Fin Fun Mermaid Tails

I just saw the cutest thing ever on a blog I really like.  You can buy a mermail tail for your daughter to swim in!  They are awesome!  I registered for a chance to win in a drawing they're having.  If you're interested in getting one, you can "like" Fin Fun Mermaid Tails on Facebook, where you'll find all their ordering information.  Seriously, I wish someone had made those when I was a kid!

Adios!

So the girls left yesterday for a fabulous, fun filled vacation to Cancun.  I know!  They're there, and I'm here.  They were invited to go with their amazing friends and their family.  They have scheduled incredible adventures, fabulous tours, zipline trips through the rain forest, swimming in underground cave rivers,  pottery and snorkeling classes, shopping, eating, seeing the ruins of Tulum, and spending countless hours on the beach.  I couldn't be happier for them.  Really.  Being a teenager in high school should be one of the most exciting times of your life, right?!  Of course we had to send them.  As I sit here in my house, going about my normal daily routine, I can't help but think that the chance they have to explore a different part of the world with good friends is an experience that they'll treasure the rest of their lives.  I hope so, since I don't even own a passport!  :)

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

Last weekend when I got home from the Power of Mom's Retreat, I walked into my master bathroom and was surprised to see a little note taped to the side of my mirror.  The small 2" x 2" piece of paper caught me off guard, but the message printed on it is so beautiful and profound that it will forever be a treasure to me.  It reads,

Warning:

Reflections in this mirror

may be distorted

by socially constructed ideas of

"beauty".

Okay, would anyone else out there be surprised if they

walked in and saw those words on their bathroom mirror?

It almost took my breath away for a second. 

How TRUE is that??

I knew immediately that one of my teenaged daughter's must have put it up,

which I think is totally impressive.

I also realized how loved I am, having girls who know of my insecurities, who want to remind me that I am beautiful just the way I am.

I was right, it was my daughter Cassidy who stuck the sign on the mirror.

She also put one up in the bathroom she and her sister share.

Isn't that a sign of maturity? 

 How many teenage girls actually recognize the fact that true beauty comes from within? That just because we are not nipped and tucked and implanted and injected, or because we actually eat more than 300 calories a day, we are still beautiful.

Of course we work out, and eating healthy is a top priority at our house,

but the tendency to stress out about the little lines forming around my eyes,

 or the fact that I'm no longer the size I want to be, is so normal.

I have to be honest, that sign is not coming down! 

I clean around it, and should the day come that it starts to look shabby, I'll redo it.

It serves as a constant reminder that what I see in the mirror should not be compared

to others, and that my healthy, strong body that is capable of working hard, and that bore

6 beautiful children, is a blessing, and something I should be more accepting of.

Thanks Cass!

Power of Mom's Retreat

"All that I am, I owe to my mother."

Abraham Lincoln

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Park City for a

Power of Mom's Retreat.

The retreat was held at the lovely home of New York Times Best Selling Authors

 Linda and Richard Eyre.

They were incredibly gracious hosts to the nearly 100 women

that overtook their kitchen, family room and bathrooms for 2 days.

As I pulled into the parking lot the first day,

a tall man in a little red car pulled up next to me.

I regocnized him immediately as Richard Eyre, and was surprised when he rolled down

his window and said, "Hi, I'm the shuttle.  Hop in!"

The Power of Moms is an organization that was started by April Perry and Saren Eyre Loosli.  They are dedicated to helping mothers become inspired and empowered as they strive to become the best mothers they can be. 

They see 'The Power of Moms as the “professional organization” for mothers everywhere who take their “job” as a mother very seriously and desire a network of other mothers that can provide ideas, inspiration and empowerment.

The Power of Moms is the gathering place for deliberate mothers interested in growing through motherhood – not just going through motherhood.' (quoted from their website)

How great is that?!

April taught a class on Friday called 'Mind Organization for Moms'.  It was amazing.

Seriously, she is the most organized person I think I've ever met.

Her practical idea's for tidying up the organizational details in your life are brilliant.

I'm afraid I can only hope to become half as organized as she is,

but I have all the tools she uses, and I'm working on it!

We got to hear from Richard and Linda as well

(who undoubtedly deserve the title of 'Parenting Experts').

They are so fun to listen to! 

I loved hearing the stories of when they were raising their children,

and being told the numer one rule they had while we were in their home

was that we were not allowed to feel any GUILT!

We are not to compare ourselves to other mothers,

and to rest reassured that eventually the kids will forget most of our mistakes anyway!

(I can only hope!)

At one point Richard surprised his family, and the rest of us,

by riding up the hill to the house on a horse.  He was there as a rancher named 'Tex'. 

His lesson on finding the 'Seredipity' in our lives was so good!

Later when we were discussing family economy, he was talking about

thier family treasure box, and said "It's all about the presentation".

I believe he has mastered the art of presentation!

 

Linda reminded us to be deliberate in our mothering.  We may have other careers,

but being a mother is the most important job we'll ever have.

She also taught to start with the end in mind.  We discussed what we want our children to remember when they grow up, what we want them to know, to cherish, and to be grateful for.  She admonished us to look for the little moments of joy each day, because motherhood is a rollercoaster with highs and lows.  The joy isn't always constant,

but rather comes in moments that we need to strive to recognize daily. 

Emi Edgley taught us about 'Accepting the Life We've Been Given'.

She encouraged us not to miss the lesson in the trials or setbacks we may encounter,

and suggested that we may not always get to experience our plan A, but sometimes plan B is really better than our idea of plan A, maybe it's actually plan A+.

DeAnne Flynn (author of 'The Time Starved Family' and 'The Mother's Mite')

talked to us about giving ourselves enough credit. 

She encouraged us to make a list of the daily offerings we give our family.

She said, "We are enough, our best is enough!"

If our offering for that day was frozen pizza for dinner with Oreo's for dessert,

it's really okay!

She also showed us a necklace, with a small 'Mother's Mite' pendant on it.

She donates all the proceeds from the necklace sales to a local women's shelter.

I am so buying one!

We also heard from Allyson Reynolds about setting margins in our lives. 

 As mothers we can't live in perpetual overload!  Let's be honest, it's hard not to!

  If we simplify our lives and give up the need for perfection, we can find balance that will make us happier, more productive women.

She shared a quote, and I wish I had the name of who said it because it's great.

"Balance comes from neglecting everything a little."

Perfect, right?  Who doesn't need to work on finding more balance?

One segment Saren taught was about 'Thought Replacement', and how we have to replace our negative thoughts with positive ones. Since thinking negative thoughts about ourselves seems to be something we as women are pros at, it was a great opportunity to work on ways to build ourselves up rather than tearing ourselves down.

  She also led discussions on Family Systems that Work. 

We talked about Rules, Family Laws and Discipline, Family Economy, and Cleaning with our Kids.  I left with so many great ideas!

During lunch we met in small groups to discuss various topics inluding 

Discipline, Finding More Joy in Motherhood,

 Balancing Motherhood with Other Pursuits and Parenting Partnerships.

The small groups allowed women the chance to open up about things

 that are working well for them, as well as difficult things they are dealing with in their mothering endeavors.  The opportunity to share ideas from our own experiences, and to

recognize that others are going through the same things we are, 

was both empowering and reassuring. 

One of my favorite quotes about cleaning was from April. 

She said, "Housework is a priviledge.  Housework is meaningful, it sustains life.  Housework is about relationships and growing a family closer together. 

Housework is a way to show love."

She encouraged us to ask ourselves how performing this household task

can help bring us closer together as a family. 

I love that!

Okay, so this post is a mile long.  I could fill volumes with the great information and ideas these moms shared.  I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet other women who love being moms, and want to do the best job they can. 

Here's somthing that might surprise you...

 The nearly 100 women at the retreat represented 493 children.  Seriously!  There were young mothers with just one infant, to seasoned mothers with several children, including some who's children were grown. Think of the difference that can be made in this world by having those nearly 500 children (and the generations that follow them) grow up learning responsibility, feeling loved, being taught values like hard work, honesty and integrity, and principles like thrift, patience, and treating others the way you want to be treated.  Marvelous!

These mothers came from throughout the United States,

one from Canada and one from Japan. 

(I knew it would come as a surprise!)

Thank you so much to Saren and April for all the work they have put into creating the Power of Moms.  I have posted a link to their website, and suggest that anyone out there who is interested in joining an international, non denominational, inspiring circle of deliberate mothers should check it out!

Thank you also to Charity Eyre (who helped immensely in organizing this event),

 Richard and Linda Eyre, and all those who presented. 

On my sidebar you'll see I've posted a link to where

you can preorder a copy of the Eyre's new book,

"The Entitlement Trap".

If you are interested in raising responsible children in a age of

 instant gratification, you should order this book!

(Plus, it's being offered at a 33% discount right now.

$12.00 is a steal!)

I plan to continue participating in events sponsored by

The Power of Moms, and I'm even considering becoming one of their trainers.

Being a mom to my amazing children means more to me than anything,

and getting to spend time with women from all walks of life who share that passion

is a blessing.  Thanks ladies!

**I have to send a special thanks to Linda Eyre, who asked me if I write a blog.  I have considered it for a while, and had recently started one, but as you can see, this blog is in it's infancy to say the least.  Linda encouraged me to write one, saying some very complimentary things.  Her kind words and suggestion that I do so were the catalyst that got me to actually do it.  (My cute husband has been telling saying the same things to me for a while.) I realized that even if no one but me ever reads it, at least I'll have a record of the day to day events that shaped my children's lives.

That in and of itself is priceless.  Thanks Linda!



Motherhood Matters

"Of all the rights of women,

the greatest is to be a mother."

~Lin Yutang

I had the chance to go to the first live studio broadcast of 'Studio 5' last week at

Hale Center Theatre.  It was so fun!  It was the final day of their 10 day special called

'Motherhood Matters'. 

Alisa Bangerter was there with some fabulous idea's on how to recycle old things into something beautiful.

That woman is brilliant I tell you!

They had a panel of women talk about what they love best about being a mother.

Panelist included author DeAnne Flynn, scrapbook expert Becky Higgins,
news anchor Nadine Wimmer, and radio personality Amanda Dickson.

Brooke Walker was darling.  She will make a fabulous mother someday!

I met her as I was heading up the stairs to be seated.

The best part of this fun day was that I got to go with my own mom, and my aunt.

(So that's probably the worst picture of us ever!  They may stop speaking to me once they see it!)

I love those two women!

It was a nice chance for us to get out, spend the day together,

and celebrate the fact that we all love being mothers!

We went out to lunch once the show was finished, chatting, eating, laughing, crying...

everything you would expect when you combine sisters and daughters.

Thank you so much to KSL and Studio 5 for dedicating such a significant amount of time

to celebrating the truth that

Motherhood Matters!

A Beautiful Spring Concert

"Music gives a soul to the Universe,

wings to the mind,

flight to the imagination,

and life to everything."

~Plato

Last night our high school music department had their spring concert.

They rented Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah.

The hall is one of the finest in the western United States.

The accoustics in this place are A-mazing!

We have an extremely impressive, highly ranked music program,

and when you put our singers, symphonic band and orchestra in a place like that...

it's almost sounds like a group of professionals.



It was a great concert, a night I'm sure we'll never forget.

I could have stayed forever!
We're so proud of the girls and all the work they've put in over the years
to become such talented musicians.
(Cassidy was the only one who played in this concert.
Mecayla missed it to spend her last night helping as a special friend
for our local church Special Needs Mutual.)

The Results Are In!

And the winner is...

My son Austin ran for Student Body Officer at school, and he won the election!



Once he made it past the Primaries, he had to do a skit for the school.

It was super stressful trying to think of something Middle School aged kids would like,

and more importantly, something they would not think was lame!

Finally we decided just to have him and a few very talented friends
do an awesome dance to a mixed up, fun variety of music.

As you can see, it was ridiculous, but so fun.

We worked hard to choose the best mix of songs, and I did the choreography.

The boys were such good sports, their stage presence amazed me.

They totally rocked the performance!

Obviously I'm biased, but I thought it was hands down the best skit out of the 10 they had.

Countless other parents and students told us the same thing.

We're just proud of Austin for who he is.

He's a brilliant, kind, friendly, talented, faithful young man.

It's nice that his peers can see that too!

Orchestra Banquet

Tonight we had the Orchestra Banquet at the high school.

We were so proud of the girls!

They both lettered!

They were also each elected to be an orchestra officer for next year.

(Remember we have 90 kids in our school orchestra.)

We have the Vice President and the Historian living in our home.

How fun will that be?!

I was also in charge of the food for the banquet.

I ordered Olive Garden pasta for all the kids and their parents,

and got them to donate salad and breadsticks. 

It was a busy, fun evening.  What proud parents we are!

Standing in Holy Places



On the way home from Cedar City for Jeff's graduation we stopped at BYU to go see the

 'Carl Bloch, The Master's Hand' exhibit.

Talk about beautiful! 

The paintings depict the life of our Savior Jesus Christ,

and the spirit that accompanied them was so powerful.

There was a hushed reverence about the crowd,

which was large since it was the last day the exhibit was open.

People of all religions and creeds had gathered to view the magnificent artwork that brings to life the mortal ministry described in the New Testament.

Although it's difficult to choose a favorite from such a collection of masterpieces,

this one entitled 'Christ in Gethsemane' was the one that moved me the most.

I could have stood there forever looking into His eyes and feeling of His love for me.

I honestly had tears running down my cheeks as I reflected on all he suffered for me.

I plan to buy a print of this painting for our home.  What a beautiful reminder. 

Dance Recital

Hallie had her dance recital a few weeks ago.  Man does that girl love to dance! 

And she's SO good at it! 

She has an excellent sense of rhythm and coordination,

which makes her former dancer mother so happy!

To be honest, I'd still be happy, even if she couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time.

I'm proud of her for doing something she loves, and being brave enough to do it in front of hundreds of people two nights in a row. 

Learning to be comfortable in front of people is important,

 and we couldn't be more proud of  her!

Congratulations Uncle Jeff!

My cute brother Jeff graduated with his Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education a few weeks ago.  We are so proud of him!

Living in a more rural part of the state, he has had to take classes continually for severally years as he waits for his required classes to be offered.

He has also worked full time his entire academic career to provide for his beautiful family, and keep his amazing wife home to teach and raise them.

What a great example of hard work and perseverance he is to the rest of our family!

The kids in his class are going to be so lucky to have him for a teacher!

Mothers Day Program

Cade's first grade class put on such a great Mother's Day Program!

They sang song, recited poems, and served us dessert. 

They were all so proud, and happy to be able to share their hard work in our behalf.

The beautiful place mat he made me had a poem on it that he had written.

I drink Sprite, You drink water,

I play Mario Sports, You play Pacman.

I watch Phineas and Ferb,

You watch the Biggest Loser.

I go swimming, You go to the gym,

I like pizza, You like fruit.

I like You, You like Me.

Somehow we blend.

We are each other's very best friend!

How cute is that?  So sweet, it totally made me cry. 

The little flowers in the pot are his fingerprints.

How lucky am I to have that little guy!

My Beloved Emma

While I was down at BYU Women's Conference last weekend (more on that later), I had the chance to meet Greg Olsen and Liz Lemon Swindle. They were there autographing their art work. I bought this painting that I love so much, I plan to redo our entire bedroom around it. Liz Lemon Swindle autographed it, which was cool, but the message of the painting is my favorite part. Here is what is written on the back:

"What unspeakable delight, and what transports of joy swelled my bosom, when I took by the hand, my beloved Emma- she that was my wife, even the wife of my youth, and the choice of my heart."
"Many were the reverberations of my mind when I contemplated for a moment the many scenes we had been called to pass through, the fatigues and the toils, the sorrows and sufferings and the joys and consolations..."
"Oh what commingling of thought filled my mind for the moment, again she is here, even in the seventh trouble, undaunted, firm, and unwavering- unchangeable, affectionate Emma."

Joseph Smith Jr.

How beautiful is that? I love the painting because in my opinion there are no greater examples of love, faith, patience, endurance, worthiness or humility than Joseph and Emma. She stood by him no matter what, and he loved her more than anything. Although their lives were filled with trial and sorrow, they were not divided. They stood together as one, and were blessed to know the goodness of God. Since that is the goal we have for ourselves, this painting represents for me the opportunity to make it happen.

Brand New Blogger

So I'm quite a rookie at this whole blog business. So new in fact, that this is my very first post, ever. I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for quite some time, but have been a bit nervous about it. Who in the world would read it? Should it be public or private? Is it safe to share information about my family like this? The real reason I started this blog is so I'll have a place to write down the experiences I share with my family, my own little journal. I seem to forget things pretty easily these days, and I'm hoping this will be a way for me to keep track of the special little moments of our lives. The kids are growing so fast, I want a way to preserve the tidbits and treasures of our everyday experiences. I guess here goes nothing!