The Moral Force of Woman

Last night, I took the chance to fill my cup and went to a church meeting for women entitled "The Moral Force of Woman". So glad I brought my church journal, because there was so much counsel and wisdom to learn and write down. Four speakers total; each delivering a powerful message. It's so great when you're trying hard to pay attention and learn, (eating up the moment of actually being able to hear the speaker without wrangling young kiddos:) you're looking at the speaker talking, but you don't really hear their voice, you hear the spirit speaking to you? That's what it was like last night.

Here's one of my most favorite quotes that was printed on our program:

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. 
There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. 
We have enough greed; we need more goodness. 
We have enough vanity; we need more virture.
We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

Margaret D. Nadauld

Doesn't that quote just say it all? We see through media enough examples of tough, mean hearted women trying to take on the world, but what the world really needs is a women with a tender heart, and loving arms to hug others. Someone who is a little more kind with their children when they are challenging, and someone who is slow to spread gossip and unkind words, but who is quick to build and lift others with encouragement and kindness. That's what the world needs; just my thoughts.

Some other great snippets I scrambled to write from the talks:

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Beware of comparisons. You'll always come out on the short end. Laugh alot, sing, whistle, pray, be gentle on yourself.

Have a 'caring factor'. 

Before you arm your child with technology, arm them with the Holy Ghost. Make sure they know what the spirit feels like. 

Talk about things openly with your children concerning sex, drugs, addictions, pornography, etc. 

Use a story in a church magazine to launch a conversation with your child about a topic. It's not directed at them, and a great way to talk openly about a tough subject. 

Think of hearing the worst news ever from someone in your family. When they tell you this news, stay calm. Keep a calm face, and say something to the effect of 'Wow, that's tough. Let me think about this, let's pray, and we'll get through this together.' Practice being calm, and prepared for a moment like that. (Wow!)

Be more vigilant about what's in your home, media, etc. You want to teach sexual intimacy to your kids first, not the world teaching them. Make sure kids know what pornography is. 

You can't change someone else, but you can give kindness to everyone and yourself, give service, create something beautiful. 

There isn't anything the atonement can't heal.

Teach godliness in your home.  

Each one of you has a part. Your gifts are unique. Know what your gifts are so you can take your rightful part in the symphony. 

Oh, so good! There was a strong message of the importance to teach your children the gospel, the things that will bring them lasting peace because Satan is waging war right now against these things. To teach it to them first, not for them to learn from the world. To arm them with the spirit. To make our homes a place of safety and love. 

Then, this song was played for us that I instantly fell in love with. It was just so beautiful. I scrambled to write the chorus down so I could google it. Thankfully, the speaker told us what it was, and I found it on youtube. 

Listen to it, and listen to the spirit speaking to you through the beautiful, simple words and flowing piano. 

Life is a such a gift. I find that going to these meetings are so  vital to keeping my testimony alive, and to keep my relationship strong with the Savior. To hear what I need to know to be a better wife and mother, and to keep that peace in my heart when it's needed the most. I hope this post helps someone today. 

Rain puddle fun

I loved this day from last week. After a bit of heavy rain days, the sun came out, and there were many puddles and rivers to enjoy. We have sweet playmates in our neighborhood, and they boys were enjoying racing boats and toys down the gutter river. Brooke wore these great rain pants that keep her totally dry. She just loved walking in the water, and splashing about. Kevin was content to push a boat around with a stick.

I just tried to soak it in, thinking about the simple joys of outdoor play, and the things that bring smiles to my kid's faces. Sometimes, I just don't know how to be a parent. I don't know how to discipline them, what battles to pick, and what to let go. I struggle like so many other moms out there, and then I try to pray, read, and ask for guidance. Then, I go hug them and tell them I love them. I ask them to forgive me for yelling, and for being a 'poophead', which makes them laugh. I tell them that we all need to start over sometimes, and just give more love. Then, they hug me back and completely forget whatever the struggle was, and I'm given the gift of starting over with them.

This happens over and over again. I'm so glad that they still love me, and want me to be their mom. They are my gifts.

Our Valentine week

Last week, I tried to make it a fun Valentine week. I got some valentines from the dollar store, and each morning I hid some for the kids to find. They loved waking up to find a little card for them. Simple joys. 

Shaun got me some heavenly Trader Joe's dark chocolate caramel bars. It was my treat tonight to munch on after I got the kids to bed and could finally rest. 

I saw this blog post about candlelight dinners, and tried my best to do something special for the family. I printed off the menu plan, and tweaked it to what I could reasonably cook. It almost felt like Thanksgiving. We had chicken cordon bleu, parmesan roasted broccoli, and scalloped potatoes, with cheescake. We then tried to get everyone to say one thing they loved about each other. 

The candles were lit, and it was a battle to keep Brook from grabbing them. I had a nice cloth napkin for everyone, and the kid's napkins just ended up on the floor under the table, of course. Ethan kept fiddling with the lights, things were almost out of control and we were about to lose it, but we did our best to stay cool and try to have a nice dinner. Everyone ate their dinner, and liked it. That's the best part!  A huge feat to accomplish with young kids, as many know:) It was worth it. I think we'll do this Valentine dinner tradition each year. 

Homeschooling fun: Learning about animation

Each day, I'm learning more and more about the beauty of homeschooling. Last Sunday, I was attempting to get my boys to sit down after church, and teach them a scripture story. We talked aout Noah and the ark, looking at the LDS art app on the Ipad. Talked about the importance of listening to a prophet, and when God speaks, we better listen up.

We then flipped to a picture of Moses parting the Red sea. We talked about that story, and the power of God. Of course, in my head I immediately thought of the awesome part on the old movie 'The Ten Commandments'. I'm such a media/movie lover. After I teach something to the best of my ability, and we do some type of hands on learning for the topic, I love to finish up with a movie clip. Seriously, think back to your days in elementary school. Wasn't it the greatest when they wheeled in a TV for some learning? :)

We found the part on Youtube, thanks to the fantastic Movie Clips channel that always has the favorite movie part I'm looking for. The boys loved the high tech 60's special effect of the water parting. I was reminded of how cool Yul Brynner is. Seriously sweet actor.

We watched the same part on 'The Prince of Egypt'. Then, I asked them 'Do you guys know what a cartoon is? Did you know it's made up of people's drawings?'. Well, that started a great learning moment with them. I told them about artists, animators, and the amazing tools of a pencil, a piece of paper, and someone's imagination. I told them that every time the character is moving around in a scene, it's a ton of drawings. Told them that before Toy Story and Shrek brought the overhaul of computerized kid movies, animation was king, and how much work it takes to create a cartoon movie.

I found the perfect video to show them describing this with the great legend animator, Glen Keane. He drew Ariel, Alladin, the Beast, and many more Disney characters. He's up there in my book:)

Anyways, just another discovery for me about how fun homeschooling is becoming, and how natural it's beginning to feel on the second year for us.

"Deliberate Motherhood" Thoughts: Seasons

This books is such a wonderful mothering book to read. I have been working through it slowly, trying to savor each chapter, and grasp what it's trying to teach me. I'm almost to the end of the book, and have been looking through the earlier chapters to remember the gems I marked. I have so many little snippets I want to share with you. It's such a peaceful and empowering book, a celebration of motherhood, and a tool to help us see the glory of being a Mom even on the hardest days.

Today's thoughts are about enjoying the season you are in right now, from chapter 7:

"Crying babies and sleepless nights will only last a short season in our lives, and then it is us who will be longing for midnight snuggles. Battles with teenagers soon end, and we will long for those late night discussions. The home we onced wished would just stay clean will soon feel all too empty.

"Today is a gift; that is why it is called the present." - Unknown

Chantelle Adams

"Allowing life's opportunities to blossom in their proper season helps us appreciate the present. It allows us to focus on who we are, and whom we are with, right now. To be constantly wishing away the current season, because the next season seems more appealing, is to miss the fragrance of lilacs after a spring rain because you can't wait for barbecues by the pool. " 

Jennifer Cummings

Aren't these beautiful thoughts? I need these little reminders constantly when some days are crazy and I am learning to understand who these little, sweet spirits are that have joined our family. Each one of my kids have such a unique personality, and have so much to give to the world, and to give to us in our home. Shaun and I are the lucky ones to learn from these little guys each day, the two young men and a little lady. Being a mom is not an easy job at all, but it sure is a special one. 

Snow storm!

A rare and big snow storm came upon us. It snowed all day and into the night. 8 inches, at least. The boys have been playing in it constantly. The normal daily routine was swapped for snow play. I've been so busy drying clothes, washing clothes, helping with hats, gloves and boots, and feeding the kids when they finally come inside for a break. 

Today, with the exception of a 30 minute break for eating, Ethan has been playing outside all day since 7:30am. I love that he has time to play and be a boy. My job is to keep him warm and comfy, have food ready and give hugs. 

Blessings of a snow storm:

The world turns quiet and peaceful when the snow comes down. (Except for the huge car pileup on the freeway.) 

Ethan let me do a photo session with him using the big camera. My fingers froze, but I explored taking pictures in snow for the first time. 

The fireplace has been burning all day, drying the pants and keeping us toasty. 

Hot chocolate. Mmm..

The neighbor kids all coming outside to play. Childhood in progress:) 

The diffuser spewing essential oil goodness through out the home. 

Netflix added 'The Croods.' Good times, and fun movie to wind down from outdoor play. 

Wonderful chicken and rice soup recipe to warm us up. Can't wait to make it again next week. 

Boys love the snow. I'm ok with it. Brooke handles it for two minutes tops, and then wants to go in. Shaun detests the snow, ha ha! 

Libraries are magical

The libraries here in Washington are really neat. We've been to two of them so far, and they both have a play area for the kids that are very Waldorf themed. Lots of learning on hand stuff. This is the little one we live by. We often go to get more books to devour. It's usually quiet for us, as most kids are in school. I try to take the time to play with them, and let them enjoy the quiet time to be kids. Ethan was hunting down books, and didn't make it into the pictures this time. 

I thought about how one day, the small toys and play time of a library may not appeal to my kids anymore. They will be older, and excited to do other things. This stage of the library play time is so short. All too soon, it's going to be gone. They won't be small anymore. It pulls at my heart strings, and makes me want to really slow down, again and again, and savor the moment. Kevin loves dinosaurs. Ethan loves to make paper airplanes. Brooke is a snuggler. I wish I could slow down time, but I can't. So, I keep trying to enjoy each day. I keep trying to learn how to help my kids with their struggles, and I keep trying to devote more moments for just holding and tickling them. 

Fabulous quote to inspire you:

"There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one." -Jill Churchill

Good recipes: Brownies and Crockpot Meatballs

It's been almost two years since I gave away nearly my entire pantry of food, and changed our eating to processed free. Now, eating this way is so simple to me. I use recipes that are mainly processed free from a handful of food blogs of that manner, and then I tweak other recipes to make them healthier. Most of the time, it's always three main things that need tweaked; the sugar, flour, or oils. It's very easy to use good recipes that taste great, make some minor adjustments, and then they taste even better. I love doing this.

I'm still wanting to learn more about nutrition. It can be a bit overwhelming. The world of gluten and whole wheat is one planet in itself. Then, the digestability and nutrients of whole grain rice, quinoa, and many other flours and such to learn about. One thing to learn at a time.

At the moment, I'm researching brown rice and the arsenic level issue. Just learning, and eating a little more quinoa along the way. There are so many ways to eat healthier. I've found that you just need to learn, keep an open mind, and not be extreme. Keep trying new things.

So, I love to try out new recipes in search of gold winners. Here's a few to share with you:)

Whole Wheat Brownies from Heavenly Homemakers. 

Oh, these are stinking fabulous to me! I under bake them at 17 minutes, let them cool, and they are perfect. You can use Sucanet, Coconut Sugar, or other healthy sweetener of choice. The sweetness is just right, and not overly sweet to give you a headache. Perfect.

Crock Pot Meatballs from Allrecipes. 

I loved the simplicity of making these. I used some homemade breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning added, and ate this over whole wheat macaroni. We broke up some of the meatballs in our bowls, and it turned it more into a goulash. I would of used home made marinara sauce, but didn't have any on hand, so I just got an organic brand of sauce at the store. See? You just do your best with the food stuff:) Can't always have everything home made on hand when I got the family to take care of.

Food blessings for this week:)