Be Kind To Yourself, Simplify And Use That Crockpot!

Last month before Thanksgiving I had gotten really sick and it took weeks to get well enough to even do the easiest task at hand.  It was rough for me to say the least as I am not one who can just simply sit still.  Well, little did I know that this was going to change things for me and see things in a different light.  I think it is a wonderful thing how our Father in Heaven can help direct and guide us in any situation with the help from the Holy Spirit.  We just have to listen to that still, small voice.

I am so thankful for the opportunity that my family and I had to just slow down...alright really slow down!  I have found myself enjoy having less things go on and truly be in our HOME.  As you know we are a homeschooling family and as I was working on our 6 Month "No" again I decided that this upcoming semester we will not be doing any outside classes.  Just a monthly park day and a few other homeschooling meet ups.  It's not that they aren't fun or that my children did not enjoy them but that it truly did take a lot of time away from what I know we are in need of right now and I have seen a huge change these past few weeks.  No feeling rushed and needing to stop a project or learning activity because we need to hurry up to get to the next destination.  With knowing of these minor but crucial changes for my children and I during the day I knew that I wanted to be better prepared having everything we needed for all that I wanted incorporated at home.  Let's just say that I am very excited to start a few fun little classes with music and art with my children in our home.  That means our dog Blue get's to join in and he loves when we are reading and learning!  It makes him happy!

One thing that is in need of a change is our family dinner time.  It's more like the preparation that comes before the gathering at the table to eat the meal as a family.  I really want it to feel like I have been in the kitchen all day  but without the being in the kitchen all day for one meal.  I am trying to have less snacks in our home aside from fruits and vegetables, nuts and a few other things which means that I really want my children to eat more during our meal times.  Since dinner is our last meal of the day I must make sure that they eat enough and are full so I do not hear how one is hungry two hours later before getting ready for bedtime.

I LOVE my crockpot!  Well, I have one big crockpot and one small crockpot.  I need one more big crockpot now.  I have always liked the idea of having one crockpot meal each week but something came to me when I was figuring out the simplifying of our home.  Why not three days a week or more if need be?  This can go for using crockpots for the entire meal, the main dish, sides and more. It truly is up to you.  As for me, it is just something that will continue to make my life easier so why not use it more!?!

For Christmas Eve we had a rotisserie style whole chicken that I cooked in my crockpot!  Say what?! That's right.  My crockpot.  I had seen it before but had not tried it out for myself until now.  I make baked potatoes in my crockpot and other dishes so it was a great time to try it out.  Super simple and easy but very delicious and looked like I put in way more effort than I actually did.

Prep your whole chicken like normal taking the gizzards out and cleaning it, then choose your seasonings.  Whisk your seasonings together to make your rub.  After you put the rub on your chicken in the crockpot it goes on high for 4 to 6 hours depending on the size of your chicken.  What I did after it was cooked through was place it in the oven to broil for less than 10 minutes to give the skin that crispiness we like.  That's it.

It was moist and delicious!  You can do this weekly which is what I plan on doing as you can get a whole chicken for a great price a lot of the time and use different rubs depending on what you plan to do with the chicken.  This is great to do if you want to use the meat for enchiladas, chicken salad and so much more.  The wonderful thing is that you do not need to do much at all to make this.  The same goes for making baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and so much more in your crockpot.

I encourage you to use your crockpot more if this will help you to feel a little more peace when thinking what's for dinner.  Just a little preparation and the possibilities are endless for us all!

I will be sharing more crockpot ideas with you soon!

You Silly Goose We Must Open Up And See What's Inside

Oh, silly goose!  Petunia is her name as well as the name of the book which is a wonderful children's picture book filled with so much interpreted through a sweet story with wonderful artwork.  Last week my daughter Kylie picked out a book from the library that she wanted to read.  Actually, it's more like wanting to read from looking at the cover.  I don't mind.  We always have over 100 library books in our home at any given time and as long as I take a peak and find it alright we give it a go and bring them home.

We are a homeschooling family as you know and I do something with my kids 5 to 6 days a week known as our "kidschool" which takes place in the morning after our devotional time and we all are gathered (sweetly for the most part) around for me to read stories, go over things that I am excited to share with my kids, educational games and more.  It can last anywhere from two hours or a bit longer.  It just depends.  Then we break up and my kids get excited  for their individual studies (learning with one on one), more family work (chores), and so forth.  You could say that most of the time we are all excited for our chores.  They have their days!

We do a lot of reading in our home and love every minute of it.  I love that my children enjoy reading as well just as much as I do.  Why?  Because to some reading is just simply reading but to many of us out there it is so much more powerful.  So many doors are opened becasue of it and we grow not only individually but together as well.  I guess this is why I teared up reading Petunia aloud to my children.

The main character Petunia was tired of being the silly goose.  Can we blame her?  She stumbled upon a book and remembered a family sharing how wonderful books were and how they can bring us great wisdom.  She did not realize however that just holding a book under her wing was not what could bring her that wisdom.  She thought that was enough.  Poor Petunia.  After the catastrophic events that took place with her friends all because she thought she was smarter than everyone else because of the book under her wing she came to realize something after it fell to the ground and it opened up.  There were pages and they were filled with written words.  These were words that Petunia could not read.  And this is where I began to shed tears while finishing up reading the last few pages to my kids because these words were and still are so very powerful.

"It was not enough to carry wisdom under my wing.  I must put it in my mind and in my heart.  And to do that I must learn to read."

After we finished this book a thought entered my mind of why I felt these words strongly in my own heart and mind.  We will often go places and people often ask my kids what they learned in school today.  They always smile and say that they are homeschooled and how they were able to read so much that day.  Such beautiful answers as yes, we read a lot and so much of learning is from reading with added projects and more.  We are able to do so much but I will say that reading jump starts so many things!

In order for our children to gain much knowledge and wisdom we must make sure that they have great access to the great books from before our time and of our time today.  I love this quote from President Gordon. B. Hinckley.  Think of us adults.  In order for us to become better educated in any topic we must read from the great works.  Just like the Gospel.  We cannot just carry our scriptures under our own wing without reading the words written inside of them.  We would lose and miss out on so much.

I have found an eternal book friend who is my book twin! We became friends through belonging to the same groups online which all include books.  It is wonderful.  Brenda and I have read books that speak the same volumes to us and I truly cherish our book conversations.  We just get one another and it is a wonderful thing.  Hello Brenda!!!!!

I cannot imagine my children not being able to experience the Gospel through scriptures, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Little House Series, Pinocchio, Frederick Douglass, Mary Seacole,  Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Linocln, The Trumpet of the Swan, Number the Stars and The Harry Potter Series, along with all of of the great people and works from long ago through today.

So, yes!  We must put the written words in our minds and our hearts!

I'm That Mom...

What a wonderful evening it was having a date night with my girls thanks to some dear friends of ours who gave us tickets to be able to go to the Disney On Ice show!  This was our first time and they enjoyed every minute of it!  Seeing their eyes twinkle with much delight, their big smiles and looks filled with anticipation of what might happen next was the cutest!  I will say that these girls felt like the princesses that they were watching during the show.

Of course, they would look around and see a child next to us with Frozen Popcorn, wands, princess necklaces, and much more.  You name it and they were probably selling it there.  I am known to be frugal and maybe it's just my frugality but I just do not go to these types of events to spend more money to buy overpriced food, snacks and the works.  That $15 princess necklace, I am sure I can find for $1 and that popcorn I can make at home, put inside a Frozen themed bag and call it a night.

I guess you figured out already that I did not purchase anything while we were there. Did my twincesses get sad a few times?  Yes, they did.  But, I have always explained to my kids why I choose not to at these places and they do understand.  I am sure they feel like they are missing out at times, but I assure you that we do many things and they have made so many great memories.  All three of our kiddos have and continue to do so.

One parent next to us had purchased everything from the cotton candy to the wand and I could see my girls stare for a few seconds here and there and then go back to watching the show and have those bright smiles again.  On the way out heading to our car another little girl kept asking her parents why she could not have the $5 coloring book and her mom simply replied that she would not spend $5 on that.  I overheard and commented how we could totally get a Disney Princess coloring book at the dollar store.  The two parents smiled and I smiled back.

Is there anything wrong with parents wanting to purchase things for their kids at these types of shows and more?  Absolutely not!  It just won't be me and I am fine with that.  For me, the savings add up.  After the show we headed home and made a quick stop to grab their treat a $1 ice split into two cups and they were so happy!  I was happy too!  

Because of my only paying for the parking and the icee treat, I will be taking my son on a date night next month!  Of course, I will save money when choosing our date night then too!  What can I say?  I'm That Mom!  Well, a Frugal Mom that is!!

That Want to Learn, An Upset Stomach and Fun With Homemade Pizzas

The morning started out like most mornings we have here in the Sanderson household with much going on.  I normally wake up pretty early.  But, just to clarify, it is not as early as my husband who is a truck driver.  Let's say that he gets up when the moon and stars are still lit up in the sky (now that is beyond early).

Well, because of my getting up early my son is usually up early as well.  I know I am not the quietest person to get things ready for the day when the kids are asleep, or anyone else for that matter but I try my best.  I never said that I have magic powers to make that happen!  I do the best I can and that counts for somerhing, right!?!  It's more like he is a light sleeper.

My son will either read a scripture with me, draw, read aloud to me from one of his chapter books (so I can be near to help him with any words if needs it) and much more.  Something that he has been excited about lately are two workbooks.  I know!  Some like to use workbooks and some do not.  As for me, if it is something that my child wants to do and learn from, I am all for it!  It is a wonderful tool and all three of my children LOVE workbooks and worksheets.  It is a great tool for my family.  They like to do these activities during what we call our "Tablework Time" and I enjoy helping them when needed.  Seriously one of my twins could sit there for an hour and it has been really fun for her to do the whole time.

Lately, my son Caleb has been taking two workbooks out of our cabinet a lot.  One is a Sylvan learning Spelling and the other is a 100 Words to Know by each grade.  I really could care less about the specifics, but I chose these because they had such a variety of activities within the workbooks and with ones that my son finds fun to do.  It was cheaper than printing off a bunch of sheets in this case.  Besides, he has been working on his reading and spelling.  It is something that he is excited about right now and as a parent I chose to run with it.

My kids must make special sound effects with almost everything they do.  Seriously! Caleb even more than his sisters.  Here's one time that I was super excited to hear these noises.  I was in the kitchen preparing lunch and all of a sudden the sounds had begun, along with bursts of excitement.  Shouts of phrases like "I did it", "Come here, Mom" and more.  Thankfully our kitchen is smaller and I can go back and forth quickly.  I took a look at what he was doing.  Each time he worked on a question and answered it without my help he would get excited.  He was so proud of himself.  It was a wonderful moment.

I know that he works on a lot of things on his own, but I see more of a passion now and a want to do his best job at things.  I was very happy to have been able to witness that while preparing lunch.  It made my heart very happy.  I just had to stop what I was doing to capture a picture of the moment.  So glad that I did.  He could not stop smiling.  

Later on my stomach was upset and I had to sit down.  It was nice to listen to my kids play nicely together for a bit and help each other out.  Caleb truly is a great big brother.  We listened to an audio book from earlier and thankfully I already had the pizza dough going in my bread machines.  It felt great to know that dinner would still be served later and that pizza night did not need to be changed to another evening.  I promised my husband pizza!

I still taught my cardio class that afternoon.  I am glad I was able to do so.

By the time we got back home it was time to get dinner in the oven.  I just really needed help.  My twinsies came to the rescue.  I am very grateful to have been bringing my children up all along to know that family work, chores and helping out when can is very important.  Helping out in the kitchen is one of those things.  Yes, there has been many times that I could maybe get things done much faster without the help, but it would not benefit anyone in the family if I have not tried to make an effort.  Helping to get dinner going so we could eat was one of those times.  Unless you do not like pizza it is fun to help make.  Especially, when you are a kid!  The dough was already made and cheese was grated.  We were off to a great start.  My girls helped with making the pizza sauce and putting the ingredients together on the pizzas.

Happy twinsies!

That's right!  I let my kids lick the spoon when they are finished spreading the sauce on the dough and eat a pepperoni slice when I know they are finish preparing a pizza.  Oh, the horror!  I know.

Smiling faces after a job well done.

The whole day was not perfect by any means, but we had some awesome moments that really helped me to get through the day in great spirit.

My Love For Barbara Keeps On Growing...She totally is a TJEd Mentor All The Way!

Well, this past school year just flew by with our charter homeschool.  We definitely will keep a schedule during the summer, but will have a lot of outdoor and fun activities throughout!  We are so fortunate to have our ES Barbara.  She is such a gift.  My kids and I are keeping her.  As summer approaches, we only have one more meeting for the school year and it makes me a little sad, but we will be keeping in touch over the summer.  We also will be having a lunch date with just us adults and my friend who also happens to have Barbara as her ES.  We are the lucky ones.

Let me explain what an ES is.  It stands for Educational Specialist.  At our charter school each family is given an ES and they are there to help support you.  They also take care of monthly samples to put in each child's portfolio, help the parents with choices in curriculum (if you choose to go that route), help in putting purchase orders together, enroll students in classes if they want to take any, keep attendance and records in general, along with so much more.  I would say that the main thing is to serve as a huge support system for you and your family.  I will say that Barbara has been the most supportive ES that I could ever ask for.  Honestly, she listens to me and values what I feel is best for my children.  She always gives such great advice and at the right time when it is something I need to hear.  Always!

Again, she has always supported my wanting to use the TJEd philosophy.  This woman gets it and totally is a TJEd mentor!

Seriously!

Yesterday we had our monthly meeting and we were chatting like normal about books (we love books and so do our kids), along with taking care of the attendance and all that good stuff.  Then, we moved on to what our kids were learning about and how one of her son's were all registered for the upcoming school year with South Sutter (the charter school we use).  I mentioned how my son Caleb is all signed up with Duolingo to utilize the free program for his French.  Learning a language young is awesome and French is part of our heritage.  Totally making my Grandma proud!!  My kids and I are having a fun time with it.  Truly something special.  It just so happens that one of her son's is taking Spanish in school right now and Barbara decided that she is going to learn Spanish as well to help out, along with just to learn for herself.

Here we go with

You, Not them and

Inspire, Not Require

I am very excited that she will have all three of my children under her watch for the upcoming school year.  I would not have it any other way.  Again, we thank you for all that you do for our family and for your friendship too.

We love you!

The Unexpected and Special Moment During A Bloody Situation

It was a wonderful Saturday all around from a Baptism to a day spent with family and friends.  Our evening was going great and then something quite unexpected happened.  All of sudden my daughter Kylie began to scream and my son and I ran into the girls room.  The first thing I saw as I walk in was my daughter Caylee making a scared and disgusted face curled up on her bed in her blanket.  I reach my Kylie's bed and she had thrown up.  Yes, I know that this happens.  But she threw up blood (along with clots of blood).  It was all over her hair, clothes, pillow and sheets were soaked in it.  To say the least, I was quite freaked out.  My son ran to grab towels and I reached for my phone to immediately call my husband.

As I was trying to calm my daughter because she was frantic and she was filled with so many emotions, I tried my best to remain as calm as I could and let her know that I would get her all cleaned up.  I let her know that a nice bath would help.  She had just taken one a few hours before, but obviously this was a must.

My son overheard me mention a bath and he runs to the bathroom.  The next thing that I hear is the water turned on and he is letting me know that he is getting things ready for her to get in the bath.  I was overwhelmed with the warmest feeling inside.  I personally felt lifted up.  With my husband gone at the time, I was scared.  We dealt with some issues with our twins when they were babies and I immediately began to have flashbacks.

I am very thankful for the thoughtfulness and great concern my son had that night.  It brought tears of joy.  Caylee was quite the trooper herself. She does not handle situations like that very well and she did her best to cheer up her sister from the other side of the room.  She is known to make herself sick by witnessing a situation like that one.

I am glad to share that after she was cleaned up and everything was being washed, we watched a movie together and what was left of the night went smoothly as possible.  Soon we will find out what is going on as other experiences have been happening.  Staying positive.

A fresh start with everything clean again!

Early Mornings Are For Me

I enjoy my early mornings very much.  It was not something that I felt was for me before (after my kids that is), but they truly are.  As a mother who stays home with her children, I am always surrounded by my little joys and would not have it any other way.  This does not mean that I do not enjoy or deserve a little me time that involves my own personal development and growth.  It's true.  I have found that during this time when my children are still asleep, it has been the perfect time for me to have prayer, scripture study, read, study and this morning blog.

Since I have started this routine for myself, it has opened new doors and insights for my children.  I have set an example.  A great one indeed, where my children get up and grab books or do other activities that I feel work for our family unit.  of course, there are mornings where I have started a few chores and then my children will grab their clothes to start sorting out their laundry, ask to start dusting or to do something else to help me before I get breakfast ready.  For me, these are a part of academics.  I want my children to know and see how important family is and know that for us it is valued with such importance.

My son is reading more now and likes to bring a book he is reading to the kitchen table and sit beside me.  Immediately, I will stop what it is I am reading or doing to give him full attention and to help him sound out words that he might need help with.  This is important to me, as I want my children to know that I value the great choices they make.  It is that same as if they were making a not so good choice and I stop to explain why we do not make those kinds of choices.  Besides, I am working on a better groove for our afternoons, that will allow myself thirty minutes of personal time.  My twin girls are very high energy and we have been working on the importance of quiet time.  Everyone, no matter our age, not could use, but need some form of quiet time.  I am a believer.

Mornings help me to have a better day all around and in return help my children to have a better day too.

In Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning by Oliver and Rachel DeMille, you will learn about the ingredients.  Ingredient #3: Mornings is what I reread this morning.  The book is a classic and I find myself coming back to the TJED books often.  This ingredient can be found on page 67 and I wanted to share a few quotes that stood out to me this morning.

"The persistent lessons of morning time are the foundation our children learn."

"Mornings are the daily default, and if you set and manage the default schedule well, the family will naturally get up and get into the regular routine."

"It takes discipline at first to get the routine established, and again modifications may be necessary as children move through phases and seasons change."

"Morning is, for most families, the best time or Kidschool."

There is so much more valuable information regarding this ingredient and if you have not read it, please do!  I only gave you a taste!

What A Blessing To Have This Special Lady As Our ES (Educational Specialist)

It is October 2nd and I wanted to make sure that I finished this post tonight!

Well, where do I begin?  I made a decision that I was going to homeschool my children in October of 2012.  My son had just started Kindergarten over a month before.  It was not something that I had decided before I had children or anything like that, but something that had just fell into place.  I had prayed about it and much consideration had taken place to get to this point.  After having multiple conversations with a few of my friends, I decided that I was going to not only enroll my son with South Sutter Charter School, but I wanted to use the TJED philosophy.  Was I crazy?  Not at all!

Honestly, I was very excited for my family's new journey.  But, at the same time, I was nervous knowing that I would be working with an ES who would be assigned to my family through the school with not ever meeting them beforehand.  Seems so silly, right?  At first, that is how it seemed to me.  I actually had signed my son up for the school year that summer and had left after just talking to our previous assigned ES a couple of times.  Something was just not right and the spirit was telling me that it was not my time.  It was disappointing, but something greater was in store.  Every ES is different and it is not to say that they are not a great fit for other families, but it was just not going to work for my family.  I guess you can say that was the very beginning before I gave it one more shot!  This next shot was the real deal, so to speak.

Anyhow, I was guided to try again and everything felt so right!  From day one Barbara had shown a light that has only shined brighter and brighter with the time she has spent with my family.  She has an essence about her that is absolutely wonderful.  Truly.

My son gets excited to see his Mrs, Barbara every month.  He talks to her about many things and she listens.  Children really enjoy having conversations with adults and knowing that we are truly listening and are being engaged.  She knows his strengths and what interests him and even made a work folder for my son.  He has enjoyed Mrs. Barbara bringing lots of stuff  that our family can use for our learning every month and wanted to have other options of things he could do during certain times of the day.  Last month she had put in some fun worksheets on trucks, art, math, French, practicing writing, and sheets that go with the DRAW WRITE NOW books.  No, these things are not required for my son to do.  But, he likes to do these because they always pertain to what he is excited about.  This has been a great addition that she puts together herself.

It is great to have Barbara in my life.  She is more than an ES for my family.  It is nice to have meetings at my house where we even have a chance to eat lunch together sometimes and have meaningful conversations that even leave me more inspired after she has left.  I am very grateful and thankful for her making this an amazing experience for me and my son.  My twins love her as well and next year they will have her as an ES too!

Before she left my house yesterday, my son was talking to her about a few things and he had mentioned to her that he was going to practice skating outside for the first time.  Immediately she had told him that he was learning by practicing his skating.  That it could count for physical education too.  But, not only that, he was learning a new skill.  Of course, Caleb smiled.

The more I have implemented and created a Leadership Education (TJED) within my home, I am happy to say that this lady only adds to it!  It is great to talk about classics with her too!

Thank you for all that you do seen and unseen!  We truly appreciate it!

Precious Birthday Blessings

Wow!

My children are growing way too fast.  I cannot believe my Kylie and Caylee will be celebrating another birthday tomorrow.  It still brings me back to when I was not sure that they both would be home with my husband, son and I.  What a tough few weeks for us it was.

Where do I begin?  After heading to the hospital a few times  because of bad contractions, the third time I stayed.  The staff did all they could to stop the contractions and make sure our babies would stay in my womb as long as they could.

I was very grateful to receive a blessing from my Father-in-law and brother Roberts.  I felt after tests and finding nothing regarding what was wrong, it was one of my only hopes into making sure things might turn out for the better.  Literally hours after, I was transferred to another hospital and they ran another test.

The doctor came in and told me we could not wait for our doctor and that he needed to deliver the babies right away.  It turned out I had severe preeclampsia and I immediately began to panic.  At the time I had no idea what he was talking about, my husband was at work and I missed our little Caleb.

Praying was all I had left in me for the moment in time and I was scared.  I wanted an epidural shot and did not get one and was very tired.  My husband was able to make it and our families as well.

One thing I still wish could have been different was seeing my baby girls after they were born.  My husband was able to see them, but they took them away to NICU as soon as they came into this world.  I still am sad about this today, but I cannot change this.

The girls were not able to come home right away, but the staff at Mercy San Juan were the best and I would not have changed that at all.  My girls were treated like the princesses they were and I am so very grateful for that.

One week later we brought home our daughter Caylee on my Mother's birthday!  We had given her my Mom's name as her middle name when she was born.

Two weeks later, we brought home our daughter Kylie on my Mother-in -laws birthday!  We had given her my Mom's (husband's mom) name as her middle name when she was born.

Truly gifts from Heavenly Father!

It was a difficult time dealing with Kylie's heart monitor, having twins and making sure I did my best with our son as well for the next few months.  It was not easy, but we managed.  

My heart grew bigger and I went from loving one child to three in an instant and it is a wonderful feeling.

Four years later tomorrow, we have been on this road and we are not stopping!

Patience Leads To A Win

I just love having a family dinner every night!  Every night I have a vision that it will look like one of those Pillsbury commercials where everyone is laughing, having a grand time and the only minor argument is over who gets the last biscuit.  I know, can't a mom dream.  Don' t get me wrong, some dinners are awesome and I feel like Rocky.  But, there are also those dinners that are not as pleasant and that is when PATIENCE is everything and more.

My children enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, but when it comes to dinner time, you would think that they have never tried a vegetable in their life.  My children used to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and let me just say, there was an episode that made me want to laugh and be afraid at the same time.  It was all about eating those healthy foods, which is awesome.  But, they sang this song and the food started talking about going to the party in this character's stomach and it made me laugh.  Then, as my twins were two at the time and watching this with a scared look on their face, I thought how scary for a young child to watch their food talking to them.

Now my girls are three.  Yes, they will be four in May, but I do not do the whole my child is three in a quarter, three in a half, or three and three quarters.  Not that I have a problem with any parent who does, but I have been getting asked lately if they are almost to the next age.  Honestly, I am just trying my best to cherish each age and when my children have a birthday, then I am ready to move forward.  For now, they are just three and my son is just six!  It works for me.

 Now, onto dinner last night at my house.

My husband and I enjoyed dinner last night with our children.  At the beginning, not so much, but by the end I could hear angels singing, the drummer boy drumming and the Holy Spirit softly whisper in my ear!  Yes, it felt amazing and brightened my spirits tremendously. 

I tried a new chicken recipe called Crispy Ranch Chicken, which we had with fresh steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes and homemade buttermilk cheddar biscuits.  Very delicious!  But, sometiomes kids do not like the idea of something new and having patience was what I needed.  My husband, son and I ate our food, while the girls refused to try anything.  Instead they wanted a snack.  Poor girls.  In my house you can have a snack in the evening, only after you have eaten your dinner, not as a replacement.  Very calmly they each were taken to their room, because it would not be fair to take time away from our son and family conversation. 

Well, not to our surprise, the girls decided to come back to the table and eat their dinner with us.  See, it was not so bad and someone really liked the new tasty chicken recipe.

Patience is something needed not only during dinner time, but all of the time.  I know it sounds like a lot when as adults in this fast paced world, some cannot wait that extra five minutes at the grocery store, or drive the normal speed limit because they need to put the pedal to the metal, only to find themselves next to me again at the stop light.  It is true, we all could use more patience in a world of wanting everything to be done right now.  We just need to slow down and enjoy each moment. 

Everyday I find myself striving to be just a tad bit more patient and it is paying off. 

2 Peter 1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness

I'm trying to be like Jesus and be more christlike each and every day.  What great patience he had and how his love showed thru this.  That is what I am striving for.  Being a wife and mother has helped me along this journey and I would not change a thing.

Dinner tonight was amazing, as everyone loves nachos.  We did try a new chicken marinade that I named Fiesta Lime Chicken and it is one we will add to our recipe book!

My children enjoy family read aloud time before bed!

I Am A Mom And So Much More

Alright, I have been having feelings off and on for a while now that had left me feeling that to the world I am just a Mom. 

I know, that is ridiculous. 

Truly, I am so much more and not to mention a Daughter of a Heavenly King!

Let me explain how these feelings had come about.

I went from working and going to school with one child, to going to school and back to work after having twins, then eventually to staying home with all three of my wonderful children and homeschooling.

So many changes in really short amounts of time.

To my children I am their Mom and to my husband I am his wife and mother of his children, but sometimes you forget that there is so much more to yourself.  At least, this happened to me. 

I am sharing this because it felt so strange to have these feelings inside of me, being the bubbly and outgoing person that I am.  It was as if everything that made me who I am up to a certain point was no more.

 How could that be?

Well, it couldn't possibly be and deep inside I knew I had to keep searching for the rest of myself.  I knew I had so many gifts and talents to share with the world if I could just get passed this. 

Well, guess what?  Last week I had an EPIPHANY!!!  I am so blessed and grateful that I did.

Honestly, I feel like little seeds were being planted all along that I was just not aware of.

It started with what seemed like little things that were obviously huge steps into the light for me.  I started scheduling workouts for myself, joined my church ward choir, started giving a friend cello lessons, and started my own business, to name a few.  How excited I have been.  I am such the frugal gal and it has been awesome to keep sharpening my skills with couponing and other saving strategies.

My children see my drive and the passion in the things that I do and I know it is very inspiring to them as well. 

I am more than a mom who deeply loves her children.  I am a daughter, wife, sister, niece, cousin, and friend.  I enjoy playing my cello, singing, being a consultant, staying fit, cooking, couponing, being frugal and chic, reading, learning, and so much more. 


But, you get the picture.


Even before my epiphany, I was still happy and enjoyed my calling as being a stay at home mother, but I do not feel defined by this one aspect at all and I know my children, husband, family and friends all see me as more as well, and this is a great feeling!

Early Morning Is My Time For Personal Spiritual Growth

My days can seem so long with my very active twin kiddos and son, and even longer when this momma does not get much sleep (which is more often than not).  No matter how I am feeling each morning I take time for me.  Either I can try to squeeze an extra 15 to 20 minutes of sleep, or I can have time for personal spiritual growth, which for me is very important.  I want to be able to pray to my Heavenly Father and thank him for all of my many blessings, guidance for my day, let him know of my concerns and for enlightenment for myself, family and friends in need of it. 

I believe there is no trade off with sleep.  This is something that I need to do before the noise in the house starts.  I do enjoy the noise and I cannot imagine my house without it, but this is my time for preparing for our family's day.  Besides my personal prayer, I enjoy reading my scriptures and talks from both the Ensign and Friend Magazines (the kids have great stuff in there) from my church.  I know that with the stresses that can arise during the day, I feel comfort in knowing that I have started my day off in the right way for me.



It may be only 15 to 20 minutes, but it sets the mood for this momma's day!

Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind

Every day that I wake up is another day I have a chance to keep improving myself!  This is exciting, for I am an imperfect being.  I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father who loves me very much.  With that said I never want to wake up and forget to love thy neighbor.  Three very simple words with a way more powerful meaning.  As a human we all make mistakes and I am not excluded from this.  We all learn from them and hopefully become better people in the process.  At least this is what I strive for each day.  Every day I want to become a better wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend and person in general.  I do not want to lose sight of this goal no matter what situation I am faced with. 

No one said that LOVE would be easy 100% of the time, even when it comes to loving yourself.  One thing I do know is that Love is Love, as you would not give up on yourself or others.  I want my family and friends near and far to know that I love each of them and would never give up on them.  This is something I am trying to instill in my children along with always reminding myself along our way.  My blog address came to me because I really want to merrily go along with whatever is thrown my way in life. So let's all remember that love is patient and love is kind!

 

The Glass Is Always Half Full

They Are Twins And Individuals

First 5 Play Group

   


    My Dad growing up always reminded me that whenever something might not be going as you would like that I must remind myself that the glass is always half full, not half empty.  If we only think of the negative then we are just throwing out the positive as well.  With having trouble in certain areas with my precious Kylie I want to always think of the positives and with the help from my friend Laine I have been able to access what the issues are for her and now start making it a more positive outcome for her.  Little things such as having a backpack filled with her favorite things to take when we leave the house, to having some projects that she can work on alone with siblings nearby and learning what kind of schedule is better for her has been helpful.  Of course, fine tuning will still be needed as we merrily go along.  I have support from my family and close friends and it makes all the difference in the world.

    Yes, Kylie and Caylee are twins indeed.  But, they are two individuals just like Caleb is an individual and they need to be treated as such.  I am learning how to deal with the different personalities and what can and cannot work with our family and just having patience and the willingness to do the work is what will get us there.  What a positive and great difference for Caleb with homeschooling.  He enjoys our learning environment and being able to go to play groups and field trips with his family and I love his eagerness to learn.

The hugs, kisses and I love you's from my children make it all worth it and then some!