"I pray you...

your play needs no excuse.

Never excuse."

-William Shakespeare  

"Respect the power of play." 

Our kids learn by playing, why is it we at some point stop?

"Playing is hard for most women I know. 

Creating your own toy box symbolically suggests the importance of fun."

Get a box, and fill it up. 

"Store [toys] in your toy box until the right moment comes along to use them.

Laugh when you see your toys and let them visually remind you to lighten up."

"Play is the exultation of the possible."

-Martin Buber  

I totally have a toy box in my craft room. I have lots of fun stickers and stamps, decorations and strands of christmas lights. I have coloring books, and colored pencils, and other things that I like to play that make me smile when I see them. 

I try to do the things that I like to do with the kids, like we all color together. Playing together is so much more fun than playing by yourself, or not playing at all. 

Do you have a toy box? 

If you don't Sarah suggests getting a pretty box and spending $10 on a creative excursion. 

My one problem is probably that I forget to go look in my toy box and play with my toys. 

Maybe that's what I'll do tomorrow. 

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Gratitude Journal

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1) One toy that I got to play with this weekend. I almost finished, but I needed another day. Family dinner kind of takes priority, and the table needed to be cleared. 

2) I tried something new today. They didn't taste very good, but it was nice to try something off my bucket list of recipes. Future reference, plain old pie is better, and so are pop tarts. Don't waste your time. I think this counts as a BHG fail? Also if you're in a pinch, pilsbury refrigerated pie crust is pretty darn good.

3) Mondays. I'm so grateful for Garfield. He loves lasagna, and hates Mondays. I try not to hate anything, but this Monday was the pits. Do I have a cold or just allergies? Are my children trying to kill each other or just trying to drive me insane? Thank you Garfield for understanding that sometimes Mondays just suck.

4) The terrible twos. Do you know how hard it is to try and reason with a two year old? And I have two of them. Two two year olds. I'm grateful this doesn't last forever.

5) After a long and exhausting day, my kids wouldn't stop cuddling me before bed. "Momma momma momma" with their little arms clutching around my neck, and pointing and touching everything on my face. Somehow, it's all worth it. On Sunday I had the revelation during the Sacrament that the atonement must have been so hard, so hard Christ asked if he could stop. When Joseph Smith was basically being tortured, he asked God why have you forsaken me? He answered that Christ descended even below what you're suffering now. And then I thought here I am suffering and sacrificing so I can try and love and raise my children right, and here I am thinking this is so hard, and I thought that God would tell me the same thing he told Joseph. It was humbling, and strengthening all at the same time. I can't wait to continue to ponder that this week. How Christ must have thought the same thing, "it's all going to be worth it, doing this really hard thing for the one's I love." 

March 5th - Hope Chest

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers-that perches in the soul..."

-Emily Dickinson 

I remember the first time I heard about hope chests. My best friend showed me hers. I was so confused, why did she have all these things laying around when she wasn't using them? She had mugs and washcloths and linen napkins...

"Hope chests contained...dreams of domestic bliss."

I can't tell you how much I love chests. 

I seriously want to get one for Riley, Sarah suggests that it should be a 16th or 19th birthday present. And probably should be updated (people don't get married at 16 in America much anymore, so she doesn't need flatware and bed linens etc), and done with her (no one likes to be told what to like, let her choose what looks nice to her). 

But just because you never had one doesn't mean you shouldn't have one now. 

Pick a box, or a hamper, a chest if you can, and fill it with projects you want to do. 

"Not every one of our desires can be immediately gratified. We've got to learn to wait patiently for our dreams to come true, especially on the path we've chosen. But while we wait, we need to prepare symbolically a place for our hopes and dreams."

I have quite a few boxes in my craft room with projects I want to do. My craft room has kind of become my hope chest. When Robbie asked if I wanted to sell our house and buy a bigger one I said no at first...but then he enlightened me to the possibility of having a craft room all to myself...Then I said yes! 

I love my craft room. 

"Faith is the very first thing you should pack in a hope chest."

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Gratitude Journal

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1) My weekend. There is always something about going home to your parent's house that you just can't find anywhere else. Like how you can always count on Grandma's garden to have flowers blooming. 

 2) The drought is finally brought to an end. It is so good to see water again. I tried to find the before picture, but after 5 minutes I gave up. Here's the after.

And check out the video of the creek.

3) Not just water. Snow. These two pictures were taken in the same weekend. Sun one day and snow the next.

4) Allergies. I have complete sympathy for those who suffer with allergies now, because I got them this weekend. Itchy eyes and throat, cough, runny achey nose...The works. All because I worked in the yard with my mom. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I can't remember the last time I worked in a yard, because my yards are work proof, made specifically so I don't have to do anything. It was so nice, and look at the amount of weeds we pulled! This was only one barrel full, there was a whole other barrel.

Curse you weeds and the allergies you give. But thanks for the work, making us realize how beautiful the yard is.

5) My mom. I can't get enough of this woman. We are terrible at taking selfies, but I wanted to show this beautiful lip color that my friend gave me for my birthday. She convinced me to try it by trying it on herself first to show me how pretty it was. Thank you mom, thank you friend for the gift, it really is a pretty color.

6) One last thing. My ocd children.

7) Okay one more last thing. Read or listen to this talk, I want to talk more about it later but I'm exhausted. 

March 4th - Priming the Pump

"The well of Providence is deep.

It's the buckets we bring to it that are small."

-Mary Webb 

Did you know that old fashioned wells you had to pour water into it before it would get going? You had to give water to get water.

I thought that was a bunch of bologna, but my dad confirmed it so I looked it up.

"The pump should never be operated without water to eliminate damage to the leather cup. Always fill the pump with water (called priming the pump) before operating the pump. Prime the pump by pouring water in the top of the pump until it flows out of the spout. Wait 4 or 5 minutes while the leather cup swells enough to make contact with the pump wall. Using short strokes, raise and lower the handle until the suction pipe fills with water. Add more water in the top of the pump if necessary. If the pump will not prime then check for leaks on the suction side. A leak will prevent the pump from priming."

https://www.plumbingsupply.com/handpump.html 

If you don't add water, the pump will not work.

Turns out the same goes for the well of inspiration.

Sarah tells us how to do this.

"You need to create a reassuring ritual for yourself to access your inner reservoir - that place deep within you inhabited by imagination."

Whatever you're trying to get inspiration on, why not start up a little ritual?

I actually have one. I think a lot of us probably do something like this.

It's when wake up and I need some serious strength to get through the day. Robbie and I cuddle and hit the snooze so we can dream a little, imagine. Then I pray, I read scriptures, I help the kids do the same, and I get dressed and ready to go...I literally put my game face on. This is one of my pump priming rituals so that I can have the spirit with me to help me be a good mom throughout the day.

I think other than my morning ritual, that's all I've got.
Maybe I could do with a few more.

Sarah has a ritual for getting inspiration for writing. She sits in bed with a cup of tea from the same mug, listens to the same music, reads some of her favorite authors, and then lets inspiration flow.

How about you?

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Gratitude Journal

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1) Little toddlers who say they don't need a nap and then fall asleep in the car. Out like a light.

2) The sounds of nature. The bees, the frogs, the birds, the wind, the creek. It's really amazing.

3) Being productive. There really is nothing like your mom saying gently "let's get to work" to get your butt moving.

4) Internal motivation. I actually went for a run this afternoon. With my dog. I ran/walked for 20 minutes in the most beautiful weather. How cool is that!?!?

 Indy saying "come on slow poke"

"Come on slow poke, it's just a little hill...

another one that is...and then there are a few more after this..."

5) Nana. She can work miracles. Like painting a 2 year old's toes glittery red and making her sit still not just for the painting but till they dried. Riley did the cutest laugh, apparently she loves it when Nana does her nails.