reading rainbow(of starbursts)

In just a few short months the baby boy that made me a mother will be seven. It seems unreal. Zander is in first grade, and he mostly loves it, except for maybe the learning to read part. I started reading to Zander out loud when he was just a baby and it's something we still do everyday with he and his brothers.




Our daily read-a-louds after school around the kitchen table while the boys munch on freshly popped kettle corn or plain yogurt drizzled with raw honey are some of my favorite parts of our days. I decided to try reading a chapter or two from a childrens' chapter book a couple months ago and we just finished Stuart Little and have recently started Charlotte's Web.

I wondered at first how much a 6, 4, and 2 year old would understand or enjoy a chapter book, but after preforming my kid-approved litmus test: a) do they sit relatively still? and b) and do they ask for more?, I have determined that they approve. So because my children love to be read to and will sit for many long minutes looking at books on their own I naturally assumed that they would be thrilled to learn to read.

Well, it hasn't actually happened that way. In fact it's been a bit of a battle since the end of kindergarten last year with Zander. For some reason he has fought learning to read every step of the way. There have been a few tears shed, several tantrums thrown, and also good progress made. Zander is now starting to read.

A couple weeks ago while talking on the phone to his Yiayia and Papa Drew(my parents), Zander decided to demonstrate his new nun-chuck/reading skillz. The proud grandparents were duly impressed and Papa Drew promised a reward for Zander's hard work. Soon after that a package arrived in the mail for Zander with this inside:




Zander was so excited, he got started right away. We called to thank the grandparents later and Yiayia wanted me to know that Papa Drew had thought long and hard about this reward and he had gone out and bought it and written the note himself. *grinning from ear to ear* Thanks Papa Drew!

It was such a hit that later that night Zander brought me a stack of about 28 books to redeem for Starbursts. After a few pointed questions about the volume read in less than an hour(he wasn't sure how about 7 of those got in the stack, it was the mystery of the hour. *wink*) I cashed him out.




This exchange immediately produced all kinds of questions from the two sidekicks . . . like would Zander share and how could they earn candy too? Hmmmm. . . a slight hitch in Papa Drew's otherwise brilliant plan.

So I told Asher that if he and Tiernan sat by Zander and listened to him read they would get a Starburst for each book too. Aaaannnndd they had to read within hearing distance of me or dad so that we could keep em' honest. So now the only question is when will that refill bag arrive, Papa Drew? Zander is reading in every spare moment and it is music to this momma's ears.

different and wonderful

Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was different than all the other Thanksgivings I have ever celebrated before. Why, you ask? Well, this year we gathered with friends and no family. Both our immediate families have all moved away or were out of town and and our good friends extended the invitation months before we knew if extended family in town was getting together.




And so we gathered at their home with a newly-moved-into-our-ward family and celebrated all the ways that we have been blessed. It was a new and strange experience for me. Strange to be there in the warmth of that friendship and feel very much at home. I was missing all those that were not there but I did not feel sad, just grateful.




So grateful for all the holidays of the past that we have been able to be together for. Grateful for our faraway families' health, strength, and happiness. Grateful that even though we could not all be together I knew that they were thinking of us and sending us their love.




Grateful for these sweet friendships that fill the voids and feel like family too. Thankful for ward families and always knowing we have a place when we need it no matter where we are in the world. This year Thanksgiving was different, but wonderful.

A few more things I am thankful for:

my suh-weet rock star of a man
things 1, 2, & 3
thai orchid curry
fuzzy wool felt and delicious dried fruit from my momma
the smell of snow
extra virgin coconut oil
my family and my man's family
the sound of zander reading books
leather bound journals
phone calls from my seesters
lavender and peppermint essential oils
palm sugar
girls' night out
my Savior
cod liver oil
music to rock out to with my boys
best friends
the book of mormon
thai orchid fresh rolls
thrift store treasure hunts
weekly date nights with my suh-weet rock star of a man
lightning mcqueen and thomas the train
raw milk
and my eyelash curler and black mascara

What are you thankful for?

like reading it for the first time

So I'm a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints or a Mormon. Have been my whole life. As a Mormon I have read the Book of Mormon several times, as a child, as a teenager, as a family, some of it while I was in college(BOM class at BYU). Faith and my testimony in almost all areas of the gospel has always come very easily for me. Reading the scriptures including the Book of Mormon? Not so easy for me.

As a teenager after reading the Book of Mormon I prayed about it's truthfulness and knew that it was true(again the faith part comes pretty easily to me). But honestly I did not like reading the scriptures. Not at all. Boring and confusing. And there are soooo many things I would rather be reading. So I have been a mother for almost 7 years and haven't read the Book of Mormon again(all the way through). Couldn't really get past second Nephi.

So last spring my good friend Kristi and I were talking about my scripture reading challenges and she suggested that I try reading the whole Book of Mormon really fast. Like in a month. She had tried it and had been so blessed in so many ways because of her efforts. She said that there were many nights when she found herself turning off the computer at midnight and didn't want to read but realized that she had just spent the last 4 hours blogging or playing on the internets and that she should be willing to give a half hour of her time to the Lord by reading the Book of Mormon.

Well, that twinged in my heart a teeny bit. I figured that I would need to read 17 pages a day to finish it in one month and decided to give it a try. After several days of reading 17 pages I decided to scale it down to 10 pages a day to simplify things and then it would take me about 2 months to finish. I just finished reading the whole Book of Mormon last week. So it took me about six months instead of two. But can I just tell you how much it has changed me and blessed my life? So much. In so many ways.

First I found a time and place that I love to read it: early morning in the shower. Yes, in the shower. The shower has always been where I pray anyway, quiet and warm you know? So I thought why not the Book of Mormon? I read other books in the shower all the time. I picked up an inexpensive soft cover Book of Mormon at a Primary activity and fell in love.

Then I found that by reading it 10 pages at a time instead of a chapter at a time it made a lot more sense. I started to put together the chronological order of things and realized that the Jaredites were brought to the promised land before the Nephites! No, I did not realize this before. Normally small bites are perfect for swallowing information, but for me the Book of Mormon requires large consistent bites to make sense.

You know that burning you get inside your mind when your about to lose it? About to let the anger and yelling just burst forth all over your kids and husband like hot liquid lava? Well, on the days that I read the scriptures the burning slows and quiets. It slows down enough that I can think more clearly and hear more clearly. It helps me hear those little whispers from the Holy Ghost a bit more loudly. My patience for all the many needs of my wee ones expands and multiplies around me when I read the Book of Mormon. And the sometimes strangling grasp of distraction, discouragement, and despair loosens and looses strength every time I read from those sacred pages.

You know what else? I found my favorite scripture. Never really had one before. This scripture will be my personal mission statement in the coming months and years.

Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

There is such hope in those words for me. Hope in realizing that these things I struggle with can be made strong. Hope in knowing that I have weaknesses because God gave them to me to keep me humble not because I am fundamentally flawed. Hope in knowing that I have a Savior who loves me and shows me with His sufficient grace. And that, friends, is why this time when I read the Book of Mormon it was like reading it for the first time.

two ghosts and a super asher

Three weeks before Halloween Asher told me he wanted to be a ghost. I started planning. Three ghost would be so fun! Then Zander said he didn't want to be a ghost he wanted to be an Indian. Ok, well Asher and Tiernan would totally rock the ghost thing together.




One hour before our ward's trunk or treat after extolling all the ghostly virtues of white hair paint and black rimmed eye sockets Asher decides he does not want be a ghost. Zander on the other hand had previously had no idea how cool it was to be a ghost but had seen the light and was now on board.




And Tiernan? Well, after seeing Zander's hair transformed he was also on board with the ghost thing. Until I brought out the white hair paint. But by that point it was too late. He no longer had a choice in the matter. I compromised by forgoing the face paint on him and skipping ahead to the ghostly ripped bed sheet.





And Asher? Well as you can see he wore his ghost costume to his Joy School Halloween Party for the first and last time. On Halloween night I turned over his costume prep to John to figure out. He came out to the car wearing his super cape and a cowboy vest. When I asked him what he was he told me he was Super Asher. So there.

Easter Adventures

Easter party hosted by my good friend Kristi. Thanks lady! It was a blast!





On your mark! Get set! GO!




What do you have in there?





This is Duncan the train. The Easter bunny delivered him.




One for Lightning, one for Duncan, five for me!




Cheese!




Look what I found!




We love Easter eggs and baskets!




Easter clothes and pictures? Not so much.




So there.

Healing the Rift

Lately I've been feeling a bit of a disconnect between myself and this wonderful earth that God created for us. I remember that I used to feel such gratitude and awe every time I stepped outside. I remember that I used to want to step outside. Lately not so much. I know that there are several factors that have contributed to this shift inside me. Things like my very close family moving very far away and being a tired drained mother of three young boys under the age of five. Frankly going outside got to be almost more work than I could bear, especially when it it was very cold and dark.




I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I've been thinking about my health and well-being, spiritually and physically. I've been thinking about how closely they are tied together and about how closely I am tied to the earth as one of God's creations. I think that my gradual and mostly unintended shift away from something I used to get such joy from has affected me more than I ever thought it could.




And so I am determined to reconnect and start to heal the rift. I want to feel that awe and immense gratitude again. I want to feel smaller because I am part of something so much larger than myself but also infinitely important to Him because He created and loves me. It might seem simple or unimportant but I know that by coming to re-love and reconnect with nature and the earth I will restore some of the vitality and well-being that I have felt slip away in recent months.




And so I'm committing to myself to step outside everyday. To just walk, even for a few minutes. No matter what the weather is. I'm going to just bundle up my boys(even though it's like an aerobic workout and takes 20 minutes) and go outside. Because they need to too. I want my boys to come to feel the same awe and gratitude that I have in the past and they never will unless I teach them to feel and see it.




I'm also going to take my camera with me and try to capture some of the beauty I find. Like this first bud I found today with my family. After watching LDS General Conference sessions we drove down the Seward Highway to one of our favorite places called Sunshine Ridge.




It's right off the highway and overlooks the Cook Inlet that is full of swirling ice chunks trying to decide if it's spring or not. The boys loved jumping in, on, and off the tumbled rocks. There was lots of slipping on snow patches and tripping over rocks and we did gather a few scraps and cuts as proof of our adventure.




It was so much fun. But I expected it would be. The boys loved it. But I thought they would. What I didn't expect was the way I felt when I stepped out of the car onto the frozen muddy rocks. I felt like I was coming home. Home to a part of me that was missing for a while. I'm so glad I found it.

Unplugging and a Napkin Tutorial

So on Friday I joined Kimba from A Soft Place To Land for a day of being unplugged from the internet. No posting on my blog and no reading the blogs of others. It was good for me to do. The internet can be a huge time suck for me. I could spend half my day checking email, posting, and reading other blogs. Not a good thing for a wife and momma of three young boys. Friday sort of turned into a weekend of being unplugged(mostly) and it was nice. Mostly I just did some things I had been wanting to do but "hadn't had time to do."




Reading(a book), cleaning out some clutter with John and the boy's help, just being together, making bread, watching the boys build and fly Lego space ships, and sewing these suh-weet napkins. These napkins are something I've been wanting to make for months but have been too scared to try. Well, after finally trying them I feel a bit ridiculous and hope to save others who have also longed for but have avoided making cute, "green", frugal napkins that can coordinate perfectly with your china pattern or home decor the same embarrassment. In a word: EASY. Even for a novice. Really. Check it.




Step 1: cut out 14x18 inch rectangles from some coordinating fabrics. Step 2: Iron the edge of one side of the rectangle over about a 1/4 of an inch. Then fold over the same edge another 1/4 of an inch and iron so that the raw edge is now hidden(after I got the hang of this I started just double folding it and ironing it only once, saved me quite a bit of time). Step3: repeat step 2 on the opposite edge of the one you just folded and ironed.



Step 4: Sew along each of the 2 folded edges, back-stitching at the beginning and end.




Now you should have two finished edges and two raw edges opposite of each other.




Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 for the two remaining raw edges.




Now you should have four finished edges and one beautiful napkin. Go ahead and make a few more for a complete set. I made 15 over the weekend. I'll probably make 10-15 more to cover all the napkin needs for my family for an entire week, then I'll only have to wash them all once a week.

This was honestly one of the most fulfilling Immediate Satisfaction Projects I've ever done. Tonight at dinner I showed my little boys how to unfold the napkins and put them on their laps and their little eyes just sparkled with pride in being so grownup. An unexpected bonus was that their table manners improved immediately. My heart sighs with pleasure whenever I think about that stack of 15 napkins and my temporary unpluggedness. Simple. Good.