Gotta Hold onto the Streak

I knew it was going to be out late last night and that I wouldn't want to write when I got home before I went to bed, so I jotted a little list of my bads and goods while I waited for #s 2 and 3 to get done with EFY.

One of my goods happened after the list was written, so here they are--the goods and bads of July 16th, 2013:


Bads

• The Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc. parting with the National Association of American Mothers, Inc. (Please note that what follows is all personal opinion).

I have been a member of this group for the past three-ish years. I believe this is a wonderful, worthwhile organization to be involved in. I will continue to be part of my state group, but I have learned that most of my hang ups about this association have been rooted in the deteriorating national organization. It's been very interesting to watch, as an innocent by-stander, and see an organization switch gears from the things it was originally based on.

It has become clear that the greatest motive for this group is not necessarily to do the right thing for its clientele but to do what the majority wants it to do. They want to be popular. I'm sorry, but the traditional role of mothers will never hold a majority in our society or be very popular; therefore, somebody's got to part ways. In this case, Oregon was the first to step up and walk away. And so one wonders, who will champion the cause of the traditional mother? Not this group anymore, it seems. Sad. So, Oregon will carry itself and continue to stand up for the role of mothers.

The saddest part of this is that it divides us from others who are in other state associations. That has been a wonderful reassurance--to know that there are other mothers in other states who are working toward the same ends.

• Not getting #1's package sent. 

I woke up early to get kids off to various activities. By the time I was getting kids to EFY, I could feel a headache starting in. By the time I got home to the medicine (I really haven't had many in so long that I don't carry the medicine with me on a regular basis), the headache was full blown.

I pretty much got nothing done. No cookies, no music picked out, nothing in a box. I made the realization later that if I sent it today, it would have to be shipped and wait out the weekend. I don't want the cookies to have to wait that long, so the plan now is to ship one box with the non-perishable items and send the cookies on Monday (unless someone in Provo wants to make them and deliver them. That'd be amazing!).

Goods

• I got the blanket made.

This is a long story. Whenever someone we know and love has a baby, we make them a blanket. #1 mentioned, in one of her letters, that her MTC teacher's wife had just had their first baby. We decided to make him a blanket and send it to #1 and her MTC bubs so they could gift it to him. It just needs to get into that package and make it there before they leave the MTC. It turns out, and I didn't know this until #1 said it in last Saturday's email, that this will be the last class he will teach at the MTC. Teachers there are given a three year job. His tenure is ending.

• The Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc. parting with the National Association of American Mothers, Inc.

This is both good and bad. I know this was a very hard thing for our organization to do. Back on June 12th, a letter was sent to the National organization with the hope that it would open communication and that they would work to resolve some of our concerns. Nothing of the sort happened. From what I saw, the replies were rather contentious in nature. This made me sad, but it made me happy to know that we were making the right decision.

I, to be honest, was shocked at some of the language chosen for those letters. I almost wondered if they'd been read through before they'd been sent.

I am proud of the women I've served with. They are now on new ground--their own ground and they can do with the organization as they please. Way to go, ladies! Way to stand up for what you believe in.

• A Girls' Night Out

I have a VERY dear friend who, from time to time, will call me up randomly and ask if I can run away that evening. Yesterday was that day. YAY! We went and got appetizers at Applebee's and sat and talked over all of the major events in our lives. I absolutely treasure my friendship with this woman. I don't know what I'd do without her. We laughed and cried and finally returned to our homes around 1:00am. 

I am better because I know her. I am grateful for friends like this. I often feel that they are somehow hand-chosen for me. I have, in most of the chapters of my life, had a confidante. I don't think this is by chance.

Shout Out: Julia Shinkle

This is one of those posts that has sat in the background WAY too long. As I attached the new family photo at the top of this blog this evening, I remembered writing this unfinished post and decided that I'd better get it done. So, here you go....


Two mission buddies (who ended up marrying) sent their oldest son to the Missionary Training Center today. Wow! It's just blowing my mind that I met them both when we weren't much older than our oldest children are now.

They have a beautiful family. It's so fun to see where life has taken them in the past number of years. I got to looking at the photos they recently had taken before their son left for the MTC and got to thinking about how before #1 leaves, we HAVE to have some family pictures taken, which is the cause for today's shout out.


When I think of family pictures, I automatically think of my friend Julia. She does AMAZING work. She's creative and fun. She takes the simple things and turns them into works of art.  I have to share a couple of our experiences with Julia....

The first time she ever photographed our family, #7 had just been born. Julia called me and asked if she could come take photos of #7 for her portfolio (she was just starting her business). When she came, things were easy and relaxed. She used items we had around the house--baby blankets, a drawer, wooden blocks, etc. It was clear that Julia wasn't just a photographer. She was an artist. Her approach was beyond creative.

In 2011, after receiving my nomination as Oregon's Young Mother of the Year, which later turned into a Mother of the Year nomination (long story having everything to do with the age of my oldest child and nothing to do with my expertness of being a mother--as if I even had to explain that to you), I was informed that one thing I would have to do is turn in some family photos and photos of myself. I immediately thought of Julia, but going from one child to photograph, who pretty much slept the entire time, to a big ol' family of nine? Ugh! How would that go? Would she even be able to get one click with all of us behaving ourselves?....Yah, good luck on that one.

Here are some of the images from that session.....

I love this spontaneous, unstaged catch.

One child climbed on and Julia told everyone else to gather 'round. This was the result.

This was my absolute favorite:

Julia asked me if I'd brought any kinds of snacks. I told her that I had a bag of Cheerios in a bag in my purse. She asked if I would get them. I did. Next thing I knew, she had us all standing shoulder to shoulder in a random, however we placed ourselves, order and sat #7 in front of us on the ground. You can't see them, but there are Cheerios all around her. That's why her hand is to her mouth--she's eating a Cheerio.

In the meantime, there's Julia laying on the ground across from us snapping pictures of our legs and little Cheerio-munching #7. Love it!

Next, it came time for #1's senior portraits. For this one, we went out to Julia's property. Again, easy, relaxed. Here are some of my favorites:

I'm looking forward to #2 having this experience this coming year.

I decided that with #1 leaving for college, we needed to have a family session to capture us all as we were before our first flew the nest.

I have often posted the photo on the right, but I haven't shared how that photo came to be. It actually started out with the experience on the left. I was just sitting there. Actually, I think Julia was taking my photo. I was sitting alone. Along came two children. They started hugging on me and then Julia, observing this, called the whole crew over. Thus, the photo on the right.

I love that Julia can take a random event and turn it into something worth keeping and cherishing. I love that she can take a squirrely family like ours and find those moments when we all look just a little bit sane....

but then, there are those moments when we don't all get that memo.....

Thank you, Julia! I simply ADORE you!!!

Ladder of Inference

Great day! Today was the Oregon American Mother's conference. It was FABULOUS! There were some profound things shared. The theme was "A Call to Action." I definitely felt the urgency to be active as a mother and just as a person. I think the thing that hit me the most was a presentation on "Being."

In our society we seem to have things backwards--have, then do, then be. Today, I learned that that all has to be turned around. We must be, then do, and only then can we have what we really want in our lives.

The presenter shared the "ladder of inference" with us. I'd never heard of that before. I think it's rather ironic that it's a ladder as it seems to be an additional step up on the pattern my thoughts have been taking lately. Here it is for your review.





This was just a small portion of her presentation, and I wish I could have just sat and listened to her for hours. There was just a wealth of information.

She spoke of competition and comparing and how that stops us on our way to being, doing and having, and she shared the concept that if we will continue consistently doing the right things, we will be brought to the right place eventually.

It was just a wonderful experience. I have so much that I want to write about it. I'm hoping tomorrow will give me a few more minutes than today has so I can do that.

Here it is 9:45pm, and I still haven't been to the grocery store today, so I'm off. Wish me luck.

Randomness

image: kaboodle.com

May I begin by saying that last night's lasagna was AWESOME! It tasted so fresh. I loved the fact that I didn't have to cook the pasta in advance. That's always a drag. The instructions were either a bit off, or I messed them up--most likely the second, but it still turned out wonderfully.

One of the littler kids came into the kitchen and looked at it and asked what the red stuff was. When I said it was tomatoes, there was the reply, "I'm not touching that stuff." That child ended up eating the whole serving.

image: finecooking.com

I thought for sure it would be the "green stuff" not the tomatoes that would make everybody stick their noses up at it, but not at all. I even saw one of the kids pull a piece of the Swiss chard out and eat it by itself.

The only problem was there was just barely enough. I think next time I'll double the recipe.

***Here's a little correction to yesterday's blog post. Originally, I wrote that missionaries learning a foreign language stay in the MTC for two months and those speaking their native language stay for three weeks. That has changed. I just learned from a man who works at the MTC and commented on a Facebook post that questioned this very thing that:

"Native speakers stay 12 days. Latin, German, and Nordic languages stay six weeks either at rovo or other MTC. Asian, Russian, and other languages stay nine weeks."

I will go back and fix my post.


So, on to today.....

A number of months back, during our family council, we would schedule a weekly family outing. Lately, that hasn't been happening. I'm kicking myself that it hasn't, so today, that is the plan. We're all going to work like dogs to get our house cleaned up and then reward ourselves with some fun adventure.

I'm leaning toward swimming, but we'll see what the fam decides. The Maritime Museum and the Oregon Historical Museum both have free days today also, so maybe we'll tend that way.

Tonight is the Oregon American Mothers gala. I'm giving the opening prayer. I just hope my dress still fits from last year. The Warden's driving some kids to a dance while I'm off eating salmon and watching them name the  2013 Mother and Young Mother of the Year.

Small and Simple Things

Did you read my last post? More important than that, did you read the blog I linked to in my last post? Did you make it to the very end of that post? Did you see the last paragraph? It was THOSE words that helped me know that that was all written for me.

image: redstick.wordpress.com

Sometimes things just make you sit up and take notice. You don't know why at the time. They just kind of sit there percolating for awhile until you really start to get it. Things with a similar theme pop into your head as if they were pieces of a puzzle. As the puzzle starts to form, you realize that there really is a greater force running things in this world--a force that "gets" you. A force that not only knows your name, your shoe size, and your I.Q., but your capacity for learning and your own special way of understanding things.

image: gregdemcydias.com

That linked-to post was one of those puzzle pieces and those words: "small and simple" were that little smudge of red on the corner that matched perfectly with the last puzzle piece that also had a smudge of red on it. They fit together perfectly!

Just what picture this puzzle is supposed to become, I haven't fully figured out yet, but I know it's going to be something beautiful. Something worthy of gluing together, framing, and hanging on my wall, so I can look at it daily and live by its message.

For some reason, for the last couple weeks, the words, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" have been echoing in my head, and believe me, there's a lot of space for words to resonate these days--at least it feels that way.

image: percussionclinic.com

I'm not sure where I was or even what I was doing when those words first landed with a thud in my echo chamber of a mind. Seriously! It's like someone strikes a triangle or bangs a gong or even, you know the sound, "You'll know it is time to turn the page, when Tinkerbell rings her little chimes like this...." That's how it is when something significant begins to fill that cavern in my head.

Regardless of when or how, they are there and pieces are gathering, and the more I think about it at this point, the more I can see that the timing was perfect!

Late last week, I was allowed the honor of sitting in on the interviews of the nominees for Oregon's 2013 Mother of the Year and Young Mother of the Year. Boy, oh boy! What an experience!

I sat there thinking how much I enjoyed sitting where I was this year as compared with last year. I tried hard to nod and keep a smile on my face just knowing how nervous I knew these women must have been.

But as these women spoke!...Wow! There are some TRULY amazing women out there, and I know the ten that I came in contact with that day were just a drop in a very large bucket.

image: comfybummy.com

Sitting in on something like that, it becomes very easy to compare your life to theirs. It makes you feel minuscule and unimportant. It makes you think that all you do all day is wipe--counters, tables, floors, noses, bums--you name it, I'm wipin' it.

What I see, though, is that these amazingly fabulous things women do aren't the big things. They all start as little things. They start as having a need and finding a way to fill it with a bunch of small and simple things. It's something as small as wiping a nose that grows into something huge and important like love, devotion, and trust.

Everything we do matters--like pieces of a puzzle.

image: fantasycostume.net

When one of these women spoke of the service she'd rendered in her community, I couldn't help but envision that she had some kind of magic wand. I couldn't help but picture her saying the magic words, she in her flowy, billowing blue sparkling dress, tiara sitting perfectly on her amazingly coifed head, and flicking that wand in just the right way for her community to become a better place. She had done something most of us would find daunting if not impossible, but she had done it. The community continues to benefit from her efforts.

I'm sure my jaw dropped not just once or twice but with every single woman who spoke. The bruise has yet to show up, but give it time. It's gonna be a doozy.

One of the things this woman said was something along the lines of "I do these things so that my community is a great place for my children to grow up." Wow!

image: elizabethfoss.com

She saw a need, and she filled it. I'm sure it wasn't really with a magic wand--that would be far too easy and would quickly go unappreciated. I'm sure it was with much pondering and prayer--small and simple things. It was by her listening for answers to those prayers--puzzle pieces. And it was by her fitting those pieces together to form a beautiful picture....for her children.

That's what we all need. That is our recipe for success. Some people just get it. Some, like me, get it and then lose it and then get it again....only to lose it again later, but trust me, I'll get it again...eventually.

So, if you have plans to climb Mount Everest or build your own home or even have happy children who grow into happy adults, it all starts with small and simple things. It's just a bunch of pieces that all fall together into a beautiful picture....just for you.

image: academicdepartments.musc.edu

It all begins with daily small and simple things. Don't ever overlook their importance.`Those are the flicks of our magic wands.

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Back to a Simpler Way

For the time being, I have disconnected from Facebook. Before I deactivated my account, it warned me that the two blogs I have listed there won't have administrators and updates won't show up on the Facebook feed. I thought about this and decided that was probably better anyway.

So, if you're reading this, I have a pretty good hunch that you sought me out. That's really great. It wasn't a matter of clicking a link because you were bored and just thought you'd read whatever was there just for the heck of it.

I went back this morning and looked over the very first blog post I ever wrote. There was no preface. There was no this-is-how-my-life-has-been-up-to-this-point post. I just started in writing about life at that moment--it was December 14th, 2007, I was a mother of six, I was a college student, brownies were in the oven, I was scanning pictures. To be honest, I didn't write for a reader. I wrote for myself--to keep track of the happenings and feelings I had about life. That was my blog's sole purpose--nothing fancy.

image: jakesluckylife.blogspot.com

I have to admit that as time has gone on, I've changed. To be honest, I haven't liked it. I think it started with the nomination for Young Mother of the Year. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have accepted it. When it arrived in the mail, I highly considered just sending a "no" reply, but I let my pride drag me down a very different path than I was following. I'm sorry. I don't regret being involved with the organization, but I wish I'd come into it through another means--because I felt passionately about its cause, which I do.

Suddenly, I felt I had to be perfect in everything I did. I had to be someone I wasn't. I had to know everything. I was no longer genuine and was playing to an audience. I've learned that that's not me. So, things evolved in a very prideful way. Again, I'm sorry.

It was once said, "Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble" (Ezra Taft Benson). Today, I write here to humble myself.

image: nhs.uk

I find that lately that I've been preachy and feel a touch of sarcasm and maybe even anger in what I write. I apologize. I AM angry, or maybe more than "anger," I feel let down. I won't get into details, but I will share that a small part of that has to do with the election, even though I've made peace with that. I see prophesy being fulfilled, which I believe will all be fulfilled, and it makes me angry to know that we're heading that way. It can't be stopped, I know that, but still, it frustrates me. It seems like no one else sees it, and it perplexes me.

So, I've come here today to apologize. I have a desire to start fresh.

image: stillblondeafteralltheseyears.com

I want to write for me again. I don't want to chastise the rest of the world anymore, and I know that's not my place.

So, if you're here, and you sought me out, thank you. Thank you for putting up with my little stint of anger and frustration, and my enormous stint with pride. I hope your being here means you've just rolled your eyes, shook your head, and been tolerant and forgiving of me, and that maybe, to some small degree, you understood.

Thank you for being a true friend.

Peeking Out from Under My Rock

A friend texted me the other day telling me that she'd booked a speaker for the American Mothers conference that's coming up in September. She told me who the woman was, and I, who live under a rock a good part of the time, responded with, "Who is that?" I assured her of the fact that I am an under-rock dweller and so am probably the only person in the world who doesn't know who she is.

I decided today,  though, that #7's probably right there along with me. When I was working on setting up the cash envelopes this afternoon, she grabbed a $5 bill and was thrilled to find "Jesus" pictured there. YIKES! I'm glad to say I'm not that bad off.

Anyway, back to the story at hand....I decided to do some research and was thrilled with what I found. I looked up "Connie Sokol" on Google and found her website. I'm loving what I'm seeing there. She has a thing called "Back to the Basics." I read over it last night and decided to go to tip #1. Wow! Just what I needed!

Here's a link for you....Tip #1.

This is just what I needed. As you may have noticed, my blog posts have had a bit of a negative edge to them lately. This is what happens when I let "tip #1" slide in my life. Last night, after perusing this, I recommitted myself to studying and praying harder. Today, I read this:

"Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers" (Mosiah 9:17).

Now, I need to get something clear here. I don't feel that I have enemies whose hands I need to be delivered from. If anything, I am my own worst enemy. It was just the fact that if I want to be all that I can be, I know that this scripture holds the key--"cry mightily to the Lord."

Sometimes people will say, "How do you do it all?" I can assure you I don't "do it all," but I will admit I do quite a bit, but I will also admit that the only times I am able to do more than average is when I'm relying on the strength of the Lord. He makes me more than I am. The only reason I can raise seven children is when he's helping me.

There, now you know all of my deep secrets. I truly believe that anybody, if they're willing to follow "tip #1" can start off on being more than they once were and making more out of their lives. I would also like to state that these behaviors are what I know assures me happiness even in the hardest of times. It helps to get my perspective back on track.

Like I said, lately, I've been a slacker. I had become too busy for these important things in my life, and thus, it has led me to become more unsure. I've stopped blogging as much because, to be honest, I let myself become overwhelmed by life. This is a guaranteed side-effect of spiritual slackerhood. That's where I've been. I haven't had much of a positive nature to share, so I've chosen to become quiet. Not good. If you ever see me quiet again, you'll know what's up. If you catch on, give me a nudge back in the right direction, would you?

I'm grateful for these little messages that come my way. I'm grateful for a text message about a person who lives above the rock who shares great things for people like me to read to buoy us up and get us back on the right path.

I can now say that I have a little more of a clue of who Connie Sokol is, and I can also say that I'm PSYCHED to hear what she'll have to share here in Portland in September!

Yaddi Yadda

"By the end of the week it'll be half strength" was what #4 was told when he went in to have his ear re-checked yesterday. It looks great and you really have to look to find the owie. The doctor took out the last remaining stitch (they put the dissolving kind in). The doctor who stitched it up really did a FANTASTIC job.

After the doctor's appointment, I took #4 to Arby's. He commented on how great it was to be "just the two of us." I agreed. He's such a sweet personality. So great to be around.

I got the cash system figured out for the month and went and got the money to fill the envelopes, so we're in business for the month. We usually take our kids out to eat at least once a month, but I found that we didn't use the eating out money last month, so we had a bit extra. Nice deal! I love it when that happens.

Did you know that Monday nights after 4pm, the Outback Steakhouse allows one child to eat free for every paying adult? Well, they do. I love the Outback! I was THRILLED to hear this news. We went there for our Monday night FHE activity. The kids had never been there. Our server was FANTASTIC!

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, and maybe it's just the part of the world I live in, but with the economy being what it is, people seem to be more grumpy these days--even people on the job at certain businesses. I've gotten so I kind of brace myself. Well, this was not the case at Arby's. They were SUPER nice--smiling, saying all the nice things that make you feel like you're welcome there. It was a nice change of pace.  Yay Arby's. I might just go back...soon.

Like I said, we're back up and running with the cash system. Last month was just a little too monetarily crazy with the events of March. Things seem to be ironed out a little bit better now, so it's nice to be back on track. April just felt very insecure. The cash system makes me feel in control, and I love it.

Last year, with American Mothers, we had the opportunity to help with the float decorating for the Portland Rose Festival. Next week it all starts up again. It can't get here fast enough. Seriously, it's SO FUN!  If you're in the Portland area and want to be part of things this year, let me know.

Here's the float we helped with last year....


See that purple and that blue?  Yup. I wore purple coconut and blue coconut home in my hair a few nights in June of 2011.  Good times.  Good times.

Thanks for Not Warning Me

Me; Amanda Larimer, Oregon's 2012 Young Mother of the Year, #1 and #3

Today at noon was the annual Mother's Day mass at the Grotto. For you readers who aren't familiar with Portland, the Grotto is a very large and beautiful Catholic sanctuary. Its official name is The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowing Mother. Every year the Mother of the Year is invited to speak at this mass. Past Mothers of the Year were also invited.

I, to be honest, went to support Bobbie and to hear her speak, and she did a FANTASTIC job! I was glad I was there. She shared this story and then talked about mothers in the scriptures--Moses' mother and Samuel's mother and finally Mary. Bobbie is a wonderful speaker. If you ever get the chance to go hear her speak, take it!

There were two things I wasn't bargaining for, though. I had been the contact person for the Oregon Mothers Association of American Mothers, Inc. The nun in charge and I had been sending emails back and forth. I had given her the number of attendees. I thought my job was done, but when I walked in before things started, she approached me and said that she was in need of two women to "give the gifts." I didn't exactly know what this meant, but I told her that Bobbie and Amanda (the Young Mother of the Year) would be perfect. She explained that since Bobbie was already presenting, she thought that was enough for her to do and would I be the other person? Umm...Sure. Yikes! I hadn't a clue what I was doing, but I did my best. The priest was really nice, and it was all done.

On top of that, I was asked to introduce our group, it's history and purpose and the Mothers and Young Mothers to the congregation. Wow! Really?! Like with words, like standing in front of all those strangers? Oh, okay. Amanda, wrote the names of the women and the years they served as Mothers and Young Mothers. Another of the women wrote up a quick history. Phew! I then just had to sit and wait.

I was prepped with the fact that I would need to bow before the alter before and after I walked across the stage. It ended up that my part was at the very end. The shocking thing was that I wasn't nervous in the slightest. I think had I known, I would have been freaking out. Tender mercy.

 I got up, walked, bowed, introduced myself, said my ditty, thanked them, walked away, bowed and went and sat down. Phew! It was over.

Funny how, even though I wasn't nervous, about ten minutes later, my joints felt like mush. I must have been more nervous than I allowed myself to be.

Early Morning Ramblings

It's 5am, and I'm up...on purpose. Yesterday I was up at 4:40. Today was the same. Why haven't I done this before?!

First of all, happy Mother's Day!

Second of all, just a little update on the progress made on this week's goals:
1. Empty the final box.
2. Clean out #6's box o' books.
3. Create a list of goals.
4. Clean out the music cupboard.

5. Clean out the filing drawer.
6. Create the baby steps for the next goal.
7. Study up on a new filing system.
8. Implement new filing system.

I'm really not doing this in order. I figure as long as I get one done a day, I'm in pretty good shape. To be honest, the filing drawer intimidates the heck out of me. It's pretty full, and I have paper-phobia anyway, so it's the scariest thing in my house--even more than spiders.

Today, I'm opting to move onto #6. I've also found that Zen Habits has a filing system. I haven't read this post yet, but since I pretty much love everything I've read there, I may just choose to by-pass #7 and go with what I find here.

This morning, I'm finishing up Jacob 5. It's one of the longest, if not the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon. It's full of symbolism, and to be honest, I don't get it, but I found a website that's helping me understand a bit more. If you find yourself in a similar position with Jacob 5, here's the site to get you through it. I haven't checked out the rest of the website, but it might be worth looking into.

After I finish Jacob 5...you can tell how into I am because clearly I'm blogging instead of reading.

OH NO! I hear footsteps upstairs. That's not cool. It's 5:30....Just a trip to the bathroom for someone, I hope. I told the Warden yesterday how much I LOVED being up early. He's such a night owl. I hope he doesn't choose to join me. I mean, I love his company, but with this time, I get so much done. If he's puttering around, I won't. Okay, all is silent.....

Anyway, finishing up Jacob 5 and then on to a Conference talk--Sister Dalton (second to last on the list). I started it yesterday--finishing it today.

No, seriously, #6 is AWAKE. Just came downstairs looking for me. He was carrying his big yellow gift bag he brought home from preschool on Friday. "Hey mom. I need to give you something."

Oh my goodness! I couldn't help but laugh at his cuteness. I grabbed his face and kissed his cheek.  He's had this bag tucked up on the top shelf of his closet. Here it is 5:30am, and first thing he realizes this morning is that it's Mother's Day. Cute!

I opened the gift--there were a bunch of things in it. Here are a couple that I loved....

This now adorns my desk.

I particularly love this one.

He had a "Mom's Gazette" where he had drawn a picture of him and me. He's holding two swords, and I have pigtails. Ah well..... Below the picture is an "article" with blanks to fill in. Here's what it says:

World's Best Mom!

On mother breaks all records to be named Top Mom.

(picture--swords, pigtails--here)

When asked about this honor, her child had this response:

"My mom rocks! She is smart.

When she makes up funny stories, it makes me so happy.

I love doing things with her, especially going places with her.

She is so good at texting.

She really is the best!

Okay, so I have to share that I live in the stone age and don't have texting. I think he must mean blogging. That's the only thing I can think of that he might be referring to. I'll have to ask him. Funny that in this day and age, I have a little boy who doesn't really know what texting is.

He's now gone upstairs to lay down in my bed, but I still hear him up there.

It's now 6:00. I'm off to get dressed. This kind of puts a kabosh on the old tradition of breakfast in bed, but maybe I'll go get dressed and lay down in bed for just a bit--long enough to eat.

Today is church and then we're heading off to the Grotto for a Mother's Day mass.  The Mother of the Year is speaking. The organization has been invited to join in. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day.

Can I Just Get This Off My Chest?

We only subscribe to the local paper because of the coupons.  Really!

At one point, many years ago, the Warden was quoted in the paper twice in one week.  Both times he was misquoted.  It was at that point that I decided that the paper wasn't for me.  When they used to call and ask if I want to subscribe (pre-coupons), I would explain why, and they'd say, "Okay, thank you."  I mean, really, what could they say to that?

Well, yesterday I was successful at contacting them to put the Mother of the Year info in the paper.  I sent them information but never heard back about if they'd received it, so I followed up today.  Yes, they had received it.  They sent it on to the editor of the "Mom blog."  Huh?!  I didn't even know they had a "Mom blog."  Sure enough, they do.  But, I can promise you that was a big let down.  Don't get me wrong, blogs are life, aren't they, but if I'm going to go to my local paper's website, it's not going to be to read their blog.

Being the stubborn person I am, I decided that wasn't where I wanted it to end, so I contacted the original guy I had spoken with yesterday.  I explained that in the past it was a tradition to put such information as a write up in the actual paper, and how could we make that happen.

His response....you're not going to believe this....

I'm not quoting here, but it was basically, "I've been here for four years, and I've never heard of you until yesterday."  Huh?!  What?  I would think that someone who works for a newspaper would be the last individual to live under a rock, but never heard of the Mother of the Year?!  For real?  Are you pulling my leg?

I decided at that point that I was definitely talking to the wrong guy, and if I let slip what I really wanted to say, we wouldn't even be making the Mom blog, so I thought I'd better just say "thank you" and move along.

I'll be taking another route as of Monday, and guess what....I think I've decided that maybe the coupons aren't even worth it.

The Word on the Street

I received a phone call Sunday evening informing me that I'd been nominated as co-president for the Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc.  I was told that they wanted to swear me in Wednesday during our board meeting at the state capitol.  So, yesterday, I was sworn in.

It's so interesting to be on this side of things.  The other co-president was Mother of the Year in 2011.  She's wonderful and amazingly talented.  She's been president in the past, so I'm thrilled to get to learn from her.  She's heading to the United Nations this next week to give a presentation.  Here's more on what she does.  I mean, seriously, can you imagine getting to work with someone like this?  What an amazing opportunity!

So, I head into a new experience.  Something always comes along after one thing has ended.  It's a great life!

Have you ever heard of American Mothers, Inc.  I mean, other than from me?

I really knew very little about it before I was nominated last year.

I think it's sad that so few people know about it.  It's really a remarkable organization.

With this new position, I have taken it upon myself to tackle a few obstacles that have been in our path for the past few years.  In speaking with some of the women that have been with the organization for awhile, there are a couple of negatives.  One has been the Oregonian newspaper and another is the Rose Festival.  I just refuse to believe that they won't include American Mothers.

Today, I spoke with both.  They both seemed to be accepting.  The Rose Festival sent me an application to participate in the Grand Floral parade, and the editor of the "Living" section of the Oregonian gave me a call and asked for further information.  Sounds like we're heading places.

Yesterday, we attended the legislative session for the day and were recognized there.  The Mother of the Year opened the session with a speech.  The representative who invited us, introduced us.  We also met with him before the session.  His name is Michael Dembrow.  He's a representative for Portland and works a lot with education.  He shared with us what they're working on right now in his committee.

During the session, our Young Mother was introduced as being from Hillsboro, without missing a beat, Representative Shawn Lindsay, came up to meet her.  He's the representative for Hillsboro and North Plains.  He found out that our Young Mother isn't from Hillsboro, but that didn't stop him from coming in to meet with us after the session as well.  He also sent some female representatives to come see us too--Vicki Berger and Julie Parrish.

I was impressed that these people, busy as they are, would come and spend some time with us.  It was a choice few moments.  We have some very good people representing us.

So, there is one negative remaining--the Governor, but I'm not even about to touch that one.  Two governors ago, American Mothers could get an audience, but not any longer.  I was told our current governor doesn't care about "Mommy issues."  Sad.  Not caring about "Mommy issues" is like not caring about society at large, if you ask me.  Mommy's issues are everybody's issues.

The Gala: My Viewpoint

After seeing how many people have read the post about preparing for the Gala, I thought I'd better just dive in and share more details about the evening.  Photos will have to come later.


We arrived at the Portland Airport Embassy Suites Hotel around 6:30pm.  Our tickets for dinner were on a table outside the ballroom.  We stopped and picked them up and were told our table assignment--we were table #3--and that we should put our tickets by our place on the table.

The Warden and his parents walked into the ballroom, but I was told to wait because they needed to get some pictures.  Before my picture was taken, a dear friend from the past came out, and we hugged for about 5 minutes.  We knew her before she was married; she knew us before we had any kids.  It was GREAT to see her!  She was given the award as the mother of adoptive children.  She's fabulous!

Can I say, here and now, that it's amazing to be among so many women that make your jaw drop.  I think mine nearly became unhinged half-way through the evening.  For me,  it was kind of like being the rag doll among the porcelains.  Really, truly amazing!

This friend and I got our picture taken together, I got mine taken alone, and then the Warden came back out so we could get ours taken together.

We went in, ran into a quite a number of other friends.  It was great to get to catch up with people.  After chatting for a bit, I found my place at the table next to the Warden.  The orchestra was playing in the background.

We were served our salads, our main entrees and dessert.  The Warden ate cheesecake, but my dessert was this amazing chocolate something or other.  SO RICH, and SO GOOD!  I only ate about five bites before I was done.

My dad and his wife arrived just as we finished and came and joined us at the table.

When we finished eating, it was announced that all of the nominees were to go to the back of the room.  We sat in a row and waited for what came next.  Our escorts stood behind us.

Two Mother nominees and the four Young Mother nominees

Thanks for letting me borrow your photos, Amanda!

In each woman's turn, her escort was to walk her up to the front of the room where there was a small stage.  When we reached the stage, we were to leave our escorts, climb the three or four stairs (in these kinds of circumstances, it's quite a climb) and turn and face the audience while our biographies were read (Above: modeled by the lovely Amanda Larimer).  A slideshow was playing at the same time with photos of us and our families.  When that was finished, we were asked to go to the podium and share what our "parenting phrase" is and why.

They introduced the four Young Mother nominees first.  The five Mothers went second.  I really wish it had all been recorded because there were some very important and profound things said that night.

When it was my turn, the Warden leaned over to me and said, "Do you know what you're going to say?"  I replied, "Not a clue.  I'm going to punt," and so I did.

My parenting phrase was, "You always have a choice" (#3 told me a few months ago that I'm always saying that.  She was a bit annoyed at the time).  I shared how inspiring it was to watch the Japanese people and how courageously they were working to rebuild their lives.  I don't recall exactly  what I said, but afterward, people said it was good, so I was relieved.

After we said our bit, we were handed a certificate awarding each of us as a "Mother of Excellence" and a long-stemmed white rose.  We walked to the tables on the stand and sat down at them.  Two women were already sitting when I arrived.  I commented to the one next to me about how much I was shaking.  Funny thing was, when the next woman arrived to sit next to me, she made nearly the same comment.  I assured her that that's what we were all doing and not to worry.

After all of the Mothers were introduced, we had a number of wonderful musical numbers--piano and vocal--and then they awarded the special awards--adoptive mother, service, and mother of disabled children.  These, to me, were the truly inspiring moments of the night.  I sat there alternating between goosebumps and tears as I listened to their stories read over the podium.  What truly inspiring people who have made some really great sacrifices.

When these were done, I leaned to the woman next to me (the one who sat after me) and said, pointing to the ground beside her, "You'd better make sure you have a clear walkway, you're going to be heading up there in a few moments."  She laughed and told me I was wrong, but guess what...I wasn't.

They named Amanda Larimer as Young Mother of the Year, and Bobbie Jager, the woman sitting next to me, the Mother of the Year.  When I wrote this post, she is the one I referred to.  She had my vote from the beginning.  She's FABULOUS!  Oregon is going to be well represented in both categories at the national convention.

Both women then gave their acceptance speeches.  Amanda talked about her family getting unexpectedly stuck up on Mount Hood on Christmas Day because of a gunman on the loose and how unprepared they were and how she can relate that to how she feels right now.  The words I would use to describe Amanda, are warm, beautiful, graceful and poised.  She'll do marvelously.  Bobbie shared about three times she'd felt her heart nearly stop--this time being the third.  I think of Bobbie as vivacious and welcoming to anyone and everyone; it's great just being around her.  It was so fun to watch these women in action that evening.

After all was done, we chatted for a few minutes and were then ushered to the back of the room again for photos.  We said our good-byes, and we were off.

Really a FABULOUS night!

Yesterday morning, after #5 woke up, the Warden and he were in the kitchen.  I walked in, and the Warden said, "Oh look, it's the Mother of the Year."  #5 turned around, smiled at me excitedly and said, "Really?!"  The Warden said, "Yes, she's our mother for the year every year."

What a cute guy I married!

***

American Mothers, Inc.  is the organization that names the Mother and Young Mother of the Year.  There are groups in nearly every state.  The organization's been around since the early 1930s.  The first Mother of the Year was named in 1935.

The purpose of American Mothers is to strengthen and encourage mothers and thus strengthen the entire family.  I'm looking forward to doing much with them this coming year.  I hope, if you're interested in getting involved, that you'll look into it.  If you live close to me, come along with me.

This coming Wednesday morning, we have a meeting with Representative Michael Dembrow and will get to sit in on a legislative session in Salem.  We'll have lunch and a board meeting following.

The Gala Prep

 Warning:  The photos at the end of this post were taken after the gala, and it was raining earlier in the evening, so...you get the idea--not the best.  There will be more later when others release what they've taken.

Here's how the afternoon went down....

I, walking around zombie-like after minimal hours of sleep the previous night, go volunteer at the elementary school.  I arrive home after finishing correcting math papers and picking up two tired children from a friend's house, start putting one down for her nap and find a message blinking on the answering machine.  It's the Warden reminding me that #4 has a campout tonight and we're to have him at the church at 4:29--no later.  Bad news....we've all forgotten this particular campout, and #4 arrives home from school around 4pm.

I call the Warden, he suggests I go get #4 a bit early from school, so he can prepare for the fun ahead.

Done!  Oh, after I pulled the small one from her bed after just laying her down.

We go back home after picking him up to look for a few extra dollars that might just be laying around so #4 can take a decent sack dinner with him on the campout.  The great desire is Subway, so I'm trying to eke $5 from the remaining budget (remember, payday's on the 20th)--what are the chances?

Somehow, miraculously, I find that the grocery budget for last week wasn't touched, so I find a nice little wad of money.  We get #5, who has just gotten out of school and head to Subway.  On the way there, I call #s 1 and 2, who have decided to walk home from school and tell them the plan.  They decide to walk to Subway instead.

We all order sandwiches and blow a small portion of the wad.  Nice to be able to treat my kids to something special at the end of a pay period on a Friday afternoon.

#2 starts talking about all of the plans he has made with his bubs for the evening.  I'm half listening as I distribute sandwiches around the car.  He asks if I can drive them.  I tell him it's not a problem--not sure what I was thinking.  Let's blame it on the lack of sleep, shall we?

When we get home, #4 goes to pack, and I make the realization that my parents-by-marriage will arrive at 4:30, so I'd better get ready to go.  We have to drive to a hotel near the airport on a Friday evening on President's Day weekend, so it's not going to be pretty.

I get partially dressed with the plan to get the hairspray done before I put the dress on.  #1 does my hair and has quite a bit of fun promming me up for the evening even adding little jewels to my hair.  (I have to admit, I'm not a froofy kind of girl, but it's fun to be a princess for the evening).  Wow!  Two self-created words in one paragraph.  I pull the dress on, stick the earrings in my ear lobes and fasten the necklace around my neck.

After less than half an hour to pull is all together, we're off--#4, #2 and two of #2's bubs.  It's about 4pm.  I already know there's no possible way I'm going to be back home by 4:30.  When we find that no one has arrived at the church a half hour early (why would they?), we decide, last minute, to drop #4 at a friend's house so he can get to the church by 4:29 and then head off to drop off the other three.  About this time, #1 calls to ask if I bought cheddar cheese soup for her crockpot mac and cheese--SERIOUSLY LOVING the kids making dinner thing.  Oops.  I hadn't.  We stop.  The boys run in and get it, and we're off again.

Oh, I did my make up in the car as I waited in the grocery store parking lot.  Typical.

I drop they boys off, inquire as to how #2's planning on getting home, to which question I get the response, "I'm not sure," shrug my shoulders, and I'm off again.

I arrive home, get out of the car and #3's standing on the front porch clapping as she sees me coming.  She tells me I'm beautiful.  Does life get better than that?

I walk in to find my parents-by-marriage and the Warden waiting for me.

We hit the road and after roughly an hour and half, we arrive at the hotel that is only 21 miles away from home.

There, that's the prep for the evening.  I LOVED it!--once we got there.  More on that later....

For now, here are the photos:

The hair--I was going to do this fancy updo, but it was a disaster, so it became a simple bun, glammed up by #1.

And...here's the dress.

Oh, by the way, #2 got home just fine.  I knew he'd figure it out.