I love these Proud Mommy Moments every Monday, but sometimes I'm a little nervous about them. On the one hand, it has been so good for me to focus on what I am doing right. On the other hand, most of the women I know are incredible moms and I don't want to sound like I think I'm better than any of them. But because it has helped me stay more positive about myself, I will continue to participate as often as I can. It's been good for me. If you'd like to participate, head over to
Shannon's blog and check it out.
So my thought for today is that I have tried to include my children as I do service. I just heard recently (and I have no idea where I heard/read it, sorry) that service shouldn't be something we do because we're told to, it should be part of who we are... Our Savior spent his life in service to others and we are to become like him. Anyway, I have a long way to go, but I do try to serve and volunteer and I try to include my children when it is appropriate.
A few quick examples: When I've taken meals to neighbors that are sick, I've let them help prepare (if this can be done safely) or deliver the food. When I was working with the young women at church, I often brought my kids along. They could see what I was doing to serve, and they became close to these amazing youth that I hope they will emulate. Last Christmas, we did a special project that my kids still talk about regularly. I am sure that there is more that I can do to help them recognize the importance of service, and I hope that as they get older, I will be able to have them participate even more. But I want them to know that helping others is an important part of life.
My grandma was my babysitter as a little girl while my mom worked. I can remember so many times that my grandma gave a disabled friend rides or took her to the doctor. I can remember her taking meals to people, listening to them as they talked, watching other people's children, taking her own grown children in when they needed a place to live for awhile. So many people's lives have been blessed by my grandma. I can remember her saying that she tried to pray each day that she would have a chance to help someone...and she did nearly every day. She was such a tremendous example to me as a child (and so was my mom!!!!) and I would like to be that kind of example to my children.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
3 Decisions
I subscribe to Creating Keepsakes. I used to scrapbook a ton, but life is busy and it doesn't happen as much as I would like now. In many ways, my blog has replaced my scrapbooking. Anyway, this month is their top ten issue. One of the articles especially caught my eye. Ten layouts that are missing from your album and shouldn't be. Basically, ten things you should record about yourself in your scrapbook. As I read it, I thought, if I'm being honest, I will probably never get these things scrapped, but they would make great blog topics... so that is my goal for the next month or so...to blog about these 10 topics. Some of them will really make me think. The first one is to record 3 of your most important decisions, decision that have really changed your life.
So what choices have really shaped who I've become? What choices have made me the person I am today? This is hard to narrow down to just 3. And do I pick the obvious ones or the less obvious ones? Hmm... I've been thinking about this since Friday, and for now, here are the ones that stand out.
Decision 1: Marrying Alfredo. Of course, choosing who you will marry is the biggest, most important decision you will make. This person will be the person you will spend life, and eternity with. This person will be the father of your children and your partner and friend. Alfredo and I met in a singles ward in West Valley. We were friends and hung out with a big group for about two years. I had lived in that singles ward for about 3 years at the time, and I was feeling like it was time to move, meet some new people, make some changes. I prayed about it and I won't go into all the details, but I knew I shouldn't move. Just a few months later, Alfredo and I began dating. We dated for 4 months, got engaged and got married six months later. While we were friends for about two years before we began dating, I'm fairly certain that if I'd moved, we wouldn't have begun dating. I know he is the person I am meant to be married to. He is a hard worker, a great father and a good man. This was definitely the very most important decision. And as a result, I am fortunate to have three beautiful girls that I adore.
Image from scovilleclan.com, found on Google images
Decision 2: Going to BYU: I was a good student and loved school. I looked into a number of colleges and applied for scholarships and received scholarships to NAU (Northern Arizona University), BYU (Brigham Young University), and Weber State University. Then I had a decision to make: which school should I attend? I wanted to move away from home and I wanted a school that had a good education program. Any of these qualified. I flew to Utah to tour Weber State and BYU and went to Flagstaff to tour NAU. Then I made lists of pros and cons and I prayed. And prayed. Finally, I chose BYU. I have no doubt I would have had a great experience at any of those universities, but BYU was the best for me. I was able to take religion classes that strenghtened my knowledge of and commitment to the gospel and my Savior. I got a degree in education, a career that I love. I had wonderful fun and made fabulous memories. But most importantly, I made lasting friendships. This fall marks 15 years since I started my freshman year at BYU and I am still in close contact with my college roommates. They are among some of my dearest friends. I sometimes reflect on this decision and wonder how my life would be different if not for Cyndie, Mon, Kristy, Cory, Mel, Rachel, Lori and Tasha. We are spread around the country now, but we have a website that we post to and many of us have blogs and are on Facebook. These are women that I know and love and trust and who I have turned to when I had trials and needed help as well as to share my joys and blessings. How would my life be different without them? I don't want to know. I hope we are still just as close in 15 more years and even 15 years after that. These are incredible women and I am blessed in countless ways by knowing them.
Top row: Cyndie, Kristy, Mel, Cory Bottom Row: Monica, Me Taken in 1995 or 1996
Decision 3: Training as a literacy coordinator with CELL/ExLL in California. I debated exactly what to put as my third decision. Should I choose having children? Should I choose becoming a teacher? And actually I debated about listing my marriage to Alfredo, primarily because marrying him and having children are what I almost always write about. So I really wanted to write about what else shapes who I am as a person and what matters to me. And besides being a wife and mother, probably the biggest other factor of who I am is my role as a teacher. I am committed to education, committed especially to literacy. I don't know everything, but I try to learn as much as I can to make myself a better teacher. My third year of teaching, my school was adopting a new literacy program. Everyone would receive 5 days of training in Salt Lake but then each school would train two teachers more extensively. Those two teachers would spend a total of 5 weeks in California being trained. Then they would come back and provide ongoing training and support to the rest of the faculty. My faculty was asked for recommendations of who they thought should be trained and I was recommended by several people, so the principal asked if I would do it. It was a big decision...it was only my 3rd year of teaching and this was a big responsibility. But ultimately, I decided to go for it. I've never regretted that decision for a moment. It taught me how to be a better teacher, especially in language arts. It started a passion for learning about how kids learn to read and write. It helped me develop more confidence in myself as a teacher. It allowed me to see many amazing, incredible teachers at work. This training brought job opportunities, even greater passion for literacy, knowledge about what works and what is important in teaching children to read, and a better understanding of myself as a reader and a learner. I made some mistakes as I began training my staff and I am still not a perfect teacher, but I am a committed, passionate teacher with a lot of knowledge. And for eight years, I have lived and used what I learned. This year my school adopted a new language arts curriculum and while I am using it, I am better equipped to look at the program and determine what will work and what won't work based on what I know about research and how kids learn. I am a better teacher and a better mother because of what I know. Thank you Karen and Adria and the CELL Foundation for teaching me so much! It has truly changed my life.
These are some of the amazing teachers I trained with. We took an evening off and drove into San Francisco and went to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.
Molly (left) was the other teacher from my school that trained--she trained for the lower grade, I trained for the upper grades. Sally and Sue are from Salt Lake and trained in the upper grades with me. And finally, Karen was our trainer and one of the most amazing people I have ever known. She flew in from CA for my wedding reception.
So what choices have really shaped who I've become? What choices have made me the person I am today? This is hard to narrow down to just 3. And do I pick the obvious ones or the less obvious ones? Hmm... I've been thinking about this since Friday, and for now, here are the ones that stand out.
Decision 1: Marrying Alfredo. Of course, choosing who you will marry is the biggest, most important decision you will make. This person will be the person you will spend life, and eternity with. This person will be the father of your children and your partner and friend. Alfredo and I met in a singles ward in West Valley. We were friends and hung out with a big group for about two years. I had lived in that singles ward for about 3 years at the time, and I was feeling like it was time to move, meet some new people, make some changes. I prayed about it and I won't go into all the details, but I knew I shouldn't move. Just a few months later, Alfredo and I began dating. We dated for 4 months, got engaged and got married six months later. While we were friends for about two years before we began dating, I'm fairly certain that if I'd moved, we wouldn't have begun dating. I know he is the person I am meant to be married to. He is a hard worker, a great father and a good man. This was definitely the very most important decision. And as a result, I am fortunate to have three beautiful girls that I adore.
Image from scovilleclan.com, found on Google imagesDecision 2: Going to BYU: I was a good student and loved school. I looked into a number of colleges and applied for scholarships and received scholarships to NAU (Northern Arizona University), BYU (Brigham Young University), and Weber State University. Then I had a decision to make: which school should I attend? I wanted to move away from home and I wanted a school that had a good education program. Any of these qualified. I flew to Utah to tour Weber State and BYU and went to Flagstaff to tour NAU. Then I made lists of pros and cons and I prayed. And prayed. Finally, I chose BYU. I have no doubt I would have had a great experience at any of those universities, but BYU was the best for me. I was able to take religion classes that strenghtened my knowledge of and commitment to the gospel and my Savior. I got a degree in education, a career that I love. I had wonderful fun and made fabulous memories. But most importantly, I made lasting friendships. This fall marks 15 years since I started my freshman year at BYU and I am still in close contact with my college roommates. They are among some of my dearest friends. I sometimes reflect on this decision and wonder how my life would be different if not for Cyndie, Mon, Kristy, Cory, Mel, Rachel, Lori and Tasha. We are spread around the country now, but we have a website that we post to and many of us have blogs and are on Facebook. These are women that I know and love and trust and who I have turned to when I had trials and needed help as well as to share my joys and blessings. How would my life be different without them? I don't want to know. I hope we are still just as close in 15 more years and even 15 years after that. These are incredible women and I am blessed in countless ways by knowing them.
Top row: Cyndie, Kristy, Mel, Cory Bottom Row: Monica, Me Taken in 1995 or 1996
Decision 3: Training as a literacy coordinator with CELL/ExLL in California. I debated exactly what to put as my third decision. Should I choose having children? Should I choose becoming a teacher? And actually I debated about listing my marriage to Alfredo, primarily because marrying him and having children are what I almost always write about. So I really wanted to write about what else shapes who I am as a person and what matters to me. And besides being a wife and mother, probably the biggest other factor of who I am is my role as a teacher. I am committed to education, committed especially to literacy. I don't know everything, but I try to learn as much as I can to make myself a better teacher. My third year of teaching, my school was adopting a new literacy program. Everyone would receive 5 days of training in Salt Lake but then each school would train two teachers more extensively. Those two teachers would spend a total of 5 weeks in California being trained. Then they would come back and provide ongoing training and support to the rest of the faculty. My faculty was asked for recommendations of who they thought should be trained and I was recommended by several people, so the principal asked if I would do it. It was a big decision...it was only my 3rd year of teaching and this was a big responsibility. But ultimately, I decided to go for it. I've never regretted that decision for a moment. It taught me how to be a better teacher, especially in language arts. It started a passion for learning about how kids learn to read and write. It helped me develop more confidence in myself as a teacher. It allowed me to see many amazing, incredible teachers at work. This training brought job opportunities, even greater passion for literacy, knowledge about what works and what is important in teaching children to read, and a better understanding of myself as a reader and a learner. I made some mistakes as I began training my staff and I am still not a perfect teacher, but I am a committed, passionate teacher with a lot of knowledge. And for eight years, I have lived and used what I learned. This year my school adopted a new language arts curriculum and while I am using it, I am better equipped to look at the program and determine what will work and what won't work based on what I know about research and how kids learn. I am a better teacher and a better mother because of what I know. Thank you Karen and Adria and the CELL Foundation for teaching me so much! It has truly changed my life.
These are some of the amazing teachers I trained with. We took an evening off and drove into San Francisco and went to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.
Molly (left) was the other teacher from my school that trained--she trained for the lower grade, I trained for the upper grades. Sally and Sue are from Salt Lake and trained in the upper grades with me. And finally, Karen was our trainer and one of the most amazing people I have ever known. She flew in from CA for my wedding reception.
Don't turn your back on her!
My sweet baby girl is now totally mobile and gets into everything...Here are just a few examples. These were all taken about 3 weeks ago, in 2 days.
Other favorite ways to make messes:
unroll the toilet paper roll
pull all the kitchen towels out of the drawer
knock the DVDs off the shelf (almost daily)
pull all the bottles and sippy cups out of their holder
find chocolate and smear it on hands, face and anything she touches
It's a good thing she is cute! And most of the time I figure, if it doesn't kill her, it will make her stronger. Right? Right?! But she definitely got a bath and scrubbing down after splashing in the toilet. And we try (TRY being the key word here...I do have 2 other kids) to keep the bathroom door closed now.
Other favorite ways to make messes:
unroll the toilet paper roll
pull all the kitchen towels out of the drawer
knock the DVDs off the shelf (almost daily)
pull all the bottles and sippy cups out of their holder
find chocolate and smear it on hands, face and anything she touches
It's a good thing she is cute! And most of the time I figure, if it doesn't kill her, it will make her stronger. Right? Right?! But she definitely got a bath and scrubbing down after splashing in the toilet. And we try (TRY being the key word here...I do have 2 other kids) to keep the bathroom door closed now.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Provo Canyon...Shadow Shot Sunday
It's my first time participating in Shadow Shot Sunday, but I decided to play this week with a few photos I took last weekend when we went up Provo Canyon.
Michelle is a great helper and loves to push her baby sister in the stroller.
Here I am, with baby in one arm and camera in other. I almost always have my arms full with 3 kids and their paraphernalia.
And one more of Michelle pushing Gabrielle across a bridge.
If you want to play Shadow Shot Sunday, check out Hey Harriet's website. Or just go there to see some amazing photos. It's a great site!
Michelle is a great helper and loves to push her baby sister in the stroller.
Here I am, with baby in one arm and camera in other. I almost always have my arms full with 3 kids and their paraphernalia.
And one more of Michelle pushing Gabrielle across a bridge.
If you want to play Shadow Shot Sunday, check out Hey Harriet's website. Or just go there to see some amazing photos. It's a great site!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Michelle
Two notes about Michelle to share:
First, Alfredo pulled her other front tooth on Thursday night. She now has no front teeth on top. We'd sing the song "All I Want for Christmas" but I'm pretty sure they will grow in long before Christmas! :)
Second, on Friday, as we were leaving to go to babysitter's and school and work, the radio was on (unusual...we usually listen to CD's) and a news report came on about the girl who was kidnapped 18 years ago from Lake Tahoe, CA. I quickly changed the radio station as I don't like them to hear about stuff like that. But Michelle had heard the little clip, just as much as me. The whole way to school she peppered me with questions. Who took the girl? Did she miss her mommy? Did her mommy miss her? How did they find her? Was it a man or woman that took her? And on and on. Since I had only heard the quick news clip that she'd heard, I didn't have answers for most of her questions, but I answered the ones I could. After a few minutes of thinking, she said, "Mommy, it couldn't have been a woman that took her, because women are good and love kids." Somehow that made my heart so happy. She has been blessed to have so many good women role models that love her and that are good and kind... her grandmas, teachers at school and church, neighbors, babysitters, etc. I am so grateful that she still believes that all women are good and that she has had mostly positive experiences in her life. Not that she thinks men are bad. She has a wonderful dad and grandpas, but as a young child, I think she has had more women influence her than men. Anyway, this brought tears to my eyes when she said it. And because she wanted to know about it, I watched the news and gave her a few more details and tried to help her understand the basics of what happened and what we do to keep her safe. (But how can you really understand a kidnapping like that? It's so horrible that things like this do happen to any child or person!) She is such a sweet girl with a sensitive heart.
First, Alfredo pulled her other front tooth on Thursday night. She now has no front teeth on top. We'd sing the song "All I Want for Christmas" but I'm pretty sure they will grow in long before Christmas! :)
Second, on Friday, as we were leaving to go to babysitter's and school and work, the radio was on (unusual...we usually listen to CD's) and a news report came on about the girl who was kidnapped 18 years ago from Lake Tahoe, CA. I quickly changed the radio station as I don't like them to hear about stuff like that. But Michelle had heard the little clip, just as much as me. The whole way to school she peppered me with questions. Who took the girl? Did she miss her mommy? Did her mommy miss her? How did they find her? Was it a man or woman that took her? And on and on. Since I had only heard the quick news clip that she'd heard, I didn't have answers for most of her questions, but I answered the ones I could. After a few minutes of thinking, she said, "Mommy, it couldn't have been a woman that took her, because women are good and love kids." Somehow that made my heart so happy. She has been blessed to have so many good women role models that love her and that are good and kind... her grandmas, teachers at school and church, neighbors, babysitters, etc. I am so grateful that she still believes that all women are good and that she has had mostly positive experiences in her life. Not that she thinks men are bad. She has a wonderful dad and grandpas, but as a young child, I think she has had more women influence her than men. Anyway, this brought tears to my eyes when she said it. And because she wanted to know about it, I watched the news and gave her a few more details and tried to help her understand the basics of what happened and what we do to keep her safe. (But how can you really understand a kidnapping like that? It's so horrible that things like this do happen to any child or person!) She is such a sweet girl with a sensitive heart.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
first day of first grade
Michelle had a great first day. What did she love? Seeing her friends (she was worried that her friends Mia, Iree, Liliana and others would not be back this year.) Lunch (both the lunch I packed and playing outside). Her teacher is funny and so nice. What didn't she like? School was too short! :)They are only having half days this week and it went way too fast.
Her English teacher, Miss Finerfrock, and I both used to work at Mountain View (neither of us do now). Last spring she told Michelle that she had gone to my baby shower when I was pregnant with Michelle. Michelle reminded me of that and said that her teacher already knew her name and that she loves her teacher. She didn't get to go to Ms. Bustillo's room today, but she will tomorrow and she is so excited.
Also, we got a letter that the schedule will be a little different this year. I'm excited about the schedule and think it will really be great for the kids. She will be with her English teacher from 8:15-11:15 to do English Language literacy (and the native Spanish speakers will be with the Spanish teacher to do Spanish Language literacy). Then they have lunch. From 11:50-12:15, they are in mixed language groups for science and social studies. Then from 12:15-1:30 they are also in mixed language groups for math. (Some days they will do science/social studies/math in English and some days in Spanish.) Then from 1:30-1:45 is recess. From 1:45-2:45 is Spanish Language Literacy and oral language development. So she will get about 3 hours of reading and writing in English daily to really get a solid foundation in English, but she will also have an hour DAILY in Spanish reading and writing. I think this schedule will be awesome! I was so impressed with all that she learned last year in Spanish, and I think this year will be just as amazing. And best of all, she loves her school and her friends and her teachers. Hooray!
Her English teacher, Miss Finerfrock, and I both used to work at Mountain View (neither of us do now). Last spring she told Michelle that she had gone to my baby shower when I was pregnant with Michelle. Michelle reminded me of that and said that her teacher already knew her name and that she loves her teacher. She didn't get to go to Ms. Bustillo's room today, but she will tomorrow and she is so excited.
Also, we got a letter that the schedule will be a little different this year. I'm excited about the schedule and think it will really be great for the kids. She will be with her English teacher from 8:15-11:15 to do English Language literacy (and the native Spanish speakers will be with the Spanish teacher to do Spanish Language literacy). Then they have lunch. From 11:50-12:15, they are in mixed language groups for science and social studies. Then from 12:15-1:30 they are also in mixed language groups for math. (Some days they will do science/social studies/math in English and some days in Spanish.) Then from 1:30-1:45 is recess. From 1:45-2:45 is Spanish Language Literacy and oral language development. So she will get about 3 hours of reading and writing in English daily to really get a solid foundation in English, but she will also have an hour DAILY in Spanish reading and writing. I think this schedule will be awesome! I was so impressed with all that she learned last year in Spanish, and I think this year will be just as amazing. And best of all, she loves her school and her friends and her teachers. Hooray!
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