How to help little ones contribute to their home and family:

Well, there are a lot of ways. I just wanted to share one.

The ModEco chore chart

I thought it was really cute. It's a pdf and you can type in the information you want to add. That means you get to decide what chores you want to and if you want to start your week on Monday or Sunday. I stuck the two that I made into an 8.5x11 frame (diploma frame) and I use a dry erase marker to update the dates and check off chores. For now they are excited about it.

The fall and rising again

This Thanksgiving gave me a lot to think about. My sister lost a friend over the holiday, and his story is so familiar - until the end. He served an LDS mission, met his wife at BYU. After graduation they headed off to Medical school and had a baby. Now in his second year of medical school, they went back to Utah to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and surprise his parents with news of a pregnancy. He went spelunking in Nutty Putty caves with a few friends and brothers. He got stuck in a tight spot -- he knew what he was doing, he'd been caving before. But he died.

I don't know John and Emily Jones personally. But the familiarity of his story makes my heart ache. I've even been in those caves with my own brother.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has written of tragedies in the midst of celebrations. He recalls how Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to the temple to pay their offering of redemption - two turtledoves. There in the temple, old Simeon met the infant Messiah and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of thy people Israel.... Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." (Luke 2:29-34)

Elder Holland explains, "You can't separate Bethlehem from Gethsemane or the hasty flight into Egypt from the slow journey to the summit of Calvary. It's of one piece. It is a single plan. It considers 'the fall and rising again of many in Israel,' but always in that order. Christmas is joyful not because it is a season or decade or lifetime without pain and privation, but precisely because life does hold those moments for us. And that baby [God's] own beloved and Only Begotten Son in the flesh, born 'away in a manger, [with] no crib for his bed,' makes all the difference in the world, all the difference in time and eternity, all the difference everywhere, worlds without number, a lot father than [our] eyes can see."

"...In this life no one can have real love without eventually dealing with real loss, and we certainly can't rejoice over one's birth and joy of living unless we are prepared to understand and accommodate and accept with some grace the inevitability--including the untimeliness--of difficulty and trouble and death. These are God's gifts to us--birth and life and death and salvation, the whole divine experience in all its richness and complexity." (from Shepherds, Why This Jubilee by Jeffrey R. Holland, pg. 68-76)

How grateful I am for our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life. Believing in Him means we can live again and never die. I sing with heart and soul: Joy to the world -- the Lord is come.

The Jones family has established a few ways for those who can to donate to Emily Jones and her children.

If you would like to contribute, donations can be made to:
The John & Emily Jones Memorial Fund (Utah Community Credit Union and Wells Fargo)
The Emily Jones Children Donations (Zions National Bank)
For those of you not able to go to these places, you can donate online here.

Stephanie over at A Daily Scoop is also hosting an auction. She doesn't know the Jones family personally, but wanted to do what she could to help out. There will be daily auctions, and she gives instructions on how to bid (check out the first auction here). If you would like to contribute an item to be auctioned off, you can e-mail her (stephaniewaite@gmail.com).

Things as they really are...

Our Stake President and Bishop asked that they teach on this in Sunday School on the 5th Sunday in November. They simply showed the video, which I thought was very powerful. After seeing it we immediately deleted the one violent game on our iphones. And we are going to print it out and work on other things that come to mind. There will probably be something in here that prompts you to make a simple but necessary change. Just click on this link to see it. Make sure you choose the one that says, Elder Bednar May 2009 and it's titled "Things As They Really Are". Sometimes we just need a clear picture of 'the way' we should go and the promptings of the Spirit to let us know personally that it is the right way. I am grateful we have the opportunity to follow the advice of our Apostles and I know we will be protected if we do.

The Blessings of Home Production and Canning

As I pulled up my potatoes and onions yesterday, this quote kept coming to my mind.

And I felt so strongly about it, I knew I had to share it.

“An almost forgotten means of economic self-reliance is the home production of food. We are too accustomed to going to stores and purchasing what we need. By producing some of our food we reduce, to a great extent, the impact of inflation on our money. More importantly, we learn how to produce our own food and involve all family members in a beneficial project.” Ezra Taft Benson said this in the 70's sometime (Our Community Garden, Ensign June 2009)

Having a garden is new to me. I grew up in a US Army household and we moved often. I started last year. So if I can do this with absolutely no previous experience, then you can do it to. It was a mess because our yard was not in yet and dirt, no, MUD was everywhere as we worked on our sprinkler system. This year has been wonderful by comparison as I've walked across the grass to get to my garden. I grew a whole list of things that were new to me this year. I've learned a lot and asked a lot of questions. I am really grateful for good neighbors who are able to answer those questions. Having had cancer and now having a lot of food allergies it is important to me what goes on my plants because they are going to store it. Of course some of the green beans went to waste because I ended up with pneumonia the end of July beginning of August. I started a compost pile - so I really didn't waste much. I know more about what is going into my body. We eat more veggies because when they are ready, we better be too.

I've gained so much by having my own garden this year. I've had wonderful experiences talking with my children out there and teaching them how to work. I've had great therapy tearing out weeds the week I went in for my first 6 month post cancer treatment check-up.

Anyway, back to the quote. If you think about this - he is so right. Just think about how much an onion costs in the middle of the winter. 1 onion is about $1. And they are about the easiest thing to grow and store. I planted 40 yellow onions and 20 red onions. I'll be planting more next year. Salsa needs a lot of onions. And look at how inexpensive tomatoes are during peak season. Tired of canning tomatoes? Just core them and through them in a freezer bag. puree them later for sauces.

Oh and I learned to can. I canned 2 boxes of peaches and I also canned salsa.

Now I just need to get my garlic planted!

In fact, I better go check the vegetable beef soup that is in the crock pot right now.

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"

I definitely feel more at peace since the time I decided to follow the prophets counsel to have a garden. This is one of those things we can do whether its one 4x4 grow box or 1/2 an acre. Having a garden has blessed my family.

{Alphabet Ideas}

 I am not going to post every thing that we are doing for our Alphabet Summer, but here are a few thing we have done.  This might spark some ideas for you.

We kept the letter I just the same.  It is one of my kids favorites, so we did nothing different.  Here is a peak at the fun day we had:

Indoor Smores, and Indoor Campout

I tried to let Isaac sleep with the kids, but that didn't work so well.  So after 1 1/2 hours of fighting with him, he went back to his crib.  How will I ever move him to a big boy bed?  That step is right around the corner.  I have a feeling I am in for sleepless nights, and struggles at nap time.

  ...and for the letter P.... 

We Painted Pottery. 

We went to this neat little store.  The kids got to pick out something to paint, their color choice, and then paint it however they choose.  We left it there for about it week while they fired it.  Then... we gave them to Dad for Father's Day.  He loved it.

I hope this helps you find ways to incorporate learning into your summer.

Preparedness Blog

My mother in law sent me a link to this prepardeness blog a couple of months ago. I subscribe to the feed and read all the updates. The other day I ran across an entry that made me motivated in the food storage department all over again. I am pretty prepared, but there is always more that I can do. I felt myself hitting a wall with it all and not knowing what direction to go next. Sometimes I feel like I can't rotate the food fast enough, or since I've been pregnant, I've been so dang lazy that I "forget" to rotate all together. Other times I find myself staring at it all wondering how I'm going to get creative enough to come up with meals my family will eat. Am I the only one who has those sort of problems??? So, you have to check out this blog. It's called Prepared LDS Family. Subscribe to get the updates. You never know when you might run into some really helpful information. Here is the post that helped me with 90 menu ideas and kept me moving in the right direction. Remember, every little bit we do helps in the long run. Just take it a little step at a time, but stick with it and you'll see the rewards!

Articles of Faith Candy (not candy bar) Wrapper

I wanted to share the Candy wrapper (notice this is not a candy bar wrapper - it's for things like Gobstoppers, Runts, Nerds, etc) I made for the children in our ward who memorize The Articles of Faith.

So feel free to print, cut, wrap, and glue them to your own candy boxes. If you share this - please give credit where it is due. Fonts are Autumn Leaves HairBrained, Arial, and Arial Black. It is 5.85 x 10 inches and I used Adobe photoshop and Illustrator to design it.

We want to help the children in our ward memorize all 13 and they can earn a box of candy once a year when they pass them off. We are trying to have the children do this without competing with each other. Pass them off without other children around probably. But we want to give them an incentive. We have a struggling ward with wonderful people in it who just need a little boost. Life is, well, life.



Here is my example:

Summer is in Full Swing...

First I have to apologize for my lack of blogging here, but you should know that I have hardly blogged on my own.  I am almost 19 weeks pregnant, so..... well that explains it!!

It is official!! Today starts the first day of Summer

at the Swenson house.  I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!!

 

I spent the majority of last week getting prepared for our summer festivities.  If you know me, you already know that I like to be prepared. 

The kids started asking me in February if we were going to do "Alphabet Summer" this year?  I replied, "Yes"; knowing full well that I had some preparation to do.

Last week, I organized all of our Art Stuff.  I made sure that each of the kids had their own basket. Each basket has a pad of paper, stickers, glue, scissors, markers, crayons.  I cleared off a spot in our pantry so it is easily assessable.  Well, it is easy for the older two to access.  I don't need the little guy coloring on my walls.  Isaac's basket is more age appropriate, and I get it up and down for him.  So far, they have followed the rules by using their own stuff, and putting it away when they are done.  I knew that would give them one project to entertain them for 15 minutes.  It actually entertains Isaac the longest.  That boy loves stickers.  (Pictures are to come... I am getting my new camera today!!  YEAH!!!)

I also organized our bookshelves, so that their books are put in places that they can find them.  Because all 3 of the kids are on different reading levels I made sure that they could find a book appropriate for them.  We will spend time reading** every day this summer. 

**Jex is already on a 2nd grade reading level.  I hope he continues.  Stella is well on her way to learn.  I hope mom can find some time to read as well.  As for Isaac, he loves to be read too.  It is most certainly his favorite time of day.

I also rearranged our breakfast nook. It is certainly not up to my design standards, but it works for our kids.  I added a table for them, and a desk so they can get to whatever they may need to get out their creativity. ( I promise I will share pictures soon.)

I also planned plenty of outdoor activities:

Sports Equipment Organized

Pool and Slip n Slide purchased

Bikes and Helmets ready

I then attacked the activities that we would do outside of our home:

Golf Camp

Swimming Lessons

Pool Pass

Season Passes to local Theme Park and Water Park

Season Passes to the Zoo

Then it was time for the summer schedule:  (here is an idea of what we will do)

Morning:  Wake Up, Breakfast, Morning Chores, Get Dressed, Free Play and outdoor activities(this gives me time to exercise, clean the house, and get myself ready)

Afternoon:  Lunch, 15 minute Reading time, Activity Time(Alphabet Summer or Science), Rest time or Movie time, Free Play

Evening:  Dinner, Clean up for the evening, Play outdoors or Family Walk, Baths and Bed.

MWF: Alphabet Summer Days, or Science Project

Tuesday: Library and Park-Playdate Day

Thursday: Outing Day (theme park, zoo, or pool)

The kids are also well aware that I clean on Monday mornings.  They are responsible to help with chores, and be patient until bathrooms are clean and floors are vacuumed and moped.

Okay, I know you all must be thinking to yourself... this is one structured lady.  BUT.... Believe me when I say that my kids really do better when we have a plan and they know what to expect.  It makes our summer go by so beautifully. 

Of course I throw in a day when we just mix it all up and do none of those things, but for the most part my kids love every second of it.  I also love spending time with them.  It goes so quickly.  This school year made me realize how fast it really does go.  Especially when your kids are in school for the majority of their time.  I am happy to fill up our days doing fun, creative things together.  I have also found it causes less fights and commotion.

(This was our pet for the day last week.) 

We found him in our back yard... such a summer thing. 

To quote a line from my favorite children's book...

"All the places to Love

by Patricia Maclachlan,

"Where else, does an old turtle crossing the path make all the difference in the world?"

So... What are you doing this summer? 

Do you plan a summer schedule? 

Are you a fly by the seat of your pants kind of gal? 

However you plan to spend your summer...

MAKE IT FUN, AND HAVE A BLAST!!

My Eternal Family - Primary Theme

This year I was blessed to be called as the Secretary in the Primary. I am really enjoying it, to my surprise. I spent a few terrible months in a few out of control and extremely large nursery classes about 8 or 9 years ago. Although Junior Primary is spent participating in crowd control, it's still a fun environment. I love the women I am serving with. The stake has made it clear that they do not want any competition whatsoever. I can see why. The CTR 7's and 8's are really quiet and would get to go to class first, every single Sunday. They've been in school a couple of years and are better at self mastery. So as a Presidency, we wanted a sign for each class, then we could mix them up and excuse them quietly using the signs. I couldn't find anything at the distribution center that was the right size so I used a photo of our own. If you want them, here they are. They are 8x10s. Just print them in color on a glossy paper, trim, and adhere to 8.5x11 cardstock. Then have them laminated. They'll last you all year. The photo is by Tyler Vanderbeek - so if you share these, give credit please!

Happy Mother's Day

A Child of Royal Birth!

I am a child of royal birth;
My Father is king of heaven and earth.
My spirit was born in the courts on high.
A child beloved, a princess am I.

I was nurtured there; I lived by His side
In a home where patience and love abide.
My Mother was there in that glorious place,
Blessing her children with queenly grace.

I grew to the stature that spirits grow;
I gained the knowledge I needed to know.
I was taught the truth and I knew the plan
That God and Christ laid out for man.

I was there when the stars of the morning sang.
My voice was heard when the heavens rang.
I was there to rejoice, to praise, and applaud
And I shouted for joy with the sons of God.

I waited my turn to came to earth.
Through the wonderful channel of human birth.
The curtains were closed and the past was gone.
On the future too, the curtains were drawn.

I came to earth and God willed it so-
With freedom to choose the path I should go.
I must search for the truth; I must serve and obey.
I must walk by faith or fall by the way.

Someday, I will go back; I will answer the call.
I'll return with my record to the Father of all.
The books will be opened and so will my heart,
And there will be rejoicing if I've done my part.

My Father the King with his infinite love
Will welcome me back to the mansions above.
The curtains will part, and eternity
In its light and glory will open to me.

This is one of my favorite poems written by Anna Johnson. The opening stanza is just so empowering to me. We had a great lesson Sunday in Relief Society about our Divine Nature and what it means to be a daughter of God. It was wonderful, and a lesson I needed to hear again as a reminder I guess because Saturday, on our way home from Missouri, I started thinking of what that means (not knowing it was what our lesson was on the next day). And I started singing songs from when I was a youth. The YW Camp song.."Walk Tall, You're A Daughter of God" and others. My husband asked me what I was doing and I told him I was singing to our daughter!

It's an amazing feeling and choice blessing to know that I will be raising..not only this daughter, but our son and other children to come as well. What an amazing blessing, and gift, and privilege it is to be a mother. I feel so blessed for this responsibility, and am so thankful I am able to be a Mother. And even more thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed us in such a way that has given me the opportunity to stay home and take care of my little family full time. I am really enjoying this pregnancy. Not having to work this time-a-round has given me more opportunities to sit and relax and enjoy the little movements inside.

"Chalking"

If you have a toddler, you need sidewalk chalk. The two go hand in hand, like diapers and newborns. Really, you can't have one without the other.

Or, better said, you really shouldn't have one without the other.

This is sidewalk chalk. It promises hours of entertainment and learning. It won't disappoint.

After careful consideration, Hannah selects just the right color to kick off the "chalking" fun.

This is how I get her to practice her penmanship. It's lots of fun. See?

This is her favorite letter. Obviously, "H" is for "Hannah." But don't be too impressed just yet, this is the only letter she writes.

Ever.

"Hop Scotch" is also a must when "chalking." This is her new favorite game. It's right up there with hide and seek, running around the house screaming, and watching "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."

She loves it so much, she talks about "Hop Scotch" almost as much as she talks about "Dora The Explore-Her."

So you know it's a lot.

And look, if you have a dog, (preferably a stinker-dog, but any dog will do the trick) they too will be completely entertained by this invigorating activity.

No promises on the baby though. I think Dallin wanted to drill a hole in his head . . . being strapped in the stroller, bored out of his brains.

Finding Joy

“This is our one and only chance at life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.” - Thomas S. Monson

Barren Awareness Day

Have you ever been single on Valentine's Day?

Think hard. Back to the days before you met your spouse, or significant other. (Some of you may be very lucky, and the only time you didn't have a Valentine was in Junior High, but the rest of us . . . well . . . I'm sure there were a few years without a Valentine . . . )

Do you remember how you felt? Seeing your friends blissfully in love, opening thoughtful gifts, reading gushy love letters and eating chocolate?

Valentine's day to the unattached person is known as "Single Awareness Day."

This Sunday is Mother's Day. For years, (and I mean years) I met this day with sadness and anger. For many, Mother's Day is a day you recognize your mother, or you are recognized as a mother. As a mother, you find joy in your children, and realize the only reason you have children is because you are a mother.

See, everything goes hand in hand.

For many women, this Sunday, Mother's Day, is a reminder that their oven is empty. To the childless woman, Mother's Day is known as "Barren Awareness Day."

I always dreaded going to church on Mother's Day. 364 days a year, no one notices that you come to church without children. On Mother's Day, it's like you arrive with a blinking neon sign that says "I'm not really a mother. But recognize me because I'm married."

Awkward.

Actually, what I really wanted my invisible neon sign to say is, "Please don't recognize me. It's GLARINGLY obvious I don't fit in. Thanks."

So year, after year, after year, after year, after year, after year, after year, after year, (yes, there were eight years of this awkwardness) I would arrive to church with a smile on my face, hiding the pain that cut so deeply.

I wanted to be a mother.

Did the Lord think I was unfit?

Why, then, was I not blessed with children?

I will never know the answers to these questions.

But, I do know this Sunday will mark the third anniversary of my mommyhood and absence of that obnoxious blinking neon sign.

Thank goodness for that.

Where am I going with this?

I'm not really sure.

If you're a mother, cherish your children and be grateful you have them.

If you're not a mother (yet) and you long to be one, channel your energy into loving your own mom. Your time will come. It may not be in this lifetime, but it will come.

If you know someone who is struggling to have children, be extra sensitive to them. Especially on Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Gospel Art Books and GC Packet

Have you seen the Church's NEW Gospel Art BOOKS?? They are AWESOME! Go to lds.org and scroll down a little and you can watch the video! They are only $3 each unless you buy 20 or more, then they turn out to be only $1.50 each! You can get a group of your friends together and order them together! They are great for Primary Lessons, FHE, Quiet Books during Sacrament Meeting, Birthday/Christmas Presents...! You name it! Hope you find them as wonderful as I did!!



Here is a General Conference Packet for the kiddos too! Looks like fun!

I Get It

Warning: This is not an announcement, because there is nothing to announce. I am only noting an observation.

Phew! Now we have the disclaimer out of the way clearing up a topic I haven't even mentioned yet . . .

I know why people do it. You know, get pregnant while their baby is still,-- well, a baby.

Don't judge (never mind that what I'm about to explain is me judging others . . .), but I used to be pretty opinionated about motherhood, and when to have children, how many you should have and how far apart they should be spaced.

I'm not going to mince words here, I used to think that mothers who had children 18 months in age or closer were whacked out of their minds. Whether those childbirths were accidental or intentional, no one, and I mean no one, in their right mind would want children so close in age. I don't care how sleep deprived you are, logical people just don't think like that.

Then, I became a mother.

After several blissful months of caring for and loving the most easy-going baby sent to earth, I was hooked. I need another one. Right. A. Way.

I was addicted to my baby.

I needed another fix.

It was bitter sweet to see her grow and develop so quickly.

Why can't they be frozen in their cute little bodies?

Worried that the second time around getting pregnant would take another nine years (yes, it took almost nine years for us to get our first), we decided on baby number two much sooner than we would have had we known my body would get pregnant easily.

Both shocked and excited with pregnancy number two, we were well on our way to becoming the ideal American family of four.

Four is good. It's an even number. All basic dinner tables have seating for four. The average American home has three bedrooms, (ideal for a couple and two children). If you ever win a trip somewhere, almost always, the prize is for a family of four.

So why would I consider making our family an odd number?

Maybe it's because my eight month old baby always smells like bubble gum. Maybe it's because his cheeks are so soft and kissable. It could be because he just sprouted his first tooth after waking up so happy with adorable bed head.

I'm not sure, but something is pulling at me saying, "You need another one. He is developing so fast (my son is only eight months old . . .), YOU NEED ANOTHER FIX."

So I get it now. It's like you don't have a choice. You just start listening to the voices in your heart and go for it.

Like I said before, this is not an announcement in any way, shape, or form (don't even read through the lines). All I'm saying, is that my new-open-minded-non-judgmental-self GETS IT.

You want to have seven children all spaced 11 months apart?

I won't judge.