5 Things That are Important to Me
1. My kids. I spend practically all day with them as a homeschool mom. We spend the morning together doing homeschool then sporadically through the rest of the day. I try to be intentional about connecting with them and doing non-school or screen related activities. Their education is important to me, that’s why I homeschool. Their relationships with each other and with me are important. Homeschooling allows us to spend most of our day together and cultivate relationships. 2. Jonathan. My relationship with him is different than with my kids. One thing is that he and I always sit next to each other–kids aren’t allowed to get between us. I…
What is Grace?
There’s a hymn in our church hymn book called Did You Think to Pray? The second verse says “When your heart was full of anger, did you think to pray? Did you plead for grace, my brother, that you might forgive another who had crossed your way?” Today I want to try to touch on the aspect of grace hinted at in this verse–giving grace to others. Grace is a huge topic. Let’s start by talking about what grace is. In Hebrew, it means favor or goodwill. In Geek it is a gift freely given. The gospel topics app says that grace is the divine help or strength extended to…
Should You Read Aloud to Your Kids?
It was an ordinary afternoon. I was reading the last few chapters of a book to my kids. I wanted to finish the book before my sister-in-law arrived, but I was having a hard time getting through it. I kept stopping because I was crying. I tried to pass the book on to one of the kids but they refused. So I kept at it. I still had a few pages left when the doorbell rang. My sister-in-law came in and listened while I finished–tears and all. This is actually a common scene in my house–mom crying while trying to read aloud. But I keep doing it. I believe in…
Habits–1% Improvements
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! It’s 5:20 AM and time to get up. I wake up at the same time every morning and do the same daily tasks as part of my morning routine. I drink water, write 3 pages, visualize, exercise, and study my scriptures. My morning routine has become a habit. It is something I perform regularly and automatically. We all have habits. Some are good and some are bad. Kissing your kids before bed is a good habit. Yelling at your kids to get their chores done is a bad habit. Drinking water is a good habit. Drinking soda is a bad habit. James Clear teaches in his…
People NEED to Help
I love how, when reading, I come across random good quotes. My middle daughter and I are reading “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. The Joad family has just finished their first day on the road–they are traveling to California in hopes of finding work after being kicked off their land. They meet another couple, the Wilsons, traveling and ask to share their campsite for the night. Grandpa Joad is sick and dies right as they are trying to get settled. The Wilsons immediately jump in and help. They offer food and blankets and help bury the body. Mama Joad feels guilty for putting the Wilsons in such a…
When is Stopping more Important than Starting?
I recently started seeing a naturopath doctor. She decided to put me on a lectin free diet. She gave me a 3 page information packet to get me started, but I needed more details. Really, what I needed was a plan, a how-to manual. I joined a few lectin free Facebook groups, searched Pinterest, and started reading The Plant Paradox (which is probably the Bible for lectin free people). I feel like I’ve barely gotten a toe wet with all the information, but at least now I feel like it’s something I can do. I’m not going to be talking about going lectin free, but I need to say all…
Don’t Make Assumptions
Have you ever heard that silly saying about assuming? When you assume you make an ASS out of U and ME. (pardon my french) It came to mind often as I read the third agreement. The third agreement from Don Miguel Ruiz’s book The Four Agreements says “Don’t make assumptions. Find courage to ask questions and and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.” It is so easy to make assumptions. When a stranger says something rude, we assume he’s a jerk. When a friend forgets…
Walk in the Other Person’s Shoes
I recently finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Such a good story! My favorite part reading it this time came from a conversation Scout had with her Father. Atticus was trying to explain empathy to his young daughter after a rough first day of school. He said, “First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view–until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I’ve been able to apply this so many times over the last couple…
Don’t Take Anything Personally
Last week I wrote about the first agreement–be impeccable with your word. This week I read the second agreement and listened to the corresponding podcast. The second agreement is don’t take things personally. “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” This agreement can be a little bit more difficult to implement. But I like what Don Miguel Ruiz says right at the start of the chapter–if you take something personally, then it is probably be cause…
Be Impeccable with your Word
I’m slowly reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Mostly because a podcast I listen to did a read along, and I wanted to participate. She did one episode for each of the agreements. So I’m reading the chapter then listening to the podcast. I’ve only done the first agreement so far (that is why I say I’m slowly reading the book). The teachings in the book come from a practice handed down in an ancient southern Mexico society called the Toltec. The premise of the book is that we all have beliefs that we learn from the adults around us. As children we believe everything adults tell us.…
