Enjoy Your Mother's Day!

I love the spirit of you...

the grace with which

you welcome each challenge,

the childlike wonder

that still colors

your days.

I love the originality of you...

your willingness

to stand out from the crowd...

your unique perspective on what's happening in the world

and in your life.

I love the wisdom of you...

the way you trust your intuition...

your unfailing commitment

to doing the right thing.

And most of all,

I love the heart of you...

the genuine compassion, empathy,

and friendship

you offer to everyone you know.

I guess it's pretty clear...

I love everything about you.

-Hallmark expressions

NTS: Do Not Read Ingredients on Unknown Meat

Especially just before cooking.

Especially on foreign meat products.

Especially if said meat product comes in a "casing".

It could ruin your whole breakfast.

Ah, Sweet Non-Driving Bliss

I can tell I will sleep better tonight, even though I really won't need to. Tomorrow I do not have to drive to school at all. Not once. AND, the girls will be going to school. Sweet bliss. I think I will stay in my PJ's all day. Maybe I'll pop some popcorn and watch a morning movie. Oh, the possibilities!!!

Not once. Did I mention that? Not once will I have to enter my vehicle with any children in it. I'm sure I won't need to go to the store or do any other normal mundane tasks that involve driving. Ahhh. This is as close to a day off as I'll get, I believe. I think I deserve it though, I've driven to school 6 times in the past 2 days. Heck, my car deserves the day off.

Ahhh, the sweet, non-driving possibilities are endless.

(Oh, and April, I took a shower this evening to combat the "my hair is too greasy to skip a shower Friday morning" problem. I'm so smart! PJ day, here I come!)

WW: (oops, spoke too soon- felt the tooth this morning!)

WW: Round 4 of "Teething" is Over...Still.No.Teeth.

Really? Do I Look That Dumb?

I was standing around waiting for Tasha one day holding Payton on my hip facing out. I was chatting with a friend and swaying back and forth to keep the little man happy. Tasha ran up, said hi, then oogled over her baby brother. And by oogle I mean she said, "hi buddy" and pulled on his legs and hugged him and practically pulled me over in the process. Then, she notices his boogies and proceeds to pick them out of his nose for him. He fuses, a little, but nothing like he does when I try to do it. She has little fingers.

I chuckle and explain to this mother how Payton puts up with the boogie picking better for Tasha than he does me. I cracks me up that she does this and it's a great help for me. Then my friend says, "You should try putting him in the shower. The steam from the hot water really loosens that up and the water washes it away." She said it in that really sweet, supportive type of way, that is meant to enlighten and help me in my quest to be a super mom.

Really? Do I look stupid, to you? I'm 37 years old, mother of my third child, and you don't think I know about the shower trick? You don't think I've used the shower trick? Seriously? Do I look THAT dumb?

I just love it when people impart their wisdom on me. It makes me chuckle.

"I know who I am...I am a nobody."

These are not my words, they are a quote of a quote of a quote. What? In stake conference today, President Clegg said them referencing a conference talk by Elder Andersen in which he quoted Boyd K. Packer. I'm not sure that makes much more sense. Anyway, you can read his conference talk here:

"Come unto Him." by Elder Neil L. Andersen, but here's the exact quote:

As (President Packer) addressed the congregation, he said, “I know who I am.” Then after a pause, he added, “I am a nobody.” He then turned to me, sitting on the stand behind him, and said, “And, Brother Andersen, you are a nobody too.” Then he added these words: “If you ever forget it, the Lord will remind you of it instantly, and it won’t be pleasant.”

I think I am understanding what this quote is supposed to be suggesting, but it seems contradictory to everything I've ever been taught and tried to teach. It's talking about humility. He's trying to instill in us that we are not the great ones, the Lord is. He's trying to teach us that if we are prideful we will be struck down. I guess I just don't like the wording because some people will only hear, "I am a nobody" and that is what will stick with them. This wouldn't be the first time I've had an issue with the way that President Packer has said something. Maybe that's what keeps me humble. Maybe that's what makes me a nobody. (See, it doesn't sound good, does it?)

Elder Andersen talks about how we share a faith in Christ with many people in our communities and around the world and that we shouldn't minimize other people's faith just because they do not share our exact same beliefs. People all around us believe that family is important, they continually do good, they make sacrifices, they are unselfish, and they prayer to the same Heavenly Father that we do. And, Heavenly Father loves them just as he loves us. And by "them" and "us", I mean you and I, people we know and people we don't, people all around.

But how is it that we can be beloved children of God, children of a divine birthright, and nobodies at the same time? I'm just trying to figure out how to teach this to my children and the young women while at the same time convincing them of their individual worth. I worry about the wording because it can be misunderstood. Many people walk around their whole lives thinking that they are nobodies. They think they don't matter, don't make a difference, and don't have a say in what happens to them. That is the complete opposite of what we know to be true in the eyes of God. Every spirit matters to Him.

Any ideas on how to teach both concepts? Do you teach one before the other? Is the lesson on humility only important to those that become prideful? HELP!