General Conference 2014:

I hope everyone had a great conference! This year has been one of the very few times I have been away from my parents on General Conference and I miss the traditions we have with them. But at the same time we made our own traditions this weekend! Since the boys are getting older, I decided to try some things to get them to pay attention more. One tip I saw floating around the Pinterest-sphere suggested you have a jar of candy with an accompanying word. Anytime the children hear that word they get a candy. Since I am not super mom, I told my kids they would get some chocolate chips if they hear Jesus Christ since I had some left over in the cupboard. I grossly underestimated how often Jesus Christ is said in Conference and ran out Sunday morning...oops!

(Caden saving some chocolate for later!)

This year we also tried Jocelyn's from "We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ" reverence stations.

We had four: trains/wooden blocks, car mat, Lego table and coloring station.

(Practicing focus on my camera)

We built temples out of legos and Will drew a picture of the Christus!

Since we discovered I am at the very least intolerant to eggs, we skipped the usually breakfast casserole and  I made cinnamon rolls for the first time. I used this recipe from "Baking with Mom." It turned out really good despite a couple of mistakes I made. While I was baking, Will asked me what I was making. When I told him he asked, "What are those?" Parental face palm. HAVE I TAUGHT THIS KID NOTHING?! Apparently. "It's like eating cake for breakfast!" I responded. His little face lit up like Christmas morning!

For dinner, Clay made wontons! I didn't get any pictures of the process but here is the recipe:

Fried Wontons

1 package wonton skins, thawed if frozen

1 egg, beaten

safflower oil

 Filling:

1 package of ground sausage

2 - 3 Green onions chopped

½ cup jack cheese

Soy sauce to taste

 Stir fry sausage until brown. Add other ingredients and cook until the cheese melts. Cool.

Put a small teaspoon of filling in the center of the wonton. Moisten edges with beaten egg, then fold over into a triangle. Deep fry in safflower oil until golden brown (not too long, or they taste burnt), drip dry and serve with guacamole.

Seriously these are mouth watering good! Our picky 5 year old who has apparently figured out how to get all the nutrients he needs from breathing, ate 10 of them!! 

We also had some crazy rain during conference! I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and while we boast some of the wettest cities, it surprised me to learn that Washington and Oregon aren't even on the top ten list for wettest states in the USA. Seriously! Our backyard began forming a small ocean. 

It's going to take several days to process the messages that were shared. But I have already begun my bi-annual conference resolutions. For me, the overwhelming theme has been to love one another. To defend our faith but to do so with kindness. And obedience. Posts to follow I am sure! But I have to say I am so grateful to be a member of this church. I am so grateful for the inspired words that come from our church leaders. I can't wait for church meetings to come to hear what others learned too!

You can't get much done in life...

I don't like to ring my own bell but *ding ding ding* if I have a talent it is THIS:

I am ever so good at dropping the ball. 

I have perfected the gift of waving my little white flag of surrender!

Lets face it, parenthood and marriage takes energy. Energy that I just don't seem to wake up with on MOST DAYS! And it is so easy...ridiculously and pathetically...easy for me to forgo all plans of productivity and simply do the BARE minimum I need to get through the day (getting ready not included.) 

Those plans I had to work out...gone!

Will power to eat healthy? Pfff what's that?!

Laundry that needs folding? I'm so good at pretending it's not there! That's why we have two couches right?

Jeans? No way! I'm not going anywhere today, but if I have too lets make it Walmart so I don't have to change. 

Plans to take boys to the park? Why?! That's why we pay to have a backyard!

People it is that bad! It is so embarrassingly that bad!

Because lets face, ever since my hormones went wacko two years ago, three quarters of the month I am exhausted. It's getting better on the days I feel great but the days I'm not its not. I have always been really good at maintaining a positive attitude despite those crazy hormonal fluctuations but it's getting harder. I just keep telling my husband if we got pregnant this would all go away! He knows better though :)

But the other day I had a wake up call.  And by wake up call, I mean I read something that forced me to acknowledge what I had been purposefully ignoring all this time:

"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good."

CRAP! Curse you Pinterest and all your wisdom:

Just kidding:

This really hit a chord with me. Am I really only going to put my best foot forward ten days out of the month? 

So the next day, despite dealing with  the cold my son was so kind to share and being exhausted because of stupid hormones I got up, worked out, got ready for the day, had a great preschool lesson with my son, folded laundry, cleaned house, played with my kids... basically what I could picture as the perfect normal day at home was achieved! It felt incredible! I felt incredible...tired but incredible.

The next day I may have regressed some but a lot of that had to do with how hard I pushed it in that work out. Incredible sure feels like soreness and tight muscles the next day  :) But I didn't completely relapse either! I still folded more laundry, got dressed in actual jeans and still had a pretty great day.

Here's hoping I can keep this up! I've written that quote on my fridge so it is glaring at me most of the day. No excuses! Also no delusions of grandeur. I'm not trying to be super mom. Not even close. But I am trying to be a little bit better! Here's to working on the days I don't feel good!

Happy Mother's Day Book Review: The Invisible Woman: When Only God Sees by Nicole Johnson

I hope everyone had an awesome Mother's Day!!

Yesterday I got an incredible book from my Dad and I finished it yesterday too!

This book is about a woman named Charlotte. A wife and mother of two boys. She begins to notice that she has become invisible. That she is simply the hands that fold laundry, the driving force that takes them too school. To her husband she always looks "fine" when she asks. It's as if her family thinks that dinner magically appears in front of them each night. She begins to give into the thanklessness of her invisibility when she confides to a friend. Two weeks later this friend returns from a trip to Europe. Her friend hands her a book she found that would later change Charlotte's perception of her whole life.

The book is on the Cathedrals of Europe. I won't spoil it for you by listing the amazing parallels she is able to draw from it. But they are beautiful!

I can't say that I feel invisible ALL the time (Thank you Daniel Tiger for the "Thank You" song!) But do I feel invisible sometimes? You bet I do! When I'm on the phone and someone comes in begging for a snack, it's like I'm not even there. But motherhood is a service. And we shouldn't be doing our day to day with hope of recognition (We should still get it but that shouldn't be our motivation.). Our motivation should be to more like Jesus Christ and we need to use our faith and know that God sees our good works and our thankless service.

Well I need to wrap this up, Caden can't see that I'm trying to write a blog post and is asking for a story right now :) Please read this book! I am more than willing to lend my copy to anyone in my area who wants to read it, so long as I get it back!

Health and Fitness: My motivation

I love being healthy! I am still trying to figure out how I was skinnier back when I ate whatever I wanted and didn't exercise than I am now when I watch what I eat and exercise regularly! Must be the hips I got after having two kids gave me :) 

But like most (I hope) I fall off the bandwagon and need to go to my inspiration sources to get me revved up to start again. Here are my top three blogs I go to for just that!

Love Your Healthy Body.com:

This blog belongs to my friend Claire! She has totally inspired me over and over to keep going! Her before and now pictures really show all the work and determination she has put into it. She has taken control of her life and I admire her so much for it!

Lance and Mckenzie.blogspot.com:

This is my friend Mckenzie's family blog! I love that she posted her progress with the infamous INSANITY work out! I love Insanity and it was so inspiring to see her post her progress week after week. Unfortunately I can't do Insanity now that we live above someone... :( But still she keeps me motivated!

5 Nuts in a Nutshell:

I love this blog! She is an army wife who has truly made a huge difference in her life. Right now she is hosting a summer fitness challenge (Link above goes straight too it!). I am debating whether or not to go for it! I know I could definitely hit the Bronze but if I sign up (its free btw) I would want to go for the GOLD! Although I am not as confident I could hit it! I love her blog because sometimes as a military wife/mom, it's hard to take the time to get out and work out. Your husband's schedule is NEVER set. You can say all day long that you guys will plan on him watching kids after dinner so you can run but lets face it, my husband has gone weeks not getting home in time for dinner. Or he'll get put on night shift but still have to leave early in the day. So I have named my double stroller "No Excuses." Although I like working out on my own and not having to answer "The Call of the Mommy", unfortunately that isn't a luxury I can afford right now. I may not get to shower until the afternoon but is it worth it? Oh yeah!

Summer is just around the corner! Time to get re motivated! The sun is out, go have some fun! What sources of inspiration do you use?

The Power of Motherhood:

Hey fellow mothers! Do you ever have "days"?

Days where the house can't seem to get clean. The laundry doesn't seem to get done no matter how many shirts you fold. The dishes are piling up and the garbage needs to go out. The bills need to be paid, the children need to be fed. Diapers need changing...and changing...and changing... 

Today was one of those days for me!

But you know what I did? I put aside all the chores and my expectations for a super clean house, I surrendered because it wasn't happening today. Instead I played with my children. Their laughter filled my heart with love. Their joy radiated into my soul. I forgot how much fun it was to play with them. 

Now the day is over, and the house is still a mess, but today I accomplished much. Today was a good day :)

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this."

-Neil A. Maxwell April 1978 "The Women of God"

General Conference Preppers:

Easter is coming! I am so excited! But so is General Conference!

I am so excited for that too.

I stumbled upon a very interesting quote by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the Book of Mormon Institute Manual that has the little wheels in my brain reeling:

“Last week I was talking with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve about comments we had received on our April conference talks. My friend said someone told him, ‘I surely enjoyed your talk.’ We agreed that this is not the kind of comment we like to receive. As my friend said, ‘I didn't give that talk to be enjoyed. What does he think I am, some kind of entertainer?’ Another member of our quorum joined the conversation by saying, ‘That reminds me of the story of a good minister. When a parishioner said, “I surely enjoyed your sermon today,” the minister replied, “In that case, you didn't understand it.”’

“You may remember that this April conference I spoke on pornography. No one told me they ‘enjoyed’ that talk—not one! In fact, there was nothing enjoyable in it even for me.

“I speak of these recent conversations to teach the principle that a message given by a General Authority at a general conference—a message prepared under the influence of the Spirit to further the work of the Lord—is not given to be enjoyed. It is given to inspire, to edify, to challenge, or to correct. It is given to be heard under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, with the intended result that the listener learns from the talk and from the Spirit what he or she should do about it” (“The Dedication of a Lifetime” [CES fireside for young adults, May 1, 2005], 1, www.ldsces.org).

Are we preparing to listen to conference with the same fervor as those who are preparing to speak to us? Are we prepared to be moved to action? To be inspired, to be edified, challenged or even corrected? Or are we simply excited to enjoy it?

Food for thought!

Some ideas for preparing for the event:
1) Fast the Sunday before that you will be receptive to the individual messages that you need to hear.
2) Write down any questions you would like answered or specific inspiration you may be needing in your life right now.
3) Prepare your family at FHE the Monday before by discussing these suggested points on lds.org!
4) After Conference, be sure to revisit the talks! We are humans, we need reminders! One woman who's family does an excellent job at this is Jocelyn Christensen. She is incredible and her blog is FULL of FHE ideas and General Conference ideas as well! Definitely spend sometime and look around.  You won't regret it!

On a less serious note:

This year we are also doing something fun for Conference:

Fantasy General Conference

Yeah this is going to be awesome :) I will let you know who wins!