These are the Days When Its Nice to be "Mom"

My sister-in-law, Maggie, is in the throws of raising toddlers/preschoolers. They are so busy and she is so tired that sometimes it's hard to always remain positive and loving. I remember those days. I remember wondering how I was going to remain calm after cleaning up the spilled sugar at grandma's house for the 57th time. And I was really surprised that everyone was still living when I got home from work one afternoon and found out that a certain little toddler had smashed red lipstick into grandma's Persian rug. I remember just being so tired from chasing them around and trying to entertain them while also trying to keep the house clean, the laundry done, food on the table, the bills paid, and a what seemed like a million other important things. And when you are in the thick of raising busy toddlers and preschoolers, you wonder if there will ever be a reward for letting them live. And then it happens. Your reward comes. One day, kind of out of the blue, you may get a phone call like this: Mrs. H: "Hi, I'm Katelyn's French teacher. I just wanted to let you know how impressed I have been with your daughter this past semester. She was always chipper and had a smile on her face." Me: "Thanks." Mrs. H: "I know you were concerned about Katelyn not giving a full effort, but I want you to know, she laid everything out on the table. She tried her hardest and never quit. She knew that this semester was particularly challenging for her, but she kept on trying." Me: "That's good to hear." Mrs. H: "I am so impressed with her strength of character. She did everything she was asked. I know that grammar was her downfall, but she kept trying. She really does have a lovely speaking voice. It was my privilege to have her in my class." Me (with tears in my eyes): "Thank you for calling and letting me know." So, Maggie, the rewards do come from sticking it out when raising toddlers and preschoolers. Sometimes, you just have to wait awhile. Except for the hugs....kiddos that age give the best hugs. Take as many as you can while they are little.

How to Wear Out the Dog

Josie and I went for a run today. I was supposed to meet my friend early this morning for a run, but I had horrible cramps and the last time I tried running with horrible cramps, I wound up very miserable. So I slept in and Josie and I went out at about 9 a.m. I thought I had calculated a route that would be about 8 miles. 8 miles is a little farther than Josie is used to running with me, but I thought she would be OK. She did great for most of the run, but by then end she was kind-of dragging behind a little bit. I did "mapmyrun" after I got home. The 8 mile route turned out to be closer to 11. No wonder Josie was tired. But at least I finally got her back for eating my Garmin.

I Said a Prayer Today

I said a prayer today. Well actually, I said a couple of prayers today. I prayed because that's all I can do. I can't take away someone's agency and right to choose. And sometimes that is a hard pill for me to swallow. Especially when it is my child making a choice that I makes me worry and fret.

And so I prayed. I prayed that those involved in the choice and decision-making, will use good judgment and wisdom. I prayed that if there is a bad outcome as a result of the decision, I will be able to be there to lovingly offer support and comfort. Without the vestiges of "I told you so" appearing in my words, actions, or countenance.

What I am Reading Now

In case you don't hear from me in awhile, I have fallen into the "black hole" of the literary world. Apparently my preferred genre is "fitness", both physical and spiritual, as 3 of the 5 fall into this catagory. I'm a total "Type A" personality when it comes to vacationing, so early planning is a must! And since I seemed to have missed many "classics" during high school and college language arts classes, I decided to pick one up when I saw that Segullah was going to be having a book group. I have a couple of others that I'm reading with Carson, but they aren't daily reads so I didn't photograph them. Happy reading!

Quotes on the Mirror

I have a green dry-erase marker. I received it from my visiting teacher shortly after she returned from a trip to Utah. While in Utah, she heard a Relief Society lesson regarding scripture study; the teacher shared how she learned to memorize scriptures. She wrote them on her mirror with a dry-erase marker. I modified this idea just a bit to fit our family. I write motivational quotes on the mirrors in our downstairs bathroom and the kids' bathroom. I change them up every couple of weeks. This week's quotes are:

"Of all the liars in the world, some of the worst are our own fears." Rudyard Kipling

"What are your goals? Are the S.M.A.R.T? Focus on the process not the outcome." Me

A couple of weeks ago, the quotes were:

"Dream with courage and flexibility."

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest until good is better and better is best."

I don't know if those quotes help anyone but me. But sometimes, when we need a starting point for dinner conversations, I'll ask for discussion on the quotes. Sometimes there is discussion and sometimes, there's not.

S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timely

Self-improvement Theme for the Year

Last year, I said that I was going to work on developing temperance. I set up up 3 specific mini-goals to help me achieve this. Reflecting back on last year, I feel that I was successful in increasing temperance. Am I there 100% in every situation? Absolutely not. But did I learn some very important lessons and develop some much-needed daily habits (scripture study)? Yep, I sure did. I also realize how glorious our Heavenly Father is. I know that he truly guided me towards last year's resolution and the mini-goals. The mini-goals, particularly daily scripture study, truly saved me this past October and November. I also had a first-hand opportunity to experience God's grace in my life. God extends his grace to us because He loves us. Plain and simple. His grace is truly what makes all the difference in our lives. There is no balance sheet in heaven with good deeds done in one column and bad deeds in another. The only balance sheet that exists is our love and commitment and unrepented sins. Plain and simple. No matter what I do, I will never make it to Heaven on my own accord. I absolutely need my Savior. I need to be 100% committed to accepting His love for me. Once I have accepted His love, then I need to do my best to follow Him. Charity is God's love. Extending charity is my demonstration that I have accepted His love and am trying my best to follow Him. Last year's resolution was a small step on the path to learning to extend charity. I think that this year I am now ready to take a bigger step and identify

CHARITY as the Self-improvement Theme for the Year.

To do this I will follow these 3 mini-goals:

• Refer often to this talk by President Monson
• Remember the lessons that I learned last year while working on developing temperance
• Focus on this phrase from the above-mentioned talk: "Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down." I see this to mean every "someone", including myself when I stumble and slip (which I know will happen. I'm just hoping to make that a less-frequent occurrance).

While October and November of last year were rough (I had seriously considered leaving the Church), I am so grateful for the spiritual renewal I have felt as I worked my way through the dark, encircling mist. I am so grateful for a God who never leaves us and for the grace that He extends to us. Without his grace, I truly would not have made it through. I love my Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ with all of my heart. I want to follow my Savior's example, not because of some promised eternal reward, but because I love Him and am deeply humbled by the love He extends to me. That gratitude for His sacrifice and love is now where I find my motivation to obey His commandments.

To Be Fair

So, my hubby was a little miffed that I revealed his TV viewing habits, especially since I didn't share his rationalization for why he watches the show he watches. His defense/rationalization? He likes to watch all of the "crazy ladies", and to be fair, once most of them are weeded out, he really doesn't tune in to the show very often. And by time they get around to the "meet the family dates", he has completely stopped watching. Anyway, so Dave won't feel so miffed, I will reveal to you my favorite TV shows:

• Survivor
• Amazing Race
• Top Chef (any one of them, although Top Chef Just Desserts was my least favorite)
• Food Network Challenge
• Worst Cook in America
• Biggest Loser (because I have to cheer for Rulon)

Buuut....when left all alone, I grab the clicker, get comfy on the couch, and watch...

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

I haven't really gotten into any of the other Real Housewives shows, mostly because I think that they don't really represent housewives of their respective geographical areas. However, I imagine that most people who live in Beverly Hills are pretty much just like the ones portrayed on the TV show.

Totally lame justification, I know, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Not sure which one of us should be more ashamed of our TV viewing habits, me or Dave.

You Won't Believe This

Do you want to know what TV show my hubby tunes into every Monday night?

Wait for it....

Can you guess?....

The coolest man ever (according to Sheridan) gets comfy on the couch, grabs the TV remote and tunes into....

The Bachelor.

Yep. He sure does. I'm not sure what he finds so fascinating, but he watches it from start to final rose.

The Best Line at Christmas & Other Stuff

Can it really be January 9th already? How did that happen? And how come I can't get posts done when I have absolutely nothing else to do? Well, I was reading several books that I had checked out from the "Whiting Library" and somehow reading so consumes me, I forget to do anything else--well, I do shower and get dressed, but sometimes that's about it.

So, Christmas was spent with Dave's family at my in-laws house, which is conveniently only 25 minutes from our house. Yay for not having to drive over the big mountains, across the big river, and through the desert to get to their house.

But first we stopped by my parent's house on Christmas Eve morning so Katelyn and Carson could learn to make Mexican Sweet Breads. My mom, of course, sent the majority of them with us to the Graham's, where they were quickly polished off.

That night we celebrated Grandma Carol's 86th birthday, sang some Christmas carols, put goodies out for Santa and the reindeer, and finally got the kids in bed.

Before we knew it, it was Christmas morning and an explosion of discarded Christmas wrappings filled Rich and Charlene's living room. But before the chaos, we managed to get a picture of all the kids. See that blonde cutie sitting by Katelyn? That's Sheridan--more about her later.

After the gift-opening and breakfast was cleared, it was time to hook up one of the biggest-hit presents, the Wii. Mike and Kristi were nice enough to let us all use it.

Hmm, do I continue the embarrassment and post Katelyn's video of Carson and me sword-fighting on the Wii? Well, some of you aren't on Facebook and I told the kids that I wouldn't only post embarrassing things about them, so here is the video for your entertainment. Well, I tried to get the video to upload, but after 25 minutes of waiting I decided to cancel it. Curse Blogger.

Playing the Wii certainly did do most of the entertaining, but there were also football games to watch and puzzles to complete. The only thing that would have made it better is if the snow had stuck around so we could have done more sledding.

Sheridan...what to say about her? Well, she is a spit-fire, keeps us entertained, and has a well-developed sense of self. Dave thinks she is a riot. He loves to play rough with her--Sheridan refers to him as the crazy uncle. So the best line of Christmas was from Sheridan (actually she said it Sunday afternoon) after Dave had flipped her from the floor to his shoulder for about the, oh 47th time. She looked right at me and said:

"You are pretty lucky to be married to such a cool guy."

Why yes, Sheridan, I am. Thanks for reminding me of that.