General Conference is AWESOME!

I have had a few questions/comments about a post I put on FB and my response ended up being way too long to put there, so here it is.

Honestly, I was really unprepared for conference this year. A year or so ago I made a general conference board and my kids remembered and begged me to get it out. This is the one I copied then:

But another mom has changed it up a bit and you might like some of her stuff too (though to give credit where it's due ... and she does ... her original idea came from this first woman!)

We missed the first session due to a garage sale I was participating in, but I had good intentions for the rest of it. An hour before afternoon session started, I had sent Dave to the store for some treats and my kids were playing with friends. Their friends were talking about how they earned tickets for candy which my 8 year old thought was awesome. She immediately asked if we could do that too, but of course I didn't have any tickets. That's when I remembered this post:

I had seen about conference cash. Sure enough there was a printable! So I frantically printed and cut out the cash. During the first talk, I threw some price tags on the snacks (and dug around in my cupboards for a few more things) and it was fantastic!! Because the prices were high, the kids weren't gorging themselves on candy or anything and they loved the process of "spending" their money. If I'd been more prepared I may have had some inedibles too. But maybe not.

We implemented it like this: Everyone started with $1 and if they took notes (or for Queenie (age 5 1/2) if she just listened) they got $1 more after each talk. We paused it for a quick minute after each talk and asked comprehension questions before handing out the dollars. (Mainly we asked “What was the talk about?” and what stories they had heard. I think most of my 8 year old’s notes were those two items.) I had all of our snacks labeled with exorbitant prices (.50  for 1/4 c cheezits, .50 for a piece of gum, .25 for a starburst, .25 for 2 milk-duds, $2 for 2 scoops of ice cream plus .25 per topping, .25 for a lemon drop, etc.) and they could “shop” at certain times when it wasn’t too disruptive. They had to make sure they got the new speaker written down and figured out what they were speaking about before quietly going to the store. Our awesome cash register came in very handy for making change! (Can I just tell you for one minute how much I love this thing? We used it at the garage sale yesterday and people kept trying to buy it. Hands off my cash register, people!!!)

My older girls used parts of this packet which were in a binder. I especially loved page 13 for notes ... we printed several. Younger kids would like this packet better and that's the one my 5 year old had (my 8 year old had pieces of each. ... I customize like that.) Mancub is 2 1/2 and just had a couple of coloring pages, including this one which all my kids LOVED.

I found a cute cover to print out and they got to color that when they had time. I plan on using their notebooks/binders in follow-up lessons maybe during FHE. Each conference I just go through the binder and clear out the old stuff (unless it warrants keeping). My 5 yo didn't even use the note sheets from hers so they will be all ready to go next time! The cash is tucked in a plastic pen holder in one of the binders. The board, binders and cash are a little bit of work up front, but once they are made, you are all set with just a little prep each conference from here on out. The board will require a bit of updating as the auxiliaries change but it's not too hard to do as you listen to conference.

Whew! Was that detailed enough? Let me know if you have questions!! 

September 2013--a life-changing month

This is a post I've been wanting to write for awhile, but I have had three obstacles: the first is writer's block--I just can't seem to envision the words to capture our life in a nutshell this last 6 weeks. The second is time. Though I deeply desired to chronicle things, we've been on a fast track and getting off to do anything non-essential has been tricky. The last reason is hard to explain without the coming details, but my mind just isn't ticking along the way it should--I've been in a brain fog which makes writing anything of substance (or at least pleasing to me) difficult.

All that being said, this morning I've decided to forge ahead and getter done. I've decided that impaired quality is still better than missing the moment--and it's just about been missed. So here we go ...

Last month I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. 

On September 9th I had surgery to remove the left half of my thyroid. We had discovered a few months prior that there were some small nodules on it and after a failed biopsy and a consult with a surgeon, I had reluctantly decided that the only way to rule out cancer was to have it removed. I guess going in, I knew that cancer was a possibility ... but they gave my odds of having it at 10%. This surgery was more "just being thorough".

So when the call came on Monday morning (the 16th) and the doctor said the "C-word", I felt like a balloon that had just been popped. D was eating cereal with the kids in the kitchen and I rushed there. I stood next to him, my rock, mouthing "It's cancer" with a look of disbelief on my face, all the while being reassured on the phone by my doctor. I eventually hung up and let him hold me while I cried.

Throughout the day we learned more about the kind of cancer I had and had a chance to examine the pathology report. Everything held good news. Papillary thyroid carcinoma is a slow-growing cancer and very curable; my nodules were very small (1.2 and 3.7 mm); the margins were good; there was a benign lymph node present ... all of these things were comforting in the wake of a frightening diagnosis. My biggest fear at this point was the second surgery I expected. I still had the other half of my thyroid, after all.

As it turned out, the surgeon thought a good option would be to leave it in and watch it, but in spite of my dread of a second surgery so close to the first, I was uncomfortable with that option and asked to go ahead and take it out. We scheduled the surgery for that Friday (the 20th) and my sweet mother got a plane ticket to come to my rescue. She flew in the day before the surgery and stayed for 10 days, helping me recover. And pack.

Because on top of all of this, we had sold our house and were closing on October 1st. Thankfully, we had been working hard and had finished much of the packing and even had moved a lot to storage. But as anyone who has moved knows, there is ALWAYS more to do.

Here I am on the other end, though. The second surgery also showed cancer, a 7 mm nodule. Again, we had good margins, and a benign lymph node. All cancer is out and I don't need radiation therapy! (best news this week) I'm working on getting my medication leveled (which explains my foggy brain and tiredness). We moved as planned, and the four kids, Dave and I, and the bulk of our furniture are now squeezing around one another in a 1300 sq ft house, waiting for the home we are building to be finished.

Life is good. I am grateful. 

Honestly, from the very day I got the diagnosis and began to learn about what the adventure ahead of me would entail, I have been full of gratitude . . . gratitude for the feelings I followed that led to the diagnosis; gratitude for the thorough PA who diagnosed it; gratitude that we caught it so early and that it is 100% curable; gratitude that I don't have to have the radiation therapy; gratitude for the prayers of my vast support network; gratitude for a gifted surgeon who talked me into the surgery in the first place; gratitude for the gentle love from my husband who is always calm in the midst of my storms; and gratitude for my faith in a loving Heavenly Father which lets me know that nothing in this life has to be faced alone or on my own strength.

I have a lovely scar across the base of my neck and I hope that when I look at it every day in the mirror, I can remember to have a heart full of gratitude for life, for trials, and for the people we get to share our days with.

Coasting downhill ... can we put on the brakes?!

Seven glorious, school-less summer weeks are past already ... they evaporated, fleeting as quickly as water in Fresno heat. That imagery may be lost on those of you who don't live in Arizona or Fresno. I guess Texas might count, though the humidity probably slows the process of evaporation. I don't really know, actually, and I've definitely digressed.

The point, people, is that my jaw is dropping right this very moment as I am realizing that there are merely 3 weeks of summer va-cay left before we send our kidlets back to school. How can this be??

I mean (I'm not gonna lie) there is a teensy part of my heart that is drooling at the prospect of looking forward to a few quiet hours each day where I can write, menu-plan, clean, read, (dare-I-say nap on occasion?) without the guilt that I am not entertaining the littles. I'm actually feeling a bit of mom guilt for even writing that! Or that I will once again be able to grocery shop without FOUR kids hanging on the cart, throwing their heart's desires in willy-nilly and begging for "just one minute" stop in the toy section. (I fall for this every single time and it is never one minute.)

But most of my heart is sad. This is the first summer that I have really felt genuine regret at the nearing of the school year. Possibly it's because my children are older, more self-sufficient, more helpful and a LOT more fun to hang out with. Probably it's because they are sleeping in until 9:00 and therefore, so am I (at least on my two "off" running days.) Who can say? I just know that the days are numbered and I will miss these lovely, lazy days filled with my children home and safe and happy. And making cookies. (I have them trained, all right.)

Here are a couple photos to document our adventures of Monterey, Disneyland, and Newport Beach.

Summer, summer, summer!!!

I have been up since 5:40 am precisely. I swam laps at our neighborhood pool this morning. It's outdoors and the air was chilly, but once I got going it was pleasant and quiet. It's now 7:34 and Dave has been gone for an hour. All the wee ones are still fast asleep, though I'm estimating I have mere minutes before they begin to rise, one at a time, rubbing their eyes, heading straight to the kitchen where their tummies will want mini-wheats or hot chocolate, despite the fact that I will happily make them eggs or pancakes. Picky little things ...

So it's only day 4 of summer vacay and I'm pretty darn tired.

Monday we started swim team, in which the two eldest (Chatterbox, 9 1/2, and Smidget, 7) swim laps for an hour and the other two run all over the place with a small herd of children, Queenie leading the pack and Man Cub toddling far behind on his chubby legs, desperately trying to keep up and failing. Chatterbox has protested being on the swim team for the first time this year but we insist. It's only for 6 weeks after all. 

[I hear the footsteps of the first riser]

So they swim every morning from 9 to 10 and it's quite rewarding seeing what good little swimmers they are becoming, even if they aren't the fastest or strongest. I think this is part of why Chatterbox doesn't love it. She is pretty slow and not at all competitive, but I tell her that the competition part doesn't matter; she should just try for a personal best. Here they are swimming the "doggy paddle" for a fun break. Their coach told them to bark all the way across the pool. It was so funny!

Monday we also went to our first ever Fresno Grizzlies baseball game (the minor league team for the Giants). It was a rare, cool night in Fresno--just perfect for chilling at the ball game. Other than a near-temper-tantrum-miss when I adamantly refused to purchase a $6.50 cotton candy for Queenie, I was quite content. Mr. Man Cub had a marvelous time climbing all over the seats and eating snacks. They have a 'special' on Mondays where you get 2 field level tickets, 2 sodas, 2 hotdogs, and 2 Wild Waters passes for $32 so we did that. A Grizzlies game and Wild Waters were both on our summer 'to-do' list last year and we never did them, so it feels good to get a jump start this year.

Tuesday--more swimming followed by a play date

And yesterday D had a very rare day off and so we took the kids and used our Wild Waters passes! It was surprisingly fun ... we haven't taken them to a water park in about 3 years so it was MUCH better this time. Man Cub wasn't crazy about the water for the first hour or so but eventually he warmed up to the idea. We made it home just in time to feed the Sister Missionaries, then we all went to Daddy's softball game. I love summer softball and late summer evenings which make for late summer mornings.

[I think the first riser is back to bed ...]

The older two have a tennis camp after swim for the next two days and so we shall finish the first week of summer off strong, with happy and exhausted little children and an equally exhausted mother. I know I can't keep this up, but luckily I have called in reinforcements and Uncle Matt will be here in just one more week! YAY!!!!!! 

How is your summer going? And thanks for the comments, everyone! I was encouraged to see that at least 6 people are still around. You must be the 6 who love me most.

Hmmm ... it's been a really, REALLY long time. Are people out there still blogging? I really don't know except if I see a link on Facebook. Is anyone out there still reading my blog? Let's find out!!  I've missed the online support of my friends and I've really missed the writing outlet. Finding the time is the trick ...

I have a minute now, though, and lots of random things floating around in my head. Let's see if I can catch a few and pin them down.

*School just let out yesterday here in sunny California and can I just shout "Hallelujah" from the rooftops? Sure, I'm nervous about the endless amounts of time to fill, but I also see summer as my blank slate; the chance to prove to myself precisely why I don't homeschool (I give it a solid go in the summer and about 4-6 weeks I'm all out of steam); and a time to squeeze out some good slave labor from my kids--I disguise it, though, so initially they think it's their idea and it's fun. I also see it as a time where I don't have to be GOING all the time. The relief I felt yesterday at 1:45 (school releasing) was palpable.

*Dave's cousin lost her 22 month old in a tragic drowning accident Memorial Day weekend. Though we aren't very close (they live in TX) still it hit me really hard. I have thought a lot about why that is ... partly, I think, because her Easton was only 3 weeks apart in age from my Luke and so I really empathize with what that loss might feel like. But I also feel a strong family connection ... my sealing to Dave means that we are part of an eternal extended family. I truly have understood what 'mourning with those who mourn' means as I've prayed for her and attended the temple pondering that little one's life and influence. She is incredibly strong and has been an example of stalwart faith in this trial--the epitome of what I hope to be when faced with an Abrahamic Test.

*We are getting old. Up until recently, I never really thought much about my health. I suppose I've taken for granted the fact that I have energy and feel good; that I can bear children; that each day I am not worried about pain or infirmity. D has had some crazy mystery allergy stuff going on (I won't go into details except to say that after 5 months he is finally feeling some relief). I have also had a few weird things happen in the past few months and it shakes you up and makes you realize you're not invincible. It has also made me grateful--SO GRATEFUL--for my health and for my body. It may not be perfect, but it is a gift that I treasure.

*My kids are getting old. I HAVE A 5TH GRADER!!!! (And a 2nd grader. And a kindergartner. I WILL HAVE 3 KIDS IN SCHOOL NEXT YEAR) This kills me. I started reading my blog archives and realized that it is a fantastic journal. I hadn't realized how long ago it all started. This is part of MOST OF why I want to keep going with it.

And to prove it, I'll conclude with my adorable children on their last day of school. Because what blog post is complete without a photo of my kids?

Comment if you read this .... I'm curious! And tell me if you are still blogging too so I can catch up!

Things it took me 4 kids to figure out ...

Or maybe it has just become more crucial to my sanity as I've had more kids. Regardless, this one is HUGE for me. But all mothers or fathers or families are unique, so I will add the caveat "For ME" so that no one feels I am prescribing anything! And here it is, part 2 of Things it took me 4 kids to figure out ...

It is A-OK to set some boundaries. These boundaries include, but are not limited to, personal space.

A couple of my own personal parental boundaries--
Boundary #1: When I am using the bathroom, you (my child) must leave me alone. I pretty much lose it  (in the form of yelling from the necessary "I'M USING THE TOILET!!!" ) when this boundary is crossed, so it isn't crossed very often.

Boundary #2: Unless you are a nursing baby, NO sleeping in bed with me. This used to be a hard and fast rule and I desperately want it to be again, but I will admit to some regrettable backsliding. Lately #2 and #3 have been having nightmares and have learned to deftly maneuver in between their sleeping parents without waking us. Of course this results in a child snuggled right up next to me (if it's Queenie) or a knee/heel/head in the back (if it's Smidget), both of which disrupt my sleep. And I need my sleep. To fix this issue, one of us has to consistently be willing to get up and escort the offender back to their bed. I think it should be D. Votes?

Boundary #3: Again, unless you are a baby, NO sitting, leaning or otherwise putting pressure on my body during church services. I know some of you are thinking I am a mean, uncaring mother at this moment (or maybe you thought so on a previous boundary?) but that is precisely why this list is personal. I admire all of the mothers I see who can keep a pleasant face plastered on while simultaneously serving as a jungle gym or mattress for their multiple children but I. Am. Not. One. Of. Those. Mothers. I get incredibly uncomfortable when I'm hot, in my dress, wrestling kids, and one of them starts sitting on me. Grrrrrr...... There are occasional exceptions to this, but I like to be the one pulling a child onto my lap for snuggles, not the other way around--at least in church.

Boundary #4: Once I or your father have brushed your teeth, helped you pray, put you to bed, given you your ice-filled water bottle, kissed you, turned on Scripture Scouts (track 14 please!), placed your three blankies on you in perfect alignment and in perfect order (giraffey-ducky-sheepy), kissed you again, adjusted the variable lighting in your room until it's not too dark ('I'll have bad dreams!') and not too light ('I can see across the room!') and finally bid you "GOOD NIGHT!" don't you dare come out of your room. I am off duty and I'm sticking to it.

What about you? Do you have other parental boundaries that help you maintain composure and sanity?

Man Cub turned 1

It's cliche to say it, but truly! I can't believe my baby is already so big. My goodness. We threw him a huge big first birthday bash while in Utah. It's uncharacteristic of me to go all out, but I just couldn't resist. This time was especially fun because my sister-in-laws and mama got in on the preparation action. Though my mother did complain that "This party is bigger than Thanksgiving" (not true, by the way) I think she enjoyed it as much as I did! :)

Our theme was "Under the Sea"-- perfect for my little fishy. He ADORES the water. I bought the printables from Chickabug (on etsy). The dining room, below. Thanks to Sharon for making all of the puff balls, and Meridith for making the cupcakes and cake! We had Hawaiian haystacks for dinner, with lots of flavors of goldfish to munch on (vanilla cupcake were the runaway favorite), a big green salad and fruit. Mmmmm ...

We started the party, though, with SWIMMING. I bought a set of cute sea creature squirters which the little ones "fished" out of a small pool, and then we all played with the rest of the afternoon. Gary wouldn't part with his because of its massive squirting range. Yeah, he's 26, don't worry about it.

After dinner we had a little cake and ice cream. Thanks, again!, to Meridith for the shirt. :) That girl is priceless!

You know how lots of 1 year olds have no idea what to do with the cake when you set it in front of them?

Man Cub was NOT one of those children. He gleefully dug right in!

Of course he had lots of help with his presents. Thank you, sissies. Now BACK OFF!!

This boy is joy, joy, joy. We adore every inch of him and his cheerful disposition. We are so blessed to have this little man in our lives. Happy birthday, Bubba!