Joy Is An Act of Courage

Today is Monday

June 27th, 2016

it's one of those kinds of Mondays...

I am surrounded by unpacked, 

unorganized chaos of boxes 

my kids are detoxing from sweet grandparent attention

while I have made some acquaintances at Church

(who are so lovely and I see beautiful friendships in my future!)

I am feeling quite alone

I feel behind on almost every area of my To Do's

I didn't get the grocery shopping I meant to do on Saturday

and Mr. H left this morning

for a week of training

in Chicago.

. . .

All will be well.

But my joy 

feels a bit on the shallow side this morning

And then, this quote.

"to live joyfully you must be brave. 

True joy is not for the fainthearted. 

You must decide to be happy.

Joy is an act of courage. 

Joy will not abide until

 you make a conscious 

decision to treasure it."

 

From this great talk

(that was shared several weeks ago on one of my first Sundays here in Michigan!)

It reminds me that true joy

TRUE JOY

means we choose it

and we do so bravely

courageously

even

on

those kinds of Mondays.

#MondayMorningQuote #SharaleaDesigns

When Things Don't Go As Planned

We had a Plan A and a Plan B--depending on our mood. I've always loved the idea of going to Nauvoo in the fall/winter--off season, walking around with the stops all to ourselves and imagining those families who had to leave their homes on cold days just like these. Nauvoo was Plan A and we had our hotel booked & ready.

Also, I've been itching to get our living room 'finished'--after last fall's finishing of all the upstairs rooms & hallway (needs: walls sanded, baseboards replaced, walls & ceiling painted). Plan B was to get the living room finished.

Whichever one, we vowed fun quality time together for the week of Thanksgiving while Dad is home and a few days off work! We didn't make any specific dinner plans since we weren't sure if we would be in town or if our kitchen would be near the construction zone.

And...you know, we had to throw out both Plan A AND Plan B when the kids started throwing up on Monday.

DETOUR

I've been in bed all week. I am standing at the counter typing this, but it is wearing me out. I've lost 7 lbs and I've got a sore abdomen from coughing. I've gone to sleep with Nyquil and woken up with headaches. The flu is no joke, I have learned.

I've been frustrated to have to be quarantined from my family and the lack of involvement I've had in the merry-making of this week. I was slated to teach on Sunday and now I cannot (I might fall over, seriously), which I really feel awful about--it is one of my favorite things to do and this is the last month of the year! This year is closing out and I feel like I'm stuck in the shadows. Honestly, I don't think I'd do very well as an invalid for very long, I've had some seriously emotional ups and downs...it's only been 4 1/2 days!

*sigh*

Those are my complaints for the day.


I'm grateful for the people who have offered prayers, love, meals, and support. I just need to be well enough to keep the fort running next week when Mr. H is back at work again.

I'm grateful for the pondering time to sort through thoughts, throw out the bad ones and make plans in my head for a December to remember.

I'm grateful for Mr. H's awesomeness--he pulled Thanksgiving off with brilliance--who would have doubted?

I'm grateful for my littles who have adjusted to Mommy not being able to be front-and-center and have been helpful with the little things that have to get done to keep a house happy.

I'm grateful for my Savior who loves me and allows us to make plans and throw them out when needed--always available for support and reminding...we are not in charge, but He is.

I guess that's the life lesson, right?

-->Plan but be ready for changes ahead.

-->Honor frustrations for a moment but continue on with gratitude.

-->Find joy in the little things, push away the negative energy.

-->Take time to breathe.

And.

-->Write it down.

Miss N--a month ago. This is kind of how I look, though.

It can only get better from here!

Signing out of NaBloPoMo for 2013.

See you next year.

Once a year

Once a year there is 

a very special Sunday program.

The Primary kids (ages 3-11) spend many Sundays preparing for this one Sunday (in addition to all the other fun/songs/lessons they enjoy). They learn new songs that teach about the Savior Jesus Christ, and they have a specific theme. This year, the theme was Choose The Right. 

I remember being in Primary as a child and the nervousness and excitement that surrounded the Primary Program Sunday. I remember wearing a favorite dress and sitting with my friends on the stand in front of the entire congregation. I also remember feeling so glad it was over...getting in front of people was NOT my idea of fun (this is also why I declined any & all offers to take dance lessons--recital? NOthankyou!).

As I grew older, I truly enjoyed watching the Primary kids get up and share their songs of faith and voices of testimony. They each get a speaking part and join with their classes as a group in song. It is usually the most entertaining (remember: 3-11 year olds on the stand for almost an entire hour) and also the most spiritual Sunday in the year.

As an adult, I have had the opportunity to participate in leadership/teaching roles in the Primary and always got a little teary eyed when I imagined my very own children taking part in the yearly program. Their sweet voices in song and word are precious and remind me of the Savior's council to "become as little children" (Matthew 18:3).

Of course, there is always a kid who throws his head back refusing to sing*, a kid who pulls his shirt up for all to see a bare belly, a kid who stares his parents down, a kid who goes limp when his teacher tries to help him say his part, a kid looks down at the crowd through finger binoculars.

This year?

This year that kid was mine.

*Our stubborn darling knows every single song, he was just intent in NOT singing. We, his excited parents mouthed all the words to each song, hopeful he would join them. NOPE.  He did awesomely sit up front the entire time and was mostly reverent. Here's to next year!

Every day in November!  NaBloPoMo: National Blog Posting Month. Write a post on your blog every day in November. Since last year didn't kill me, I've decided to do it again this year. Do you want to join me? My brother will be writing daily overHERE and my sis-in-law's posts will be found HERE. 

Hands Full

Yesterday I had to go grocery shopping.

I was out of town this weekend and didn't get a thing done 

to prepare for this week...out of yogurt, milk, bananas, 

apples, & more.

I actually don't mind grocery shopping, and I don't mind taking my two little guys (who are quite well-behaved at the stages they are currently). It's what I do...I take my little ones with me practically everywhere, right? It's the job of a SAHM plus during the weekdays I'm pretty much a single-SAHM so it means I really have no other option.


(My handsome, hardworking Mr. is consulting in Kansas. Last week was St. Louis. The week before that was a presentation in Chicago, and the week before that was consulting in Montana)




This summer, I started adding N to the cart adventure(as opposed to keeping him in the carrier/carseat or in my ergo carrier)--the ones with double seats or other creative two-seater contraptions (thank you: Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Cub Foods, & Sam's Club). His eyes light up with joy whenever he realizes he gets to sit in a "big boy spot" right by his big brother. He adores J. He wants to do EVERYTHING he is doing...it is so fun and interesting to watch them in action.


Yesterday I had the boys in matching clothes. They were both in jeans, little boy converse shoes, and the exact same top--grey with orange & white stripes. I have very FEW perfectly matching outfits for them, but I think it's fun to do sometimes. They looked adorable, in my opinion...my two little guys. 

I used to get a lot of comments like "awww they're so cute" 

on days like yesterday.

Now people see them, and bypass the cute comments and go straight to the "wow. you're going to have your hands full" comments (after noticing my hard-to-miss, glowingly large 36 week baby belly). 

I smile.

I say some silly response and laugh...

...nervously...

Because you know what? 

As annoying as those comments do feel

They are right.

*shudder*

So...

...did you notice anything?

My cousin Jen E did.

So did my girl Kendra W...

TODAY IS TUESDAY.

All day long.

So...I have no idea what happened, 

I was sure I was due for a Thankful Thursday post.

 Maybe I just needed to get it out this afternoon.

Let's blame it on pregnancy-induced mush brain, shall we?

And it's only 6:09pm

• a broken lamp
• outgoing mail ripped up & thrown in the trash (one was a bill, one was a letter to Elder Tyler)
• scissors used to cut open yogurt while standing on cabinet
• lipstick samples slathered on lips (two!!) at The Body Shop
• "stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" yelled from one side of sidewalk to other
• soap dispensers stuck up nose at Bath & Body Works (to smell, of course)
• restroom door opened in IKEA while Mom is sitting down (pants down, of course)
• lunch yogurt *SPLAT* on floor (after pains were taken to balance lunch items & push stroller to lunch spot)
• wine glass waved around & placed back on shelf...tinkling at every attempted placement
• vertical display of carpets...climbed upon
• car snacks spilled across BOTH sides of backseat

...

All in a days work*

for Toddler J

...

Also this is day 4 of the Mr. being out of town, so I was already running on low oil today.

I'm going to eat a bag of chocolate chips now.

*Truthfully, today's events are OUT of the ordinary, even for Toddler J.

Thankful Thursday: September 3rd

Last night after Mr. H & I gazed at the sleeping J (we can't help ourselves, the high we get from seeing our fast-asleep toddler is just too addicting), we crawled into bed and as we closed our eyes we tried to dismiss the agitated vibes* of the day.

In order to fall asleep with happier thoughts, I proded Mr. H:

"Tell me two good things from today"

He replied "There were no good things today"

Ever the optimist (and knowing full well that you cannot have a day without good things, even on the most frustrating of days!) I insisted, "Just tell me two things!"

He paused, then replied: "Two good things: Getting a kiss from J and cuddling with him before he went to bed."

I thanked Mr. H for sharing his 'good things', gave him a kiss and smiled in the dark room. His two good things are awesome, I thought. Another reason family life is so important in God's plan for us--there are 'good things' we just can't experience any other way.

I thought about all of the frustrating things of the day, and countered them with all of the good things I could grasp from the day's events. The sunshine, fresh peaches, a sewing tutorial by a kind friend, a completed project, safe travels to and fro, a dinner downtown with some girls from Church, followed by 7 for $20 deal at Bath & Bodyworks, and the cutest 14 month old on the planet. All good things!

I started this nightly ritual when I was living in Portugal as a missionary and having a particulary challenging time. I realized that focusing on the 'bad things' only fuels the negative energy...while pointing out the 'good things' can change everything about a day.

I started a *miracle journal* where I would write down 3-5 'MIRACLES' (essentially any "good thing" i deemed worthy--which could be anything ranging from a letter in the mail to a delicious pastry to a family who listened intently to our message) every day. On days where I needed extra umph I could re-read what I had written and the 'good things' would cheer me on. At first it was hard to find things to add to the list, but it didn't take long until I had re-programmed my heart to recognize the good in almost EVERY situation.

Thankful Thursday works in the same way--more focus in gratitude helps me to focus on those good things in my weeks which results in a happier ME. Gratitude, by its very nature, is a positive emotion. And don't we all need more positive emotion in our lives??

I am thankful for all of the good things, for the challenges that push us to find seemingly hidden miracles, and for opportunities to remind ourselves of what the good things really are.

Now it's your turn.

Tell me two good things from today!

*It was a crazy day: Trevor broke a tooth (5% chance he'll have to have a root canal, 95% chance he'll have to have a crown--which still costs 400 clams after insurance covers 500)--THEN we were treated like trash (and basically called "riff raff" by Bob the disgruntled employee) at the DMV and walked away with only one set of license plates and only one of us with a new driver's license. To top it all off, while I was away, J got stuck under the couch & Mr. H had to figure out a way to pick up the couch & get him out without injury. All wrapped up in one package called "Wednesday".

My Wednesday Morning: Movie Scene

So...this morning was anything but normal...

In fact, I feel like I just starred in a movie.

Not a glamorous role, mind you...here's how it played out:

I felt very brave and adventurous as I let The Boy feed himself his breakfast with a spoon--an option he's never really been given before today. He was giddy to try it out and intrigued by the concept of hand-eye coordination in order for that yummy goodness to reach his lips.

Of course, by the end of the bowl, he was COVERED in oatmeal (#1 reason we haven't delved into this experience before now). I was pleased and felt liberated by my own "let him do it" attitude, not worrying about the mess I'd be cleaning up later. He was so proud of himself, and I was proud of him! He did great...but now it was time for a bath.

Giving J a bath, I broke rule #362 of parenthood: I stepped out to grab something. Breaking that rule probably negates all of the "cool mom" points I got for letting him feed himself breakfast. Within seconds, I heard him whining a "Mom come save me" kind of cry...I rushed back into the bathroom (only steps away) to find him pinned up to the corner--practically on his tippie toes, freaking out about something at the bottom of the tub.

What is it you ask?

POOP.

Plenty of it. Some floating, some not.

I am in total shock, I can barely move, I keep staring at the poo. J looks at me like "stop staring at the thing, Mama, GET ME OUTA HERE!"--he really didn't like being in poopy water.

I pull him out, make sure he's "clean" enough, quickly babyproof the bathroom (where else can i keep him while I'm cleaning up??) and let him walk around the bathroom while I formulate a plan of action.

First I took the solid chunks & placed them in a plastic bag...(why? I don't know, I was running on crazy shocked energy), quickly disposed of the plastic bag outside in the poopie diaper trash can.

Back in the bathroom I find he has taken items from the trashcan & thrown them into the now-drained but still poopie tub.

YUCK.

Quickly disposed of the now dirtier trash...put the trash can on the counter, and went to the laundry room for some high power cleaner to get the tub in working order.

Back in the bathroom, guess what?

A couple of new "gifts" left by J--ON THE RUG by the tub.

No way. I couldn't believe it! I kind of stared in disbelief and then when I came to my senses cleaned the naked J up with wipes...then rolled it all up in the rug & stuffed it into the trash can.

Wow.

Ok, back to cleaning the tub. I sprayed it all down with cleaner, then washed it out. Onto round two--I sprayed it down again (can't get it too clean, now, can we??) and look over to see J PEEING ON THE OTHER RUG.

At this point I can't help it, I started to laugh. THIS WAS UNBELIEVABLE. Seriously?

Rolled up rug #2, into the trashcan and wiped the floor up...still trying to finish the TUB so I can really clean that boy up (still had oatmeal on his face, even!)...

Last cleaning, last rinsing--yay!

With the tub shiny & clean (and feeling proud of myself for surviving such an ordeal, grateful it all took place in an easy-to-clean bathroom) look around the corner to realize that he had OPENED the door, WALKED out, and was now PEEING ON THE CARPET IN THE HALLWAY.

NO WAY.
NOT HAPPENING.

THIS IS A DREAM.

Except it wasn't.

And I stopped laughing.

I glanced over at the shiny clean tub. In the corner was a rubber duckie. His beak was open and his eyes were wide with laughter. HE was laughing at me.

And, in all likelyhood, you probably are as well.

Honestly?

I thought these things only happened in the movies.

Have you had a "movie moment" like this one??

Do you ever feel

Do you ever feel

like you are stuck

between yesterday and tomorrow

between breakfast bowls and lunch cleanups

between dusk and dawn?

Do you ever feel

like you have

too much on your list of To Do's

not enough on your list of spontaneous fun

and too many expectations of what the day should become?

I have felt frustrated with myself lately.

Goals I have had for years + new ones just seem to pile upon each other and stare at me, whispering thoughts of doubt and can't-do-it-iveness. I can avoid the stare-whispers by ignoring all of it and doing something else. Something not on the list. Something not chasing after me. Something not getting me from A to B.

I imagine we all trip into these kinds of ruts sometimes...

Perhaps some of us fall more often than others--our own character flaws push us--

I read an article* today that I thought would be helpful for these

'Do you ever feel'

kind of days.

Here are 7 ideas shared in the article:

1. Pray for guidance (Many options are between one good thing and another)

2. Don't compare yourself to others (Chances are we are comparing our weaknesses to others' strengths)

3. Be gentle with yourself (Acknowledge you are doing the best that you can. Be accepting of your efforts as Christ is)

4. Forgive yourself (If you fall, brush yourself off and start where you left off. All is not lost)

5. Don't worry what others are thinking of you (The important thing is to know how the Lord feels about you)

6. Acknowledge the fruits of your labors (Write things down)

7. Be thankful (Rejoicing in Christ and in our many blessings is the best way to show gratitude)

And here is a quote also from the article:

"We don't have to be fast;

we simply have to be steady

and move in the right direction.

We have to do the best we can,

one step after another...

The only thing you need to worry about

is striving to be the best you can be.

And now do you do that?

You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life,

and you move towards them

step by step...

That is easy enough.

We don't have to be perfect today.

We don't have to be better than someone else.

All we have to do is to be the very best we can."

-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

It is kind of amazing how often I need to be reminded of these kinds of thoughts.

I think I will post this quote somewhere so I can read it daily.

Is there a scripture or quote that helps you get through a challenging day/week/event?

*Though the article is entitled: "Confessions of a Perfectionist", I am more of a procrastinator than a perfectionist.

"Mama said there'd be days like this..."

"...there'd be days like this, my Mama said."

Ok so the newlyfresh glitter & glam of the move has worn off--

--at least for today.

I don't usually complain on this bloggity blog...but...

It's been a rough one.

The day started early with an electric outage (and then came on again), leaving all of the electric lit clocks a-blinking. I'm going to blame everything that happened on the annoying BLINK of those numbers.

You know...12:00

blink

blink

blink

blink

There wasn't anything more annoying than that...

until:

• I realized how cold it was (60-something in our apt) and chose to stay in my warm bed instead of start the day at a decent hour
• the babe found my stash of extra TP rolls and commenced a paper party
• I got dressed & ready to go only to realize the babe needed some solid food & a nap...couldn't leave the house yet
• I couldn't find the GPS
• I couldn't for the life of me get into our key-entry-only mail box
• I *almost* went the wrong way on a one-way street (twice)
• The store was out of the good deal coupon item that I was there for
• I *almost* hit a car that I didn't see parked on the side of the road
• I found the GPS, right where Mr. H said it was...just minutes after I got home
• I unwrapped my newly acquired photo frame...but couldn't get the sticky sticker off of the glass
• The wrapping from said frame *almost* caught on fire since I was working on that project a wee bit too close to the lit candle
• Mr. H had a social engagement for the evening with his new work pals...leaving me at home without adult interaction for even *more* hours of the day
• I felt alone and sad to be in a place so far from familiar
• My favorite pair of jeans has a hole too large to repair (on the rear)
• I *might* have a scar under my eye from a certain small person's finger nail attack
• On the first day that I have felt very glad that we will only be here for six months, Mr. H comes home to inform me that we most definitely have no definite guarantee for pretty much any kind of time frame (meaning: it is more likely than not that we will be here longer than 6 months=Wisconsin winter)

*sigh*

So we all have down days, right?

It's been a challenging day...tomorrow WILL be better!

NOW, I will endulge in freshly baked brownies and vanilla ice cream...

What do you do to cheer yourself up when you are having a down day?