Footloose and Fancy Free

We had Stake Conference this last weekend, and were lucky enough to have a General Authority in attendance. Those men - there are no words to describe their optimism, their encouragement, and their wisdom.

Jared and I made a date out of the adult meeting on Saturday night. I left with a full heart - and that is putting it lightly. My older brother said it was the best adult meeting he has ever been to! The message that stuck with me were:

* Don't be too busy for your family.

* Don't even appear busy, because then your children won't approach you with their troubles, victories, or questions.

* When choosing between two or three good things (i.e. going to the temple, going to a child's game, or helping a friend in need), prayerfully decide which one to do. At that moment, one of those things will be the most important, and you shouldn't feel guilty about not doing the other two.

As mothers, we are always busy. My Mondays and Tuesdays are full of laundry. Fridays are cleaning the house and grocery shopping. Filling in the holes are my calling, grading, and my family.

But I walked away with a new appreciation for my children, and he is right. I shouldn't be too busy for them, or even appear too busy. So this week, I allowed my children to jump on my bed while I folded laundry. My daughter did some "work" (coloring and reading) while I was working during quiet time. And tomorrow (cleaning), we will all have our rags, blast some music, and dance while we clean.

I also try to make sure to get out of the house every day to do something with my children. Story time. Preschool. But our favorite? Afternoon drives. We LOVE being in the car together. Windows down, juice/water cups in hand, Disney songs in the speakers. We go see horses, cows, sheep, tractors, construction sites, Grandmas, Daddy at work. Something.

And moments like this are created (Sariah standing through sunroof while driving 10 mph looking at animals):

Emerson looking out the back window, wind blowing through her hair:

James was there, too, but he was sleeping. I didn't get a picture of him, sorry buddy.

The conversation? Trust. Imagine that! A 4 and 3 year old talking about trust. Sariah said something to the effect of, "I trust you, Mommy."

We talked about trusting our mommies and our daddies.

Trusting Heavenly Father.

Trusting Miss Malia (preschool teacher).

Trusting the prophet.

Trusting our Sunbeam teacher.

Trusting our feelings.

Trusting that our bed will keep us safe.

Trusting that our dinner will make our tummies full.

And the list goes on and on.

So while we drove, footloose and fancy free (and 3 kids without any clothes on!), we talked. All of this, while loads of laundry were busily humming away at home, and the meat for dinner was thawing in the kitchen sink.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

With 2 girls so close in age (11 months apart), they are virtual twins. No, they don't look the same, but they do look related. And of course, what one has to do, the other one has to do.

Thing 1: Haircut at 9am.

Thing 2: Watched Thing 1 receive her haircut, and promptly that she decided she wanted one, too...the SAME one.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are wonderful friends. They have very good manners when we go out (except for the occasional rearranging of the all the movies in the grocery store, which warrants a timeout right there...in the store), they snuggle up to each other during a movie, and they'll often say "best friends for always!". Do they bicker? Yup. Are they still learning how to share their things? Yup. But seriously...who doesn't?!

My life wouldn't be the same without Thing 1, or Thing 2. It will be a sad (for me)/exciting (for her) day when Thing 1 and Thing 2 go off to kindergarten and won't have each other every day. It's a good thing we only live 12 minutes apart from each other!

All Accounted For

Jared and I have been debating over a larger car for me. I drive a RAV4, which I have loved every day for the last 6 years. We bought it very used, and it is 11 years old. It just turned over 100,000 miles, and we have never had a single issue with it! However, only 3 kids can fit into it. That is fine for now, because I have 3 kids: Sariah, Emerson, and James. We had to move carseats and booster seats around to make sure everybody fits, and everyone does. Barely.

If we are going to have any more children, or if I am going to bring another daycare child into our home, I will need another car. Probably a mini-van (even thought I DETEST them!). Very functional, practical, better on gas than SUV's, and I love the second-row captains chairs. I don't want kids climbing over seats, etc. At least now now. Teens are a different story. Kind of.

We have decided to wait, save, and pay for something cash when it is absolutely needed. Since it's not an absolute need right now, then we will wait.

We will wait because everyone has a seatbelt.




Even Lambchop and Eeyore. Puppies ride safely on their owner's laps.

Thank you, "Total Money Makeover" for helping me realize that having a car payment is one of the dumbest things I can do, and that saving is more important than a larger car. So, we will save, and pay cash when the "need in the next couple of years" turns into a "need in the next few months."

Read it. It will change your financial life.

What The?!

So I went to get a pedicure a little while back, and went to use the restroom. You are never going to guess what was on the toilet.


A customizable bidet.

Weird.

Care-Taker

Sariah loves to put her dad to sleep. She covers him with a blanket, gets him a pillow, and reads him a story. I adore the way she adores her dad.

I am so grateful that she is fostering this relationship with her father now. In 10 years, she is going to have to trust that relationship, when her dad has to tell her "no" and make her really upset. The more time he spends with her now, the better they will be throughout their life.

And...they're pretty cute together.

Lunch Monkeys

This is how we eat lunch at our house!

There’s no wrong way…

To eat your lunch.

And no, we don't always eat on the couch. It was a special day, with a special movie. Sometimes breaking the rules is what life is all about.

When Life Is Hard

Find the softness.


My 3 pieces of softness.

'Nuff said.

Peace

I had a hard day. Emotions are running high, my heart is aching, and I feel like things are spinning out of control.

I took a little break from it all. I had to – for my sake, for my family’s sake. The cool temperatures, the windows rolled down, the sound of the tires hitting the pavement, and a sunset like this do wonders for your emotions.

As I took some deep breaths and listened to the hum of my car, I started humming myself. I felt the spirit. I calmed down. I felt peace. I know this isn’t my battle to fight, and I know the Lord has everything under control. Tonight, I am even more grateful for a Father in Heaven who has a plan for each one of us, a purpose for each one of us, knows us by name, knows what we are feeling and going through. I have to lean on Him during this time and let it go. It is out of my hands, and I'm actually quite relieved. Things will work out - they always do, and it's not because of what WE do. It's because of what HE does.

Try it sometime – a drive, windows down, no radio on. You will be amazed at what kind of person you are when you return home.

Madre, Mammasita, Mamma, Mommy, Mum, Mom

Can I just tell you how much I love my husband? You know what he gave me for Mother’s Day? A CLEAN CAR! If you have small children in your vehicle, you know what a precious gift this is.

I love my children, my husband, and my job as a mom. Is it hard? Yes. Is it rewarding? Without a doubt. Nothing of worth comes easily, and that is so true about mothering.

To all those mothers out there – keep doing what you’re doing!