Category Archives: A Little of Everything

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Once upon a time I wrote here. It seems like it’s been forever…but I don’t really have much to say. Life has been pretty uneventful, which is good. I’m in control. I am the boss of myself… mostly because Barry has taken a quasi-vacation and stayed home in the mornings. He’s done spectacular things like clean out closets and throw out old toys and rearrange the family room furniture. You know, stuff I only dream about. He does it. I married a doer. (or should I write do-er or dooer–you know, one that does things) I’ve done things too, like cook dinner every night and fold laundry. The toilets need scrubbed, have needed scrubbed, and are in dire need of attention now because Jonah has decided that he can go potty ALL BY HIMSELF, which is a blessing when I’m in the middle of cutting raw chicken or nursing Logan–but he needs to work on the aim. It takes me back to the days of living in a house with 4 younger brothers who peed in the dark when they got up at night. So, I guess scrubb the toilets and surrounding floors is something I should add on to the list of things I should do… But, I have been doing. I took the kids to the library and even braved the fabric store! I embroidered and sewed two baby blankets (which I should have taken pictures of) for friends that have had babies. I bought new pants for my shrinking body because my humungous baby thinks he is starving to death and is sucking me away (which I shouldn’t complain about–I mean, I’m fitting into size 2 pants, which feels good–it just entails shopping which I really detest because I’m slow and indecisive and have major anxiety issues with spending money). We’ve had family prayer morning AND night everyday! I’ve done school everyday! I have a routine and in the afternoons I get my kids to do a “ten minute program” in which I set the timer for ten minutes and if all the toys are picked up and put away when it beeps they get to watch a TV show–and so I don’t have to pick up toys!!!

Anyway, this has turned into a long bit of rambling. I wish Barry could always work from noon to five…

I’m here again

Back from my trip. Tons to do. Wish I had a couple hours to write all about it. Check out Barry’s blog for details.

Here are a couple things I don’t want to forget to write:

Logan has his two bottom teeth. They sprouted up on Tuesday, December 28th. He’s only 5 months old! My other kids got teeth later. Brenna at about 10 months and Jonah at 8. So, I was in denial that his drooling and screaming meant he was getting teeth. My mom discovered them.

One night while we were in Idaho Brenna was feeling a little under the weather and kept complaining. She said things like, “The white blood cells in my body are just battling and fighting with the germs all around my body and I’m bursting with pain.” And, “Oh, I’m so tired (fake yawn) and my ears just don’t work anymore, and I think my brain is going to break!!” Fortunately the white blood cells won their battle and she feels fine now.

I can’t sleep at all

The yucky pukey feeling was all over with yesterday, but the coughing!! I can’t stop coughing.

I also can’t turn my brain off. I am restless to make art and found some new inspiring blogs (here and here). I think over this Christmas break I will be doing some drawing (and spinning of course) and overhaul my site.

I’ve also been working on my talk for our Home, Family and Personal Enrichment meeting tonight. As a Presidency it is our Christmas gift to the sisters–a night titled “Fill the Well Within.” There will be musical numbers and talk about how in order to truly serve and give, we must first be filled. Not in the pop culture sense that we should go get a pedicure or something, but that our spiritual wells can run dry if we don’t do what’s neccessary to replenish them.

I based my talk on 2 Nephi 2:25-27

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

We are the creators of our lives. We can choose either to act, or to be acted upon. By choosing to act, we fill our wells and create joy in our lives.

Here’s a list of choices we can make to fill our wells:

  • Choose optimism rather than pessimism.
  • Choose gratitude over selfishness.
  • Choose productivity and creativity–don’t waste time!
  • Choose peace over clutter–or in other words simplicity over complexity.

    • and most importantly

  • Choose love.

    • If everyday we could think about what we are doing and feeling and thinking and ask, “Am I acting, or being acted upon?” If we could focus on being the creators of joy–which is the full measure of our creation–then our wells would be full. We could gain a more proper perspective of what really matters and simply love.

    Just so you know some more

    No one has rhuematic fever. We have actually all stopped puking.

    Last night I went to bed at 6:00 because I was completely delusional and freezing cold, and too hot. It was a good thing I did, so that I could get some rest in between Jonah getting up. It seems like he got up 8 times. That could be an exaggeration—but the screaming!! The irrational whining!! Will he ever stop being two?!

    One time he got up because he wanted wrapped up. I went into his room with him and attempted to put him in bed so I could wrap him up. “NOOOOO! It’s not the right way. I need the fish part here (pointing to his forehead) so I can be all snuggled up and hold it.” I tried again. “You have to wrap me up OUT of bed!!”

    “Jonah, use a quiet voice. Brenna is sleeping.”

    “No. I am waking up. I need a waking up voice.”

    “Okay, let’s wrap you up. Climb up in bed.”

    “No. I can’t do the truth, it’s too tricky.”

    This went on for at least half an hour. Every time he got put in bed he screamed irrational things about how the truth is too tricky. Exasserbated, we finally resorted to moving Brenna to the spare bedroom and shut the door on Jonah. I’m suprised the neighbors didn’t call to complain that we had woken them up because Jonah just laid by the door, kicking and wailing and screaming that whatever way we wrapped him up was not the truth.

    “That’s not the truth!!!! The truth is too tricky!!!!”

    Poor Barry didn’t get much sleep, but Logan slept like a log.