Salt and Skipping

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  not putting enough salt in a recipe that didn't specify how much to add.  Left to my own devices, I perpetually underseason.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . teaching my kids to skip.

. . . doodling with Todd.

. . . praying for guidance and getting answers.

Gingerbread Heart and Gift Challenged

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . baking gingerbread.  The smell is wonderful, and the cookies are tasty, but my favorite part is combining the dough scraps left over after the cookies are all cut out, and shaping them into a little heart cookie for Phillip.

And another thing . . .

. . . I am gift challenged.  Some people (like my mom, and a high school friend who recently gave me a cool dragon cake pan for my birthday) love giving gifts.  I hate doing it, partly because I'm a cheapskate, but mostly because I want to give people something that they will like and use, and I have a really hard time guessing what that might be.  I realized how truly gift challenged I am today when it occurred to me that I would rather compose an essay on race and gender relations in PBS kid shows (or American politics, or Star Wars films) and present it to a hundred strangers than try to buy a gift for one of my son's classmates who I've never met.

Shut-eye, Mario, and Donut Friend

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Phillip offering to hold down the fort this morning while I got some extra sleep.  Bless him.

. . . Aunt Lara coming over to visit.  The kids were happy to give her a tutorial on playing Super Mario 3D, and she was happy to hand the controller back to them after the first level and watch them play the rest of the time.  The 3D aspect of the game takes a little getting used to.

. . . eating a Mint Town donut from Donut Friend.  It was delicious, but so rich that I couldn't eat more than half of it.  I'll enjoy the rest tomorrow. Lara got one of their bacon donuts; to each their own.

Songs, Checkers, and Bullfrogs

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Todd copying the fake burping sound I keep trying to discourage Anna from making.  The boy doesn't say a single word yet, but his replication of Anna's fake burp is spot on (it sounds like the noise I imagine a young bullfrog would make if you stepped on its toe).  

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . hearing Joy and Daniel sing the songs they'll be performing in the Fall Sing at school next month.  I love that they enjoy the tunes so much that they burst in to song together on the way home from school.

And another thing . . .

. . . one of the benefits of having a checkers app installed on our iPad is that none of the pieces get lost when Todd decides to upend it, like he did with the old-school set this morning.  You know you have multiple small children when you see checkers rolling in every direction and don't even ask if some will be missing after you gather them all up.  We already have one milk cap stand-in checker in the set; why not add a few more?

Turnip Seeds and Friendship

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . gardening with Joy.  She planted a cheerful pot of mums (which make me smile every time I walk by them), and some carrot and turnip seeds.  She loves carrots, but I don't think she's ever even eaten a turnip.  Ours is not to question why . . .

. . . attending stake conference this evening.  There were several talks that inspired me or got me thinking, but my favorite part was one speaker's memory of a modern apostle declaring that God lives, "and He is a friend of mine."  I love that simple, clear, joyful statement that God is both real and caring, and that we can become His friend.  To me, that implies warm and open communication, and mutual service born of love.  May I cultivate that kind of relationship with God.

Friendly Kitties and Ponderizing

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . .  Anna deciding it would be fun to hide from me as we were leaving to pick up the big kids from school.  It took me forever to find her, and we had a little chat afterward about not playing hide-and-seek with Mama without asking her first.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Todd giggling happily while I tickled him.

. . . "ponderizing."  During General Conference a couple weeks ago, one of the speakers described his goal to "ponderize" (memorize and ponder) a different scripture each week.  I loved the idea, and I've started taping a different scripture to the inside of our front door every Sunday.  This week it's a quote from President Hinckley: "Exemplify in all of your activities the great virtues which [Jesus Christ] taught."  Reflecting on these scriptures throughout the week has been really uplifting.  It eases the stress of my busy life, yet also inspires me to be a better, kinder person who is more at peace with life. 

. . . the kids and me eating the roof off the gingerbread haunted shack we decorated for family home evening a few days ago.

And another thing . . .

. . . the kids are into Super Mario 3D lately.  The game has a power-up that turns you into a cat which can climb walls to get bonus items, and suddenly Kitty Cat is the new favorite make-believe game in our home.  Sometimes it gets a little rowdy, though, and I have to remind certain parties to be friendly kitties instead of fighting kitties.

A Few Favorite Things

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . taking a walk with Todd after we dropped Anna off at preschool.

. . . Anna eagerly running to meet me when I arrived to pick her up.

. . . Daniel sitting on my lap and telling me about his day while we waited for Joy's class to get out.

. . . sharing dreams and questions about the future with Joy.

. . . trading texts with Phillip; some serious, some less so.

. . . talking with another mom who's dealing with the same parenting challenges I do.  It's nice to know I'm not alone.

. . . feeling God's love as I pray.