Mother's Day
I had a great Mother's Day and felt very loved and appreciated by my kids and husband. We had 1 o'clock church, so that gave us a lot of down time in the morning together. While David was making breakfast I studied for my Primary lesson. The youth took over for all the women teachers in church so I didn't end up teaching, which was nice! It's so fun to eat your breakfast in bed, but also lonely. So everyone else brought up their breakfast plates and we all enjoyed it together. The kids thought that was so fun. 
I am just overcome that I have 5 children!! Holy moly!! Being a mother is one of the most fulfilling, rewarding, draining, exhausting, stressful, enjoyable, humbling, overwhelming and patient testing roles I have ever done, or will ever do. I would NEVER trade it! I have learned so much through my children. Maybe they have taught ME more. Their unconditional love towards me is inspiring. I have a lot to learn from each of them.
While getting myself ready I could hear the kids outside jumping on the tramp laughing. I love to hear my kids laugh while playing together. Not only does it mean they aren't fighting, but they are actually enjoying playing with each other. I took a peek out my bathroom window and saw Jason and Alyssa in their swimming suits just having a ball on the trampoline. It made me SMILE!
David got me this book for Mother's Day. I LOVE it! There are so many inspirational thoughts in there. Our gift from the Bishopric to all the women in the ward was a bookmark with a quote on it that came from this book. Perfect bookmark for my NEW book!
One part in the book talks about creating a space and making it beautiful. President Uchtdorf even counsels to pray about getting inspiration while doing it! I guess I never thought to pray about decorating my house. It makes so much sense though! Especially if our home is supposed to have the same feeling as the TEMPLE. I can't wait to decorate my home and fill it with pictures of Christ, the temple and our family! I want our home to be a safe haven from the world, just like the temple.
For a long time I have just been beside myself on a few things.
#1. Keeping our home CLEAN.
#2. Teaching my kids the value of WORK.
Those two kind of seem to go hand in hand. So I finally did it. Last fall when I created the BINGO chore charts it worked GREAT...for a month. Since then I haven't had the energy to create another chart or energy to come up with something that would LAST longer than a month. It's kind of like family scripture reading. You start from the beginning in 1 Nephi and get going really well. Then it fizzles out and you go on with your lives for a while and then realize you haven't been reading scriptures as diligently and so you start again, from the beginning. Eventually it works out, you get your routine and you persever for a long time and maybe, hopefully forever.
That is what I am hoping with this chore chart...we persevere and it works...FOREVER!! Or at least until it because 2nd nature and they are old enough to do it without being told-I can't wait for THAT day!!
So, THIS is my chore chart for me that I have on the side of my fridge. The top one is to mark off each time the kids pick up after themselves. Easy concept, but how easily the house turns upside down in just a few minutes when one mess is left and another one started. So, hopefully this is a start to ALL of us wanting to pick up after ourselves.
The bottom chart is my weekly calendar with a job on each day. Monday-Thursday each one of the kids will take a turn helping to make the dinner that night, setting the table, unloading the dishwasher or helping with dishes. I don't necessarily need help with any of these, but this falls under teaching my kids the value of WORK. I am also having Melanie and Cameron take a turn 2x's a week either washing the kids' bathroom sink or toilet.
Then they each will have their own individual chart. These things will help get our mornings started off better hopefully. They are really easy tasks if kept up. Cleaning their room, making their bed, getting dressed, combing their hair, picking up their toys, brushing their teeth, putting away their backpacks and coat when they get home from school for the older ones and reading with me for 20 mins. for the younger ones. Simple I know, but like I said hopefully it will become habit after using the charts for a while.
So there it is. Hopefully a way to teach my kids the value of hard WORK and appreciating a clean house and having our home more PEACEFUL and less STRESSFUL!
I would also like to thank both my mother and David's mother, my mother-in-law. They have shown me by example that through persevering I can raise strong, hard working children who are firm in their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Many times I will ask David how his mom did things when he was little. I look up to her in a lot of ways and I think it is nice to be able to pull ideas from 2 different families. Hopefully I can find a good balance that works for our family.
I am just overcome that I have 5 children!! Holy moly!! Being a mother is one of the most fulfilling, rewarding, draining, exhausting, stressful, enjoyable, humbling, overwhelming and patient testing roles I have ever done, or will ever do. I would NEVER trade it! I have learned so much through my children. Maybe they have taught ME more. Their unconditional love towards me is inspiring. I have a lot to learn from each of them. 
While getting myself ready I could hear the kids outside jumping on the tramp laughing. I love to hear my kids laugh while playing together. Not only does it mean they aren't fighting, but they are actually enjoying playing with each other. I took a peek out my bathroom window and saw Jason and Alyssa in their swimming suits just having a ball on the trampoline. It made me SMILE!
David got me this book for Mother's Day. I LOVE it! There are so many inspirational thoughts in there. Our gift from the Bishopric to all the women in the ward was a bookmark with a quote on it that came from this book. Perfect bookmark for my NEW book!One part in the book talks about creating a space and making it beautiful. President Uchtdorf even counsels to pray about getting inspiration while doing it! I guess I never thought to pray about decorating my house. It makes so much sense though! Especially if our home is supposed to have the same feeling as the TEMPLE. I can't wait to decorate my home and fill it with pictures of Christ, the temple and our family! I want our home to be a safe haven from the world, just like the temple.
For a long time I have just been beside myself on a few things.
#1. Keeping our home CLEAN.
#2. Teaching my kids the value of WORK.
Those two kind of seem to go hand in hand. So I finally did it. Last fall when I created the BINGO chore charts it worked GREAT...for a month. Since then I haven't had the energy to create another chart or energy to come up with something that would LAST longer than a month. It's kind of like family scripture reading. You start from the beginning in 1 Nephi and get going really well. Then it fizzles out and you go on with your lives for a while and then realize you haven't been reading scriptures as diligently and so you start again, from the beginning. Eventually it works out, you get your routine and you persever for a long time and maybe, hopefully forever.
That is what I am hoping with this chore chart...we persevere and it works...FOREVER!! Or at least until it because 2nd nature and they are old enough to do it without being told-I can't wait for THAT day!!
So, THIS is my chore chart for me that I have on the side of my fridge. The top one is to mark off each time the kids pick up after themselves. Easy concept, but how easily the house turns upside down in just a few minutes when one mess is left and another one started. So, hopefully this is a start to ALL of us wanting to pick up after ourselves.
The bottom chart is my weekly calendar with a job on each day. Monday-Thursday each one of the kids will take a turn helping to make the dinner that night, setting the table, unloading the dishwasher or helping with dishes. I don't necessarily need help with any of these, but this falls under teaching my kids the value of WORK. I am also having Melanie and Cameron take a turn 2x's a week either washing the kids' bathroom sink or toilet.
Then they each will have their own individual chart. These things will help get our mornings started off better hopefully. They are really easy tasks if kept up. Cleaning their room, making their bed, getting dressed, combing their hair, picking up their toys, brushing their teeth, putting away their backpacks and coat when they get home from school for the older ones and reading with me for 20 mins. for the younger ones. Simple I know, but like I said hopefully it will become habit after using the charts for a while.
So there it is. Hopefully a way to teach my kids the value of hard WORK and appreciating a clean house and having our home more PEACEFUL and less STRESSFUL!I would also like to thank both my mother and David's mother, my mother-in-law. They have shown me by example that through persevering I can raise strong, hard working children who are firm in their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Many times I will ask David how his mom did things when he was little. I look up to her in a lot of ways and I think it is nice to be able to pull ideas from 2 different families. Hopefully I can find a good balance that works for our family.
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