FOUND: Long-lost Posts from the Drafts File

** I loved this post, I can still feel the stirrings of pride and patriotism I felt the night of this lesson.
I feel it important that I do the memory justice by posting it now. **

It's been a while.... I've had issues. Hehe - yes...  I know, redundant.

Anyway, as life has been directing my every move, I've been keeping this blog in my head. Mostly on the days when I don't do "everything right". Like the numerous evenings when I've been so exhausted that I send my Littles to bed only to realize, for the fourth day in a row, we forgot to do scriptures. UGH!

I know that I cant do everything right.... or even most things right. I try hard not to get too down on myself. I try to keep myself up and going. I try to put on my big girl panties, so to speak, and keep on keepin' on. I try to do better tomorrow than I did today.

And some days I actually succeed!

Last Monday was one of those days. THANK GOODNESS!

We were busy getting Sister ready for Girl's Camp and cleaning house after the weekend. As we were running errands, I realized which day it was.... FAMILY HOME EVENING. Dun, dun, dun..... I had nothing planned. Again.

Enter: A Year of FHE. THANK GOODNESS!

If you have never visited this blog, you must peruse it soon. Perhaps in time for next week's Monday night ;-) The blog is exactly what it says, an entire blog devoted to Family Home Evening lessons, revolving around the blog's monthly theme. Owned by Emilie, it is wonderfully creative and super easy to navigate... and filled with years {past and present} of downloadable plans to make FHE a No-Brainer! You can go with her set lesson each week (they post on the Saturday prior) or pick a lesson from the archives. Emilie has tons of different topics to choose from- some that I am excited to pull out soon for my family are Prayer, Pioneers, Forgiveness, and Baptism. She also chooses a Song of the Month, complete with her own set of posters to help with teaching. Brilliant!

This month's theme is: Book of Mormon Stories, which is great for us, considering two of my children are enjoying reading Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-day Saints right now. So Monday, we did this year's (2012) lesson #23: Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. I was so glad to have it, especially since Independence Day is less than a week away! We talked about the blessings of Freedom, most importantly the freedom of religion and how these rights give us the opportunity to worship Heavenly Father in they way He intended for us. We talked about how important it was for Captain Moroni and the Nephite people to be strong and faithful and to stand up for their rights and their families.... even though it was unpopular and even dangerous. It was the right thing to do. It's important that we respect others rights to their own beliefs, but we must never forsake what we know to be true. We have responsibilities to our families - past, present, and future - that make it most imperative that we stand firm and strong in the face of changing values.

{I feel like this is such an important message, in light of the near consistent infringements on traditional American values and founding principles. I was grateful to have a Gospel reason to discuss current events with my children.}

We talked about what the most important things are for us to be standing up for, and then we each made our own Title of Liberty. They included things like Family, our Home, the Temple, our Pets, and Chickens.... because they make eggs and we like eggs, apparently. :grin:

It was a fun little lesson.... especially since it required me to do exactly ZERO pre-planning! And, the final product made our vignette look complete!

Recommit

I sit here and look over the beginings of more than a dozen blog posts that, for one reason or another, I have never been able to finish. Most recently, the reason was my lack of a decently working computer.... and while I am totally able, I truly despise trying to post via my mobile app.

I sit here looking at stacks of 'hand-me-down' items that were given to me by a family friend in need of downsizing. Mounds of laundry that need to be washed, folded, and put away. A kitchen that really needs the floors washed and the counters cleared (again).

And yet my heart only longs to make my children and apologize for the wasted hours. You see, school has started once again, for all of us. We are busy.... we are rushed.... we are exhausted. We run out the door in the morning, to after school activities and Mutual at night.... we storm through homework and dabble at housework. We scarf down meals thrown together in haste between chatter of friends and a nightly run down of the following day's happenings.

And I realize that I MISS MY KIDS! I miss my babies. I miss their snuggles. I miss their giggles and little mispronounced words. They are too grown, already. And each day I see them grow a little more.... And I long for the easy days. The ones before academics and achievements. The ones that were SO hard ... so exhausting... to trying. I long for the simplicity.

So. Even though I am going to be busy with school. Even though they are growing and busy. Even though we have commitments that we must keep. I am recommitting to something we called "Momma and Me"

I am going to make an effort each day to actively engage each child in loving and meaningful conversation even if it kills me seems silly. I will look them in the eyes and hold them close, tell them too many times how loved and important they are. I will be a better mother tomorrow than I was the day before.... EVERYDAY!

I will never give up! They are too precious for that!

I wanna be a Tortoise

In all of our struggles to do "the right thing", to be the best parent.... To make the best, most nutritious meals.... To have the most frugal yet chic home... In the midst of all of this, do we truly have time to be true to ourselves? How do we make time in our busy lives to be all that we want - or feel pressured to be?

I'll tell you a secret. 

WE DON'T!

I was impressed by this exact message in the blog post, Your Children Want YOU! In it, April discusses the tendency women have to get discouraged by not being the put together, crafty, fit woman with perfect children, wearing trendy haircuts and the latest styles - fashioned out of up-cycled, thrift store finds (of course) that we all perceive in the various media forms we encounter. She laments over her seemingly nu-alphabetized spice canisters and alternatively rejoices in her children's loving acceptance of her less than perfect attempts.

We don 't have to be everything, do everything, go everywhere to have a full, rich life.... we only have to be on the right track and take the time to point out its wonders. Linda and Richard Eyre wrote, in The Book of Nurturing, that the real reason the Tortoise won the race is attributed to the fact that he took time to do his job well. He didn't go all of the far-flung places the Hare did, he stuck to the path and watched for markers to guide his way. He didn't fret that others thought he was an unworthy participant, and in the rewrite, quite the opposite is actually true. Due to the Tortoise's easy going nature, the other animals were drawn to him, they spoke with him and helped him find his way. He didn't have to be the fastest, the most savvy, the one with the most mantle vignettes....  he only had to be himself and keep on the steady course of personal progression.

 I am, by far, not the perfectly fit, grudgingly beautiful, über stylish model of a woman that my Pinterest boards say I want to be.... but I'm okay with that.... because my kids think I have  a "beautiful face" and look "nicely dressed". When asked what they like best about me, they say things like "you play with us", "you read to me and you love me". This week, they were even grateful for the several loaves of bread I baked, even though I didn't put nearly enough yeast in and they are so dense that a single slice is a meal! The fact of the matter is, my children know that I love them and even if they don't understand it or necessarily show it , they appreciate the efforts I make on their behalf.... even the ones that fall short of the mark.

The Tortoise could never have the prowess, speed, or agility of the Hare. He could never match the Hare's style or grace.... just as I can never match some over-emphasized  imaginings of the World Wide Web. The beauty is that the Tortoise didn't have to .... and neither do I!