Priorities

Have you ever had a day where everything you read is meant for you? The subtle, yet screaming, way of that still small voice. Today that happened to me. In one book I read a quote by Joseph B. Wirthlin:

"Sometimes we feel that the busier we are, the more important we are-as though our busyness defines our worth...We can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don't matter. That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance-that is essential."

Within 30 minutes of reading this quote I also read something in one of Sheri Dew's books about making life harder than it needs to be. She said that the company she works for did a survey and the most common response from more than 200 women was this: They cared greatly about feeling close to the Lord and increasing their spirituality, but didn't feel they were making much progress in that regard. And in a subsequent question asked the women to explain why they felt they weren't doing well. The answers read generally like this: "I know I should read the scriptures, but I get caught up in everyday life and don't do it. I know those things would make a difference."

I read one other thing about a lady who never found time to go to the temple...her schedule was just too busy. She finally came to the realization that she had to schedule temple attendance first and then pencil the rest of her schedule in. This actually worked.

Anyways...what a lesson this was for me (or a reminder)...that I need to get my priorities straight. Even if it means reading the scriptures for 30 minutes while my dirty dishes sit in the sink or a mindless television program gets watched just because the TV is turned on. And two times this past year I've heard conference talks on not putting your children in so many activities because it takes away from family time. And have you noticed that the church has cut back to allow more family time also...Primary activities have been cut down from 4 to 2. Enrichment night has been cut down to quarterly. Priorities, Priorities, Priorities.

Ready, Set, Go.....

Today Jordan participated in his very first Pinewood Derby. All 4 wards here in Pahrump joined together in this exciting event. They had each group race each other (Webelos, Bears, and then Wolf's). Jordan is a Wolf and his car came in 1st place. He was so excited. I dare say that he pretty much screamed like a girl. He received a 1st place ribbon and his Cubscout master is delivering a trophy to him next week (They're on back order). They had one final competition between the 3 first place winners and Jordan came in 2nd place. Way to go Jordan (or should I say way to go Doug since he is the one who put most of the work into it).

P.S. His car was blue with Guitar Hero stickers all over it. He had an evil looking bunny sticker as the driver which he refers to as "Dark Bunny". Definitely not the most attractive car racing...but the fastest.

Can you say "EMBARRASSING"?

Today while I was in the check-out line at Wal-Mart I received a phone call on my cell phone. My cell phone doubles as my business line/personal line. I hesitated answering it wondering if I should take the call because it was a little noisy and not the best place to answer a business call. Then I thought, "What if it is the elementary school? I better answer it." It turned out to be a business call. Luckily the line was long and I could concentrate on getting information for a cleaning. When I was done with my phone call I turned and looked at Mason who was sitting in the cart. He, apparently, got into my purse and found a tampon. He was happily chewing on the tampon while waiting in line. Can you say "EMBARRASSING"? I quickly put it away and looked around to see if anyone was watching. I don't know if anyone saw or not, but I am choosing to believe that nobody saw this little act. I know that this will not be the only time I will be embarrassed by my children. The reassuring thing is that they will also, at one time or another, be embarrassed by me too.

Another interesting tidbit. When I walked out of Wal-Mart there was the local News Station interviewing people. The issue? Rosanne apparently said that everyone who lives in Pahrump is a hooker. I declined to comment on grounds that I might say something even worse than there being hookers here in Pahrump (Not that I have ever seen one). I told Doug about this when I got home and he summed it up nicely by saying something like "the hookers are probably the high end citizens here in Pahrump". I'm not saying that there aren't a few normal people in Pahrump, but out of the 45,000 people or so that live here there are just too many people living in trailers wearing wife beater tank tops and missing most of their teeth.

So, how was your day?

What punctuation are you?

Hi. I got this from Darren & Crystal's site. I immediately took the test of course. What punctuation are you?

Click here http://www.blogthings.com/whatpunctuationmarkareyouquiz/ to find out.

I turned out to be the same as Crystal...a colon. I get along best with the semi-colon. Doug is a comma and gets along best with the question mark.

What are you?

Happy Birthday Doug!

Doug turned 36 on Tuesday. Cake, Ice Cream, and Presents! Happy Birthday Doug. We love you!

Green Thumb

Several of the flowers on the cacti and other plants are blooming right now. We took a few snapshots. Take a look.



Both Doug and I love working in the yard. We are looking forward to the summer so we have more time to swim and play.

Tassel worth the hassle?

On Thursday, Lexi graduated from "Smarty Pants Preschool". For the past two years she attended preschool two days a week. A group of mothers and I took turns teaching a small group (6 the first year, 8 the second) of preschoolers. It was extremely structured with several subjects for the children to learn. The kids loved it and it was fun to watch them learn and grow. Lexi is definitely ready for Kindergarten. For her graduation she put on a cute program and we watched a DVD that was put together of pictures throughout the year. SO CUTE! Was the tassel worth the hassle? Definitely!

Mr. Sandman

This year each child was allowed to choose one activity to be involved in. Jordan was in Cub Scouts, Kaylee was in Girl Scouts, and Lexi took a Pre Ballet class. This last weekend Lexi had her Ballet recital. She danced to the music "Mr. Sandman". Her class consisted of girls ages 3-5. Lexi just turned 5 so she was one of the older ones. I wanted to attach the video of her dancing, but any video clips I try to attach come back with an error. So until I get it figured out, here are some pictures of her.

Bubbles

Normally Jordan takes a shower, but today he decided to take a bath. On his own free will, he decided he would put some bubbles in his bath (I just bought a new bottle yesterday). He had fun with the bubbles...especially since he put in about 1 1/2 cups of solution.

Terrible 12-month old?

Everybody knows about the terrible 2's. Well, Mason decided to start a little early. Although he just barely turned 12 months old in April, he is well on his way to destruction. A few examples? His most favorite thing to do is to throw things into the toilet. Of course, the rule is to shut the toilet seat as well as shut the bathroom door, but with a house full of people this doesn't always happen. Yesterday he threw my hair straightener into the toilet. It's completely fried. Not to mention disgusting. (Doug is at Wal-mart buying me a new one as we speak). He also tried to throw Doug's cell phone in the toilet. Luckily it was being charged and it was connected to the wall. He got half way to the toilet before he sprung back in surprise. Of course, these things happen right before my eyes, but he is so quick. I feel like I'm in slow motion....saying "Noooooooooooo" as I'm running towards him. He KNOWS he is doing something bad. He always looks at me and gives me this look. He's thinking, "Look at me mom, I'm gonna do something bad. Are you gonna stop me?"

Today the kids had a primary activity at the church and we had some leftover chocolate treasures. The kids brought the bag in and left it on the floor (this, unfortunately, is their usual behavior). Mason found it and started eating one with the wrapper on and all. He walked into the bedroom where I was and when he saw me he turned and started running from me as fast as he could because he knew I was going to take it right out of his mouth. What a fun chocolaty mess.

After the 4th child it's just easier to laugh and hope to make it until bedtime. :)