Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Joy decided to play a game in which we each could choose to be something else. I assumed we'd be birdies or kitties, etc., but Joy said she was going to be a prophet. I asked if she was going to teach Daniel, whereupon she walked right over to him, knelt down by his side, and said, "Hey, Doodie. Choose the right, dude."
. . . Joy asking Daniel if he wants a kiss or hug, and he smiles and says "Nuh" ("Yes"), then they put their arms around each other. It's so sweet to watch.
. . . cooking a deliciously moist and tender roast in the solar oven. The solar potato recipe I tried was nothing to get excited about, though.
And another thing . . .
. . . I made chocolate chip cookies today. Every time I measure out some vanilla these days, I think of a little reminiscence I recently read. An old woman recalled baking with her mother as a child, and being enchanted by the delicious flavor vanilla extract could impart to a recipe. When her mom wasn't looking, she snuck the vanilla outside so she could swig that sweet elixir straight from the bottle. She was shocked to discover that something which can be such a delicious addition to a recipe is so bitter and unpleasant when tasted alone. I'm sure there's a broader life lesson there somewhere. :)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Back to Reality
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . seeing my husband and kids walk in the door this afternoon. It was good to see them again, and I think three days of solid Mama time is about as much as I can take.
. . . finally hanging some pictures on the walls of my kids' room, after three years of living in this apartment. Some people have a passion for decorating; I am obviously not among them.
. . . Joy asking to sample some of the trout Phillip caught and cooked. She actually liked it and asked for seconds. I'm often pleasantly surprised at the things she's willing to try these days.
. . . seeing my husband and kids walk in the door this afternoon. It was good to see them again, and I think three days of solid Mama time is about as much as I can take.
. . . finally hanging some pictures on the walls of my kids' room, after three years of living in this apartment. Some people have a passion for decorating; I am obviously not among them.
. . . Joy asking to sample some of the trout Phillip caught and cooked. She actually liked it and asked for seconds. I'm often pleasantly surprised at the things she's willing to try these days.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Warm Heart, Sore Seat
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . my bum being sore from sitting through church, then sitting at the computer all day (Phillip and the kids are still gone, and I decided to spend my Sabbath working on my personal and family history).
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . reading short biographies my dad has written or collected about our ancestors. Some of the names and stories were familiar to me, others not so much. All were uplifting, and inspired me to carry on their legacy of character and faith.
. . . eating mini Snickers bars. Mmmm.
. . . my bum being sore from sitting through church, then sitting at the computer all day (Phillip and the kids are still gone, and I decided to spend my Sabbath working on my personal and family history).
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . reading short biographies my dad has written or collected about our ancestors. Some of the names and stories were familiar to me, others not so much. All were uplifting, and inspired me to carry on their legacy of character and faith.
. . . eating mini Snickers bars. Mmmm.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Dejunking with Billy
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . arriving home this morning, knocking on the door, and hearing little Daniel gleefully run to answer it.
. . . having lots of free time to just Get Stuff Done (Phillip took the kids up to my parents' cabin this afternoon). Most of all I wanted to sort through a bunch of clutter around our home, and though I've been looking forward to tackling this for weeks, it was such a big task that I almost couldn't bring myself to start it. Finally, I did the one thing that is almost guaranteed to put me the mood to work: I opened my favorite playlist and started Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust." The opening bars just have a "Let's DO This Thang!" vibe to them, and they instantly got me off and running.
And another thing . . .
. . . I attended the temple this morning with a couple friends. We went so early that I spent most of the session half-asleep, but whenever I thought about the ancestor I was performing the ordinance for, I had the distinct feeling that she was glad I had come.
. . . since I just can't seem to make myself stop working or writing on the computer at a decent hour, I asked my techie husband to set our computer to lock down at 11pm. Hopefully that will help me finally get a full night's sleep on a regular basis.
We also set up the computer to block websites with undesirable content, but this afternoon I discovered that it wouldn't let me access any blogs. Not even my own. We fixed that snag right away.
. . . arriving home this morning, knocking on the door, and hearing little Daniel gleefully run to answer it.
. . . having lots of free time to just Get Stuff Done (Phillip took the kids up to my parents' cabin this afternoon). Most of all I wanted to sort through a bunch of clutter around our home, and though I've been looking forward to tackling this for weeks, it was such a big task that I almost couldn't bring myself to start it. Finally, I did the one thing that is almost guaranteed to put me the mood to work: I opened my favorite playlist and started Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust." The opening bars just have a "Let's DO This Thang!" vibe to them, and they instantly got me off and running.
And another thing . . .
. . . I attended the temple this morning with a couple friends. We went so early that I spent most of the session half-asleep, but whenever I thought about the ancestor I was performing the ordinance for, I had the distinct feeling that she was glad I had come.
. . . since I just can't seem to make myself stop working or writing on the computer at a decent hour, I asked my techie husband to set our computer to lock down at 11pm. Hopefully that will help me finally get a full night's sleep on a regular basis.
We also set up the computer to block websites with undesirable content, but this afternoon I discovered that it wouldn't let me access any blogs. Not even my own. We fixed that snag right away.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Prayerful Hacker
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . Daniel coming over to the table where I was reading, and folding his arms. I told him I wasn't praying right now, but Joy pointed out that maybe he wanted to pray. She asked if she could offer the prayer because she had a few things to say to Heavenly Father. Among other things, she thanked Him that Jesus died for us, and asked Him to help her and Daniel listen to their parents. Sweet girl.
. . . coming home from a church activity after the kids' bedtime, and Joy opening her door to ask me to give her a kiss. Of course, Daniel wanted one, too. It was sweet to love and be loved.
And another thing . . .
. . . a few months ago, we made Joy her own account on our computer so she could type or mess around with spreadsheets (she likes to fill in the cells with color) without endangering any of our documents or programs. We store some of our DVDs on our computer, and recently we've awakened each morning to find our daughter was already up watching Curious George or Monsters, Inc. We decided that so much passive screen time every day probably wasn't a good thing for her, so Phillip fixed the settings so Joy couldn't access the movies without asking us first.
Or so we thought. We woke up this morning to the opening song of Curious George again. I knew it was common for kids to be more tech savvy than their parents, but the fact that our four-year-old has won a round against my computer-geek husband is a little scary.
. . . Daniel coming over to the table where I was reading, and folding his arms. I told him I wasn't praying right now, but Joy pointed out that maybe he wanted to pray. She asked if she could offer the prayer because she had a few things to say to Heavenly Father. Among other things, she thanked Him that Jesus died for us, and asked Him to help her and Daniel listen to their parents. Sweet girl.
. . . coming home from a church activity after the kids' bedtime, and Joy opening her door to ask me to give her a kiss. Of course, Daniel wanted one, too. It was sweet to love and be loved.
And another thing . . .
. . . a few months ago, we made Joy her own account on our computer so she could type or mess around with spreadsheets (she likes to fill in the cells with color) without endangering any of our documents or programs. We store some of our DVDs on our computer, and recently we've awakened each morning to find our daughter was already up watching Curious George or Monsters, Inc. We decided that so much passive screen time every day probably wasn't a good thing for her, so Phillip fixed the settings so Joy couldn't access the movies without asking us first.
Or so we thought. We woke up this morning to the opening song of Curious George again. I knew it was common for kids to be more tech savvy than their parents, but the fact that our four-year-old has won a round against my computer-geek husband is a little scary.
Hide & Seek
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . finding out Phillip would be home four hours late. He had a very good reason, but that kind of news always leaves me feeling really glum.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . playing hide and seek with my kids. I particularly loved watching Daniel dash ahead of me to find his sister. It was also fun to hide in the bathroom, and make silly faces in the mirror until the kids found me.
And another thing . . .
. . . today's hide and seek game reminded of a mother I once met who said that when her kids argued and called on her to mediate, she would hide somewhere in the house. The two kids would start working together to find her, and by the time they actually located her they had become a team and the quarrel was forgotten.
. . . finding out Phillip would be home four hours late. He had a very good reason, but that kind of news always leaves me feeling really glum.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . playing hide and seek with my kids. I particularly loved watching Daniel dash ahead of me to find his sister. It was also fun to hide in the bathroom, and make silly faces in the mirror until the kids found me.
And another thing . . .
. . . today's hide and seek game reminded of a mother I once met who said that when her kids argued and called on her to mediate, she would hide somewhere in the house. The two kids would start working together to find her, and by the time they actually located her they had become a team and the quarrel was forgotten.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sand, Swings, and Snacks
Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . watching a shower of sand drop from Daniel's hair when Phillip turned him upside down at the park. I then ruffled my son's hair for a minute straight, and there's still grit caught in those thick, wavy locks.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . taking chocolate zucchini bread to an activity, and having lots of people ask for the recipe. It always makes me happy to know that others enjoy what I bring to share with them.
. . . watching Daniel grin with delight as I pushed him in a swing.
. . . watching a shower of sand drop from Daniel's hair when Phillip turned him upside down at the park. I then ruffled my son's hair for a minute straight, and there's still grit caught in those thick, wavy locks.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . taking chocolate zucchini bread to an activity, and having lots of people ask for the recipe. It always makes me happy to know that others enjoy what I bring to share with them.
. . . watching Daniel grin with delight as I pushed him in a swing.
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