Sweetness

I just got home from the Power of Moms California Retreat last night (which was an incredible experience...more on that later), and I was SO excited to see my family. 

This morning after breakfast, my girls asked if they could show me a video on Webkinz (an online world that works with their stuffed animals).  At first I thought it was going to be kind of silly, but they said, "Mom, it reminds us of you and Dad.  And there are little kitty cats who are just like us, and it's so sweet.  You HAVE to watch it!"  So I agreed.

For the next three minutes, I cried and cried.  Whoever created this video did an amazing job.  It absolutely did remind me of my husband and family. 

Sometimes family life seems exhausting.  Most of the time it's messy.  My children bicker, my three-year-old dumps milk on the counter, and occasionally I wonder if I am qualified enough to do this well.  But when I watch a video like this, I know it's all worth it.

Enjoy!

I'd Love to Meet You

Sometimes I wish my blog could accurately reflect all the exciting things going on behind the scenes with The Power of Moms.  I also wish it could reflect the fun, crazy, sweet, and sometimes frustrating moments that go on within my own family.  Things are moving so fast around here, but I'm taking lots of notes, and someday, when my children are grown, I can write and write and write all about it.

Until then, I'll just do the best I can.

However, I REALLY like to meet our "Power of Moms" Moms, so if any of you are looking for inspiration in running a business and planning to be in Utah on September 24th, I'll be attending Startup Princess's TouchPoint conference, and I'd love to see you there.

Check out this link for a promo code worth $50 and more information about the event.

(We're also still accepting late sign-ups for our California Retreat next weekend...come if you can!)

And now it's time to clean my house....

This TWO Shall Pass

I've been brainstorming an article over the last few months called "This Two Shall Pass."  Spencer, my two-year-old, is a doll, but he is SO two.  He dumps buckets of cars and army men all over the living room, screams when Ethan won't let him hold the red light saber, wakes up the whole family at 5:30 a.m., and wants to do everything "all by myself."   

The point of the article (which won't actually get written until Spencer is three) is that even though two-year-olds are incredibly challenging, the age is going to pass, and I'm going to miss the everyday fun of living with Spencer.

For example, when I'm working on my laptop, he'll slide a blanket into the kitchen, lay down on it, and say, "Pull me, Mommy!  Pull me!" 

And every time I turn around, it seems he's grown another inch...and learned 18 new words...and discovered how to stack cups higher than his head.  I can literally see him getting taller, smarter and more skilled each day.

Then when I'm at the kitchen sink, scraping pizza remnants off the plates and trying desperately to get the hardened eggs off the forks, I look up and see this:

And then I just want to hug him and kiss him and make him promise to stay two forever.  I know someday I'll be washing the dishes, and I'll look out the window, and I'll wish that there was somebody pressing his nose against the window--hoping I'll smile or pat the glass or make a silly face right back.  

I can hardly stand the thought of my children leaving, but at the same time, I can hardly wait to sleep in once in awhile, go to the store without diapers in my purse, and rest by the side of a swimming pool without keeping my eye on someone.   I keep reminding myself that those days are going to come.  Two, five, fifteen, and eighteen will all pass.  I just can't get too frustrated with today.

The Unexpected Makes Me Laugh

I was running around the house, getting things ready for a family day trip while Alia and Grace helped me with Spencer.  I had no idea what they were doing, but later, I looked at my camera and found these:

Alia posed Spencer, and he LOVED it.  I do wish I could freeze time.

Blooming

I have had a continually expanding, messy binder full of random recipes stuffed into my cupboard for the last 10 years.  I could never find my favorite California Pizza Kitchen recipe when I wanted it, I felt embarrassed whenever a friend caught a glimpse of my disorganization, and the appearance of the binder itself discouraged me from even TRYING to cook.

Then I started playing "Bloom."

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about this game at first.  I think of myself as a very driven, goal-oriented person, and I didn't think a goal-setting game would do that much for me, but it did.

The first week I played, I entered "Organize my recipe binder" as a goal in the "For My Family" section (You set one goal each week: for you, for your family, and beyond).  I've had that goal written on my list since I got married, but somehow, knowing that I'd "committed" myself to The Power of Moms made a big difference.

I printed off my goal sheet, and that week, Alia and I were sitting in the kitchen, sorting through my recipe-binder-monster, and I said, "I set a goal to get this organized, but I've got too much going on this week."  Alia said, "Mom, let me do it!"

So while I made dinner and answered emails, Alia got out a brand new (bigger) binder, made a cute cover sheet, created dividers, and sorted the recipes by asking me which ones I wanted to keep, toss, etc.   I then went through the whole thing, created a monthly shopping list, and brainstormed new meal ideas.  I LOVE it.

We're still refining the Bloom Game and learning what works/doesn't work for our players, and it might not be the best solution for everyone, but we've got lots of fun plans in store:

Here's a bloom book and journal that I found while I was out shopping with my children.  I got a bunch of them that we're going to start giving out as prizes.  They're so cute!

Alia gets really excited about helping me with projects, and when I told her I needed to take some photographs of these books, she begged me to let her print out some pretty backgrounds.  I think she did a great job!

We're also going to be putting together a monthly Bloom tele-seminar, where moms can call in and participate in a fun discussion/Q&A about different motherhood topics.

I've just learned about these recently, but there's software available that allows hundreds of moms to be on a call at once, and if you have a question you want to ask, you can be "un-muted" or you can submit your question through an Instant Messaging service.   Make sure you're on our newsletter list so you can join us for these phone calls.  I'd love to get the chance to talk with you!

And finally, we're working on making the Bloom points equal to "Power of Moms dollars."  That way, when you earn points from goal-setting (5 or 8 per week), you can come to our store and buy programs, eBooks, a Power of Moms t-shirt, etc.

If you have any other ideas for us, please email me or let me know in the Comments section here.  We want this game to be a simple, fun way for moms to reach their goals.  I love this concept of all of us "blooming" together.

What do you think? Too crazy?

I need some advice from my friends.

The Power of Moms is going to start offering a couple of free items in the next week or so, and we need a little introductory video to go on our home page, letting people know how to get our first free item: "Five Steps to Less Stress."

I filmed this YouTube video while my children were around (and they automatically turned crazy as soon as they knew I was recording). I can't tell if it's just too noisy and crazy to make sense or if all the moms out there will be able to relate.

I can easily film another one tomorrow, so please--what do you think? I won't take it personally.

Thanks!

Stellar

I haven't written my "EFY" report yet, but here's a starter....

For those of you who aren't familiar with EFY, it stands for "Especially for Youth," which is a week-long summer conference, hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for youth ages 14-18.  I am one of more than 300 teachers who take a couple of days a year to interact with these incredible youth.  In my session, at BYU, there were about 400 participants and 3 teachers, so each class is packed full of energetic teens.  

I know I have a lot going on in my life, and this is one of those "extras" I could cut out, but I love it so much...it's dessert for me to prepare and teach my classes.  Here's one example of a stellar youth I met this month:

In a class titled, "Can You Feel the Love?" which focused on the Love of God in our lives, I asked, "When have you found joy in being obedient?"  This young man in the front row raised his hand and said the following,

"I recently went to the prom with a really popular senior girl."  (He was a junior.)  "She didn't know how to dance the right way."  (I thought he meant she was a bad dancer, but he meant that she wasn't dancing appropriately...too sensual, etc.)

"I had a little copy of the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet in my pocket, so I took it out and read her the part about dancing.  I told her I would put my hand on her shoulder, and no lower.  She liked that.  Then she told all her friends, and by the end of the dance, everyone was dancing that way."

When he finished sharing his story, the class sat in stunned silence, and then everyone just applauded.  I asked if I could take his picture.

How many young men would have the courage (or even the desire) to DO that?  He holds the Priesthood, and he takes his covenants with God very seriously.  Even when he could have easily "gotten away" with dancing like everyone else, he decided to stand strong for what he believes in.  And the greatest part is that his courage inspired others to do the same.

I love strong youth.