You "Saved" the Day

I've had a lot on my mind.  Change. Newness. New goals.  BECOMING something better.  Creating.  Desires.  Priorities. Time. 

I've determined it is time to Simplify and to Organize. Some things are going to slip away and some new things may take their places. 

I am one who gets overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious pretty easily and yet I tend to add things to my plate by my own choice.  Good things.  But there are better.

We just got back from a vacation and while we were traveling near a larger city my husband took a wrong turn and we ended up downtown with two tired children (it was bedtime) one of them crying.  I was grumpy, impatient, and frustrated (this was not the first time this has happened ;) I was getting after him and saying things like, "why didn't you just go the way we came?"  On and on.  Contention.  Then just as we were about to get back on the freeway in the right direction my son said, very enthusiastically, "It's okay Mom.  It's good.  We saw flags.  You saved the day!"  He felt the contention and in his 4 year old way brought a smile to my face. I didn't even see any flags but to him that drive, that wrong turn saved the day because of a few simple flags! And I was again reminded that I need to find joy in each moment and strive to be positive.  Later I found out that despite my pessimism and criticisim in that moment that little adventure that led us downtown was one of my husbands favorite moments from the trip.  He enjoys exploring new places.  But there I was and I couldn't see it.  I couldn't see that moment with my family with eyes of joy.

Then today I taught the lesson in Relief Society on families and again was reminded that I need to enjoy and take hold of each moment as a Mother not just get through each day but SAVE each moment and cherish it.  Not just go about my agenda but grasp those small moments in time that truly matter.

And then yet again I came across another reminder in this video. It is too perfect for all of the thoughts I have been having. I think the Lord is trying to teach me:



Let us all cherish the moments that matter most. Let us all try to "Save" and enjoy each day and recognize each moment for what it is. Let us all recognize the things that need to slip from our lives so that we might simplify and have our eyes opened to the joy that those little moments bring.

How do you balance your commitments and priorities...

How do you balance your commitments and priorities to do everything that you should and some things you want to and still remain sane?



*This question was submitted by a friend over at "Be it Ever so Humble" Thanks!

Self-Medicating...

I ran, I dove, I smacked into the accordian wall on several occasions, I slide on the floor and gave my back a bump on the stage, and then it might seem that I scooted home quickly to head straight to the cupboard for a "dose of relief" but it wasn't that kind of self-medicating. Oh, it was a dose just right, so right that I realized that I need to "self-medicate" much more often. It was just what I needed.

It was a stake women's basketball game. A cure really. Now you might be thinking, what? A stake basketball game, self-medicating? Hmmm, that's interesting.

So let me explain - I played and I played hard, not the kind of hard I played in high school but the kind of hard that a Mommy who needs to just get the "Mommy Wiggles" out does. And it felt good. I came home tired but rejuvenated. And then the late night wakings of a Mommy with a new little one began and as I sat there nursing at two a.m., half asleep, the thought popped into my mind that that night's game was self-medicating. Weird, I know, but that was my thought.

So the following day I looked up this definition:

Self-medicating is the use of a drug with therapeutic intent but without professional advice or prescription.

And now I have realized that I really can't call what happened that night self-medicating although it did act as a drug in that some Mommy symptoms felt relieved and non-existent for a time and it did feel quite therapeutic however it had been prescribed by a professional indeed, only I had forgotten to refill my prescription. So you see, after this self-medicating event and a week or so later THIS event, I've been reminded that unlike many prescriptions this type requires refill after refill to keep symptoms in check.

And the prescription is written by this wonderful professional:

Elder Ballard

First we must accept the prescription:
"Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse (so ladies no real self-medicating :), mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it."

And then here is where the role of your "pharmasist husband" comes in:

"Give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. You may do a lot of lifting, twisting, and bending!"

So when you are feeling a funk coming on or well before then you may just want to call-in a prescription to your husband at work or hand him a copy of this quote when he gets home and head out the door or lock yourself in your bedroom or whatever your choice of "medicating" might be. For me, this time, it was stake basketball but maybe next time I'll lock myself in my room with a good book.

It is high time I follow the prescription (counsel) of a professional and fill up my well on occasion. So maybe today (Valentine's Day) I'll be asking my honey for a day-away or maybe just an hour. I have a feeling that sometime soon I may be in need of a "dose".

WOWW: Weightier Matters

This week has been a typical week at our house, a week like many of stay at home mothers...trying to spend time with and raise my children, amidst the chaos of a messy and getting messier house, all the while getting little and even littlier amounts of sleep. This week has been normal other than my total break down on Monday night. :) My husband was gone to class and thus had been gone all day and I was at my wits end. Really, I was just a time bomb waiting to blow. I could go on and on about the reasons why I blew (some of which included pans banging in the kitchen and digging through the garbage can) but I'm sure many of you could make a list of your own and could relate quite perfectly (although your story might not end in a dramatic cry fest, or maybe it would. Please tell me it would, so I can convince myself I am not in need of some therapy). ;)

It was a dramatic evening to say the least and quite exhausting. I determined one, that I need more sleep and two, that my life needs more balance and then an email came from my Grandpa with this quote:

"Gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of 'good ideas.' “ This was one of the Savior's criticisms of the religious 'experts' of His day, whom He chastised for attending to the hundreds of minor details of the law while neglecting the weightier matters (see Matthew 23:23)."So how do we stay aligned with these weightier matters? Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?". . . The Savior revealed the way. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,' He said. 'This is the first and great commandment' (Matthew 22:37, 38). Coupled with the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves (see Matthew 22:39)—we have a compass that provides direction not only for our lives but also for the Lord's Church on both sides of the veil." Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 21

I have determined that I have become trapped in the idea of attending to hundreds of minor details and am convinced that too often the weightier matters are getting set aside. My priorities are in need of a good check. Thinking on this I was directed to Luke chapter 10, which reads.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Just like Martha I have been careful and troubled about many things but not necessarily the needful things. It is time for a change. It is time I remember what will be my constant compass in keeping my priorities in check - 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,' It is time to choose the good part and spend the majority of my time attending to the weightier matters even if that means dishes are sometimes left in the sink and my family is happier and closer.

Mormonad Homefront Commercials

I found these videos yesterday at Mormontimes.com on their page called Today in the Bloggernacle. They are entertaining, funny, and send a good message about spending time together as a family. Enjoy!

Good, Better, Best

Sometimes our to-do lists can be overwhelming. Do the laundry, weed the garden, change that diaper and that one and that one, make dinner, go to work, do visiting and home teaching, fulfill other callings, clean up that spill, pick up that pile, call so-and-so, make that appointment, run kids to this and that, etc. You get the point! I loved this talk. It simplifies our to-do lists by knocking many things off or at least moving the most important things to the top of the list. Quite often I do the things that sound the easiest or the funnest first not necessarily the things that are best or most important. It is time for us all to check our priorities and cross some things off, move some things up, and maybe jot a few new "betters" and "bests" down.

Click on the title below to read the whole talk or watch the videos below.

Good, Better, Best
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them...We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.

Some young people are amusing themselves to death—spiritual death.

Good, Better, Best - Part 1

Good, Better, Best - Part 2