Some September Catching Up

September 1 was Lazy Mom's Day. I was sick so I kinda took the day off, lying on the couch all day except when I had to take or pick up kids from busses. We missed a wedding reception that night and I missed out on a birding field trip the next morning. Jeremy went on the field trip at least.

 

Nichole came home for Labor Day, September 4, so I had her help with the American flag selfie that day.

Jr. and Jr. Jr. got up early with other young men to help set up flags in the neighborhood. It was cold and wet that morning so they warmed themselves up with hot chocolate when they got home.

The next night, Nichole went with some of us to watch a storyteller at the Orem Library. I love library events.

September 6 was National Read a Book Day. I started reading Fleur-de-Lis by Sarah M. Eden that day with swag I won in that contest a few months before. Good book.

Nichole celebrated National Read a Book Day not as happily by reading Animal Farm for a class.

I also combined National Read a Book Day and Shelftember with my Shelf Cooking 101 book by Jordan Page.

Going along with the book theme, I mentioned that Lucky's teacher has a Harry Potter themed classroom. Lucky brought home a Harry Potter snow globe he earned.

On 9/9 it was President Russell M. Nelson's 99th birthday. I went to a Stake Relief Society National Day of Service. 

Besides service activities, they had a luncheon. The bottle of water with the food made me think of Elder Allen D. Haynie's talk from April 2023 General Conference, "A Living Prophet for the Latter Days." Read or listen to the talk to understand the water bottle reference and why I squished the water bottle as I did before recycling it. 

On a more serious note, I am grateful to have a living prophet who helps us know what the Lord wants us to know. I have gained so many blessings from following the prophet and of course still have so many things to work on. I know the Lord is pleased that I am trying and that I sustain His prophets and apostles.

 

On a not so serious note, September 11 was Make Your Bed Day. When I told Jr. Jr. to make his bed this was his response. "But Mom, I did. I made it a complete mess." Jet has a habit of taking my made bed and unmaking it. So yes, I did make my bed. It didn't stay made.

We had pigs in a blanket to go along with Make Your Bed Day.

September 11 was also Hot Cross Bun Day. I used a recipe from The Fiction Kitchen Trio Cookbook to make Hot Cross Buns. I was maybe the only one in the family who liked the spice in the buns and I definitely liked them. I keep thinking I need to make them and just freeze some for myself.

And of course since it was 9/11, Jr. Jr. and I got our selfie with the American flag. I also took time to share with Lucky some of my memories of that day in 2001.

 

September 12 was National Chocolate Milkshake Day and Ants on a Log Day.

 

September 13 was the 30th anniversary of when The Animaniacs premiered. Seriously. 30 years. I remember afternoon cartoons. I remember anticipating that new show and then getting a kick out of it when it did premiere. My mom thought it was fun because she got a lot of the references that we didn't get as kids at the time. I got a lot more of the references as the years went on. Great for the whole family. I love that 30 years later, my kids enjoy that show as well. Jet will even ask for it by name. Jeremy and I did some reminiscing about those days on that anniversary.

September 13 was also Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day. I honestly can't remember how much they took over the kitchen that day. I made homemade tortilla chips from corn tortillas. We also made bean dip to go with those chips. It wasn't seven layers because we were shelf cooking for Shelftember- using what we had.

 

September 14 was Eat a Hoagie Day. Homemade buns for Chilly Pheesesteak sandwiches and homemade chili with corn chips we had in our pantry. Yumm.

It was also Parents Day Off but I didn't have time for that. Sigh. I actually took a couple of my boys with a neighbor kid out to practice bike riding.

I'd say that's enough catching up for now.

Give Thanks

A week ago, President Nelson counseled us to experience "the healing power of gratitude." You can see his message on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints YouTube channel. You can also read the story behind his message on the Church's website.

He invited us to use social media as our own personal gratitude journal for seven days and to thank God in daily prayer. Lately I haven't been feeling very grateful even though I know that there is so much for me to be grateful for. I've been thinking too much of the stresses of life and letting it get to me. President Nelson said, "At the end of seven days, see if you feel happier and more at peace." I chose to participate in #GiveThanks and since my posts on Facebook and Instagram will get buried over the next little while, I want to share here what was in my "gratitude journal" for the past week. I'll tell you I also loved seeing what other people had to share. So I'll share Jeremy's posts as well.

 

Because it comes up, I will also let you know that for a week the Orem Public Library gave ideas for "No-Stress November," tips and ideas for self-care during these crazy times. Here's a quick overview of what they shared. 1. Create Art, 2. Meditate, 3. Laugh, 4. Go on vacation, 5. Write, 6. Exercise

 

On to my posts about #GiveThanks

 

November 20 (Instagram)

I am grateful for local libraries. I miss going into the libraries (new baby then pandemic. I'm also grateful for my husband, the designated library goer). I also miss the librarians. We've been able to do online activities with both Provo Library and Orem Public Library recently (and over the past several months) and this week I've been enjoying "No-Stress November." Today I "took a mini vacation." It was very mini, but while baby and I were out running errands, we stopped by the lake for just a moment. Baby slept and I took some time to look at a novel my husband is writing. I'm grateful for engaging books and my husband's writing.

(I later made this comment: Another suggestion from Orem Public Library for No-Stress November is to write.)

 

November 20 (Facebook)

I'm grateful my children are grateful.

Lucky: I'm grateful for my family.

Nichole: I'm grateful I can still go to school even though there's a pandemic.

Lucky: I'm grateful for Jesus. I'm also grateful for the disciples. 

Lucky: I'm grateful for toys.

Lucky: I'm grateful for beds.

Jr.: Good friends.

Jr. Jr.: I'm grateful that we have a loving mother who does so much for this family.

 

November 20 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am grateful for the peaceful moments.

 

November 21 (Instagram)

I'm thankful for this boy right here. We were recently given some canned goods (I'm also thankful for the people who gave those to us). He helped organize the area to put them in (he's got some skills). I'm thankful for his little brother's help with holding boxes and cans. I'm also thankful for the other kids helping with the baby so we could concentrate on the canned goods.  

 

November 21 (Facebook)

I'm thankful for the good day we had today, ending with the kids saying what they were thankful for.

Jr. Jr.: I'm thankful for my family.

Lucky: I'm thankful for blankets.

Jr.: I'm thankful for the opportunity we have at the end of each day to say what we're thankful for.

Nichole: I'm thankful for books.

 

November 21 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am grateful for my wife who is incredibly patient and supportive. I am also grateful for my kids...most of the time. ;)

 

November 22 (Instagram)

I'm grateful for what my family did for me today. My 10-year old sent me to my room so they could prepare a surprise for me. When I came out, I found they had cleared off the table and made Chex Mix which I love. My son wanted to make Mommy happy and got everyone else involved in it.

Later the kids made dinner.

 

November 22 (Facebook)

Both of my sisters are grateful for humor today so I wanted to follow suit. I'm grateful for humor.

Jr.: Ha Ha Ha Ha. Laughter.

Nichole: I'm grateful that Jet is stealing Chex Mix from my cup.

Jr. Jr. I'm grateful that Lucky can dance. And boy, can he dance. 

Lucky: I'm grateful for pillows.

Nichole: I'm grateful that our awesome mom is going to let us play video games today. Just kidding.

Jr.: That's what I'm grateful for.

Our reaction when Daddy brought home chocolate chips.

Watching a movie and dancing to its music while juggling. I'm a multi-tasker.

Yep. They did get to play video games.

And boy, can he dance.

 

November 22 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I love the fact that my wife and I have so much in common both in our upbringing and in our interests. It is not hard for us to find things we enjoy doing together. At the same time I appreciate her honesty and that she is not afraid to tell me when her opinion differs from mine. We are growing together and for that I am grateful.

 

November 23 (Facebook)  

I'm thankful I asked the kids what they were thankful for before they fell asleep.

Lucky: I am thankful for paper... so I can write.

Jr. Jr.: I am thankful that I have a wonderful mother that does so much for this family.

Jr.: My wonderful family.

Nichole: I am thankful when we can have Family Home Evening.

 

November 23 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am blessed with two great sets of parents. There is the one set that raised me, loved me despite my shenanigans, and now treat me like an adult despite some of my decisions. And there is the set I married into, who trusted me with their daughter, made me feel comfortable in their home, and treat me like an adult despite some of my decisions. I know both sets love me, and not just for the grandchildren.

 

November 24/25 (Instagram around midnight)

I'm grateful for my walking buddy. Sometimes he's awake and sometimes he sleeps through our outings. The last tip from Orem Public Library for "No-Stress November" is Exercise. So on a particularly stressful day, this little guy and I went out for a walk where I was able to enjoy a nice view of the lake. It felt so good and really helped. I'm also grateful for The Piano Guys because their music helped calm me as I drove to our walking spot. 

 

November 24 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am grateful for nature. It is one of the great stress relievers in my life. Being an introvert often I find relaxation, comfort, and am reenergized by being at home. In reality I also have five kids so home can also be taxing, chaotic, and draining. When that is the case a few hours out in the woods or by a lake away from people usually does the trick.

 

November 25 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am grateful for friends. I am grateful for the variety of friends I have. I have friends on the far left and on the far right. I have friends who believe in some incredible conspiracies. I have friends who are atheist and those whose lives revolve around God. I have friends where I am the weirdest person they know, if only they knew some of my other friends! I have friend that are close enough they could be family, and some of my family are my closest friends. I have friends I have never met in person and friends I have not seen in years. I have good friends in other countries whom I worry about when things get bad over there and who worry about me in return when America goes crazy. I have many friends who would and have gone out of their way to help our little family and whom I would return the favor to in a heartbeat. I am grateful for all of you my friends!

 

November 26 (Instagram)

I'm grateful for our gratitude jar. We started writing down things we were grateful for and putting them in the jar before we were counseled to post our gratitude on social media. Recently I was trying to narrow down what I wanted to post and I realized I didn't have to narrow down my list. I was able to write down each thing I was grateful for on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. At least one of the things we're grateful for is humor. 

 

November 26 (Facebook)

I'm grateful that the point of #GiveThanks is not to spam social media but to let gratitude make a difference in our lives. So I missed a couple of days of posting. During that time I had the opportunity to focus on the second part of "the healing power of gratitude." Prayer. The last couple of days I've had some very sincere and personal prayers where I was able to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father (even during stressful times). It reaffirmed to me that He is there, He is aware of what is going on with me, and He cares. I believe this counsel was inspired of God and it has led me to have a very full heart and for that I am grateful. 

 

November 26 (Jeremy's Facebook)

I am grateful for animals that taste good.

Women's Broadcast

Nichole and I got to watch the Women's Broadcast for General Conference on Saturday, September 23.  Jeremy didn't have to work that evening and Nichole didn't have a dance show earlier that day.  However, there was construction going on at our church building so we decided to stay home and watch instead of going to a different building.  It was fine.  We had our traditional Women's Broadcast brownies.  Nichole cut them from the middle again- it's tradition.

I love traditions.
The broadcast was wonderful.  Talks about us having worth, talks about us loving and serving others.
President Uchtdorf told a story about three sisters- one who was always sad, one who was always mad, and one who was always glad.  We can be that sister who was glad.  We don't have to be sad or feel inadequate.  We don't have to be mad at the world because we think the world is mad at us.  We can choose, even if unpleasant things happen, to be happy, to be glad- to show love to others even if they aren't showing love to us.
I love President Uchtdorf.  When he speaks to women, he says things that really touch me.  I'm so glad Nichole and I watched this broadcast together.  This was her first time watching as a Young Woman, not just a Primary child.  Cool.  This is the only time she'll be both.
A week later, the other sessions of General Conference were also great.

The Broken Tradition Continues

You know I love traditions but sometimes it's better to break those traditions.  We did so last year and continued again this year with our broken tradition.  Besides minor colds, nobody was sick during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  In fact, a couple of the kids enjoyed dancing around to the music.

Nobody missed church which was good since Jeremy was teaching his class and I was teaching Sharing Time.  The lesson for Sharing Time was "Jesus Christ Came to Earth as Promised by the Prophets."
Hey, that's what we've been talking about in our family scripture study.
So I had Jr. and Jr. Jr. in Junior Sharing Time and Nichole in Senior Sharing Time help me talk about what we do as a family in December for our scripture study and talk about some of the prophets who prophesied of Jesus before He was born.
I brought our Countdown to Christmas skewers but instead of our vase of M&Ms, I had a bigger vase filled with wrapped candy.  At the end of the lesson, each child got to take a piece of candy for paying attention and participating (just like in our family scripture study) with the instructions that they were not to open them at church.  It was Fast Sunday after all.  They could take them home and open them when their parents gave them permission.  Most of the kids did pretty well with that, actually.

It was nice to talk to the children in Primary about prophets teaching about Jesus before He was even born and encourage them to listen to modern prophets teaching about Jesus Christ this very evening.