Family Values

I was talking to a friend of mine at rugby tonight. We started talking about values and passing them on to your children. I told her that we have a definite plan for our children and it makes certain issues easier to deal with. For instance, I told her, we don't have to worry as much about the kind of movies our young kids watch because we have a rule that if you're not 13 or older, you don't watch PG-13 movies. Of course, there are always a few PG movies I have problems with too, so we take those on a case by case basis. She asked me what I do when all their friends get to watch the movie, and they don't, and I told her they just don't get to watch it and it's too bad. They don't really miss anything. I don't get too hung up on peer pressure.

Of course, I told her my children weren't perfect and we were definitely a work in progress. It's a good thing I made that disclaimer because not 5 minutes later, Ammon punched another kid in the face. We have since determined he was not angry, just being silly. We're working a little on his impulsiveness though.

Anyway, I thought I'd share our family values here. I am currently making a list of how to teach these values to your children. They will be forthcoming on this blog.

1. Faith
2. Charity - Service/Family Relationships/Communication
3. Responsibility - this was a big one for my dad
4. Integrity
5. Hard Work
6. Uplifting Music
7. Education
8. Wholesome Recreation
9. Talent Development
10. Health

I might add or change this list as necessary, but I believe most of what I want my children to learn in life is contained in this list. I'll explain in future blogs how I apply these things in my home.

I think it's vital to have a plan when raising a family. Of course, the destination is the most important thing, so looking at where you want to end up, is a good idea. Personally, I want all my children to be happily married to someone they love, have a good job that they enjoy doing, enjoy being around their parents and siblings and to be faithful in church service with a firm testimony of Christ. That would make me truly happy. Once the destination is determined, you just walk backward from there to make the list of things that are most important to your family.

Rambutan

I had a Rambutan the other day. It tastes a little like a Lichee sweet and a little slimy. Maybe compares to a grape? Very tasty once you get the outer shell off.

Being Famous

Angie sent me an e-mail that I thought deserved a spot on the blog:

Yes, yes, we mothers may not live a glamorous life, but it's better than fame any day. (Okay, so MOST days.) But I was also thinking this morning that you could argue that good mothers are actually more famous than any starlet of the big screen. I mean, consider your Mom. Brett and I were doing the math the other day, and she has 12 children and 30 grandchildren - let's say she ends up with 50 grandkids. If each of them average just 3 kids each, that's 150 great-grandkids. Another generation would be 450 great-great grandchildren. So now the total of blood offspring is at 662. And that's just 4 generations. Not to mention all of the spouses in there - that doubles the total! You keep going and the numbers are mind-boggling. Generations and generations of people will all rise up and call her blessed! I don't think any earthly position or accomplishment can hold a candle to the kind of fame and veneration only a mother (or parent) can achieve. A few generations from now all but a very few "famous" people will have been LONG forgotten. But not us mothers. Hah!


LOVE IT!!!!

Why It's Better to Be a Mom Than to be Famous

I started a notebook for Ashlee. I wanted her to know that it is better to be a mom than to be famous. Sometimes, I feel less important than others because I'm up to my armpits in stinky (I mean really stinky) laundry. It's not very glamorous. Still, I know that doing the laundry, cooking for my family, being there when my children get home from school and tucking them in before they go to bed has to be done, so why should I be miserable doing it. Thus, the notebook. I have to look at the bright side.

So, here is my list for today:
1. Going for a run with no paparazzi after me and listening to messages of inspiration
2. Coming home to the 3-year-old helping the 1-year-old pour milk in cereal
3. The 3-year-old cleaning up the milk spill off the floor
4. Listening to the piano, clarinet and violin all being played at the same time in different locations throughout the house.
5. Noticing that the violin isn't as screechy as it used to be.
6. The clarinet isn't as squeaky
7. The piano is being played nearly in rhythm
8. Being able to get my very stubborn 6-year-old to practice piano up to my standard
9. Making the executive decision to turn around after walking down the hill to school after the 3-year-old screamed the entire way down because it's too hard to walk and then not picking him up once. He came home with a smile on his face.
10. Playing people toys for 10 minutes with the boys before jumping in the car
11. Dropping off the generous donations from church members for the Homeless Connect Event in Brisbane
12. 3-year-old making a sandwich for 1-year-old
13. 2 hours to chip away at my to do list while the kids nap
14. Making the executive decision to go to the park with the kids instead of making bread for dinner. Picked it up on the way home
15. Deciding to not be ashamed that "yes, I do bake bread and I'm not afraid to admit it"
16. Being able to persuade a bad attitude out of the 12-year-old to have Family Home Evening
17. Having a good discussion about standing up for what's right even if you have to stand alone
18. Hard is Good - motto for the day!

Mother's Day

So, I am trying to think of a fun Mother's Day gift to give to the Mother's in our ward (since nothing seems to happen if the women don't do something about it in this ward). I went online and came across a blog about Mother's Day gifts for LDS women. It was basically a complaint forum about how much people hate Mother's Day and the talks given on Mother's Day and how offended women can be because they are not mothers and are required to take the gift for the day. I was saddened to think there are so many selfish women out there to think that mother's day is all about them. When Robert says something about making me breakfast in bed or taking care of me on Mother's Day, I always say "Why? I'm not your mother!" Mother's Day is a day to focus on YOUR mother. If you had a mother who didn't do everything right or you are still holding a grudge against her about something they did or didn't do, you're only hurting yourself. I can't think of a better holiday to "Stop it!" It's a good time to think about loving your mother for being perfect or imperfect.

There was an article in the March Ensign about Visiting Teaching. After listening to it, I came home all discouraged because I feel like I'm not being the best visiting teacher I should be. I talked to Robert about it and he was frustrated with me because I just don't seem to get the fact that articles and talks are not written to give you a guilt complex, they are given to help you improve in small ways. We are not expected to be perfect today. We are expected to work at it. So, my prayers and the things I have been trying to think about lately have been about: Is what I am doing right now the best thing for me to do right now? Sometimes, that means neglecting the cleaning or my kids to play the piano. Sometimes it means blogging when I could be cleaning. It's all about balance, and I refuse to feel guilty for not being a perfect mother, daughter, visiting teacher, or any other roll I might be in. There is simply not enough hours in the day to do all the good things you could be doing. It's all about working towards perfection. This Mother's Day, I will think about my mother and the other mother's I know and I will think about little things I can do to improve my mothering and yes, I believe being female qualifies you as being a mother because through divine nature, you have been given the capacity to nurture the youth of the world. It is something all females can develop and thus, all females deserve the proffered chocolate on Mother's Day.

 What do you think?

August 2011

I know it's been a while. Since I haven't posted since July, I thought it would be a good idea to update by months. Feel free to read at your leisure... Life has been hectic in our house and I barely have time to sit still. August was mid-winter for us. The house gets awfully cold with no insulation, but with space heaters we made do. I would often find the kids in the morning sitting on the floor eating breakfast while the heater would blow on them. The sun wouldn't come up til almost 7, so we all slept in, keeping warm in our beds!

Ammon and Kyle got fishing poles for their birthdays. I think they've used them once since then. It was a great idea. I hope we get to use them more soon!

Most weekends from March to August were spent at the Rugby Union. We had a good time figuring out the sport. Ammon was particularly keen on bashing fellow players.

Ammon's birthday party. We had a safari theme. I have never had such a time trying to get 6-year-olds to sit still and play a game. I was pretty exhausted after that. 

Aaron's favorite chore. He loves helping me with the dishes.

Sheep shearing at the Ekka. The Ekka is basically the state fair. It was sooo crowded, but was really fun. I especially loved the animals. The kids were more excited about the rides and the showbags. The showbags are bags put together by different commercial companies to sell their stuff. It's incredible how much money you can spend on junk. I got sucked into buying one for each of the kids. Pink Panther for Ashlee, the mega candy thing for Ethan, Kyle got a Batman one, Ammon a Bakugan, Aaron got Barney and Wyatt...hmmmm...maybe Wyatt didn't get one :( Ammon got called out of the audience at the sheep shearing to help with a game. He loves the stage!

 Love the Smurfs...

 The equestrian events were really cool. We watched while we waited for the fireworks to start.

 Kyle's 9th birthday party. I love trying new cake designs.

 Ammon plays soccer too! He's pretty athletic. Here's a funny story. At the athletics carnival this year, he was running a race and lost his shoe. He was a little confused as to what to do. He started to run back for it, then decided to just finish the race with one shoe. Wish I would have gotten it on tape. I thought I did, but somehow it got deleted :(

 Ahhhh.....my cute kids :)

Ashlee also auditioned for the cast of Mary Poppins. That was a great learning experience. She made it to the 4th call backs before being eliminated. I was awfully relieved I must say. She was disappointed, but we agreed there would be more opportunities later.

That's all of August that I can think of. I'll try to update for September tomorrow night. Lots of traveling that month and some family visits.

Updates...

Here are a few pictures...



Sorry...It's been a combination of computer issues, mommying, home maintenance and church stuff keeping me from blogging. I think I might have the computer issues figured out. I'm sort of cruising with the mommying and starting to figure out the church stuff a little more. The home maintenance will never be done, so I'll sit here writing while Aaron takes his bath and write.

Where to begin. I'll just start with this week. I got back from the US on Monday morning. What an amazing whirlwind trip. I'm so glad I was able to see my brother marry Brooke. What a great couple they make. It was nice to see all the family even for just a short time.

Robert did a great job with the kids and thanks to Juli for braving 10 children for 2 days. The kids had a great time. Robert took the kids to the beach for a couple of days. It's so good for him to have a chance to be one-on-one with the kids for a little while. Usually it's me telling him all the cute things the kids did while he was working. Now, he got to tell me some cute things they said or did while I was gone. The kids wanted to watch a movie on Sunday night, so Robert turned on "The Testaments" for them. It shows Christ being crucified and then as the Resurrected Lord visiting the people in America. Robert looked at Ammon during the depiction of the crucifixion and he was starting to tear up. All the kids were. After the movie, Robert asked him about how he felt. He said "I just got a little teary." I love it when their hearts are touched. They often feel the Spirit without even knowing it.

I can't remember how Monday was spent. The kids were still off school. Tuesday, life began again with loads of laundry. We went to Harry Potter 7, part 2 at Midnight. It was amazing! So many people were dressed up. Juli made capes for her two kids that were awesome. Staying up late was not good on my jetlag though.

I've been noticing the trees lately. They bloom at different times of the year. Right now, I've seen a lot of orange flowers. I love trees and flowers.

Aaron helped me with cleaning this morning. He's getting good at spraying products all over. Ashlee's been home from school the last couple of days. We took her in today and it looks like she's got tonsilitis. Hopefully, she'll start getting better tomorrow after the antibiotic.

I think I'll be going to bed soon. Still a little jetlagged. The kids are watching "Charlotte's Web". I love that movie.