The Madhouse at this Point

The time has come…..

Sheesh! It's been FOREVER since I've been here. It feels strange to sit down in front of this screen and write. I know you probably don't even care why I haven't written, and really, I have no reasons for not, but it's become pretty clear that I need to get at this again.

I went to Time Out for Women a number of weeks ago now. I always feel so uplifted and inspired when I go each year, but this year's take-away for me was interesting….More than anything, I felt that I needed to get back to writing. Seeing that TOFW was so many weeks ago, you can see how quick I am to actually do things about what I feel. Oops!

twiniversity.com

The funny thing is that although I haven't been writing, recently, three or four times a week, when I sign on to Facebook, I find a notification telling me that someone new "likes Hesses Madhouse." Huh? Okay, well, I'd better get back on it.



First order of business--getting #1's mission emails up to date. That will happen in the next few days, so watch for a barrage of info from the Philippines. She's doing great and is preparing to return home…..Even to the point of having signed up for her college classes.

It seems that her emails will be replaced fairly soon--we're not sure when, but #2 is awaiting his call. His papers went in last Tuesday, and we've heard that calls can arrive in as early as ten days, so we are right now, very patiently awaiting some important mail. I will share that information here as much as I can.

If you've been wondering….everyone here is doing great. We have our ups and downs, but all in all, life is good. #1 gets home right before Christmas. #2 broke his leg, had surgery, and is still recovering--in a boot after many weeks on the couch--while he awaits his mission call. The doctors gave him full clearance, so he really could be called to serve anywhere in the world.  The fact is the broken leg put him out of work, so just after he'd finished earning the money needed for his mission, he was laid up….Nice timing, and great for me that I get to have this time with him before he goes….I'm NOT complaining in the slightest. One warning about #2, he intentionally doesn't smile in pictures. He'll be laughing and smiling and the moment he sees my phone primed and ready to snap a picture of him, he'll change his expression--just for me. **SIGH**

#3 is looking forward to taking over #2's room (known as the "tower"). She's all about choir and Pinterest and selfies (or in this case, "groupies").….

See what I mean about #2?

#4 is wishing he was playing indoor soccer for the winter, but I failed on the sign ups. Same holds true with #5 and winter basketball….These are the reasons my children will write their "Mommy Dearest" books. I guess you can say I got my defense going here, so you can vouch for me at their book signings. As I'm looking at it now, though, winter's going to be busy enough. These are just some activities that need to be nixed for now. 

#4 is in high school now and seems to be doing pretty well. He's taking an AP class, which has been challenging, but freshman year is such a huge learning opportunity, right? He's getting by and learning some lessons the hard way--the best way. The lessons learned the hard way are those that aren't soon forgotten, right? #4 is also ready to take on an Eagle project, so that will be a huge focus this winter.

#5 is now in middle school. He seems to like it. He's riding his bike to and from school each day and is playing the trumpet in band. He hasn't quite learned how to combine both--get his trumpet to school on his bike, so we're definitely open to any ideas anyone has. Believe it or not….That's one offering I haven't been able to find on Pinterest. You look up "bike" and "trumpet," and this is what you get….

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/63331938481553458/

Like that idea, as he may, that just ain't gonna happen. Neighbors, you're welcome!

#6 is enjoying school for the most part. He's all about Legos….Can't wait to get home and create. I have to hide them away so he can get more important things done first. Believe it or not, I have found THE BEST hiding spot. I thought it wasn't possible anymore, but it's like hiding something out in the open. He walks by the spot everyday but so far hasn't figured out that that's where they are….Amazing! Oh, my chocolate stash has found a new awesome home too. If you ever need to find a place to hide things, just ask me….I've become the master stasher. That's what having seven kids'll do to you….Oh, the skills!

#7 is in kindergarten. She is so full of life that school is tricky. She loves it….everything about it, but after having the kid who read Harry Potter as a kindergartener, it's interesting to have one who struggles with reading so much. Again, I'm learning new skills here. She's taking dance, which is perfect for her. She will frequently show off her moves no matter what tune is playing in the house.

There's a little update on all of them. As for me, I was writing quite a bit there for awhile even after I took my little blogging hiatus, but as that dissipated, shipping things to the Philippines took over. It was kind of a nice little change. I had a writing offer, but I sadly had to turn it down because the Christmas rush was on. Now, I help get things from point A to point B and offer a less expensive shipping resource to parents who have kids serving missions in the Philippines. It has been a BLAST! I have met so many wonderful people through this and feel like, with so many of them things just click. I feel like I'm shipping for my friends, and what could be better than that?

So, things of biggest importance around here right now…..

• Getting a house ready for a young woman to return home to--decluttering, painting, cleaning and scouring.

• Awaiting a mission call.

• Shipping Christmas packages for missionaries--lots and lots of them. 

• Surviving the everyday running around while attempting to create happy, functional children and striving to make a house a home…..which includes: groceries, laundry, tidying (endlessly).

Among all of this, look for more on this blog. You may wonder how I plan to do the things on my little but massive list. Well….there are some changes in the works, so be looking for those as well. I'm hopeful that there will be a little less madness in the Madhouse thanks to what I have in mind.

So now for #1's emails…..

Weekly Family Activities (with Lots and LOTS o' Links)

Monday night we sat down as a family and created a new and improved list of activities our family can do together. I was shocked at how many of them involved food (Ironic thing…as I went to write the last sentence, "at" came out as "eat"). One child would give an idea and another would chime in with, "Yah, and we can get ice cream!" or something like that. It was all quite comical. What can I say? We like to eat….Food is good.

Our goal was to come up with 52. Everyone moaned about this. They decided they'd each give two ideas, and we'd sit down again in a few months and do it again. Umm, no. Not going to happen. So, I forced the issue. It really wasn't that hard after we got going. We ended up with 71.


Here are the ideas we came up with:

• movie night at a theater (most likely this one)
• restaurant - this is my favorite at the moment, but who knows, this one's close to home and there's something for everyone--plus, there's pie! I guess it will depend on the night when we do it.
• zoo - this, for our family will require a membership, but it's such a deal compared with regular admission.
• OMSI - again, membership
• -children's museum - for this one, there is a free night once a month. It's surprising how much fun we all have here.
• Portland art museum - they have a free night too.
• picnic
• hot chocolate - in our family's opinion, this is the BEST hot cocoa, especially when prepared with milk.
• swimming - we buy a membership to this one too. It's a GREAT deal for a large family.
• Gilbert House - One of our favorites, and yes, you guessed it…membership. Only, the OMSI and Gilbert House memberships can be used for each other, so you only have to have a membership for one or the other. With the Gilbert House membership, you also have free access to the Children's Museum. Plus, the Gilbert House membership is a bit less expensive.
• park - we particularly like this one.
• water fountain - there are a few around our area, but I think we like this one best.
• basketball at the school
• Krispy Kreme - no explanation required.
• water fight
• temple - you don't have to be LDS to visit the temple grounds. It's a very peaceful place--a good place to go when you need to collect your thoughts. We will visit the visitor's center while we're there. The kids really enjoy the things they have there.
• the Columbia River Gorge - my favorite place in the world!
• pizza movie night
• barbecue
• Ikea - #6's favorite place in the world (and the kid's been to Disneyland?!) It's all because of the meatballs.
• marshmallow construction
• cookies - it'll be these without the M&Ms.
• chubby bunny - not being enormous fans of marshmallows, the hubs and I might just sit this one out and cheer the others on, but who knows.
• Waffle Window - What?! Food?
• Saturday Market 
• hot dog eating contest - I don't know, this might rank right down there with marshmallows. But for the sake of good ol' family fun and competition, I might be able to choke down one or two.
• Goodwill scavenger hunt - something was said also about everyone looking for the most hideous outfit. The winner buys it and the losers take turns wearing it. 
• basketball game - this is the kids' favorite family activity.
• tie dye
• soccer game - we usually buy a pizza, sit of the field and eat, and then go kick the ball around for a bit.
• make pizzas
• make wrapping paper
• make Christmas ornaments
• hike Council Crest
• family pics - this, believe it or not, was one of the kids' ideas.
• hide and seek
• frisbee
• capture the flag
• library cultural passes
• Powell's Books
• candy bar game - we did this last night, and I, very joyfully, ended up with my three favorites. Here's a very brief overview (our friends, the Boswells, taught us this game)….You get a bunch of candy bars (more than the number of people playing), two or more dice, and a small bowl for the dice to be shaken in. Everyone sits in a circle. The candy bars are placed in the center. Various people are given a bowl and a die. Those people roll the die one time. If they roll a six or a one, they get to grab a candy bar from the pile. They pass the bowl to the next person. Any time a six or a one shows up, the person who rolled it gets a candy bar. When all the candy bars are taken, a timer is set (we set ours for five minutes last night), and the play continues, only you grab the candy bars from each other. At the end of the game, some will have quite a few bars, some will have none. In our family, those who have lots share with those who have few. You get to eat what you win….Imagine that…Food.
• drive-in movie - we only have one of these left in our area that I'm aware of.
• game night - this is the new game we got for Christmas. The kids love it.
• Sauvie Island
• Skate World
• Candy Basket
• Voodoo Donuts
• TCBY
• ice skating
• froyo - #1 worked here before her mission. Of the places we've tried, it's our favorite.
• Simon says
• sardines - this is one of our most favorite games. It always surprises me how creative our kids can be.
• coloring night
• heart attack
• fork
• make blankets
• KFC - I wonder whose idea this was…..Hmm…I don't know….
• movie marathon - Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Mr. Bean (the series, not the movies), and others have been done in our house, but the BEST by FAR was this marathon which we did one New Year's Eve.
• Donut Day - better than Krispy Kreme, in our opinion. Plus, the owner's kids used to go to the school where my husband was principal, so we like to give them our business….a lot.
• go to a school play
• Pita Pit
• Rocket Fizz
• geocache
• frozen chocolate, die, clothing, fork and knife game - instructions for this game came from my dear Aussie friend Leanne. Her daughter's serving in the same mission with #1. You have a frozen bar or block of chocolate, a dice, gloves and other pieces of clothing, and a knife and fork. You decide which number a person has to roll before they can dive into the chocolate. When you roll that number, you jump up and start putting on the gloves and other clothing items. After all clothing items are on, you grab the knife and fork and attempt to cut into the chocolate. You get to eat any piece that you cut off. When someone else rolls the number, you're done. You put down the knife and fork and remove the clothing. That person puts them on and it starts all over again. (Leanne, I hope I got this right. If not, please correct me. Thanks!)
• Spoons card game
• Uno
• Apples to Apples
• root beer floats
• minute to win it games
• Farmer's Market
• Taffy pull

If you didn't catch the link earlier, here's how and why this all started. I hope this somehow helps your family as well.

Enjoy!

2014: CoDo Fa ReSp

As I read through my Facebook feed, I found that many of my friends had a very tough 2013. I hope 2014 will be better for everyone!


Well, here we are. A new year's begun, and my plan is not set and ready. I'm waiting for what some might call the "muse" to strike. In other words, I feel like I'm on the brink of something wonderful, but I don't quite have a grasp of it yet.

Here's what's sitting in my brain….
I need to have daily tasks that fulfill my desire and get me where I want to be.


Here are the parts of that quote (from the previous post) that are resonating with me:

• Covenants
• Doctrine
• Faith
• Revelation
• Spirit

Not just keeping these things for myself but somehow extending them into my family as well. The hope is that by bringing these things more strongly into my life, other things of lesser priority will be eliminated from my life. In other words, the things I need in order to fulfill my mission here will remain, the fluff will disappear.

I don't think it's so much that things will magically poof out of my life, but that I will be directed more clearly on what stays and what goes so that I can make these decisions myself with more clarity and less doubt and concern.


Very briefly, here are my impressions as I look at the above list….

1. Covenants - The promises I've made with God; the promises He's made back with me. I find these strengthened when I take the sacrament at church on Sundays and when I attend the temple. Clearly, these two things will need to be a bigger part of my life in 2014.
2. Doctrine - The things taught by Jesus Christ and by prophets who testify of Him. This is a matter of studying scripture and other words of prophets. Scripture study, truly delving into the things my heart catches upon, and General Conference will be a higher priority this year.
3. Faith - Action! Acting in accordance with belief. Faith is something that needs to be exercised daily. This is where the little daily tasks will come into play. What would Jesus do?….Well, this year, I'd like to find out.
4. Revelation - This was the topic at church this past Sunday--personal revelation. I want to tap into this better. Heart-felt prayer and then listening for answers are key. 2014 will find me spending more time in my secret place asking for direction.
5. Spirit - This is kind of out of my control. This is what I hope to have a greater abundance of in my life this year, but it is the result of seeking for it more diligently and intently. I know from past experience, the more I listen and obey those feelings in my heart that come along with ideas in my brain, they grow and increase in number. This is my challenge and ties in with each of the points listed here.

Here's what I gather will be the priorities in 2014 from what I've just worked out (not in any particular order)….

• More intent/focused taking of the sacrament each week. [Sundays]
• Regular and increased temple attendance. [Tuesdays]
• Daily scripture study (feasting) and seeking out the words of the prophets.
• Intent and involved General Conference participation. [1st weekends in April and October]
• Relisten to a General Conference talk daily.
• Daily what-would-Jesus-do? tasks.
• Daily heart-felt prayer (at least twice a day).
• Keeping a prayer in my heart.
• Listen for, seek out, and recognize answers to prayers.
• Recognize the Spirit verbally or in written form when it is evident. 

For today, I've got my work cut out for me….Got to get out a calendar and plan my tasks. There you go, today's task: devise a nitty-gritty plan while spending some time on my knees.

CoDo Fa ReSp! Getting down to the things of my soul. 2014 is going to be AMAZING!

#1's Weekly Email: Week #20

I remember having similar experiences while I served my mission to what it seems #1 is having now....Times when everywhere you turned there were lessons that had the same theme.  For example, I remember one period of time when everyone I met had some kind of life-after-death kind of story to share with me. I sometimes wondered if these were just my imagination or some sort of coincidence, but there would be so many of them that it soon became clear that these were lessons that I needed to learn and that Someone I couldn't see was directing my education. I'm so glad to see that Sister #1 is having this kind of schooling as well.

FYI, I've learned that a "BGD" is, if I'm remembering correctly, a baptism goal date.

I know I've mentioned that #1 is not a cryer, so whenever she mentions the fact that she's cried, it makes me really sit up and take notice. 

So happy for m'girl. Sounds like she's loving everything she's doing.

Enjoy!

You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile :)

This week has been really fun. We've been working hard, and it seems like everything has re-emphasized to me how important families are. 

We've taught a lot of lessons to families this week. Sister E's husband, F, is in town. We've taught him three lessons, and he went to church with her on Sunday. He's told us multiple times how grateful he is for the Gospel and the blessing it's been for his family. He's not even a member yet! Hopefully he'll get baptized, but it probably won't happen for a while because his job takes him so far away. 

We also taught the S family this week. Sister S is a less-active and they have a really big family. Nine kids. We've been teaching them, and this week we extended a BGD to Brother S, and he accepted. He said his greatest dream is that all his family will be part of the same religion. 

Sister and Elder D's family came into town this week. They have twin sons, E and C. They're 9 years old and the remind me so much of [#5]. 

Anyway, at church yesterday, both little boys bore their testimonies. It was so sweet. 

I bore my testimony too. Not sure why, but I started crying at the pulpit. That never happens. I bore my testimony about families and how important they are. Namimiss ko talaga ung pamilya ko (I really miss my family), but I know that missionaries leave their families for a short time so other families can be together for eternity. I'm so grateful for the chance to serve and help other families. I love the people here so much and all I want for them is for them to be together with their families forever and experience the joy I experience through the Gospel. I know that this is the true church on earth. There isn't a doubt in my mind. I know that the Gospel blesses families and we all need to share the Gospel with our families.

Alam ko na totoo ung simbahan ni Jesucristo. There isn't a doubt in my mind. Everyday I testify to people and strive to help them return to Heavenly Father. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?

Thank you so much for all your prayers for me. I can feel them everyday. I love you all so much. Onward, Christian soldiers, Keep going and sharing the Gospel. The end is coming and we all need to be prepared. Kaya natin yen! (We can do it!)

Mahal na mahal ko kayo.

Until next week, 

Sister Hess

Something for the Future?

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that all of my family will be in school for at least some part of every weekday this school year. A friend commented and said that I could take a college class or two now. Wow! I hadn't even thought of that. I guess I'm a bit skeptical after last year's tough schedule if I really am going to have some time to myself.

I had totally planned it last year. It was, I thought, a foolproof plan, but budget cuts messed me up when the morning kindergarten schedule I had planned for was changed to afternoon. I ended up with no time to myself. I had at least one child with me at all times.

I traded some time with a friend, but that time became volunteering in the school time. My fault? Yes, but that's such a high priority to me. I couldn't see not spending time in my younger kids' classrooms.

I had mentioned earlier on that we were contemplating homeschooling one of our children this year. That plan, too, changed. Once we knew who his teacher would be, we knew he would thrive and public school would be great. The Warden and I met with the teacher and laid out a plan together. I have no doubt this will be a good year for that child.

So, although we will have all of our children but one in school full-time, I'm still not trusting that I'm going to have time to myself. I have made no plans.

When my friend made that comment about taking a class, I have to admit, I was intrigued by the idea. I
figure now that I have my bachelor's degree, a masters is somewhat alluring. I took a little peek at what was available in my area. The thought of being a grown up with the education to really do something with is SO intriguing. I decided that there are two things I'd like to do in the future....I'd either like to major in linguistics and maybe use it to teach English as a second language or have some kind of certificate in genealogy research.

I know that this kind of thought is out of the question for now. Even the thought of being alone for a few minutes a few hours for a few days a week is past my comprehension at this point, but next year....who knows. Maybe I'll go for it.

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Overjoyed

This gratitude list thing is kind of magical.

My list, this morning, will be SUPER easy. I feel overjoyed. I'll share why in a minute.

image: flickr.com

Over the weekend, I had an interesting experience. I had an opportunity to get hung up on something negative and useless. For some reason, my gratitude list popped into my head just at that moment, and I realized that with so much good in my life, why should I give time to something so negative? What good would it do me? So, I chose to let it go and dwell on the good.

Magical, huh?

Okay, as promised, here is my list of gratitude for this morning (easy, breezy):

My siblings and me

1. Family - my brother and his family are in town. I picked them up from the airport on Saturday evening and they spent the night here. We spent Sunday afternoon at my oldest brother's home having a barbecue. Most of us were there. Yesterday, we went to the beach together--three brothers, their families and me and my kids (the Warden had to work--it's go time in the world of a school administrator). It was so great to be around them all.
2. Being wanted - I thought, after spending so much of their vacation time with us, they'd want to have just some our-own-family time. This morning I got a phone call. My brother said they'd meet us at a certain exit on the freeway. It wasn't a question of did we want to go or anything. It was a "we'll meet you." I LOVED this. This was the happiest thing I could have heard. He WANTS us to be there. Oh, how I love to be wanted. With a big family, that is a rare occurrence--something that hasn't happened in a long time.
3. Missions - We received #1's email a day late. The town she's in was experiencing some flooding, so she and her companion spent their P-Day indoors. It was great that she was able to get out and write us. In the email, she mentioned "struggles." I will share here what I shared on Facebook. I figure there are people who read my blog who aren't my Facebook friends, and I think people need to know this fact. For those of you who are my Facebook friends, forgive me for the repeat:

image:
juliashinklephotography.com

A friend just wrote to me about receiving an email from #1. He mentioned "struggles" that she'd mentioned. I love #1's honestly and frankness, but for those who haven't served a mission and see those happy, smiling missionaries out there, this might come as a surprise--that they struggle. Here's what I shared with him....

"Love it! So glad she wrote back to you. Thank you for writing to her. Every missionary goes through a rather brutal tough patch in the beginning. She is no exception, so I'm sure your email was a HUGE lift for her--knowing that there's someone else out there rooting for her. Thanks...."

***

Having served a mission, I know how tough those first few months can be as you adapt to the job at hand. She is definitely having to step outside her comfort zone day in and day out. Learning a new language, adapting to a new culture and weather conditions all hit you at the same time.

I have no doubt she'll come through with flying colors, but she, like every missionary out there, has to learn to look past herself and her own needs and learn to fill the needs of those around her. So different from the life of most 19-year-olds out there.

She isn't unusual. She's just like every missionary you meet on the street. That's what they go to do--
struggle, stretch, and serve.

I have shared with her many times as she was growing up just what that was all about. I didn't want her to get the impressing that a mission was all sunshine and roses. You only ever hear the missionaries who have returned home tell you all the wonderful experiences they've had, so you get the impression that that's all that happens. It's not. It's totally different when you're actually living it. The successes come, but not without a lot of struggle and sacrifice.

She will struggle, and it will be great. That means she's not holed up in her apartment reading books. She's actually out there living it and doing it and pushing herself and reaching out and seeking to serve. YAY!!!

Although I hate to read that she's struggling, that really ends up being the happiest news of the day.

image: pacificcreststock.com

I will post her latest email later today. For now, I've got to get ready to go to the lake. I'm wanted there. YIPPEEEE!

Life is Good

Like my new look? I thrive on change....Absolutely LOVE it. That's one thing I love about blogging--I can change the layout and look any time I want to. It's better than painting a room or rearranging furniture. It's just so great to have something different.


Three things I'm grateful for today....

That's him to my left.
We may have changed just a touch
since this photo was taken.

1. Air flight - grateful that my brother and his family were able to arrive here safely this evening and that they are in my very house at this very moment.
2. Grocery stores - seriously, could you imagine having to produce all the food you eat? No WAY! It's so great to be able to walk in, pick stuff up off the shelves and pay a few dollars for it rather than going out and milking the cow, sowing the seeds, etc.
3. Inspiration - had a chat with three of my kids in regard to the use of their time. I love it when words come out that I haven't planned that end up teaching me some important lessons too.

It's been a good day, but tomorrow'll be an even better one. Tomorrow, #1's email will come in. I hope no one plans anything for 7:30 on Sunday nights for the next year and a half cuz I won't be there.

Potato salad's all ready for tomorrow night's family get-together (Did I ever tell you? I make one mean potato salad), and things are all set and ready for church.

My house is clean--yay for guests, and I'm feeling good!

Many Hands

It feels like I've woken in heaven....


Yesterday was a soccer tournament for #5. On our way home, the Warden and I promised milkshakes to the kids once the house was clean.

I went out and did the grocery shopping and hoped that the house would be clean upon my return. Guess what....It wasn't, but the kids were having a fabulous time out in the sunshine, jumping on the trampoline in the backyard.

Evening came. The house still wasn't clean. #2 came to me and said, "Mom, you have to assign the kids jobs, or it'll never happen." Of course, what was I thinking?

I created a small list of jobs and called all the kids together. They sat on my bedroom floor, and I read the jobs off to them. I put one extra job--helping #7. Whoever helped #7 got extra milkshake (there was a brief hum of kids whispering among themselves and dibsing who got to work with the youngest and who couldn't handle it).

Kids were then randomly selected to choose the job they wanted, and I set them to work. #2 was given first option to work with #7, but since #3 already had kitchen duty and #7 had dishes, it just seemed to make sense to everyone that the two girls work together.

image: bakingbites.com

Within 15 minutes, the house was clean, and I was downstairs with the blender a-whirring. #3 got extra, and no one complained.

I'm so grateful for my clean house and my cleaners. What a wonderful way to start the day!





Hoping your day has started off beautifully as well,

A Rockin' Day

Two bads, three goods, folks....Away we go!


Bads

• Had to do a timed three-mile walk today, so while #5 was having soccer practice, I went out with my little Nike+ thingy in my shoe and went for it on the track. As I would walk around the track and would get to the far side, each time, I would pass this extremely awkward couple that had draped themselves across lanes 7 and 8. They were in a rather intimate position there, so I tried not to look but pretended that the soccer field was so very interesting.

As I would pass, they would laugh. I didn't think much of it until #6 ran toward me on the track to hug me. As he did so, I said, "Are you coming to walk with me?" Within moments, as if there were a parrot behind me, a woman's voice (the one draped over lane 7) was mimicking me. Hmm....Interesting. I continued to walk. Whatev. Just strange. Haven't experienced anything like that since maybe....middle school?

• Cub Scout day camp rocked, but port-a-potties didn't. They were actually very nice port-a-potties, as those kinds of things go, but still....If I can avoid using the facilities in times like these, I will. Well, it couldn't be avoided all day long...unfortunately.

Goods

• I'm going to see if I can explain this as briefly as possible but still have it make sense. When things started out with our day camp registration, we had quite a few boys going. Because of this, four of our boys were going to be combined with another smaller den of boys--a group our boys didn't know. 

As of yesterday, boys were dropping out, so we ended up with only needing to have one group. But, because we were leaving this other group in the lurch as far as leaders were concerned, we promised them we'd provide an additional leader for them for today, as was originally promised, so that they could find an additional leader for each of the other days this week. Does that make sense?

Well, today, I was that leader for the other group. It was the SWEETEST group of boys. There were four of them. Because there were only four, there were open spots on the archery range, so we, the two adults, were invited to join in. I had never shot a bow and arrow before. It was SO fun! I actually got two bull's eyes. Yeehaw!

It was fun to go to day camp and get to be one of the guys. Our last station was the bottle rockets. Thought I'd share just what the bottle rocket station entailed with a short video of #5 (Thanks, Jon!):

Our little group followed my own ward's group (with #5 in it) all day. I met up with them just as they were moving on to the next station.

As I said before, water rockets was our last station before going home. We got in there and started filling the bottles halfway, putting them on, and pumping the air into the bottles. The rockets would fly into the sky and droplets of water would fall on you.

Well, I was hot. I was tired. And those little droplets of water just weren't cutting it, so I turned to the boys and said, "I want to get wet." Well, that was all the invitation those boys needed. We spent the next 20 or 30 minutes dousing each other with water. We were running and laughing and having a BLAST! Just when I thought it was over and I'd start to dry, another boy would come along surreptitiously and pour water on me.

Seriously, I've volunteered at day camp for at least a day almost every year since #2 went (he's now 17), and this was by far my favorite memory. We even ambushed one of the staffers that just kept hanging out in the area.

When all was said and done, I stood there and the boys gathered 'round, big, huge smiles on their faces, water dripping from everything--hair, eyelashes, earlobes, and they asked, "Are you coming tomorrow?"

That made me so happy. I felt so loved and wanted.

Seriously, what a great day! I LOVED being one of the guys.

• We went to dinner as a family. I found a gift certificate for $15 for a local restaurant on restaurant.com and paid $2.40 for it. Our good friends walked in as we were eating and were seated in the table right behind us. FUN! Love you, Megan!
• Went to pick #2 and #3 up from EFY. I LOVE this experience! These kids are so enthusiastic and happy when they come home. It's fabulous. They told us about all the new friends they made and how they went about doing it. I budget money specifically for this experience for my kids all year long so that they can go and participate. Every year, I decide that it was definitely worth it and the following summer will include the same activity.

Okay, so in other news, #4 took off for scout camp at 5:15 this morning. From what I understand, he signed up for a basketry class and a horseback riding class. He is also going to have a survival experience one night (at least, I think it was only going to be for one night).

He woke me at 4am so that we could run and get him some last minute snacks to have for today. I jumped out of bed, and we hit the road. Should be a fun week for him.

Since he's gone, and I'm missing him tonight, I have to share one thing that #4 does that makes me giggle inside (Sorry, this was the only clip I could find that had the part I wanted. It doesn't even happen until 2:36 into the video--the very tail end. If you want to skip ahead, please do, but this scene is all so classic, so you may not want to. The winking part? AWESOME!)....

Whenever one of us says "I love you" to the other, we always follow it up with that last little thing Ferris does, the "I love you too. Mi mi mi mi" thing. Today, one of the kids said "I love you" to me. Of course, I said, "I love you too." But, "Mi mi mi mi," popped right into my head, and I instantly missed #4.

Tomorrow will be a day spent at home getting a package ready to send off to #1--getting a blanket and cookies made. I have some work to do and an interesting post to write for the Oregon Association of American Mothers, Inc. I'm looking forward to spending time with #s 6 and 7--just the three of us. I promised them chocolate peanut butter milkshakes at some point during the day.

Yep. Today was a good day. If I could spend everyday being a kid, man, I'd do it in a heartbeat, so glad I have the kids so I have the excuse. I just need to let my hair down more often. Who knows, maybe there'll be a water fight here tomorrow. I don't think I quite got my fill. Except, next time, I won't be wearing jeans and Converse.

Ugh! There's Proof

Many times I've told people that #7's just like I was as a child. I honestly don't think people have believed me. Well, this morning, I went to Facebook. A friend from Japan had "liked" a few of my photos during the night.....

There you have it....Proof.

Yup. There's one in every crowd. I just happened to provide it for my crowd. She provides it for ours.

I'd now like to apologize to my mother....

So Much for 15 Minutes

I started studying something new this morning. I was really only going to spend 15 minutes on it, but the first question was this:

image: lds.org

"How did Joseph Smith’s reading and pondering of James 1:5 lead him to receive revelation?"

Well, I decided to write my answer down. As I did so, I decided that I want my children to know my feelings on this....

When we ponder, we open our minds further to additional information heaven has for us. When we hurry on, we lose the opportunities to learn more. 

image: Etsy.com

For me, there are tuggings that I feel. I can’t explain it, but there are times when I read or hear or see something and there is a brief moment of there-is-something-more-to-this-than-what-you’re-currently-seeing, and I know that I need to take a few moments to really think on it or study about it.

Once, a woman, who had just received and ignored a "tugging" experience and had some disastrous results, asked me if there were times when I ignored the Spirit’s promptings. I had to honestly answer, “Often.” She was surprised by this. 

image: arealchange.com

I realized that the Spirit whispers to me often, and there are many times when I don’t follow it. These times of tugging are some of those times. They come on often. They are invitations to slow down and become more aware--to receive answers, but I often find myself in too much of a hurry, and I think, "Oh, I'll do that later." Sadly, as you can guess, though, "later" never comes. I guess, in a way, I often allow myself, like a bull, to be pulled by the ring in my nose--no, don't worry, I don't really have one of those. The opportunities pass, and I have, yet again, missed out on what the Lord had to offer me. **sigh** Thankfully, though, there are many times when I do slow down and take the time to be taught from on high. Those are times I treasure. From those experiences, I have greater confidence that what I'm doing is the right thing for me or that what I'm learning is preparing me for the next step.

Right now, our family is working on reading the Book of Mormon completely before the end of the summer. To be honest, though a worthy goal for my kids, it’s making me crazy! 

One thing I love about the Book of Mormon is that I often feel tuggings as I read. Actually, now that I think about it, when I read it in the way that it was meant to be read—slowly, deliberately, and with a lot of thought in an attempt to understand how it applies to my life—I might even venture to say those tuggings are daily. It may even be that reading the Book of Mormon is what first made me understand that those tuggings exist.

image: dimensionsinfo.com

With this barreling through the Book of Mormon process that we have going on here right now, I feel like I’m missing so much. I feel like my eyes are skimming across the top of the Grand Canyon, and I’m missing what lies deeper. I’m missing the grandeur of this great book.

The promise at the beginning says, “A man [will] get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts.” Maybe this little exercise this summer is teaching me this by contrast. As I skim, I feel farther removed. I feel like I'm missing the whole point. I definitely miss my verse or two a day experiences. I miss those tuggings.

In that same introductory page, this promise is given:

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)"

And so I wonder, those who say we are brainwashed, could it just be that there is a power from heaven that the average John Doe on the street hasn't experienced, and therefore, doesn't understand? Could it be that those tuggings await us all? Could it be that all it takes to get them is an awareness that they exist and an attempt to receive them?

As I implied earlier, those tuggings aren't just reserved for when I read scripture. They come on often. I just believe that the exercise of reading has opened a whole new aspect of life--the ability to recognize tuggings.

image: musiccourtblog.com

I don't believe that heaven is that far away. I do believe that doors are open to us to get us back there and there are things here to help us have a successful life. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be LDS to read the Book of Mormon. It may lead you there eventually, but anyone can read it. I also need to assert that these same feelings can be found by reading any of God's words.

When I was a youth, my passion was for the Bible, particularly for the New Testament. I would stay up late at night reading and pondering. Nightly, my dad would knock on my bedroom door and tell me to "Go to sleep." It's not that I didn't feel those feelings back in those days; actually, maybe it's those very feelings that kept me reading each night. It's just that the feelings were stronger once I delved into the Book of Mormon.

image: mormon.org

I guess if I were searching for guidance, if I wanted to understand God and have His guidance in my life, the Book of Mormon's the first place I would look. Not necessarily because of the words it contains (although, those are important too), but because of the feelings I get when I study it. Joseph Smith received revelation because he took the time to ponder. I'm glad to know that I can too. It's just amazing to me that his ponderings and subsequent revelation have led to my ability to have the same.

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