Picture Perfect

The other day in church, a woman came up to me and told me that she loved sitting behind my little family. “Really?”, I thought. What I wanted to say was, “It doesn’t distract you to have my kids crying, thrashing around, wrestling with each other, making their toys talk to each other as loud as possible, and having to get up with them 5 times in the middle of the meeting?” She was trying to give me a compliment, so I took it. She said that we looked like such a “normal mormon family” and that my husband and … Continue reading →

Getting More Out of Easter Sunday

It is easy to think of the easter bunny, and candy on Easter Sunday. We might rush around to make sure our kids’ easter baskets are filled, that we’ve dyed the easter eggs, and that we’ve hidden them quietly for our children to find the next morning. But, do we put the same amount of effort into discussing with them why we are doing all of this in the first place? Is Easter really about the Easter bunny? Of course, we know it’s not. I was looking on the church website today and found some very inspirational videos that will … Continue reading →

April 2011 General Conference-Become as a Little Child

Children are on my mind a lot lately due to my most recent calling. I think about my own kids and what teach me, and what I need to teach them. I think about the children in my ward, and their needs. Children can teach us so much about what is important. We just need to listen. In this past conference, I loved the talk, “Become as a Little Child” by Jean A. Stevens, a member of the General Primary Presidency. She talked of how we can look to children for an example of how we can become closer to, … Continue reading →

Re-Evaluation

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little like I’m keeping really busy, but not really accomplishing much. This was manifested to me the week my daughter was out of preschool, and I scheduled a playdate for every single day that she was out of school. A thought came to me, “Why do I feel the need to be so busy?” “What am I afraid of?” Being at home with my kids? So, I started to re-evaluate my priorities. Because of my new calling, and other life events, I felt like I had to start cutting back somewhere. I had to start … Continue reading →

How Big Should Your Family Be?

Typically, Mormons have big families. Or at least that was the way it used to be. I think that trend is changing though. It seems as I look around in church that there are no longer tons of families in each ward that have 6+ kids, but rather one family, maybe two that is a big family. However, in today’s society, it is interesting to hear what people think about having big families. A non-LDS family member of mine once told my husband and I that, “it was just, not right for the world for people to have more than … Continue reading →

Lessons from My Father

I’ve always been a bit of a daddy’s girl. As a little girl, I chose repeatedly to attend the “cow sales” (livestock auctions) with Dad over shopping with Mom. Maybe it was because I felt so special being the only little girl in the midst of all those men, but whatever the reason, I loved spending time with my dad. I loved the way he took care of me and, although my memory may be somewhat skewed by age and time, the way he seemed to take pride in my being there. I grew up wanting to be around Dad … Continue reading →

The Importance of Fathers

My husband grew up in a home without a father. Like so many kids these days, he had one parent at home who had to work to make a living, so he was on his own quite a bit. But even though he didn’t have a father, he felt the need for a father figure. He adored his grandpa and tried to be like him, and he sought out other men to fill that void in his life. Fortunately, he lived in a good neighborhood and a good ward. As a teenager, a man down the street took him under … Continue reading →

More Lessons from My Mother

In my last blog entry, I recounted a few of the things I’ve learned from my fabulous mom. I’ve learned so much, though, that I felt I needed to add a few more that have shaped my LDS views on motherhood, selflessness, and church service. I learned how to be a mother from Mom (skills that I’ll soon be using). I learned what nurturing is at the hand of my mother. She’s the glue that makes our family function and every member feel fulfilled and loved. As the second oldest child of seven (and the oldest at home from age … Continue reading →

Lessons from My Mother

I want to share a little bit about what I’ve learned about being and LDS woman and about motherhood from my mother since we’re so close to Mother’s Day. As Jane Austen wrote in Persuasion, she is “too modest for the world in general to be aware of half her accomplishments,” especially since some of her most important accomplishments have taken place inside the quiet workings of her own home. She has been my example for years; here are just a few of the things she’s taught me. I’ve learned to trust her opinions. Mom is real. She’s genuine, caring, … Continue reading →

Taking Over

I am a pretty independent lady. I was single for many more years than I thought I would be, so by the time I found my sweetheart I had already defined much of my life. I had finished my education and was financially, emotionally, and spiritually stable. I had, out of necessity, filled all the gaps. So adjusting to a shared life was a bit more of a struggle than I had anticipated. I still wanted to control the finances and took over worrying about our temporal well-being with gusto. During a frank conversation one night, my husband, Chad, asked … Continue reading →