for mondays

On Mondays I give myself a break. I ease myself in to the new week. I go down to the basement to assess the weekend mess and I tidy, but I don't clean. I look at my schedule and set my priorities. I do not let myself feel overwhelmed.

I am thankful for this weekend-recovery day. I try to spend it at home, in the quiet stillness of an empty house, putting everything back together again.

for staying home

I always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I never had lofty career goals or plans. I still don't. Staying home looks different than it used to, now that my kids are getting older, but this quote from Linda K. Burton still rings true:

"Mothers decide to stay home not just because they are tired of juggling family and career; not just because they want to 'be there' for the first word and the first step; not just because they have found that a rich home life requires persistent personal investment.

"They want to be home because in some quiet moment caring for their children, they have suddenly experienced the vastness, the intricacies, the delicate nature of this work. While performing some entirely routine act of nurturing, they have unexpectedly stumbled on a moment of insight so luminous as to reveal with imposing clarity that the greatest opportunity for success they might ever have is nestled right there in their arms.

"And in the midst of a thousand previous assumptions about life and love, in an instant that no one else can measure or see, they decided that this uncertain business of trying to guide childish innocent into adult wisdom is an art worth of extraordinary exertion and time."

I am thankful that I am able to be home for my family. It is what suits us best, and I am grateful that we have the means and resources to make it possible.

for kids who like each other

I heard laughter coming from the living room as I was in the kitchen working on dinner. After a long day of fasting, my kids were waiting to go to Nana's house to eat. They could have been grumpy with one another but they weren't. They were having fun together. I am thankful for kids who genuinely like each other. I love that Mabel will come home from a stake dance and stay up late telling Oliver all about it, and that Elliot wants to sleep in Stella's room any night that's not a school night. They will have each other much longer than they will have me and Mike, and so I am grateful for their friendship.

for sleeping in

We celebrated having no school today by sleeping in. I woke up two hours later than I normally do, and as I type this, half of my children are still asleep! It feels really good. I think we are all sleep deprived this school year. A day without our alarms is a luxury and a blessing and I am grateful for them.

happy weekend

Mike and I have been putting in our winter lawn this week. It is so much work, but it is worth it! Our regular grass (bermuda) goes dormant in the winter and turns brown and scratchy. Winter grass (rye) is lush and dark green and so pretty.

We transplanted some jasmine vines to the side wall of our house last year, but just barely got around to putting up a wire trellis for them. I can't believe the difference it has made! The vines have flourished with the trellis and will soon fill it. There are some gospel parallels here, but I'll let you sort them out on your own.

I hardly ever buy clothes, and especially never shoes, but I bought two new pairs this week! These black sneakers from target are replacing the 15 year old black converse that I've worn into the ground.

Quilting update: I've almost completed 12 blocks. The more I've worked on it, the less wonky my pieces have gotten. I love that it's an ongoing project that I can work on when I have a spare moment. Next I need to decide how to put my blocks together. I like quilts with a lot of white space, so I'm experimenting with different border sizes. It has been so fun.

This weekend is big for us. Tomorrow is the elementary school carnival (I'm the PTO vice president, so I'll be there all day), homecoming for Mabel (She's not old enough to date, so she's going with some friends ... and I couldn't convince her to wear my cute vintage dress. Sigh.), and then Mike is singing in sacrament meeting on Sunday. I love when he sings.

It sort of feels like the world is falling apart, doesn't it? I found this quote from President Uchtdorf to be comforting: "When we embark upon or continue the incredible journey that leads to God, our lives will be better. This does not mean that our lives will be free from sorrow ... No, following the Savior will not remove all of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you. God will be with you. He will direct your steps. He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is greatest ... The fires and tumults of moral life may threaten and frighten, but those who incline their hearts to God will be encircled by His peace. Their joy will not be diminished. They will not be abandoned or forgotten."

I hope your weekend is a happy one!

happy weekend

I think I've forgotten how to blog, and I'm ok with that.

We rearranged our family room yesterday. Our tv was broken (thanks to an errant magna tile), so we took it down and moved everything around. Lest you think we are virtuously going without a tv from now on, we picked up a new (bigger) one at Costco last night. Rearranging furniture is near the top of my list of favorite home improvements and I keep walking down to the basement just to see the new set up again.

This morning felt a little bit like Christmas, as our nighttime low finally dipped down to the 70s. Hot afternoons are much more bearable when I can open my windows at night. We are heading in to the best six months in Arizona and I can't wait.

I made these pumpkin muffins to celebrate.

Have a happy weekend!

a new school year and a new theme

School starts today! I sent everyone off this morning and now the house is quiet. I wasn't quite ready for summer to end, so I feel a little bit glum here all alone. My kids get along well together and I think they are so fun to be around, so I'll miss having them home. Our house was an especially happy one this summer.

Stella and Oliver are off to 4th and 7th grades. They attend the same school, a sort of magnet school in our district with a more rigorous curriculum. Mabel is a sophomore in high school, in the International Baccalaureate program. Her schedule looks so hard this year, but she is a bright girl and I know she'll do all right! And then sweet Elliot is in 2nd grade at our neighborhood elementary.

I like to pick a theme each school year. It gives us something to think about as we start a new year. With Mabel's intense load, and Oliver starting junior high, and Stella at a new, more difficult school, I was afraid we would get loaded down with work. I want to make sure that we always put God first, so I chose a scripture from Matthew that says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

My hope is that our family will put prayer, scripture study, service, and family time ahead of school and homework and anything else. I have seen that in my own life, when I have put a greater priority on my spiritual wellbeing, everything else falls into place.

Here's to a new year!

happy weekend

Yesterday we had a whopper of a monsoon. It is so amazing to have the temperature drop 30 degrees in a few minutes as the rain (and hail) start pouring out of the sky. It's just about the only time you see kids playing in the street in the summer. It is a welcome change, even with the humidity it brings.

I told myself this week that I didn't have to do anything. That I was just going to enjoy our last week of summer and relax. I did do a lot of that, but I also got busy cleaning out cupboards and junk drawers and my entire sewing room. I'm not sure what came over me. It was the most energy I've had all summer. Maybe because I gave myself permission to relax? Who knows, but I sure love walking by my sewing room and seeing it spic and span.

I'm teaching the Young Women on Sunday. The lesson is on why family is important. I don't usually look forward to my turn to teach, but I am excited to get into this topic with them. This whole month is full of really great lesson topics, actually. I am grateful to belong to a church that believes in and teaches these things to our youth.

Well, Oliver will be happy to know that because of the rain yesterday, the grass was too soggy to mow this morning. He had no idea I was going to wake him up early to work on it. We'll have to do that tomorrow, I guess. :) We need to get back in to the habit of waking up early, anyway. 5:00 wake up calls are coming soon!

Have a happy weekend.

the last days of summer

It's our last week of summer break. Sometimes at the end of summer, I am really anxious for school to start. Not this time. I'm not quite ready to get back into that busy routine, even though I know it will be good for us. Plus, our time with Mabel is running out! She only has two more summers at home, and it'd be nice if time would slow down just a little bit.

I've sort of let everything go this week. We are watching tv and playing the wii and looking at the iPad. And eating lots of ice cream, too. #longlivesummer

back into the swing of things

School starts next week. Ah! I guess it's time to get back into the swing of things. I will miss this summer. It has been my favorite to date. We took a couple of really fun trips and then spent the rest of the time at home relaxing in a major way--staying up late, sleeping in, swimming, playing, reading. Oh, it has been so great! We work really hard during the school year, so it feels really good to take a break from reality for a little while.

But that can't last forever. My goal this week is to get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour. Wish me luck!

happy weekend

I love summer. I love not having a schedule to keep. I love our slow mornings. I love not making dinner (cereal for dinner forever!). I love telling my kids when I tuck them in at night that they can read as late as they'd like.

On non-school nights, Elliot and Mabel switch beds so that she and Oliver can stay up late together talking. I hope they are always such good friends! It has tightened the bond between Stella and Elliot, too. This means that all summer long, Elliot is in Mabel's bed, and she is in his. Sometimes I wonder if they should just switch permanently, but I don't want to redecorate. :)

We are anxiously awaiting Mike's return for Father's Day this weekend. He has been away working as the cook for our ward's young men campout this week and we miss him (and Oliver, too). I loved this instagram about fathers from the LDS church that I saw this morning. My favorite part was when the dad said, "We fall short. We second-guess. We struggle. We hurt. We mess up. But, here's the real truth: We love. We cherish. We honor. We care. Not because we made ourselves that way, but because we have inherited our best traits and our greatest characteristics from the Father of us all."

Sometimes I think dads get a bad rap, but they are so important! And I know they try harder than we give them credit for.

I am feeling extra grateful for my own dad today--for his constant support and unconditional love. He has always wanted the best for his children and moved heaven and earth to get it for them. And I'm thankful for Mike, too, who takes his role as father so seriously. We'd be lost without his inspiration and direction and support.

Let's give our dads a big squeeze this weekend, if we can. Have a good one!

happy weekend

We have reached the point in our summer vacation where I don't know what day it is anymore. All of our days pretty much look like this ^^^. Lots of swimming. Lots of reading. Lots of sleeping in. It has been wonderful.

We have some fun things planned for this weekend, like a neighborhood carnival to help support our friend, Jeff, who was just diagnosed with colon cancer! If you are local, please come on Saturday night. There will be carnival games, food trucks, a humongous silent auction, and more. Here is the Facebook page and the Instagram account for more information. It is going to be a great night for a really good cause.

This is the kind of neighborhood effort that makes me really grateful to live where we do.

I felt so good last summer/fall when I was limiting my sugar, so I am trying to do it again, but it is so hard. And this pie has been calling my name. I think I'll make it for Sunday dinner. If I can get back to having one treat a week at Sunday dinner, I think I'll feel better. I've been feeling sluggish lately and it's time to make a change. More sleep and less sugar. That's the plan.

Stay cool out there and have a happy weekend!

a habit shift

We spent yesterday cleaning out our garage and shed. Why we chose to do that when it was 107 degrees outside, I don't know. But when the urge to purge hits, you have to follow through. That's what I've learned, anyway.

Our goal was to make room in the garage for our bikes. Because all of a sudden it feels like we have a million bikes!

Another thing I love about Mike is that when he decides to do something, HE DOES IT. An example: We have decided that if possible, we will ride our bikes instead of driving our car. Luckily we live where it is very flat (it's not called Mesa for nothing), and most of our life happens within a very small radius of our home. This is something I happily support. But Mike didn't stop there. No, he went above and beyond, like he always does, and found us electric bikes!

Oh man, they are a major game changer. Once you start pedaling, the little electric motor kicks in to assist. Every bike ride becomes a leisurely bike ride, even though you are zooming down the road. (Since our children don't have electric bikes, we kept our old bikes for family bike rides. Thus, the million bikes now crowding our garage.) The electric bikes make his commute to work and school, date night, and trips to the store so much more fun.

Sometimes it is hard to shift our habits. It takes effort to think about jumping on my bike to run an errand instead of jumping in the car. It takes some planning, too. That quick trip to the store might not happen, but maybe that's ok? Maybe it can wait. And sometimes habit shifts require going against the norm a little bit. My gut tells me that this shift is a good one, odd as it may seem to others. I've noticed that when I get home from a trip on my bike, I am happy. There is something light and peaceful and quiet about it. I am glad that Mike pushed it, and that it fits into our life easily.

(We got Juiced bikes and love them.)

biking to the store

Something I love about Mike is that he always has a new idea. He is constantly trying to improve how we do things around here. He'll research all the things, weigh the options, and then move forward. I am more apt to keep things the same, even if they aren't working terribly well. For instance: I've been riding my bike to the grocery store every week, but I could only fit so much in that teeny basket. I would have kept dangling grocery bags off my handlebars til the end of time, but he ordered a bike trailer. And now I can fit all the groceries! Hooray!

happy weekend

It's our first week of summer vacation. Hooray! We have big plans to clean out backpacks, get doughnuts, and load up on books at the library. And then go swimming. Because summer in Arizona equals swimming.

Also, it's 7:45 am and Elliot has already told me that there's nothing to do. Ha! Guess what, Elliot? Summer is about being bored, so get used to it. :)

Mike got the kids involved in planning our summer trip. They had lots of fun looking at all of the options together and then voting for Family Home Evening. Still not sure what we'll end up doing, but I am looking forward to it all the same!

Here's a quick neat video about my surfboard shaper brother, Matt.

And here's a little longer video made from one of my favorite General Conference talks about hearing the music of the gospel.

Have a great weekend!

happy weekend

Elliot turned seven last week, and ever since then, he's been gelling his hair before school and looking way too grown up. Ah! I don't know if I can take it. Elliot is full of personality, a good playmate, and a great baseball player. He is always getting his siblings outside to jump on the trampoline or ride vehicles, and likes to be in the middle of the action. He'd eat oatmeal every morning if he could and still likes a good snuggle first thing when he wakes up. And also, he looks exactly like his dad. :)

Two things we tried this week for dinner (and most of us liked): Spicy Instant Pot Carrot Soup (not too spicy and served over rice) and Breakfast Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce (assembled in the morning, kept in the fridge, and then popped in the oven at dinner time--I love when I can do that!).

What I'm making myself for Mother's Day: The Best Yellow Cake. I haven't been eating sugar all week, saving it up for Mother's Day, so I am really looking forward to eating this cake. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting will always be one of my most favorite desserts, but I've never made a successful homemade version. I am excited to try this recipe!

I hope you have a happy weekend, especially on Sunday.

because it's almost Mother's Day

Every Mother's Day for the past four years, I have taken a photo with my children on our living room step. This is the first time I've seen them all together, and oh, I love them! It is one of my favorite traditions. Look how teeny Elliot was in that first one!

Mother's Day can be tricky. I have found that what works best for me is to do everything that I normally do, while trying really hard to have gratitude in my heart for the opportunity. I have been blessed with some really wonderful kids to mother, and that is reason to celebrate! And if I get flowers or chocolate or a card on top of that, then it should be a really great day.

But here's the thing. Lately, I have been feeling under appreciated. I don't want to go into Mother's Day feeling that way. I don't ever want to feel that way. It doesn't lead to any sort of happiness, but sometimes that feeling is hard to shake. But when Sister Eubank read this quote from Eliza R. Snow in her Women's Conference address, I got the shaking I was looking for:

Sister Snow said, "We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves. ... Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities."

Oh man, she just laid it all out there, didn't she? Sister Snow was a wise and strong lady, and I admire her greatly. And so I am going to do what she says and stop seeking appreciation. I have a work to do and it is really important, so I best get on with it and stop feeling sorry for myself.

And also, grow my hair back out. I need to do that, too. :)

happy weekend

That beautiful new dishwasher right there represents true love. Here's why: Our old dishwasher broke a few months ago, and I have been hand washing our dishes ever since (#firstworldproblems, I know). But because he loves me, Mike took our tax return (the first we've gotten in years!) and bought a new one. Be still my heart! I am trying to retrain myself so that instead of scrubbing all of the dishes in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher like I have always done, I just scrape the food off and put them in unrinsed, as per the dishwasher's instructions. So far so good. We've been living in our house long enough now where we might have to start fixing and replacing things, I guess. I like that settled, long-term feeling.

Our activities are starting to wind down, and it feels great. Slower, less busy days are on the horizon. Mike only has a few days left of his first year of MBA school, and he is definitely due for a break, or in the very least, a nice, long nap. He has worked so hard! But before that happens we have one more baseball game, a few more volleyball matches, two really big choir concerts, and Mike has a few more finals to take.

It's not too hot here yet, so we'll be outside this weekend, trying to get our yard in order before summer hits.

What do you have planned?

some things

We went to the Easter Pageant last night. If you are local and haven't been yet, it is running through Saturday at the Mesa Temple. It is one of our favorite Easter traditions, and portrays the life of the Savior through song, dance, and drama. It is the largest Easter pageant in the world, and I feel really lucky to live so close to it.

Speaking of Easter, my kids and I have been talking more about the Holy week this year. I think it's important that we know what the Savior did during His final week in mortality. The more we know, the more real it will be to us. So we've been taking just a few minutes at dinner to talk about what happened to the Savior each day. And then we've been watching one of the videos highlighting some principles of peace that the Savior taught. These videos are super short, but so relevant to our life today. I really like them.

My favorite quote from General Conference this week is from Mark A. Bragg's talk, Brighter and Brighter Until the Perfect Day. It's a short talk and worth a listen. In it, he said, "May we be strengthened by the light that is available to us through greater participation at church and greater application of gospel principles in our families." I have a testimony of this. I believe that our Heavenly Father wants to bless us with light, and peace, and understanding, and comfort, and everything else that we need, but it takes work on our part. We must make an effort to seek that light. I have found in my own life that as I seek the light through participation at church and application of the gospel in my home, it has come. Little bits of it have consistently come that add up to a bright understanding, which gives me peace and assurance - two things that I really need in this life.

Something that has helped me get through my sewing projects this week: the Escape to the Country Collection on Netflix. The show highlights an area of the English countryside, then shows prospective buyers three adorable properties. It is helping me to fulfill my life-long dream of living in the English countryside in a home full of centuries-old character. Plus, it's British, and I think we can all agree that they make better television. Have you seen it?

I hope your week is going well!

happy weekend

It's little league season! Hooray! Elliot and I went out to the park after school yesterday to practice hitting some balls. He was mostly excited about wearing his new baseball socks, but he did manage to hit two balls out of the park and into our neighbor's yard. It's volleyball season, too, and after a little bit of practice with Stella, she asked if she "could go inside and do [her] homework now." Ha! So maybe volleyball isn't her thing, but she sure has fun with all of the girls on her team.

Here's some good news: Mike placed second in a pitch contest at school! He got a humongous check and everything. He did a great job and I am so proud of his hard work. His winning idea was a mosquito killing fan, so maybe we're getting into the mosquito killing business? I'll keep you posted.

I have a mountain of laundry to catch up on today, and some sewing projects to finish. But then I'll be ready to party. And by party, I mean attend little league and volleyball games. :)

Have a happy weekend!