Never

I don't like the words never or always...although I am guilty of using them at times. But really, they are usually not used in nice contexts. And what human is always one way or never another way?

Take the rant by my four (almost 5) year old just now. "You spend all your money on food. You never buy us toys." (This was not said in a tone of gratitude that we always have plenty to eat.). Then as her crying got louder, she angrily said, "You never do anything for us." What, might you ask, caused my sweet girl to get upset. Well, her mean mom told her that she needed to get dressed. I explained that we were going to eat lunch soon and then head to the park/splash pad. Apparently, feeding her lunch and taking her fun places are not on her list of how she wants to spend the day.

(Anyone want to borrow a 4 year old for the day?) ;)

This has me thinking... While I hope I am more mature than my 4 year old, I still have little meltdowns when things don't go the way I think they should. I still complain (in my head, sometimes out loud and sometimes in prayer) when things are hard and when I don't understand why things in life turn out the way they do. I often forget to give thanks to my Heavenly Father for my many, many blessings. I am so very blessed and compared to so many, my challenges are small and my Father does so much for me. I still have times when people ask me to help them when I want to say no because it isn't what I want to do that day. (But I'm learning that if I can help and I say yes, then I am glad I did when it is over...service does bring joy). And just like I have forgiven my four year old for her temper tantrum because I love her and because I realize she is young and still learning, my Father forgives me. He loves me even when I am spoiled, ungrateful or selfish. And calmly, He tries to teach me what I need to know to find joy. And when I throw my next fit, He will forgive me again, take me calmly by the hand and lead me along. How thankful I am for His loving mercy. Because while I sometimes lose my calm when dealing with my children, He is infinitely loving, forgiving and merciful. He is the type of parent I am trying to be. When it comes to God, I can use the words always and never. With Him, they do apply.

Reading, Writing and Crackers, Oh My!

A week ago when I went to the store, I bought a box of Cheezits, the Scrabble edition.



Gabby and I have had fun reading and "writing" (okay really it is spelling) words with the crackers. Sometimes I use the crackers to spell a word and then she sounds it out (with help, when needed) and blends it together to read the word. Sometimes she picks a word and I help her segment it (sound out each individual sound) and she finds the corresponding letters to make the word. It's reading and writing at its best, because food and fun are involved.

This can work with older kids as a way to practice their spelling list.

The morning I took these photos, she was so anxious to do it that we did it before she got dressed, had her hair done or did anything else.

Hope

A friend posted the following quote from Chris Jordan on Facebook: "I'm not big on hope now. Joanna Macy has said that hope and hopelessness live on a continuum of disempowered mind states. When there is hope, we're hoping something outside our own agency will work in our favor. We hope to live to an old age. My son Emerson likes to joke that he hopes he does his homework, and this illustrates the disempowered mind state of hope. Joanna says the opposite of hope is not hopelessness; it's action. That's the genius of Dante's Inferno. As Dante walks into the fire, the gates say, "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." The idea is to let go of the passive victim role of hope and take control of one's own destiny. As a culture, we have our compass set to "hope." But it's a giant puff of smoke, with nothing there. Culturally, I think we need to calibrate away from that disempowered concept of hope and recalibrate toward love. If we could collectively reconnect with our reverent love for the incomprehensibly beautiful miracle of our world, all kinds of change could happen fast — and just in the nick of time."

While I agree with his closing statements about love and the beautiful miracle of our world, I disagree with his comments on hope. And actually, it isn't the content of what he said that I disagree with. I totally see what he is saying. And if we think of hope as an inactive state, then I agree. I can't just hope my kids will learn to play the piano. I have to have a piano in my home, I must provide them with lessons, and I need to ensure that they practice. I can't just make a wish that we will travel. I have to plan where we will go, and I must save money to be able to afford the trips. I just think he is talking about WISHING. And to me that is different than hope.

I would assert that true hope is much more than this definition. I love this song,It Might Be Hope, by Mercy River. The beginning of this video says: "Hope. The feeling that what is wanted can be had." Hope, to me, is the belief, the faith that tomorrow will be better than today. Hope is trusting that even when today seems dark or troubling that you will be granted the strength to keep walking and that soon the sunshine will peak through the clouds. In the scriptures, hope is paired with faith and charity. I think hope is based on trust in and love for God. And hope is tied closely to love. I hope for an end to difficult challenges, but I'm not inactively waiting for that end to come. I think of my dear sister and my niece. My sister hopes for a brighter future for my niece with special needs. But she doesn't sit idly by, just wishing for that to happen. She researches and studies and tries adjustments in their diet, therapy, vitamin supplements, and prayer. Hope has power, where wishing does not. Hope is active and vibrant. Hope, in most cases, is what gives us the energy to spring into action. If we have hope, then we are willing to make changes in our own lives and work to make this world a better place. I know as a teacher that I don't change every child's life that walks through my classroom doors. But I have faith and hope that I am making a difference for some of them as I love them and teach them. It is that HOPE that empowers me to give my very best to those children each day, despite the challenges. And ultimately, it is my Faith and Hope coupled with love that allow me to look forward to an even brighter future for myself, for my children and for this world. There is power in faith, hope and love. And I believe you can't really have one without the other. They are inextricably connected.

24th of July

We had a BBQ at our friends' Leo and Annette's home for the 24th of July. This is the second or third year that we've al spent the 24th of July together. I guess it is becoming a tradition. We visited. The kids ran and played. We ate tons of good food. Then we had a firework show. Great fun.



Somehow the boys all matched, even though they are from 3 different families. :)

Parkview Get Together

One of the teachers that used to work at Parkview now lives in Mexico. She comes to visit each summer, and we usually have a get together so we can all see her and see each other. (Many of us still work at Parkview, but quite a few have transferred or retired in the past 7 years.) This year, I offered to host. So we had the get together in my backyard on Tuesday.

(On Monday, I cleaned all the carpets, cleaned the house and did grocery shopping. I worked so hard all day long. Alfredo said we should have company over more often. Ha Ha. We actually do have company over quite often. And I clean the carpets every June or July...but this did motivate me to get it done.)

We had a BBQ and everyone brought food to share. It was so fun to visit...and the kids played so well together. They had fun on the zipline and the teeter totter and the trampoline in our backyard.

Scoshi brought her plasma cars and two other cars to ride on (can't remember what they are called). The kids had a blast riding them and racing them.


Actually the adults had fun riding and racing them too.


I have and have had a lot of great coworkers over the past 15 years. It was fun to visit with some of the great teachers that I have worked with in the past 8-9 years. I have great colleagues! I'm very blessed.

That same evening my neighborhood had a block party at the cul de sac of my street. I didn't go since we had this get together, but I did wander down near the end to witness fireworks. They put on a pretty good show. I have a great neighborhood! I am so blessed.

The Great Outdoors

One thing I'd like to be better at as a mom is getting my kids out into nature. They spend lots of time in the backyard/front yard and neighbor's houses. They are pretty active. But we're not campers (I like it but am inexperienced...Alfredo doesn't like it. I'd love to go but I don't feel confident to plan a camping trip on my own... so we don't go.) And when I am planning activities for my kids and I, hiking and other outdoor activities rarely come to my mind. But I know that there have been lots of times when I have felt the spirit, felt comforted, felt gratitude or felt peace when I was outside. I want my children to appreciate the beauty of the world their Father created for them. So last week, I decided that we would head up into the canyon after violin lessons. We drove around for awhile, just appreciating the beauty and the fresh air. Then we parked, and played in the river for awhile. We laughed, we enjoyed the gorgeous weather and enjoyed the time together. We need to do it more often.

Happenings

Here are some of the things we've done in the past two weeks:

Friday, July 12 we went to see Mercy River at the Concert in the Park at Brigham Young Park downtown. I really like Mercy River. It was a bit sunny when we first got there, but soon the sun went down a bit and the weather was nice and we had good seats and it was fun. They sang several songs that we know and love including "Better than a Hallelujah" and "It Might Be Hope" and "Beautiful for Me" (my favorite song of theirs). They also sang a series of Princess songs. (Before singing them they talked about how being a princess is okay. Because we are princesses, daughters of a King. I know many moms don't encourage their kids to dress up as princesses or watch princess movies...and I can understand their perspective. But I think dreaming of happy endings and pretending to be a princess is fun. I think the example I set far outweighs any negative impact of princess movies. But that's just my take on it...) They also sang a fun song set to "Do You Hear What I Hear?" that was a "mom" song...it talked about a baby crying and she's sure it's saying "daddy" and do you see what I see...legos and books and toys all over, and do you know what I know... all from a mom perspective. Super funny. It was Michelle's favorite. It was a great concert...fun and the spirit was there and great to spend time as a family. I loved how they shared the inspiration for several of their songs. I especially enjoyed hearing about the video they made of "It Might Be Hope" for Primary Children's Hospital. You may enjoy the video.They are performing at Murray Park on Aug. 9 and I think we may go again.


We've had the chance to babysit for two dear friends, both of whom have newborns. One night we had my friend Jami's darling daughter and newborn son. Gabby and her friend had a great time playing with playdough. Then they played dress up. I enjoyed watching them play, and I loved holding that sweet baby boy.
Another day we had my friend's three cute boys. The two older boys enjoyed the zipline. I enjoyed cuddling the newborn. We also had a fun water fight. Such cute little guys.

We went to the dentist, and Gabby did great. She usually is a bit scared, but she was a champ this time. And no cavities for any of the girls! Yahoo.

On Monday, July 15, we went to a magic show at the West Valley Library. The magician talked about the magic of reading and related many of his tricks to children's books he'd read. The girls laughed and really enjoyed the show.

Michelle has been hard at work practicing her fiddling. She has her concert in August. She has a private lesson on Monday mornings and most weeks she's also had a group lesson on Thursday mornings.

I've been going 2-3 days each week to meet some other ladies at the church and exercise. We do Insanity workouts. It's been good for me.

We've gone to 7 Peaks several times, including one trip with Carey McAfee and her kids. We met at the Provo 7 Peaks and spent the day. Super fun. The older two girls also had a sleepover at their house last week.

We're reading books, practicing math (sometimes), going to the library every other week, and probably using electronics more than we should. The girls also spend time playing with friends nearly every day. It has been a great summer, so far. I'm sad that the summer will be coming to an end so soon.

But the summer isn't over yet! We've got some great things planned these next couple of weeks. :)