Occupied

After a few years of vacancy, our chicken coop is finally occupied again, by one Silkie Bantam and three french hens.  This time, without the sound of a rooster crow.  Our last experience with little hens proved that they were too young to notice that one was, in fact, a rooster ;-)

The children used to race to the coop each morning to gather eggs.  So, last week our new hens started laying eggs, just in time for Easter egg decorating and hunting.  Every morning is like Christmas!

Mothering Pyramid, Summer Swim, and a Beautiful Baptism

As mothers, our hearts really want to spend the majority of our time Helping Things Go Right instead of Fixing Things that are Going Wrong, right? :)  I was asked to teach a parenting class a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but compile all of my favorite parenting mentors into one doable visual aid.    

Mothering Pyramid Ingredients:

3 cups Arbinger Parenting Pyramid

2 cups The Power of Positive Parenting
1 cup Leadership Education

1/2 cup Love and Logic

1 Tbs Teaching Children Self Government

a dash of Covey

I know that for myself, when I'm distracted and or in a hurry, I tend to start from the top of the pyramid with corrections and consequences when something goes wrong.  But, the key to this pyramid is to start from the bottom with our own personal foundation :)  Each section of the pyramid builds upon itself starting from the bottom up.  When something isn't flowing in a particular section of the pyramid, always look below for the solution.  

Loved this beautiful day :)

Oh, the places you'll go...

So, we planned a fun summer vacation around the twin's singing in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake.
Day One:

~  The Grand Canyon 

~ Buffalo outside of Zion's National Park

 Zion's National Park

 

Day Two:

 ~ Salt Lake City

~ The roof of the Conference Center

~ Temple Square

 

Day Three:

~ Pioneer Memorial Museum and Church History Museum

 

~ The Beehive House

~ Friends at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

Day Four:

 ~ "This Is The Place" Heritage Park

 

Day Five:

 ~ Concert Day ~ the boys practice ALL day and sing in the Tabernacle

Day Six:

~ Concert Day #2 ~ The boys sing at Abravanel Hall and we play on Temple Square while Dad is at the temple

Whew! 

Reading, Play, and Family Work Pattern

The twins are quickly passing me by with their reading... I can't decide if I'm ecstatic with joy or envious of the time they have to relish in a good book :)  They finished the Book of Mormon, the entire set of Chronicles of Narnia (7 books in 2 weeks) and also re-read one of my family favorites, Little Britches.

No Electronics + Few Toys = Hours of Imaginative Play Outside!

My Two Little Indians:)

Family Work Pattern

Shortly after the birth of my fifth baby, (five in seven years) I was swimming in laundry and asked a dear friend and mother of seven how she managed to keep up with each of her children and her orderly home.  Her simple reply was "I train my children to contribute to Family Work while they are young."  Wow, will I be forever grateful for her words.  

My husband grew up farming alfalfa and cotton with his father.  He was taught to work hard, complete the job, and enjoy the fruits of his labors - one of the qualities I admire in him.  So, we've been blessed with four boys (and one girl :), and at this point in our lives, our farm consists of square foot garden boxes and a chicken coop!  

So, with a little help from The Parenting Breakthrough:Real-Life Plan to Teach Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent, we created a list of what we call Family Work.

Before we started, we had a purposeful family discussion about contributing to the family and working together, including a great discussion about the lives of Almanzo Wilder after reading the book Farmer Boy (to whom we are related through my husband's side - fun!) and Ralph Moody from Little Britches (which we read as a family).  Then, I created a list of skills that each child in our family would learn ~ depending on age and ability. 

At age seven, the twins each chose one skill at a time that they wanted to learn and master.  I worked along side them at the beginning, until they felt confident enough to do it alone (usually a week), then they continued to perfect it on their own.  As they finished each daily skill, I would praise them for their effort.  Once they were considered master of a new skill (Master Wheat Grinder, Master Sweeper, Master Toilet Scrubber, Master Weed Puller :), we recorded it and created a Family Work Card.

Now, we have three 8+ children in our family.  During Family Work Time, I choose 4 cards for each child with jobs listed to be completed.  They take ownership by choosing 3 cards they want to complete and put one back.  I complete the card they don't want.  (They beam when they have a say in Mom scrubbing toilets instead of them :)

A rule of thumb for children's ages when teaching Family Work:

Ages 4-6 work with

Ages 6-8 work near

Ages 8+ work independently and Return and Report

When my 8+ children get distracted from their work, which is not unusual for a nine year old boy with a soaring imagination, I simply tap them on the shoulder as a gentle reminder to get back to work.  For the most part, in working together, we have strengthened our relationships and established a wonderful pattern.  They know that my intent is to help them develop and succeed.  Establishing a habit of following through, as well as making a meaningful contribution to the family, has given them a little skip in their step.  Plus, our household runs smoother, our home is a more beautiful and orderly place to live, and we enjoy our Free Time knowing the work is done :-)

Basically, keep these three important things in mind when teaching Family Work and create a PATTERN that works for your individual family ;)

1.   It starts with us taking initiative and being the example

2.  The relationship is more important than the task

3.  Give them choices and ownership over the skills they choose to master 

November Traditions

The words of President Monson during our recent Stake Conference continue to echo through my mind, "Men change EVERY day."  I recently read a similar talk by President Monson from 2008... he spoke of change.  He emphasized the day by day, minute by minute and second by second... our lives are steadily marching on and we can choose to find JOY right now, in the present moment.  So, my handsome husband and I continue to add to our Family Vision... our Family Traditions shape and change our little family day by day, minute by minute and second by second :)

 Tradition #1  Our Christmas Gift to the Savior

On the day of November 1^st, I went visiting teaching.  Crazy, I know, because I have never visited on the first day of the month in my whole career as a visiting teacher :-)   A sister that I visit shared a beautiful idea that helps her embrace the holiday season each year.  Starting on November 1^st  and through Christmas day, she reads 10 pages of the Book of Mormon.  There are around 530 pages and about 55 days (so it gives a few extra days if you miss or need to catch up) 

I pondered the idea that day, wondering if I wanted to commit to a specific number of pages along with the other studying I was already trying to squeeze into my full days.  The answer was a strong yes.  I shared the idea with the twins who were already reading the Book of Mormon during their morning daily personal scripture study, both of them reading in Mosiah somewhere.  To my surprise, they chose to commit to reading 5 pages a day as their Christmas gift to the Savior.  So, it is the early morning of November 20^th and I just peeked into their bedroom - both comfortably sitting on their beds... silent, still, with empty stomachs... reading their 5 pages.

Tradition #2  Gratitude Jar

Our Gratitude Jar is being filled with words of gratitude!  The children choose one thing they are grateful for each day and write a specific way that they will express that gratitude.  An example from our 4 year old... 'I am grateful for my sister.  Today I will give her a big hug.'

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”  D&C 78:19

Tradition #3  Magical Moments with Mom

and Dad Interviews

 So, my husband and I try to switch off creating one-on-one time with each child every other Sunday.  We started Magical Moments with Mom when the twins were little.  It's a special time with Mom, snuggled in her big bed reading a beautiful picture book.  Some favorites are Daughter of a King by Rachel Ann Nunes, The Story of the Walnut Treeby Robert T. Barrett and everything by Max Lucado.  

Now, the twins and I have Mom-n-Me Meetings, usually about 10-15 minutes long.  I ask a few simple questions about their joys, needs and desires.  I do lots of listening and write any ideas that need action.  Then we end with a special prayer specifically for them, a hug and a little treat.  Today during our Mom-n-Me Meetings, I listened to the boys share an idea for a Secret Christmas Service Jar, stories about the wicked Korihor, Alma sharing his conversion experience with his son Helaman and discovered the need to plan a trip to the optometrist.  Whew!  Makes a great hour :)  

Tradition #4 ~ Sunday Surprise Muffins

Growing up, I loved my mom's Surprise Muffins and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Because we try to keep things fairly healthy around here, we've switched the recipe up a bit and use spelt flour and honey instead of white flour and sugar.  We eat a whole dozen ourselves, give a dozen away and keep a dozen for Monday snacks.  Any takers next Sunday? :)

October in San Diego!

Beach Treasures

San Diego Temple

Mormon Battalion

Dinner Over the Ocean

Love these boys :-)

The twins turned 9 this summer.  I am amazed at the little gentlemen they are becoming.  They had a very grown up family birthday this year (friend party every other year).  Birthdays at our house start with a special birthday breakfast (they chose French Toast drizzled with maple syrup and fruit) and a special reading of our traditional birthday book Hooray For You!

The Story of Carl:
We spent a few fun hours exploring at the Arizona Science Center and Planetarium.

On the way out to the parking lot, we were approached by a nice man named Carl who was out of work and living on the street.  We didn't have any small bills to give him, but the twins insisted that after we paid for our parking, we would give Carl the $5 in change and they would pay us back from their own money.  On the drive home, the twins said they prayed that Carl would find work soon and that giving the money to Carl was the best part of their birthday. 

(grateful for those tender experiences that just can't be planned)

We finished the evening with yummy Mexican food and fried Ice Cream!  

Nana's Nook

2010 4th of July weekend ~ Christopher Creek with our friends the Barnettes.

The kids and I spent a few days with Sarah and her kids.  We enjoyed the cool weather and lots of outside exploring.  The little guys loved the swings.  Sarah and I did some planning for our CoOp, and then the dads came Friday evening. 

My favorite spot was relaxing on the hammock with my favorite girl in the whole wide world.

The kids had a great time catching all kinds of critters ~ butterflies, snails, crawdads, and beetles.

Grateful for this country and the freedoms we are blessed to have.  Happy 4th!

A Beautiful Day

~ I am incredibly blessed to be the mother of five children who teach me daily about love, patience, wonder, joy, fun, and forgiveness.   My handsome husband and the kids made a yummy Mothers Day Lunch, complete with a show and my very own bowl of fruit :-)  ~ Then, because I've been a busy mama these past 9 months, Jared gave me a few hours to work on organizing my very neglected photos. I love feeling organized, even if it's only the photos on my computer :-) 

Thanks for a beautiful day!

Four Generations
~ I am blessed to have a beautiful mother with so many gifts. She continues to teach me about service through her example and willingness to help when anyone is in need.  She is still always willing to lend a hand when I have chosen, again, to put too many things on my plate.

~ To my mother and all the wonderful women in my life... your endless examples of motherhood inspire me to keep going and become more.

Serendipity

~ We all have one of these family pictures… you know, the one where the toddler refuses to cooperate and simply smile for the camera no matter how much coaxing or bribery you do! ;-) The moment I saw this picture on my digital camera tonight I laughed out loud… It reminded me of something I recently read in 'A Mother’s Book of Secrets' by Linda Eyre.


She wrote, “The definition of serendipity is “Through awareness and sagacity, finding something good while looking for something else. Serendipity usually happens because of a crisis or when you are least expecting it. It might be getting a great idea because of something your kids said or did. It might be taking a minute to enjoy a gorgeous sunset. It might be getting a call from a long lost friend, just when you though it was so important to accomplish something else. An annoying interruption by a child becomes an opportunity! … When you get really good at looking for serendipity, instead of rolling over in the morning with your first thought being a heavy, “What do I have to do today?” you might be able to roll over and think, “I wonder what’s going to happen to me today?”


~ This picture was my serendipity today. Instead of finding the perfect family photo on my camera, I found a priceless memory where everything was out of my control and just the way it should be.

(Christopher Creek this 4th of July weekend)

Baby #5 is finally here!

Born on Friday November 7th weighing 8lbs 5oz. Here he is at 1 day old. We brought him home after 24 hours and are grateful he's so healthy! We're excited to have him join our family:-)

It's a BOY!

No mistaking this one for a girl! It's a BOY!

Together Forever

Lately we've been working on teaching our kids Spanish... okay, so mostly my handsome husband is doing the teaching and I am learning along with the kids :) We frequently talk about other languages and cultures and to go along with that, we had an FHE lesson last night on 'Going on a Mission'. As we talked, the twins were SO excited...
One said, "I can't wait to go on a mission, I wonder where the prophet will send me!"
The other said, "Awe, we have 12 years left to wait!"
We explained that they could go at the same time to different places and teach the gospel and then watched 'Called to Serve.'
Half way through the movie one of my compassionate little guys leaned over to me with tears in his eyes and said "Do you think the prophet would decide we could go together since we are brothers and twins?"


My future missionaries on their 4th birthday...



I think it was the first time he realized they wouldn't be together 24/7 for the rest of his life. LOVE the special bond they share...

Love This Guy:)

He has been home sick now for 4 days with a 103 fever.... just a yucky virus! I have loved spending extra cuddle time with him... He often takes on the oldest child role in our family and with so many small children... he is growing up too fast!

Some things I love about him:

- He is a smart boy! He asks questions about everything all day long. He is able to grasp difficult concepts and I can't get away with sugar coating things for him:-)
- He has the cutest dimples when he smiles
- He is very creative and loves to draw, paint and create his own crafts
- He is very coordinated and loves soccer, baseball and walking on his hands
- He is always singing a song
- He is a great helper with his little brother
- He loves to plan things on paper and watch them happen. He takes his job so seriously when he is in charge of planning family outings!
- He likes to do things his own way and often comes up with a better way than what I showed him (He often teaches me the meaning of the word 'ALLOW' :-)
- He loves to be silly with his twin brother and make people laugh
- His favorite colors are green, black, white, orange and red
- One of his favorite things to do is have family dinner time with lots of food and give everyone hugs.

How do you do 5?

Yep... we are expecting number 5 the beginning of November! I always knew my max was 5, but it came really fast and now I'm wondering if I am ready???? 5 kids in 7 years! I had a sense of family completeness a few days ago and it felt really good. I am soooo sick and I have to say that I LOVE ZOFRAN!

Boys Boys Boys

Some moments I wonder if I will ever survive these CRAZY boys! The next moment I laugh and remember what they are here to teach me! I'm sure that many of you with boys will agree that there is something about having boys close together that creates a louder home :-) This is what I found them doing downstairs... playing baseball in their batman slippers, race car suits and bike helments!