4 Little Ghosts!

This year we're doing a playgroup for my 3 year old.  Every Monday they get to have their own boys club (there's 5 in all - one boy didn't make it this day).  Today we learned about the letter "G" and made some cool windsock ghosts.  They may not have wanted to put that much time into making them, but they for sure ran around outside for a half hour "boo-ing" while flying their ghosts all around the court.  Totally worth it.  Dane even slept with his ghost for naptime.

Welcome back Franky!

Happy Halloween!  After our move last year we personalized our new door for Halloween.  Frankenstein had to make his way back this year...it just took me a couple weeks to get around to it.  He at least brings a little personality to the porch.  Someday I'll make time to give that a little more attention.  But for now, Franky will have to take the spotlight.

Supermarket Sweep FHE

As I sat down to dinner with my kids tonight, I knew I still needed to come up with some kind of Family Home Evening Lesson (what we do every Monday night).  Dad was out of town again and I was already feeling backlogged with dishes and laundry and hadn't thought much about  a lesson.  When I mentioned needing to have FHE, my oldest said, "Can we please do something FUN instead of just sitting around and talking?"  Ugh, extra pressure now, I thought.  I told the kids I had a lot I needed to do, so it probably needed to be something quick and easy, and then it hit me:  I really needed to go grocery shopping and maybe we can somehow make that fun.  Visions of "Supermarket Sweep" came to mind - the exciting game show I used to watch as a kid.  Contestants would race through the supermarket to get all the items on their list the fastest and within budget.  It was decided.  We would do our own version of Supermarket Sweep!

Prior to leaving we discussed grocery store layout.  I actually drew a birds eye layout of the store on a piece of paper and pointed out where all the food categories were located.  We also discussed how to "shop around the edges" of the store for healthier choices.  The kids then helped make grocery lists. They helped inspect the fridge and the pantry and wrote down what we needed.  We split the list in two so each team had one.  The boys would be with mom and the 11 and 6 year old sisters would go off on their own in the store. I told the kids that we had 30min to get everything on the list...including ice cream for a reward.  

I guided the boys a lot, but the girls were totally into it and didn't want me to follow them at all!  At checkout, they bagged their own groceries, then helped me load/unload and put away.  I was impressed that they all did so well and it was one of the fastest grocery trips I've ever made (with kids)!  Plus, they were really excited to see who guessed the closest to the cost for groceries. 

On the ride home, we talked about what they thought about it and what seemed hard.  A couple comments included: "It's expensive to feed a big family" and "It's hard to shop with kids and not get distracted". Maybe they don't have to be all grown up to 'get it'. There's nothing like teaching great life lessons while being able to cross some to-dos off my list!  A special thanks to my 4 helpers tonight.

A Tribute to HOME

Almost 9 years ago, our little family moved into this home.  It was a dream house for us at the time, moving from a townhome with no garage or backyard.  We didn't gain much living space, but we felt so blessed to own a single family home where we could continue to raise our children - in a great neighborhood in our hometown, right across the street from the school! 

Our oldest was 2 at the time, and I was expecting our son, who arrived 3 weeks after we moved in.  We scrimped and saved every penny we could to make ends meet.  We were essentially "house poor" for quite a while, but it felt worth it to live near family and in a place we loved.  We are frugal by nature anyway, so we found ways to make our home a beautiful place that we could enjoy.  This home may only be 1153 sq ft., but it's loaded with love, memories, and some elbow grease.  It's hard to say that this structure is "just a house".  It has been way more than that to us and we're going to miss it.  

The chorus in the song "Little Houses" by Doug Stone sums it all up:

Love grows best in little houses,

with fewer walls to separate.

Where you eat and sleep so close together, 

you can't help but communicate.

If we had more room between us, 

think of all we'd miss.

Love grows best in houses just like this. 

I won't be able to post this saying in our 4000 sq ft. home that we're moving to, but there's a lot of truth to these words.  We can appreciate being close as a family and having to 'make-do' with the space we have.  Is a bigger home going to feel great?  Yes.  But I already imagine that we will have to make a bigger effort as a family to stay close since we'll have a more 'personal' space to avoid some of the communication opportunities that you get in a really small home.  (On the flip side, it will also be beneficial that we will get to keep some of our conversations to ourselves in a bigger home!)

Whichever way you look at it, there's so much to appreciate.  This is an exciting change for our family, yet I would never take back the experiences and memories that have come with this home. We've had several birthday parties, after school play dates, co-op preschool, and family gatherings in this place.

I may have mentioned before that I have a tendency to rearrange furniture often and redecorate my spaces more often than my husband cares for.  As a kid I constantly rearranged my room and deep cleaned it as I went.  I find it rejuvenating.  The only problem had been that there was very little space to change, but that didn't stop me.  Here's a visual of how many times the  2nd bedroom changed in the last 8 years.  I guess most of it had to do with the beds changing, but this kind of sums up my need to change things.  

It only took me 6 years to convince my hubby that we needed to knock down the wall between the family room and kitchen.  It finally happened 2.5 years go.  We've never looked back.  It changed my life.  I will forever love this part of the house!  Here you can see the transformation take place...

 ...A Tribute to our HOME.  We will miss you!

                            

                            

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It's all about BALANCE [Faith]

Today I was reminded of the first time I saw towers of balanced rocks on the beach.  It was obvious that they were stacked by a person, but it was also unbelievable that they were not falling.  The interesting thing to me was that it almost didn't matter what kind of rock it was (big, small, or lopsided), but that it seemed to just have to be positioned properly in order to balance it.  Someone found that exact spot on each rock that would allow it to balance on top of the rock beneath it.  Maybe they sifted through rocks and looked for one that would work best, but no matter the process, every rock was different and somehow working in unison with the stack of other rocks, creating its own unique tower.  No doubt, this process requires someone with a steady hand and great patience.  It's an art.

My life seems to have a lot of different rocks in it right now.  And it feels as though they are just in a heaping pile right at my feet.  I don't know how to sort them or balance them most of the time.  Sometimes I get a few stacked and balanced and the next one I try to put on top causes my tower to collapse.  Life brings us all sorts of things to balance.  Sometimes our rocks are heavier and more lopsided than others, but this doesn't mean we can't find a balance.  

When I hit "rock bottom" (couldn't resist the pun) and life seems to come crashing down all at once, I realize how much I need to turn to the Lord to help me re-balance and rebuild.  Sometimes it's just those days that there's way too much to do around the house and my little mess-makers helpers continue to undo my hard work.  Other times there are more serious family concerns or trials that overwhelm us spiritually and emotionally.  Whatever the burden, I know that my Savior is the steady hand that has carried every rock and every burden that I will experience.  No matter how small or large our burdens or trials are, he graciously commits to carry them with us - if we allow Him.

The following message from Elder D. Todd Christofferson reminds us to just "take life one day at a time".  So, whether it's laundry piles and dishes in the sink that I think I'll never get to or greater concerns that weigh heavy on my heart, I will take it one day at a time and allow the Lord to lead me through this life.

Or you can watch it here:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-08-013-daily-bread-experience?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&lang=eng&cid=HPWE100814473