{ TEN on Tuesday}

 

1. Conference weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year to be Spiritually uplifted and to gain a greater resolve to improve, be a better stronger person, mother, wife, and sister.. I loved all of conference {what conf? go here} but Saturday sessions seemed to speak right to me some of my favorite talks were Elder Oaks, Elder Tad Callister 

and I really loved Elder Klebingat's super direct and clear talks telling us to shape up and telling us EXACTLY what we need to do to be more Christlike. 

LOVED IT! The whole talk is found here:)

Here are a few points from it:

1. "Take responsibility for your own spiritual well-being." Stop blaming others or your circumstances, stop justifying and stop making excuses for why you are not fully striving to be obedient.

2. "Take responsibility for your own physical well-being." Decide today.

3. "Embrace voluntary, whole-hearted obedience as part of your life." Make the Church and the restored gospel your whole life, not just part of your outward or social life.

4. "Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly." Establish an attitude of ongoing, happy, joyful repentance.

5. "Become really, really good at forgiving." Forgive everyone, everything all the time. Don't hold grudges, don't be easily offended, forgive and forget quickly.

6. "Accept trials, setbacks and surprises as part of your mortal experience."

It's an amazing recipe for a happy, Christlike life.We all have things we can work on, but its nice to have a reminder and a clear guideline of what we should be doing!

Loved this talk and quote too

2. Elder Oaks said "KINDNESS IS POWERFUL" pretty sure my kids will get sick of hearing it from me:)

His whole talk is here

3. AND the talk that really made me think and evaluate....... take a few minutes to listen or watch it here loved it and my favorite quote from it is

"Do we give our children our best, or our leftover time and talents?"  

 -Elder Callister

Lots to work on and think about.

4. Sometimes we have to give up a dream..... big or small..... sometimes it creeps up unexpectedly, sometimes it takes a good cry it out and always requires me to move on.... accept things as they are and remember what we have and be {grateful} everyday....

{"Move forward when trials come."}

5.  I find my greatest peace when I make time here and leave it all behind...

6. A few Saturdays ago we had a stake service day and then watched the womens broadcast that night ...L and I had so much fun {the boys were all at football all day so we had all day together} We made apple pies with the girls 8-11 in our ward and delivered them to people , then there was a luncheon and then we went to Maleficent finally loved it for the second time:) It was a fun day:) and little lady L enjoyed some mom time:)

7. Finally got my stove fixed and I think the kids missed some baking they sure put in a lot of orders;) SO nice to have it back now onto the garbage disposal!! Slowly but surely getting things down the basement is finally all put back together too!! So nice to have that done well I'm sure the kids are much more excited to have there rooms back:)

8. Lately I can't stop thinking about my growing children K will be 13 in 3 months and HOLY!A TEENAGER ! THEN its only 5 years till a mission and I can hardly wait........ but I dread the time in between getting them all to that stage is the hard part. But I love this quote 

{ because its a great reminder to stop WORRYING and enjoy today and I know that but its hard to do sometimes:) 

I do have great kids and for that I am so thankful we do the best we can to teach them all we can in the home!! It starts there! 

"Don't let yourself become so concerned with raising a good kid that you forget you already have one"

9. I have this up in my kitchen reminding me everyday to be count my blessings with thanksgiving next week I am so aware of all that I have been blessed with and continue to be blessed with...

 

 

10.  D and I went to "When the Game stands Tall" great movie and message loved it... Also saw the fault in our stars sat night and really liked it... love movies that keep you thinking afterwards.. 

I am so grateful for my family, my children and our life but I really hate how fast it flies by K is getting so tall, thoughtful and is figuring things out that if he does the dishwasher he gets time on something he wants.. win win its finding the things that mean something to them... I'm figuring things out along the way to its hard being a parent, a mother and letting go slowly of the things you could hold onto forever.... before they become just a memory. 

M is the sleepless child, the floor sleeper cave man boy who gets up so early every morning ....but I've figured out how to have a win win too with him. That he he has to do certain things before he gets something he wants he has be showered, prayers said bed made, have a clean room and then quietly read a bunch of chapters from a scripture reader and answer questions on it so I know he read it.... in that he gets reading in early and minutes for school:)  And then we are both happier:) He loves his teacher and cubs and is always helping somebody:)

L is discovering that being snotty and hard done by is the way to achieve complete miserableness on both our parts .....so a little 10 going on 16 drama is going on around here somedays... but we are figuring out what works good aka dad works wonders with her and of course knows the right things to say...Of course it depends on the day and for the most part she is lovely.....growing up and is fun and funny she comes up with some pretty random funnies sometimes:) She can be a doll and when she figures out all the things we do and are teaching her are to help her grow up to know a few things;) She'll thank us:) It's a girl thing right;)

K2 is loving taking the bus and going to school everyday all the newness of it .... yet he gets tired and loves quiet time when he gets home too. He loves having new chores to do and expectations, and knows how to snuggle which of course I love since he is my baby still he has such a tender heart and knows that I miss him everyday so he always makes sure he gives me a hug and kiss before school. 

I really do miss him especially everyday...... 

me thinks

I get up at 5:30 go to my basement gym get a good sweaty workout in for an hour, I shower, listen to my scriptures as I get ready and pray all before they get up. Then I wake them up or get them moving faster, make lunches and breakfast and have scripture study and prayer with them and that makes me feel accomplished all before 8 am when they leave me with a hug and kiss and I love you's and a wave out the door .....

and then its quiet so quiet and

I sometimes find myself a little bored  but I think its just the quiet, quiet house...so.. I putter around doing the dishes..... cleaning the smudgy hand prints on the fridge, doing the piles of laundry that are always calling my name and clean something else that needs it... I answer emails, check FB instagram and do parent council stuff or yw stuff.  

But above all I thank my Heavenly Father that I have a smudgy fridge, piles of laundry, dirt on the walls and odd socks everywhere....because it took a lot of work, prayer and miracles to have these children and there is never, never a day I take that for granted. 

So these quiet moments are my moments to feel appreciation and gratitude for all that I have been given. For my plan B.....for the time to learn how to tweak the things I don't like ......how to be a better me..... a better mother and all the other titles I hold . 

But the one I hold closest to my heart is my Mother title.

{Speaking of mothers its my mothers birthday today too Happy Birthday to her. She is my greatest example of loving, teaching and raising us through her example! I am blessed with a great mother who taught me what matters most and who matters most above all and continues to live her life in such a way.. Love you mom! }

HAVE A GREAT WEEK:))