What I'm Thinking About Wednesday

Sister Morris shared this quote on Sunday:

"The church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father."
— Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

What a comforting thought. The church isn't for perfect people. The gospel isn't for perfect people. It's for people just like me, who screw up sometimes. People who fall short. Who have typos on their handouts, who tell people the wrong times for activities. Who unthinkingly and unintentionally offend other people. Who procrastinate. Who are lazy. Who are careless and forgetful and impatient. Who struggle with their faith, with their testimony, with their relationships. Who complain.

Even with all of this, the Lord still loves me. And I can still contribute. It's not an excuse to be lazy, to remain where I am right now. It's the courage to stand up after I fail and fall and to try again.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Things That Make Me Happy This Morning

 Just a random list of 10 things that are putting a smile on my face today:

1. Kneeling and saying family prayer together.
2. www.Pandora.com
3. It's a school day. I LOVE spending time with my kids, but I love school days too.
4. The GORGEOUS weather we are having
5. My clean kitchen this morning (thanks, Flylady!)
6. A hot shower, clean towels, and comfortable yet cute maternity clothes.
7. Talking to my sisters and friends on the phone.
8. Getting emails from students at www.scrapgirls.com and knowing the answers!
9. Feeling my baby move.
10. Bagels and cream cheese and fresh strawberries.

Williams Waterwall

A few weeks ago, we went to see Travis's new office, and then we went to see the waterwall. It was really cool.

The kids thought it was neat, but it was kind of chilly that day, so we didn't stay up close to the water for too long. We had fun running around on the grassy green in front of the water wall, and then Travis and the kids played hide and seek in the trees.

What a great day!

Sweet Sabath

In January, our ward switched to 1 pm (for those of you who don't speak Mormon-ise, a ward is the congregation you are assigned to, based on location. Often, 2 or 3 wards attend church in the same building, rotating schedules each year. Our meeting blocks are 3 hours long, so if we start at 1 pm, we aren't done until 4, and don't usually get home until 4:30 or later). In years past, I have DREADED the 1 pm schedule because it's so late, interferes with naptime, etc. But I am LOVING it this year. It helps that currently we don't have anyone (besides me, lol) who takes a nap every day. I love having the the long mornings to spend time as a family. We have decided to not watch any regular TV, but we do watch the Tabernacle Choir broadcast on BYU TV and listen to other uplifting music. The kids play quietly or read, or help Travis cook. It's just a slower paced time, that feels different from any other day of the week.

Two Sundays ago, Travis and Megan prepped Shepherd's Pie before church so that it would be ready to bake as soon as we walked in the door. It was so fun watching them cook together. Megan learned a LOT about garlic before they were done since she got to peel it all.

Online Class at Scrap Girls!

Online Class - The Secret Life of Embellishments
Tuesdays, March 22 and 29, 7:00 PM MT

Did you know that embellishments have secret super powers? They are capable of so much more than just looking pretty. In this digital scrapbooking class, we'll be learning how they can tie a color scheme together, establish the flow of a layout, and create a focal point. 

You can get more information or sign up for the class HERE at Scrap Girls.

It's good to say YES!

Sometimes I find myself saying "No" so often, it feels like I'm parenting on autopilot. I say no without even thinking about things. "No you can't have that." "No you can't do that." "No you can't go there." But I've been consciously trying to say "Yes" more often. Or at least to say "Let me think about it."

One of the kids in Jared's preschool class brings a Lunchable everyday for lunch. Jared has been begging for me to buy them for him for months. I've been saying No for months. Today as we drove home from the park, he asked me again. And I almost said No. But instead, I explained to him that Lunchables were more money than I wanted to spend. But that maybe we could find a compromise.

For lunch today, instead of a turkey and cheese sandwich and a banana, Jared and I made a homemade Lunchable. We traded a piece of wheat bread for a stack of crackers. We cut the sliced turkey out with a biscuit cutter (Jared ate the scraps while we put it all together, so there wasn't even any waste!). We cut the cheese into squares. And we put it all into a plastic box instead of on a plate. We decided that our Lunchables came with a banana and chocolate milk. The whole thing took no more time than his usual lunch, and he was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. He ate every scrap. And I feel great.

I wonder what else I can say "Yes" to today.

March's Resolution

The days just seem to fly by. I can't believe that February is over all ready! Things are still going pretty good with my 2011 resolution to keep monthly resolutions.

For March, my plan is to:

Keep up my scripture reading challenge that I started in February. I did better in February than I have done in the past, but not as good as I expect of myself, so I've taking the challenge for another month. I think what I was lacking last month was structure. This month, I am going to try reading for 15 - 20 minutes in the morning before getting Megan up in the morning. This will be a HUGE challenge for me since I am so not a morning person. Travis usually leaves around 6:20, and I don't get Megan up until 6:45, so I should be able to read consistently during that time. We'll see how it goes.

My other goal for this month is to make a conscious effort for both me and the kids to remember the difference between treats and snacks. To serve snacks when we are hungry, and treats more sparingly. I'm not saying that we won't have treats, but I think by making conscious decisions, we'll make healthier choices.

Wish me luck!

Just so you know, my goal from January - to keep my sink bright and shiny is still going strong.