Fruits of my labors

Being a mother is sometimes a thankless job. I am the kind of person that really needs to hear often that I'm doing a good job, that I matter, that I am loved, that I'm important and special. Words of affirmation is my love language for sure.

Charles does a great job in this regard. When Azure was born and I was struggling with Postpartum Depression and our marriage started to suffer we began reading this book.

A lot of the principles taught we had to keep in a "future time file" since we only had a 1 month old. But, one of the greatest things we gleaned from this book was the idea to tell each other every night the reasons why we love one another. To this day, 4 yrs later it is my favorite bedtime ritual. We only do it on average 2x a week because we forget a lot of times but, it has helped me to feel loved and appreciated in our marriage. He also leaves me little notes and writes me sweet emails often.

A couple days ago Azure was watching our wedding video. I just love that she likes to watch it! Vince was toddling back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. When the part came on where Charles and I are just stepping out of the temple Azure exclaimed, "Look Vince! That's when we were sealed to Mommy and Daddy as spirits!" It was so sweet and I couldn't help but, smile and stop what I was doing to watch that part with them. This is the fruit of my labors in teaching her the gospel. She gets it! She might not fully understand the intellectual aspect but, she gets the spiritual aspect of what it means to be sealed, to be a family forever. And isn't that the most important part of a testimony?

I snuggled them close and said, "Yes. That's the day we were all sealed together as a family." Things like this fill my emotional love tank and give me motivation to keep on keepin' on.

Azure's quotes

Azure: "Mom, when I'm 30 will I still be a child of God?"

Me: "You sure will."

Azure: "No. I'll be a grown-up of God."

Judge Not

I just read this poem and about died laughing. But, then I realized that many LDS women subconsciously try to achieve this, even though mentally we know it's ridiculous. (Me included!) So, have a good laugh but, remember to give yourself a break. And most importantly give other women a break. 

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!

You could do what I do

If you only knew how.

I study the scriptures one hour each day;

I bake,

I upholster,

I scrub,

and I pray.

I always keep all the commandments completely;

I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.

I help in their classrooms!

I sew all they wear!

I drive them to practice!

I cut all their hair!

I memorize names of the General Authorities;

I focus on things to be done by priorities.

I play the piano!

I bless with my talents!

My toilets all sparkle!

My checkbooks all balance!

Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;

I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!)

I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul,

But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all …

I track my bad habits ‘til each is abolished;

Our t-shirts are ironed!

My toenails are polished!

Our family home evenings are always delightful;

The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.

I do genealogy faithfully, too.

It’s easy to do all the things that I do!

I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;

I know all the names of each youth in my stake!

I read to my children!

I help all my neighbors!

I bless the community, too, with my labors.

I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;

My visiting teaching is done the first day!

(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.

It’s the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)

I chart resolutions and check off each goal;

I seek each “lost lamb” on my Primary roll.

I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.

But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all …

I write in my journal!

I sing in the choir!

Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire.

My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!

My kids get straight A’s!

And their bedrooms are clean!

I have a home business to help make some money;

I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.

I go to the temple at least once a week;

I change the car’s tires!

I fix the sink’s leak!

I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;

I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.

I make sure I rotate our two-years’ supply;

My shopping for Christmas is done by July!

These things are not hard;

It’s good if you do them;

You can if you try!

Just set goals and pursue them!

It’s easy to do all the things that I do!

If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!

 

It’s easy!” she said …

… and then she dropped dead.

President Monson knows women pretty well as evidenced by the talk he gave in last September's General Relief Society Broadcast. I often find it interesting that as women we are by nature gentle, loving, kind, and compassionate. Yet, we are so prone to be judgmental and critical of each other. We compare and categorize each other subconsciously almost constantly. I sooo struggle with this!

I love his story about the woman looking at her neighbor's "unclean" laundry through her own dirty window. And these words of his:

"None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions.

There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: “Judge not.”

I also just heard of Sister Chieko Okazaki's passing last week (she used to be in the RS General Presidency) and they shared some of her famous quotes from her books and talks on this blog, which I LOVE by the way. Add it to your reader :) I especially liked this one:

“Only you know your circumstances, your energy level, the needs of your children, and the emotional demands of your other obligations. Be wise during intensive seasons of your life. Cherish your agency, and don’t give it away casually. Don’t compare yourself to others — nearly always this will make you despondent. Don’t accept somebody else’s interpretation of how you should be spending your time. Make the best decision you can and then evaluate it to see how it works. Practice saying, ‘I feel good about my decision to . . .’ and then fill in the blank with whatever you decided. If you find yourself saying, ‘I should feel good about this decision, but . . .’ then perhaps you need to reevaluate that decision.”
– Lighten Up! , “Seeking the Light of Christ,” Chapter 14

 Love yourself; love others; chill out!

I love my cub

Last night Vince pooped in the tub while he and Azure were bathing. Charlie may or may not have volunteered to clean up the mess. He was joking with Azure after we got them both bathed in our tub and kept asking her what he should use to clean out the poop. He kept suggesting using some of her toys to which she screamed, "Nooooo! That's mine, you can't use that." And Charles would reply, "I know! Let's use this," while grabbing another toy of hers. This continued for about 5 mins until he picked up an old Mario Bros. horned frog type character that used to be his as a child that he had given her. Azure started to say her rehearsed no, but stopped and said, "Yeah. That would be a great idea, since it's yours!" It was SO funny.

Yesterday as we were driving back from Vince's 18 mo check up Azure said from the backseat: "3+4=7. And 5+2=7. How can they both equal 7?" I was shocked! We have not spent that much time doing math together at all. I remember very vividly the moment I learned how to add. It was when I was in kindergarten, about 5.5 yrs old. I had some homework and I couldn't figure it out. I asked my Dad to help me. As he was explaining, the concept finally clicked in my head and I figured it out. I have always been horrible at math. It makes me happy that she is figuring out a concept at the age of 4 that I did at 5.5. Hopefully she will be much better at math than I am!

Then today I am menu planning and can't get to the store until after dinner which means we're eating out. I asked Azure where she'd like to eat. She said,

"It ends with filet. Can you guess?"

"Chick-fil-A?"

Super excited and proud: "Yep! That's right Mommy! You guessed it! Great job! I want to eat at Chick-Fil-A." I'm feeling pretty good about myself today :) I love my cub. She drives me crazy sometimes but, she truly fills my life with so much joy and laughter.

Yay for acorns!

When I lived in Provo (Aug.1999-May 2008, minus 20 months in between for the mish) I could NOT wait for Spring every year. Winter seemed to last forever.

Savannah is the exact opposite. I can NOT wait for Fall. Summer seems to last forever. I want to wear pants. I haven't worn pants since April (and that was when we were in Cherokee for a week).

Today Vince had his 18 month checkup. As we got out of the car guess what we spied all over the ground underneath an oak tree? Acorns!!! That's the first sign of Fall. Azure and I were so, so, excited. Azure would have filled her pockets if she had any. Instead she picked one up and held it in her hand for most of the duration of the doctor visit. This is a happy day. Of course, temps won't get down into the high 70's until late September but, at least there are acorns on the ground. Right, right?!

Back to the doctor visit and a little update on Vince- He is 21 lbs and 30 inches. He got 2 shots while I nursed him. I only thought to nurse my babies while they get poked after I had Vince. I wish I had done it with Azure. It helps soo much! He only cried for less than a minute. He is also walking 95% of the time now.

This is beginning to be a random post but, I might as well report that since Charles is in the Bishopric he had a chance to be in charge of a Bishop Youth Discussion (kind of like a fireside, yet more informal) 2 Sundays ago. We were so thrilled to host it in our very own home. Having 10 young women and men here including leaders and parents was another testament that we made the right decision to move. We could have never fit all those people in our last place.

The topic was Facebook and texting. We had a wonderful, wonderful discussion with the youth about the pros and cons of both. It was so refreshing to be among the youth again. How I miss my girls! Though a lot of "my girls" are in Relief Society now. Crazy. Anyways, Charles challenged them to not log onto FB or text for a week. He made them a daily chart of activities they could do instead of checking FB or texting including: invite a friend to dinner, call a grandparent, read a book, do something nice for someone, etc.

The basis of the discussion came from this talk from Elder Bednar. Wow. It is one of my favorites on the topic of media. Worth a re-read or listen. We, of course, went along with the challenge as well. It wasn't hard to not text b/c I never text anyways but, abstaining from FB was a little difficult. After the challenge was over and I went back on FB for the first time I noticed how subconsciously anxious it makes me.  I knew I didn't really like FB to begin with but, pinpointing the anxious feelings was a real self-discovery. Now, I'm really limiting my time on there because I don't like to feel anxious.

The reward for completing the challenge was a cookie for each day. You could get up to 2 cookies per day if you completed the other activities in addition to abstaining from FB and texting. Last Saturday Charles and I baked about 200 cookies. At first it was a bit stressful. But, after we put the kids to bed and made our 2nd big batch it was fun. I thought, "We should take pics," but, this thought came during the stressful period and then it never came to fruition during the fun part.

The youth did great! There were a lot of cookies redeemed. And almost all of them get the grand prize which is a shopping trip to Goodwill. The boys get a tie and the girls get either a skirt or a dress. I love the youth! I really hope I can be in YW's again at some point. Maybe when Azure turns 12 :)

Quirks

You know your dad is (will be) an infectious disease specialist when you have the following conversation...

"Azure, what kind of cereal would you like for breakfast?"

"Super infection cereal."