LDS Primary 2014 Scripture Cards

I had a great time making these today, reading through the carefully and prayerfully chosen words of our Primary leaders worldwide.  They are incredibly beautiful, simple, and true.

These are made to be printed into 4X6 cards.  I print mine, laminate them, punch a hole in the center top of them, and hang them on a painted block that sits on my piano.  We used them throughout the month, sometimes during scripture study, sometimes during FHE.  I've also seen people do the same, except punch the hole in the corner and hang them from a key ring.  Oh, also, I put them back to back, so January on one side, February on the other, laminated together - then I just flip it at the end of the month and only have 6 cards to keep track of.

We did a version of this for 2013, and gave them as gifts to my husbands' side of the family, who does a Sunday-appropriate activity gift exchange for Christmas (a super fun and much-loved idea my sister in law came up with!).

I hope you love 'em!

epic battle - early morning edition

Well, life is flying by.  Between school and homework and soccer and activities and all, I feel like I barely realize what day it is before the day has slipped through my fingers and another one is dawning.

To say this is a transition time for our family is a huge understatement.  Some parts of our days have gone more smoothly than anticipated.  Thank goodness for a working morning routine that gets us all ready and out the door before 7:30 am, all dressed, fed, scriptured and prayered.  It works.

(btw, while we are all here, this is what I made for them.  Slipped it in plastic sheet covers and pinned it to the wall all fancy like.)

James and Lewis and I have All The Time In The World, now that there are only two kids at home.  The adventures never end!  Things like grocery shopping, which seems so blissfully uneventful for some reason.

Also, I thought James was responsible before.  Well.

So.  The other night another family came over for dinner.  Mads invited them for her birthday, and between dinner and dessert, we tried to keep the kids from tearing the house apart by playing a game of animal charades.  Everyone was involved, of all 3 generations present, and everyone was loving it.  Ben ran off to the bathroom to attend to some, ahem, serious business, and I hear him yelling, over and over.  I went to him to ask him what he needed, and he replied, "Nuffin'!  I'm just shouting my guesses!"  So funny, picturing him in there on the pot, yelling out what he imagined someone was acting out in the other room.  I love that boy!  Oh, and later, during the same game, Tyler walked in the room and saw him upside down under the keyboard of the piano, his head on the floor and his feet and hands on the bottom side of the keyboard.  Can you picture it?  He was being a bat!  Gaaah!  The cuteness!

Welp, that's it for now!

an heritage of the Lord

In a time and place when children are often considered extras, afterthoughts, burdens, challenges, complications, mistakes, or worse, I want to say, firmly and surely, that I know that families are divinely designed, and that children are truly an heritage of the Lord.

Not only are children our physical responsibilities, I believe them to be our spiritual and sacred responsibilities.  We have been endowed with this incredible honor and solemn duty to raise them as best we can.  Nothing else in life compares with the range and scope of parenthood.

But, also, the joy of it all.  Children are not just weights to be lugged, or nooses to be endured - I believe the greatest joys one can experience in the life are attached firmly to experiences we share with our children.

What an opportunity for growth it all is.  What an opportunity for elevation.


I'm blessed to associate with mothers of many sorts.  I see choice women who choose to sacrifice themselves, their time, their desires, their hobbies, their comforts, and more deeply, their very bodies to give life to their children, to raise their children.  Every mother that has ever born a child, or every mother-heart who has loved or served a child have physically, emotionally, and spiritually given of themselves. That sacrifice can be sanctified for the betterment of that child.

What a beautiful gift it is, to partner with God in the most heavenly undertaking this earth has seen - the creation of new life.  


My children - raising them, learning to love them without condition, trying to guide them as best I can - nothing has brought me greater joy, and nothing has taught me quite so much, aside from marriage.  My heart has never been as broken as when I've had to sit by as my children suffer pain, both physical and emotional, only able to comfort in small and weak ways.  My heart has never been so full as when I've held our newborn babies, so fragile and so incredibly strong all at once, against my body and marveled at their incredible perfect imperfection.

In both of those moments, I am brought closer to my Father, reliant on Him for all that I cannot provide alone.  In those moments I've transcended who I am as me, as a human, as a woman, and it is in those moments I've become a Daughter of God and a Mother.  In those moments I've surpassed any power I have inside of myself, and become more - more whole, more complete, more capable, more broken, more desperate, more in need.

feelings, thoughts, and this big beautiful mess

I got my feelings hurt today.


A woman who knows me and my family really well, and who I know cares a great deal about us, passed judgement on me as a parent.  She, kind of loudly, very plainly, and quite publicly, directly and by implication, said that some issues one of my children struggles with are a direct result of our decision to homeschool.

I feel good that I stood up for myself, and for my child, in a firm but kind manner - one that allowed our conversation to continue without apparent tension.  Good for me, right?  But I'm still so frustrated.  I want a chance to explain some things that need explanation.  I can't tell if it's because I feel defensive or because my pride is hurt or because I could use this woman's genuine understanding and support.



Am I sitting here thinking I'm a great parent, above reproach?  Absolutely 100% not.  My perfect parenting ended a looooong time ago.  But I am constantly trying, and I get a few things right.  Am I egotistical enough to think my kids are great because of how I raised them?  No way.  And, on the flip side, I'm not naive enough to think that all of their problems and struggles are because of something I messed up.

Some of them?  Sure.  I have made some big mistakes.  And I am constantly aiming to improve who I am as a person, as a wife, as a mom.  Growing and changing is part of life.  And I've learned some big and important lessons along the way.



Part of me really wants to say some not-so-nice things.   I feel so much frustration for my children who struggle with medical issues that effect their entire lives, but yet look like every other person.  I feel for any person living with varied abilities, obvious or not.  Because it's all hard.  And it's all not fair.  It has nothing to do with fairness.  And sometimes it is just plain horrible.  And, yeah, I know that's life.  I get that life is rough.  Believe me, I've lived it.

But I still can't imagine many more painful things than seeing my own child tortured from within, completely helpless to relieve their suffering, medicating them only to slightly relieve their pain, knowing their future is forever altered, praying for time, anything for more time.

And I've experienced it both ways - I have a child who was born with a birth defect, with hydrocephalus, and his life is forever different because of it.  His entire life he has been the recipient of prayers and awe and support and amazement and miracles.  And I have another child who struggles with a hidden illness every day of their life, but because of the nature of that illness, this child is shunned, judged, chastised, criticized, analyzed, pushed, misunderstood.   (To be honest, this child has also received prayers and support, but just on a much much more limited scale - and we are deeply grateful for all of it.)

Both of these kids were born with their illnesses.  Both illnesses are caused by a mixture of genes and environment and nutrition and circumstance and who knows what else.  Why is it that this world thinks that one is less worthy of support than the other?



But, I think the most frustrating part is that I get it. I really do.  I know myself.  I know my weakness for judging others and thinking people should do this, or certainly shouldn't have done that, and if they only did things in the same surely inspired way that I do things, well, then, their kids wouldn't be the way they are.

It's so wrong!  So very misguided and wrong-thinking!  And I hope I just plain stop it, and remember well and clearly that we are, all of us, basically big imperfect messes, and still so very very beautiful and worth it, and every single one of us is a child of God.  And if He loves us, and He does, than the very least I can do is love others.

And it's so simple.  And so deeply hard.  

our summer plans : routine

Here's my current draft of our summer routine.  I'm 100% sure I'll be adjusting and tweaking and adding things here and there, but this is generally how our days will go.  I'm more of a routine "order of operations" girl, instead of having a rigid time when we do things - I find that stresses me out!  Except meals, of course.  I can't skip those!


AM - 

family scripture study/reading
(walk)
breakfast - 8

then each kid will do one of the following and rotate, I think. Each activity will last maybe 20 minutes before moving on to the next.  I'm not sure how we'll pick each day, but I'm leaning toward popsicle sticks or rocks that they will pick out of a jar that tells them which they do first of the following -

chores
read (to yourself or a younger sibling)
draw/write (depending on your age)
math game

free time!* - following that rotation the kids will be free until lunch.  Each kid will have a day to help me make lunch, and maybe all meals.  I love this one on one, working side by side time, and find it especially valuable in the summer when all the endless fun seems to pull them away from me day in and day out!

lunch - 11:15

lunch cleanup - everyone helps, and this is a great time to blast music!
garden time - we will all head out to spend 15 minutes tending to our area of the garden.  Each of the kids picked a vegetable to plant, and they will be primarily responsible for the weeding/de-bugging in that part of the garden.  We'll try to keep this short and sweet!

free time!*  - even though we have this loose structure of this routine, I still really, deeply believe in the benefit and need for kids to have a lot of free play time.  There will be hours and hours of free time every day for outside play and friends.

dinner - 6 - I find it really hard to get everyone to get their bodies inside for dinner during the summer.  We have bright sunshine until late in the evening, and there's just not that cue from the sun going down, so of course they want to run and play still!  But, I really want this family time, and we make it happen.
clean up - as a family.  again, blast some music!

read - (we may head outside for another hour or two after clean up, but before bedtime we will come back together as a family and read our current book series.  Right now it's Harry Potter - we're reading the Goblet of Fire - but after this series is done, Tyler will read the Lord of the Rings series to us.)

bedtime - 8 - our routine is jammas, teeth, wash up, family prayer, tuck in, songs or stories


* depending on the activity of the day from our Mission : Impossible theme, we might spend the morning or some of the afternoon free time doing that activity.  This is when the big, extra-fun stuff happens, for the most part.

So, I'd love to know - do you have a routine?  Maybe a more rigid schedule?  Do you do school work kinds of things with your kids over summer, or do you have them work hard on chores and home projects?  Or maybe you just set them free and let them do whatever they want?  I think all of those approaches to summer have benefits, for sure.

building traditions : a kinder goodbye

My little kinder kid, Ben, has school in the afternoon only.  We get mornings together, he gets (most of) his wilds out, I feed him lunch, and then he's off to school on the big, yellow bus, ready for some fun and learning.

We have a few little traditions that help make the goodbye a bit sweeter.  We love 'em, and do them every single day.  And this semester, since I'm watching his friend in the mornings, too, we've doubled up on the traditions.


Here's what we do -

First, if we have a few extra minutes and they listened well getting their shoes and backpacks and all that on and together, they each get a big under-dog push on our tree swing.  Such fun!  And such a bummer if they don't quite decide to listen quickly when it's time to go.  It's a great incentive!

Second, we race to the gate.  Somehow, I never win!  These are some speedy kids!  And they know that when they get there, they wait for me and don't go into the street without me.  They love showing me that obedience, and are teaching James why it's so important.  :)

Third, after we cross the street together to the bus stop, they run off down the side of the road, about half a block away.  From there, they take turns counting.  They pick how they want to count - do you want to count to a hundred?  By tens?  Backwards from 10 to 1?  It's great practice for the skills they are picking up in kindergarten.  Ben goes first, counts whichever way he chooses, and then runs, as speedily as he can, straight to me.  I sweep him up in my arms, swing him around and around, give him a quick kiss, and put him down.  By this point, his friend is almost done with HIS special counting and is barreling toward me, and ready for his spins.  His friend loooooves to yell "eeeeeeeeew" when Ben gets his kiss.  Which, of course, means we have to give each other another kiss!

Fourth, after the running and spinning, they just hang around for a few minutes until the bus arrives.  While we're waiting, we review some of their school skills.  I'll ask them, "What letter makes the beginning sound of flower?  Of bug?  Of stick?  What's the ending sound in cloud?  Lets stretch the word 'bus'."  We continue on until we see the bus headed our way down the street.

Fifth, as the bus approaches, I try to help them transition out of wild and crazy kid mode into student mode.  I ask them, "Who's ready to listen to Mrs. B______?"  They raise their hands (or feet or whatever ;)) and I say, "Ben is, J__ is!" "Who's ready to keep their hand to themselves?"  "Ben is!  J__ is!"  "Who's ready to be a kind friend?  "J___ is!  Ben is!"  I like prompting and encouraging to remember their important school behaviors, and I like them feeling ownership and excitement over those choice.

By then, the bus pulls up, I give Ben another little kiss and "I love you!" and a "Have a great day!" to both of them, and they get on the bus, ready for their busy afternoon of learning.

I LOVE these moments, probably even more than they do.   But, believe me, when we're a little short on time, they are the ones who remind me not to skip anything, and what to do.  It's fun, and I really hope it helps them get in the right mode for their afternoon away from home.  I think it's a lot of work, being a big kindergartner!   I want them to feel ready and willing and able!!  And it's been so fun to see them learn and bring new skills into the mix - they really do pick so much knowledge up this kindergarten year.

And really, truly, I can't believe it's almost over and this not-so-little guy is off to full day school in first grade in just a couple of months!  How does this happen, anyway?

(totally cliche, I know...)

reading harry potter

We have this new tradition that's been going on for a month or so.  When Tyler has some free time, he calls out, "Does anyone want to read?"  The kids all shout yes and run and grab pillows and blankets and cuddle in for a good long read.

Sometimes, if it's the middle of the day, they get out paper and pencils and draw pictures of what we're reading.  My favorite was the picture of Hagrid, who was so big he burst out of all his clothes and was completely bare.  It really was hilarious, and only slightly inappropriate.  All the other characters were standing around him like, "Whaaa?"

If it's night time, we get the kids into their jammas and all ready for bed, and spend the evening listening to Harry's adventures.  One or two of the kids will end up dozing off, but the others are rapt and alert to the end.

We can't do it every day - that's not our schedule - but when we get a chance to read, lots of times it will last for hours.  The kids are so into it and never want it to end.  I love seeing them so involved in reading and in such a great book.

Ben is probably the most into it.  He wants to read HP any chance we get.  He always remembers exactly where we left off last time we read, sometimes down to the sentence.  He just hangs on every word.  I'm not surprised too much, though, because that kid has a serious imagination, and all that good writing is just food for it.

It's my favorite family time these days.  And I wonder how long it'll last.  After the HP series we plan to read The Lord of the Rings series.  But one of these days Madelin will find herself too old or too busy to want to sit in with us.  I sure hope this family time lasts a long time, anyway.

3 tips for succeeding as a mom of little kids

Last week a group of ladies I'm lucky enough to rub shoulders with was asked by a friend of ours who blogs at  Chocolate on My Cranium for our opinion/advice about those early mom years, with lots of little ones around.  This group of ladies are such experts - every one of them stellar moms of large families.  I'm probably the most amateur of the bunch, but I still threw in my little ideas from my experience as a young mom.  I love those years, and treasure them, but they were sure hard and trying and stretched me in so many ways.  I'm glad I learned a thing or two...at least I hope I did, or those years wouldn't be worth quite as much.  I treasure that time - it was beautiful and simple and oh so very intensely hard.

our little family - Jan. 2008

Here's what I had to say -

my top 3 tips for succeeding as a mom of young children - 

1 - Involve your children is what you are doing.  If it's laundry, have them help load the machine and turn it on, or carry the folded clothes and put them away.  If it's cooking, bring them into the kitchen with you.  Babies love to play on the floor with utensils, toddlers and preschoolers are old enough to help add ingredients or "wash" dishes, and school-age kids can chop and help cook.

2 - When they are little, be flexible an let your life meet the shape of theirs.  They have very few wants, but some absolute needs, and this is a special time to give of yourself.  Pay attention to their hunger, sleepiness, and need for attention, and give them what they need when they need it.  Not only does this help them feel content and important, it helps you avoid unnecessary fits and tantrums.

3 - Bring them close to you.  We all have moments when we feel burnt out or overwhelmed.  If you try to push them away and get your space that way, they feel it and become more needy.  Just when you feel like pushing them away, pull them close to you - literally bring them into your arms, focus on your love for them, and show them that love.  Your capacity to give and to love is not finite - as you do this, it will grow.



I also completely recommend getting the perspectives of these other great moms.  We all have our own parenting styles and experiences, and everything has something great to offer.  You can read them here.

I'd also love to know what tips you've learned - if you got to give someone advice about being a mom of young kids, what would it be?

Blogging tutorial - fixing photo widths

I know so little about computer stuff, really, but I love to learn little things here and there.  I've been loving blogs that have the portrait photos and the landscape photos all the same width - I feel like it's a clean look.  So, over the last few weeks I've tried doing it a few different ways.  Finally, I found one that I love and recommend.

First off, to manipulate your photo size, you can always head into your blogs HTML and play with it.  Risky, but it can work.  I was using a simple calculation to make all my photos the same width (600 px.), whether they were landscape or portrait.  It works but it takes time to do it to each and every photo.

Then I found this code.  It's easy to just copy and paste into your css, and it automatically adjusts all your blogs' photos for you without any further time sink.  Awesome.

Here's where you can find it - on girl does geek .

So, I followed her directions, went to my blogger dashboard, then clicked on template, then scrolled down to customize, then add css .

A box will pop up, and then you just paste the code she provides into the box.  On her site, the code has a bunch of spaces in it, but don't worry - when you paste it in, the spacing will be fine.

Also, once I pasted it in, and clicked apply to blog on the upper right of my screen, it took a little while.  I thought it maybe didn't apply it or save it, especially when I looked at the post I was working on and saw the photos still their original sizes.  BUT, when I previewed the post, I could see the pictures in the new adjusted size - an equal width in both portrait and landscape photos.  In other words, the adjusted size will not show up on your draft, but when you preview or publish the post, the photos will be in the adjusted width!

I went back in and adjusted the css to suit my blog.  The width provided in the code is 400 px, and my blog is larger than that.  I just plugged in 600 px wherever the 400 was.  Super easy, super fast, and all my photos from now on will automatically be resized to that width.

Yay for that!

So, want to see how it looks?  Here we go -

I added this portrait picture.  Before I added the css code, at it's largest size it would have been narrow, about one inch narrower on either side than the picture below.  Now, automatically, both pictures have the same width - 600 px.

Personally, I love it.  I'm a super visual person, so silly little things like this bring me an absurd amount of joy!

**** - For some reason the CSS I used made all the images on my blog look pixelized.  Until I can figure out why, I've reverted to just using the extra-large picture size.  I'll update this if and when I figure out the CSS problem!

one simple trick to diffuse toddler tantrums

I've mentioned before how blessed I feel I am to have older siblings.  One of my favorite things is that I get to look at them and how they've done things, and learn from them - especially when it comes to one problem that most parents say they have a hard time with -  toddlers and temper tantrums.

I started noticing years ago that some kids, when they really got riled up, seemed to not be able to let it go.  Ever. At all. At least it seemed that way, when they were in the middle of throwing a loud kicking and screaming fit.  But, I've also seen kids who seem to never really lose it.

Sure, some kids are just super mellow.  Every kid has a different personality!  But, when you've seen a kid get really worked up over something, and then you see their parent address it, and that same kid calms down instantly, you know you're on to something, right?

I've seen my sister and sister-in-law do this for years.  I'm sure I know other people who do it with their kids, but I was around my sister-in-law more often when I first had young kids hitting the toddler years, and how she parented was something I certainly noticed.

So, here's how it goes -

Your kid wants something.  Like, I don't know, to eat a popsicle.  But, it's not a good time to eat a popsicle.  You know your kid is hungry, and it's almost time for lunch, and a popsicle is so not going to happen.

But your kid really REALLY wants that popsicle!  They won't take no for an answer.  You can see they are tensing up, getting frantic, and ready to pitch a world-class fit.  Here's what you do.

1 - Stop what you are doing.  Right that very second.  Whatever you are doing can either wait while you talk to your child or wait while your child has a meltdown all over and around you.  Which would you prefer?

2 - Get on their level.  Pick 'em up, or kneel down, or hold 'em on your lap.  Whatever you need to do to show your kid they have your full attention, and that you see their little pleading eyes.

3 - Ask them how they feel.  Some kids will be able to describe it, and some kids won't.  If your kid can't or won't describe how they feel, start giving them a few gentle suggestions, like, "Man, you must be so frustrated right now!  I bet you want a popsicle sooo bad!"

4 - If your kid can tell you how they feel, echo it.  If your kid says, "I mad, mom!  I'm gonna hit you!", say back to them something like. "You are!  You are so mad right now!  You are so mad you feel like hitting me!"

5 - Keep this little feelings conversation going until you can successfully do one of these things -

DISTRACT THE KID    or   MAKE THINGS SILLY

6 - Now it's time to move on.   I find the best course of action is to get back to what you were doing and have them help however they can.  When they help you, they feel big and important and in control, and that's what every person likes to feel, right?



This is the part where you have to be on your toes a bit. Once your kid has started to get upset, it's easier for them to slip back into it, isn't it?  At the very bottom of it, most toddler tantrums are thrown for these reasons  -

- your kid is too tired! (give 'em a nap or down time)
- your kid is too hungry! (feed 'em)
- your kid feels like he's not in control! (give him choices.  often!)

Casually and calmly address whichever issue you think is at the bottom of your kids' fit.



I hope this helps you as much as it helped me years ago!  I've never really dreaded the toddler years (except for potty training, but that's an entirely different thing!!) and I think knowing about this trick saved me.  And the best part is, you can use this anywhere; grocery store, kitchen, park.

And your kids will be perfect little angels just like mine!

(i kid.)

homemade handmade valentine's your boys won't hate

I've noticed the last few years that gifted Valentine's are more and more either the pre-made store-bought sort, or the mom-made sort, and that's all well and fine, but as a kid I used to live for the chance to make special little paper-made gifts for each of my friends and classmates.  As much as I love a good project, and a super-fun result, I want to let my boys have those fuzzy memories of creating, imagining, considering, choosing, and gifting just the right little something for the people they share their days with.

My boys and I went through so many different Valentine ideas before we settled on one that is just the right amount simple, and just the right amount personal.  I was able to give them a bit of a head start with parts of it, and they were able to give them artistic touches and personalize them with names.

Here's how we did it - 

Step 1 -

Use a ruler and a permanent marker to trace 6 bookmark-sized rectangles running from side to side on a 8x10 sheet of paper, leaving about a 1/4 inch border all the way around.  That means each rectangle will be about 7 1/2 inches long and the width of the ruler (about 1 inch) wide.  I recommend using a heavier cardstock, or even watercolor or sketch paper, but we used plain old printer paper. You can make your lines solid, dotted, however you want.  It's fun to make each one a little different!

Step 2 - 

Doodle some simple Valentine-sy designs within the rectangles.  I made up a scrap paper with a few ideas first, and then made one page with my final favorites.  Nothing needs to be too perfect about these.  If we wanted perfect, we wouldn't be doing them by hand when there are plenty of other options out there.  Since Valentine's is a gooey icky sticky lovey holiday, I tried to stick to things I knew my 6 and 9 year old boys wouldn't be embarrassed giving - silly faces, arrows, X's and O'x, bolts of lightning, stuff like that.

Because we planned on gluing candy on and writing each kids' name on them, we left spaces for that.

Step 3 -

Now that you have your basic design all set, take the paper to your printer and make however many copies you need, keeping in mind that each copy has 6 Valentine's on it.

Step 4 - 

Break out the crayons, markers, or watercolors.  We went with watercolors.  This is where the boys get to make the Valentine's into exactly what they want!  They loved doing washes (watercolor with generous amounts of water that leave a light see-through layer of color on the paper), splatters, and painting parts of the pictures more exactly, kind of like a coloring sheet.  Whatever they choose to do, it turns out fun, and it's THEIR awesome creative work.  

Step 5 -

Lay the papers out to dry.  Once they are dry, or if your kids' colored them instead, simply cut between each of the rectangles to get your bookmark-shaped Valentines.

Step 6 - 

Let the kids write the names of their classmates on each of the Valentines.  

Step 7 -

Help the kids hot glue (for reals, help 'em - that stuff hurts!) the candy of their choice onto each Valentine.

We chose Jolly Ranchers for our candy, and all of the sayings on each of the Valentine's uses the word "jolly" in them.  The kids love that!  I'm sure you could come up with a cute phrase for any candy you think of.  If not, Pinterest is the place to look!

My boys couldn't be more thrilled with the paper gifts they created with their very own hands for their friends (even though that smile couldn't be more fake!), and I know they are going to love the feeling of handing them out to their classmates on Valentine's Day.

It's almost as exciting as opening up the Valentine's you receive, isn't it?  I was such a sappy girl about this stuff that every single year I hoped some boy would confess his love for me on Valentine's Day.  Never happened, but it sure makes me laugh to remember it!

the EVERYTHING sale

We've added some new EVERYTHING sale locations since I last wrote.  Check 'em out and see how you can help!  Every little bit helps!!

Donations can be made at any Chase bank location - the Damond Thomas Farar Memorial Trust account #3025135756.  

THANKS!

Here's the latest flier for the EVERYTHING sale.  Can you see how it's taking off?  We have thousands of people aware, and the word is still spreading.  This is such a good thing.  There are so many truly good and generous people in this world.  I count getting to be a small part of this great event as a huge blessing in my life.  I love seeing the tender mercies of the Lord taking  place in real time.  He is ever mindful of every one of us.

Please, if you can, find a way to help!  Contact me and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have!

Just over a week ago, my husband lost a cousin.  He died very suddenly, very unexpectedly, of undetermined natural causes.  Needless to say, we were all stunned.

His cousin is Damond Farar.  Damond, a fourth year med student set to graduate this coming May, leaves behind a beautiful wife, Adriana, and 3 handsome young boys, ages 7, 5, and 2.  This sweet family is facing so much right now, as I know you can imagine.  Among other things, they are moving across the country, from Indiana, where he was attending medical school, to AZ, where both their families live.  

Our hearts are so broken.  Damond was a special kind of man.  He really was.  I never once saw him without a big smile - I've known him since he was a teen football star.  He was a most attentive and devoted and loving father.  He found joy in life - he was fun, hard working, faithful, dedicated, happy, kind, thoughtful.

We believe that families are reunited after death.  There is much comfort to be had.  But, there is much sorrow.  

Damond and Adriana's families are starting to work together to help them.  We have started a benefit for them - an EVERYTHING sale.  It's is exactly what it sounds like - a day when we are going to sell any and everything we can to help raise money to help ease at least the financial burden Adriana and the boys are facing.  

Please, try to find a way to help.  Even if you don't live in any of the hosting areas, chances are you have friends who do.  Share this with them.  Post it on facebook.  Call or email people.  Please, I ask you to help get the word out so that we can make this EVERYTHING sale huge.  Amazing.  I know we can do it.  I know we can help.

Thank you.

2012

I'm not gonna pretend this year was easy.  We had some incredible joys- we welcomed baby Lewis into our family and participated in 2 big family reunions.  We also had some incredible sorrows - lives lost and some  major health struggles, as well as seeing many people we love go through enormous sorrows of their own.  There have been many changes, our fair share of frustrations, and a lot lot lot of hard work.  One thing I know for sure; sorrow and joy come hand in hand.  We feel incredibly blessed, all in all.  And we are.

I'm honestly having a hard time looking very far forward.  Today and this week are pretty much enough for me at the moment.  I want to focus on today's issues that need resolving, and sink into today's victories and joys that we get to experience.  It's good enough for me.

So, even though I'm not a resolution person, and nothing about that has changed, Tyler and I did come up with something a few months ago that we felt we needed to improve within the walls of our own home - something that can help lift all of us up and sustain us during the inevitable ups and downs of regular life.  It is the theme we hope to focus on and use to refine us over the next year.

We are planning on choosing more carefully the media we welcome into our home and what we exclude, we plan on incorporating more positive hobbies and developing of talents and abilities, we want to listen to music more often throughout the day and allow it to help us cultivate the mood we want in our home, and we want to actively find ways to support those we know and love who are achieving and pursuing these values in their own lives.

I fully believe that when we look for the good, we find it.  It is all around us, and abundant and plentiful!  We don't have to wait for perfect moments to feel peace, we can feel it in the midst of our busy and even sometimes chaotic lives.  I love this!  This is a wonderful truth that is a gift from our loving Father is Heaven - one I can't imagine living without.

So, I wish you many good things in the coming year.

Do you have any new year goals, resolutions, or themes?  I love to hear what other people are up to!

If you do this rubberband art project, let me know how you love it, and how it turned out!

The kids adored this project - as usual: messy = fun !
And I totally agree.

Let me know if you try this project!

One of my goals is to raise my children to be hard workers.  I want them to be capable and confident in their abilities.  Most of all, I want them to find hard work enjoyable and rewarding.  I want them to know work is not a punishment, but an important part of our everyday life.  There's joy to be found in even the most menial tasks!

So, every once in awhile I thought I'd share a glimpse of how we are doing it.  This is the first.

Work Side by Side

Monday morning we irrigated our yard for the first time this year.  All four of our kids helped.  We also weeded our garden area and did some other yard work.  We all worked together, side by side at times, and on our own tasks at other times.  Teamwork!

S.A.M. had a great time digging and weeding and helping set up irrigation.  Benefactor jumped in here and there with a turn at the shovel, too.  Mademoiselle was eager to learn how the irrigation is passed from one yard to the next and how our town shares water.  She followed Tyler along as he changed the flow of the water.  James was helping all of us out.  That kid loves to be a helper - he just likes to feel big and important.

As we dug and weeded, we modeled for each other different ways of doing things.  We enjoyed sharing observations (The roots of this weed are like a carrot!) and exclamations (My feet are numb, the water is so cold!).  We challenged and encouraged each other.

It was a great morning.  Tyler could have easily done all that work himself.  But every one of us enjoyed it, and we'll enjoy it again next week and the week after.  As we work side by side as a family, we grow in appreciation for each other, for the blessing it is to have a yard to work in, and for our strong and able bodies.  We teach and learn and serve, and as we do, we strengthen our family.


What tasks does your family work on side by side?