Thanks for Giving....

My favorite time of year is now, with the preparations and thoughts towards Thanksgiving. With all of the trials we face and the hustle and bustle of every day life, it's nice to have a holiday focusing on giving thanks. I just read a news article that has a quote I would like to share. This quote by Elder Richard G. Scott tells it simply, yet beautifully:

"Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life and for what the Lord has woven into your being. Creativity gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, a zest for life that we all need."

May we all give thanks, and allow ourselves to recognize others and voice our thanks for giving of themselves and their talents to make a better and more beautiful world to live in.

Inspired to prepare....

“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Last month was emergency preparedness month. This topic has been on my mind for a few months now. My husband, Gene, and I have been called to serve as emergency preparedness specialists in our church. There is a lot we need to learn before we can perform our duties well and are relishing the challenge. As we build up our food storage and put away supplies that our family may need in case of an emergency (both personal as well as local) it alleviates a bit of the fear we all tend to have when we think about a true emergency and what it would do to our family. When starting out it all seems very overwhelming, but if we work on things little by little we'll keep adding to our stores and feel a bit more peace. I've added a handy little tool to this blog from Emergency Essentials. It is a free calculator that will help you determine what you should store for your family. So far I've been storing items for a 3-month supply by purchasing a few extra items at the store at every shopping trip. Once I have that established I'll work towards a year supply. Creating a home of peace means looking after the needs of the family today, and preparing for the unknown of tomorrow the best we can. If our physical needs are met (food, water, clothing, etc...) then we can focus more on the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of our family during times of emergency.

Another Season....

For many, the past few weeks have been preparing for and then starting a new school year. I have three in elementary school and two little ones still at home during the day. Running errands have become a lot easier, afternoons have become a lot busier, and quiet evenings have become a lot more valued. Back to school time tends to inspire a need for routine, schedules, and organization. In some ways I really love this time of year, in others I feel a bit overwhelmed and inadequate. I suppose it's because my weaknesses tend to be thrown up in my face as I struggle to juggle the papers from school, appointments for this and that, school projects to keep my children on task for, and dealing with social issues that crop up. I'm going to try to focus on the good this season brings to me and my family. I am going to become better organized, I am going to beautify my home, I am going to develop a wonderful routine that will focus on building us up as a family, together. Togetherness as a family tends to get lost during the school year. It's my goal to find ways to strengthen our bonds through activities and simple moments of conversation and reflection.

Finding that Balance...

There is a painting that I admire by James Christensen called The Responsible Woman. It pays tribute to his wife and all of her many responsibilities. Looking at the painting I can't help but feel that his wife must be very energetic and balanced to be able to handle all of the many activities she is involved in. I must admit, I'm in survival mode most days, and I don't do near as many things as a lot of the wives and mothers do around me. I don't run my children around from one practice or lesson to another throughout the week. I don't take college classes or get involved with reading clubs or join a fitness club. I don't tend to seek after opportunities that would bring more responsibility into my life. Do I feel like I or my children are missing out? Sometimes. Do we use our time at home together in a productive manner? Not always. There is always room for improvement. I'm not a "slacker" mom, and neither am I an "alpha" mom. I'm just a mom who has children with varying levels of special needs who can't keep up with the world and what they do with their "All American" kids who can handle social situations with poise and class. My children struggle, therefore I struggle. It's exhausting, even if we don't have several appointments to keep throughout the week. My challenges may not revolve around a tight schedule, but they're challenges just the same. I need to find balance within myself. I need to make the time for spiritual and physical sustenance for myself and for my family. Part of that balance is in learning how to be creative with my time and with my talents. Without some form of creativity in our lives I believe we lose a part of who we are. If you haven't created something lately that you're proud of, take some time and plan for it. It can help tip that scale of burden a bit more in your favor.

Winter Wonders....

I would love to be able to say that I'm seeing the beauty of winter all around me, but with the inversion here in the Salt Lake City area, it's not so pretty. Actually, it's making everyone sick, which is not fun when you have a newborn to protect and care for. So for me, the wonders of winter are being found within my home, not without. The ultimate creation is the creation of life. Nothing comes close to the miracle of birth. On January 13th my husband and I literally caught our 5th child as he was born (our midwife and assistant was close by). It's been over a month now and these past weeks have been full of many wonders as we watch this tiny little boy grow and develop. It always amazes me as I get to know my children's personalities from such a young age and see how it just "fits" them as they grow. Their personality may mature as they grow, but they are all so unique their character is just so "them" and continues to be so through the years. The most exciting part for me is watching them as they create, and noticing what it is that they do create. Each child has a knack for something and a desire to do their best and show it off to the world. I love it when they feel that their creation is perfect and they have no hesitation to share it. Unfortunately there comes a point when they start to feel their creation is not good enough and lose that freedom of feeling they're "good enough". As adults we often question our abilities and apologize for the results of our best efforts thinking only of the flaws and not of the accomplishment. I'm guilty of that to a fault. I have a desire to learn photography and have been told I have an "eye" for it, but I don't see it as clearly as others have expressed it. It's something I am working on. I'm trying to get past my thoughts of inadequacy and working towards learning and actually doing and sharing my love of photography, even with the flaws that only I can see.

Home Sweet Home....

After many years of planning and prayers and pursuit, we have finally purchased our very first home. The house is beautiful and as we check each item off the massive "to-do" list it feels more and more like a home. Being in my final weeks/days of this pregnancy has brought up a few challenges, but day by day I have been able to slowly unpack, assemble, hang, and organize my way towards less chaos and more peace in our new home. There is a special feeling of accomplishment and pride as we learn new things and see the results of our hard work and effort and new-found skills. There is also opportunity to teach our children the importance of work, maintenance, and responsibility that comes with ownership, big or small. Come spring we will have many, many projects to tackle outside that will guarantee many grumblings and gripes, but also activity and accomplishment. Inside and out we are learning to create a home out of a house that was not previously loved. It's a growing experience I hope everyone can one day experience.