Superpaige's Pad

The Trials of a Busy Mom

Category: blessings (Page 13 of 14)

Books!

June 4, 2008 / / 4 Comments

We’ve chosen winners, and they are Kathleen Marie for Kite Runner, and Cynthia for 8 minutes iin the morning!

I’ve got a couple of books to give away this month. Because I’ve got SO many books to read, and I’ve just got to pass a few of them on. The idea is that you, in turn, will then pass this book (or another one) along after you finish reading it. A perpetual stream of book giving, that’s what it is!

So, first is the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Although I thought this was an excellent book, I found it very disturbing. But I guess that’s the point. It’s supposed to upset us. You can read about it here.

The next book is 8 minutes in the morning

Yes, it’s a fitness book. I think this has some good ideas. And hey, 8 minutes? Really? If that’s all it took I think we’d all be thin by now, but maybe it’ll work for you.

So, if you would like to enter to win either of these books, just leave a comment about which book, and I’ll do a drawing on the 13th of June. Thanks for playing along!

thank you, knees, for being there for me

June 4, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday I went to yoga. I have known this yoga teacher for about five years, as I’ve gone to yoga off and on for about that long. I haven’t been able to go during the school year because it’s been at 8 am, but now that it’s summer, that’s how I plan to spend many a Tuesday and Thursday morning.

One of the things I love about yoga with this teacher is that it’s not just a work out. This teacher also gives us little bits of widsom as we’re challenging our minds and bodies. At the end, we were sitting cross-legged, and she said, “Now lean down and give your left leg a hug. Think of how thankful you are for your left knee. We do some pretty mean things to our knees during the day, and let’s just have a moment to be thankful.” Then we did the same for the right knee. And, really, I do appreciate my knees.

Last night at play rehearsal, I was really mindful of those knees. We spent three hours learning blocking and dances. Ugh. At one point in the dance, we’ve got three lines of people. The first line is little kids, who all do a backward sommersault (I’m glad I’m not in that group!), the seond and third lines get up off the floor (yes, we were down on the floor), and the second row (still kids, mind you) grabs hands to make “windows” for the back row (which is all grown ups and tall people) to go under. You know, “go in and out the windows”? But these are little kids, so we are really crouching down to go under their arms. Then we grab hands and go backwards and the little kids go under our “windows”. And then we do it again. And repeat. Until we get it right.

Oh, yeah, I’m feeling those knees.

How was your Mother’s Day?

May 13, 2008 / / 3 Comments

Mother’s day was very nice. The kids helped clean the house on Saturday, and actually kept it clean even while babysitting. Ryan and I went out to a movie “Made of Honor”. It really was the only thing we could almost agree on. Although I’m a Patrick Dempsey fan, this wasn’t his best movie. I’d rather watch Enchanted again. So, if you were thinking of going to see it, wait until it’s out on video.

Sunday the kids actually didn’t fight (which was what I asked them for), and gave me some cute cards and homemade presents. I bought– a back-up present in case they didn’t do anything, but Ryan actually told me that “for mother’s day” he had bought a new hard drive and was trying to make an old laptop work–for me. Cool! I had mentioned to him that I would love to be able to blog in bed–wouldn’t that be great?

For our ward’s Mother’s day gift, they gave out fudge! Awesome. And I didn’t share it, either. Well, I gave Ryan a spoonfull, but he said the raw walnuts were irritating his mouth, so he didn’t want any more. I’d much rather have fudge than a flower, wouldn’t you? And the lessons on Sunday were all very good, and not “mother guilt” inducing.

Later we went to my parent’s house for a cook-out. The food was good, the company was fun, and we all had a good time. It was a very nice day.

The nicest thing, though, was that John wore big boy underpants the WHOLE day and stayed dry all day and even pooped in the potty! Amazing!

But Monday morning dawned, and it was obvious that the magic of Mother’s day was gone, when John came in wearing only a shirt, and said he took his underpants off because they were itchy. “Did you wet in your bed?” I asked him. “Ummmm,” he said. I knew that was a yes, so I stripped his bed and started some laundry. The rest of the day didn’t go much better. He peed in his pants two more times until I finally put a pull-up back on him. And I did multiple loads of laundry all day (because I had been shirking in my laundry duties. Honestly, you should have seen how high the pile was!). Sadly, it’s obvious that Mother’s day is only one day, and then we all go back to normal again. But I hope all of you moms out there had a wonderful day, and I want to let my Mom know how much I love her!

I get by with a little help from my friends

April 10, 2008 / / 5 Comments

A friend called me today in a panic and asked, “Are you going anywhere in the next hour?” She sounded a little panicked, and I was able to tell her that, no, I didn’t have anywhere pressing to go in the next hour. She was really embarrassed, but explained how she had lost her keys and was supposed to be at the school right now, and…
“Do you need a car?” I asked her.
“Do you mind?” she asked.
“Go ahead,” I told her. Lending her my car would be no problem, really. She sounded relieved and said she’d be right over. When I looked at the state of my kitchen, I thought, ‘I should really clean up a bit–she’s coming right over!’ and started to clean off the breakfast mess from my counter, but then I thought, ‘she’s the one who can’t find her keys, do you think she’s going to judge you because you haven’t cleaned your kitchen yet?’ Good point.

A minute later, she called back. Keys found. Relief. But I would have loaned her my car, and I really would have been happy to do it. Because she’s my friend and she would do the same thing for me anytime, I’m sure.

When you think about it, doesn’t doing something nice for someone else make you happy? It could be a little thing, like holding open the door for someone who has their arms full, or a big thing like donating a kidney (OK, I admit, I’ve never actually donated a kidney, so that’s probably a little bit extreme, but you know what I mean), but hearing someone say “Thank you”, and then saying “You’re welcome” really is a joy. You’re Welcome. It literally means You Are Welcome. You are welcome to share what I have, and I welcome you. What a beautiful phrase. I think we should all use it more often.

I feel fine. I think I’ll go for a walk. I feel happy!

March 6, 2008 / / 2 Comments

First of all, thank you to all of you who gave advice on our teenager’s school issues. I really appreciate it.

This morning, we have had a few issues with my other son, who is four. He came into our room at his usual 7:00, and was complaining that his side hurt. I helped him into bed with me, and asked him where it hurt. His left side. He was breathing heavily, and kind of writhing around. I asked him if he had hurt it or bonked it or fallen down or anything. No. I asked Ryan (who was home with the kids last night) if he remembered if John had hurt himself. No. I’m trying to figure out if his stomach feels yucky, or if it’s just his side, but I’m not getting too much information from him. He keeps saying “it’s the twist”, and I wonder if perhaps he could have a sore muscle.

I got up to use the bathroom, and asked him if he wanted to go down for breakfast. “No,” he said softly. This is when I knew that something was WRONG. This is my kid who wants breakfast immediately, and sometimes eats two or three breakfasts in a morning. I took him down stairs, and offered him the nectar of the Gods… a Capri Sun. He refused, saying he wasn’t thirsty. I was starting to panic, now, because something must be terribly wrong. We called our neighbor, who is a doctor, but he had already left for work. I called our pediatrician, but they didn’t have anyone in the office yet. I did a quick google search for “pain left side” and got this here helpful chart which lists a bunch of possible reasons for pain on the left side–all of them requiring you to call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately. That was not comforting at all.

I decided I’d better quickly get dressed, so I could whisk him off to the doctor’s office as soon as they opened. So I threw some clothes on and made myself 1/2 way presentable and came back downstairs to check on him. “How are you feeling, bud?” I asked nervously, “do you want some breakfast?”
“I feel ok,” he said, ” can I have a yogurt after this show?”
What? You feel fine? He was sitting up, and after the show he got up and asked for his juice box and yogurt. So, I fed him his breakfast, and then he was running around like a normal kid.
“Does your side not hurt anymore?” I asked.
“No, it’s gone,” he said.
How is this possible? He’s excited about going to his sports class and is happily watching tv right now.

I’m very relived that he’s feeling better, but I am just wondering what in the world was causing the pain, and is it going to come back? I think it was all part of a well calculated plan to keep me from going to yoga today.

Compassion

February 16, 2008 / / 2 Comments

This week I’ve been following the stories of some of my favorite bloggers who have gone to Uganda with a group of Christian bloggers sponsored by Compassion.

“For the first time, Compassion is bringing 15 Christian bloggers to see the ministry’s work firsthand. The bloggers depart for Uganda on Feb. 10 and arrive back in the United States on Feb. 18. Read their blogs and get an insider’s view of Compassion as the bloggers send live updates.”

As I’ve read their accounts of seeing these children and the conditions they live in, it’s tugged at my heart. It’s amazing that these kids have so little, but can still be happy. I was especially touched by Shannon’s account of when she met the child that she has been sponsoring. Or this story of how a stuffed panda made a woman break down and cry–even before she met the child she was sponsoring.

And when I contrast the stories of these kids–that have literally nothing–with my kids who have everything, I feel guilty. Guilty that we have so much. I’ve spent most of the day and part of yesterday cleaning out my son’s closet. I’ve taken 5 full garbage bags to the trash. Bags of broken pencils, crumpled papers, lego pieces, toys that don’t get played with, socks with holes in them, candy wrappers (some with candy still in them) and so much “stuff” I can’t recall what it even was. I’ve organized his clothes and his books and his games and tried hard to not just throw everything away, but to keep the things that I think will be important to him. And I’ve filled a box with clothes that are too small, including a pair of shoes that I think he wore twice, before they got lost in the mess that was his closet. I’ll donate those and hope that someone else’s boy gets some good use out of them.

Do I give my kids too much “stuff”? Yes, I’m afraid I do. Do I have too much “stuff” myself? Yes, I really do. Maybe what we need in our family is to sponsor a child. Maybe that would help us give more of ourselves and think less of ourselves. And maybe you’ll consider it, too.

Share the love

February 14, 2008 / / 3 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day, Y’all! It was a crazy night around here, with road closures and white outs all over the place. Luckily my rehearsal in SLC was canceled, and we were able to hide out inside and stay warm. I did worry about Ryan getting home, and again, wished that he had a phone. He called me from a gas station in Lehi to say that he had made it that far, and would take the back roads home. It took him two hours to make the 20 minute commute. But he made it home, thankfully. My friend Lisa had a worse time of it. I talked to her around 9:30, and she was inching towards the point of the mountain on the freeway.

But since it Valentine’s Day, I found a bunch of fun quotes about LOVE. I hope you enjoy them. I want to let my sweetie, Ryan, know how much I love him, and I love my kids. We’ll have our fun celebration at dinner, and you can see what you bought me for Valentine’s day, Ryan. So, enjoy the day, enjoy the class parties, enjoy the snow (ha!) and know that you are loved!

“Sometimes love is stronger than a man’s convictions.” – Isaac Bashevis Singer

“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Maybe love is like luck. You have to go all the way to find it.” – Robert Mitchum

“Love stretches your heart and makes you big inside.” – Margaret Walker

“Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“Where love is, no room is too small.” – Talmud

“Loves makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” – Zora Neale Hurston

“Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” – Mark Twain

“Love is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day.” – Nicholas Sparks

“To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.” – Karen Sunde

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.” – Peter Ustinov

“Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever.” – unknown

“Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” – Erich Fromm

“Love doesn’t make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Elizabeth Browning

“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you’re getting this down.”
– Woody Allen,

Gonna soak up the sun!

February 8, 2008 / / 1 Comment

I feel like I’ve been in a depressed fog for weeks, and I’ve been afraid that this was turning into an “I hate winter” blog. The endless snow and cloudy days have been getting me down.

But today there is sun. Hallelujah and Amen!

The sun is shining and it’s brilliantly white outside with the sun reflecting off the snow. It’s a double sunglass day, that’s for sure. Maybe some of the snow will melt from off of my sidewalk and driveway if we’re really lucky. Wishful thinking, I know.

To celebrate the return of the sunshine, I went and got my van washed. Me and all of the other people driving cars in our town. Oh, it wasn’t that bad, really. I only waited about 20 minutes, and I was happy to wait. I also vacuumed it to within an inch of it’s life, got all the crap out of it, and it feels like a vehicle again, instead of a trash can on wheels. Once my car was clean, I drove very carefully trying to avoid all puddles and slush piles, but it still got a little dirty. Oh well, I can handle it. It’s sunny!

The prayers of a child

January 7, 2008 / / 3 Comments

John was saying his prayers last night, and it went something like this:

HeavenFather (Yes, it’s all one word)
Thank you for this day.
Bless us to be nice.
And not fight.
Bwess me to feel better, bwess Cole to feel better. ( I don’t know how long it’s been since either of them have been sick, but once he starts to bless people, he just keeps them in his prayers for a long time.)
Bwess Parker to feel better.
Bwess the minors.
Bwess Joseph–
(then he stops, and says, “Mom, Joseph–not our cousin Joseph but the other Joseph Smith–is dead.” “Yes, he is,” I told him. “But can we still pray for him?” he asked. “Yes, we can,” I said.)
Bwess Joseph Smith.
NameoJesusChristamen.

Is it pretentious to plan your own birthday party?

December 30, 2007 / / 9 Comments

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! birthday
Happy Birthday to me-eeee,
Happy Birthday to me.

Is it a bad thing to plan your own birthday party? I’ve had several people question why I’m planning my own birthday party, and really the reason is… because I want it to get done, and I can’t really just ask someone to plan it for me, now can I? My husband is a dear soul, and I love him very much, but when it comes to birthdays (mine, in particular), he’s hit and miss. Some years he really surprises me (like a couple of years ago when he got me a new fridge), but some years he completely drops the ball. Yes, I realize it’s hard to remember to buy a birthday present AND a Christmas present, and I do understand that having a birthday just four days after Christmas is quite inconvenient, so that’s why I didn’t want to burden him (or anyone else) and ask them to plan my party. And really, there wasn’t all that much planning involved. Since the nice couple in our neighborhood who has a wonderful cabin agreed to let me have my party there (provided there were no kids), I didn’t even have to clean my house! I just made up some invitations, sent them out with the Christmas cards and gifts, ordered some balloons and way too much food, and that was about it.

And it turned out wonderfully! It was the most perfect birthday I remember in quite some time. party
In the morning, John came into our room like he usually does. He even told me happy birthday, with a little coaching from Dad. “Where are the presents?” John asked. I told him there were probably some presents down under the tree, and if he wanted to, he could go and get them. “No,” he said, “I want to give you a present from me!” I told him to talk to Dad about that, since I didn’t buy myself my own presents this year. Dad didn’t have any for him, and he was disappointed. Since I had recently stopped by the clearance sale at Bath and Body Works, I told him to pick any item out of the bag on the floor, and he could wrap it up for a present to mommy. He picked something, and was happy to wrap it up. Someone must have helped with with the wrapping, because it wasn’t bad!

balloonsFriends call on your birthday! I got phone calls, emails, and cards from friends! It was so much fun! We then had a family Christmas party with Ryan’s family. Robin and family came, too, and we had a fun time, although we ate way too much food. Cinnamon rolls the size of my face, people. And I ate the whole thing. Crazy.

After that party, Robin took the kids sledding again! Bless you, my friend! They had such a fun time sledding, and I didn’t have to go out in the cold and take them (I’m such a whimp, I know!). While they were gone, I got things ready, cooked up some meatballs, wrapped a few presents for door prizes, and got changed and made up. Since it was my party, I had to at least looked like I tried, right?

At about 6:00 we started to take things over to the cabin. Of course we forgot some things, but Ryan and Robin got those while I set things up for the party. It’s a beautiful place, with lots of room for guests to eat and mingle. But while I was setting things up, I got a phone call from a distressed child, telling me that her bird was acting sick, and she didn’t know what to do. I told her to hold the poor little parakeet and just pet it and comfort it and that was about all she could do. I got another call in a few more minutes asking if they could call Cole’s friend’s mom, who used to be a vet. Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to call her, but I didn’t know what she would be able to do. This sweet friend came over, put the bird under the heat lamp, even gave him a shot of something (but she admits that she thinks he might have been dead by the time she gave him the shot), but he didn’t pull through. Another death of a pet, and mom and dad weren’t even there to comfort them. Kind of a sad thing to happen on a birthday, don’t you think?

But we had a party to attend to, so attend we did. It was a wonderful time with friends and family! I had people sign my little birthday book, and they also entered their names for the door prizes when they came in. I had friends from high school, friends from college, friends from my old ward in Lehi, even my old boss from when I worked at BYU stopped by. My parents and my sister came, along with a few aunts and uncles. Ryan’s parents and sisters came, and it was really so much fun! Some people brought food, some brought gifts, my good friend Melinda even gave me a beautiful plant! It was such a wonderful birthday! It’s worth it to turn 40 if you can have so much fun doing it!

Like I said before, there was way too much food. My friend Serena brought a huge Costco cake, and we barely even cut into it! I had to bring it all home. The kids happily ate some cake today, but it will take a while before that cake is gone. And crackers, and cheese ball, and meatballs, and mozzerella sticks, and…. let’s just say no one was very hungry for more sweet food, after the Christmas holiday. But even with NO Food, it would have been a fun party–for me, at least. I got to talk to friend after friend after friend. It was a lovely day, and I will not soon forget it. Well, who knows, I am 40 now, I may forget really soon, I guess. But when I do, I guess you can all just direct me bag to this blog post and I’ll be reminded of what a wonderful and fun birthday it really was.

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