Deal

Tonight as I tucked my precious little children into bed I reminisced. First, of things not too far behind me. I was remembering a night a couple months ago. The baby was tired, but fought sleep until I thought it may have eluded us both. Finally with what felt like a possible eternity, he did fall a sleep. After tucking him in and returning to my bed, I found that sleep was not far from me after all.

It felt like only a moment after my head had hit the pillow, that my two year old awoke crying. I remember thinking "haven't I put in my time for today? I am so tired!" I then continued to lay in bed for a couple of moments hoping, almost praying that she would go back to sleep. She didn't. I arose to the a expectations I had willingly raised her to have. Dragging my 'weary' bones out of bed I went in and consoled her.

Succeeding this thought, my reminiscing went further back. I was three or four years of age. I was feeling total excitement because we had just got bunk beds! With being the oldest I pulled rank and had called dibs on the top bunk for myself. To say I was pleased would be a bit of an understatement. My sister seemed almost relieved that it wasn't hers, thus making it an all around a good situation. So I thought. Later I found that having the top bunk wasn't all that it'd been cracked up to be.

You know those dreams where you feel yourself falling and you just know you are going to die? Well, I remember having that dream and waking up with my face crammed into the air vent on my floor. I also remember my mother pulling me up into her arms before I had a chance to pick myself up. In this memory there was a bloody nose and my guilt of getting it on my mother's night gown. Along with that there is also the memory of her telling me everything would be OK, and not to be silly, her nightie would wash. When the tears had been wiped away, dried, hugs given and the bloody nose stopped my mother tucked me back in bed. She moved the protection bar to the head of my bed and I fell back in to a reasonably sound sleep.

My final thought of this process tonight was on my own attitude vs. my mothers attitude. My mother was there the moment she heard my cry. I don't remember how late it was or if my brother had come along yet. I can however, be sure that she was most likely tired herself.

In the day to day, I hope that I don't forget the fact that I have only one chance at being a mom. I won't get everything perfect every time. However in all my desires the greatest one is that my children know they are loved and first (next to their Father ) in my day to day.

Lately I have been finding myself thinking how great it would be to accomplishing all of these great things. You know, learn photography, crochet an afghan, scrap a scrapbook...the list is endless! All of these things would be left behind to show I lived right? But is this really the season for me to do all of those things?

In order to do so I would have to put my children on the back burner. I only have them for a short time! Before I know it they will be off to school, being influenced by others. Now is my time to instill in them values and a foundation to build their own testimonies on. It all seems so overwhelming when I think about it really. Then I am reminded, I have to take life only a day at a time. When that feels overwhelming, well, a moment at a time works just as well.

Blessings

To remind myself how blessed I really am I thought this might be a fun way to do it. First of all, I am blessed to be married to my best friend! Not only is he my best friend, but my confidant and companion, whether in crime,enjoying our children, laughing or crying(I will admit I do most of the crying.) He shares with me the amazing things he discovers as he prepares to teach seminary. He honors his priesthood responsibilities with zeal. He is an example to me.

There are five wonderful children with whom a friend has in trusted me with temporarily until she has the chance to be resurrected. They have forgiven me a number of times and worked with me on others. To top things off, they are setting upstanding and admirable examples for one another. They are doing all that they can to perfect themselves in the gospel and living it as well. I take pleasure in the moments they share with me, whether about a book they want to write, a day at school, the guy thing or simply about their latest joy or sorrow.

Two more children have been in trusted to me. They have the sweetest sweetness about them. Both have the most contagious laughs I have encountered! And their smiles each morning are alone something to cherish waking to. They adore their older brothers and sisters with a love that is undoubtedly returned. They enjoy each other in a way that is invigorating to watch, and their siblings mirror that in turn. (Or they mirror it from their siblings. Either way I count it as a blessing.)

It is funny, I was reading one of my journals from back in the day. Reminiscing about the good ole days. I ran across an entry where I had just finished visiting teaching a sister who was a great blessing in my life at that time. She had a way to lift my spirits each time I entered her home. There was plenty of laughter in our visits. Often times children of hers would join in the visit and add to the warmth. In this particular entry I mentioned how great it would be to have a family as close as hers. I think my exact words were "I would like to have a family like her family."

Heavenly Father blesses us in ways we can never imagine, we need but only trust in Him. If we do His work, I believe we will be blessed for every jot and title, isn't that what we have been told. It has turned out years later I am now a part of this family. I feel incredibly blessed that I can be a part of this family. At times I have joked that it has paid off to do my visiting teaching. But in all seriousness, it has. Now if I can just keep up on it. (Not that I am looking for another blessing equivalent to this. However, who could honestly turn down blessings from the Lord?)

a lesson on being green

My two year old loves to watch Nogin in the mornings, it has all of her favorit shows. They teach children a variety of skills, so I have felt justified in a bit of TV time in the mornings. Besides, it gives gives me a little extra time to get the house organized or take care of her little bro. She has picked up on colors, shapes, and letters.

The past couple of months they have been teaching children the importance of recycling. I didn't know how much attention she had paid until today.

We were cleaning the living room and there were some ads thrown all over my living room. I picked some of them up and put them in the garbage. Later I moved on to the kitchen, thinking little more about the ads. My smart little girl came in and decided to see what has been thrown away. In so doing she informed me that "News paper no go in da garbage momma! it go in da recycle box!"

It is true that their little minds are sponges. It is also true that moms get called on the carpet too. Dang.

Lifes Simple Pleasures!

I have to share with you how my day was made today! It went something like this. My gym time was cut short today because my little one is a momma's boy and wanted nothing to do with Kid's Club. Bummer! He was so upset in fact, I had decided it best to postpone running errands for later in the day. As it goes at times later becomes apparently too late and I was beginning to think that I might have to either change my plans for dinner, or call on my husbands assistance, postponing his arrival home after work.

While waiting for my son after school I had this brilliant plan! I could pick things up on the way home. Now the only decision was: where? I could hit one of the grocery mom and pop shops on the way knowing they are usually a bit over priced. Or, I could (Being married to a bean counter who counts every bean)go a bit out of the way and go to a bargain store, with the possibility of not only having to walk all of the way to the back of the store,and get a deal, but then hope for short lines. (I was hoping to leave the sleeping babies in the car with their big bro and make a mad dash for the groceries that were in for great need.) Big Bro requested that I hit the smaller store, he has better things to do than wait for me to run errands, can you blame him?

Okay, you are probably already on to the story, I won't hold it against you. Any way, I granted his request and stopped at the smaller store. I dragged my feet to the back and to my great surprise found that my items were on sale this week! (Half the price of the bargain store! YES!) so I justified some chocolate ice cream to celebrate! Then, wait it even gets better! As I was ringing up, the girl found and instant coupon on one of my buys which gave me an additional .50 off each item! so what would have normally came easily to $12- 13, came merely to $5.07! Ha! no guilt for the ice cream! Oh yeah baby! That is how my day was made!

Thanks to a good friend, I have the quote from President Eyring that I wanted to use in my last post. This has not been stepmotherified in any sense of the word.

"Too often we use many hours for fun and pleasure, clothed in the euphemism "I'm charging my batteries." Those hours could be spent reading and studying to gain knowledge, and skills, and culture."

"For instance, we too often fail to take advantage of the moments we spend waiting. Think of the last time that you sat in a barber shop or a beauty salon or the waiting room of a doctor’s office. It is so easy to spend time thumbing through any magazine that is stacked on a table there. In fact, if you think about it, you will remember how you wondered where they get those old, out-of-date magazines. There is much valuable reading you could do if you took a book with you to fill those islands of time."

This broadcast as a whole is amazing to read, I found it both edifying and full of wisdom...if you are ever board and looking for something productive to read, this talk can be found at:http://www.lds.org/broadcast/ces050601/0,10483,538,00.html

Thanks

New Year resolutions

Well, we have began a new year, looking back things have been great!

I have a healthy little boy

My little girl loves her little brother

I have moved into a new home.

My two boys are enjoying their new schools.

While sad to have left Young Women's, I am enjoying Primary!

I am extremely blessed with a wonderful family and great friends.

The list could go on forever but I don't want to sound like a braggart.

Things I have to work on this year would include:

Finding a way to spend more time with my little ones effectively for myself and them.

Fixing better, healthier meals for my family.

Buying less junk food for myself.

Making a bit more time for spiritual nurturing of self.

making a bit more time for the gym...all year.

This list could also go on forever as well. I think I will take one goal at a time, prioritise and give it my best. My husband shared something they had discussed in Priesthood last week. I will share it with you. I found it quite profound.

In Jacob where he is teaching the allegory of the olive tree, in Jacob 6:2 it reads as follows: "...the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune His vineyard..."

One of the brothers in the ward said on his mission he used this scripture to help him decide which investigators needed to be weeded out. Today he tries to apply the same in making his New Years resolutions.

He talked about how we only have 24 hours in a day. We can make lists of all of the improvements we need to make. Usually that may include more gym time, more scripture study, heart felt prayers, (my list up above has some examples) this is all of the nourishing. It also usually calls for more of our precious time. Like many of you, I look at my schedule and sometimes feel overwhelmed with everything I am not accomplishing.

This brother continued by making the point that as well as nourishing, the Lord also prunes. Instead of heaping more things upon ourselves, he suggested that we look at things we could omit from our already busy schedules and do so. Easy enough.

Upon hearing this I was reminded of a CES fireside I had watched in which Elder Eyring was giving counsel to a group of BYU-I students on the 6th of May 2001. In his address he said something to this effect:

-Don't waste time entertaining yourself, educate yourself. Read, develop skills and culture. Don't grab a magazine, take a book with you instead.

I didn't use quotation marks because I can not find the exact quote, this is only what I wrote as I took notes. The only reason I brought it up was through this fireside, and what the brother in my ward shared, I am going to work on pruning back on how much I relying on media to entertain me and my children. I want to turn to books and activities that can make me a better person, and strengthen me spiritually. As well as teach my children and entertain them.