Moments Like This

Well, for the last little while I've been contemplating my last post and what I've decided is that I can't focus on stuff like that right now. And, to tell you the truth, I'm really embarrassed that I wasted any time on the situation.

Right now in my blessed life, I have four wonderful kids and one wonderful husband to care for. I have a new home and two new babies. I'm in a new state and making new friends. I have a new role as "teacher" and I have a new calling in my church. There have been lots of new changes in my life and I need to make sure that I'm using all of my energy to deal with them, in the best way possible.

I can't worry about what others are doing. I can't spend more time trying to figure out how they are doing the things they're doing. I'm not assuming they're neglecting other areas of their lives to accomplish what they do, but I know for sure that I would be, if I were to do those same things.

I need to not be "wanting" for more when I clearly already have it all. I need to be thankful and feel very blessed to have the life that I've been given. I need to enjoy this season in my life. I need to focus on what's important. I need to do the "best" things first and if I have time for the "better" things (Good, Better, Best Conference talk-Elder Oaks) then great! I need to let go of "what I can't do" and be overly thankful for "what I can".

Before I know it, all of my children will be grown and gone. I will be sitting in my empty house wishing I could hear their baby cries and their "Mommy? Mommy?" (repeated 100 times) as they come to find me. They may live far away and I may only get to hug them a couple times a year, if at all. These moments I have right now, are priceless. They truly are gifts from my Lord.

I know this all to be so true...I know it deep in my heart. I'm just so very thankful that my brain has finally caught up to what I already knew, to what I've probably known from the preexistence. We are here for our family...we are here to serve our family...and as a mother, I get a million opportunities each day to do so.

So, I apologize for my selfish post and I know now where my focus needs to be. I'm so grateful for moments like this that allow me to grow as a person, as a daughter of God.

The Dilemma...Being Left in the Dust!!

I am obviously SO out-of-the "how to blog" loop that it's completely pathetic!!  I haven't done much of any "blog surfing" since the very beginning of my blogging life. And even then, it was a very limited.

So fast-forward about 4 or so years, and I just thought..."hey, what the heck, lets see what others out there in the blogging world are doing"  UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM......yeah, again, IM COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH when it comes to blogging.

People out there have fun blogs that look like they've been scrapbooked, they have advertising on their blogs, they have awards they've earned and awards they are giving out, they cross out the words that they don't want to share or do they and they like to write really BIG and really little to express their emotions and may even add a little color for anger and sadness. They have "themes" (photography, handmade gifts, savvy shoppers, etc), never-ending contests and give-aways and they seem to be trying to be the person with the most "followers" (kinda like Facebook...who can have the most friends). So, to say the least, I was totally baffled by it all.

Now it looks like I'm gonna have to keep up with the Jones'. I mean, I can't be left in the dust, right? I'm too competitive for that! The dilemma....I have no additional time to invest in my blog.  Not sure what I'm gonna do yet... but "do something", I must!! 

Stay tuned!

Homeschool Update

Many people have been asking me how "Miller Elementary" is going and I've finally found a couple of minutes to answer that question (if the girls continue to cooperate).

First and foremost, I have got to say, with the greatest of fervor, that homeschooling my children is definitely the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my entire life. I would never have guessed the positive effect that it would have had on me when I first started. Every single day, I can look back and say that I have changed my children's lives in a positive way, I have taught them something new, I have given them more and I have spent quality time with both of them and they are better kids than they were a few short hours before. I have been able to use the scriptures in my teaching with reading, spelling, verbal communication, history, personal development, etc, etc.

I have been able to teach US History in a very Christian kind of way, explaining that God is the founder of our Blessed Nation and that is was by the guidance of the Holy Ghost that man came to live on the American Continents. It was a wonderful experience to teach about how Christopher Columbus used only the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not his knowledge nor tools, to find his way here (from his own words). How amazing is that? Do you think they teach that to the children at public schools?  Ummm...I think not!!

I have been so blessed by this change in our lives, far more than I ever could've imagined. I had assumed it was going to be "hard", that I wasn't "qualified", and that I would get resistance from the kids, but again, I was so wrong. It seems to come so easily, like when I'm teaching them a good choice from a bad choice. I'm able to counsel with them as I teach them and it's only made the bond between us that much stronger. I, without a doubt, feel the presence of the Spirit in my home while teaching. I know I'm doing the right thing even if I had doubted myself in the beginning. The Lord knew what I needed to do and I'm so so so glad that I opted to follow His guidance. I know it has been a blessing in my life and I'm hoping it's a blessing in the lives of my children, as well.

Now, as for those of you who are curious about my methods and curriculum, I have pretty much stayed the course that I had planned in the beginning.

I still REALLY like the Charlotte Mason method. I've found a wonderful website that I've gotten some curriculum off of and I've found it to work perfectly with the way I want to teach.

The areas where I have altered things a bit are...the schedule (I was trying to fit too much into one day and feeling stressed if we didn't get through it all) and using the Thomas Jefferson method.

I really like the Thomas Jefferson Education...I love the idea behind the method, but sadly enough, it doesn't work out with my schedule. I can't be that "follow me" type of teacher because I'm usually dealing with the twins while the kids are doing their work. BUT I do think I may go back to that method, to some degree, once the twinkies aren't so demanding and I have time to sit down and learn right along with them. I'm sure that as we continue through the remainder of the year, I will continue tweaking my method here and there, to make it a perfect fit for our family.

Again, I'm so grateful for this opportunity to teach my children. It's a priceless experience. I hope to continue to do homeschooling for Ellie and Emma, as well, just as long as that's the way that the Lord would have it.

Oh, one WONDERFUL thing about homeschooling....NO LAME SCHEDULE TO HAVE TO FOLLOW AND NO MORE HAVING TO ANSWER TO SOMEONE ELSE ABOUT MY CHILD!!!  I've never liked it when the school's would call wondering why Hannah was late or absent or why we decided to take her out for a week to go on vacation.....UMMMM...she's my child, NOT THEIRS!!!  I'm much happier now that I only answer to myself :)

Catey's Give-away

check it out...Free stuff!!!

http://randomthoughtsfromthezoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/cinch-by-cynthia-sass-review-and.html

FYI

Just so everyone knows...the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge doesn't work if you don't participate. I thought...maybe, just maybe if I thought a lot about doing the things required in the challenge, I would use enough braincells to burn a little weight  BUT NO...didn't work!! 

So, for those of you who plan on doing it next year, don't fall into the same trap as I did....thinking doesn't burn fat!!  :)

Though, I did do Zumba on the Wii today and had a blast. Made me realize how much I miss dancing!!

A Prayer?

So this morning I brought Hannah her breakfast in bed, scrambled eggs and sausage, because her and her Dad were playing a game of "Guess Who" before they began getting ready for church. I handed it to her and then began analyzing Greg's side of the board to see who he had chosen for his "secret person".

After a couple of seconds, Hannah asked me if I had said a prayer for breakfast or if she needed to pray. I stopped and almost started to laugh as I replied... "No honey, I didn't pray for my Good & Plenties, the BBQ Corn Nuts or my handfull of Oreos."

A Reminder of My Roots

Roots? What are they? They are where we began, where we stem from and what keeps us firmly planted.

Sometimes I have moments that remind me of my roots. They remind me of where I came from and allow me to see just how far I've come. They are my link to a reality that I never want to forget. My roots stem from a place where there was a "need" for more money but never a "wanting" for more love.

We had a very humble home & neighborhood and we found happiness in beat-up shopping carts that we turned into our "Herbies". Thrift Stores and lay-away were the "normal" way to shop. We played outdoors in the summer because it was too hot in the house (no AC) and we layered many blankets on at night to keep the heating costs down. Happiness was aplenty when "stuff" was scarce. We had little that the world would have considered "of worth" but to me the memory of those things are priceless. And the few so-called "worthless" items from my childhood that I still have, mean more than words can say and are worth more than anything money can buy. It's a "perspective" thing...it's all about how you look at it.

So, you may ask...What brought this on?  What has caused me to want to share about my "roots"?  It's simple...a pair of boots.  Allow me to explain...

Greg and I were sitting on our couch after eating Thanksgiving dinner. Greg was looking through the newspaper trying to check out all of the "amazing deals" that Black Friday was sure to deliver. At one point he stopped to ask me the first place I planned on going the next morning.

I remember waiting just a second before I answered him. I knew where I wanted to go. I had saw the flier about their "amazing deals" the last time I had been shopping there. I knew it was 1st on my list but I wondered if I should tell him the truth. I almost opted to change my plans just so I didn't have to deal with me having to explain my choice.  But something inside me knew that's where I needed to go.

So, I just looked at him with a slight smirk on my face and said..."Goodwill". Greg waited a second before replying to my answer...he wondered why I would want to go to Goodwill when there were so many other places having "amazing deals" (Greg can't stand thrift stores...not his cup of tea, though he's not opposed to me shopping at them). I simply replied something like..."EVERYTHING'S 50% off!!! I can't pass up that good of a deal. Plus the girls need sleepers and onesies if they have them". I thought he'd be more surprised by my choice but he has been married to me for almost 15yrs so I guess he's used to my frugal-ness.

The next morning when I got to Goodwill, I was in some sort of "frugal-lady heaven". I was snatching up the good deals left and right. I ended up getting 55 items for $65 including tax (yeah they tax at thrift stores out here in the land of liberals). So that's like...ummmmmm...let me get my calculator...an average of $1.18 per item!!  Amazing...I LOVE IT!!!  I got tons of nice stuff...many name brands...all good condition, it was a perfect morning for someone like me. I love that my mother taught me the value of being frugal. I know for her it was more out of necessity than anything else but I value that lesson and I wouldn't change that part of me for the world.

Anyway, at one point I was standing near the shoe area, trying to decide exactly which items in my overflowing cart I wanted to purchase and which, if any, of them needed to go back. I could hear a very loud family in the shoe area analyzing all of the shoes. The parents were handing shoes to each of their children and having them try them on. I glanced over to check the "loud family" out to see if they looked anything like the family I had imagined in my mind. I was close. They looked poor, simply stated. I think there were probably about 5 or 6 kids, all under the ages of 8 or 9yrs. The parents had their hands full.

I went back to what I was doing as my mind began thinking about how they probably didn't have an "option" on where to spend their Black Friday. They didn't have a "map" of the route they would follow to make the best of all the "amazing deals" at all of the other stores. They more-than-likely didn't sift through all of the newspaper ads circling all of the bargains they just "had to have". They had come to the store to get the items they needed at a big discount of 50% off. I know my mom would have appreciated such a deal when we were children.

Then my mind began wandering to what I mentioned before... that I was thankful I knew the value of thrift stores and that even though I didn't "need" to be shopping there, I was thankful that I "wanted" to be shopping there.

Then I heard these words (well not these exact words but they had the same meaning)....

Dad: "Here son, try these on"
Son: "Are they my size?"
Dad: "Pretty close"
(silence as the boy tried on the shoes)
Son: "They fit!! Can I get them Dad?!? Please?!?"
Dad: "Do they fit him?" (asking the wife)
Wife: "They're a little big but he can grow into them"
Son: "Really?!?  YES!!!  I FINALLY get a pair of new shoes!!!!"

At that point, as I heard the young boys excited words, I glanced up with a grin on my face, remembering how excited I'd be, as a kid, when we found something that "fit" and I could get it. But it only took a half-a-second before my grin faded and I found myself in a zone of contemplation. The picture of the "happy moment" in my head didn't match that actual "happy moment".

You see, in my mind's eye, I'd envisioned a nice pair of sneakers or something...but in all actuality, they were a pair of girl's purple snow boots. I had to quickly turn away because I could feel the stinging of the tears forming in my eyes.

I'm sure there were several times in my childhood when the "wanting" of something to fit came from the "need" of whatever the item was. That kid didn't care if he would be wearing girl's snow boots. What he cared about was that he'd have some sort of warm shoes on his feet. He didn't have the luxury of being picky about a more masculine color or even a shoe made for a boy, he got what he could get and was overly thrilled by them.  And if I could have made an audio of the boy's words, covered with sincere happiness and thankfulness, you all would only then be able to fully capture the moment. That little 9'ish year old boy was actually jumping up and down while hugging the boots...while hugging purple, girl's snow boots that were too big for him!!!!

It's moments like these that hit home for me. They take me back to my roots. I've been there. I've probably done something very similar to that boy. I've been teased relentlessly by my peers due to my clothing or home or car or whatever. I've felt the pain that comes from other people's heartless comments or looks, BUT I've also felt the overwhelming joy of gaining an item that I was in need of. I've felt that thankfulness that can only come when a basic necessity of life has been gained.

Some may think they are blessed to have never been through such an experience...I know, without a doubt, that I've been blessed because I have.