Four things you ought to know...

#1. I just bought everything needed to make my first Quiet Book for Miss Loo's birthday the end of October! I am so excited...and really don't have a clue...but none-the-less EXCITED!!! And I only spent $20.00 for everything, and should have enough left over to make some more pages that will go to Anna's Quiet Book for Christmas. Woo!

#2. I went to Smith's this morning after I took Anna to school. It is so nice to shop in the early morning, and I love the smaller stores in town. The checkers at Smith's are so fast too! And they have car carts. I mean, come on, hello??? Grocery shopping is 100 times easier with kids when you get to push them around in a car cart!!! As I was in the treat isle, trying to decide what treats to buy for General Conference weekend, Carter decided he wanted a big bag of candies and mom said, "Uh...nope." He started crying. I picked up the bag of Hershey Kisses in my cart, and said, "Look Carter, I already got your favorite treat." He cried more, insisting that he did NOT like them! It was quite funny to me, actually, and funny to the worker a few feet away who was stocking shelves.

Then this worker stood up and said to Carter, "Would you like for me to give you a treat?"

His tears stopped in an instant as he shook his head, "YES!"

Then she said, "Tell you what, if you can be a good boy for your mom, I will give you a treat, okay?"

Sold!! Carter agreed.

She let him pick what he wanted, opened the bag, and gave him a handful, reminding him he had to be good. Then she went to the check stand and bought the bag of chocolates she shared with my Mister Man.

I told her "Thank you!" and so did Carter, but as I was driving home, I felt like I should have said more. Such a kind thing for a stranger to do. She could have rolled her eyes and been annoyed at Carter's tantrum, judged me in 100 different ways, vowed to herself to never have kids...but instead she chose to be kind. And I am so grateful.

Thank you brown-haired girl who works at Smith's!! Such a small and simple act of kindness will be remembered for a long time.

#3. Speaking of treats for General Conference....I am so excited to listen to a prophet speak this weekend!! Need I say more??? It's gonna be good!

#4. Which leads to more excitement this weekend....I am also going to Twin Falls Saturday night so I can see my newest nephew Jaxton Jay Shaw, who was born this week. My sister was in labor for 12 hours, couldn't dilate past a 5, and then the baby went into distress. So she ended up having a c-section, but all is well, and I cannot wait to hold the little cutie bug fresh from Heaven!!! And I am so looking forward to spending an entire day with my sisters (while Russ stays home with the kids...what a good husband!)

Yup...my life is good...my Heavenly Father loves me...I have amazing kids...my husband...well, I don't have the words right now...but he is pretty much awesome and has been my greatest advocate...pushing me to be the person I want to be and to do the things that make me happy. We are by far perfect. And so is our life. We have trials...but guess what? Everyone does...and no matter what we go through, there is always a way to find inside yourself the strength to move on, learn from your trials, own up to your mistakes, repent and become better.

Trials are funny things...we can embrace them or fight them...but there's only one way to find true happiness.

I choose happiness.

The End.

PS: If you haven't had the chance to go hiking....GO!! Before our wonderful fall weather turns too cold!!! Speaking of fall...my most favorite month of the whole year will be here in just 2 days!!! October makes my heart happy!!! Hmm, hmm, good stuff to come....

Why didn't I think of this before???

So, I found a new blog I have been visiting lately:

Being LDS

Check it out, you will really like what you find. I was reading one of her blogs about "Life Lessons Preschool" and she gives ideas for "Fun, cheap, and Slightly Messy Educational Activities to Do At Home." One was called "Wheat Play" which I thought was a brilliant idea. It reminded me of Carter's nursery class in Rexburg, where they had a big container of rice for the kids to play with.

Since I did not have wheat or enough rice (since we do like to eat rice, preferably rice that hasn't been played with) I remembered I had a box full of bags of beans I had been collecting from WIC...which I just never used! I knew that beans would be perfect!

So I set up our "play station" and the kids....well... PLAYED!!!

They LOVED it. It kept them entertained for probably an hour. Kya did great too, picking up handfuls of beans and then opening her hands up and watching them fall to the table. Then she started trying to put the beans in the dishes, and when that got old, she began kicking the beans, sending them flying EVERYWHERE!!!! Anna and Carter weren't too happy about that! So, I moved Miss Loo to the floor, where she kicked to her little heart's content!!!

Of course Carter HAD to have his tractors...which I happened to find at the dollar store! Great buy and he has loved them since day one! The kids scooped and piled, organized, spooned, poured, strained....and just had a blast! It was really easy to clean up too!

We will be doing this activity again this week...if not everyday! Another idea I got: water stations,where the kids can play and experiment with water. Once again, fun and brilliant! I am compiling a list of activities for the winter, and these will be life-saving!!

Oh...I hope you all had a great weekend and a happy Sunday! My Sunday was perfect (minus the part where Kya has come down with a nasty croupy cold and my sister has still NOT had her baby yet!)

Our lesson in Sunday School was awesome, and it went right along with a book I just finished:




It was incredible and I highly reccomend it! It only took me two nights to read it too, which was nice since I don't have a lot of time for reading right now. Here is the Preface, for your reading pleasure:

"We live in a world at war. I am referring not only to wars between countries but also between former friends, siblings, spouses, parents, and children. Conflicts between countries are perhaps more dramatic, but the hot and cold wars that fester in the hearts of family members, neighbors, and friends bring more pain and suffering to this earth in a single day than have all the world's weapons since the beginning of time. If there ever is to be peace on earth, we first must find the way to peace in our hearts and homes. 'I am the way,' the Lord declared. 'After your tribulation, I will feel after you,' he promised. 'And if you harden not your hearts, and stiffen not your necks against me, I will heal you.' Nothing is more important than understanding not just that the Lord's atonement is the answer to our daily, painful predicaments, but how it is the answer. This book is an account of how the Lord 'feels after us to heal us,' and what we must do to receive the peace of his healing. It is the story of a husband and wife whose marriage is in trouble. It could just as well be the story of a father and child who aren't speaking, or of neighbors who bristle at each encroachment over a property line. The Lord's atonement reaches deep into the trouble of daily life to the very bottom of every dispute and hurt feeling. To the predicament of a hard heart, he offers the promise of a new one. To the pain of hurt feelings, he offers the balm of his love. To the utter loneliness, he offers the companionship of the heavens. His birth was heralded by the words 'Peace, good will toward men' because his atonement is what makes peace and good will possible. Whether in a home or a bunker, the way to true, deep, lasting peace is only in and through the Prince of Peace. 'He is our peace,' Paul declared, for through his atonement he has 'broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity.' There are far too many partitions in our hearts and homes and too much enmity between us. But the carpenter of Nazareth has constructed for us peace. My desire is to explore with you how."

This book opened my eyes to a new level of understanding about Christ and His Atonement. You will LOVE it. Then our Sunday School lesson is from the New Testament, Lesson 35: "Be Ye Reconciled to God." (The scriptures studied were in 2 Corinthians) If you didn't get this lesson yet, or missed it, you should read it. One of the quotes from the manual (which is on my handy dandy iPad, where I can go from text to scripture with just a touch...so lovely)...anyhoo, there was a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that stuck with me all day today,

"We see the need for [forgiveness] in the homes of people, where tiny molehills of misunderstanding are fanned into mountains of argument. We see it among neighbors, where insignificant differences lead to undying bitterness. We see it in business associates who quarrel and refuse to compromise and forgive when, in most instances, if there were a willingness to sit down together and speak quietly one to another, the matter could be resolved to the blessing of all. Rather, they spend their days nurturing grudges and planning retribution...

"If there be any who nurture in their hearts the poisenous brew of emnity toward another, I plead with you to ask the Lord for strength to forgive. This expression of desire will be of the very substance of your repentance. It may not be easy, and it may not come quickly. But if you will seek it with sincerity and cultivate it, it will come...

"There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds. There is peace only in repentance and forgiveness. This is the sweet peace of the Christ, who said, 'blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.' "(Matt. 5:9) ("Of You It Is Required toForgive," Ensign, June 1991, 2, 5).


I am so thankful for good books and Sunday School teachers. Because of them, I am learning how to be a better person, and gaining a better understanding of my Savior and feeling closer to Him each day.

This week: Try to be a peacemaker and help our children learn as well.


One more thing: I think I have found just the right words to put on a canvas to hang above my bed:

Moroni 7:45 "And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

What a nice reminder to read every morning and night. (read verses 44-48, all so good)

That's all for tonight. The baby is coughing and fussing...I really despise sickness....so I need to make sure she is okay. If I don't post before this weekend, I hope you all have a wonderful conference weekend!! I am so excited and anxious to hear the words from our beloved Prophet and Apostles. My soul needs the spiritual nourishment...

I spoke too soon!!!

I don't know what kind of luck we are having this week, but it seems to be some pretty darn good luck for injuries!!! I should have felt that foreboding feeling this morning after I exclaimed last night about no more "tragedies" this week!! I could have at least knocked on wood! Oh well, lesson learned, there will definitely be the knocking of wood next time! Or maybe I will just make it a daily morning ritual...better luck that way!

We began our morning as usual, kids up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing teeth. I was just getting ready to take Anna to school when Carter comes running up to me from Anna's room, head bleeding! I grabbed a rag and slapped it on his head, as Kya is fussing because of Carter's crying and Anna tells me in a whir that Carter was flinging his blanket at the sheet metal I am using to make the kids a magnetic chore chart. I got it out yesterday, so I could work on some things, and put it in Anna's room last night. The kids had their magnets on it and Carter was apparently trying to knock them off with his blanket when Anna asked him to hold it while she opened her closet. (since it was resting against the closet doors) Somehow, the sheet metal sliced open his head, though I cannot figure out how, since he was standing and the top of the sheet metal only comes up to his waist. There are some details we are missing, but anyhow, I taped on some gauze and called the Children's Clinic and we got him in before 9am.

He was really calm at the clinic and the nurse was able to rinse the cut 3 times with a special syringe, which she gave to Carter to keep...it's his "water gun"...then they put a numbing agent on a cotton ball and put it on the cut with a bandaid over the top and left us to wait in the room for 15 minutes. While we waited, Carter helped me tell a story about a dinosaur who got numerous cuts and what happened after each incident! haha! Then the doctor came in and stitched him up. Carter did so awesome, he didn't cry at all, even when the doctor couldn't get two of the stitches through the bottom of his cut very well...he said he must have some pretty thick skin or something!!

Then we got to go home! We stopped by McDonald's for some ice cream (because there is nowhere in Pocatello that serves ice cream before 11am!) because Carter was so stinking brave and cute the whole time we were at the clinic!!! He is VERY excited to show Anna his stitches when she gets home from school!

So now we've got two little ones with war wounds to show off this week!

Don't worry, I am not going to say ANYTHING about more tragedies happening in this house!!!

.

..knock on wood...

Well...it had to happen sooner or later...

Miss Loo had her first "tragic" fall. Tragic: Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow....though I think it was more tragic for me than it was for her...

When Anna was a baby, she suffered many hits to the head. Sometimes from walking right SMACK into a wall! I guess she didn't see it???

Carter suffered from a similar plight. One day, he tripped on the sidewalk outside our apartment and landed right on the side of his forehead. We got into the car and drove to Russ's brother's house. As we were walking up their sidewalk, Carter tripped again, leaving another bump and bruise on the OTHER side of his forehead!! It gets better...we went inside their house, and minutes later, I swear, Carter tripped on the CARPET and hit his....yes....FOREHEAD...on the fireplace!!! The last and final blow left a bump AND bruise right in the middle of his forehead!!! Three wounds, all in a row, on his head, in a matter of hours!

I might have to admit that there just might be a problem with my kids...

Loo loo's war wound story: Miss Stinky Face can crawl. No longer is she satisfied with her little bucket of baby toys...because, of course, those ones are just for babies!!! She is so over weeble wobbles and rattles!! Time to move on to the BIG stuff!

For instance: she likes to crawl over to the piano, then rolls onto her back right under the piano bench. A little scoot here, shift of the leg there and she's ready. Then she puts her feet under the piano bench...which is quite heavy...and starts doing leg presses. All the while she is doing this, she stops for a second, looks at me, and then starts shaking her head, "No!"

Yup...she knows better. Do you think that stops her???

Not even when Russ had to save her life as she lifted it up off it's two hind legs, and it tipped backwards...Russ moved faster than light, I think, and caught the bench right before it smashed itself and all its contents on the floor...not to mention the cute little baby underneath it!!!

She also loves the stairs, and she recently has learned to climb UP them...but certainly has no ability whatsoever to climb down! She had conviently dumped out an entire plastic drawer of matchbox cars right at the foot of the stairs, then before I even had a chance to realize what she was doing, she was up two stairs grabbing a plastic monkey spoon on the thrid stair, turned around to go back down, but alas, there was no floor!! Luckily, that huge pile of metal cars was there to break her fall. It happened so fast, by the time I got to her, she was laying face down on top of the toys, still tightly gripping her monkey spoon!

She cried the biggest crocodile tears I have ever seen! It was the saddest sight, the poor little munchkin!!! But I guess she wasn't hurt too bad, because after a few minutes of crying, she saw the picture of Anna and Carter on the wall, stopped crying and squieled, "Carter!!!" And the tragedy ended just like that.

Hopefully we steer clear of any more "tragedies" this week!


Side Note: don't you love her BIG BLUE eyes??? Oooh....I just cannot get enough of her...the little cutie bug!!!

I am grateful for the gift to choose...

"Happiness, Your Heritage"

I was thinking of this talk given by President Uchtdorf awhile back at a Relief Society meeting. The night he addressed all the women of the Church, I was touched by the Spirit, especially by his words about "creating." Since that night, I have often thought about what he has said, and it has been a blessing and a help to me in my life. I wanted to repost a link to the whole talk, which is above, as well as the video that was made on "Mormon Messages."

Whenever I watch this video, it just fills me up with happiness and I always hear the smallest whisperings from the Spirit of how loved I am by my Heavenly Father...of how much I am like Him...and of how I can be MORE like Him as I strive to "create" within the walls of my home.

 There are many things in this world that can contribute to a woman feeling unhappy, lacking in self worth or confidance, discouraged, judged, feeling lost and uncertain, and there are many things in the world, if we allow them into our homes, minds, or hearts, can bring about negativity, loss of an eternal perspective, and frustrations.

Throughout my life, it has occured to me that I have control over what I allow into my life, my home, my mind and heart! I can dispell negative thoughts, I can ignore the worldy media, magazines, and views about what my body should look like, how I should dress, and what makes me of any worth. Instead of indulging in celebrity gossip and reality shows, I can read my scriptures, the Ensign, and good books. I can be more active today than I was yesterday, I can watch minimal television (because really, in my opinion, the more you watch, the more worldly influences affect you), and if I do watch t.v. I can choose shows that are good and uplifting. As parents, we often teach our kids this concept, and change the channel when something is on that we feel is inappropriate for our children, but we fail to apply the concept with ourselves. I am trying to be better about that...not that I watch t.v. much anyhow!

I can control what I choose to look up on the internet and how much time is spent online. Social networking is huge, and has become a great resource and asset to the lives of all people. But I think it is becoming an addiction too. We say to ourselves, "Oh, I will only be a few minutes" and we all know what really happens, right? It can take us away from what is more important. Awhile back, as I was doing nothing productive online, my kids were pulling at my pants, trying everything to get my attention. I kept brushing them off, "Just a minute bud, okay." or "We will do that soon, Anna, just be patient." The more they waited, the frustrations began to build, to a point where they were no longer happy and I was no longer happy. Did I really have a good reason to make them wait? No. The social network kept me from spending quality time with my children, time where I could have shared smiles and laughter, had teaching moments, and opportunities to just talk with my kids and play for a bit. When we make sacrafices to serve...even to build a Lego pirate ship with our 4 yr, old, our lives and our homes are improved upon.

The more I started recognizing when social networks and googling were taking me away from my kids, the more disgusted I felt about myself. And I started making changes. We can be bitter, or we can be better. (a friend of mine said once on Facebook...see it can be good for something!) My family and their needs always come first. If I am online and I am needed for any reason, I put the computer or iPad down. There is nothing to gain by putting off my children for a computer screen. Occasionally, I still have those days....but they are becoming less and less. (especially when you wait until naptime or bedtime...then you don't have the disruptions anyways)

Everyday involves choosing. Even deciding NOT to make a choice, is still a choice. (yeah, we've all heard that) If we notice that there are certain things that bring us down, then eliminate them from our lives. It is that easy. If we notice things that bring happiness and joy to our lives, then include those things in our lives more often! When I listen to uplifting music it makes me feel so much better. But there can be weeks that go by and I don't listen to anything! Making music more important will bring about blessings for me and my family. We are responsible for ourselves and our families. It's not about competing with Jane down the street, comparing our abilities, lives, children, and homes with those around us, it's about making better choices each day to bring about a home that is filled with the Spirit, and influenced by the Spirit.

I hope that the talk and the video (and not neccessarily my "rantings") makes your day go better, and I hope you can share with me, and others around you, what brings a greater happiness into your home and heart.

My recent projects...

I LOVE to create! But when you bring a new baby into your heart and home, it can be difficult to find time to do much more than eat, feed your kids, feed the baby, put the baby to sleep, get the kids dressed, feed the baby, sleep the baby, clean up after breakfast, spend time with kids, shower, lunchtime, feed kids, feed baby while you feed yourself, try to spend time outside or go grocery shopping, possibly make it to the library, home for naps, clean up lunch, laundry, pick up toys, sweep, lay down for just enough time to get relaxed...then you must feed the baby! Then it's activites to keep the kids busy, calming a fussy baby, and trying to prepare for dinner. 5 o 'clock rolls around and dinner is far from being started, Mac 'n Cheese it is with apples and peanut butter with a glass of milk. Don't forget baths, story time, kisses goodnight...and that's a day! Not much time for sewing and painting. Thank goodness as the new baby grows older, our daily lives get easier and moms can find more time for whatever they enjoy most!

I saw this idea posted on one of my favorite blogs: The Idea Room

Miss LuLu's birthday is coming up in October, and I wanted to get her some presents that weren't just more toys to be added to the piles of baby toys we've collected over the past 6 years. I thought these bean bag numbers would be perfect for her. Hopefully she will enjoy playing with them, and as she grows older, they will help her learn her numbers! (Plus, my older kids will enjoy these too!)

The numbers were very easy to make, especially since I am a beginner when it comes to sewing. I used some leftover fabric I had, and I liked that the patterns will appeal to my girls and son.

My second project I was able to do on Saturday. The babe was up half the night...the only thing I can guess was it was because she is teething. She took a wonderfully long afternoon nap because of her lack of sleep Friday night, and I had the perfect opportunity for this second project that I have been wanting to do for months!

I have been wanting to do a painting that included all my children's handprints. It took three of us to do Miss Kya's handprint!! It could have been a disaster, but we were fast, and it turned out perfect!!!
(I plan on hanging them like that with ribbon, and then put a vinyl saying underneath.)

I think this will be such a sweet reminder for me of what a joy it is to have little children in my home. Sometimes, I can get so exasperated and frustrated with my little ones!  When Anna and Carter are fighting, whining, being sassy, or disobedient, it could be easy to let those moments ruin a day.

But I am finding it is much easier, after an "episode", to shake off the tension and frustration, find my smile and sense of humor, and move on. I could continue to be grumpy, snap at my kids the rest of the afternoon, and stomp about (sadly, there have been days I did those very things) but it doesn't help me or my kids. It just makes us all miserable!

It's so much better to look past the struggles my kids are facing that day, and see how wonderful they are and how much they contribute to our family. Carter brings his humor...he loves to laugh...and he loves others to laugh with him! What an awesome quality to have...how lucky we are that he brings his goofy (and sometimes obnoxious) laughter into our lives.

Anna can be full of attitude, sass, and drama. She can cry at the drop of a hat, and is great at stomping off to her room! GAH!!! There are times I could pull my hair out! But eventually, she gets over it, and we get to see our girl for the smart, thoughtful, artfully talented person she is. When she paints or draws, it is always for someone. And if it is for me or Russ, she will sneak into our room, and put the painting on our pillows, for us to find later. She likes to walk the straight and narrow, and has so much faith. She often has much to say...to the point of no one else getting a word in...but I enjoy those moments when it's just us, and she's sitting at the table while I am in the kitchen, and she tells me all kinds of things about school, friends, church, and life as she sees it through her own eyes. I am so grateful for those moments. Having conversations with my daughter means so much.

And then there's my cutie-bug Kya. She jabbers so much, and I LOVE every minute of it! She started saying many words a month ago, and hasn't stopped! She says: mom, dad, Carter, Anna, Kitty, Shadow(the kitty's name), uh-oh, wowee, ouch, weee(while sliding), Chelsea (her aunt), ck-for yuck, all done, peek-a-boo, tomato (cuz we take her to pick em), guitar(she loves daddy's), thank you, hi and hello, her name, yum, baba(bottle), tree, shake shake shake, she said grandpa a couple times as well as a few others!

At 10 months old she started army crawling, and two weeks later she is crawling like a pro and starting to pull herself up to things on her knees. A few more weeks, she will be standing! She follows the cat everywhere and me too! She LOVES to be outside, eat flowers, swing, slide, go for walks in the stroller, watch the wind blow the leaves on the trees, point at every bird that flies through the sky, she is so interested in every sound she hears, like a train clacking, motorcycle vrrrooming, crow cawing, fence gate creaking, helicopter thup,thup,thupping, dog barking, children playing...she stops at every sound, looks at me, then looks around, pointing as I ask her, "What's that?" She loves it, and then I tell her what it is she is hearing.

It is so cute to watch her pick up her toy phone, push the buttons, then put it up to her cheek upsidedown and backwards as she says, "Hi!"

Carter bumped his head yesterday on the monkey bars and as I was holding Kya, I gave Carter a hug, and patted his back to help him feel better. Then Kya put her head on his, said "Oooooh" and started patting Carter too! He started laughing and then she gave him a big slobbery, runny nose, open-mouth kiss! So so SO cute!!


I hope that through the years, when I look at those little handprints, I remember all of those moments of raising little ones. Such a blessing.

So, those are my most recent projects. The next one is a painting to go above the headboard in our bedroom, I just need to find the perfect quote to go on the canvas. I am grateful for each of my kids, even when they were newborns and I could barely manage to shower and brush my teeth before noon! Somedays, I still don't have much time for myself, but that's okay. I am raising little ones, and they need me....

...and I need them!

Morning routines...

My days begin early. I thought they would begin with me and a grumpy attitude, waking up before the sun. I would drag my body out of bed, groggy, only half-thinking, and somehow manage!

I was wrong!!!

I actually enjoy waking up early! Shocking, I know! I remain shocked even as I type...

(Gasp!!!)

So, part of my plan for establishing "order" with my family, was to get myself on a better morning routine. Not that my usual way of going about the mornings didn't work out so well, but it didn't work so well either. That sentence might not make sense, but read it again. I did. Makes sense.

I have found that the mornings go much better, and smoother, and with less contention when I am better prepared. Yeah...when I have a PLAN. Rocket science, I know...

Plans work better when they involve goals....and not just any who-ha goal, one that you actually WANT to achieve, and WILL achieve.....with a PLAN! I am going somewhere with this....promise. Sooooo, my morning routine includes a plan that includes a goal. Whew!

It's killing you trying to figure out that goal, huh? Well, I AM pretty predictable, so if you know me at all, a word might pop into your head that has to do with "running"....right? Those of you who feel pride for having guessed right, just keep that goofy grin on your face. People will wonder what you are smiling for. For those of you who thought things like, "cleaning" or "laundry", well....shame on you!

(This picture is a huge motivating force for me! You have to find motivation somewhere, reminders to help you stay on track!! I need to hang this in my bathroom...)

I know, it's not very original...my morning goal....millions have been running early in the morning, but now I get to join them. I am only in the first week of my early morning runs, but if I blog about it, then I might feel more obligation, peer pressure, whatever....to keep doing it. I have always LOVED to run, I am very competitive, I care about being healthy, and I really really want to fit back into my old jeans...

This goal is perfect for me. I figure I will be in shape enough by next September to run a half or full marathon. A mom in my ward just won the women's Marathon here in Pocatello at their annual "Running the Gap Marathon" event. Penny Parrish....know her? Yeah, she's amazing! I am hoping she can give me some much needed advice about training for such a run.

Anyhoo...

It feels good now that I am putting into action my new morning routine. I get back from my run in time to wake Anna up so she can get ready for school. By that time, Carter and Kya are awake too, so we are all up and eating, getting dressed, brushing teeth (that one still needs to happen more consistently) and getting outside too. Once Kya goes down for her morning nap at 9, I shower and get myself ready, and then I have an hour before she gets up to accomplish the daily goals or "chores" I need to get done for that morning.

Want to know something cool? Russ even went running with me. He's thinking of doing a 5K next September. Cool. I hope my kids will grow to love running as well, and when they are older, I will totally take them with me on my runs. New goal!!

(It doesn't look like it, but I was pulling her the whole way...otherwise, she wouldn't have ran. Don't worry, I won't be the kind of parent who forces their child to do something, but I really, really, really hope at least one child wants to be involved in running!!! If not, well....I will just have to be a coach! )

FYI: my kids love to run now...

The thing is.....I want to make the most of each day. And why not involve things that keep our bodies healthy while we are at it? I know what kinds of problems might be waiting in the dark in my near future if I don't take care of my body. And I don't want to set a bad example for my kids, to have to watch them suffer too. It is so much easier to be proactive. Make choices NOW, instead of waiting until it's almost too late.

So, that's it. Morning routine in a nutshell.

Next goal: make a weekly plan for meals, so we can have dinner on time, which gives us enough time for the bedtime routine and in bed no later than 8pm. I am also planning out a weekly schedule for cleaning that I want to do and chores I want my kids to do. (so I can finally use my magnetic chore chart that I made for the kids, with magnets that have pictures of the things they do daily and weekly) Please share your ideas, or what your weekly plan is for meals and cleaning!

Links for more reading:
(good stuff, but if you aren't careful, you can spend hours reading articles!! But if you are a nerd like me, you enjoy hours of reading this stuff...I sure do!)

Organize Your Morning Routine
Charts for morning/bedtime routines, additional articles
Morning Madness?
Back To Basics
On-time and Un-stressed


Don't worry, we will all struggle, even with something simple like our morning and evening routines. But our efforts are worth it. It's all just part of.....LIFE.....

September is for "order"....

"Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).

Wishing a happy Sunday to you all. Ours began early...VERY early. Of course, the baby still wakes up during the night. She likes her bottle. AND she is teething. Four top teeth, and let's not forget the canines. Yeah...who can sleep through that??? I am currently coming up with a new plan to help the little miss sleep through the night and we are getting ready for some changes....with the help of a handy book from the public library, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". ( I've got plans for a new post all about what I have learned for those of you getting ready to add a newborn to the family!)

Too early this morning, Anna came sniveling at our door, with a tummy ache. Grrrreat. Grrrrrrr. She made numerous trips to the bathroom, each time making sure to embellish the trip with lots of crying. She shoved her blankets up the front of her shirt, I gave her some water and pepto bismal, and we FINALLY got some sleep. Don't feel too jealous yet...we were still up before 8am. And by 9am, Anna started puking. Yay!!!

Okay, you can feel jealous now.

I still made it to church on time with Carter, though he was very reluctant to go, knowing he was leaving Anna behind watching Scooby-Doo without him. I pushed him in Kya's stroller on our walk to the church house, and that solved the pouting-dragging feet-whining-type behavior he typically displays.

I forgot what it is like to have only ONE child with me at church!!! Let me remind those of you who have forgotten too.....it.was.awesome!!! He sat on my lap and looked at church pictures from my bag, flipped through my scriptures, ate a Life Savor, and then it was time for primary. He has been deemed my angel child today. An angel with dimples. Cute.


Okay, on to my real intent for this post, the scripture above. I love that scripture. One day when we have our own house, I want to make it our "family motto" or something. I have been trying to re-establish certain things within our family:

1. Order. Since our move to Pocatello and birth of babe #3, we've lost some order. Now that miss nanners is back in school, it provides me with the perfect opportunity to crack back down on a more consistent daily and night-time schedule. I believe that establishing a "house of order" involves waking up, not too late, but not too early either. And then consistently doing a morning, afternoon, and nightly routine. What works for one family, might not work for another, but what is great is as parents, we get to decide what we want to do and how. I believe that if we are prayerful, search the scriptures, and attend our Sunday meetings with an attitude to learn, then Heavenly Father will guide us in our efforts to develop and run our family in an "orderly" way.

That is my current goal. It is still a work in process, and I will keep you updated as I go along. But order is something I like, and something I think all families need, for our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. So, thanks to my baby girl, the cutest little first-grader I ever did see!!! September is a great month to get our kids off to school and our homes back in order from the craziness of summer!!!

Oh, and she learned to tie her shoes!! It took her only two tries before she had it down! What a smartie! And she went to school on her first day like a champ! No big deal, piece of cake, she walked right in like school was old news! She's playing with old friends and making new ones too! We've got high hopes for this little one!

Enjoy your Sunday, and maybe let me know what you do with your family to have a "house of order" too.