It's working...so far

I just had a great General Conference weekend. I decided the easiest thing for me, would be to invite all my family out here to watch the sessions, that way my kids would still be in their own surroundings and I could control the watching of conference, as well as letting little Logan have his naps in his own bed, where it is quiet and uninterrupted. (If you haven't noticed a trend in my blogging yet, you're out of it...I like control!) So, the easiest thing (yes, it's true) was for me to welcome everyone here and host a sleepover with cousins and aunts and uncles as well as providing good eats for everyone while they were here. It meant a lot of time in the kitchen for me...but it's where I like to be. Plus, I had a super supportive husband who helped me out a lot. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by Sunday night, plus the fact that sleepovers mean less sleep for everyone! We're talking muscle ache and joint pain, exhausted. It was go-go-go from sun-up to sun-down...but it was SO MUCH FUN! People were around, we ate, we laughed, we listened to the prophets and apostles, we played games, we heard exciting news, we watched cousins play and do silly things. Seriously, it was SO MUCH FUN! But I'm glad it only comes twice a year! I've often wondered what traditions I would set up for my family surrounding the major holidays. Where will we spend Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving? When will I start being the one that cooks those amazing holiday meals...but as we focused this week on preparing for general conference by doing lots of grocery shopping, getting fun but quiet activities for the kids prepared so they could participate, and having people in my home I realized that this is the event that I want to be focusing on. My mother-in-law often tells the story that she once heard President Hinckley's daughter speak and she had said that in their home, their entire lives revolved around those two conferences. Much more than Christmas or any other time of the year....it's a good philosophy. My life should revolve around those times too. So I would like to propose that this will be my tradition. Not sure if it will always include everyone, but my plan is to make General Conference weekend a huge family event. Lots of food and hanging out and fun times as we get together and listen to the prophets and apostles. I want it to be a big deal. I want my family and I to look forward to it more than any other time of year. I made an effort this week to make lists and do a lot of prep work as far as meals and stuff went so that I wouldn't have to do so much as conference was actually going on. I was very mindful the entire weekend of the Mary/Martha mentality. Better and Best. Anyway, I'm rambling. It was a great weekend. Most especially because I felt lifted. No one's talk in particular...just the whole thing. I had been talking to the kids all week about how we can prepare for conference. How we need to be praying for the prophet and apostles even more than we usually do that they would be sustained and that the messages they have for us would be carried into our hearts and also, if we had any specific questions, we could pray about those and wait to receive the answers during conference. I really noticed that a lot of people seemed to talk about following the prophet and listening to the Holy Ghost...as if there's something we should be preparing for and we need to be better at listening to those two sources of guidance.
Anyway, the real point of this post was to talk about how 'it's' working. I've been down. Somewhat due to circumstance and somewhat due to my own lack of doing what I now is best. So I've determined to be better. I fasted last Sunday that I could turn around. That I could make a change. I know that I need to be better at praying, reading my scriptures and preparing for my life the way I do for speaking in church or having a calling. Being a mother is my calling...forever...and I need to work just as hard at it, in fact harder, than I do at anything else. Harder doesn't mean filling up my life with to-dos. My to-do list does not define me. But my attitude definitely does. So all this week I've been trying. I can't boast that I've been stellar, but there's a difference. My attitude is way better. I'm trying REALLY hard to not let little things get blown out of proportion...and most things are little things. I feel more at peace. I feel better. I still get overwhelmed with anxiety (had such a moment Saturday night), but I worked through it instead of pleading to be relieved from it. I hope my kids are noticing too. Mom's not such a cow all the time. Only half the time! Like I said, it's still a work-in-progress...but I guess that's the most that Heavenly Father expects of us...that we keep working, and we keep making progress. There is no sense of perfection here. It's just not attainable, but I am working and I'm progressing...bit-by-bit. And I hope I can maintain this momentum.

Counting Sheep

This is one of my most favorite pictures of Max. He went with Papa and Dad for a walk to see if they could spot any coyotes. The coyotes have been a bit of a problem as of late and it's becoming a threat to our sheep population. Max is all about doing boy things with Dad and Papa. I guess all that coyote and sheep counting did him in, because he fell asleep on Papa's head on the way back up to the house.

Cleaning House

A few times a year I get an itch (eww, that sounds gross). An itch to have a house and lifestyle that is much different. Don't read this the wrong way...I still want the same husband, same kids, same experiences, just one of those neat and tidy homes with barely anything in them that you see on TV, or that you see when you go to your friend's house. My kids are young, so I try to reconcile in my mind that the clutter of little plastic things is just the phase that I'm in and it will not be this way forever. But the piles of little plastic things get to be so disorderly that even my kids don't play with them that much. And let's not get too crazy in thinking I am WAY above such things, because there are piles of things other than primary colored plastic things all over my house too...
I start thinking this way once people start talking about Christmas or Birthdays, usually when the idea of more stuff coming into my home becomes inevitable. How can you bring more stuff in if you don't get rid of some stuff? And, unfortunately, (actually, very fortunately except in this very singular instance!!) my kids are all different ages (not triplets) so they are at different stages of playing and have different interests in what they want to play with. Logan is still in the "everything goes into the mouth first" stage, so toys need to be big enough to not present a choking hazard and non-toxic, and easy to clean since he drools and spits-up all over them. Max is into mostly whatever Lucy is into, but seems really interested in making up imaginary games with characters and stuffies. Lucy is mostly into creating. Drawing, coloring, art projects, crafts, scissors...itsy bitsy pieces of paper everywhere. So cleaning a clean-out of unused toys is sometimes difficult, because I rationalize to myself that maybe someday one of my younger children will be interested in this item because they haven't hit that stage yet...even though the older one has passed it. Anyway, the point of my ramblings? I want a clutter free home. If there are toys that my kids haven't played with in months or even a year, should I just get rid of them, or is it because there's TOO much clutter that they can't even see what's fun anymore, so they just grab the stuff on top of the pile? Plus, in an ideal world, I'd love to just have a few boxes of things and see how many different games they can come up with to play with those few items. Imagination to the max, or something like that. But I've also invested money in these toys, so getting rid of them doesn't seem frugal.

Maybe I'm just hoping that a less cluttered house would mean a less cluttered mind.

This Just In - Breaking News in Cochrane

Young Men's leader and Father of 3 spotted talking on his cell phone at High School Football game. Spectators say he seemed well involved in the game and talking animatedly, While this said father was out enjoying football and conversing with who-knows-who, his children were left to play well-organized primary activity games at the church where they ate lots of candy and had a great time. The father even brought the kids back to the game when their activity was done, so they could enjoy some time outside and running in the school field with a close friend. What is this world coming to, when such a man exists and does such things SO publicly? Supporting his young men, playing with his kids, and talking with his wife on the phone to organize lunch. This is one reporter who is going home and re-examining her life.

Tyler went to watch one of his Young Men play football the other day while the kids were at their Primary Party. He stood on the sidelines, like a good supportive Young Men's president, and watched the plays closely...little did he know that someone was watching him too...we got lots of calls from random people talking about how Tyler was on the front page of the paper. For what? we could not imagine...cell phone talking at football games I guess. It's breaking news in Cochrane.

Tyler also commented that he played for this same team in high-school for 3 years and never made the front page.

A New Toy!

This morning, Papa took Tyler and the kids to go look at a quad he had seen an ad for. The purpose of the quad is (because it has a shovel on the front) is to clear snow on the driveway, as we often get snowed in...but today, the purpose is purely fun. Lucy is a bit timid (she's used to riding on the Rhino, and when she saw the quad said, "I don't know, I didn't realize it would be so big, and so loud and with no roof or walls or doors).
Tyler finally convinced her to go for a try. They went for a slow ride to start, and once Lucy realized how easy it was to drive and how fun it was, she soon took over driving from her dad and was all about it.
Max is all about big loud rumbling over hills machine, so he has had plenty of rides.

So now we just have to remind the kids that they can only use it with adult supervision and helmets. I wonder if they'll be as excited to use it when it's -20 and we need to use it to clear snow.

Millions of Peaches

Tonight, the whole family got together to can peaches. My mom and dad came out to do a little demonstration to the rest so we could all feel a bit of confidence in this process. Everyone's hands were in the peaches, so everyone gets a claim, I guess. Here's a few shots of the event. It went late into the evening, and Lucy had a hard time going home before it was finished.

I'm Learning Too

Today was a great day. Let's just say that again. TODAY was a GREAT day! It started by waking up early (oh Logan, when will you sleep through the night?!) but we were up and at it because Lucy had school today...and I got to go with her. I was the parent volunteer for her class this morning, so I got to get ready for school too and enjoy the morning with just my girl while the three boys hung out at home. It was awesome. Lucy was a bit clingy to me and I was nervous that this volunteering in her class would be a bad idea, but it turned out great. I was able to see her in class, be so proud of her answering questions and sharing her thoughts, and guide her a bit in feeling more comfortable with her classmates. I loved it. They did a bit on bus safety in their class today, so they all got to climb onto the school bus and learn about the emergency exits and how to board and ride a bus safely. It was Lucy's first time on a bus, since she drives to school everyday. She was pretty excited, and afterward they got a certificate saying they'd completed bus safety and then the class drew pictures of buses in their scrapbooks. The teacher told them how to spell bus and Lucy promptly put up her hand and asked, "Shouldn't there be an 'e' on the end to make the 'u' have a long u sound?" The teacher was amazed that she would know something like that. Of course we corrected her mistake, but she was impressed, and I was glad I got to witness her sharing her brilliance. The afternoon I spent with my boys was good too. Max and I played dominos and read stories and giggled. It was so good to get out of the house, even for a few hours, and watch other adults interact with little kids, without me having to worry about my own little kids and then I could come back to my own home and apply what I saw. Looks like I learned something in kindergarten as well.
Tonight, the kids played "Pretty, Pretty Princess" with grandma and dad and had a great time. Dad won the first round, and he was all adorned with purple jewels, and then both kids were determined to win the second round. Grandma ended up winning, and as she pronounced her win, Max was quick to jump on the band-wagon and said, "I'm on your team!" So I guess he won too...by default. After, we loaded the jewelry on Logan so he could be a princess too.

We ended the evening with a little scripture reading. (We're in Jerom...I feel like we're starting to make progress! It helps that we're breezing through these small books so quickly and we finally made it over the hump of Isaiah in 2nd Nephi).
We had a tickle-fest and then it was off to bed. I even had the opportunity to make breakfast for dinner (One of my favorites), clean my kitchen (sort of) and work on my lesson a bit today. I'm looking forward to teaching on Sunday. I've had the opportunity to be immersed in General Conference talks this week, and it makes me excited for the next session of General Conference in 2 weeks.
Speaking of which, we had Stake Conference this past weekend and I love it. I was worried with all the sickness going around our house, that I might not be able to go, but things worked out and Tyler and I were both able to attend the adult session and the general session. I love hearing from our stake leaders. It was exactly what I needed...as it usually is...and a much needed boost to my testimony and ability to endure. As I was reading my lesson today (Elder Hales talk from the Sunday Afternoon session of April conference) he made a comment toward the end (it's on parenting) that struck me today:
"The greatest faith we have will be within our homes as we remain strong in the trials and tribulations of parenthood. To a small group of mothers, President Monson recently said, “Sometimes we are too quick to judge the effect of our successes and failures.” May I add, don’t look at today’s trials as eternal. Heavenly Father does His work in the long term. “There is much which lieth in futurity,” the Prophet Joseph Smith said. “Therefore, … let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed”
I was going to talk about canning peaches last night...but I'll save that for another post.