Finding Joy in the Journey

Pancakes Saturday Night

2012-01-31T00:56:00.000-08:00

Pancakes Saturday Night from Kim Lowry on Vimeo.

Who knew pancake batter tasted so good!

Another Teenager in the House

2012-01-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Homemade Pizza

Favorite Primary Song or Hymn: Called to Serve

What do you want to do when you grow up:

Go on a mission and then become a doctor

Favorite Game: Settlers

Best Friends: Shane and Tate

Favorite Book: Harry Potter Series

Favorite Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean

Favorite Scripture Story: 2000 Stripling Warriors

Favorite Soda: Root Beer

Favorite Candy Bar: Snickers

Favorite Family Activity: Snow Machining

Favorite Animal: Turtles

What Makes You Happy?

Getting along with my family and friends

What Makes You Sad? Arguing

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Greece

Other facts about Jarom:

Jarom is very gifted musically.

He is a hard worker and great big brother.

Untitled from Kim Lowry on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Jarom!

We love you!

Christmas, Moments 151-161

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

151. Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. As you can see from the picture Santa did come, and he brought me a new camera! Hurrah! The one I had been wanting, but didn't even dare hope for. In all of my excitement Christmas morning over my new camera I didn't take many pictures. I know that sounds very weird. You would think I would have more pictures than ever, but I was so enthralled with trying to figure out how it worked that I didn't work it much. Haha!

Some of my favorite things about Christmas this year were:
153. Caroling with our friends.
154. Making goodies and delivering them with friends.
155. Listening to Christmas music with the kids. They love it as much as I do.
156. Taking the kids shopping for each other. It is so fun to see how excited they get picking out things they just know their brother or sister will like.
157. Acting out the Christmas Story from the Bible on Christmas Eve while Shawn read it aloud.
158. Focusing on my Savior more.
159. Helping Santa Christmas Eve.
160. Going to Church Christmas morning.
161. Having Christmas dinner with Shawn's family Christmas night.

Family New Year Predictions

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

With all of the predictions that people are making about the upcoming year we thought it would be fun to make some predictions of our own.

Jarom: "Someone in our family will break a bone."

Logan: "Dad will go bald and mom will go gray."

Katie: "We'll get a million dollars."

Hannah: "We'll get a horse."

Mya: "Katie will get in trouble."

Tabetha: "We'll get to have chocolate chip cookies for breakfast."

Dad: "Daddy will get a new truck."

Mom: "Daddy will not get a new truck!

New Year's Eve at Our House

2012-01-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

This year, I kicked New Year's Eve off right by sleeping in, and was it ever nice.

While I was sleeping Shawn got up and took Jarom to the church at 9 a.m. so he clean the building with the other young men in the ward. Isn't Shawn the sweetest for letting me sleep in. He is always doing wonderful things like that for me.

For breakfast, I made the most wonderful egg sandwiches on whole grain english muffins with homemade guacamole. MMMMMmmmm! If I do say so myself.

At 5:30 we went to our friends house to celebrate the New Year with fireworks and hot chocolate.

We now interrupt this blog post for an Alaska Living Lesson

Alaska Living Lesson: In Alaska we don't really do fireworks on the 4th of July because it is broad daylight all night, and so... it really isn't that much fun. Because of that, New Year's Eve is the big night for fireworks around here. Well, the good thing about doing fireworks in the winter is that by 3:30 in the afternoon it's dark so you don't have to wait until 10 p.m. to light them off. The bad thing however, that it is cold on New Year's Eve, really cold. And when I say really cold I mean like -32 degrees cold., because that's how cold it really was last night. We were dressed head to toe in our winter gear with only our eyes poking out, and even then we were shivering after 5 minutes. So, while the children did enjoy lighting sparklers, most of them didn't last very long outside and opted to enjoy the majority of the fireworks from inside.

After the fireworks, we said good-bye to our wonderful friends and headed home. Shawn took Tabetha into town to the youth church dance and then stopped off at the store for chips and dip, because, as Logan informed me, chips and dip is now a New Year's Eve tradition at our house because that's what we ate last New Year's Eve. Our favorite dip is a block of cream cheese with salsa poured over it. Really healthy... NOT, but it tastes really good.
We spent the rest of the evening playing games. Apples to Apples, and Pitt were the starting attractions, because they can be enjoyed by all. At 11:30 we sent the little girls off to bed and then the big kids (Shawn and I included) played cards. Our card game of choice, back alley. Shawn and Jarom won, but Logan and I put up a good fight, especially since it was Logan's first time playing.
After our card game was over things got really silly. We started making jokes and saying things like, "I'm going to bed, I haven't slept a wink since last year," and, "are you going to eat that. It's so old it's from last year," or, "the little girls have been asleep since last year." The one that really got me laughing was, "Wow, we started this card game last year, and we just finished."

Fact: There is a genetic defect in the female line of my family that makes everything said seem 10 times funnier if it is said after 12:00 at night. This defect partially explains the extreme amount of laughing that was done by me on New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year everyone!

P.S. This year I'm not making New Year's resolutions I'm doing this instead.

The True Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

This gets me every time!

Happy Birthday Tab-a-lou

2011-12-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Mom's Potato Soup

Favorite Primary Song or Hymn: If You Could Hie to Kolob

What do you want to do when you grow up:

Study hurricanes as a meterologist

Favorite Game: Settlers

Best Friend: Katelynd

Favorite Book:

Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Favorite Movie:

Pride and Prejudice (The A&E Version)

Favorite Scripture Story: The Story of Esther

Favorite Soda: Sprite

Favorite Candy Bar: Twix

Favorite Family Activity: Going Swimming

Favorite Animal: Horses and Dogs

What Makes You Happy?

Reading a good book while drinking hot chocolate

What Makes You Sad? Doing the Dishes

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Egypt or France

What do you want for your birthday? I don't know

Other facts about Tabetha:

She is learning to play the violin this year.

She is becoming quite the piano player and plays each Sunday for Young Women's.

She just completed her first semester at Williamsburg Academy and did very well.

She loves doing any and all things crafty.

She is a wonderful young lady and it is fun to see her talents and passions come alive.

Happy Birthday Tabetha. We love you!

He Said / She Said First Date Memories

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the 8th year anniversary of our first date! Wow, how my life has changed since that day!

And, it's all been wonderful.

Here are a few things we each remember about that day:

The Basic Details

She said: For our date I picked Shawn up from his friends' house. We went to dinner, to temple square to see the lights, then we went and got hot chocolate across the street at the mall. When I went to drop him off he was locked out of his friends' apartment. They had all gone to a movie and forgotten about him. I couldn't let him freeze to death so we sat and talked in the car until it was time for me to go pick up my kids. He went with me to get the kids and met my ex. (that was a bit nerve racking) Then we picked up some fast food for the kids. Meanwhile his friends had come home, and then I dropped him back off at his friends' house.

He said: This hottie picked me up, and drove us to dinner, at Rodizio's Brizillian Restaurant where they serve lots of meat, and I remember thinking, "I hope she's not a vegetarian." After that she said, "Have you ever seen the lights at Temple Square?" I had not so she said, "Let's go," and so we did. It was pretty cool. Then we went and had hot chocolate. When she went to drop me off at my friends', they had locked me out of their apartment. We tried to call them several times, but they would not answer because they were at the movies. Then she said she needed to pick up her kids. She asked me if I wanted to come along, because she didn't want to leave me on the street. How thoughtful. Logan was asleep, and the other 2 were watching cartoons. We rounded up the kids, and kids being kids with bottomless stomachs, they were hungry so we went and got them something to eat. This gave us more time to talk before my friends finally called, and said that I could come home now.

What were your thoughts before our date?

She said: I was nervous but excited. He seemed really nice on the phone and in our emails so, even though we were meeting for the first time I wasn't too nervous.
He said: I was looking forward to it, because she was the most normal, down-to-earth person that I had talked to in a long time.

Your first impressions?
She said: I was relieved that he didn't have any crazy tattoos or piercings. I thought he was really nice looking and looked even better than his picture.
He said: I remember thinking that she's a lot prettier in person.

What did we talk about that night?
She said: At dinner,I remember talking about school, and I remember Shawn talking about work. I remember thinking that he sounded like he really enjoyed being a heavy equipment operator and he sounded like a hard worker. Later I remember talking about old relationships, dating, family, and dreams for the future.
He said: We talked about everything! We talked about everything from church, to missions, to kids, motorcycle wrecks, ex relationships, LDS Singles, dating, school, the future. We covered it!

What do you remember most about that night?
She said: I remember that when we were at Temple Square, we were waiting in line to go into a movie and their was a cute little girl in line with her family behind us. She was Latino and speaking Spanish to her parents, I remember Shawn kneeling down and talking to her in spanish. From the way he talked to her I could tell that he liked kids. That made a big impression on me.
The other thing that I really remember about that night is that when we went to pick up the kids Logan was asleep on the couch. Shawn just picked him up and carried him to the car for me. I didn't ask him too, but I remember how touched I was by that.
He said: How beautiful she was, and thinking, "What's a girl like this doing being single." And if they hadn't of locked me out who knows what would have happened. That extra time to talk gave me more of a chance to see that down-to-earth reality of who Kim was at that time in her life. It is easy for a person to put on a show and be someone they are not when you don't have any one else around but when we went to get the kids I got to see that she really was genuine in both situations, there was no mask to put on or take off . I admired that.

Favorite part?
She said: The whole thing. I enjoyed our whole date. There wasn't any awkward times or any uncomfortableness. He was easy to talk to and I enjoyed being with him.
He said: Getting locked out. It gave me more time to get to know her , and dinner, because I like meat. Ha, Ha Ha. Temple square was pretty cool, too.

Feelings and/or thoughts after
She said: He was very nice and genuine. He didn't play games. I could tell that he was comfortabel with himself, and he knew what he wanted out of life. I thought he was a true gentleman and it was easy to see that he was someone that lived his religion. I was glad when he called me the next day.
He said: Sure would be nice to see her again.

What else do you remember about that night?
She said: I was glad that he got locked out and we had that extra time to spend together. I think it was part of God's plan. Because he was locked out we got to spend more time talking and really getting to know each other. I think he also needed to go to my ex's so he could see my complete life, and I needed to see how he could/would handle that part of my life.
Obviously he did very well.
He said: I already covered everything. Oh, I remember, Travis laughing that they locked me out.

Would you have said or done anything differently that night?
She said: No, I snagged him didn't I.
He said: Obviously not, it worked. I married up!

She said:

Thanks, for the good memories sweetie.

That was the beginning of a wonderful life together.

I love you!

Paper Garland Tutorial

2011-12-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today, is my first time linking up at Life Made Lovely.

Stop by and visit her lovely blog.

I adore all of the cute garland and party banners that are all over the place right now. They're just so whimsical and fun. I really wanted to make one as a little decoration for Katie's birthday party, and I ended up liking it so much I included it in her birthday pictures as well. It was so easy to make and I just love, love, LOVE how it turned out. My original idea came from a paint chip garland I saw on pintrest. I didn't have enough paint chips to make it, but I did/do have tons, and TONS of scrapbook paper so I used that instead.

First, I chose the paper and colors I wanted. I used 6 different colors of card stock and 3 different, coordinating lighter weight, patterned papers.

Next, I just punched out a TON of circles with a large whole punch I purchased from Michael's.

Using glue sticks Hannah and I glued a patterned circle onto the backside of a card stock circle. You could make this with card stock alone, but I wouldn't recommend making it with just the light weight patterned paper. I think it could easily get jammed in the sewing machine.

Finally, I just sewed them together in a long line using my sewing machine. I found it helped to kind of push one through the machine with the next one. Even though you can't tell from the pictures, I sewed them together in a rainbow pattern.

And that's it. Now, hang and enjoy!

I told you it was easy.

I love easy!

Isn't it fantastic?

I even had enough circles left over to make a small garland to hang on my living room mirror.

Wouldn't this be cute on a Christmas tree in your Christmas colors, or for Valentine's Day in pinks, reds and whites. The possibilities are endless. I can't wait to make more!

Oh, it's the little things that make life lovely.

Happy Birthday Silly Girl

2011-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

5 years old!

Favorite Color: Black

Favorite Food: Cherries

Favorite Primary Song: I Love to See the Temple

What do you want to be when you grow up? A cello player and a mom

Favorite Game: Duck, Duck Goose

Best Friend: Hyrum and the kids in my class

Favorite Book: Puff the Magic Dragon

Favorite Movie: Yoggie Bear

Favorite Scripture Story: Nephi Builds the Boat

Favorite Song Daddy Sings at Bedtime: I Love to See the Temple

Favorite Kind of Soda: Root Beer

Favorite Candy Bar: Chocolate

Favorite Game to Play with Sisters: Horsies

Favorite Animal: Giraffes and Owls

Favorite Person: Mommy and Daddy

What makes you happy? Eating in bed

What makes you sad? Crying

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? To visit Grandma

What do you want for your birthday? A giraffe

Happy Birthday KateLynn!

We love you!

Family Roles

2011-12-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

A friend shared this article with me and it was so good that I thought I would share it here in it's entirety.

Family Roles

by: Oliver DeMille Monday, December 12th, 2011

By Oliver DeMille

Nothing will have more impact on the future of the world than the future of families.

This truism is sobering as we watch the decline of the family.

As we consider the industrialized world, it is disturbing to note that even amongst those who espouse, promote and live a strong family lifestyle, some of the most basic roles have been lost.

For example, consider the following from an editorial by John Rosemond:

“A journalist recently asked me to name the number one problem facing today’s family. I think she expected me to address education, the economy, or some other “hot” topic. To her surprise, I said, ‘A confusion of roles.’
“In today’s parenting universe, married women with children think of themselves first and foremost as mothers. This is confusion. If you are married with children, you are first and foremost a wife or a husband. In your wedding vows, you did not say, “I take you to be my (husband, wife) until children do us part.” Those vows, many generations old, read the way they do for a reason.
“I’ve been telling recent audiences that parenting has become bad for the mental health of women. Today’s all-too typical mother believes that whether her child experiences success or failure in whatever realm is completely up to her. If she is sufficiently attentive to her child’s needs and sufficiently proactive in his life, he will succeed. If not, he will have problems. The natural consequence of this state of over-focus is anxiety, self-doubt, and guilt.”

Marriage is the central relationship of society, and in society, no roles are more important than husband and wife.

As I talk to young people about their plans for life, career is usually the first thing they mention.

Once in a while, a young man will mention that his main goal is to be a good father, and a little more frequently a young woman will say that she really wants to be a great mother.

But I’ve never heard the following: “I want to be a great wife,” or “my most important goal is to be a great husband.”

This is a concern. In a way, feminism has had moved society by persuading our generation to focus on parenthood even more than marriage.

I’m convinced that most people who say they want to be great parents just assume marriage as part of it. But that’s the problem. Just assuming marriage isn’t enough. It reflects a lack of emphasis on our primary roles.

The future of the world certainly depends on the quality of fathering and mothering in the twenty-first century.

The quality of marriages is even more important. The state of the world ten, twenty, even seventy years from now will be determined by the depth and quality of our marriage relationships. Parenting will largely be determined by the level of success our marriages attain.

The recent politicization of the institution of marriage raises concerns in the minds of virtually everyone, no matter where they stand on the issue.

Of most concern to me is that 64% of married women and 82% of married men responded to a survey in the early 2000′s that they had been unfaithful to their marriage vows.

I see no greater threat to the institution of marriage than the tepid level of commitment of the spouses, and the way they characterize and fulfill their roles.

Marriage is hard work, worthy work–the work of a lifetime. If there is one thing we should teach our youth, it is the value of building a great marriage.

More precisely, we need to teach—by precept and example whenever possible—that “wife” and “husband” are vital roles to society, requiring preparation, consideration, emphasis and great effort.

Once married, these must always be the primary roles of each individual—not secondary to career, social endeavors, or even parenthood.

***********************************

Oliver DeMille is the founder and former president of George Wythe University, a co-founder of the Center for Social Leadership, and a co-creator of TJEd Online.

He is the author of A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the 21st Century, and The Coming Aristocracy: Education & the Future of Freedom.

Oliver is dedicated to promoting freedom through leadership education. He and his wife Rachel are raising their eight children in Cedar City, Utah.

The Ice Park, Moments 144-150

2011-12-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time at the ice park on Saturday, thanks to some great friends of ours who invited us to meet them there for the free admission day. The weather was cold, but not too cold. We were able to enjoy ourselves and not turn into popsicles.
The days are short here now and getting shorter. When we got to the ice park about 2 it was fairly bright, but by the time we left around 3:30 it was already pretty dark. Crazy!

144.

145. Riding in Santa's ice sleigh

146. Logan and Hannah sledding on the ice slides

147. Mya got to spin in an ice bowl

148. Ice sculptures

149. Getting a ride in Santa's train

150. After our ride we were treated to free hot dogs and
hot chocolate.

Would you like to join me by recording your own moments of joy?
Share your own moments of joy by posting your moments on your blog each Tuesday and then linking below.
To link up, click on title of your blog post, and then copy and paste that link below. Please include a link to this blog in your post. Thanks, I can't wait to see your moments joy!

Tree Trimming & A Link-up

2011-12-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

Moments 133-143

133.

134-139

140.

141. I love this picture. Did you ever do this when you
were a kid? I did.

142.

143.

Thread by Daily Thread

2011-12-05T00:49:00.001-08:00

Today:
*I wore my new royal blue shirt for the first time, and I love it.

*God answered my prayers about finding KateLynn's Sunday shoes. Am I the only one that prays we can find Sunday shoes, because I do it a lot? After a fiasco with KateLynn not being dressed on time, she was sitting on the couch when she was supposed to be getting dressed and I didn't know until it was time to leave, she couldn't find her shoes. I looked in the two places we keep her shoes, her closet, and the shoe box by the front door. They weren't in either place. I ran back to her room to search there again, but to no avail. I whispered a quick prayer in my mind as I was searching, but I still couldn't find them. I decided to kneel and pray. No sooner had I stood up when Tabetha hollered that she had found the shoes. Yes, prayer answered!

*I was shocked when I went out to the car to go to church, and it was warm outside, like 40 degrees warm. That's an 80 degree difference from what it was a week ago. It felt wonderful.

*I had two heads fighting over my lap all through sacrament meeting. (Hannah's, and KateLynn's) It's nice to know that you are loved sooooo much that 2 people will fight over who get's to put their head on your lap.

*I bore my testimony about prayer, partly because of said earlier experience.

*I visited Hannah's class for a while, because she was a bit of a hard time letting me go. Then she later visited me in Relief Society.

*I thoroughly enjoyed Relief Society. 1st, because I wasn't teaching, and 2nd because the lesson was on President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "Forget Me Not". You can read it here. It's wonderful. There are so many good things in that talk that I need to remember and to work on.

*I gave Shawn a neck rub when I got home from church, hoping it would make his headache better.

*We had the privilege of feeding the missionaries, and then hearing a message from them.

*We watched the church's Christmas devotional online. All the way through, I kept thinking, "I have heard this all before," and sure enough, I had heard it before. We clicked on the wrong link and watched last years devotional again. Oh well. We can watch the new one for FHE soon.

*I read scriptures and had family prayer with my family. Sunday is Shawn's day to pray, and I always enjoy hearing him pray.

*when I tucked KateLynn in bed she asked me to tell her stories about when I was little. I did, and then I told her the story from the Bible of Jesus and the little children.

*I took pictures of myself for this post. I took some pretty funny ones that made me laugh, but this is the only one you get to see.

*I listened to the wind hooowwwwllll outside the window, and I worried about what we had outside that could blow away. Boy, am I glad I have a nice warm house.

*I got Mya some M&Ms, because she ~~caught~~ saw me eating some. When I handed them to her she said, "Thanks mom, you best hero in world." Oh, It's easy to be a hero when you're a mom.

*I'm typing from Mya's bed, and hoping she'll go to sleep soon so I can get to bed. I am however, really enjoying having her cuddled up next to me, and listening to her chatter on and on about different things.

*I'm still thinking about my favorite quote from today's Relief Society lesson:

" The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy." --Pres. Uchtdorf, Forget Me Not, Ensign, November 2011.

Don't forget to post your own moments of joy on your blog tomorrow,

and then link them up here to share them with others.

To read more about what my 1000 moments of joy is click here.

I can't wait to see your moments!

Women of Virtue -- Lori

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! Time for another Women of Virtue interview! I cannot tell you how fun it is for me to think up questions to ask these wonderful women and then to read their incredible responses. These women are amazing and I am so thankful that they take time to answer my questions and to share their incredible insights with me.
This week I am really excited to introduce Lori. I met Lori around 4 years ago at our Thomas Jefferson Education book club. Since that time I have gotten to know not only Lori, but many members of her wonderful family as well. It is easy to see that Lori loves being a mother, and she loves spending time with her family. Lori is kind and generous, and ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She is a wonderful mother and grandmother and I hope my children love me as much as Lori's love her, when they are grown. Lori is a great example to me of a dignified woman of God. I know you are going to enjoy learning from her as much as I did, so here we go.

Lori--

I was born in Arizona, but raised throughoutthe USA. I moved to Alaska in 1986 and it has been home ever since. I love thebeauties it has to offer and the ever changing seasons. It has been a greatplace to raise my children. I am the mother of 11 (two adopted and ninebirthed) and the grandmother of 30, soon to be a great-grandmother of 1 and grandmotherof 31. (Wow, it compounds so quickly!) I grew up in a family of 9 children, Iwas the second oldest, but the oldest daughter. My oldest is a few months olderthan my youngest sister. It was fun being pregnant at the same time as my mom.I also have several grandchildren older than my youngest girls. My family is mylife. I love being with them.

Okay, here are the questions:

What do enjoy most about being awife? Having a best friend around all the time.

A mother? Being pregnant, laboring,finally getting them here, holding my children for the first time and manytimes thereafter, watching my children grow, but mostly, remembering it all…itwarms my heart.

A grandmother? Watching my childrenbe mothers and fathers. It makes me smile.

In what ways do you show yourhusband that you love him and that he matters to you?

Istill need a lot of work on this. I have always tried to accomplish the errandshe has asked me to do, even when it is inconvenient. He likes me to spend timewith him, even if it is just sitting and watching him work. He absolutely lovesit when I join him in working out in the yard, he prizes yard work, I do not,so he knows I am doing it for him. He loves it when I make his favorites fordinner or dessert. I usually cater my cooking to his likes and dislikes. Ienjoy praising him. I like to make him smile, so I will text him a message, orcall, or say something just to get a smile from him. (I think Heavenly Fatherhelps with the still small voice whispering these things to me, I just need toact on them) I don’t really care for intimacy, but I sometimes allow myself tobe the instigator, he loves this. I marvel at his talents and accomplishments.And, most of all, I tell him, sometimes simply, sometimes very creatively.

How do you show your children thatare at home that they are special and matter to you?

Ilove them. I enjoy being with them, we laugh together, and we have meaningfuldiscussions. I try to do special things with just the ‘one’ in mind. Like ‘Imade this just for Gabrielle’ or ‘While making dinner, I cut everything upsmall so Naomi won’t have to pick the green and red things out’ or ‘We aredoing it this way because that’s the way Hannah likes to do it’. I buy treatswith the ‘one’ in mind. I try to notice the good things about each. I try tohelp them see their good decisions and I try to trust them. I will stay up latewith them sometimes. I am still pretty bad at saying ‘I’m sorry’ but I amgetting better at it. I think they need to know I am not perfect and that I amstill learning how to be the best I can be, and that it will take them a lifetime too. I hope they realize they don’t need to be perfect right now, but thatit will help, if they work on it every day. I like to dream with them, tryingto allow them to share, without ridicule or judgment. I think it is importantthat they be able to share openly. I am much better at all of this with theselast few children:)

How do you maintain goodrelationships with your children that are grown and living away from home?

Firstof all I desire to have a good relationship with them. I pray for thisrelationship on a daily basis. I try to allow them to make their own waywithout interfering with my unwanted advice. When they ask for advice, I thinkcarefully my answer, to not give more than a perspective, so they are stillclear to make their own decision. It is very important to me that they maketheir own way, and that it is not MY way. I try to accept them as they are, forif they are to make their own way, they will likely be different than I chooseto be. I will love them always, no matter what, I try to convey this to them atall times and in all situations.

Iinvite them to my home for family dinners and gatherings, and even one on onefamily time. I like to text them now and again, always trying to express myfeelings in a comfortable way with each, individually. I try to share with themthe ways they have been and are good examples to me and ways they have helpedme. I am learning to apologize for the things I have done wrong as I havelearned and grown along the way. They are so individual, each feeling andthinking in a different way, it is hard, but I feel, so worth the effort.

Does your role as mother change asyour children grow up and then have families of their own? How?

Yes.Mother, to little ones, is to teach and persuade children to learn and grow asyou have and to provide complete protection. To youth, mother is to teach andguide them into making their own decisions and protecting themselves, whilestill providing for physical needs. To adult children, mother is to teach,guide, and protect by example, allowing them complete freedom to provide forthemselves and make their own life’s decisions. Does a mother ever stopworrying and praying for their children’s welfare? No, Never.

I am having a hardtime finding a balance between my role as a mother and also allowing mychildren to exercise their own agency. How do you balance the two?

Time…There are times in children’slives, when they are ready to exercise certain degrees of agency. I think weneed to rely on the Lord’s spirit to direct us as to when they are ready formore. I think it comes with added responsibility and better accountability. Ithink children ‘earn’ higher levels of agency as they grow more mature. So weneed to communicate well with them so we know their level of understanding ofthe values we are trying to instill in them. And then, I have found it is mucheasier on me to respect and trust them to make the right decision, than toalways worry they are going to make a wrong one. I believe they tend to live upto what is expected from them.

How do you feel thathomeschooling your children has benefited your children and yourfamily?

We are closer. I think it has helpedus to have better communication skills. It is fun to learn some new thingstogether, and I have continued to learn or be reminded of things I once knew.

Is there anythingabout being a mother that you wish you had known when your children werelittle?

All of the above! What a blessing ithas been to have such a large family. I am a better mother because of thethings my older children taught me as they were little and growing up. I amglad they can see a different mother as I raise the last of my children. Ithink I would like to have realized just how much I would love being a mother.

Do you have a favoritescripture or quote on motherhood or womanhood that you can share with us?
No, buthere is one that I have had on my wall since I got married. “For every minuteyou are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” By Emerson.

Thanks Lori, It was a pleasure getting to know you better.
To read my other Women of Virtue interviews click here.

Moments 128-132

2011-11-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

"Children are an heritage of the Lord" Psalm 127:3

128. Hannah hand stitched KateLynn's name on a piece of fabric
and then I helped her make it into a pillow. Hannah was so proud
of how pretty it turned out. Katie loves it and, Hannah has
already started stitching one for someone else as a Christmas
present.

129. Attending Tabetha's Young Women's in excellence program. She worked really had to finish a baby afghan so she could display it as her talent. She did a fantastic job and it turned out beautiful.

130. I told Mya to go lay in my bed, hoping she would go to sleep,
when I came into check on her she had propped 4 pillows up
behind herself, was eating an apple, and reading a book.
Silly girl!

131. Having hot chocolate with the kids on a cold wintery day.

132. Snuggled in close together on the couch looking and laughing at family scrapbooks.

Would you like to record your own moments of joy and share them? Post your own moments of joy on your blog next Tuesday and then link up here to share them with others.
To read more about what 1000 moments of joy is click here.
I can't wait to see your moments!

Color Bar Love

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I spent time playing around in Photoshop elements and reading tutorials on The Coffee Shop blog. I figured out how take colors from a picture and put them on the side in a bar. Guess what? It's called a color bar! Who knew? Until today I had never seen one before, and when I did, I fell in love with color bars!

Right after I finished my picture, I jumped over to pintrest and my sister-in-law, Katie, had just pinned this...

WHAT!? Beautiful!

And this...

Lovely!

After I clicked on her pin, I was taken here, and I was intorduced to a whole new world full of beautiful and lovely color bars.

It's fabulous!

So, I tried some more myself.

And, I love them, and I'm going to make a ton of them.

I don't know what I'll do with them, seeing as I am not a decorator or designer, but, that's not going to keep me from making them, and loving everyone of them.

If you would like to make your own, you can make them in photoshop or photoshop elements. The tutorial is here. Or if you have a favorite picture that you would like me to turn into a color bar for you, let me know in the comments. You can email it to me and I will color bar it for you!

Oh, can you say screensavers, and screen backgrounds! Have I mentioned that I love these?

Elf Yourself, It's A Family Tradition

2011-11-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

I know this is the moment you have been waiting for all year, the Lowry Family Elf Yourself videos.

Okay, maybe you don't look forward to them all year, but I do, and my kids definitely do. This year we elfed my sister-in-law and her family first and we laughed and laughed. It was funny to see the new baby breakdancing and to see Grammy hip-hopping to the beat. By the time we got to our own family videos last night, we were all pretty tired so it wasn't as hilarious as it usually is, but we enjoyed it none the less.

Hahahahaha! This year we decided to add our dog Shelby, and my brother and sister-in-law's dog Winston, whom we are presently dog sitting, to the videos. You may remember Winston, he has been here before.

These videos will be watched no less then 849,029,380,598,029,830,950,293,850,982 times by my children in the next 30 days, guar-an-teed!

Thanksgiving Moments 121-127

2011-11-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

To start off with, I thought I would share with you the secret I discovered today for having a really great Thanksgiving dinner. Are you ready? Okay, here is the secret, lots and lots of butter.
Siimple, really, but oh, so true. Am I right, or am I right?

121. All my kids were such good helpers today! It was
wonderful!

122. All day, I kept hearing Jarom say, "I love Thanksgiving."

123. Chocolate and Peanut butter always makes me happy.

124. My homemade rolls turned out fabulous, and so did my turkey.

The only major catastrophe I had today was that I put the yams in the oven on broil to brown the marshmallows, and I stepped away from the oven too long. When I got back, the marshmallows were black on top. I panicked at first, and then I just picked the burned ones off and put new marshmallows on. No one even knew.

125. Shawn's sister, husband and 7 children joined us for dinner.
Their youngest is just a few weeks old, and boy is he a cutie.
I thought maybe I could offer her 20 bucks for him.
We do sort of need another baby around this house.

126. Shawn's mom, aka. Grammy, also joined us, and boy are
we ever glad we have her. She sure can make some
meeeeaaaan pie. Oh, and her gravy is fabulous too.

127. After the turkey had been taken out of the oven, and we were putting the final touches on dinner, the kids would poke their heads into the kitchen to see how things were coming along, if we had carved the turkey yet, and how much longer it was going to be? It was fun to see how excited they were.

I really had a wonderful, relaxing day. It was so nice in fact, I kept thinking I must have forgotten something really big that I should be making or doing. But, as far as I know, I didn't forget anything important and we had a great Thanksgiving Day. Hope you did too.

Check back tomorrow to see what we did for fun after dinner. Believe me, you do not want to miss this.

100 Things I am Thankful For

2011-11-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

“In every thing give thanks” (1 Thes. 5:18)

I am thankful for:

1. A loving Heavenly Father

2. My Savior Jesus Christ

3. The Most Wonderful Husband in the World

4. 6 Terrific Kids

5. Family

6. Friends

7. Our Home

8. The Restored Gospel

9. Love

10. My Health

11. Healthy Family

12. Freedom

13. Knowledge

14. My Testimony

15. Temples

16. Fantastic Parents

17. Music

18. Art

19. Great Books

20. The Holy Ghost

21. A Living Prophet

22. Forgiveness

23. Charity

24. Summer

25. Spring

26. Fall

27. Sunlight

28. Our dog, Shelby

29. Chap stick

30. Contact lenses

31. Scriptures

32. Answered Prayers

33. Unanswered Prayers

34. Washing Machine

35. Dryer

36. Microwave

37. Telephone

38. Ipod

39. Homeschool

40. Book club

41. Make-up

42. Warm showers

43. Candles

44. My Crockpot

45. Homemade Bread

46. Date night

47. Airplane travel

48. Internet

49. Piano

50. A reliable vehicle

51. Chocolate

52. Ice Cream

53. Wood stove

54. Flowers

55. Nature

56. Rainy days

57. Snow

58. Italian Food

59. Chinese Food

60. Family Vacations

61. Sticky notes

62. Vacuum

63. Callingsin church

64. God's Tender Mercies

65. My camera

66. Modern Medicine

67. Good Teachers

68. People who stand up for what’s right

69. Fingernail clippers

70. My Kitchen Aide

71. Beautiful Sunsets

72. Second chances

73. My bed

74. Toothbrush

75. Truth

76. My talents

77. Hugs

78. Kisses

79. Good Memories

80. Laughter

81. Goals

82. Hard Work

83. Sleeping Children

84. Holidays

85. Fresh vegetables from the garden

86. Birds chirping

87. Hard times that have made me stronger and better

88. Stars in the night sky

89. Babies

90. Family Home Evenings

91. Electricity

92. Thunder and Lightening

93. Beautiful Sunsets

94. Miracles

95. Wonderful Grandparents

96. Faith

97. Hope

98. A great childhood

99. Clothes &Shoes

100. Blog Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marriage Moments, Moments 118-120

2011-11-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

"It is so rewarding to be married. Marriage is wonderful. In time you begin to think alike and have the same ideas and impressions. You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together." --Richard D. Scott, The Eternal Blessings of Marriage, Ensign, May 2011.

118.

I came home from a meeting the other night and Shawn said that there was a surprise for me down by my pillow. I rushed to our room and found this note. This note led me to another note, and then another and another. I was so excited as I rushed from room to room wondering what the end surprise could be. Finally I came to a giant chocolate bar. Does my sweetie know me or what? What a fun surprise!

119. Date Nights! Shawn is always so good to make time for the two of us to have some alone time together. Ninety nine percent of the time when we go on a date it is because he planned it or he suggested it. Sometimes our dates are as simple as going to the store together, or grabbing a bite to eat and then perusing Barnes and Noble, but whatever it is it is always so nice to spend time with just him.

120. Flowers just because. I would say that on the average Shawn brings me flowers about once a month, just because. Just because he loves me and he thought of me while he was at the store. I sure love that man.

Women of Virtue -- Where We Need To Be

2011-11-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and for the wonderful comments. Sorry,I didn't do a Women of Virtue interview last week. I had to teach a Relief Society lesson on Sunday, substitute teach in seminary twice, teach a class at our weeknight relief Society meeting and I had book club, all in one week. Normally just one of those is enough to make me crazy. Needless to say, I was glad when last week ended. And, this week I just needed a break. I have really enjoyed doing the Women of Virtue interviews. I learn so much and come away so inspired to do better in my own life. I am going to continue with the interviews, but I am realizing that doing it every week is a bit too much from me to do. That being said, I am going to continue with the Women of Virtue theme on Fridays. I don't know how it is all going to play out at this point, but I will hopefully be posting a Women of Virtue interview at least once a month, maybe twice, with other things relating to becoming women of virtue on the other Fridays. So, since this is Friday, I thought now would be a great time to talk more about the book Daughter's in My Kingdom.

I know that I already wrote about Daughter's in My Kingdom a couple of weeks ago, but while I was preparing for my lesson last week in Relief Society, I came across an interview with Susan W. Tanner about her experience in writing the book. I thought it was so wonderful that I had to share a bit of what she says.

Sister Tanner was given the calling, in June of 2009, to write a book on the history of Relief Society by Elders Russels M. Nelson and Neil W. Anderson. She wasn't to write a new history, but she was to compile and abridge what had already been written into a new book for the women of the church. They told her that, " this book needs to get the women of the world and the women of the church from where they are to where they need to be." Sister Tanner said she kept this in mind as she sorted through thousands of pages of written history and was deciding what she should include in the book.
While she was reading and taking notes she also asked herself theses questions:
Is this important to inspire women? To lift women? To help them know who they are and what their purposes are?
She said in her interview, that she came to a point in her writing where she was really stuck and she didn't know how to proceed. Then one night she had a very vivid dream. In her dream she was following a guide on a hike. As her guide rounded a corner, she lost sight of him and found that she was lost. Next, she found herself in an amusement park. She was in a room with 4 walls and no way out. She could see the amusement park over the walls of the room she was in, and she could see the place she needed to be, but she couldn't figure out how to get there. Then she woke up. She said that she realized that this was an alligory of her life right then. She felt that she was stuck because she had let too many things of the world encroach upon her spirit, she had let the amusements of the world encroach upon her. She said she felt that she needed to have a better spirit, more dedication, and she needed to lay aside the things of the world so she could get the spirit of the project back again.
Her next thought was that maybe this dream wasn't just an allegory for her but that it is an allegory for the women and sisters of the world and in the church. "They have allowed the amusements of the world to encroach upon them, too, and they are lost in an amusement park," she said. "They need to lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better world." She was reminded again that this book needed to get women from where they are, to where they need to be.
As she was able to continue on with her writing, it was impressed upon her that the chapters on the priesthood (chapter 8) and the on families (chapter 9) were the two most important chapters in the book and they had to be right. She said that she and sister Beck worked on these two chapters up until the book was printed in early 2011.
Sister Tanner said that she felt Heavenly Father guiding her each stop of the process, and that Heavenly Father loves us and needs us. Women have always been important to him.
The messages, that Sister Tanner hopes women will take away from the book are:
*the knowledge that we are daughters of Heavenly Father.
*that we have an important place in his plan.
*we have responsibilities.
*we have a mission we need to do.
*God loves us, cares about us, and He needs our help in this great work.
*He will bless us to be able to fulfill our responsibilities.
*we need to understand our place in his plan.
*we are here to bless the lives of other people.
She ended her interview by saying that she felt so excited about the message of the final chapter. "This is our chapter to write on the history of Relief Society, this is our challenge. We can do it. Now is our chance."

Listen to the full interview here.

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today Moments 113-117

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

"There is sunshine in my soul today,More glorious and brightThan glows in any earthly sky,For Jesus is my light. Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshineWhen the peaceful happy moments roll.When Jesus shows his smiling face,There is sunshine in the soul." --LDS Hymn #227

113. Sunshine

Sunshine is a rarity this time of year, and this was one of those rare mornings when the universe was in alignment and everything felt right with the world. The house was clean, my boys were listening to me read a great book, the little girls were playing quietly, and when the sun lit up the room it was almost as if I could hear the angels singing.

114. Seeing how happy Hannah was after her first piano lesson with Jarom.

115. Watching Tabetha step out of her comfort zone and do some hard things for school this year.

116. Katie being so excited to peel the potatoes for me. She thinks it is her job and she won't hear of anyone else doing it.

117. Hannah: "Mom when I bear my testimony it makes me feel so happy inside."

Moments 109-112

2011-11-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Hold your heads high, you wives, mothers, homemakers. You engender life and enrich it. Don't trade that pervasive force for fleeting, surface trinkets. Cherish it, enlarge it, magnify it. You hold a mighty office."

--Barbara B. Smith (Daughter's in My Kingdom, p. 159)

109. I love the way he is laying on her lap, and they are looking in the mirror together.

110. Hannah was so proud that she was able to put this puzzle together all by herself.

111. Katie loves her 3 wheeler.
This was our last walk before the snow came
and was it ever cold that day.

112. Logan wrecked on his sled, and the girlies are trying to make him feel better.
They love to be everyone's little nurses.

A Visit to Kodiak

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, BFF Amy invited me to her house for her prophotography workshop. It wasincredible. She is incredible. The other women there were incredible, and Itwas 2 ½ days of nonstop photography and homemade goodies made by Amy’s husbandJake. I had the most wonderful time!

The first night, Thursday was a meet and greet. We introduced ourselves and shared why wewere taking the class.

Friday, we spent all day using our cameras. We spent the morning in Amy’s studiophotographing the cutest babies you ever saw. We also, learned about lighting and posing. That afternoon, Amy had set up a photo shoot forus outside, complete with a Christmas tree, decorations, and models. It was cold, but it was fun. Miss B came along and was she ever ahoot!

Saturday was all day Photoshop editing, and WOW the things you cando in photo shop. Photo shop is where1/2 of the magic happens. It is alsowhere the photographer’s style and creativity really comes out.

Saturday night after everyone left Amy and I sat up andtalked until 2 am. It was great catchingup. It was just like old times, sittingin her living room in the dark after our workouts in the morning. Amy says, “If the two of us had any power wecould solve all of the world’s problems.”

In the airport and on the plane several people told me howbeautiful Kodiak is and about all of the neat things I needed to see while Iwas there. The funny thing was, Jake andAmy picked me up at the airport Thursday afternoon, and the only time I leftthe house was for the outdoor photo shoot Friday afternoon and not again until Amy tookme back to the airport Sunday morning. But, that’sfine. I didn’t go to see theisland. I went to see Amy, and the photoclass was the icing on the cake.

Here are a few of the pictures I took while I was there, complete with Photoshop editing.

Here is a before and after picture. Isn't Photoshop awesome!

Thanks, Amy! I hadthe most wonderful time. And, ThanksJake for all the yummy food.

Women of Virtue -- Tana

2011-11-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

Fridays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week! I look forward all week to these posts. I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am.
This weeks "Woman of Virtue" interview is with my friend Tana. Tana lives just around the corner and down the street from us. Our boys are good friends and I think Logan would be adopted by them if he could be. Tana is a woman of many talents, one being that she is always happy, cheerful, and so easy going. I'm sure this carries over into her family because that is how I would also describe her family. They are always playing and doing something fun together and you can tell that they really enjoy being together as a family. If you spent any time with Tana and her husband Shannon, you would be able to see how much they love their cute little family and that they make their family a top priority.

TANA --

I moved to Alaska when I was 7,we moved to the same block that Shannon lived on. I have 4 older brothersand 2 younger sisters and Shannon had 2 older brothers, so my brothers and hisfamily would play together. I started dating Shannon in High School thenof course waited for him to get back from his mission, because like he says"when you know what ya got in the kitchen you don't have to go to themarket" :) I was in love and I am so glad that we are eternal companionsnow, we have been married for 12 years and have 4 awesome kids! I could nothave dreamed for a better life!

What do you love about being amother?/a wife?

Ever since I was little I wanted to just be a mother andwife for a living, I never dreamed about working outside the home BeforeI was married I did work and felt like I was wasting my life away doing somethingI did not enjoy. I truly enjoy life by spending it with myfamily. When I first married Shannon, I would tell him "Married lifeis like having a slumber party every night!" I still tell him that and nowhaving kids in our family really makes it a party and I love every minute.

What are some ways that you show your husband that you lovehim and that he is important to you?
Shannon's number one love language is communication, of course we all need allof the love languages but knowing which one is the most important helps us stayconnected more. So I am sure to take time everyday to sit and have timeto talk along with texting love messages to him. We also have a lovejournal that we pass back and forth. When I can, I write him a message init and then leave it on his night stand then its his turn and I don't usuallyhave to wait long and its back on my side (unfortunately for him he has to waita little longer for me to get around to writing back but its a sure way to seea smile on his face when I do.) This way our kids can read it and knowour love for each other and maybe inspire them to treat there spouse with loveand respect.

What are some ways that you show yourchildren that you love them and that they are important to you as well?
We also have figured out what our kids love languages are and try to show themlove in there needed ways. Along with that they all need individual attentioneveryday even if its only a few minutes, we try to bond with each child. The hardest part for me is to take interest in my boys interests, so I havelearned about Pokemon and bey blades. I also have forced myself to playFoosball and now enjoy playing it, my kids love to play me because they canbeat me, its worth the laughter and smiles on there face. I still havenot gotten into the video games with them but that's where daddy comes in. :)
My husband has taught us all to communicate, which I love to watch and learnfrom him, no matter what the topic is he is sure to talk to the kids withrespect and listens to there opinions and uses every opportunity to teach themabout life and choices.

What is your recipe for a happy family?
So far:

Christ centered + Communication + Time + Love = Our Happy Family

The Proclamation on thefamily says that, "Successful marriages and families are established andmaintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect,love, compassion, work, and wholesomerecreational activities." How do you thinkwholesome recreational activities plays a part in successfulmarriages and families?

The wholesome recreational activitiesis what gives us our quality time as a family and without it we don't connectand bond together.

Concerned about the family, PresidentSpencer W. Kimball warned: “The time will come when only those who believedeeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families inthe midst of the gathering evil around us." What does it mean to youto believe deeply and actively in the family?
Knowing that we are an eternal family and that if we hold strong to Christ inour life even satan can't destroy our family.

With 3 boys, how are you preparing themnow for when they will receive the priesthood? / For when they will be fathers?
Shannon is being a great example for them now, he is spending time with eachone every day, he communicates well with them, he shows them his love forChrist through words and actions. I think showing them how to be a priesthoodholder and wonderful Father every day by example will be the best way toprepare them to do the same.

Tana , you have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing with us.

If you have any idea or questions for my next Woman of Virtue Interview leave a comment. I can't wait to hear from you.

Open Your Gift

2011-10-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

Do you have a copy of this book yet? If you don't have one, get one from a member of your ward's Relief Society presidency TODAY! If you have a copy have you read it yet? I just finished mine last week and I LOVED it! I can not say enough good things about it. It was absolutely incredible. What a wonderful gift it is from our loving Heavenly Father to his daughters. This book tells about the purpose of Relief Society and what are responsibilites are as women in the Relief Society Organization. It also answers the questions: What does it mean to be a woman of God? What does God expect of me? What is my divine purpose and mission as a woman?

LDS. org says this about the book: "The history of Relief Society teaches the divine identity and infinite worth of daughters of God. It is a Spirit-filled story of strong, faithful, purposeful women who have served with little public recognition.
"As you study this history you will see that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters, that He loves them, that He trusts them with sacred responsibilities, and that He guides them as they fulfill those responsibilities."

This book is filled with so many great stories of really exemplary women, and it contains wonderful quotes on motherhood and womanhood from the prophets, apostles, and General Relief Society presidents. I was so thrilled to see that my all time favorite quote on womanhood was included. It is:

“The world's greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ.”

—James E. Talmage, in Daughters in My Kingdom, page 3

I am teaching a lesson next week in Relief Society on this book, and as I was looking at the church's website, I came across this wonderful video about the book.

Don't you think this book must be incredibly important for us as women to read and to study if it was made to be given to every single woman in the church?

Click here to read the book online.

Click here to order a copy

Women of Virtue -- Tamera

2011-10-28T02:03:00.000-07:00

Friday is here again, and that means it's time for another interview! Hip hip hooray! This week I interviewed Tamera. I met Tamera when our ward boundaries changed about 7 months ago, and we ended up in the same ward. Tamera has a beautiful family, with lovely, well behaved children. Tamera is so friendly and always upbeat and positive about everything. I admire how calm and composed she always is, and she just has this feeling of peace about her. I'm glad she took time out of her busy schedule so I could get to know her better.

Tamera--

I am the oldest of three girls and was raised in Phoenix, AZ. Imet my husband while attending Institute of Religion classes at PhoenixCollege. We have been married for 17years and have lived in Alaska for the last 12 years. We have 7 children – 2 boys and 5 girls. The oldest is 11 and the youngest is 9months.

How does living the gospel bring you joy?

The gospel defines who I am. I am a daughter of God and that brings me so much peace, hope andreassurance. I know that I’m notalone. I know that my prayers will beanswered because I have a loving Heavenly Father. I know that everything willwork out because we’ve been promised that we won’t have any challenges that wecan’t handle. If things get tough I justhave to apply more work, faith, and hope.

With 7 children and being a homeschooling mom how do you find timefor the essential things in your life like personal scripture study andpersonal prayers?

I’m laughing as I read that question – it is a challenge. I try to get early so I can have some quiettime to study the scriptures. Thatdoesn’t always work because I have some early risers. I also don’t have walls in between bedroomsin my house-under-construction so, if I’m up someone else will be too. Babies also seem to instinctively know whenthat alarm will go off and feel it usurps their responsibilities, so they getup even earlier. Despite thosechallenges, most of which everyone has, I make time. If I don’t get it done first thing in themorning then I get it at nap time, or when the kids are outside playing, orafter the little ones go to bed. I justhave to make the time.

What does being modest or modesty mean to you?

How and what do you teach your children about modesty?

I think modesty means showing respect for our bodies. Not just in the way we dress but in the waywe act as well. How we dress influenceshow we behave and how others perceive us. We do the “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” modesty check. Can you putyour hands on your head without your belly showing? Are your shoulders covered? Does your shorts/skirt/dress go to yourknees? Can you touch your toes withoutshowing your back or front? We talkabout taking care of our body like a temple. We don’t want to put anything on it or in it that would show disrespectfor our temple.

The proclamation on the Family says, "Gender is an essentialcharacteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity andpurpose." What does this mean to you as a woman?

I think this in an ennobling doctrine. The Lord created us as male and female. We are different (yet equal) and we are thatway by design. I love the talk The Joy of Womanhoodby Margaret D. Nadauld. She states:

“Women ofGod can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who aretough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; weneed women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women whoare refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women offaith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; weneed more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

Do you think your attitude affects the feeling and mood in yourhome? How?

Oh boy howdy it sure does. If I’m in a black mood it seems to becontagious. The children are quarrelsomeand more demanding of each other.

Pres. Hinckley said that women are the guardians of the hearth,what does that mean to you?

Being a guardian of the hearth means that I protect my home andfamily from anything that would be degrading. That includes (but is not limited to) music, movies and books that Ithink are not appropriate. I feelanother part of that is making sure that we (not just the children) onlyparticipate in the best activities. Everyone has to find their own balance.

What is yourfavorite/one of your favorite quotes or scriptures about motherhood orwomanhood and why?

The motherhood scripturesI always come back to are Alma 53:20-21

“Andthey were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also forstrength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were trueat all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they hadbeen taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.”

AndAlma 56:45-48

“And now I sayunto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, notamongst all the Nephites. For as I had ever called them my sons(for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father,behold our God is with us, and he will not sufferthat we should fall… Now they never had fought, yet theydid not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea,they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliverthem. And they rehearsedunto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubtour mothers knew it.”

These are my favorites not onlybecause of what those young men report learning from their mothers but alsobecause of how Helaman describes them. Their mothers were certainly guardiansof the hearth. I hope someday that mysons’ Mission Presidents can say the same things about them as Helaman said ofhis stripling warriors.

Thanks, Tamera

If anyone would like to ask me any questions about me and or my family, I will be happy to do a post and answer them. Also, if you have any questions for my next Woman of Virtue Interview leave a comment and I will be happy to ask them.

A Few More Summer Moments 102-108

2011-10-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

" Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

(The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

102.

103.

104.

105.

106.

107.

108.

Rejoicing Texts

2011-10-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

About 6 months ago I began marking in blue, every word in my scriptures that related to joy or happiness. I now have quite a few marked. It is fun to look through my scriptures and see the words colored in blue. I never really noticed before how often the scriptures mention joy and gladness, until I started marking them. I got the idea from the book Pollyanna. In the book, Pollyanna tells her minister friend that their are 800 "rejoicing texts" in the Bible, glad passages as they are called in the movie. If there are 800 passages in the Bible that talk about joy, I'm thinking there should be at least 200 in the Book of Mormon, and probably a lot more than that. That would mean the scriptures talk about joy and gladness over 1000 times. Wow!

A few of my favorites so far are:
2 Nephi 2:25 "...men are, that they might have joy."

2 Nephi 5:27 "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness."

2 Nephi 8:3 "For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody."

Psalm 30:11 "thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness"

Pollyanna tells the minister, "if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it --some."

I completely agree.

UPDATE: After I posted this, I was checking blogs and I read this great post by Chocolate on my Cranium about living after the manner of happiness.

Women of Virtue -- Dahlia

2011-10-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

I've been excited all week for Friday to arrive so I could finally post this weeks Woman of Virtue interview, and now it's finally here. Yahh!

This weeks "Woman of Virtue" is my wonderful friend Dahlia. Isn't her name beautiful?

Intro: Dahlia O’Neilloves having an organized kitchen counter (and house for that matter),decorating (in her mind for now), sewing, and hopes to have a big gardensomeday soon. She is joyfully raising her children in a Christ-centered home ina small, coastal town. She recentlymoved to Valdez, AK with her husband and 4 children and is grateful to havebeen pregnant or nursing since 2004.

1. How do you think the world's views of womanhood are different fromGods?

Oh how different theyare! My husband was once told by afemale co-worker that it was shameful that I was (according to her) wasting mycollege education by staying home with the children. The world says women should be providers;physically objectified; that we are unequal to men; and that motherhood is adull, worthless activity. God’s viewsare completely opposite! In The Family: Proclamation to the World, it states, “By divine design, fathersare to preside over their families in love and righteousness and areresponsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for theirfamilies. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help oneanother as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances maynecessitate individual adaptation.” I am so grateful that Ichoose to follow God’s view because it is truly the most rewarding.

2. How do you counter those world views in your own home.

I want my children to know that it’s OK to wantto be a mom or dad. When you ask my sonwhat he wants to be, he says “a daddy” and more recently “a grandpa”. In a time where men’s hearts are growingcold, my kids look to me and learn how to nurture, as they in turn help nurturethe baby, Amelia. They are gentle inword and action towards her and truly care about her comfort andhappiness.

I teach them from ayoung age about modesty in dress and actions. I have control of what comes into our home: clothes, media (TV & computer), toys, friends,reading material, etc. I think that bysetting appropriate boundaries when the kids are young, those boundaries willcarry over into their years as youth and will continue to guide them.

I love to take the timeout from the daily chore routine to do crafts with the kids. As we create, it allows them a comfortablesetting to ask questions or talk about what’s on their minds. We’ve discussed morals such as being honest,loving, faithful, and keeping our bodies pure by not smoking, drinking, etc. These candid conversations will hopefullykeep them close to us and know we’re there to listen and counsel with them.

If you ask my childrenwhere they came from, they’ll answer “heaven”. I know that since my children know that they are a precious daughter ora son of God, it’ll be that much easier for them to have their end goal be thatof pleasing God, not man. Self-esteemcomes from knowing we are children of God, who loves us more than we cancomprehend.

3. What do you want your daughters to know about being righteouswomen?

I want them to know that they will be bombardedby the world with awful examples and influences, but that they can always havea refuge at home. I want them to knowthat as they keep the commandments and stay pure and clean, they will be trulyhappy; that they will have true joy. Iwant them to know that choosing to be a righteous woman is exactly that, achoice, and that they have the power to choose the right. I want my daughters to know that the Lord ison their side and they simply need to turn to Him in prayer when things getdifficult. The world can be a dark andvain place, and it’s only going to get worse as Satan continues in his effortto thwart God’s plan. I want them to bearmed with righteousness!

4. As a busy mom of 4 young children how do you maintain a strongrelationship with your husband?

It’s so easy to getfrustrated and worn-out during the day, so I try to not let that come pouringout when he gets home from work. Now, Idid say “try” – it doesn’t always work like that, but that’s where apologiescome in. Humility, prayer, repentanceand forgiveness are all necessary to keep our marriage happy and healthy.

99% of our date nightsare usually time spent at home after the kids are in bed. I feel bad aboutleaving 4 kids with someone to go outon a date, unless they were with my mom. Maybe I’ll have to get over that. Making treats and watching a movie (or even the news!) is a good time tobe close. That mommy/daddy time isimportant enough that the kids are in bed on time. The time spent together with my best friend(my husband) refreshes me and helps us grow even closer.

5. How does your relationship with God help you as a wife? Amother?

As I draw close to my Heavenly Father and my Savior,Jesus Christ, I have peace in my daily life. That doesn’t mean I lack challenges, but that I have the strength toovercome and grow from them. When I putGod first, the joy I feel carries over to my relationship with my sweethusband. I want to serve more. I want to be more loving. I want to create a peaceful home. All these wants are fulfilled as I nurture myrelationship with Heavenly Father.

I’ve been reading an amazing book, “What theScriptures Teach Us About Raising a Child” by S. Michael Wilcox. He says that as we go to the Lord and ask Himto “teach us what we shall do” with each child, we will receive direction. Each child is distinct and each one is Hischild too. So why wouldn’t God want tohelp us out? This is not a new thoughtfor me, but definitely so true. As wepray for direction, we will receive it. Wewill hear the whisperings of the Spirit and learn that our child is crankybecause teeth are coming and how to help, for example. I know that prayer is a key to unlock thedoor to having joy in motherhood.

6. Who has been an example to you as a righteous woman and why?

Two ladies immediatelycome to mind. Maria S. and Sue H. I met Maria while attending church in NorthPole and she has always been an example to me of true beauty and peace. I never knew her to raise her voice ordiscipline her children with anger. Iwant to speak softly to my loved ones, just like Maria. I know Sue through church as well. She was involved with her children at school(who are now all grown), has quite an extensive knowledge of the scriptures,and is always smiling and uplifting others. These women are without guile. Ihave many dear friends who are also amazing examples to me of being a righteouswoman.

7. What is your favoritescripture (or one of your favorite) and why?

While we lived in Kansas for two years, we were close toLatter-day Saint historical sites in Missouri. One was Liberty Jail, where the prophet Joseph Smith and others wereheld there for fictional crimes. Duringhis awful circumstance, he received revelation from the Lord that has alwayshelped me to feel uplifted when feeling down: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a l small moment; Andthen, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thoushalt triumph over all thy foes.”

Doctrine & Covenants 121:7-8.

Enduringdoesn’t mean suffering through something, but instead, we should be firmlyrooted in Christ while diligently trying to improve ourselves and become likeHim.

Thanks, Dahlia

A little more about Dahlia--I met Dahlia when we moved into our house. Her husband was the elders quorum president in our ward at the time, and they both welcomed us into the ward and made us feel right at home. Dahlia is a great wife and mother, and I think it is neat that I would describe her in the much the same way she describes the women that she admires above. She is kind and loving and is a great example to me of true Christlike charity.

This has been so fun for me. I am learning so much and you're all inspiring me to be better.

Summer Vacation Moments 91-101

2011-10-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

While we were in Utah this summer, we went and visited Uncle Paul, Shelly and little Bailey. Uncle Paul, was Shawn's mission companion for 8 months while they were missionaries in Orlando, Florida. Last time we visited Uncle Paul he told Hannah and Katie, that they could have his horses Smokey and Denny, but that they had to stay there so he could take care of them. Hannah and Katie have talked nonstop about Smokey and Denny for two years. They were both so excited to be reunited with "their" horses.

The older kids had never met Uncle Paul and Shelly before, and were excited to finally meet the famous horses they had been hearing so much about for years.

The first night we were there we went to the local rodeo. What a fun time for a bunch of wannabe cowboys and cowgirls.

91. Hannah with Denny

92. I almost skipped over this picture without noticing Logan holding Mya's hand. It makes my mother heart melt.

93. I bet Smokey can bet Denny in a race.

94. I win!

95. Wait up!

96. What a sweet brother!

97. Chill'n by the stream

98. And Check out those cowboy boots. He just had to
have them for our trip to Uncle Paul's. He wore
them everyday for weeks after he got them .

99. The riding teacher said that Jarom is a natural on a horse.

100. Love those beautiful eyes

101. Happy to be back in the saddle again.

Moments 87-90 From Our Summer Vacation

2011-10-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

"...the family is central to
the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."
(The Family, A Proclamation to the World)

It was wonderful being able to spend so much time with family this summer. Here are a few highlights our our trip.

87. Grandpa Great

88. Seeing all my brothers and sisters and their families (This is about half of us)

89. Shawn's Sister, otherwise known as "Aunt Liddy"

90. Grandpa and Grandma Alix

More summer vacation moments coming!

What is Happiness?

2011-10-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

"The present is an age of pleasureseeking, and men are losing their sanity in the mad rush for sensations that do but excite and disappoint. In this day of counterfeits, adulterations, and base imitations, the devil is busier than he has ever been in the course of human history, in the manufacture of pleasures, both old and new; and these he offers for sale in most attractive fashion, falsely labeled, Happiness. In this soul-destroying craft he is without a peer; he has had centuries of experience and practictice, and by his skill he controls the market. He has learned the tricks of the trade, and knows well how to catch the eye and arouse the desire of his customers. He puts up the stuff in bright-colored packages, tied with tinsel string and tassel; and crowds flock to his bargain counters, hustling and crushing one another in their frenzy to buy.

"Follow one of the purchasers as he goes off gloatingly with his gaudy packet, and watch him as he opens it. What finds he inside the guilded wrapping? He has expected fragrant happiness, but uncovers only an inferior brand of pleasure, the stench of which is nauseating.

"Happiness includes all that is really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is genuine gold, pleasure but guilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond, which rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is as the ruby, red as the heart's blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained glass soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty.

"Happiness is true food, wholesome, nutritious and sweet; it builds up the body and generates energy for action, physical, mental, and spiritual; pleasure is but a deceiving stimulant which, like spiritous drink, makes one think he is strong when in reality enfeebled; makes him fancy he is well when in fact stricken with deadly malady.

"Happiness leaves no bad after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and , if indulged to the extreme, it brings degradation and destruction.

"True happiness is lived over and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which like a thorn in the flesh, is an ever-present source of anguish.

"Happiness is not akin with levity, nor is it one with light-minded mirth. It springs from the deeper fountains of the soul, and is not infrequently accompanied by tears. Have you never been so happy that you have had to weep? I have." (James E. Talmage, as quoted in "Jesus the Christ", pp.250-251 emphasis added)

Women of God, Women of Virtue

2011-10-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

As I have thought a lot over the past few months about what it means to me to be a righteous daughter of God, this scripture of the virtuous woman in Proverbs keeps coming to mind.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10)

I have always loved this scripture in Proverbs and it takes on so much more meaning to me when understood with the definition of virtue given by Pres. James E. Faust, in his talk entitled The Virtues of Righteous Daughters of God. (To read it click here) President Faust said this about virtue:

"Many people do not fully understand the meaning of virtue. One commonly understood meaning is to be chaste or morally clean, but virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.

I like that the verses directly following Proverbs 31:10 go on to tell us what a virtuous woman looks like. Some of her traits include:

trustworthy
dependable
good
industrious
strong
compassionate
giving
prepared
honorable
wise
kind
not idle
good mother
good wife
worships God
(Proverbs 31:11-31)

In his talk President Faust also gives us a list of virtues for us to pursue in "our quest for excellence and happiness." They are:

1 .Faith
2. Honesty
3. Chasity
4. Humility
5. Self-Discipline
6. Fairness
7. Moderation
8. Cleanliness
9. Courage
10. Grace

I think all of these virtues follow along so well with the verses in Proverbs, and to me these are the qualities that a righteous woman of God should have or should be working to obtain. Since what I want most to be is a virtuous woman of God, what better way to learn how to be one then to ask those who already are. I know many wonderful women who exemplify theses qualities and who are examples to me of virtuous women of God, so I thought I would get to know them better and learn all of their secrets by interviewing them.

That said, I am changing the name of my "Great Mom" interviews to "Women of Virtue" interviews, and I am planning ("planning" being the key word here) on interviewing someone each Friday, so check back.

The virtuous woman I interviewed this week is my great friend Rebekah. Rebekah is a wonderful wife and mother to 4 great kids ranging in age from 9 to 1. Rebekah is cheerful and fun to be around. She also has a love for truth and knowledge that is infectious. Rebekah is a great example to me of someone who is not afraid to stand up for what she knows to be right. Rebekah homeschools her kids and also writes a blog to inform voters about local candidates and issues. I could go on, and on, but instead I will let you hear directly from her yourself.

What are some of your favorite things about being a mother? It’s easy for me to think of my favorite things about being a mother. I love cuddling with my kids first thing in the morning. There are so many instances of joy that come from being a mother. Because I don’t want to forget those instances I have a small journal for each child where I quickly jot down the moments of joy so I don’t forget. Reading them aloud once in awhile for a family activity is always great.

A wife?

Wow, I haven’t ever pondered this. Honestly I think that is something I need more time to think on. I would venture to say I’m not unusual in this aspect. More of us wives should be seeking out the joy in being a wife. I’ll bet if we do our marriages would be even better.

What does being a woman of God mean to you?

I feel like the Little Engine That Could. I think I can, I think I can…. Someday I’ll make it but it takes vigilance and hard work to endure to the end. I think too often, in our day of easy come easy go, we bulk at those principles. That’s just it though, they are true principles and as daughters of God we need to be seeking out true principles, applying them to our own life, and teaching them to those in our circle of influence. This is what I try to do, I know I’m not perfect at it but that is what grace and repentance are for. What a merciful Heavenly Father we have!

What do you do to maintain a strong relationship with God?

Although I find my efforts to rarely be a consistent habit I try to do all the typical Sunday school answers. Pray daily, read my scriptures, attend church, pay tithing, and serve others. All these things are basics that are repeated to us because we need them. They are the foundation stones for growing faith and testimony. I have always strived to do these things and have been blessed in my efforts despite my shortcomings.

Do you think having a strong relationship with God affects your relationships with your husband and children and if so how?

Oh yes, in all aspects of life. I am more patient and less judgmental. When I try to focus on Heavenly Father and true principles more I am much more forgiving and happy. Time to reassess and adjust again. Thanks for the reminder.

How did being sealed together as a family in the temple bring you joy?

My experiences in this matter have born testimony to me that God is real and he hears and answers our prayers. The trial of faith has born the fruit of joy through the plan of happiness and salvation. Knowing that we are an eternal family brings peace of mind.

What is your favorite conference talk or quote on marriage or motherhood?

I have a growing notebook of “classic” talks. Several are from Julie B. Beck including Mothers Who Know.
Another is by

Dallin H. Oaks Good, Better, Best

What do you think was the most valuable thing you learned from your mother about womanhood or motherhood?

She taught me great skills every woman and mother should have, like how to cook and currently how to knit. She is also a wonderful example of dedication to the Lord.

Thanks so much Rebekah, you are a great friend and a great example.

You can check out Rebekah's blog here

http://tjedmomforliberty.blogspot.com/

Think of Me As One Who Is Truly Happy

2011-10-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

I told Tabetha the other night that finishing a really good book is like having your best friend move away, and that is the way that I felt when I finished reading Letters of a Woman Homesteader, by Elinore Pruitt Stewart.

Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Letters of a Woman Homesteader is the real letters written by Elinore Stewart to her previous employer, about her life in Wyoming as a homesteader.
Elinore moved to Wyoming in 1909 with her baby daughter after her husband died. She takes a position as house keeper for Mr. Stewart who is a cattle rancher, and as as you can tell by the last name she ends up marrying Mr. Stewart. Her letters cover about 4 1/2 years of her life as she arrives in Wyoming and begins to settle into a new life there.
Elinore had a such a way with describing everything, especially people. She makes you feel like you know her friends and that her friends are your friends as well. Elinore was kind to all her neighbors and they all took such good care of each other. One time she and two of her neighbors took the time to make a 12 year old girl feel special by making her some new clothes. Her mother and father were dead and she lived with her grandparents. They were incredibly poor and when the women gave the 12 year old the new clothes, she hugged them to her and cried and cried.
My favorite thing about this book though, is Elinore's upbeat attitude about everything. She was just so happy to be alive and she found joy all around her, even in the smallest things.
Elinor writes,

"When you think of me, you must think of me as one who is truly happy. It is true, I want a great many things I haven't got, but I don't want them enough to be discontented and not enjoy the many blessings that are mine. I have my home among the blue mountains, my healthy, well-formed children, my clean, honest husband, my kind, gentle milk cows, my garden which I make myself. I have loads and loads of flowers which I tend myself.
There are lots of chickens, turkeys, and pigs which are my own special care. I have some slow old gentle horses and an old wagon. I can load up the kiddies and go where I please any time. I have the best, kindest neighbors and I have my dear absent friends. Do you wonder I am so happy? When I think of it all, I wonder how I can crowd all my joy in to one short life."

When the book was over I was left with the feeling that the world was a little better because Elinore Stewart was here and I was better as well for having know her even if it was just a little from her letters.

To Get Letters of a Woman Homesteader free on your Kindle click here.

Moments 81 - 86

2011-10-09T23:37:00.000-07:00

"It was not intended that our lives should be a succession of confused, wearisome, frustrated days. Rather, it was intended that they should be orderly, fruitful days of true joy as we triumph over evil and rise above tribulation. This comes about as we approach our problems positively in the light of gospel teaching." (Belle, S. Spafford, A Woman's Reach p. 121)

81. Shawn's Birthday

We invited family and friends over for cake and ice cream to celebrate Shawn turning 39!

82. Shawn let Katie help blow out his birthday candles and a few days later she said to me, "Mom, because I blew out Dad's candles does that mean I'm 5 now?"

83.

84. The other day I picked up one of my books to look something up, I knew that I hadn't read it before, but there were things underlined and marked up. Then, I remembered that Tabetha had already read it. It was so neat to look through the book and see what was important to her.

85. Cuddling and playing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" with Mya on my bed and then taking pictures of her. What beautiful eyes!
86.

Exciting News and a Repost

2011-10-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Please don't pass out from the shock that I am finally posting again because I have exciting news! Well, exciting for me anyway. (No, I'm not pregnant, but keep reading)

I have decided to continue my 1000 moments of joy on my family blog. Aren't you so excited! I know I am. (To learn more about my 1000 moments you can click on the link at the top of this page and to see my previous moments click here) This time I'm not giving myself a time limit to reach my 1000 moments. Time limits stress me out, and this is all about enjoying the journey. I may post more than 1000 moments. Time will tell.

This time I do plan on posting not only the joys in my life that come from being a mother, but also from being a wife and the joy that comes from living the gospel of Christ. I would also like to continue interviewing great women that I know and have inspired me. I can't wait to get started!

So, in honor of my return to 1000 moments of joy and because my mom is the one who showed me and still shows me how to find joy and happiness in motherhood and womanhood, I am re-posting the interview I did with my mom last year.

I love you mom!

I think I have the most wonderful mother in the all the world and I thought it would be fun to interview her and find out all her wisdom.
My mom is the mother of 9 children, 6 girls and 3 boys, including, 2 sets of twins. I am the oldest. We range in age from 34 to 18 years old. She has 24 grandchildren 2 of which live with her. She and my dad have been happily married for 35 years.

How did you find joy, or what brought you joy as a mother?

To me, there is nothing more special than having a baby in the house. (Maybe that is why I had so many) They bring a little bit of heaven with them. I enjoyed watching my kids during the day and trying to remember the cute things they did and said so I could share them with their dad when he came home. For me, watching kids is more fun than watching TV.

What do you wish you had known about motherhood before you became a mother?

1. I wish I would have known how far reaching my influence is as a mother.

2. I wish I would have realized how much Heavenly Father loves all of us and is there to help us. Looking back, I can see that He blessed us so much and helped us in everything that we did. I try to notice this more in my life now.

What would you have done differently?
The usual, be more patient, kinder, more thoughtful, more loving, happier, listen better, etc. The things I am still working on.

What advice would you give other mothers?

1. In the morning, get yourself up and dressed, fixed your hair and put your makeup on for the day and then get your kids dressed nice, fix their hair cute, wash their faces and blow their noses and you will feel better about yourself and treat your kids better (and so will others) during the day.

2. ENJOY EVERY DAY!! Find something about every day to enjoy. Even if you have a bad day, enjoy it. It is a day in your book of life.

What do you like about being a grandmother?

Everything!! It is kind of like being the bishop’s wife (she is the bishop's wife right now). I get in on the good stuff and never hear about the bad.

How did you keep your relationship with your husband strong while your kids were little?

The things I tried to do:

1. Be happy and be glad (two different things) to see him when he came home from work and let him relax and enjoy being home.

2. Fix him a good supper every night.

3. Try to go places with him when he invited me.

4. Let him know he is the most important person in my life.

5. Make life better for him. The nicest thing he ever told me is that his life is so much better because of me.

WORDS OF WISDOM

From Dr. Phil’s father, “ You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”

From my husband's dad, “ We never tried to keep up with the Jones’s, we are the Jones’s.” (You have to know his dad to appreciate that one.)

Thanks so much mom. What great advice!
I echo Abraham Lincoln's words when I say, "All that I am and I ever hope to be I owe to my angel mother."
I love you, Mom.

Horse Lessons Again

2011-05-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of spring, Tabetha and Hannah were anxious and excited to get back to their horse riding lessons. I took my camera to their lessons the other day and had fun taking pictures.

WOW!

2011-05-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

I had THE BEST time at BFF Amy's photography class. I learned more in those few hours about how to use my camera then I did in the past 3 years reading on my own.

I have been shooting in manual since the class and I love it. I'm not perfect at it but I am getting better at it.

I also, finally, got photoshop installed on my computer. Shawn got it for me for Christmas and I used it to edited the photo of Katie above.

Thanks Amy, and you can expect some more photos from me very soon!

Childhood and Youth Are No Time to Get An Education

2011-05-16T02:05:00.001-07:00

"...you can set no store by your education in childhood and youth, no matter how good it was. Childhood and youth are no time to get an education. They are the time to get ready to get an education. The most that we can hope for from these uninteresting and chaotic periods of life is that during them we shall be set on the right path, the path of realizing our human possibilities through intellectual effort and aesthetic appreciation. The great issues, now issues of life and death for civilization, call for mature minds."

"There is a simple test of this. Take any great book that you read in school or college and have not read since. Read it again. Your impression that you understood it will at once be corrected. Think what it means, for instance, to read Macbeth at sixteen in contrast to reading it at thirty-five. We can understand Macbeth as Shakespeare meant us to understand it only when we have had some experience, vicarious or otherwise, of marriage and ambition. To read great books, if we read them at all , in childhood and youth and never read them again is never to understand them." (The Great Conversation, The Substance of a Liberal Education by Robert M. Hutchins, The Great Books of the Western World v. 1, p.76, emphasis added)

Online Book Club Part Two

2011-04-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

I just posted my second post on The Headgate on my other blog.
To read it click here

Online Book Club Part One

2011-04-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be participating in my good friend Rebekah's online book club. This month we are reading and writing about the e-book The Headgate by Brian and Kerri Tibbets. (Click here to read.)

The Headgate: Week 1: Preface, Introduction, and Step 1: A House of Order

I was first introduced to the e-book The Headgate about a year ago by several of my favorite bloggers. There was such an online conversation going on about it that I was anxious to get a copy of it and read it for myself. When I first read it I was so inspired by the principles that it contained. Throughout this past year, I have tried to implement many of the principles talked about in the book, and I have seen amazing changes in my children and our home atmosphere because of those changes. I'm excited to be re-reading and studying the book again. By rereading it a year later, I see that there are a few key things that I had forgotten about and several things that had just fallen by the wayside, because, really, who can implement something new and get it all perfect right away.

This week as I was reading, I was struck once again with how critical it is for parents to create an environment in their homes that is conducive to learning. The Tibbets' tell us that if our home environment is right it allows our children's hearts and minds to be "free to fall in love with the most valuable and refined things this world has to offer... great books." They also tell us however, that if the environment is wrong, "they will not recognize great books as appetizing, because their senses will be dulled."

This has been so powerful to me as I have thought about it and sought to create this kind of enviornment in my home over the past year. The Tibbets' tell us that a child's senses were "created to guide them to the most nourishing activities, that would build and develop them into the best they can become." They also state that children are "naturally attracted to the most nourishing and staifsying, the most gourmet and refined, the most heavenly and enriching, because these things inherently provied the most growth."

Isn't that truley amazing? Our children are naturally drawn to those things that are the best things. We don't have to force it on them. They also come into the world and into our homes with a love for learning, and a willingness to educate themselves in the best things if ,the conditions and the enviornment are right.

The Tibbets' tell us though, that their senses "can become dulled through entertainment and overstimulation, they then need greater and greater stimulation all the time if they are to feel anything. It is in this way that the delecate system of the sensory is misused rather than used."

A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation said that the average 8-18 year old, spends an average of 7.5 hours per day with media. Those numbers do not reflect time spent using media at school or for homework. It also doesn't include using cell phones for talking or texting, which would include another 2 hours a day. Their study states that almost two-thirds of young people indicated that their TV was usually on during meals, and nearly one half (45%) said that the TV was left on “most of the time” in their home, even if no one was watching. And, most youth today, say they have no rules about how much time they can spend with TV, video games, or computers.

Dr. Kim John Payne, in his book Simplicity Parenting says that he is seeing and treating, more and more children from average American homes, for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTS). The same disorder that he was treating children for in refugee camps in war torn countries. He indicates the PTS symtoms these children are showing are stemming from being over stimulated all of the time, most of that stimulation coming from excessive media. He even gave these children a new diagnosis called Cumulative Stress Reaction (CSR).

Is that really surprising? That children are spending on the average 7 1/2 hours a day, the equivalent of a full time job, being stimulated and entertained by media, and that it is causing them to be overstimulated?

It seems as though we as a society have to be stimulated and entertained all the time. We can't go for a drive without listening to the radio or popping in a DVD for the kids. As soon as we come in the door of our homes we turn on the t.v. and check the computer. We have our ipods on constantly and for family time together we watch movies and play the Wii.

How are children supposed to be creative, think deeply about great ideas, develop their talents, and even hear the spirit if they are being constantly entertained?

The Headgate tells us that children exercise no self-discipline on how they spend their free time, but will spend their time doing what their heart desires. They most often will choose to do what will give them the most thrill for the least amount of effort. That is why creating the right enviornment for your children is so important. Children can't create their own enviornment. The parents must do it.

The Headgate gives us the steps to follow to create the right kind of envirnment for our children to thrive in.

Because, my post is so long this time I will start next week's post with Step 1: A House of order. I will also be posting the rest of my book club posts at my other blog here.

Next week: Step 1: A House of Order

Step 2: Require Work

Setp 3: Inspire Daily

Living Books Vs. Mind Candy and a Book List

2011-03-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested…”--Sir Francis Bacon

My family has been after me for ages write up a list of great kids books. I have put it off for so long because the amount of work I thought it would be. Today while thinking about making a list once again, I had a great idea, to write up a list and then add to it whenever I remember or read another great book. So that is what I have done. I will leave a link at the top of the page with the book list, and I will continue to add to it, so check back.

First, before you read my book list I want to explain why I have chosen the books I have. I have, in the past few years learned that all books are not created equal. Some books are like wholesome food that nourish your soul and help you to grow. Charolett Mason calls these books living books. Other books are like junk food for your soul, there is no real substance to them and your soul is left feeling hungry for something better. BFF Amy and I call these books mind candy.
Just as we would never feed our children a diet of junk food, so we shouldn’t feed their souls a diet of junk food either. Their characters and their souls are being shaped by what we feed to them through books.

Victor B. Cline said, “Nutritionists tell us we are what we eat. Similarly the quality and character of our spirit is a reflection of what we feast upon—Including the books and magazines we read and the motion pictures, television shows, plays, and other public entertainment we witness.” (emphasis added Ensign, April, 1984)

The books on my book list are books I consider to be living books, or the best books. The quality of the books you read to your children is much more important then the quantity of books you read to them not only in shaping who they are, but also in creating in them a desire to read themselves. Reading mind candy to your children won't inspire a love of reading like reading living books to them will. Living books satisfy a hunger in your soul in a way that mind candy never can.

How do you tell the difference between living books and mind candy?

Living books:

*can be enjoyed by the whole family/not age specific

*bring your imagination to life

*are filled with wonderful life lessons

*feed and nourish your soul

*leave you longing for more when the book ends

*are remembered long after you have read it

*are books you want to read again and again and each time you read it you learn something new.

* teach morals and values.

*are well written and often include beautiful language and imagery

*teach truth

Some examples include: The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, The Little House on the Prairie Series, The Chronicles of Narnia Series

Mind Candy is the opposite of living books.

Mind Candy:

*is usually a fad book, meaning it won’t stand the test of time, popular one day and then forgotten,

*is just entertainment

*doesn’t really include any morals/values or life lessons, in fact…

*the lines between good/bad may be blurred

*Doesn't require you to use your imagination much

*not something you want to read over and over
*may be targeted for a specific age/ not something the whole family can enjoy together

Some examples include: Captain Underpants Series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Most books featuring the latest popular TV character like Dora, or Barney

Where can you find living books? A good place to start is with a list of classics. They have already stood the test of time, usually with good reason. However, the only true way to know if a book is a living book or mind candy is to read it. You can usually tell in the first chapter or so if it has any real substance or not. If it doesn’t, don’t waste your time reading it, put it down and pick up something else. Don’t feel obligated to read the whole book simply because you started it.

If you are not sure if a book is a living book, or not, compare it to one of your favorite books that you know is a living book. What do you like about the living book? Does the book in question have the same characteristics as the living book? Is it on the same level as far as language and imagery goes? Does it promote the same kinds of lessons and values? I have cleared a lot of books off of my book shelf by comparing them in this way.

In assessing any book ask yourself questions like: What is the purpose of this book? Is the purpose simply to entertain me or does it teaching me something? If it is teaching me something, what is it teaching me? Did I enjoy it enough to read it again? If I read it again will I learn anything the second time around? Ask yourself these questions about the books you are reading to your children as well.

The more you read living books the easier it is to recognize the difference between a truly great, living book and a book that is simply mind candy.

Click the "Book List" tab at the top of the page to see my recommend list of books click here

For a more in-depth view of how I decide what to read and study read my blog post here.

Free At Last

2011-02-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

KateLynn got her cast off on Monday. She was ready to get it off. Her arm was really starting to itch. Can you see how flaky her arm is. As soon as we got home we smothered it with lotion.

She keeps forgetting to use her right hand now. When she got her cast on she had a hard time eating because she was right handed and her cast made it hard to hold a spoon so she starting using her left. That night after she got her cast off we were eating dinner and we noticed she was using her left hand. Shawn asked her if her right had still worked. She tried using her right hand but then went back to using her left.

More, and More Birthdays

2011-02-01T23:53:00.000-08:00

I have a terrible cold right now. I feel like I am swimming under 10 feet of water, there is pressure inside my head and my limbs feel sluggish. I've just layed on the couch all day. Today is Logan's birthday.

Happy Birthday Logan!

He isn't here. He's 3,000 miles away, in Utah.. I miss him, especially since it's his birthday. I talked to him on the phone this afternoon. He was happy. They were on their way home from skiing. I could hear Tabetha and Jarom in the background talking and laughing. I miss them too.
We made a cake and celebrated his birthday before he left last week. I love this picture of him. He has such a great smile.

Sunday was Hannah's birthday. (I'm getting sick of cake, by the way) She's 6! Can you believe it? Doesn't she look grown up in these pictures?

For her birthday she wanted a fishing pole and fish like Katie's. She also got gloves, a hat, a swimming suit, and a purple unicorn pillow pet.

She wore her gloves and hat the rest of that day, through the night and all the next day, too.

When I showed her this picture of her sleeping with her hat on she said, "oh, you can't see that I'm wearing my gloves." I thought it was so funny. I didn't even know she was wearing her gloves.

Happy Birthday Hannah!