Nauvoo:

(I love seeing Elder Bednar's Special Witness clip...because WE MET HIM THERE!!)

(Sad news for my Nauvoo family...Dottie's is closed.)

(An unfired brick is called a pug. To dry them they had to rotate them daily which is called hacking. This is hacking a pug!)

(Loved my next door neighbor's house!)

(There is SOOOOO much grass in front of the temple now! It was sad to have no trace of the JSA but I gotta say, seeing the temple more is nice!)

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!

Tips for Road Trips with Kids:

Earlier this year we moved across the USA!

And to make it crazier... we drove. Roughly 56+ hours in the car spanned over 8 days (we stopped and visited family along the way.) 

We learned A LOT! Some things we got right and others blew up in our faces. So here is a list of my tips for traveling with kids. (My kids were 2 and 5):

(Please keep in mind I don't parent like this all the time. This was a unique experience! So before you call child services remember this isn't normal.)

1) DVD player: I would love to tell you that I was the sort of mom who didn't melt their child's brain with hours of movies during this trip but I'm not. Let me tell you, it saved my sanity. We didn't have them watch them the ENTIRE time. We made sure to have music time as well as some quiet time. But we also didn't hesitate to turn on a movie if tensions or anxieties started to rise. 

2) Suckers: When melting their brains didn't work, usually after dinner time and people were getting tired, we opted for rotting their teeth. Sometimes we needed that 20 minutes of quiet time. And those suckers were tear stoppers! Also since we weren't above bribery, it was a great way to motivate some better behavior from them :)

3) Play Places: For lunch, we were not above stopping at McDonald's to utilize their play structures. This was such a life saver! It ate up some time but the kids were happier. If you can't stand fast food, maybe grab a healthier lunch and take it too a local park. Giving that time to be active was so worth it!

4) Hotel Pools: We made a point of staying in places with pools. It was the perfect way to get them moving after we checked in for the night. We gave up on bed times since their normal schedule plus the time changes were all screwy. We would end the fun with a few minutes in the hot tub to help relax their muscles and get them calmed down enough for bed.

5) Don't bring a ton of stuff: We definitely over packed. I wanted to be that mom who had their kids read the whole time but it just ended up being more stuff we had work around. We brought their comforters and pillows and a ton of their favorite stuffed animals. Not again! This time we may bring a couple of books, one stuffed animal and no comforters. It was just WAY too much. 

6) Make some fun stops along the way: If you can afford to do so. We visited family and also checked off some bucket list items like The Monterrey Bay Aquarium! This definitely helped break up the endless hours of driving. Also if you happen to pass the few really cool rest stops that have playgrounds, be sure to let them play a few minutes after a potty break! 

7) Ration water: My kids who seem to never be thirsty when they are playing all day suddenly seem like they can't get enough while they are confined to their car seats. We would get back from the potty break and they would drink several ounces of water only then needing to pee again a half hour later. It's a juggling act of making sure they stay hydrated while not having to stop every rest stop. 

8) Have a variety of snacks. Kids get munchie  in the car! So stave off the between meal starve fests with good and HEALTHY snacks! Dried fruits, trail mixes... the sky is the limit! 

This list will be ongoing so be sure to check back again! We are headed for another PCS soon so I may be making some changes!

Month of the Military Child:

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Some of you might not know this, but in my church there are missionary couples called to serve as just military relations missionaries. Basically their job is to make sure the military families in the church are taken care of. 

Because our records got so messed up when Clayton was in Korea, this couple had  been trying unsuccessfully to track us down for some time till finally they were able to get our address. But since they had no phone number they decided to just stop on by! Which was embarrassing since it was laundry day. But hey, we live here!

I don't know if anyone else's kids are like this, but when we have visitors all the toys come out:

"Hey look at this ball! Want to see my bike? Here is my awesome helmet. Watch me shoot a Nerf gun at your head!" 

Caden threw them for the loop when he randomly went up and hugged them mid conversation.

"You have very loving children!" They responded. 

When they left the boys followed them out the door and watched from the top of the stairs. 

"Goodbye!" They yelled.

"Bye!" the missionaries responded.

"I LOVE YOU!" Will shouted.

Pause...

"I love you too." they replied sounding slightly taken a back. 

I smiled and thought, "Hey you said it yourself, they are very loving kids."

My kids walked back into the apartment like they were on cloud nine! 

My heart was touched, because they said they loved my kids. April is the month of Military Children. I read once as I was searching for ways to help my children cope with Clayton's tour in Korea, that the impact of a deployment is just as hard on military children as parents getting a divorce. My kids aren't having to worry about us getting divorced but here they are going through something equally traumatic. Military children are different. They have to be tougher than most little kids. They have to be understanding. They have to be patient. They have to strong. But at their core they are still kids. Like all children, military children need to be loved. They need reassurance that they are important, unique and useful. And they need hear it over and over and over again. A big piece of their heart goes missing when mommy or daddy has to leave. A piece of their security. Their foundation is shaken. Some may not show it while others it is obvious.

There are so many "support our troops" and "hug an military wife" slogans. But I feel there is an entire group of little warriors who get over looked. And for them I think it is harder. They didn't choose this life. I do my best to be strong for them. To be the rock that keeps this family grounded. We make extra efforts to make sure they are emotionally healthy. But I can not tell you how touched I am when a teacher, a church leader or a complete stranger coming into our home and makes my boys feel special. It makes all the difference!

So be on the look out for those military children at school, in church and at the playground. They need extra attention, extra reassurance and extra I love you's!

For a comprehensive list on recognizing the stress of deployment I recommend this website. It breaks it down by age. An important point they emphasize is to make sure you take time for you. You need to be stable and patient and making sure you are getting enough sleep and making healthy choices will help you be there for your children. I also recommend taking on a lot less. It's ok to say no, especially when your children need you at your emotional best and that is already compromised. Most days I really have NOTHING going on. Most days I am just hanging out with my kids. Taking it easy and knowing just how far I can push it before I lose it. Because they need me, more now than probably ever!

So in honor of the military children in my life and around the globe I am hosting my first annual Month of the Military Child. If you are a parent of a military child please feel free to share a post about them! Be it how you helped them when their parent was away, tips on helping them with relocation, ways on how you helped them feel connected to a parent who was overseas, an inspiring story, resources that helped you help them...etc. Rules for this link party are simple:

1) Remember OPSEC! If you don't know what that is, be sure to take a second to educate yourself. It is a very important part of being a military spouse.

2) Only family friendly posts are allowed.

3) Posts must be about topics in regards to Military Children.

4) No promoting Etsy Shops or businesses. This is a way to connect with other military parents not to promote your business.

5) If you do link up, please be sure to visit at least three different posts and leave comments! This is just good blogging party etiquette. If you want others to read your posts be sure to also read others as well.

6) No confrontations please: Everyone's parenting styles are different. You may not agree with someone's parenting choices but that doesn't give us the right to be mean or condescending. If you can't say anything nice or constructive then don't say anything at all. We are here to support each other in our efforts to support our military children.

An InLinkz Link-up