Letter to Congress

Dear Congress,

I know that you are all very busy these days debating budgets, naming health care bills after dead Senators, and whether or not sleep deprivation is considered torture, but I would like you to consider a bill that would make you madly popular with mothers everywhere.

Mothers make up a good portion of your constituents and as a whole are far more powerful than any of those big time lobbyists and special interest groups. Think about it-- essentially every voter in the country is somehow influenced by a mother: their own, the mother of their children, or some other woman that they've latched onto as a mother-figure. So if you can please the mothers, you've got it made!

Here's what I want you to do: enact a new law that moms get six more hours in the day than everybody else has. Implementation and logistics are up to you to figure out, but they need to be hours when everyone else is either frozen in time or sleeping. I'm sure that the writers of Heroes could help you out if you need some ideas. They've got time travel all figured out.

If I had six more hours each day, here are a few of the things I would do:

• I'd read every day instead of just in spurts. I have been plowing through Vanity Fair for the past four months. Now that's sad. But reading the classics keeps my mind sharp and challenged--and if it's good for me, it's good for my family, community, and country.
  
• I'd blog every day. I'd have time to compose profound and meaningful posts about life, motherhood, patriotism, and sometimes food. I'd make a difference in people's lives. I might also have time to figure out how to make some money from this hobby, which would improve the economy.
  
• I'd keep up on my pedicures. This would be appreciated by all who know me, I assure you.
• I'd read more to my kids (during their waking hours) and put off some of my housework for these extra six. Better educated kids= better America!
  
• I'd organize all my closets and cupboards and maybe actually paint them as I've been planning to do for nearly six years. I'm not sure how this would benefit my fellow men, but I would definitely like it!
  
• I'd call my friends and sisters-in-law who have all but given up on me since I had my third baby (let alone since I started homeschooling); we'd have time to talk to each other without our kids constantly interrupting or trying to severely wound each other.
• And if I'm being completely honest, I would probably spend some of this time baking cookies that I shouldn't eat, taking a nap, window shopping online for things I can't afford, looking up old friends on facebook, and other unproductive pursuits. But I wouldn't spend ALL of my time this way.

So you see, these six hours would add up to make a major difference in my life, which would impact my family, community, and country for good. Just imagine if all mothers had these extra six hours. We could probably solve every problem under the sun! So get to work on making this one happen, and we'll take care of your other headaches.

Sincerely,

A Mother with a Plan

P.S. If sleep deprivation is considered torture, then the mothers of America have had lots of practice in enduring such torture. Maybe some of your special investigators should talk to some moms before taking away all of the CIA's interrogation strategies. Yes, sleep deprivation does make you a little crazy, but cruel and unusual? Hardly.

P.P.S. On second thought, maybe 10 hours is a better idea . . .


Readers: What would you do with six more hours in the day? Click on the comment button and let your voice be heard!:)

Firsts

It's been a week of firsts around here.

First Day of Kindergarten



First Smiles



First Week all year that I've gotten up by 6:00 EVERY DAY. It feels good in a sick, twisted, and sometimes exhausting way. (I'll hopefully switch that to 5:00 soon, but not until Meglet drops her 2:00 am feeding.) Since we have to leave to take Ian to kinder no later than 8:15, it really makes us stick to our morning routine--which is also helping us accomplish a lot at Tiger Academy.

What have you been up to this week?

Arch Enemies

Every superhero has a nemesis. Lex Luthor, the Green Goblin, the Joker--these are some truly BAD guys. Our son Kimball thinks he has a nemesis, too, (although I don't know if you call it that if the nemesis is a duo). These two women are seemingly innocent-- in fact, I count them as one of the tender mercies of the Lord in my life! Bronwen also adores them, cheers when they arrive, and frequently mentions them in her nightly prayers. Who are these deceptively evil creatures? They are our housekeepers.

I have hesitated to write about this otherwise compelling subject because if you have preconceived notions about the kind of people who have housekeepers, we probably wouldn't fit that bill--but if you only know me virtually, you would probably make some assumptions. And I have admitted before that I do care what you think, at least those of you who read often.

We are not wealthy (at least by American standards), and in fact make many sacrifices so that I can be at home with our children. We are blessed, however, to have housekeepers who are willing to trade services with my husband. And I will admit that it makes our life nicer. I could technically function as a homeschooling mother of nearly 5, but I wouldn't have a clean house. And Jared and I both agree that having order and a clean house makes a big difference in our life satisfaction, so it might just be worth it to us if this trade ever runs out. And our children still get plenty of opportunities to help with household cleaning and chores, as once a week is not enough to keep the house clean--it is just enough to stop it from getting away from us completely.

Anyway, now that I've issued my disclaimer, let's get back to the subject at hand: Kimball vs. Housekeepers. Months ago I noticed that he got a scowl on his face whenever their arrival was anticipated. He began complaining that they always put his things in the wrong place, that they remade his bed too tightly (as in perfectly), that they mixed up his and Henry's pillows. And don't get him started on how they move his Lego creations around in the playroom. Anytime he misplaces anything, anytime things aren't just where he expects them to be, he begins grumbling about "the housekeepers".

This always launches me into a little lecture about how lucky we are to have them come, how much I appreciate that they come, and how he is responsible for his own things. "If you put your things away before they come like you are supposed to, they won't move them around," I remind him. But it falls on deaf ears. No one will convince him that the housekeepers aren't out to get him. Each week they hatch another maniacal plot to bring agony into his young life.

In an attempt to teach them accountability and ease Kimball's Monday Anxiety, I have agreed with the boys that if they clean up the playroom and vacuum it before the Terrible Twosome arrive, I will instruct them to skip it. Some weeks that works, some weeks it doesn't. And yesterday when we came home to discover that Kimball's recently lost tooth had been thrown away, he was pretty sure that life as he knew it was coming to an end. (Never mind that I had advised him to stash it in his sock drawer, quite sure that they wouldn't recognize a lone molar swimming in a gallon-sized Ziploc--his doing--as a treasure we were keeping for the tooth fairy. He left it in the middle of his bed and they assumed it was garbage, since it looked deceptively like garbage.) Sigh.


At least he hasn't made any "it's them or me" ultimatums. I would hate to have to choose.

On Motherhood

The blood of mothers
Coursing through my veins
Is powerful potion to my soul.

Mother Eve, whose courageous choice
Set a precedent for mothers all:
Sacrificing her own comforts and safety,
She bestowed a gift, exquisite and far-reaching;
The gift to be and to have joy.

Pioneer mothers, who never looked back
At the smoldering remains of their past.
Trudging forward daily, they suffered much
For their faith
For their prophet
For their God
For those who would follow:
Generations unknown.

The mother whose womb gave me life
Whose faith made me strong
Whose strength built my faith.
She has given no less than those before her,
And her children call her blessed.

Another mother, whose blood is not mine
Loved me as if,
Without waiting for my love to come first.
Her other priceless gift to me?
Her son, with his steady, unblinking love
For God and
For me.
Now her blood joins with mine
In my children, born of love and covenant.

How can I not rejoice in my destiny, my privilege?
I join these and other noble daughters, mothers,
Who know that greater joy comes from sacrifice
Than is found in seeking pleasure.
I glimpse the vision of that woman, that Someday Me
As this refiner's fire molds and shapes,
Burning, purifying, beautiful.

I see my daughter and I realize
How much I must show her
Teach her
Love her
Nurture within her
So that she, too, will choose motherhood.
The errand of angels, the blessing of God.

Eight Tag

I have a few post ideas cooking right now, but I haven't had the time I need to spend on such weighty topics as the economy, teaching our children modesty, and saving traditional marriage. I hope to do these posts next week when we're taking a week off of school, but as I am putting lots of things off until next week, it may be just as busy as all the others!

Anyhow, Rebecca tagged me for a game where we can tell any 8 random facts about ourselves. I've tweaked it a little, and I won't tag anyone, so just read and leave me a comment! And stay tuned--my next post is #200 and I have a giveaway planned.

Eight Things I Wish I Had More Time For:

1. Reading--I have been reading Wives and Daughters for 2 months now--pathetic
   
2. Blogging--this twice a week posting is driving me crazy
3. Calling friends on the phone--this is a rare treat anymore, but used to be my daily staple
4. Studying the scriptures--I do get in 30 minutes most days, but I'd love to spend more
5. Traveling--although money is also to blame here
6. Spending time with extended family
7. Cleaning and Household Projects--sad, but true
   
8. Developing New Talents--I really want to learn to sew, practice the piano, and so much more.

Eight Books I'm So Glad That I've Read:

1. The Book of Mormon--I couldn't navigate my life without this one, hand in hand with number 2. I spend time reading it every day and it never gets old or fails to fill my cup.
2. The Holy Bible--see number 1.
3. Covenant Hearts--click to read my review. The best book on marriage I've ever read.
4. The Well-Trained Mind--although I am still working through this one, I use it as a reference. It helped me develop my philosophy and hopes for homeschool into real plans.
5. Anna Karenina--this powerful novel so beautifully depicts the Russian consciousness of the time and illustrates the tragedy that comes from selfishness and adultery. Possibly my favorite novel of all time.
6. The Out-of-Sync Child--excellent resource on Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder.
   
7. On Becoming Babywise--this book is considered to be quite controversial. And yet, most of the criticisms on it seem to be based on "hearing about the book"-- I did not find it's method of helping babies sleep through the night to be rigid or cruel at all. What I took away from this book was a philosophy to feed my baby when they first wake rather than right before it's time to sleep again. I tried to keep them on a 3 hour schedule, although I think you can tell if your baby is truly hungry and I certainly would bend in such situations. I always made sure to change their diaper before putting them down so that they would fall asleep in their cribs. My outcome (with babies 3 and 4--the babies I had after reading this book)? I did not have babies crying themselves to sleep. If they cried, I picked them up. What I had was babies who knew how to fall asleep without me suckling them, rocking them, or sleeping next to them. They were both sleeping 12 hours straight at night before they were 8 weeks old. Twelve hours. This method worked much better for us than what he had done previously, which was get the baby to sleep, put him down, and hope he stayed asleep. Those babies eventually had to be trained to put themselves to sleep when they were much older--and that's when the real "crying it out" took place!
8. Pride and Prejudice--How could I not name this one? It's not that it has made me a better person or anything, but it is so well written, so delightfully funny, so very Jane Austen. This book is here for all of those great books that I couldn't fit on this list of eight.

Eight Foods I Can and Will Eat Any Time of Day (all are homemade unless otherwise noted):

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Apple Boysenberry German Chocolate Lemon Meringue Pie (German Chocolate from Marie Callendar's)
3. Fresh Bread
4. Granola (Homemade or Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond)
5. Cheesecake
6. Anything Chocolate
7. Fresh Salsa
8. Cookies

(Notice a trend there? It's almost all sweet.)

Eight Things I Love About Being A Mom:

1. Kissing a squishy, chubby cheek
2. Saying "I Love You" after family prayers
3. One-on-one tender moments with my kids
4. Sharing books I love with my kids
5. Hugging, holding, and rocking
6. Singing
   
7. Trying to interpret a one-year-old's language
8. Watching them sleep
   

Loved the Speech

This is generally a non-partisan blog, aimed at the needs/ views/ joys/ heartaches of motherhood. And I like it that way. I have no desire to be divisive. So if you despise all things Republican and conservative, please just come back another day. Because I just want to say that I found Sarah Palin to be warm, down-to-earth, fierce, sassy, spunky, and extremely likable in her speech last night.

I don't know enough about her yet to hail her as my hero and I am jaded enough about politicians to not trust any of them--but I want to trust Sarah Palin.

I felt like I could relate to her as a mother, who first got involved in the PTA and then the City Council because she wanted to make her children's education better. She brought tears to my eyes when she promised the parents of special needs kids that they would have an advocate in the White House. You could tell as she talked about her family that she loves them, is proud of them, and is not trying to paint them as perfect.

I was impressed with the things she said about cutting unnecessary costs in the government, including the governor's swanky jet, her own chauffeur, and her personal chef. It told me that she considers that those perks come from tax payers, that she isn't seeking office to "live a life of luxury," and that she still tries to be a normal mom to her kids, even if she is the governor.

I like that she has stood up to people in both parties who are corrupt, who use their power and money to get their way, who expect most politicians to look the other way while they seek their own interests.

Now, I'm sure that I was meant to feel all of those things by her speech writer. I'm sure that there are plenty of people out there who didn't believe a word that she said. But to me, it didn't feel like sophistry (unlike some other candidates out there, who shall remain unnamed here.) It felt real. I felt a connection to Sarah Palin. She's someone I can get excited about. And if that's why they picked her as McCain's running mate, well then they did a great job!

(I found this website on where she stands on the issues. I still like her. I especially appreciate the way that she stands up for families, small businesses, pro-life issues, traditional marriage, and reducing the size and cost of the government.)

What did you think?

I Am Like a Three Year Old

Ian and I had a really tough day on Thursday. Really, it was probably not any different for him than any other day, but he had a grumpy mom-on-the-edge to deal with. I seem to go through different phases where a different child drives me crazy for a while, and he's the one right now. With that said, he does continue to melt my heart on a regular basis, so don't think that I'm ready to give him away. At least not for more than a few days.

Anyhow, sometime in the afternoon I sank to my knees for the fifty-eleventh time that day to say a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to help me be calm and handle this without yelling or spanking him (especially since neither of those things seem to work on him anyway,) the spirit gave me a glimpse for a moment of the parallels between us.

I was whining to the Lord about how Ian always said so sincerely, "I'm sorry, Momma. I promise not to do it again." Sure, he means it. For about two minutes. And then we start all over again. As these thoughts were going through my head, I felt the spirit whisper to me, "Just like you, Michal." And I realized: how often do I ask the Lord's forgiveness for something, telling Him that I'll do my best to not repeat it, and then find myself asking for forgiveness for the same thing again? How long have I been repenting for yelling at my kids? For being impatient and impulsive and alot like a toddler? For at least 6 years. And does Heavenly Father listen to my apologies scornfully? Does he lecture or nag me? Does he throw it in my face that I've repented for this before? He does not. As I repent and ask His forgiveness and for His help, I feel the sweet peace of the spirit engulf me and I know how much He loves me. I know how glad He is that I am sorrowing in my weaknesses. I know how much he wants me to do better, even though He knows that I may very well mess up again. I know that He wants to help me, if I'll let Him.

In that moment, not only did I understand how much I am like Ian (and thus have more compassion on him,) but I realized another way that I can strive to be more like Heavenly Father. I can shower love on my sorrowful, apologetic (and naughty) son. I can assure him that I know he can make better choices. I can tell him how much I love him without putting a "but" in the sentence. I can help him make better choices by the situations I put him in and the attention I give him.

Since I am so very like a three year old, I am all the more grateful for a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father who is patient with me. So very patient. I hope it rubs off someday!:)

Writing Contest: The Results Show

Thank you to all of you who participated in my first writing contest. Each of you taught us (or reminded us about) something special about motherhood. There were so many wonderful essays submitted that I was glad that it was my marvelous mother-in-law's responsibility to choose the best, rather than mine! She spent a great deal of time poring over them and in the end chose a first, second, and third place winner. And they are simply wonderful.

Congratulations to Lei from My Many Colored Days, whose essay, "A-ha!" took first place. Her essay, if you haven't read it yet, was all about becoming the perfect mother through Christ, but letting go of the notion of being "the perfect mother." Myrna's (MIL/judge) comment on it was:

"This is a lesson that will stand you in good stead the rest of your life. We are all dependent on His grace and as women striving for perfection, we often get lost in the independence we think we have."

Lei has a beautiful and inspiring blog and I recommend that you meander over there and take a look. She has lots to say on the issues that affect mothers today.


Second place goes to Lizzy at My Ice Cream Diary for "Ah-ha!", which she amazingly wrote this when her newest baby, Cheeks, was less than one week old. Her epiphany had to do with appreciating her mother after all the years of criticizing her ways. It was funny, warm, and oh, so familiar. Here are Myrna's comments:

"I'm sorry. I have a little bias here as I am on now on the wise and wonderful side (even when I'm neither wise nor wonderful). But this is a time honored epiphany of motherhood. It's a safe bet that this time one generation ago your mother was calling your grandma and saying, 'She hates me!'"

Third place goes to Lucy at An Ordinary Mom, with "The Duck Pond." She writes about learning to live in the moment and not always rushing on to the next thing. The judge said:

"This speaks to me even as a woman who is no longer focused on the busy-ness of motherhood anymore. I like the duck pond and I suspect there is another lesson in the distractions that made the rest of the walk peaceful. Hmmmm."

If you haven't already, go on over to their blogs and read them for yourself. You'll feel inspired, you'll enjoy a good laugh, and you may just decide to set a new goal for your mothering self.

To all who participated, please please send me an email with your postal address so that I can mail out these cookbooks. (Truth be told, I have yet to burn them for you--but I've only gotten two emails with addresses so far.) I will get them out to you very soon.

Taking Note

As you know, I had the blessing of spending two weeks visiting family and old friends this month. Upon returning home, I have been reflecting on all the things I learned from the mothers with whom I visited. With some of them, I have had many opportunities to observe them mothering their children. Others I had not had the chance to spend much time with since they became mothers. I am so grateful for each of these women and the things that they taught me about how to mother my own. I know that none of them are perfect (they would be quick to protest such praise themselves), and I try hard to dispel the myth of the perfect mom, but we can take note of their strengths and try to make them ours as well.

Angela, my sister-in-law, reminded me (without saying a word to me), of the importance of quiet discipline. Angela is so wonderful when her children misbehave. She gets down on their level and firmly but lovingly discusses with them the bad choices they are making. There is no question that her children feel safe and loved even when they are in big trouble. This is a concern of mine when I yell or harshly scold. I want my children to feel safe and never doubt my love for them. Of course I already knew that I should be doing this, but watching Angela in action made me resolve to do it more often, and not just when I can tell that the old lady in the grocery store is watching!
Lindsee, another SIL, makes fun and relationships a priority over her to-do list. She doesn't let a sink of dirty dishes stop her from taking time with her children when they need it. She thinks that this is a weakness, but I see great strength in her ability to be a Mary when I tend towards Martha. The dishes will always wait patiently, and although they must eventually be washed, the needs of our children are so much more vital than a clean kitchen. Lindsee also gets involved in the fun, not worried about getting dirty or being uncomfortable. I have made a note to walk away from my chores more often and have fun with my kids when I could be doing housework.


Molly, our new(ish) step-cousin, is another great example. I mostly know Molly from reading her blog, but we've met a time or two before, prior to her being a mother. Molly has two daughters, a three year old and a three month old with some special needs. Molly is a wonderful example of having a cheerful heart and a can-do attitude. We got to spend some time together at our family reunion on the 4th of July and Molly wasn't flustered and stressed out, even when her baby was fussing and being needy. She wasn't feeling sorry for herself that she was missing out on all the fun while most of us were out in the orchard enjoying dinner and she was inside trying to calm down Alice. And when I sat down to talk with her, she didn't fill my ear up with how hard it is to have a child with special needs . . . she was upbeat, happy, and full of light. I loved visiting with Molly and holding precious Alice until she went to sleep. And I remembered how often I tend to stress out when things aren't going just the way I expected them to. I'm a control freak that way. And I want to chill out and be more like Molly--willing to go with the flow rather than trying to control everything and falling apart when I can't. (I didn't take a picture of Molly, but here is her dad, Tom, with baby Alice.)


Being around Bec, my cousin, reminded me of something that I'd noted when I'd been to visit her in Washington, DC last fall. It's something so little and yet I have tried to change my ways with Bronwen because of Bec's example. Here's what I learned from Bec: she lets her toddlers feed themselves messy foods. On a regular basis. Okay, this may not seem strange to you. It isn't strange. But as you can already tell from the earlier lessons I've mentioned above, I'm kind of a controlling kinda girl who is striving to loosen up. My independent one year olds? They tend to eat foods that won't make a big tremendous mess. Until I visited Bec, it didn't even OCCUR to me to put milk on the cereal of a child under four. I know that it ridiculous, but it's the sad and honest truth. But I am a new woman. I give spaghetti covered in sauce (not plain) to my baby now, cereal with milk and a spoon (knowing full well it will get dumped on the floor,) yogurt in her own cup . . . I am finding that it is so much easier than feeding her myself, plus she is so much happier to be feeding herself these messy foods. I'm also thinking that it may help her not grow up to be as picky as her older brothers, who were fed less messy foods (and thus, less variety) at her age. Bec, you may think that this is a silly non-lesson, but it is clearly one that I needed to learn. And watching Brandon eat a bowl of cereal and milk on the ground at the parade reminded me of it. (See how his baby brother, Trevor, wants in on the action?)


Heidi has been a friend of mine since we were teenagers. We used to go to stake dances together, toilet papered many a house together, and played a few practical jokes one year at girls' camp. She was a year younger than me, went to a different high school and ward, so we spent time together in spurts until we were roommates for a couple of years at BYU. I had really only seen Heidi a couple of times since she became a mom five years ago, and those times were at events like weddings when I didn't get to really watch her in action. This time, Heidi's mothering really stood out to me because she was so relaxed about letting the kids be kids. I know Heidi well enough to know that she likes to control things around her as much as I do, but she was so low-key about kids coming in and out of the backyard with grassy, wet feet, kids leaving the sliding door open when it was 25 degrees warmer outside than in, kids spreading toys all over the family room floor while sitting on the carpet in their damp (or soaking wet) bathing suits. Now don't get me wrong--Heidi's house was not a mess. It was clean and neat when we got there, and I'm sure that she keeps it looking nice. But Heidi's mothering reminded me that the kids are more important than the clean house or the electric bill. She was happy that they were having fun and wasn't going to spend the hour and a half that she had to catch up with Alli and me nagging her kids to close the door and wipe their feet. Her house felt clean and neat enough, but it also felt homey, lived in, and comfortable. Just the place you'd want to be. And the fresh brownies, hummus with french bread, and chips and salsa (all of our old foods) that were waiting when we arrived added to that homey welcome. Because she was relaxed, I was relaxed, and didn't worry about my kids being perfect either.

Erin, aka Prudence Pennywise, is Heidi's older sister. She and I became friends when she returned home from her mission and moved in with Heidi and me and some others at BYU. This was a special blessing for me at the time, because it was my junior year at BYU and the year I really needed to decide if I was going to serve a mission. Erin was a wonderful influence on me then, as she is now. I really miss being able to stay up all night talking to her. She has also been a great influence on my love for cooking. Anyway, we got to spend an afternoon swimming with her and her kids, then had a delicious Mexican feast, then talked and talked until it was too late and we needed to be in bed. One of the things that Erin said while we were talking struck me. She said, "You know the kind of family that saves all the fun for the adults, after the kids are in bed? It's all about the adults in those families when they get together." Hmmmm, I wondered. Does that sound familiar? I will admit that I am someone who is anxious to get my kids to bed at night (by 7:30 if at all possible) so that I can have some time without them. Now, my kids are also early risers regardless of what time they get to bed, so I have always justified their early bedtime easily, since they need to sleep. But I don't know if I spend a lot of time making sure that they have plenty of fun when we are together as a family. Sunday nights after dinner we race to get the kids to be so that we can play games with the other adults in the family. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to change this, but it's the mindset that I'd like to borrow from Erin. She knows how to make everything fun--and she'd never dream of denying that to her kids. We (all--not just the grown ups) had so much fun on our visit there that I'm already trying to figure out a way to get back to St. George sooner than later. (Since Erin and I managed to stay out of all the pictures, I'll just have to post some of our children enjoying the food together. And not one of my picky eaters was anything other than th-rilled at the food.)



I'll bet if I thought about it some more, I could name something wonderful that I learned from every aunt, cousin, and friend that I came across on my two week jaunt. I can't help but feel so grateful and humbled that the Lord has surrounded me with strong women of faith, who love their children and are striving to be the best mothers they can be. Their influence on me is a great blessing in my life.

One More

This post came to me via email (before the deadline) and the author wishes to remain unnamed, as this is something that she holds very close to her heart. I asked her if I could publish it without her name because I know that her pain and anguish is something that many other women can relate to--and others, upon reading it, may not take their own fertility for granted.

My epiphany about motherhood came many long years before I ever had the chance to be a mother. I always assumed that my life as an adult would look something like my mother's. I would own a red and yellow striped superwagon to fit in all of my 12 kids. I'd do market runs at 5:30 AM and stay up all night to help with California mission reports and life would be crazy and chaotic and happy and good. But after trying for quite a while to get pregnant, my vision started to blur. Especially after my frightening miscarriage and accompanying complications. I still wanted exactly what I'd always wanted, without any adjustments, but as the years ticked by, I kept knocking off one child-one by one- on my dream list. I was getting older, and I was running out of time to have 12. After about five years, with age 30 looming, I finally had to face the reality that it was possible that we could be childless. Childless. I didn't know what to wish for if I couldn't have children. All of my adult dreams were based on having a family. All that was left with a void. I was angry and frustrated and I felt myself shutting myself down emotionally to cope with the devastating possibility.

Still, I harbored a bit of hope that maybe it might still come to pass. So we waited and prayed and went to the doctor. A lot. And while I was waiting, and praying, and going to the doctor, I was thinking about what kind of mother that I wanted to be. I was thinking about what I wanted to give to my children, those children that were either not going to show up, or were going to show up very late in diminished numbers. So when our first baby came, so pink and pretty and perfect, I knew what I had to be. And it didn't feel like a sacrifice-it felt like a dream come true, a privilege, a saving miracle. When a second child came, it was like a wrapped gift that I could carry around with me always. I wasn't planning or expecting it, so it was all the better. I'm not a perfect mom. I'm cranky and crabby and demanding, at least once every day. But I really love my children. And even though I don't have 12 or a superwagon, I still have a crazy and chaotic and happy and good life. And I still have to make 5:30 market runs and stay up all night to help with reports. And the void is gone, completely filled in by those two sweet little spirits that I'm privileged to call mine. I don't even want 12 anymore; I'm too busy being happy being me. Mother of two.

Sweet Affirmation

This is posted by a guest, Robin, who wanted to participate in the writing contest and does not have a blog. Thank you, Robin, for joining in the fun anyway, especially since you have so much wisdom to share!

Sweet Affirmation

I started motherhood early, and it was planned that way. I had always wanted to be a mom, I married my sweetheart at the tender age of 18 (and this month it will be our 35th anniversary.) Two weeks later I was pregnant and on the road to motherhood. I have never regretted starting so early, and have raised four nearly perfect daughters.

Since it was my career being their mom, I only took on the smallest of jobs here and there - working a few hours a week at the school as an aide, or the more lasting job of daycare in our home, which evolved into my nannying for a family - a wonderful job that spanned a decade and took place in both Massachusetts AND Arizona, where both our families resided.

So I was always the mom sitting in the stands for their games, and driving them to rehersals. We decided as parents we would always attend their concerts, their games and whatever else they were involved in. And we often had a carfull of girls when their friends' parents couldn't drive them.

And like most mothers, I was also the one who stayed up late helping with reports, making the dioramas, and proofreading book reports (and even skimming through chapter after chapter late on a Sunday night for a girl who put it off too long and was on a deadline.) My husband thought it was foolish of me to do so, that I was spoiling them somehow; "They need to learn a lesson here, face some consequences for their lack of action!" I didn't see it that way, I've always thought life was tough enough and school was the hardest part of it. Teachers would give them unreasonable tasks, saving many projects and reports to the end of the semester, and the girls were often overwhelmed by too many expectations.

But of course, like any mom, I'd find myself at the end of MY rope sometimes, running hither and yon trying to help or accomodate one of my children. Service and busy times don't come during our leisure, they usually interrupt our most hectic days.

It was on one such evening I was given a wonderful affirmation from my Heavenly Father concerning being a mom. My third daughter was in her high school play. (Three of our four girls were involved in drama and all the school plays, and I even was their photographer for many of the plays, and we attended many rehersals together.) The high school was performing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and she was the Ice Queen.

This being dress rehersal, all the cast were at the school from the late afternoon on, and they were ordering pizza for dinner. She didn't like pizza much, and had asked if I would bring her dinner. The school wasn't too far from our house, but it was a busy day and I had to be over at Church that night for a meeting, so wedging in a dinner run to the school made for a very tight schedule. Still, as her mom, I wanted to help her out; I reluctantly made a plate and jumped into the car and hurried to the school.

As I drove, I asked out loud, "Is this really worth it? Does all this matter??" A sweet Spirit hit me almost immediately: "YES! It does matter. All the mommy things ARE important, what you are doing, all the help you give them, it is of value. What you are doing is really worth the time you are spending doing it."

It was a clear answer and I could barely see the road for the tears that came with that sweet assurance from my Heavenly Father. I knew He knew what I was doing and He valued it. I knew that the extra care I took for them, bailing them out of their homework predicaments, staying up late to help with reports, sewing costumes and prom dresses, helping out at school - all of it was indeed an important part of being a mom and He appreciated me for it.

I needed to hear that, I needed that pat on the back. The world values less and less the mom who stays home with her children. Our economy makes it harder and harder for a mother to be home instead of out working. But I'm so glad I chose to make it my career to raise my daughters, and feel immensely blessed that I could do so. I'm grateful that we were financially in a place that, even though we sacrificed many luxuries to make it work, I could be exactly what I wanted to be, a stay-at-home mom.

I am still out of town and busy with my family, but I have been receiving the most marvelous entries for the writing contest that I am sponsoring that I wanted to share with you. I encourage you to take the time to read these submissions. Each one tells of an epiphany on motherhood. Each is uplifting and genuine and teaches an important principle. And because they rescued my contest from being a dismal failure, I adore each and every one of them!:)

As I extended the date for submissions, you have until this Wednesday (July 15th) at 11:59 pm PDT to join the fun. Every contributor will receive a copy of my CD cookbook, which holds some original recipes, some old favorites that I've found other places, and basically the recipes that I consider to be my standbys-- those that I turn to time and again, year after year. So if you haven't yet, jump on board and tell us about an Ah-ha Moment that you've had on motherhood.

Here are the submissions so far, in no particular order:

My Ice Cream Diary, with "Ah-Ha!"

Terrors in Tiaras with "Different is Great"

Finding the Happy in Today with "One of the many Ah-ha Moments"

Wonder Years with "Little Drops of Water"

An Ordinary Mom with "The Duck Pond: A Lesson About Living in the Moment"

Life is Not a Final with "Ah-ha!"

Note to Self with "Out of Small Things"

Howe Thoughts with "I Really Don't Know How To Tie This One"

My Many Colored Days with "A-ha"

A Mother Heart with "There Are Angels Among Us"

The Spices of Life with "A Wonder Woman's Bad Day Turned Right"

Happy Reading! And don't give up on me. I'll be back from vacation soon with lots of posts. I promise.

Thoughts on Motherhood

Only 3 more days to enter the writing contest! Don't delay! Leave a comment here, with a link to your post.

Finally I am getting around to writing the post for my writing contest. No, my post will not be considered for the fabulous prize--a CD copy of my 2007 cookbook, plus all the glory of having won the contest. Only your entries, dear readers, will be in the running for such prestige. I do, however, seek to inspire you to ponder your own epiphanies on motherhood (and to share them with us.)

I started off feeling fairly confident that I would be a good mother. As the oldest of six, I had a lot of experience with mothering. I had been baby hungry for years, possibly decades, before I had Kimball when I was nearly 27. I'm sure that I had some neuroses even then, but I really began to question whether I was cut out to be a good mother when I had my second child.

I really struggled for the first six months that I had two little ones, 22 months apart. Looking back, it seems so obvious that I would struggle; Henry was colicky, Kimball was on the autistic spectrum (which we didn't know yet,) my husband was in graduate school full time while trying to support our family (and the Young Men's president at church, which is a demanding responsibility); I was working on a Master's degree from home (which I eventually dropped out of), substitute teaching once or twice a week, and a perfectionist. :) I learned during those months that I had a short temper, was easily frustrated, and was capable of yelling at my kids--things that I hadn't really imagined before. And it hurt. I wanted to be the perfect mother that I envisioned, and I knew that I wasn't her.

Thankfully, my transition to three children was much gentler. Jared bought a practice that was less than a mile away when Ian was two months old, so he was often home for lunch and didn't spend any time commuting. Ian was a perfect baby; by the time he was six weeks old, he was sleeping 10 hours at night without waking up to nurse, and a couple of weeks later he had upped that to 12 hours. We were starting to recognize that Kimball might have some special needs, and although it was an overwhelming thought, it also meant that we could get help. Nevertheless, I continued to be plagued with feelings of self-doubt, guilt, and inadequacy. I wondered if I was really cut out to be the mother to the big family that I had always dreamed of. I wondered if three boys would be our family.

One day in Relief Society (our Sunday church meeting for women,) my heart was heavy. The lesson was on motherhood and I was feeling inadequate. I was the RS President at the time, so I was sitting in the front, trying not to let my misery show on my face. The sister giving the lesson was praising her daughter-in-law as an amazing mother of five children, one of whom had Down's Syndrome. Her MIL talked about her unending patience, her constantly cheerful spirit, her unwavering faith. I know that we aren't supposed to compare ourselves to each other, but I was feeling worse and worse about myself. Why did I feel so easily overwhelmed with my three boys? Why did I lose my patience and yell at them? How could I conceive of having more children when I was such a stress case already?

Thankfully, the mother in question was present, visiting from another congregation that day. She raised her hand and said, "You are being far too generous. I have days all the time when I lose my patience. I wonder why the Lord would send me these children, who are so overwhelming to me at times. I struggle with feeling like I am a good mother."

I wanted to kiss her for her honesty. I wondered if all the mothers I admired felt the same way.

Suddenly, I felt the spirit wash over me. I sensed that Heavenly Father was comforting me, and in that moment it was as if I could hear Him telling me that I was a good mother. I also knew then that I could and should have more children and that He would help me become the mother that I wanted to be. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt this sweet reassurance from a Father who knew my pain and who loved me.

It has really been a process for me, but I have noticed in the years that followed that experience that I feel guilty and inadequate less and less. I do not think that this is because I have become the perfect mother. I do think that it is a blessing from a loving Heavenly Father. I have spent a lot of time studying what the scriptures and modern day prophets teach about motherhood and have spent lots of time on my knees asking the Lord for help and direction. I now feel that being a mother is just exactly what the Lord wants me to do and that He is making me into the woman that He knows I can become. I have taken greater joy in motherhood and found peace without finding the perfection I thought I needed. My house is still messy lots of the time, I still yell at my kids some (many) days, and occasionally I let my kids watch way too much TV. But I also know that the challenges of motherhood are teaching me things that I couldn't learn elsewhere. My children know that they are loved and valued. They know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Church. And even if they need professional counseling when they are older (which my mother reassures me is inevitable,) my children will still be okay because of those things.

Now, I feel strongly about helping other mothers feel that they are enough. Every mother needs to know that if she is doing her best, relying on the Lord, and pushing forward to do better, that she is a good mother to her children. And knowing that frees us up to relish motherhood in more situations and on a daily basis.

Relishing Motherhood's First Contest

One of the purposes of this blog is to help me remember to relish my motherhood. So often I get swept up in the to-do list, in the rush-rush of everyday life, in the seemingly endless piles of laundry, grocery lists, and bits of who-knows-what that need to be vacuumed from my 28 year old carpet. And yet, if I let those things define my day, my job, my life, then I've missed the whole point. I am not a stay at home mom because of those things. We could easily outsource those things if I had a full time paying-me-what-I'm-worth kind of job. We have chosen for me to be at home for the sake of our children and our marriage and our family. So why would I let my mind be consumed with the less meaningful aspects of motherhood?

I have found great joy in motherhood in the past year as I have actively sought it. Some days, I have to put "have fun with the kids" on my to-do list so that I remember. Some days I get bogged down in the other stuff and forget to relish. But as I have sought to have fun, to enjoy, to savor, I have shared such sweet moments with my children and our family. Moments that I would have missed if I hadn't slowed down and looked for the opportunities. That is one of the things that I love about homeschooling--the time that we spend learning together is quality time spent together. Every. Single. Day.

Anyhow, in a desire to share the love, I am sponsoring a writing contest.

The Topic:
An Ah-ha Moment of Motherhood. Tell me about a time when something really clicked for you and you saw motherhood in a new way. Or when you felt enlightenment in regards to your role as a mother or how you should handle a situation in your family. Or when you had an epiphany about your own mother. You get the picture. I'll be posting mine in the next couple of days.

The Rules:
Write a new post on the above topic on your blog. Be sure to leave me a comment on this post so that my readers and I can come over to your blog and read it. And please mention the contest and link to this post when you write your contest entry, so that if your readers want to participate, they'll know how to. The contest begins immediately and will go through June 30th.

The Judge:
My darling MIL, Myrna, will be our judge. She is uber-qualified as a mother, an accomplished writer, and has all the qualities one might want in a judge. She does like chocolate if you are into bribes!:)

The Prize:
A CD copy of my 2007 original cookbook, Come to Family Dinner, with over 75 of my favorite recipes for everything from Rustic Rosemary Country Bread to Apple Raspberry Crisp, and includes all of my original cheesecake recipes. I may even bake a goodie to send along with the cookbook--if I'm in a good mood and not too crazy busy, mind you.:)

If you don't have a blog and still wish to participate, please email me your entry. I claim the right to post any such entries on my blog (giving you the credit for writing it, naturally.)

No Slacking!

If you read my other blog, you already know that on Friday I was feeling burned out, tired, and moody. Thankfully, I was able to spend much of the weekend rejuvenating my spirit (plus I figured out that some of the aforementioned emotional state was probably PMS.) Friday evening, Myrna Mom (my MIL) let us go on a spur-of-the-moment temple date. (LDS temples are not used for Sunday worship. They are a special place where we make covenants and have the privelige of helping our ancestors receive the blessings of the gospel. Read more about it here.)

It was so nice to go and I really felt my spirits lift as we drove up onto Temple Hill. The sun was just setting and it felt like we were entering a magical world. We spotted three does grazing and a flock of wild turkeys and geese. Jared & I walked for few minutes under the oaks with my camera, trying to catch a good shot of the turkeys, before we went into the temple. No luck on the turkeys, but I did get a shot of the temple with the gorgeous oak out front. I am so infatuated with oak trees. Each one has so much character and is so beautiful and majestic.

As always, I left the temple feeling renewed and with my perspective back in place. Then, Saturday night we had the opportunity to attend a meeting at Church just for the adult members who live in our city (called stake conference if you want to know the lingo.) The talks all focused on strengthening families, building up a righteous posterity, etc. Again, I was uplifted, inspired, and we came home with things to talk about regarding ways that we want to improve in our family.

One quote really stuck out to me, especially because of the burnout that I'd been struggling with. It's from the Doctrine & Covenants, which are scripture revealed to Joseph Smith, Jr. I've read it and heard it many times before, but this was the first time that it occurred to me that the scripture applies to motherhood.

Wherefore, be not weary in well doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (D&C 64:33)

I cannot allow myself to get burned out on doing the things that are most important in my life and to my family. Naturally, we all get tired sometimes, and it was okay for me to take the kids to the park instead of get in one more math lesson last week. But when it comes to the most important things, including: daily scripture study, personal & family prayer, Family Home Evening, temple attendance, serving where needed, showing love to my husband and children; in these things, I cannot afford to get burned out. They are the things that not only rejuvenate me, but are also "laying the foundation of a great work"--my family. What we do as parents today, tomorrow, and every day of our children's youth will have an immense impact on the people that they become. As a mother, and in teaching my children who they are and why they are here, I am doing the Lord's work. And he hasn't given me permission to slack off. What he has offered is lots of help to do His work.

I feel so blessed to have the kind of counsel and wisdom available to me through the scriptures and the words of God's servants on the earth. Heavenly Father knew what I needed to hear this weekend and touched my heart so that I would hear it.

Thoughts on Motherhood

Since this blog is supposed to be about motherhood, I thought I would share a recent favorite quote on motherhood with you. The source is M. Russell Ballard, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and was given at the recent General Conference (when we gather as a church to be instructed and uplifted. It is always so inspiring.) His talk was completely dedicated to mothers, particularly to mothers with children at home. This is one of the things that he said:

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

I think that it is so easy for us to be passionate about the way that we mother. We feel strongly that it is the right way--and it may be the right way for our family. But as he said, each mother is different and each child is different. This does not change absolute truth, but it means that discipline styles, family rules and practices, and the things that a mother focuses on can be very different from family to family. AND THAT'S OK. Sometimes we think that if our way is right, then another's must be wrong. Or if we see someone whom we admire, doing things a certain way, that our way must be wrong. In reality, it is our responsibility to study out for ourselves and pray for the Lord's guidance in determining what is best in our situations for our families. And then to reach out and support other women in their efforts to do the same, even if their way is different from ours.

I am grateful for this wise and inspired counsel.

Soapbox Time

Everyone has their pet peeves. Things that drive them crazy. Jared can't handle if you stand over him, especially if you are eating something. I know because I do it to him all the time! I hate when people use apostrophes where they don't belong. I edit everything I read without really being conscious of the fact that I'm doing it until I run across a grievous error and realize that I am bugged. But today's soapbox is not going to be about grammar.

Something I hate more than grammatical errors are destructive attitudes about motherhood. Since there are so many of those in society today, most of us have bought into some of them, whether we realize it or not. Recently, a girlfriend came to me, troubled about what to do. Here's the situation:

She and her husband had some financial issues arise due to the current economy and housing market. They had gone round and round about how to fix the situation. She currently stays home with their three children; at times she has worked part-time, but they made the decision last year to keep her at home. One of the possible solutions to their current crisis was for her to go back to work--and she even had a job offer. They tried and tried to figure out a solution that would work for their two schedules in order to meet the needs of their kids, and in the end decided that her going back to work was going to put a lot of additional stress on the entire family; among other things, her husband was going to have to move to the graveyard shift at work. So, they decided instead to look at ways that they could reduce their spending in other areas to make up what they needed. After doing this, they determined that the sacrifice of giving some things up and spending less was a better one than the sacrifice of the mommy going back to work and the family making the necessary adjustments.

So far, so good, right? Not everyone can make that scenario work out, but they were grateful to find that they could have what they valued most. Now comes the part that makes my blood boil. Her mother-in-law finds out and reams her. Being a stay-at-home mom is a luxury, she says. You are just being lazy because you aren't willing to do what it takes when your family needs it. It is your responsibility to send those kids to day care and get a job if your family needs the money. Etc., etc. You get the picture.

My friend was left feeling confused and angry, and began to wonder if she was being selfish. Thank goodness she called me.

My dear friends, there is NOTHING lazy or selfish about being a stay at home mom. The very idea is ludicrous to me. How many of you get to sit around being lazy all day? Is it all about going to lunch with your friends, getting manicures, and catching up on your favorite shows? In my life, those things are rare. On the contrary, SAHMs have hard work to do, have hard sacrifices to make, and they do it for the good of their families.

Yes, it is a blessing to be a SAHM. I am grateful for the life that I have. I am blessed to have a husband who supports and shares my desire to have our children be raised by their mother. But it is not the selfish choice. We have had to make many sacrifices, most of them financial, in order to have me stay at home with our children, and I'm willing to venture that most of you SAHMs out there can say the same thing. And yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Since when is it selfish or lazy to go without some materialistic things for the sake of your family's well being? Of course, the underlying idea is that what your children need more than a mommy is the stuff that money can buy. And that is a dangerous, destructive thought.
So if you are battling with the idea that being at home to raise your children is a lazy or selfish luxury, please let the battle be over. Remember what is most important--and it isn't the things that you can buy at the mall (although those things are really pretty, I know!) It is the relationships we have, especially with our family. It is about raising children who are confident in our love, who have learned how to treat others with respect, who have learned the values that we work hard to teach them. It is about keeping our family unified and providing them with an environment that fosters love and learning. It is about showing our children that they come first.

And if you happen to be a woman who values all those things, but whose circumstances will just not allow you to be home with your children, regardless of the sacrifices that you might make, know that the Lord sees your heart and will bless you accordingly. I watched my own mother go back to work against her will when her youngest was 8 years old, because she was suddenly widowed. She was thrust into single parenthood and was forced to provide for the needs of her family by working full time. And I know that Heavenly Father blessed her family and made up the difference because circumstances would not allow her to do what her heart desired. I guess that my point is not to trash working moms but to validate those who make the choice to be at home.

You go, girls!

The Greatest of Causes

I am loving the current issue of BYU Magazine. There are a few articles in it that are giving me food for thought. The following quote, (from the commencement address at BYU in 1994 by James Q. Wilson, then of UCLA,) is one that found to be both inspiring and fitting for my blog's theme of motherhood.

"The easiest thing to do is to support great causes, sign stirring petitions, endorse grand philosophies. The hardest thing to do--and it is getting harder all the time--is to be a good husband, a good wife, a strong father, a strong mother, an honorable friend and neighbor."

So think about one thing that you can do today in your quest for greatness in one of these areas. I choose to make a concerted effort to show more tenderness to my family today.

Woman of the Year 2007

If you've been on my blog lately, you'll see that I've been giving awards for 2007. If you've missed these, check this post and this one. My award for Woman of the Year 2007 goes to Julie Beck of Alpine, Utah. In March of 2007, she was called to be the General President of the Relief Society (the LDS Church's Women's organization.) This is a responsibility that comes without formal training or pay. Since members of the Relief Society live in countries all over the world and number over 5 million women, her stewardship is far spread and surely a heavy burden to bear. (I thought it was hard when I was responsible for the 150 women in our congregation--I can't imagine what that must be like on such a large scale. I wonder if she can ever sleep!) She oversees an organization that assists in providing for the humanitarian and welfare needs of people all over the globe, in and out of the Church. The Relief Society helps women across the world with literacy, employment skills, and homemaking skills so that they can improve the quality of their lives and the lives of their families.
This assignment comes without a salary. It comes with little glory and frequently with much criticism from those who would do it differently. It is not something that you apply for, rather it is something that she was asked to do, called by a prophet of God. It requires great personal sacrifice of time, energy, and a willingness to subject oneself to the criticism of others. Sister Beck handles all this with grace and gratitude because of her testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the things that I love about Julie Beck (and, incidentally, has brought much criticism against her) is the way that she stands up for motherhood as a divine calling. She asks us to honor all that is good and godly in mothers. When she addressed the Church as a whole in October of 2007, her talk was bold and simple and extremely heartfelt. I sensed that she felt deeply about the importance of the subject of mothers, and more than once her voice wavered as she held back tears. She taught us how vital our role is as mothers. She spoke of how important and desirable are even the seemingly mundane tasks of housework, as keeping an orderly home contributes to the atmosphere in the home. (Incidentally, she did not say or imply that our husbands were not responsible to assist us in these tasks, although many women have been resentful that housekeeping was even mentioned, as if it will just get miraculously done.) She talked about the importance of choosing wisely how we as mothers will spend our time and energy, as well as making careful choices about the time commitments of our families, so as to ensure enough time for family dinners, Family Home Evening, family prayer, and other critical family times that enrich and build our families. I loved that she essentially rejected the idea of the "Supermom", who can do everything and pointed out that we need to make choices if we want to do the most important things well, rather than spreading ourselves too thin. She offered hope and peace that we can "have great power and influence for good on [our] children," inspite of the world in which we are raising them, if we will strengthen our own faith in God and seek to strengthen our families. Her talk was inspiring and motivating, and I have listened to it on my mp3 player and studied it online many times since then.
I sustain Sister Julie Beck as called by God at this time to lead the women of the world, to stand up for women and mothers, to strengthen families across the globe, and to testify of Jesus Christ. Because she does this without apology, even when some of the things that she teaches are not popular, I have chosen her as 2007 Woman of the Year.

Resolutions

Here are some resolutions I had this time last year. Let's see how I did:

• Stop raising my voice with my kids--Even though I have by no means accomplished this goal, I'd like to think that I am better most days at controlling my temper with them. I am definitely mindful of this goal always, which helps. Nevertheless, it continues to be a major struggle of motherhood for me.
• Get back into a good exercise routine after Bronwen is born--I did finally accomplish this, although it was quite a bit "after" Bronwen was born. After struggling all spring and summer with this goal, getting out for occasional walks, etc, I got back in my gym groove in November and managed to keep it up pretty well through the holidays. I have a long way to go to meet my fitness goals, but I know that regular exercise will help me to get there.
• Stick to a budget and be better at discerning between wants and needs--My goodness, as I read over these in my journal, I realize that I have the same resolutions this year! I guess I still have the same old weaknesses. I do feel like I made strides in this department, particularly towards the end of the year.
  
• Eat healthy and help my kids develop a healthy lifestyle--We had our good days and our bad days--and an awful lot of those bad days came in the month of December. Once again, this is a big one on my list for the year.
• Be more regular about my scripture study and prayer. Try to do it in the morning.--This one really has gotten better in 2007, though I still have an occasional day that I miss. The point is to have the habit well established, and I think I can say that it is.
  

It's a little bit discouraging to review last year's goals and have them look so much like 2008's goals. Here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2008:

1. Take the time each morning to reflect on the day and what my goals are. Prepare myself mentally for the challenges which could push me from my course. This preparation is best done if I will rise early, exercise, pray, meditate on my day, and study the scriptures or at least listen to a Conference talk on my mp3 player.
   
2. Be content with the blessings that I have been given, rather than always wanting more, especially when it comes to material things. Take the time daily or a few times weekly to record in my journal some blessings of the day.
3. Reach outside of myself to serve other people each day. Look for opportunities to do this.
4. Continue my new habit of exercising 5 times per week. Incorporate the principles of healthy eating habits to achieve my weight loss goal for 2008 of 40 lbs.
   
5. Learn to be more self- reliant in 2008 by a) planting a garden and tending it, b) building up my food storage that is waning, and c) learning a new skill such as sewing or canning.
   

Thanks for letting me list these for you. I think that accountability is important for me. Now that I've committed this to all of you I am more likely to follow through. Feel free to share some of your resolutions if accountability helps you (translation--comment, please!:)

In the coming days, I'm going to post some awards for 2007, including "Book of the Year" and "Woman of the Year." So keep coming back!