I am thankful for. . .

Today I am so thankful for the chance to be a mother.  In the past 10+ years of my mothering career I have made mistakes every single day, but I feel so grateful that I have tomorrow to try and be even more patient.  I am grateful that I can keep realigning my focus on the things that matter most.  I am so grateful that my house is noisy and the books are scattered across the family room floor because that means that I have many little bodies to hug, hands to hold, and messy faces to wipe.  This is what I love.  I love being a mom to my children and loving them like my mother loves me.  

I am thankful for. . .

Yesterday was Sunday.  It was a typical Sunday.  I usually get up early to read my scriptures and prepare for Relief Society or read a lesson.  Sweet Abigail got up and started to make pancakes and Alexis set the table while I was on the computer downstairs.  

I am so thankful for sweet daughters!  

After church we ended up pulling out the kids baby books.  Each time we had a baby my mom gave me two baby calendars: one for the first year of life, one for the second year of life.  I very diligently wrote in Abigail and Hyrum's, I wrote a lot in Spencer's, some in Alexis and Tanner's, and very little in Ellie's.  We started reading about things they did and said when they were little.  After reading their baby calendars we pulled out my old journals and read things that I had written about them.  Sometimes I was laughing so hard I couldn't even read to them what I had written.  We had such a great evening telling stories and remembering.  

I am so thankful that I wrote down life's little experiences it is so fun to look back for a moment and remember those sweet two year olds and tiny babies that are now growing up. 

I am thankful for. . .

As thanksgiving quickly approaches I can't help but stop and think about all the things that I am thankful for.  

In President Thomas S. Monson conference talk entitled "Joy In The Journey" he quotes Emily from the classic drama Our Town,  “Do … human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?”

President Monson continues,"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

I am making a conscious effort to be thankful for all the blessings that surround me. 

We have a winner!

Congratulations Emma!  You are the winner of the free digital copy of this new book:

Deliberate Motherhood

Errands, lots of errands

10.25.12

The errand list was long today!  I purposely saved my least favorite errand for last. . .Walmart.  I didn’t need much, just Halloween candy, a few things for kids Halloween parties at school, deodorant, etc.  I made two major mistakes:  

1.  Taking two tired kids in the store that had been troopers through the previous five errands.  

2.  It was lunchtime. 

Shortly after we enter the store Ellie bumped her nose on the side of the cart and cried and cried.  We calmed her down and then Tanner decided he wanted to hold the bag of Halloween candy that she was holding.  It resulted in Tanner getting his face scratched.  I guess you could say Ellie won?  Tanner calmed down and then he found some amazing fire fighter rain boots in his size that he wanted so badly!  (Sorry, he doesn’t go enough places in the rain for me to justify his need for rain boots.) I physically lifted him in the cart and continued on to get the last two items on the list.  Tanner was screaming and saying that I was mean because I wouldn’t get them for his birthday.  A Walmart worker looked at me and said, “I understand.  I have three kids.” 

Oh, the joys of motherhood!  

Organizing Your Time

* This post is a little outdated, it is before I used technology to organize my time.  Here is a video that is a bit more up to date:
http://organizeddinner.blogspot.com/2014/10/keeping-life-organized-and-staying-on.html

Life is busy.  As a mom I sometimes feel overwhelmed by deadlines and tasks.  I also feel responsible for all of the deadlines and tasks that our children have.  (School is harder than it was back in my day!)  In order to organize my time I do a couple of things that make a big difference.

1.    A family calendar-  Our calendar is on the computer.  Justin and I can both add family items on our calendar and they sync together. 

2.    We keep our shopping list on the computer.  Less paper and we both add to it when we think about something we need.  It has a few categories. 

Grocery Store – Sam’s Club – Walmart/ Target – Other

3.    Little Book-  I bought a little notebook at Walmart for $2.97.  I start the day 

with two lists.

Need to do. . .          and          Want to do. . .

Some days I only accomplish a few of the items on my need to do list.  Sometimes I get all of my need to do items done and start working on a project I want to do. 

4.    A place for thoughts.  I can’t tell you home many times I think about this or that 

and jot myself a note on the notebook page that  I am on that day.  

In the evening I sit at the computer and type in things that need to be on the 

calendar or record in my journal something funny that one of the kids has said 

during the day. 

5.    I am always trying to learn and improve.  My birthday is coming up and this year I asked Justin to get me the Mind Organization for Moms program from the Power of Moms website.  I am really excited to learn how to better organize papers and projects. 

Speaking of Power of Moms, they have a new book out that I am reading.  Leave a comment if you are interested in a free digital copy of their new book.  I'll choose a  random winner on Monday, October 29^th.  

Easy Chicken and Potatoes (crock-pot recipe)

Easy Chicken with Potatoes

(crock-pot)

Recipe from Elise Sykes

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ c. Italian salad dressing

1 tsp.  Italian seasoning or mix basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder to equal 1 tsp

½ c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 to 6 med. Potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges or thick slices

Place chicken in bottom of crock-pot.  Sprinkle with half of the Italian dressing, spices, and the grated cheese.  Put the potatoes on top or around the chicken.  Sprinkle with the rest of the dressing, spices and cheese. (I just buy the packets of Italian dressing, make half the packet and sprinkle the rest for the seasoning.) Easy!  Cook on low for about 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is done and potatoes are tender. You can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.