ever wonder what happens...

When the dryer tube at a beach house hasn't been cleaned out for a while?

This:

And not just one clump.  Multiple clumps.  Do you know what happens when sand is heated over and over again?  It forms a solid mass -- unbreakable.  We tried. 

As you may have guessed, things are dried much quicker now that those rocks are gone.

p.s. doesn't my sister have lovely hands?  she should be a hand model.  :)

we are daughters of our heavenly father...

My friend Laurel Christensn is just amazing...she is the author of the blog, "Just Around This Corner," and I am always inspired by the messages she shares. She has recently finished a book about the YW Theme, and it has just gone to press.

She asked her blog-world friends to help spread the word...she wants this book to get into the hands of as many YW as possible! She also travels and gives amazing presentations...so, all you mothers of YW and all you YW leaders out there, you won't want to miss out on this!

Here are a few quotes from the book:

(some quotes from the book)

FAITH
"The reality is that faith isn’t about me. It’s about Him. And the Lord Jesus Christ has a pretty impeccable past record…not just in my life but in the countless lives and experiences of God’s children. That is why if my faith is really centered in HIM, then I’m always okay. Always."

DIVINE NATURE
"Regardless of who your parents are or how they have chosen to raise you, you have inherited qualities from your Heavenly Parents that are 'in your blood.' It's just who you are."

INDIVIDUAL WORTH
"Trust that God has a divine mission waiting for you and JUST for you. Trust that He, even now, is orchestrating details of your life to help you fulfill what you were sent to this earth to perform."

KNOWLEDGE
"The most important knowledge you will gain in this life will be the knowledge that is put into your heart and your mind through life's experience by the power of the Holy Ghost."

CHOICE & ACCOUNTABILITY
"Every choice has a consequence. But, the Lord loves you enough and trusts you enough to let YOU choose throughout your life. And a daughter of God who understands who she is has the power within her to make good choices and then gets to enjoy the consequences of those choices."

GOOD WORKS
"One of the characteristics of God's daughters is that we have a natural inclination to nurture other people. We want to love them and serve them and help them. It's one of my favorite things about being a girl. And it's one of the things that makes a girl beautiful."

INTEGRITY
"That is the epitome of integrity--not simply acting right when you have the chance to act wrong, but acting right when you have the chance to act...right."

VIRTUE
"The culminating experience for a daughter of God who lives the values is being as close as possible to her Father in Heaven and to her Savior as she enters the doors of God's Holy House--the temple."


Click HERE to preorder the book!!!!

my boy

mr. cool from Shari Hanson on Vimeo.

a lightbulb went on

Last week I watched a video clip of an interview with Gabrielle Blair - author of Design Mom. I loved that she pointed out that she doesn't multi-task. She has dedicated time for being Mommy and dedicated time for work.

When I heard her say this, a glaring BRIGHT light bulb went on in my brain. BINGO! This has been staring me in the face since I went to the Lyon-Shop back in May...and Amelia (mommy to 2 darling little boys) said pretty much the same thing.

But HOW do I do this? Well, I've been considering a few possibilities of WHEN I can WORK without interruptions, but I know it will take a lot of dedication and discipline on my part since I happen to want to work at ALL THE WRONG TIMES! (usually when my kids are sitting in the kitchen eating everything they can get their hands on and destroying the house...) It's kind of like an escape for me.

So, I either have to wake up early before the kids so I can work quietly and uninterrupted, or stay up late after they are in bed -- which is harder for me since my husband is home and wants to spend time with me... I feel conflicted!

Anyway, today I came across a wonderful article called, "How To Live A Single-Tasking Life" over at The Daily Brainstorm. This article just completely solidified this idea of taking it ONE THING AT A TIME. It's OK if I'm not capable of successfully multi-tasking. I am truly thankful for reading it, and plan on putting it into practice TODAY.

I highly recommend the article, and I'd also love to hear how you divide your time and balance our your busy lives.

p.s. Thank you for all the kind comments/encouragement on my previous post!

K. H. & O.

When my sister Heather (and family) were visiting, she had a little talk with Jakob about being KIND, HELPFUL and OBEDIENT to his mama aka ME.  :)  She is such a good mom and I admire the way she parents her children...so I appreciate her helping me out with my wascaly wabbits.  :)

I have been able to remind Jakob to be K, H, and O on several occasions, and he immediately remembers his talk with Aunt Heather...and MOSTLY cooperates. :)  I have been struggling with how to teach my children to be inherently K, H and O. 

It seems like a constant battle and I sometimes feel like I have monkeys and not children running/climbing/hollering around my house...and that we MUST be speaking a different language and that is why they don't understand me and look at me like I am annoying them when I ask them to do something. Like, how DARE I ask them to clear their dishes off the table? How DARE I ask them to stop yelling and hitting each other? How DARE I ask them to stay in their seat until they are done eating? How DARE I ask them 1,000 times to put their shoes/toys/etc. away?

And they are only 7, 5 and 2. Seriously? You'd think they were teenagers sometimes. Sheesh!

I am working on it, and trying hard to be pleasant but firm with my parenting, but most of the time I end up yelling my head off and feel like I'm going to explode because I am so flabbergasted and exhausted by repeating myself 10 billion and 2 times a day. I find comfort in knowing I'm not the only parent who has felt this way...and I am asking for your advice and tips on things that have worked with you?

I love that my "Family Gems" and my "Daily Gems" seem to be paired so well...

Here's the Family Gem:

A Parent's Role Is to Entice Children to Obedient Actions

"Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help our children learn 'to fish' and to become spiritually steadfast." David A. Bednar, "Watching with All Perserverance," Ensign, May 2010, 42–43

and the Daily Gem:

With a Sincere Heart and Real Intent

“To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to ‘ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in [Jesus] Christ’ (Moroni 10:4). ‘Real intent’ means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given.” Russell M. Nelson, “Ask, Seek, Knock,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 81

So I guess I need to spend some more time on my knees... :)