Sher-ingTime

Spiritual Challenge

2012-02-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

How much time do you spend on your physical needs during the day? (Shower, teeth, hair, make-up, food, exercise, sleep, etc.)

How much time do you spend on your spiritual needs?

It seems to me that sometimes the spiritual side of things can get neglected in the daily lists of things to do. Even when time is given to things like scripture study and prayer, what is habitual can become mundane. I would like to present a spiritual challenge to help spark things up a bit.

The Speed-Read Scripture Study Program

What it is:

Read the entire Book of Mormon in only 6 weeks focusing on a single topic. The suggested topic that I will be studying is "hope." We will have some form of online discussions to keep each other motivated and to share with and learn from everyone else.

I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, ... and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

—Joseph Smith, Introduction to the Book of Mormon

Background:

Generally when I study the scriptures, I like to take my time and analyze all the little details. And yet, I have thought it would be fun to read the whole Book of Mormon thinking of only one topic. I can't imagine how much that would drag on if it took forever to read it! So I tried the impossible and set my goal at 6 weeks focusing only on "Faith" as my topic. Unfortunately, I fell so far behind, that with only one week left, I was barely beginning Alma!

The amazing part is that even though I didn't actually finish my goal last time around, I have loved how much improved my scripture study has been. I can feel a difference in me and in my life having put more emphasis on reading. The most prominent feeling I've experienced is a greater desire to do missionary work. I have discovered new analogies to my life and new things to do as a parent with my children as I've done this fast reading of the stories instead of scrutinizing every verse. It's been a really cool experience. I'm hoping that some others will be willing to join with me in the next 6 weeks to keep me accountable to staying on track.

Why Hope?

My in-laws suggested a family study based on the 6 Attributes of Christ section found in Preach My Gospel. The first attribute there is "Faith" and the next one is "Hope." Hope is also a basic principle that would probably help with most problems or issues in our lives and I personally have never studied it before. Who hasn't felt discouraged about things in their life recently? (Being a good parent, child, or spouse; feeling good about yourself physically or spiritually, etc.) However, if you have a different topic, that is fine.

“When I read the Book of Mormon, something inevitably happens to me. My burdens feel lighter. Faith and hope replace my worries, concerns, and doubts. Life appears brighter.”

--Richard G. Hinckley, "Fruits of the Book of Mormon," Liahona, June 2008

Not Enough Time in the Day?:

It's just 12.6 pages a day. That's less than a chapter in the Twilight books! When I got behind, I finally discovered some tricks. I put it on my iPod and listened while running in the morning or doing mundane chores like dishes when kids were napping. I didn't like that as much as reading and writing my notes, didn't get as much out of it, but it went faster and I think it was the only way to make up lost ground once I was behind.

We've also taken the original audio files for the Book of Mormon and sped them up by 50%. So you can listen to 10 minutes of the Book of Mormon in only 6.67 minutes. We'll figure out how to distribute those files to anyone who's interested (or create a tutorial on how you can do it yourself).

Who's in??

Leave a comment or send me an e-mail if you are feeling up to this challenge.

"Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."

--President Hinckley, regarding his reading challenge given in 2005

Cleaning: It's All Mental

2011-10-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom. I love that I get to stay home and play with my kids all day. What I don't love, is cleaning the house. Balancing being a good mom with cleaning the house seems to be a constant struggle. Sometimes I feel like I spend all day in the kitchen making food and then cleaning it all up. I compare cleaning the home to running a race that has no finish line. You don't quite know what pace to run and you gradually get slower and slower as you get more tired and begin to realize that there really is no end.

My wonderful husband bought me a book a while back that may have offended some wives. For me, it was a welcome gift. It is basically a 900 page cleaning bible entitled "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House" by Cheryl Mendelson. It has been a great resource for me as I attempt to learn how to be a good house keeper. (For those of you who do not yet have children, I highly recommend getting this art down before they come!) I would just like to share a quote from this book that is so true about the mental aspect in cleaning and how to overcome it through routines.

"A housekeeping routine not only prevents your home from growing seedy and sour between cleanings but also helps assure that you are willing to do the work, for, as experienced people all know, housework movivation can be a psychologically delicate matter. Cleaning, laundry, and other chores are far harder after you have let them go for two weeks; the energy you must summon to tackle them becomes greater the longer you have procrastinated. Not doing some housework leads to not doing even more housework.

"If you have no system, you have to reinvent your housekeeping or debate what to do first every time you do it, and the required mental effort is a major obstacle, especially when you are tired. But a tired working person is often able to do things that are routine and habitual. No thinking is required; minimal inertia must be overcome. A chore that fits into a reassuring overall plan of housekeeping feels effective and worthwhile. But if you feel you are just tackling the worst problem in a home that is starting to go to pieces, it may hardly seem worth the effort."

The author suggests dividing all the housework you have into portions that must be done daily, weekly, monthly or seasonally, and yearly or less often. She then provides a typical list of of chores in these categories. If anyone is interested in her list, let me know and I will e-mail it to you because I just typed it all up in an excel document...but beware, it is a little daunting. I have also found it helpful to get my husbands opinion on what is important to him. Knowing he will notice certain things that have been cleaned is great motivation!

To be honest, I have done this, and it really seems like in order to get it all done, I need to be cleaning all day long! And that is just not feasible, especially with little ones. In fact, I have yet to find within the pages of this book any advice on how to keep a schedule with small children at home all day who never seem to be on the same page I am! I have devised hundreds of schedules and plans only to eventually toss them out the window! Any advice others have on this matter is greatly welcomed.

However, I have found that what she said is totally true. Even if I am not able to get every little thing done, when I have a routine and scheduled days to do things, it is a lot easier to get at least something done. The mental energy is often the hardest part of it all! Good luck!

New Videos

2011-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Two new posts on the blog. Be sure to scroll down to see them both.

I Get Around

2011-08-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

New video on the blog!

New Posts

2011-07-30T14:06:00.001-07:00

There have been several posts lately and several more on the way, so check the blog and scroll down to make sure you don't miss any!

Cute Pic

2011-07-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Click for a quick picture.

Drugs

2011-07-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the new funny post. (It might be one of those "you had to be there" funny moments, but we thought we'd share anyway!

Two Arms

2011-07-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why we need two arms? Click here to find out!

New post finally!

2011-07-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's about time, right? Pictures and updates will come soon. I promise! For now, enjoy this simple post.

Latest Photo Shoot

2011-03-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Check out the new pics!
(Don't miss the poll above. It's from a class I'm taking and I'm curious what everyone thinks. More on that later.)

Weezer Sings About Someone Special

2011-03-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Click here to find out who.

My Deal with the Lord

2011-03-07T19:27:00.001-08:00

Two posts in one day? An unheard of phenomenon! Click to see my personal milestones.

Magical Milestones

2011-03-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

Click to see some new milestones.

Hallelujah!

2011-02-28T18:40:00.001-08:00

Click here.

Our Little Movie Critics

2011-02-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Click here to see our latest post.

January 2010: Life Ain't Always Beautiful

2011-02-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

Watch a video of what we looked like in January 2010.

Baking Babies

2011-01-30T18:22:00.000-08:00

Click here to see why we might be concerned.

Cute Video

2011-01-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

To see a cute video click here.

Happy New Year

2011-01-07T13:51:00.001-08:00

To read my new year's resolutions, click here.

If Only There Were Three of Me

2010-12-07T14:13:00.001-08:00

To read my poem, click here.

You've Got a Friend In Me

2010-12-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Check some footage of the cutest Woody ever!

Challenges and Loves

2010-11-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

To see the new post, click here.

New post on family blog

2010-10-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

To see why today was a momentous day, click here.
If you need an invitation to the private blog, get me your e-mail.

Going Private!

2010-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

We've finally decided to make a private family blog to include the personal details of our lives. If you want an invite, send me an e-mail. This blog will still be up and running and I will post here when there's a new post on the private one so the RSS feeds will alert everyone to new posts. (Thanks for the great idea Charis!)

My Daughter and Jesus continued

2010-09-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently she saw Jesus in the trees with the birds and was calling to him. He's in the sun.

My daughter and Jesus

2010-09-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

In the middle of nap time today, I heard stomping from above signifying a bathroom trip from my daughter. I went up to check on her and caught her running back to her room and shutting the door as if trying to hide from me. Upon entering her room and questioning her, it was discovered that she had indeed gone to the bathroom, but had not washed her hands. So back to the sink we went. An interesting conversation ensued--something about how she was crying a lot for Jesus because Jesus wasn't in her house, that she was scared and said a prayer and Jesus didn't come. This is the gist of what I understood from her ramblings, which sounded a little disoriented like she was half-asleep. Perhaps it was a dream she had?

She was escorted back to her room, all her babies cleared from her bed since she had also related to me a story about her pink baby telling her how she wanted to fly and needed a magic wand, suspiciously suggesting that my child had been playing with her babies instead of napping. So we removed the temptation on the grounds that the babies needed to sleep in their own bed with the only exception being the pink baby (to avoid a complete breakdown I had to give somewhere). I stayed upstairs to take care of some things for my calling and just to make sure she really did go to sleep instead of play. All has been quiet for some time. Then out of the blue I hear her yelling out, "Jesus! Jesus!" fairly loudly. I peeked in her room only to ask her to be quiet so as not to wake up her brother, but I am very interested to hear the story behind this outburst. What could possibly be going through that child's brain? She was definitely awake, not dreaming.

Boy or Girl?

2010-09-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am expecting to be in the hospital exactly 4 weeks from today so the baby will be born on 10/10/10. We'll see if I can make it work out that way! The big question is: boy or girl??

I took a few quizzes and looked up a few Old Wives Tales and ancient calendars and still found mixed results. Here's a quick run-down for you:

The heart rate is sometimes over 140 and sometimes under, although usually right around 140. So this doesn't seem to help much

I haven't had strong cravings for sweet or salty, although I remember with Luke I definitely loved the salty stuff. This time I find I could probably eat fruit all day, which may qualify for sweet stuff. This points to a girl.

I have never been too sick with my pregnancies, but I have felt queasy a few times. Since this is more than normal, it could point to a girl as well.

According to the Mayan's, I'm having a boy.

According to the Chinese, I'm having a boy.

Unless you check a different web site that insists I have to use my lunar age and year to calculate it (for the Chinese), in which case (if I did it right), I am having a girl.

According to two quizzes, I'm having a girl (68% and 60% chance girl, 31% and 40% boy). When I took these same quizzes earlier in my pregnancy, it was about 50/50. Both were based on wive's tales.
Mother's intuition: used to be girl, now I lean towards boy.
3 year old intuition: girl...she wants a "stister"
Father intuition: boy (he actually thinks he saw it on the the ultrasound...I was watching far more intently than he was and didn't see a thing!)

So the way I see it, the score's pretty even depending on how much weight you put on each indicator. Leave a comment and give your vote with your reasoning. Or just vote on the poll. Feel free to add a weight guess as well. (The doctor's guess on the current weight from my ultrasound last Wednesday was 5 lbs and something ounces...I forgot the exact number).

I'll let you know in four weeks who guessed right!

Life's Secret Ingredient to Success and a Clean House

2010-06-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's making a phone call, or doing the dishes, or talking to a stranger. No matter the problem or the cause, be it fear or laziness, sometimes there are things that we just don't want to do. A while back a friend was talking about missionary work and said that the hardest part is thinking about it. Isn't that true? It's the scariest when we're just thinking about doing it. The dishes are so difficult when we're thinking about doing them. Talking to a stranger is intimidating when we're thinking about talking. But what happens when we actually do these tasks? Most of the time, it's not that bad. Sometimes it even turns out to be fun. So why the heck is it so hard to get motivated? What can be done to get over the thinking part and into the doing?

My motivation issues of late have been mostly related to house cleaning. Being pregnant and taking care of two little monkeys, I am always tired. But I have discovered a way that has worked every time I've used it (now to only figure out how to make sure I use it all the time!). The simple trick is to set a timer for a short amount of time and do the task I don't feel like doing. Sometimes it's 5 minutes, usually it's 10. I push myself hard during that time and then something magical seems to happen. The timer beeps. And I keep cleaning! Suddenly I have more energy. Suddenly I'm seeing progress. Suddenly there's a little hope for cleanliness in the disaster and with that hope, a new desire and motivation surges within me to do a little more...or even to finish! I begin to be productive and I feel pleased with my accomplishments, small as they may be. I kid you not, it has worked every time. Thinking about it is harder than actually doing it.

The timer approach can't be used in every situation, but the basic idea is to spend less time thinking and more time doing and you might be surprised at what you can accomplish!

To Know, Or Not To Know

2010-05-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've never really been one to follow trends, but this time around I am sorely tempted. It seems that many people these days have decided that it is very exciting to step back in time and not rely on modern technology to inform them of the gender of their baby. (This old-fashioned route doesn't go much further as most still rely on an epidural!). The more I have pondered this idea, I too have been caught up in the bandwagon and feel that it really would be a neat experience to not know until the moment the precious package is delivered and they hand the angel to me with the words, "It's a girl!" or "It's a boy!" I imagine that with all the hormones from the labor process, that moment would be much more magical than simply watching the alien-like form floating on a screen.

Unfortunately, my husband can't seem to catch the vision. Last night we had a good discussion about it and I think I'm finally beginning to understand where he's coming from. To him, my pregnancy isn't real. He sees my growing belly, but it is not a part of him like it is a part of me. For him, knowing the gender is the beginning of a connection with the new life. Until then, the baby is just an "it." So the sooner we know if it's a boy or a girl, the sooner "it" becomes his little son or daughter. Makes sense.

So the dilemma remains unresolved. I want him to connect with the baby. I also want to have my magical moment at delivery. We have three weeks to decide. And I have to wonder, will it really be as special as I imagine it to be? Or would I be sacrificing my husbands desire for foolish imaginations?

Those are my questions.

Early Morning Thoughts

2010-04-05T02:40:00.000-07:00

Here I am, four in the morning, wide awake since 1:30. I thought I'd jot down some random and probably useless thoughts I had while washing the dishes (don't worry, the whole three hours thus far has not been that productive!).

Well, maybe it's just me, but I have the tendency to stick to my comfort zone a little too much, particularly in human relationships. Take, for example, my college years. I was fortunate enough to have two very close friends since 7th grade join me at school my first semester. Naturally I spent all my time with them and all of their new friends. Because they were boys, they left me alone the next semester as they began their mission service. And there I was, suddenly and completely friendless. I hadn't taken any time to make my own new friends and I barely even knew my roommates. It was a lonely time for me as everyone else seemed to have their little groups already and didn't seem to notice mine had left. Funny how we seem to stick to our comfortable group and can inadvertently exclude others.

Needless to say, the next year I moved apartments to a cheaper place and met a little friendlier crowd. I was also lucky enough to have my best friend of all time from back home live with me for a semester and this time was one of the happiest times of my life! I was much better at socializing on my own and so even when my friend left the next semester, I had a good year.

My third and final year was a challenge. Besides some emotional struggles making it difficult to be social, I was also student teaching and thus was never on campus and rarely associated with other students my age. Somehow I managed to get a boyfriend, which was good in the sense that I could have friends through him. It was harmful because once again I got stuck in a comfort zone leeching my life from others instead of creating my own.

This pattern has continued in my life as it seems like a lesson I am doomed to keep learning. When my husband and I moved far away from family, we were blessed to locate not only in the same ward, but also the same neighborhood as a good friend of Lee's from high school (outside of Utah, "ward" and "neighborhood" are not synonymous!). This made our transition much easier. Unfortunately, we took advantage of the immediate friendship and didn't branch out too deeply. When these friends abandoned us for higher education, we found ourselves a little shallow in other friendships around us. Luckily, the Lord is generous and knows and loves us despite our weaknesses. About this time he sent a friend of mine from school with his family nearby, though this time with a little more distance so we would still have to find some connections a little closer. I am grateful to say that we are slowly but surely branching out of our comfort zone and building stronger relationships with new people around us.

The moral of this story is simply that it is good to leave our comfort zone. It is good to connect on a deeper level with new people. It is also important not to get so comfortable in our little groups to forget to see who else is searching for a connection. And last, but perhaps most important, the Lord does know us and love us and He will bless us with what we want as well as gently prod us to find what we need. And He'll do it over and over until we get it.

Things I Wish I Knew Proficiently Before Having a Family

2010-01-31T12:07:00.000-08:00

1. How to cook...and bake
2. How to clean and organize
3. How to sew and do other crafts

Ok, so I thought I knew how to do all of these things pretty well when I was single or that I could learn them super fast, but doing it for a family (and with a family) is another story.

Cooking: I didn't starve in college. I managed to feed myself every day. But do you know how hard it is to follow a recipe with kids hanging on your legs, getting into the pots and pans, and whining?? Yikes! And planning what to eat for five meals a day...every meal being nutritionally sound...is even more challenging when they'd rather starve than eat what you put in front of them! I'm attempting to be a better homemaker so I'm learning to make bread. The first time it didn't rise. The second time I made a proof box out of my microwave, but got distracted with cranky children craving attention and by the time I checked the bread, it had risen too much! If I had actually practiced this stuff when I was single (or at least didn't have monkeys to take care of), it would have been a hundred times easier!! To think if I had recipes memorized! Oh ya, and another thing that is discouraging about cooking...the mess! I'm constantly cleaning up the kitchen! And the kids hate when I give more attention to inanimate objects than to them.

Clean and organized: I've always considered myself a very organized person. I am learning that I'm organized when it only concerns my things and me. It's a whole different story to manage an entire house. The kids are always making messes and any spare moment is spent picking up after them. We, the parents, are part of the blame for messes too. The way I cleaned when I was single was a very relaxed way. If my little room got a little out of hand I didn't stress about it. I always found time to clean it up at some point, and actually I enjoyed doing it. But, one room is a much smaller space than a house. And finding the time to clean up the whole thing at once is impossible! I should have learned how to keep it clean along the way and organize in a rush instead of coming back to it later.

Being Crafty: I'm learning to sew and crochet right now. It's kind of a fun thing, but since I'm in the learning process, it takes a long time to finish projects and it's frustrating when my sewing machine is broken...like it is right now, although I'm sure it's a user-error...because I can't seem to find the time to figure out what's wrong with it!

My point is, the learning process is a process and requires time and attention. For all of these activities, since I'm still learning, it takes more time and attention than I can really give to them. So if you are still single, I highly recommend learning to do these basic things as proficiently as possible. Don't think you can cook until you've cooked for a crowd and done it with distractions. Some good goals would be to practice planning meals, memorizing recipes, and inviting a group...particularly children. Don't think you can clean until you've learned to keep your room clean at all times, not just able to pick it up when it's a disaster. And if there's a particular skill or hobby you'd like to learn that just might benefit your family, learn it now. Don't wait. You'll regret it.

(PS We got a new Young Women Presidency today. The new president is a professional home organizer and at least one adviser is an amazing cook. Looks like those girls are off to a good start with these goals!).

Our Little Jokers

2010-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

Hiding comfortably behind the piano in the Primary room again today, I felt suddenly grateful to have a husband who can play the piano. I had taken it for granted that for two weeks in a row we had played a bit of musical chairs while he covered for me so I could sneak into the 11:00 meeting for the Sacrament. Having two unfortunate Saturday nights in a row left me scrambling, by myself, to get to our 9:00 one. Last Saturday evening, one child fell and severely cut his lip requiring 3 stitches. Yesterday, the other child, apparently feeling a little left out, fell and cut a gaping hole in the corner of her mouth. Now with an uncanny resemblance to the Joker, she has two stitches in place and a slightly extended smile. Naturally both nights were a little long for the kids and naturally I let them sleep in the next morning, thus our tardiness to church. And so, after tagging my husband and sliding back into my place on the piano bench, I realized how lucky I was.

Writing Club

2009-12-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking it would be fun to do a writing club. I'm not sure how it would work exactly, so if anyone has ideas that would be great! I want anyone to be able to participate and we would just communicate electronically. Until we have a better plan, we can e-mail and use blogs. So, here is the first prompt:

Write a short story that begins with the phrase: I found it. It can be humorous or tragic, fiction or childhood memory; whatever. It could even be a poem. I am interested to see the various responses to such a simple phrase and the train of thought that it inspires. What does it make you think of? What does it bring to your mind?

Send your response to me via e-mail or better yet, post it on your own blog and let me know it's there with a comment on this post. Happy writing!

Why Should We Learn to Write Well?

2009-10-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

"I learned why during a religion class I taught once at Ricks College. I was teaching from Doctrine and Covenants 25:8 [D&C 25:8]. That tells Emma Smith she should give her time to “writing, and to learning much.” About three rows back in the class sat a blond girl whose brow wrinkled as I urged diligence in developing writing skills. She raised her hand and said, “That doesn’t seem reasonable to me. All I’ll ever write are letters to my children.” That brought laughter. I felt a little chagrined to have applied that scripture to her. Just looking at her I could imagine a quiver full of children around her and even see the letters she’d write, in purple ink, with handwriting slanting backwards, with neat, round loops. Maybe writing powerfully wouldn’t matter to her.

"And then a young man stood up near the back. He’d said little during the term. He was older than the other students and shy. He told in a quiet voice of being a soldier in Viet Nam. In what he thought would be a lull, he’d left his rifle and walked across his fortified compound to mail call. Just as he got a letter in his hand he heard a bugle blow, and shouts and mortar and rifle fire came in ahead of the swarming enemy. He fought his way back to his rifle, using his hands as weapons. With the men who survived, he drove the enemy out. The wounded were evacuated. And then he sat down among the living, and some of the dead, and he opened the letter.

"It was from his mother. She wrote that she’d had a spiritual experience that assured her he would live to come home, if he were righteous. “That letter was scripture to me,” the boy said quietly. “I kept it.” And he sat down. You may have a child someday, perhaps a son. Can you see his face? Can you see him somewhere, sometime in mortal danger? Can you feel the fear in his heart, and does it touch you? Would you like to freely give? What sacrifice will it take to write the letter your heart will want to send? You won’t do it in the hour before the postman comes. Nor will it be possible in a day or even a week. It may take years. Start the practice this afternoon. Go back to your room and write, and read, and rewrite that paper again, and again. It won’t seem like sacrifice if you picture that boy, feel his heart, and think of the letters he’ll need someday."

Henry B. Eyring, “Gifts of Love,” New Era, Dec 1983, 12

Four Cornerstones Upon Which To Build A Home

2009-10-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Ps. 127:1.)

Respect for One Another

Companionship in marriage is prone to become commonplace and even dull. I know of no more certain way to keep it on a lofty and inspiring plane than for a man occasionally to reflect upon the fact that the help-meet who stands at his side is a daughter of God, engaged with Him in the great creative process of bringing to pass His eternal purposes. I know of no more effective way for a woman to keep ever radiant the love for her husband than for her to look for and emphasize the godly qualities that are a part of every son of our Father and that can be evoked when there is respect and admiration and encouragement. The very processes of such actions will cultivate a constantly rewarding appreciation for one another.

The Soft Answer

It was said of old that “a soft answer turneth away wrath.” (Prov. 15:1.)
The voice of heaven is a still small voice; likewise, the voice of domestic peace is a quiet voice.
There is need for a vast amount of discipline in marriage, not of one’s companion, but of one’s self.
“A father can do no greater thing for his children than to let them feel that he loves their mother.” (President David O. McKay)
How much greater the peace in the homes of the people, how much greater the security in the lives of the children, how much less divorce and separation and misery, how much more gladness and joy and love there would be if husbands and wives would cultivate the discipline of speaking softly one to another, and if both would so speak to their children.

Honesty with God and with One Another

I am convinced that there is no better discipline nor one more fruitful of blessings than for those who establish homes and families to follow the commandment given to ancient Israel through the prophet Malachi: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, … and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Mal. 3:10.)

As you discipline yourselves in the expenditure of your means, beginning with your obligations to your Father in heaven [tithing], the cankering selfishness that leads to so much strain in domestic affairs will go out of your lives, for if you will share with the Lord whom you do not see, you will deal more graciously, more honestly, and more generously with those whom you do see. As you live honestly with God, you will be inclined to live honestly with one another. (emphasis added)

Family Prayer

God then will be your partner, and your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source.

A summary of a talk by Gordon B. Hinckley entitled, “‘Except the Lord Build the House …’,” from the Ensign, June 1971.

Quick Tips: Alot

2009-10-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Alot: a town and a nagar panchayat in Ratlam district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alot)

Incorrect: I passed through alot of bushes.
Correct: I passed through Alot. There were bushes.
Also Correct: I passed through a lot of bushes on my way to Alot.

What I hope you remember from today's lesson:

"A lot" is two words. (Unless referring to the nagar panchayat...in which case it should be capitalized).

Grammar Answer

2009-10-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever-and-a-half since I posted the grammar geek quiz on my blog and I apologize to the millions of avid readers who have been biting their nails in anticipation of the answer. (If only that were true...) So here goes my sad attempt to explain it.

"That is one of the many qualities that make him the man we love to celebrate."

It's a simple case of subject verb agreement. You know, "the dogs eats" verses "the dog eats." If you take out all the extra words, you will discover that the subject of the sentence is "one" and the verb is "make." Obviously "one make" sounds funny. It should be "one makes." Right?

Wrong. If you followed that logic and believed it, then you are equal to me in grammar prowess because that is what I thought to be the case and it is incorrect; we got nothin'. In fact, the reason it has taken me so long to post an answer is because it really doesn't make sense. I mean, the subject is really about the qualities, but that appears to be in a prepositional phrase, which often tricks people into thinking it is the subject when it is merely describing the subject. The average Joe would read that sentence and not even consider it to be grammatically problematic...and Joe would be correct. That's what I get for over-analyzing everything; problems created out of nothing.

Yes, I am telling you that I lied. There is nothing wrong with the sentence. I quote to you from the book ACT 36: Aiming for the Perfect Score. (Yes, I read such books in my spare time...don't ask).

"Words indicating amount, like the word none [or in our case, one], when used as the subject of a sentence, do not hang out in the Singles Club. They are married to one word--the word of. The noun at the end of an "of" phrase [qualities] dictates the verb status [make]."

So there you have it. The sentence is actually grammatically sound. Psych.

Read Me Next Time You Consider Professional Portraits!

2009-09-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Memo to self:
Next time you want to take your kids in for a free 8x10 picture at a studio, I hope you will remember the following things:

Remember it's just a ploy to sell you bigger and better products that look even better with your adorable child in them
Remember how your daughter wet her pants because it took two hours to sort through and arrange special portrait collections that you didn't want and didn't pay for in the end
Remember how your son shook raisins all over the room and was crying from boredom, hunger, and tiredness because he had missed his nap and only stopped when you took him from the stroller so you could make the final decision to stick with the free 8x10 you came in for and nothing else
Remember how he screamed when you tried to put him back in the stroller
Remember your headache as you left pushing the double stroller to the opposite end of the mall past pesky aisle vendors muttering out loud, "No thanks" while muttering under your breath, "Cranky kids...cranky mom."

Still think it's worth it?

If you've forgotten and still want to go, here are some things to consider for next time:

Tell them upfront you only want an 8x10
Tell them they are more than welcome to try and sell you other items, but..

you are on a budget (make it up if you're not)
you aren't good at decision making
you only have a certain amount of time (10-15 min should be enough to pick the one pose you like)

so you will not purchase anything else until you've had time (without crying children) to sleep on it and discuss it with your spouse
Take the kids to the bathroom immediately before the photo shoot
Don't bring raisins

Sibling Dynamics

2009-08-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

I definitely see stark contrasts in my children's behavior currently. Perhaps it is their difference in age. Maybe it's about the gender. Or maybe, it's all personality.

Child number one (2yr old girl):
Cries and refuses to eat when I don't spoon feed her.
Gets upset when food gets on her hands.

Child number two (1yr old boy):
Screams and refuses to eat when I do spoon feed him because he wants to do it.
Gets upset if I don't let him stick his hands in the food.

To each his own.

Latest Parenting Mistake
Don't feed your 1 year old cotton candy at the circus. He may recognize the resemblance in the green cotton stuffing of the chair cushions.

Sibling Rivalry
There was a small battle concerning Annalee's brush that Luke wanted to play with that Annalee, of course, didn't want him to touch because it's, in her words, "mine!" So I tried to mitigate the issue by having Annalee give him a comb, which she did, after yanking the brush from him. A few minutes later, the episode of the brush supposedly forgotten as the kids seemed to be engaged in different play activities, I suddenly saw Luke take off towards the back rooms like a baseball player stealing home. I had to laugh when I spied in his hand Annalee's brush. He was high-tailing it out of there as fast as his little legs could carry him! Unfortunately for him, Annalee also realized what he was doing and she chased him down, once again yanking it from his hands. No homerun this time.

For the most part they seem to get along quite well. They have taken to hiding in Luke's closet (lights off and door shut). I don't know what they do, but with all the giggling they seem to be enjoying themselves. I tried to accompany them to see what all the fun was about and Annalee promptly kicked me out saying: "Mami, fuera. Shut da door." I can take a hint.

Luke's 12 month Update

2009-07-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Height: 30 in (50-75%)

Weight: 23.08 lbs (50-75%)

Head: 46.2 (25-50%)

Has it been a year already?!! Crazy! I swear this has been the shortest year of my life! He seems a lot younger than Annalee was at a year. He hasn't hit the milestones quite as quickly as she did. He can't really say anything yet...unless you count his "O deh!" when he drops something (translated to mean "Oh dear!"). He likes to repeat "da da da da da...", but it has no meaning for him since we say "Papi" for daddy. He's finally starting to enjoy books a little more and to play pat-a-cake. My favorite thing is when he holds the phone at the back of his neck and starts jabbering! The other day we discovered Luke in the kitchen playing in a pile of powdered sugar! He was shoving handfuls in his mouth! Unfortunately, the camera batteries were dead.

Luke is currently trying to figure out the self-feeding thing. He has made significant progress. It started with grabbing the spoon from my hand and banging it around in the bowl wondering how it magically got to his mouth. Eventually, he stuck his other hand in the food to see if it would help. I showed him how to stick that hand in his mouth to suck the food off. He liked that. After repeating this a few times, it finally seemed to click that he could repeat the bowl-to-mouth motion with the spoon, although he still likes the hand-in-food technique because it's 100% successful. Now all he has left to figure out is which end of the spoon can carry the most food to his mouth!

At his check-up I was shocked to discover that he has an ear infection in one ear and fluid in the other. I didn't have a clue! I took him to the doctor about two weeks ago when he had a cold because he was so miserable and he didn't have it then! Since his cold has cleared up he has appeared to be fine. Whoops! Poor guy. And then four shots and a finger prick was a little traumatic for him (and Mom), but he was so ecstatic about the band-aid on his finger it was all ok.

He is walking now, though still somewhat in the transitional stage. (I hope he is learning that the bathtub is not a good place to practice...that black-eye should serve as a good reminder!). Just two days ago he started practicing standing up on his own (without pulling up on something) and has been so proud of himself! He's a little pro now!

Here's a video of Luke's first year:

Grammar Geek: Quiz #1

2009-06-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not be aware, I love English. Not the language necessarily, but the subject. You know, the stuff you'd learn about in an English class...reading, writing, and especially grammar. I could study it for hours (in any language)! One night Lee and I were doing our Spanish study together and he pulled out a grammar book from a class he had after his mission. I was pretty tired to begin with, but the new information on Spanish grammar and diagramming quickly woke me up and I got really into it. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on Lee and he tired of it far too quickly. I kept reading it while he went to his wake-up help (and my sleep inducer): the computer.

I'm not sure why the study of rules intrigues me so much. Growing up in my house with an English teacher for a mother where you'd be interrupted in the middle of a story with grammar corrections, you'd think I'd detest the subject. On the contrary, it seemed to engender a love for perfection in speech. I'm not sure to what use this knowledge can be put, other than ensuring a little less panic during high-stress tests like the ACT, which are no longer a threat in my life. Lee once sent a link to a humorous article that pretty much described me. (If you follow the link, do not read the comments attached to this article). Here is an excerpt:

Another important thing to know is that when white people read magazines and books they are always looking for grammar and spelling mistakes. In fact, one of the greatest joys a white person can experience is to catch a grammar mistake in a major publication. Finding one allows a white person to believe that they are better than the writer and the publication since they would have caught the mistake. The more respected the publication, the greater the thrill. If a white person were to catch a mistake in The New Yorker, it would be a sufficient reason for a large party.

This is totally me! Finding mistakes in published stuff is guaranteed to make my day. In fact, I found one today. Unfortunately, it wasn't The New Yorker, so there will be no party. Nevertheless, I'm curious who else can see the error. Here's the sentence:

"That is one of the many qualities that make him the man we love to celebrate."

Let's see if anyone else out there agrees with me. Take a chance and tell me what you think is wrong and I'll follow-up shortly with what I believe the error to be.

(Disclaimer: Due to the content of this posting, the author of this blog denies any grammatical errors heretofore and hereafter published and assures the reader they are all typos).

Soccer: Take II

2009-05-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

I am way cooler inside my head than in real life. I can always think of the funniest or smartest comments with imaginary conversations. Put a live human in front of me and suddenly I might as well be stuffed and hung on a wall! Even in this weakness of mine, every now-and-again, I surprise myself. Today, I think I made a friend.

My stomach has been on quite the roller coaster ride this week with highs of excitement and lows of twisting anxiety. I found out with only one week notice that Saturday (today) would be a soccer round-up for the summer woman's league. It has been several years and two kids since I last played competitively. My last attempt was pretty much pathetic...to say the least. My brain and instincts were still on par, but my body was definitely not. Remembering the tragedy of my last attempt, I started more conservatively today, not running around like a wild woman the first 30 seconds and then almost passing out. I hung back and made intermittent strategic runs. I passed more than I dribbled so as not to trip over the ball. After a bit, my confidence rose and I did some tricky stuff...successfully! Ok, maybe here's a good place to mention that the teams were horribly lopsided and the other side had mostly players that resembled cones more than soccer players. We pretty much wasted them, though no score was kept. (To give you a better idea of the situation, let's just say I was tempted to volunteer to be goalie for our time after a while...not a good sign for the skill level of our opponents). I'm not sure they really had any shots on goal. But, it definitely boosted my confidence and now I'm pretty much just excited about the whole idea of playing soccer again.

Back to my friend. We're pretty much identical in every way. She played soccer, I played soccer. We both want to play again after a serious hiatus. Her parents are from Argentina, I'm...well...I speak Spanish...and that's really about all I know about her. But I'm sure we'll discover many more things we have in common as we get to know each other! We decided to request to be on the same team so our paperwork got paper-clipped together. Definitely a new BFF. Too bad I thought of all the cool stuff to say in my head on the way home from the round-up. Luckily she had the sense enough to see through the dummy that runs my body most of the time and recognized my inner coolness. I'm looking forward to being her teammate.

Luke 9 Months

2009-05-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

Height: 28 1/2 (50-75%)

Weight: 20lbs 14oz (50-75%)

Head: 44 1/2 (25%)

Luke is as cute as ever...and into everything! He gets into stuff Annalee doesn't even know existed! He definitely keeps me on my toes. His big sister keeps a close eye on him for me and is quick to say "uh oh, Gucas" (Gucas is Lucas). He gets a kick out of big sister and is always happy to see her.

Milestones/Quirks

pulling up to standing and taking his first cruising steps holding on to stuff
Carrots and most fruits go down happily, but watch out for squash, peas, and bananas to come flying back
If he's unhappy or doesn't want whatever we're trying to give him then he bats at his ear
Beginning to make sounds other than screeching (namely "guh" and "dadadada")
2 bottom teeth are popping through
loves to drink from a sippy cup
does great impressions of a rooster and a fire truck
enjoys "singing" to the hymns at church
mastered the ability to bang on his tray for more food or attention
Successfully removed his diaper all by himself while waiting for me in the crib

This is one loud and wild, but very happy, little man.

Counsel from Elder Bednar

2009-04-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Elder Bednar is probably my favorite apostle (is that allowed??)!  I knew he was destined for greatness when he was the President of Ricks/BYU-I.  I sometimes snuck into his Q&A FHE sessions even when it wasn't my ward's turn just so I could hear him!  That is one smart and inspired man.  I was so excited when he was made an apostle (I was on my mission at the time).  So when my cousin's letter this week spoke of Elder Bednar, I read it immediately and thought I'd share her notes with you (I hope she doesn't mind...all I changed was a little formatting for ease of reading).

"Well, i dont have a lot of time, but i wanted to tell you a little about Elder Bednar coming. First of all, it was a question answer session. So that was nice. I got a few main points out of it.

One, (he gave this answer in all his other firesides too) if you want to know more about anything in the gospel, especially Christ or the atonement, read the Book of Mormon as many times as you can in 6 months and at the end write a one page summary of the atonement (or your topic).  He says hes done this thing over 20 times and gains a bigger and bigger testimony everytime, and promises that it will work.

Another thing he said that we have to master in this life is how to 1)Do everything that we can possibly do but at the same time 2) "Get out of the way"...the Lord will do his work through us, but we have to get out of the way and let our pride down and know that we are simply tools in his hands.

The last thing he really emphasized is that we must focus our lives on "why?"....which is the doctrine of the church. We too often only focus on/teach our children how or what, which is good, but if they dont know why, they will fall! He prophecied that to us that we will fall, our investigators will fall, and our children will fall if we dont teach the why.

So i have the same invitations to all of you! Make sure we are asking the right questions in our studies, and teaching the right stuff. Also, work as hard as we can, but also get out of the Lord's way so he can do his work.

I know this is God's work, and if we just stop and take a look, we will realize that if we weren't here the work would keep going, and we should just feel lucky enough to be used as a tool in His hand, and feel blessed to be able to receive the many blessings He is constantly giving us."

Somebody's Soap Box

2009-03-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

The following is a real e-mail sent to all the sisters in our ward as a reply to another sister sending out a link with Conference activities for kids. I was curious what everyone's thoughts were on what she wrote. Here's her soap box:

Great idea Mary Ann! Thank you for providing this to the sisters. It is a fantastic idea to provide something for the kids to keep them quiet for the long sessions.

I never attend conference any more because the children were so noisy and disruptive that I would be mad and frustrated by the time I would leave. If you are in the back of the chapel, that’s the “play area.” When I did try to attend in years past, I was anything but “spiritually uplifted” from attending the conference. What is so frustrating is the inconsiderate attitude of the parents. They are so accustomed to “tuning out their kids” they are totally obvious to how rude and inconsiderate it is to the other adults in attendance. Not to mention how inconsiderate and rude it is to the speakers who took the time to study and prepare something spiritual for us.

I must give credit to the thoughtful parents that do take the time to teach their kids what behavior is acceptable at church and what is not appropriate when reverence is required. I really appreciate the parents who do take out their children when they are being disruptive and noisy whether that is in Sacrament meeting, Sunday School and/or Relief Society. This sets an example to the other children, too. It doesn’t need to be just crying that requires removal, but having a good noisy “happy” time, too is not reverent. I remember spending the first two years of each of my children’s life in the hallway at church. I don’t recall having the speakers in the hallway 40 years ago like we have now. I know it isn’t easy, but that is what parenting is all about. After all, if you can’t control your toddlers, what will you do when they become teenagers and they’re bigger that you???? At least my teenagers were bigger than me! Back in the “old days” we didn’t have “Nursery class” so we had 3 years to teach the kids how to behave at Church while we stayed in the hallway or visited the bathroom for a little more “encouragement”!

It seems as though some of the problems of noise from the children are carried into Sunday School and Relief Society classes, too, i.e. giving them noisy toys to shake and bang. It’s as if the parents see that they aren’t crying they’re not causing a disturbance when they are laughing and banging their noisy toys such as trucks or their mom’s keys. They do make “quiet” toys which would be more appropriate for Church. Again, I’m sure this is because the parents are accustomed to “tuning this noise out.” Also, I think the moms know that most of us have gone though this, too so we should “understand”. However, this is no excuse. Just because we are grandparents now, doesn’t mean that we love being entertained by those happy, playful toddlers and/or fussy babies! Again, the purpose of going to Church on Sundays is to hear and learn the lessons that are presented to us and to spiritually lift us. We did not get dressed and drive all the way to Church on Sunday to be entertained by babies and toddlers.

When we leave Church on Sunday we should be able to keep the Sabbath Day holy. We should be strengthened to the point that we can deal with all the issues that will face us for the next six days as we go about our daily lives. I think of how often I will reflect on a message I received at Church in a lesson or talk that helps me keep in perspective why we are here and what we are supposed to be accomplishing.

I know I’m not the only “Grandma” that feels this way. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt any ones feelings that reads this, but I felt strongly that I needed to express this.

Comments anyone?? Love to hear them!

Live Footage

2009-03-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

We've encountered some technical difficulties with the making of this film. Unfortunately, since it is already terribly outdated due to how quickly these little babies progress each day, this is what you get! So at the end when there's a black screen, imagine seeing the last shot of the previous scene one more time only in slow motion. That's what is supposed to be there. (FYI: Luke is traveling a lot faster and further these days. It won't be long before he is doing the real crawl on his hands and knees) Enjoy!

Let-down Theory

2009-03-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

After an intense emotional, physical, or spiritual experience, there tends to be a let-down. I experienced this when I gave birth without an epidural. Immediately after and for a few sustained hours, I felt amazing, powerful, and strong. I was excited for my accomplishment and felt so good. After a while, though, I become depressed, dejected, and disgusted at myself. I felt weak and stupid and felt that everyone else saw me in that same way. Unfortunately, it is the latter that has stuck in my brain.

Recently I had an experience that was so coincidental and such an answer to my prayers that I couldn't help but believe that it really was the work of the Lord in my life and others. I felt happy to have been of service and grateful to be so trusted. Only hours later, doubts crept in and I began to wonder if I had actually caused the incident instead of happening to be there at the right time. I felt that I had compounded the problems more than eased them and once again felt helpless, sad, and disappointed.

Why does this happen? I know such is the case with new converts. They have powerful experiences that testify to them of the truth and they follow that path. Then suddenly, or slowly, the same wonderful experience begins to turn sour. Questions and doubts fill their minds. They begin to feel lonely and rejected. Instead of strong they feel weak. Suddenly all their flaws and mistakes are brought to the surface and they begin to view themselves in their carnal state.

I can see from my own experiences how easy it is to succumb to those feelings in negative ways. I am beginning to see the great humility and spiritual strength that the people of King Benjamin must have had to be able to turn to the Savior immediately. Perhaps this is how Peter felt as he was walking on the water and why he began to sink. But he did not hesitate to plead for help and reach out his hand. And we see that the Lord did not hesitate to lift him up. Alma 34:31 says:

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and ^aharden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the ^bday of your ^csalvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and ^dharden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

The let-down appears to be an essential part of conversion and coming to Christ. The question may not be if it will happen, but rather how we will respond. Will we harden our hearts and turn away from the only source that can bring comfort? Or will we be as Peter and reach out our hand and our voices in pleading for the Lord to lift us up again?

Perhaps this is what is meant in the Relief Society Declaration when it says we "seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost."

Annie's First Year

2009-03-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

So I know she just turned 2, but I chose so many pictures that I had to split it into 2 videos. Her second year will be posted shortly.

Stretchy Pants

2009-02-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

MODESTY PART II-A:

“Never lower our dress standards for any occasion. Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient.” (For the Strength of Youth pamphlet)

It is a good idea to ask ourselves what our purpose is in wearing the clothes we do. There is a fine line between wanting to look our best and wanting to show off our best. You can look good without completely exposing yourself. With that in mind, here are a few special occasions in which one might be tempted to lower standards.

Formal Wear:

It can be very difficult to maintain standards of modesty since not too many elegant dresses come with sleeves and high necks! This was always a challenge in high school, even in Utah. Most girls sought out nice jackets to cover bare shoulders or had alterations done. (Or as Aunt Joyce mentioned in her comment on Part 1, some mothers actually made the dress...a talent I'm afraid I don't have).

Now I always understood that a sleeveless dress was immodest and never questioned it; thus I’ve been a bit surprised to find out that it’s not as common an idea among Mormon’s as I had assumed. In the current “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet it is quite clear on this issue however: “Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner.” Let’s be realistic ladies. What guy falls in love with a girl’s shoulders anyway?

Costumes:

Other occasions, like Halloween, require costumes. Even at these times it is important to remember to be modest and keep the same standards as every other day. Even when pretending to be someone or something else, you are still the one behind the mask.

Recreational Activities:

Swimming is an occasion that could lots of debate. There are definitely exceptions to many of the rules when it comes to swim suits, but deciding which rules is the tricky part. Unfortunately, there is not detailed counsel in the pamphlet on this specific issue. I mean, who would really feel comfortable in a swim suit in front of the Lord anyway??

There are plenty of controversial guidelines when it comes to other sports and hobbies. Our track and cross country uniforms did not cover the sleeves. Are they immodest? Runners’ shorts are often very short. Dance outfits are very often risqué for children of all ages. Where is the line when it comes to improving performance or required team attire? What do you think?

My opinions will come after yours. But for now, keep in mind that we must be completely honest with ourselves and others when we rationalize the tweaking of modesty guidelines. Is there a real purpose or are we just wearing stretchy pants in our room for fun?

Upcoming: My own opinion on these questions and what applies to babies.

Your Epidermis is Showing!

2009-02-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Modesty Part 1:

I remember a high school dance where a guy friend of mine took a nonmember friend. She wore a beautiful dress, except that it was sleeveless and low cut in the back. That meant there was a lot of visible bare skin. When we were in line for the group picture, her back was to me and the guy looked at me with a slightly uncomfortable/goofy/questioning look as he tried to figure out where to put his hand for the picture. I just laughed as I recognized how awkward it was for him in not wanting to touch her skin, but not really having a choice. I was reminded in that moment of the importance of modest clothing for the sake of others as well as for myself.

Modesty has always been a very important issue to me, almost a preoccupation. I have always been taught and tried to practice to the best of my ability the principles of modesty. I remember discussing in Young Woman's class a story about a girl who had to completely change her whole wardrobe after she went through the temple. I made a personal goal that I wouldn't have to change my wardrobe at all when it came my time.

“Someday you will receive your endowment in the temple. Your dress and behavior should help you prepare for that sacred time.” (For the Strength of Youth pamphlet)

As strict as I thought I was growing up, I discovered that there is always room for improvement. At Ricks College, Sis. Bednar gave an awesome talk to all the girls on campus that very directly and frankly discussed modesty issues. After hearing her fireside, I scrutinized myself even more carefully in the mirror each day to make sure all skin from all angles and movements was hidden. I highly recommend her talk to every female. (Click here to read Reverencing Womanhood).

The "For Strength of Youth" pamphlet gives a clear outline of what constitutes immodesty: “Immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire.” Perhaps the greatest modesty issue, particularly among recommend holders, is tight clothing. Modesty isn’t just referring to the amount of skin exposed. Clothing, shirts and pants alike, can be revealing without showing any epidermis.

Stay tuned for more thoughts on modesty including controversial issues of rule exceptions and questions of what applies to small children.

On the Move

2009-02-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's official...Luke's mobile!!

(footage coming soon)

Annie's Home Remedies

2009-02-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Problem: She has slight eczema in the bend of her elbow

Solution: Vanilla Yogurt (strongly resembles Hydrocortisone cream)

What was probably going through her brain:

My arm really hurts! I'll tell mami again. "Owie here." My arm REALLY hurts! "Owie here, Mami!" Hey, that yogurt Mami just gave me looks a lot like the cream she puts on my owie. A whole dish of it! Thanks Mami. Yep. Works great! Why is Mami laughing at me? "Owie here."

(Sorry, no pictures. Lee didn't want me to reinforce the fact that she was rubbing her vanilla yogurt on her "owie." Didn't seem to matter because she has since used applesauce and cookie dough! Hey, whatever works...as long as she doesn't start eating the Hydrocortisone cream ...)

Who, me?

My Little Trolls

2009-02-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to see these two pictures side-by-side because one reminded me of the other and I've thought they each looked like a troll. Annalee more so because of her lovely mohawk that haunted most of her baby-hood. Luckily her hair has since grown and she no longer sports the punk look.

Here are some more recent pictures of the two and you can see that they really are cute despite the previously pictured non-photogenic moment they each have had.

Luke Update: 6 Months

2009-02-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz (97%)

Height: 26 1/2 in (50-75%)

Head: 43 (25-50%)

I realize this is a little late since he's been 6 months for a little over a week...can you believe it's already been 6 months!! Crazy! And he's huge! Well, except for his head apparently, though his chubby cheeks make up for the small circumference of his skull! He can get all over the floor now simply by rolling, turning in circles, and pushing himself backwards. He still doesn't go anywhere too quickly, but enjoys finding new things to catch his attention, playing for a bit, then moving on.

Nights:

Luke started off pretty early sleeping through the night and he rarely cried. Because of that, I over-reacted to his crying and awakenings and I think I spoiled him too much so that he started not doing too well at night. I was always afraid he would wake up his sister if I let him cry for too long. I have since found out that Annie is an incredibly deep sleeper and will not be easily disturbed during the night (though naptimes are a different story). Anyway, so after a series of rough nights in a row, the last one being the worst of them all, Lee and I unconsciously slept through his crying the next night...well most of it. We'd hear it and be so tired we'd both fall back asleep! I guess that taught him (and us) that he was capable of going back to sleep on his own! We also decided it was time to start solids to see if that would help (and it has) so he wouldn't need a feeding in the middle of the night and I finally found the night light and replenished the light bulb so if we wakes up he recognizes his surroundings (pink sheets and all!) and feels safe.

(Ok, so I finally did buy him some blue crib sheets but there was another set I liked better that I wasn't sure would match the nursery and so I might take back the ones I got in order to get the other ones and so in my indecision, my poor 6 month-old baby is still sleeping on pink sheets!)

As you can see from the pictures, we had a photo-shoot the other day and got some super cute pictures of him. Take note of the classic open-mouth Luke smile. That means he's super excited. Isn't he adorable?

Beauty Bible

2008-12-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

I like to be informed. Being the nerd that I am, I have to resort to reading about beauty in a book! The thing is, I don't trust most people because either they are selling a product and thus are biased or they are parroting back what a salesperson told them and therefore are ignorantly biased. I have to do my own research to try and find out for myself. For some reason I trust the published word over word-of-mouth.

I found a book at our library called "The Beauty Bible." Since I don't have it on me right now, I looked it up at Amazon and I think I found the right one. The author is most likely Paula Begoun. I've found a few helpful things that I'd like to share with those who are interested. It's a huge book and I've only skimmed it, but here are a few things I remember:

Serums:
Apparently more talk than walk. Advertisers use the word "serum" to sell the stuff because it makes it sound good. She wasn't too clear on whether or not it really was a helpful product or not though. It just sounded like perhaps it's not as great as it's hyped up to be. I'll have to find out more about this.

Toners:
A good thing. Need to read more on this; just thought it would be good to know what stuff I use is actually worth using! (Even if I don't really know why...yet).

Eye Creams:
A lot are a scam. People sell a tiny bottle for lots of money (the Arbonne eye cream does contain less than the regular face moisturizer and yet is the same price). Read the ingredients because, according to her, they have the same ingredients as any regular face moisturizer. I checked the Arbonne products the best I could (the lists are mega-long and all the words are totally foreign to me!). The eye cream is similar, but did appear quite different from the moisturizer. Perhaps now-a-days they really can add stuff to help with dark lines and puffiness that makes it better then a regular face cream (the book may be a bit outdated). The author, though, is of the opinion that around the eyes doesn't need anything different than what you would use on the rest of your face. Those of you who are more involved with experimenting with this stuff may have a different opinion. I'd love to hear it!

Warning!
The major problem with eye creams that the author pointed out made so much sense to me. They don't have an SPF!! That means that while you try to cover up and heal wrinkles and such, you are actually creating more wrinkles in the long run by leaving the most sensitive part of your face vulnerable to sunrays. I just make sure to put my face moisturizer (that has an SPF) over the eye cream...do you think that defeats the purpose of the eye cream??

The author explains that sun probably causes most of the damage to our faces and the best way to stay as wrinkle-free as possible is to wear at least an SPF of 15. Arbonne's Anti-aging moisturizer has SPF 8, the Not-So-Basic moisturizer has none, but the foundations appear to all be SPF 15.

That concludes this beauty update. Stay tuned for future broadcasts and be sure to contribute your own tried and true opinions so we can all become more educated.

I hate Our Stupid Insurance!

2008-12-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

I just have to vent for a minute. It seems that with every medical bill there is something that drives me crazy! There has been nothing but problems with our Insurance and the most irritating part is that when we reviewed all the plan options for this next year, it was still the best one offered!! I never had any problems with my medical stuff in Utah as a teacher. The benefits were great and if there was ever a mistake, it came out that I owed less than the original amount. In fact, a few days ago I got $40 from my doctor in Utah because somewhere somehow I overpaid one year-and-a-half ago! So much for pleasant surprises! Here, my surprises are all negative and I end up owing up to $400 more than the estimations and the way it all works makes it seem like we're paying more out of our pocket than they are helping! I think I would like to add up what we pay monthly and then what we pay for our deductible (for each person) and then our co-pays and co-insurance and whatever random stuff it seems like we have to pay for and see how much the Insurance really is helping!!

Now I know that we probably have better insurance than a lot of people so I probably shouldn't complain, it's just that coming from my situation as a teacher in Utah where there were no problems, it gets so frustrating!!

The current issue is that I received the bill for Annalee's 18 month check up only to see that the Insurance covered $0.00!! What?! I called the number on the bill and they told me that usually the Insurance companies don't know that there are several mandatory well-visits during the child's second year and so I just needed to tell them it was a mandatory visit and it should be ok. So I call the Insurance and guess what? Our plan only covers two well visits during the second year which were met with her 12 month and 15 month visits! Never mind that she has to have these visits, it's not part of our plan. The crazy thing is that they help with the immunizations, but not the office visit. So can I just take her for the immunizations and not the office visit??

Another irksome thing is that on that particular visit she picked up a bug (I'm assuming it was from that, but I really don't have proof...but it's a safe assumption and was even suggested by the doctor himself!). So for those of you who don't know, Annalee's body overreacts to illness and it gave her a fever that spiked too quickly and made her go into a seizure shortly after we were even aware she was sick! I watched my baby convulse for several terrifying moments as I thought for the second time in her short life that I was going to lose her! The Ambulance showed up and assured us all was ok since her fever had gone done and she stopped convulsing and we just had to keep her fever down. I had to take her back to the doctor two days after her well visit so they could try to figure out what bug she had, if it was serious, and if they could help in some way. After all the extra tests, they couldn't figure it out. Nevertheless, this second visit is on the same bill and guess what? The Insurance covers their part of the charges! So why the heck don't they cover a mandatory regular office visit?? Next time I'm going to tell the doctor that she is sick and they can send the bill in as a sick visit instead of a well visit so the Insurance will pay up!

My Personal Spook Alley

2008-10-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

My heart was pounding and fear clutched at my throat, restricting my breathing, as I nervously surveyed my surroundings. Where was I? Not in a haunted house. Not lost. I was in a mall!! Apparently the scariest place around for me! I had forgotten how terrifying walking through a mall by myself is. It really does a number on my nerves with all the people and the noise and the mass confusion. I especially dislike the vendors in the middle of the paths who jump out in front of you shoving soaps and potent fragrances in your face. It reminds me of Mexico. I can hear them now in thick Spanish accents: "Almost free for you." I hope none of them spoke Spanish because most of the time I passed by I leaned over and pretended to be engrossed in conversing with Annalee, but was really saying the same thing each time (hey, when you're nervous, fresh ideas run low in the brain). One time I sped up to walk on the outside of someone else...they caught her instead. The last time I was fortunate to be on the phone with Lee and realized that was my ticket. From now on I'll just pull out the trusty anti-social device and avoid any human contact!

The Role of a Referee in Soccer

2008-10-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

When a team loses a match, whose fault is it? The referee's. When a team wins, to whom does the credit go? Their supreme skill of course, with no thanks to the horrible calls from the referee! While some may say the original intent of having officiators in soccer was to enforce the rules and to protect the players, it can be argued that an added bonus has emerged. The current role of a referee is undeniably to be a scapegoat... (Click to read the rest of the article)

That's the beginning of an article I wrote that has earned me $0.01! (...I know, I'm racking it in :) For those of you who don't know, I love to write. I have slacked off the past few years and have decided to pick it up again. Almost a year ago I found a website that you could join for free and possibly earn money for articles you write. How great would that be to get paid to do something you love?! However, I didn't do much with it until about two or three weeks ago. I'm still figuring it out. Lee found another site that supposedly earns more money and it's based solely on page views. I'll put up some links to articles I post there, but for now, I want to see how I earn money on this other site. I think it has something to do with page views as well. So, do me a favor and click to read the rest of my article about the role of a referee in soccer. Even if you don't know anything about soccer, humor me and at least visit the page. It's not at all technical and it's actually not a very serious article like all the others. I wanted it to stand out from the others so I took a different approach. Some people appreciated my twist because it's ranked 3rd out of 9 submissions.

If anyone else is interested in trying out these sites to get paid for writing about stuff you know about, let me know and I'll send you an invite because I think that's another way for me to earn money! Otherwise, I'll keep everyone posted here on my blog as to what I think about these sites and if they're worth checking into.

Doctor Visits

2008-09-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Luke: 2 Months

Luke is a whopping 14 lbs 10.9 oz! Annalee was barely 14 lbs at 4 months! This kid is a monster! He's in the 97th percentile for weight and only a little lower in height (24 in). I think he's in the 50th percentile for his head circumference, but the doctor reassured me a smaller head has nothing to do with brain power!

Annalee: 18 Months
Annalee is still creeping through the 20 lb range and really I don't remember much else of her stats. She's pretty low in the percentiles, like in the 25th or so...maybe as low as the 10th in one area. But she's perfectly healthy and hitting all her milestones like a pro! She is still pretty scared of the doctor's office, particularly of the table. She went crazy when we had to lay her on it to try and measure her! The worst for both was definitely the shots. Annalee went first. It started off bad since she had to lie on the table again. But then he sobbing just about killed me as they pierced her with the needles! It was over super quickly though and she tried hard to control her tears. She helped me hold in Luke's pacifier while he got ready for his own torture. It terrified Annalee to see the nurse stab the needles into Luke's legs and then to hear him scream at the pain. In fact, I think she started crying before Luke did because she watched them do it and knew what was going to happen to her poor little brother. So naturally, I had two crying children, both of who wanted/needed comforting at the same time! It helped to have Annalee give Luke kisses to make him feel better as it temporarily distracted her from the horror of the scene she just witnessed. I think that next time I won't let her watch!

My Bucket List

2008-09-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not planning on dying any time soon, but there are a few things I would like to accomplish sooner than later. Here are a few I could think of, the top three being long-time dreams of mine:

1. Write a book (I would say publish, but that's out of my control. All I can do is write the book and hope that it's good enough to get published...and maybe be a #1 Bestseller!)

2. Compose a song on the piano

3. Write music and lyrics to a song (possibly the same song as above, but who knows, maybe I'll write more than one)

4. Learn to sing...well

5. Learn to play the guitar

6. Crochet an afghan (this one is already in progress...slowly but surely)

7. Learn to sew (I already have material for projects I have in mind...all I need now is a sewing machine!...oh yeah, and a few lessons)

8. Learn to garden

10. Learn another language (or few)

11. Visit church history sites

A Boy Named Goo

2008-09-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Lucas Edward, aka "Goo" according to Annalee, was born July 23, 2008. His name means bringer of light. He is six weeks old and is a wonderful baby! Life with two kids is better than I expected so far, mostly because he doesn't cry too much and is easy to soothe. Annalee loves her little brother. She's always giving him kisses and is so concerned when he cries (especially when it's her bed time!). She likes to point out his facial features, though I try to limit it to the ears since she tends to poke his eyes out, honk his nose too hard, and gag him with her finger down his throat! I am constantly telling her to be soft (suave), which means that any time she rubs his head (or ours for that matter) she says, "wawee, wawee." Diaper changing time is fun as she pulls out all the diapers in her effort to help.

Luke was born 8 lbs, 1 oz. According to my scale, he now weighs about 12 lbs! He is growing like....like something that grows fast (sorry. Limited sleep makes for limited vocabulary!). Oh, I know. I believe the saying is that he is growing like a weed. He is sleeping well, though he likes to grunt a lot instead of cry. This means that I wake up to all the grunting during the night, only to get up and find he has fallen back asleep! He is keeping his eyes open longer during the day and is getting some good head control. His favorite time to survey the world used to be between 10pm and midnight, but he's much better now.

Overall we are really enjoying the two kids and we're can't wait for the time when they can interact a little more together!

To Eat or To Sleep?

2008-08-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

That is the question. When two basic life necessities come head to head, what would you choose? There was a time in my life when food would probably win out over anything (especially if there was something quick to grab and swallow on the way to the pillow!). I couldn't sleep as well on an empty stomach and would often find myself waking up and unable to sleep until some piece of food had filled the void. If food did not come first on my priority list, it would often lead to extended drowsiness and/or headaches.

However, in my current situation with a newborn and a young toddler, I'm afraid sleep is the obvious victor. For those of you who are worried I'm becoming malnourished, have no fear. Eating has only slid into second place, not disappeared entirely. The concern these days is sleep deprivation. Believe it or not, it is possible to eat with one or both little ones awake. This is not the case with sleep. A few minutes of shut-eye are so rare to come by that one must seize the opportunity without much delay or that second may be lost forever.

So what is it for you? When you must choose between food or sleep, what'll it be?

Laws in Ancient America

2008-07-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

As an introduction to the story of Korihor in Alma 30, a brief explanation is given of the way their laws worked back in 74 B.C., more specifically about their separation of church and state. They could have no law against a man's belief in order to keep men on equal ground and allow everyone the agency to choose to serve God or not. There were, however, laws against murder, robbery, stealing, and adultery. That was interesting to me. In today's world, adultery is seen as a religious/moral issue, not one punishable by the law. I wonder why back then it was a matter of the state instead of religion? Why is it not punishable by law today?

Time

2008-07-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

In silent contemplation of my doings of the day, I planned my excuse for the things I had not done. The words were simple and over-used, "I didn't have time today." The absurdity of that statement awoke me to a deeper pensiveness as I realized the time I had that day was the same amount of time I had every day. One doesn't simply have no time, for it is always there, steady and continuous. What is it then that I didn't have or rather, what kept me from certain tasks? My own will of course. I was the one who made the choice to not use the time I had for work I needed to do. I had filled my day with plenty of things, and for those I had the time. Every day is given to us the same number of hours. Every moment we must choose what to do with ours. So instead of blaming unfinished work on the absence of time, we must put the blame on the true culprit: ourselves and our decisions. For we truly do have that power to do what we wish with every hour. "I didn't have time for that" should really be "I chose not to use my time doing that."

But one must be aware to not go to the extreme. For too often we think that with the power to choose the way we use our time, we then own it. But, you ask, what is the danger in such a presumption? C.S. Lewis plays the devils advocate in his book "The Screwtape Letters" and shows how believing in the ownership of time can dramatically change a person's attitude. Keep in mind as you read the following excerpt that it is written from the devil's perspective and therefore is the opposite of what God would say.

"You must therefore zealously guard in his mind the curious assumption 'My time is my own'. Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright."

If we start thinking that we own time, we begin to begrudge the time required of us in every day aspects of life. Everything becomes a burden and we expect some kind of reward or payment for our sacrifice. Isn't it much easier to share something that belongs to another than to give up something we deem as our own?

In contrast, I think of King Benjamin's sermon telling his people that they are no better off than the dust of the earth because everything they have, even the very air they breathe, comes from God. Thus, we are unworthy of even the smallest blessing (including time) and yet if we attempt to pay our debt and serve God day and night, yet we would be unprofitable servants for we would be blessed even more.

We must always recognize our unworthiness of all of God's gifts and recognize that time is not our own, but rather a gift. We are simply allowed the opportunity to choose how to use it. If we can think in this frame of mind, it will be a lot easier to use the time we have been given for useful and productive activities and be more willing to give it in the service of God and our fellow men.

Quotes:

"Time is free, but it's priceless. you can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."

Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires. ~Charles Caleb Colton

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis

Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. ~Denis Waitely

Hypothetical Situation

2008-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Summary: A patient was sent by her doctor for two "procedures" (for lack of better word) that turned out to be completely unnecessary. The reason the patient was sent was due to a lack of research or a simple verification of information on the part of the doctor (a.k.a. failing to ask the patient one question or to give the patient a thorough explanation of the procedures). In the end, there was no physical damage because of these two mistakes (as far as modern medical science is able to prove at this point), but financially it cost the patient about $500 from her own pocket. Naturally, the patient is frustrated with the incompetence of the doctor (and for other reasons as well), and wonders if there is any type of compensation available. Is there anything at all that can be done other than give poor recommendations for this doctor and never return?

Specifics:
Procedure 1 was a total of $1,129 with the Insurance Contract Adjustment leaving the charges at $790.30. Insurance paid $715.42 while the patient paid $74.88. One of the charges on this bill was for a consultation that consisted of the doctor asking why the patient was there because it was totally unnecessary. Apparently that's worth $345. Thank goodness the Insurance decided to cover most of that one!

Procedure 2 was a total of $1,161.85 with the Insurance Adjustment leaving the charges at $606.47. Insurance paid $139.84 leaving the patient with $415.54. Why wasn't more covered? The patient intends to look more into the Insurance side of this bill. The patient has called the number on the bill to understand the charges. The associate had no idea why one was listed as a delivery room charge (almost $200) and the other pharmacy ($960), but both charges on the bill were apparently for the shot (which, may the reader be reminded, was completely unnecessary in the first place).

The Doctor has already been confronted, but mostly as a verification that the two procedures were unnecessary (which was confirmed without an apology) and following only the $75 bill (the other had not been received at the time). "We usually don't even ask because most people don't know" was the Doctor's response. In other words, "What do I care if someone actually does know the answer? No skin off my back, I don't lose out on $400."

Other Questions:
Is $1,160 the normal cost of a shot these days?
Is there any way for the patient to find out if those charges are correct (since the associate on the phone only knows what is on the bill, not if the charges are right)?
Is there any way out of the $500?

Plea:
If there is anyone reading this who is or knows someone with knowledge of these matters, please comment with advice for this poor patient. Five hundred dollars is not pocket change.

Small & Simple Things

2008-06-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'd heard that pregnancy can conjure up bizarre dreams, but I never experienced it much with with Annalee. Currently, though, I have had some pretty interesting night-time drama. Mostly it's just incredibly strong, negative emotion. Things will happen in the dream and I lose all control in fits of anger, hatred, and frustration. Yelling and throwing things are not uncommon in my uncharacteristic night-self. Last night was no exception. I was playing soccer for my dad's team, apparently as a guest. He put me in for my sister as the last defender. The other team got a few goals and I was put in a different position, replaced by my sister again. We must have ended up losing and at first everything was fine. I guess my dad or somebody said something and it occurred to me that I was being blamed for the loss since they had scored when I was on defense. My nighttime Incredible Hulk personality exploded and for the rest of the dream I was in a rampage blowing up at people, yelling, arguing, running, throwing things, etc. Can we say ultrasensitive?? Needless to say, such strong emotion often wakes up with me. Sometimes I can carry on with the morning and my inner Hulk goes back into the shadows. Other times it is not so easy.

This morning Lee came to give me a kiss goodbye and told me I could keep sleeping because Annalee was still asleep. Unfortunately, even in my grogginess, my appointment alarm buzzed in my brain reminding me of Annie's early doctor visit. Since I had to get up anyway, I called Lee back in so we could say our morning prayers together. So far so good. My emotions from the night's dream seemed buried with the moon. Too bad it didn't last.

I won't go into detail of the exact situation, but let it suffice to say that I made a stupid mistake that I was consciously trying to avoid (something with the computer) and all the sudden, the Incredible Hulk from my dream burst out into the light. When it happens in real life, it's just the strong emotion of frustration. I don't actually start screaming and yelling and hitting things...for the most part. In tears, I got Annalee out of bed and we got ready for the appointment. Surprisingly, Annie ate all her breakfast and fairly quickly so we were actually almost on time. From then on, things got even better.

As I look back, everything was amazing. The radio played good uplifting songs that lifted a bit of my load. Annalee was the best she's ever been with the doctor, actually letting him do a complete examination. She continued to be fabulous on our little shopping spree, which is unusual since we made lots of quick stops. Even though I was still unsuccessful at finding a swimming suit for my pregnant self, it was actually enjoyable somehow, probably thanks to Annalee being a doll. Then as I was just finishing up, I got a phone call from my wonderful husband to see if I was out and wanted to meet him for lunch. Not only did I get to spend time with him, but I didn't have to go home and try to figure out what to make for lunch.

On my drive home, I almost teared up as I realized the turn of events in my day. It started off with remnants of negative emotion from my dream and turned into a magically good morning. The Lord blessed me in so many small ways and I had to wonder why. That's when it occurred to me that we had said our morning prayers. Funny how doing such a small and simple thing can bring such small and simple blessings that make a big difference.

What Is Our Law Today?

2008-05-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

In preaching to the priests of Noah, Abinadi carefully explains the purpose of the law of Moses emphasizing how useless it is without the Atonement of Jesus Christ our Savior. No matter how faithfully the people followed the law, it would do nothing to save them had Christ not redeemed them (and us). And yet, he continues to point out the value of the law in their daily lives.

29 And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very ^astrict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, ^bquick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;

30 Therefore there was a ^alaw given them, yea, a law of performances and of ^bordinances, a law which they were to ^cobserve strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him. (Mosiah 13:29-30)

Upon reading this, it got me thinking of "performances" and "ordinances" that we are asked "to observe strictly from day to day." Are we not asked to have daily scripture study and prayer? What about weekly Family Home Evening and especially attending our Sunday meetings and keeping the Sabbath day holy? Renewing our baptismal covenants with the sacrament, visiting and home teaching (and receiving them as well), magnifying our callings, helping the poor and the needy, paying tithing and fast offerings...and the list could go on. Are not these duties the "law" we are asked to keep? The purpose, then, is to keep us in remembrance of God and our duty towards him. Our salvation may not rest on whether or not we miss a day of scripture study or we skip out on FHE or church activities, but if we do these things, we will remember God and God will remember us.

I invite everyone to ponder on performances and ordinances required of them and find in what areas improvement could be made. Then, observe them strictly.

Question 103

2008-03-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Does the fact that you have never done something before increase or decrease its appeal to you?

The Power of the Holy Ghost

2008-02-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Read this closely to see the many ways the spirit can bless and change us physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. A few of my favorites are that it makes us smarter, prettier (or more handsome), better socially, kinder, healthier, and happier! Who wouldn't want these??

"The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features, it tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being" (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p.61)

So perhaps our energy would be more efficiently expended if directed towards obtaining and retaining the spirit instead of striving for each of these attributes individually in a different/worldly way. Next time you skip church, a devotional or fireside, scripture reading, or prayers in order to study for school, exercise, or take more time beautifying yourself, remember that, while good activities, it would actually be better* to first do those things that would bring the spirit in your life. It would really be more productive than would be your own weak humanly efforts. It is true that if we seek first after God and godly things, we will be blessed in every other aspect of our life.

*(See talk by Elder Oaks in October '07 conference, Good, Better, Best)

Her First Steps!!

2008-01-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

I was getting her ready for bed last night and she was standing up after I had taken her jumper off over her head. She was playing with the maraca in her hands when all of a sudden she looked at me intently and staggered four-and-a-half steps, falling into my arms! I was so excited I ran and told Lee. He ran upstairs and she did it again for him! Naturally, when we got the camera out, she didn't want to perform, but after a few attempts we finally caught a step or two as proof! So far today she has yet to repeat the feat, but at least we all know she can do it!

Peaceful and Happy Homes

2008-01-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

I was just looking through the Sunday School study guide I received on Sunday and found this great quote from Marion G. Romney:

I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity--the pure love of Christ--will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1980).

Isn't this what we all want in our homes?

Are You Smiling Yet?

2007-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

I'm still reading a book I commented about a while ago (had to turn it back to the library before I was finished) called Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell. Because it is a little complicated to explain, I'll just quote a little bit of the background as well as what the research showed.

"A few years later, a German team of psychologists conducted a simliar study. They had a group of subjects look at cartoons, either while holding a pen between their lips -- an action that made it impossible to contract either of the two major smiling muscles, the risorius and the zygomatic major -- or while holding a pen clenched between their teeth, which had the opposite effect and forced them to smile. The people with the pen between their teeth found the cartoons much funnier. These findings may be hard to believe, because we take it as a given that first we experience an emotion, and then we may -- or may not -- express that emotion on our face. We think of the face as the residue of emotion. What this research showed, though, is that the process works in the opposite direction as well. Emotion can also start on the face. The face is not a secondary billboard for our internal feelings. It is an equal partner in the emotional process."

What can we learn from this? First, if you want people to think your jokes are funny, make them hold a pen in their teeth! Second, if you're feeling down, make yourself smile anyway. A smiling face creates a happy emotion in your brain. Putting yourself into situations where you are forced to smile no matter what will actually help you to really feel happy. Don't mope around and hang out in your room by yourself. Get out there and get smiling!

Please Update Sherrie's Address Book

2007-11-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

Please fill out and submit the form below, unless you already did it on Lee's blog. Thanks!

What's your flavor?

2007-11-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

I was my favorite flavor! This is what it had to say about me:

"Your personality is as friendly and appealing as strawberry ice cream (especially the kind with chunky bits of real fruit). You've got a slightly sarcastic sense of humor, and you rarely stress out or take things too seriously. You are cute and sweet, but with a mischievous side. You are a bit of a troublemaker, but only because you're determined to avoid a plain vanilla life. "

What do you think? Sound like me?

The Dancing Annalee

2007-11-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Mysterious Monitor

2007-10-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

My dad bought a little spy camera for his house, but found it difficult to use for his intended purpose as a security camera. So it was just in the house, not really doing anything. Before we moved we stayed with my parents and we used it as a video monitor to check up on the baby when she was asleep downstairs and we were upstairs. It was super nice to be able to see and hear her without having to go downstairs. My dad was generous enough to let us take it with us and use it in our new house. It has been great to be able to see why she's crying before making the trek all the way upstairs to her room now. But the other day, something odd happened.

When I turned on the monitor one night, I noticed that it had moved. It was no longer directly facing the crib, but was moved slightly to include the rocker that is off to the side of the crib. This has happened before and my theory was that Lee moved it to check up on us. I often do the morning feeding in that chair and sometimes other feedings as well. Lee is pretty groggy in the morning and so in the past we've thought that maybe he moved it to see us, but was too groggy to remember. One time he was sure he hadn't touched it, so I created a new theory that I bumped it somehow while turning it off and it was dismissed again. However, this particular night, it was certain Lee didn't move it because I had checked it later after Lee was up and awake and it was still on the crib. I tried out my second theory by seeing what happens when the auto button is bumped. It immediately began to scan the whole room. It didn't stop. Even when I turned it off, it started scanning again when it was turned back on. That means that I would have had to accidentally bump it twice while in the act of turning it off in order to stop the scanning and not realize it. That was impossible.

Earlier that day I had been with Annalee in her bedroom. I was playing with her and had set her down in the rocker. She loved it! I have a vague memory of thinking that I heard the monitor move while we were there. You can't really hear it move, so the thought never made it completely to my consciousness. But it must of been close because it came back to me when I saw that it was in fact moved to include the rocker. I must have somehow perceived of it moving from the corner of my eye or something. The scary thing is that Lee didn't do it and obviously neither did I. So who moved it??

Since it has a wireless signal, we wonder if the channel is being picked up by someone else who is able to control it somehow. The interesting thing is that a few days previous to the incident, I was talking with my neighbor and she asked about something red I'd had hanging in our bedroom window which is seen only from the backyard. She would have had to really be trying to see them from her yard! She also mentioned that her father was a spy for the US.

Annalee Update

2007-10-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

She's moving! She's been able to roll to get around for a while now and she could push herself backwards or around in circles. But this week she has finally started to go forward. She began to push her whole body off the ground in a push-up position. She also started to get up on her knees. Yesterday, though, the real progress came when she learned to push herself and actually get somewhere going forward! She still tries to do it on her knees, but mostly ends up in a face plant! So for the most part it's just scooting around and not really crawling. She is taking off though and is getting faster by the second!

Annalee just finished trying to put her foot in her mouth, but since she appears to have her mothers flexibility, she was unsuccessful so she gave up! Now she's just rolling around making a constant motor-like noise. She is capable of babbling, but prefers the other noises instead. She is getting really good at "bah, bah, bah" and also at the "P" sound as she blows a little from her mouth. She can also say the sounds for M, D, and probably a few others when she babbles. Often we hear a very distinct "hi" from her, though she probably doesn't really know what she's saying. It's still fun to hear!

Monday she was on her tummy and I was encouraging her to come to me. She became fascinated with my hands as the fingers curled in toward the palm in a beckoning motion. After watching awestruck for some time, she began to copy it herself. When we tried to show Papi later, she refused to show off. Then to our surprise, we were on the web cam with grandparents Anderson and she began to do it to them! I don't know if she was waving, or asking them to come to her, or simply showing off her new trick but it was super cute! I'll catch her doing it every now and again intently watching the movement of her fingers. It's the best when she says "hi" while waving as if she actually knows what it is she's saying!

She has also picked up head banging somewhere! Mostly when on her tummy,
she begins to bob her head up and down and gets a kick out of it when we copy her! Hanging upside down is a fun game for Papi and her. Oh yeah, and she really does not like peas!

To Change or Not to Change

2007-09-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was waiting for my brain to shut down so I could go to sleep, some of my twisting and twirling thoughts snapped into place like pieces of a puzzle, revealing an epiphany hot off the press. The purpose of church just clicked to me. How long have I been going every Sunday and the real objective of it has seemingly passed me by? Yes, I know it's to feel and to share the Spirit, to instruct and to be instructed, to serve and to be served, and most importantly to renew our baptismal covenants as we remember the sacrifice of Christ for us. So what have I missed for all these years? Change.

According to the Bible Dictionary, repentance involves change. "The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world." Taking the sacrament isn't just a time to remember Christ or our covenants, but to repent, or to change. How do we know what to change? Well there are a series of talks and lessons during the three hour meeting that give us plenty of suggestions! When was the last time you heard a talk and then acted on what was taught to you? Too often we go to church just to feel good and be fed, then we go home and life continues without a change. Christ has promised us water that we will never thirst again. But when we are fed at church, how long does it last? How do we drink so that it will "be in us a well of water springing up into everlasting life"? (John 4: 14) I believe that the way to never thirst again is to repent by changing our lives to fit the principles we learn about each week.

So we go to church, listen to talks and lessons (or give them) and we feel good because we have felt the spirit. But have we changed? Here are some examples. I gave a talk on visiting and home teaching a few weeks ago. I discussed the importance and purpose of the callings as well as other specific aspects necessary for us to be effective. Yet, I am seeing no change. My first thought was that I must have done a poor job in my talk as I was obviously unable to convey the specifics that I had learned in my own study. While this may be true, I began to think about the last time I had listened to a talk and changed something I was doing to be in accordance with what was taught. I couldn't think of anything recently. Just last Sunday a talk was given about Zion and how to make wherever we are be Zion. I thought it was a great concept. But did I change anything about how I was living so that I could do what was taught? I'm going to have to go with no on that one. Not too long ago the lesson was on the Sabbath day. How many of us committed to a higher level of Sabbath day keeping and how many of us just kept doing what we've always done?

Church is not just to make us feel good for a few hours, but to teach us how to feel good every other day as well for the rest of our existence. In order to progress in the gospel and truly use Christ's atonement, we must take what we learn and do it. Every single week. One step at a time. Can you imagine how close to perfection and God we could be if we just worked on one attribute each week? That's 52 things in a year alone that we could improve in our lives. In the next 5 years that would be 260 specific and conscious improvements! (Assuming of course that we continue doing all the past ones when a new one is learned). This is progress. This is using the atonement in our lives, not just remembering the sacrifice. This is the purpose of going to church every week: to change.

I Am Brain Damaged!

2007-09-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am sure that some of you may have been aware of this fact for some time now, but I am just now beginning to come to grips with it's reality. What has caused this sudden realization after 25 years? A book called blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. I am only just beginning, but Malcolm Gladwell is explaining how your subconscious mind can figure things out faster and sometimes more accurately than your conscious mind, allowing us to make decisions in the blink of an eye instead of thinking things through in a logical and rational manner. Sometimes something "just feels right." He is careful to explain that there are ways we can blind even our subconsciousness, though, so it's not like our subconscious mind will always "tell the truth."

As many of you know, I have struggled with decision making my whole life. It is quite difficult for me to decide even the simplest thing without first weighing out the pros, cons, and consequences of any given choice. Gladwell talks about the research of a neurologist named Antonio Damasio who studied patients with damage to a part of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which lies behind the nose.

"The ventromedial area plays a critical role in decision making. It works out contingencies and relationships and sorts through the mountain of information we get from the outside world, prioritizing it and putting flags on things that demand our immediate attention. People with damage to their ventromedial area are perfectly rational. They can be highly intelligent and functional, but they lack judgment."

That pretty much sums me up! Highly intelligent (j/k!), mostly functional, rational, etc. So the reason why I have to look at every menu item before making a selection or why it takes me hours (or days) to play a game of chess (think of all the options and consequences associated with each move!) is simply because I am brain damaged!

Becoming Extraordinary

2007-08-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

"..and we hope you'll never change..."
"...Oh, but we simply must change--mustn't we?...If we aren't changing and growing every day--if we aren't always becoming instead of just simply being--well, wouldn't that be a terrible thing?"

"But let me tell you a little secret...Even the ordinary people are extraordinary. They just don't know it."

--Enchantress of Crumbledown by Donald R. Marshall

The Morning Inside of Us

2007-08-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

"...what dear Henry David once said is so true: morning is the most memorable season of the day, the awakening hour. That's the time when we're most alert to sounds, to smells, to tastes--to the world around us. There is something awake in us then that sleeps all the rest of the day--and when we're most awake, then, of course, that's when we're most alive. We must always remember to listen to the morning inside of us."

"No more words tonight, please. There are little night demons who can appear from nowhere after midnight to twist our words and warp our thoughts. Wait, please--wait until morning and see how different everything will seem. Bombs bursting all around us at midnight can be transformed, in the clear light of day, into nothing more than delicate little bubbles vanishing into the air...Please, little dove. Please...Trust the morning."

"Always, dear children, always remember to keep the morning and the springtime in you."

--Enchantress of Crumbledown, by Donald R. Marshall

Question 41

2007-08-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire; after saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be?

Unity in Marriage

2007-08-13T10:28:00.001-07:00

For background and context, read Lee's Blog first.

The most important thing to remember whenever this situation arises is that righteous unity in a marriage or companionship involves three parties, not two. I recognize three possible scenarios concerning the unity of the three involved parties and unity with the spirit is directly related to unity between spouses.

1: Spouses not united. Result: no unity with the spirit

2: Spouses united in an unrighteous cause. Result: no unity with the spirit

3: Spouses united in a righteous cause. Result: unity with the spirit

Of the three scenarios, only one will allow the spirit into a marriage. The odds are against us. From my experience in the mission, there were two contributing factors to the threat of unity.

1) Culture/background: affecting our individual perspective on ideals such as work, obedience, study, etc.

2) Language: affecting our ability to have clear communication

In a marriage, these two components apply. We have all been brought up in a unique family culture and may differ from that of our spouse. Anything from how to load the dishwasher to Sabbath activities has potential to cause discordance in a relationship. The only way to overcome these differences is through communication. This, however, can also be a barrier. I have found that even though we both speak English, misunderstandings still exist. We must patiently, prayerfully, and with the spirit strive to overcome these road blocks. We must take their hand and follow them to their viewing point.

On my mission there were times when I just could not see what my companions saw. I had little to no knowledge of their background and culture and I just couldn’t make the leap to their side of the mountain to see what they saw. Through various experiences, I learned that I needed to love them and trust them, knowing that they had the same righteous goals that I did and if their actions were best for them to accomplish our righteous goals, I needed to be willing to accept that and support them. When they felt that trust, they were much more careful about the decisions they made, sorting between what was necessary and what wasn’t. I too did the same. When I felt strongly about something, influenced by the power of the spirit, I was able to effectively explain my feelings with the help of the spirit and prayer. Because it was done with the spirit, it touched my companion and testified to her what was right. Because they had the same righteous goals, the righteous path was always accepted and unity resulted.

Lee mentioned something about assuming the best in your spouse. To me this means assume that they are also looking toward a righteous end. For whatever reason, what they are doing is their way to meet that goal. We need to trust them and support them. If we truly feel that what they are doing is not taking them to the righteous end, it is important to communicate. We cannot support them in an unrighteous cause or else the spirit will not be with us. But first, we must assume that it is a righteous cause and try to understand how their actions are leading to the righteous end. If it isn’t, the spirit will testify of the right path and since both are seeking righteousness, both will feel and accept the teachings of the spirit. We will know we are doing right because the three-fold unity will result.

As President Hinckley has counseled: Be grateful. Be smart. Be involved. Be clean. Be true. Be positive. Be humble. Be still. Be prayerful. I add: Be united in righteous causes.

Teaching Reverence

2007-08-12T14:23:00.001-07:00

Today in church the lesson was on Reverence. The sisters shared some ideas of how they have taught or helped their children learn reverence, particularly at church. I thought I'd share them here and ask for any other tricks and ideas that others have tried or heard of.

One mother kept Tabasco sauce in her purse at church. The misbehaving child would promptly receive some on their tongue! She said that she rarely had to use it; it was more of a threat.
If reverence was not practiced at church, then it was practiced at home. The children sat on fold-up chairs with arms folded listening to church music until the parent felt the kids had enough practice to remember how to do it the next week!
Avoid sitting by children's friends! Having a friend near encourages talk and play.
Holding the kids on you lap helps soothe them and feel loved.
Sitting on the aisle keeps them more easily contained!
Too much stuff makes for more noise. One mother allowed only one Friend magazine for each child. No pencils, toys, etc. They could only sit quietly and look at their magazine, beginning after the sacrament.
Lee's family would have three scoops of ice cream Sunday evenings. If a child decided to misbehave at church, mother would simply tell them they were down to two scoops! (Apparently it rarely went much further than that).
My dad would rack us! He would take us in the hall and sit us on top of the coat rack so we couldn't run around and enjoy being free of the service. He made our experience inside more enjoyable than the one outside so we weren't rewarded for poor behavior.

That's all I can remember right now. There are some pretty good ideas. I know that there is not one sure trick to this since every child is different and responds to individual consequences. The real trick is continual guidance and practice, the parents being the example.

Help us decide please!

2007-08-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Go to Lee's blog; he has a new poll. We want a little help in deciding which comforter to keep. It will determine the colors we use in our bedroom (specifically the curtains we get). Your vote is anonymous, but don't feel bad if we don't choose the one you vote for! (And we won't get our feelings hurt if you don't like either of them or think there are better colors for the room). We probably won't make our decision based on the outcome of the poll, but it will be fun to get some input. Thanks for your help!

Happy Quote

2007-08-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

"Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you, but on what happens inside of you. It is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life."

--President Harold B. Lee

The Book of Questions

2007-07-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine gave me a book called " The book of Questions" for my birthday. He really is a genius of questions and getting to know people on a deeper level. (For all I know he had this book the whole time!) That's exactly what this book does. It has 200 questions and follow-up questions that make people evaluate their opinions and values and gets beyond the "what's your favorite color?" questions. There is no right or wrong answer (with the exception of some that can be backed up with scriptures of course!) Some are just fun and others are serious. They are quite useful whenever there's down time at a social gathering, on a date with someone you don't know too well, or to better understand people you already know. It kept us busy and inspired great conversations on our long drive between Mexico and Salt Lake! So I thought it might be fun to put one on my blog every now-and-again and see what everyone's responses are. Sometimes the answers are not ones you want everyone to know, but otherwise, feel free to comment with your thoughts!

Question 123:
When you do something ridiculous, how much does it bother you to have other people notice it and laugh at you?

Do You Want to be Happy?

2007-07-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

"Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend our efforts to helping people. Cultivate a spirit of forgiveness in your heart against any who might have offended you. Look to the Lord and live and work to lift and serve His sons and daughters. You will come to know a happiness that you have never known before if you will do that. I do not care how old you are, how young you are, whatever. You can lift people and help them. Heaven knows there are so very, very, very many people in this world who need help. Oh, so very very many. Let's get the cankering, selfish attitude out of our lives, my brothers and sisters, and stand a little taller and reach a little higher in the service of others. As Browning said, 'A man's reach should exceed his grasp.' Stand taller, stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down."

--President Gordon B. Hinckley

Amen.

Annalee's Update

2007-07-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

July 12, 2007
4 Month Appointment in Houston

Height: 24" 5o%
Weight: 14 lb 7.4 oz 75-90%
Head: 41 50%

We have been so blessed. Annalee is just as healthy as always and so far I really like the doctor we randomly chose. Although phone conversations with people have not gone well for me, actual interaction with people has been great here in Texas. I was a little nervous, but everyone was really nice. The doctor is from Colorado but did his Residence...or whatever it is...here in Houston and met a nurse that wouldn't leave here! So here he is. He was really impressed with her head control (Annalee's, not the nurse!) and said she should be rolling over any day now (the one milestone she hasn't reached yet for her age). She got lots of shots so she might be a little fussy, but she handled them like a trooper! It was a little pricey because we don't have insurance yet, but we were told we just have to make a claim as soon as we have the information and it will all be covered. I sure hope so because it may have been less expensive to fly out to Utah and be covered under mine!

Snapshot Memories

2007-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Memory can be a very unreliable resource. It can, however, make for some interesting stories. I thought that it would be fun to record some snapshot memories of mine. They may or may not be exact history, but this is how they exist in my brain as of the time written.

The Meeting: Part 1

We had but one chance. Luckily, we both rose to the occasion. I had only been home from my mission 2 1/2 weeks. The Young Women leaders asked me to teach the lesson that Sunday for them since the topic was missionary work. I decided to give a basic Visitor's Center presentation complete with referral cards and an invitation to refer somebody to the missionaries. I spent some time explaining to the young women the importance of getting out of their comfort zone in order to make missionary work simple. Things we say and do on a regular basis can spark questions and inspire conversations that lead to opportunities to share basic gospel principles. It can be as easy as sitting next to someone we don't know. Sometimes they start the conversation and it's a piece of cake from there.

The presentation went very well and I even received one referral! It felt good to be teaching the gospel again with confidence. My boldness was short lived, however, as I entered my Sunday School class. It was for young single adults in our ward and was taught from the "Preach My Gospel" manual, which I had grown to love on my mission. That was basically my only reason for attending the class. Everyone in there was much younger than I was. They had all just graduated from high school, the boys preparing for missions. I had already graduated from college and just completed my mission. We were totally opposite, including that there were several of them and only one of me.

Since it had taken some time to gather my materials from the previous class, I wasn't the first one in the room and was now faced with choosing a seat among the few youngens already there or entering with me. In a split-second decision I jumped back to the old me and sat off to the side by myself. I was content being separate and different from all of them. As I began to pull my manual out, a twinge of guilt knocked me on the side of my head as my own words penetrated my ears. Hadn't I just exhorted the young women to leave their comfort zone? Hadn't I specifically mentioned sitting by people you don't know instead of alone? My eyes darted nervously around the room, landing on three girls who had just been in my class. What a hypocrite I was! Could I not practice what I preach? Desperately I searched for someone who was not involved in their group conversation with whom I could talk. Hopelessness began rising in me as I realized they were all in the same discussion. There was no way for an outsider like me from a different world to jump in late.

Suddenly, my eyes depicted a form. A boy who I had never seen before. He had snuck in somehow, unnoticed by me in my distress, and had sat down behind me. My mind raced as I tried to identify him. Was he someone I knew from the ward before but had changed so much in my time away at school and the mission that now I did not recognize him? Had his family moved in and I had never seen him before at all? Could he be like one of the other kids in the class so young and so different from me? My eyes darted back to the chattering girls from the young women's class and I decided that I needed to teach by example, whether they noticed or not. Without a second thought I flipped my head around and introduced myself.

FYI

2007-06-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, you can comment on the blogs by clicking the comment link at the end of the post. Feel free to do so. It will encourage me to post more often. Thanks!

Question of the Day

2007-05-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

It's about time I put something on this blog! I'm not really sure what I'll write on this day by day, but for now, I have a question. I was thinking one day about our new baby Annalee. Everybody's favorite game to play when they see a new baby is, "Who does she look like most, mom or dad?" I never know. I mean, she looks like a baby and her features change so much how can you tell?? But one day I was trying to figure it out anyway and I suddenly thought about the pre-existence. I know, it's kind of random, but welcome to my brain. So as far as I understand it, we were created spiritually before physically...meaning that our spirits existed and then we came to earth to get a physical body. Supposedly our spiritual beings look the same as our physical bodies, right? So here's the question: How did God know what we would look like physically? Yes, yes, I know that God is Omniscient. But take a minute to think about the implications.

When a baby is born, they take on physical traits of the parents due to genes. The baby is bound to inherit genes from both parents, hence the game I spoke of previously that people like to play. Children often look like their parents. That makes sense physically. But what about spiritually? Hasn't it been said that there is not a "one" person you could marry? But if there isn't, how did God know how to create your children spiritually, keeping with the assumption that your spirit looks the same as you do physically. Ok, ok, once again the answer is that God knew who we would choose so He was able to do that. Wouldn't that mean then, that since our children have already been created spiritually to look a certain way, that there really is only one person we could marry? I wonder then if the people who have kids that look nothing like the parents, married the wrong person! Or is it simply that the people we are attracted to all have similar traits and genes that will produce the correct child no matter which person we choose? Hmmm...interesting.

I do know that I'm so glad I married Lee and he is the perfect husband for me. Annalee is our beautiful daughter, even if we can never figure out who she looks like! Besides, it's not really that important to our eternal salvation...right?

Random Realization

2007-05-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

How startling the realization that the person you've been striving all your life to become is the very person you swore you'd never be like.