Promises and Blessings

"You will always be a free person. You will never be in bondage because the choices that you make will be the right ones."

Happy Mother's Day to Me

That's a Chocolate Berry Trifle with devil's food cake soaked in raspberry jello, chocolate pudding, fresh strawberries and raspberries, and chocolate cool whip. I might not share it.

Got At Least Something Done

I washed all the windows from the outside today. Now I can put the screens back in and wash the interior side and I'll have some sparkling sunny windows.

Soccer Mom

I got to coach Matthew's soccer game tonight. It was actually sort of fun even if I don't know all that much about soccer.

Who Will You Be?

"Five years from now you will be five years older, whether you attempt to change or not."

-Elizabeth B. Brown, Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People

Bedtime

I'm going to bed at 10:30 tonight (that's what time it is right now). How excellent is that?

Blessings for More Than Just the Baby

I dragged all the kids to a baby blessing today and really had a soul-healing time. I'm very glad we went.

Mom and Kids Night

I got really mad when Brian announced he'd made plans earlier in the week with a buddy and would be watching games at his friend's house all evening.

And then I decided to not allow the anger to ruin my evening.

So I found something to do that I've always secretly wanted to do but never felt comfortable before: I rented a musical and watched it with the kids. We had a movie party with popcorn and treats and comfy blankets and watched "Newsies". And we all loved it. They kept asking me how I knew the songs. So I pulled out my old cassette tape and dug out a tape player for them.

By the time Brian came home, I had tucked the kids in bed with their new music and cleaned up the popcorn mess and I was in a great mood for some snuggling on the couch.

I can have fun, too.

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

To avoid discouraging myself, I'm cutting my monthly goals in half: ONE new habit every month (alternating spiritual and everyday themes). I can remember to do one new thing every day for 30 days and by the end of the month it will, hopefully, become a habit. And then I can confidently move on to the next new habit.

So, for May, I will pray morning and night until it becomes second nature.

What Did I Do Today?

Today I:

-drove my brother to the airport
-started my next Daybreak Daily article
-bathed the girls
-went to the gym
-got dressed (always an accomplishment)
-tended some neighbor kids
-dug the kitchen out of it's perennial filth
-folded a couple loads of laundry (three actually)
-took Maggie to soccer practice
-fixed dinner
-helped with homework
-got the kids in bed
-cleaned up the kitchen again
-and blogged the funny things that the girls did today.

See, I can get a few things done.

How Cool Is That?

Creating Myself

Two months ago, I posted a public commitment on The Edge of Elly to get my life in order. Since that bold move, my life has spiraled out of control through one personal crisis after another. Until now.

In spite of the craziness and chaos that I perceive around me, I will choose my own path and forge ahead. I will become someone I like.

Every month, I'll focus on creating two new habits: one for building spirituality and one for everyday life. To keep me from getting discouraged, I'll keep them small--especially at first. To help me remember, I'll post positive notes to myself around the house where I'll see them. And to keep me on track and motivated, I'll record my goals and evaluate my progress in this blog.

And someday, I'll look back and find I have a record of my metamorphosis from larva into butterfly.

Habits for May, 2009:
1. Pray when I wake up and when I go to bed at night.
2. Do dishes immediately after every meal--no dawdling!

Spring Sports Schedules: Bring It On!

I wrote up my May calendar today on my dry-erase board. It feels good to be organized and ready for the month...but with Nathan and Matthew in football, Matthew in double soccer, and Maggie in soccer, too, this is going to be one crazy month.

Music

I sang in Relief Society today with five other women: "When I feel His Love" by Janice Kapp Perry. It's a beautiful piece about how you feel God's love when you serve others. I wish I could find the lyrics.

Pure Entertainment

There's nothing like a soccer game of three-year-olds to brighten your day.

Graduation Day

Despite all obstacles, I attended my brother's graduation from BYU at 8:00 this morning and was very glad I made it a priority. The speakers were excellent ("we live forward but we learn backward") and the musical number, Jacob, was fantastic. Man, that kid never misses a note, low or high. Plus, it was nice to visit with my family for a little extra time and give my brother some real support and encouragement.

Busy Day

I got a few messes cleaned up today that have been bugging me for awhile: 1) baby toy basket in the family room that has been piled as high as the couch arm with toys that Becca hardly plays with; 2) girls' room, including finishing packing up the clothes that are too small for them; and 3) basement storage room which had been carefully organized until the boys built forts in the boxes and furniture. It feels good to get those few areas put back in order.

Honey-do

I LOVE it when Brian does things for me. Today he watched the girls while I was at the gym (extra points for changing a poopy diaper), filled the sandbox he built yesterday, ran drip lines to all the plants that have been planted so far in our back yard, and planted my tree for me. Happy, happy, happy, happy. So I sent him off to play tonight while I had some friends over to make bows. Thank you, dear.

Blue Sky

Sunshine + 70 degrees = everyone out in the yard working and playing together (and first hamburgers of the year!)

Baby Steps

Becca took her first steps today!

Sunbeam Surrender

Maggie stayed in Primary--by herself--for the first time ever today! She brought her doll dressed in a little church dress and sat by herself in the front row. I told her I would sit in the back of the room and stay the whole time to watch her. But before they could start Opening Exercises, she said, "I want to stay all by myself, Mom." Okay.

So, I left for my own Sunday School doing mental heel clicks and thinking that maybe I won't have to sit in the back of her kindergarten class after all. Like every other milestone she reaches, all it took was Maggie finally making the choice to do it.

Iron No More

I pulled out my new steamer today and tackled the kids' church clothes. Instead of spending half an hour on one darling but difficult to iron Easter dress, I breezed through four little cotton dresses and two white boys' church shirts in half an hour! It felt so good to make such a big dent in my ironing pile so quickly.

Motherhood

After she finished her bottle this morning, Becca plunked her binky in her mouth, gathered her blanket up in her arms, and leaned her fuzzy little head into my chest for that oh-so-precious baby snuggle. Warm fuzzies don't get any better than that.

My Good Intentions

As part of my new self-imposed happiness regime, I'm going to record at least one good thing that happens to me every day.

Go me!