Love from Idaho

It has been an amazing day here at BYUI's Education Week, and I have tons of photos, but no Internet.

Typing blogposts on my iPhone is a little tough, so if anyone is reading this (Mom), I'll post my photos soon.

Love,
April

We Made it to Grandma's

Yesterday my children and I made a 700-mile trip in our minivan in order to visit Grandma Peggy (Eric's mom).  Alia asked me lots of questions and quizzed me on Spanish phrases along the way so I wouldn't get tired.  

La tortuga camina lentamente.  (The turtle walks slowly...isn't that a great sentence to learn?)

There's this beautiful, tree-lined road leading up to Grandma's house, and the children begged to run the whole way.  Spencer had to run in his diaper because he had a huge diaper leak at the previous stop, but they were so excited that I couldn't say no.

Today has been an absolute vacation for me, thanks to Grandma Peggy, Aunt Jodi, Aunt Tara, and Uncle Marc.  I got to sleep in until 10:30 for the first time in YEARS, and we got to spend the whole day relaxing with the family.

Ethan (age 7) loves the sunsets here.  He said, "Mom!  You've got to come out here and see the sky!"

And then tonight, Aunt Jodi helped my children put blankets all over the trampoline, and they laid there forever, watching the distant lightening, listening to the thunder, and seriously enjoying their childhood (except when Ethan stepped on Alia's blanket, Spencer took Grace's pillow, and everyone kept bouncing too much).  I feel like I'm constantly saying, "Kindness!  In our family we speak kindly!"

I've got to get to bed now....  Tomorrow I drive up to Idaho with my dear friend Allyson (who I've only met in person twice, but we feel like we've known each other forever).  Two of my sisters (Page and Susan), Saren, and my freshman roommate, Shawna, are going to join us up there for the "Mom Track" of Education Week.  I've been looking forward to this since last summer.

My main hope is that this conference will be helpful to all the moms who attend.  I've done my best to make the classes conversational, so it's not me up there lecturing the whole time.  I know that as these sharp women come together to learn and lift each other, all of their families will be strengthened.

I'm going to try to blog a little bit each day while I'm there, so if you're dying to know all the details, check back!

Love,
April

These Photos Sum Up My Life

Spencer and I bonded during this sweet moment the other day.   I said "yes" to straws, and he wanted two in his drink, and then he wanted to share, and I was so excited to be drinking lemonade with my little cutie that I asked Alia to take some photos of us together.

And then this happened:

 That's not nice. 

These two pictures pretty much sum up my life right now.  One moment everyone is happy--singing songs around the piano, watching "parachute man" fly up above the gusty air conditioning unit in the backyard, or cracking pistachios like there's no tomorrow--and then a minute later it's like they've transformed into a bunch of crazies.

I learned long ago that it's silly to expect life to be wonderful 24/7.  We have to find happiness in snatches.  I'll keep focusing on photo #1, and I'll eventually laugh at photo #2.  Good, good times.

A Favorite Motherhood Video

This talk by Jeffrey R. Holland (from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is one of my very favorites. I've been reading and re-reading it for years, but it meant so much more as I watched these precious video clips alongside the audio recording of the talk.

This counsel (referring to our reliance on Jesus Christ) has echoed in my ears more times than I can count: "Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever." That is sometimes the only thing that holds me together--knowing that I don't have to do any of this alone.

I also love the part of this video that references the angels who watch over mothers. Even though I don't see angels walking the halls of my home, I feel a special protection and the love of God here with me.

Motherhood is more wonderful than I ever imagined. I have a very messy garage right now, stacks of laundry are waiting for me in the laundry room, my children had more "screen time" today than I want to calculate, and I made dozens of parenting mistakes tonight, but I'm doing the best I can, and I know that the Lord honors that

Family Mission Statement T-Shirts...Take Two

I am REALLY excited about the family t-shirts we're making for Aspen Grove.  When I was taking family science classes in college, we learned that building family unity helps children feel connected to their parents and siblings (and helps them not look for acceptance elsewhere, in situations that might not be beneficial to them).

Even though we've tried to have fun family traditions over the past several years, I've been mostly in "survival mode," so I haven't had the frame of mind to make something like family t-shirts.  

So here are the templates we just made.  We're printing them onto Avery fabric transfer paper and ironing them onto white t-shirts this afternoon.  The children are as giddy with excitement as I am.  

First, this is the template for me and the children:

And now...here is  one for Eric.  He thinks our family mission statement is kind of crazy, so I told him I'd make a special shirt just for him!

Oh, we are going to have some fun.

Guest Post on GTD Times

Are you tired of your refrigerator looking like this?

I completely understand.  I used to have dozens of items stuck to my fridge, but once I read Getting Things Done by David Allen, all that changed.

The secret to a clear refrigerator is the tickler file.  I'm so in love with it that I wrote up a guest post for David Allen's blog, GTD Times, and it posted this week.

Click here to see it.

A couple of months ago, we (at The Power of Moms) released version one of Mind Organization for Moms--an online program based on David Allen's book.  It's designed to help moms get their papers, tasks, goals, and ideas organized into a system that will help them finally enjoy their families.

We've got hundreds of mothers using the system, and version two will be coming out in the next month or so (most likely once the children are back in school).  Exciting!

I can't say enough about the GTD system.  It's seriously incredible, and it has enabled me to juggle more than ever before while still feeling somewhat on top of things.  The best part is that I am enjoying my husband and children more now than ever before.  You can't put a price tag on that.

If you're interested in trying out Mind Organization for Moms, we're still offering it free of charge to anyone who shares the site with 30 friends.

Your brain AND your refrigerator will thank you....

It's Easier Not to Do Anything

This morning I wanted 20 minutes of "alone time" to follow along with an exercise DVD.  My children had eaten breakfast, they were happily playing with toys, and my husband was downstairs reading, so I carried my laptop upstairs where I locked myself in my room and proceeded to do jumping jacks, push-ups, etc.

Five minutes into the routine, my two-year-old made somebody mad, squealing emerged from multiple mouths, and my husband needed to start getting ready for work (I was totally in his way).  My son started pounding on the bedroom door, pleading with me to come downstairs, and my husband tried to coerce him to go play for just a few more minutes until Mommy was done exercising.

Dripping with sweat and feeling sufficiently annoyed with the circumstances, I said, "It would be easier if I didn't exercise."

My husband got a smile on his face and said, "Yes.  Yes it would."  And I knew what he was thinking.  Life would be easier if we didn't try to do hard things (that's a no-brainer), but we're not looking for easy.  We're looking for progress.  And progress requires work.

This photo below makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.  The other morning, I woke up early to study my scriptures and get some work done on Power of Moms and the classes I'm teaching at BYU Idaho's Education Week at the end of this month.  Here I am at 7:10 a.m. in all my glory--no make-up, my hair back in a ponytail, sitting in my office, which is currently stacked with books, boxes, and all kinds of things my husband and I are processing.

What usually happens is this:  Spencer (age 2) wakes up at 5:30, and I take him downstairs where he gets a diaper change, a sippy cup of milk, and his choice of a cartoon (usually Barney or Diego).  Then my older children wake up, join Spencer downstairs, eat some cereal, and then play with toys, read, etc. for a little while.

Then when they are tired of that, they all come sit right next to me and "help" me work.  Spencer likes to type on the computer, so I tell him which letters to push (I type 10, he types 1, and so on...).  The girls like to know what I'm working on, so I read them my notes, show them my PowerPoints, and ask for advice on making my classes or articles more interesting.

Then when I feel like I'm going crazy (usually about three minutes into this process), I shut the computer, and we all go downstairs to get the day started.

Would it be easier if I didn't try to do anything "extra"?  Do I sometimes feel like I'm about to go insane?  But do I know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing right now?  Yes on all counts.

Life requires a struggle, but I don't need to be afraid of struggle.  It has the power to strengthen us, help us become a little more bold, and give us a few more reasons to be happy.

So next time you think, "It would be easier if I didn't __________," just smile, recommit yourself to excellence, and say, "Yes.  Yes it would."