Complete

"The family is at the heart of Heavenly Father’s plan because we are all part of His family and because mortality is our opportunity to form our own families and to assume the role of parents. It is within our families that we learn unconditional love, which can come to us and draw us very close to God’s love. It is within families that values are taught and character is built. Father and mother are callings from which we will never be released, and there is no more important stewardship than the responsibility we have for God’s spirit children who come into our families." (M. Russell Ballard, "Let Our Voices Be Heard," General Conference, October 2003)

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

Next year we have 8:30 church! I think I'll start getting ready for church right now . . .

Defend the Home

Raise Children To Be . . .

Church Punctuality: Optional

Elliot had to speak with the visiting High Counselor in our Ward today, so he left early to make sure he was at church and sitting on the stand on time. I always go through a little panic mode when I think of managing all 4 kids by myself during Sacrament meeting. My kids are like dogs . . . or horses . . . or any other animal that can sense when you're nervous.

So Stella jumps out of the car when we get to church just seconds before it starts and she and Malcolm make their way into the building and, of course, to the 2nd row in the chapel. As I was taking Quentin out of the car, I noticed the stench permeating from his pants and a new sense of panic set in. Malcolm had already taken the backpack into the church that had his diapers in it, so I was either forced to go retrieve said backpack or abandon the older kids to take Tin home to change him. I headed into the chapel with a poopy Quentin right as Celia started fussing. Frazzled, I looked up at Elliot sitting peacefully on the stand . . . yeah, he thought he was going to get a free-day . . . and pointed at Tin and mouthed the word "POOPY" until he excused himself from the stand, took the stinky boy and backpack, and I followed him out to tend to Celia with strict instructions to Stella to "BE NICE" to Malcolm. I'm sure glad I have a good, hopefully non-judgmental friend that was sitting right behind us to keep an eye on those kiddos before I could make my return.

Poop is so inconvenient.

Bedtime

Seriously though, why don't they like to go to sleep? It's like the best ever.

Service

We get to do a special service for someone in our Ward this week . . . I am excited to have a little pow-wow with my family to see what we can do!

Say Please

Parenting Is Hard

Yep.

Priorities

Effort

Armour of God

Ephesians 6:10-18 – "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Pretty close, right?

I love the story of the Watchman on the Tower from D&C 101, but it's also frustrating. I guess it's easier to see the lesson in a parable than it is to see it in your own life. The Master of the vineyard gave his servants instructions to strengthen and fortify the vineyard for it's protection. The servants started to obey, but then got lazy when they decided that they didn't need the protection in their time of peace. It was then that the enemy came and wrecked the vineyard. The Master is frustrated and demanding an explanation. He then reminds them of his previous instructions and the silly servants, probably feeling rather reprimanded, ask, "When shall these things be?" Uh . . . right now, sillies. So the Master says, "When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you;"

Fortify our homes . . . do it, and do it now.

Doing It All . . . Takes Time

I have really loved the readings for my class this week. They have been both relieving and inspiring! I know as women, we sometimes think we have to do everything. Well, I'm the kind of person that either wants to do everything or do nothing at all. Happy medium, sister. Good grief. I've found a lot of comfort from this quote from President Faust:

"For women, the important ingredients for happiness are to forge an identity, serve the Lord, get an education, develop your talents, serve your family, and if possible to have a family of your own. However, you cannot do all these things well at the same time . . . You cannot be a 100-percent wife, a 100-percent mother, a 100-percent Church worker, a 100-percent career person, and a 100-percent public-service person at the same time. . . . I suggest that you can have it sequentially. [Women] may fit more than one interest into the various seasons of life." ("How Near To the Angels," President James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1998)

I also read some excerpts from President Ezra Taft Benson's talk "To The Mothers In Zion." It's a good one folks, as well as it's matchy-matchy talk for the men called, "To The Fathers In Israel." I loved this list of ways to spend EFFECTIVE time with children:

TEN WAYS MOTHERS MAY SPEND EFFECTIVE TIME WITH CHILDREN:

1. Be at the Crossroads – be at the crossroads when your children are either coming or going
2. Be a Real Friend – listen to your children, talk with the, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them, one-on-one time with each child.
3. Read to Your Children – starting from the cradle, read to your children, you will plant a love for good literature and a real love for the scriptures if you will read to your children regularly.
4. Pray with Your Children – morning and night, call down the blessings of heaven upon them, have your children participate in family and personal prayers, and rejoice in their sweet utterances to their Father in Heaven.
5. Have Weekly Home Evenings – meaningful Family Home Evening, children actively involved, teach them correct principles, make it a great family tradition . . . "If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them" (James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols., 4:339) – Joseph F. Smith
6. Be Together at Mealtimes – happy conversation, sharing of days plans and activities, special teaching moments
7. Read Scriptures Daily – together as a family, "reading the Book of Mormon together as a family will especially bring increased spirituality into your home and will give both parents and children the power to resist temptation and to have the Holy Ghost as their constant companion"
8. Do Things as a Family – family outings, picnics, birthdays, events such as plays, ball games, talks, recitals, attend church meetings together and sit together.
9. Teach Your Children – catch the teaching moments in any time during the day, mothers are children's best teacher, teach gospel principles, teach them to be good, teach them there is no safety in sin, teach them to love the gospel, modesty, respect for manhood and womanhood, sexual purity, proper dating standards, temple marriage, missionary service, importance of callings, love for work and value of good education, importance of the right kind of entertainment (movies, videos, music, books, magazines), discuss evils of pornography and drugs, teach them the value of living the clean live, teach the gospel in your own home, "It cannot be done effectively part-time. It must be done all the time in order to save and exalt your children."
10. Truly Love Your Children – "A mother's unqualified love approaches Christlike love." Teenage children need that same kind of love and attention, work at this prayerfully, "our young people need love and attention, not indulgence. They need empathy and understanding, not indifference from mothers and fathers. They need the parents' time. A mother's kindly teachings and her love for and confidence in a teenage son or daughter can literally save them from a wicked world." ("To the Mothers in Zion," President Ezra Taft Benson, February 22, 1987 Fireside Address)
    

The Purge

In my studies this week, I've loved some of the excerpts from this scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 93:41-50:

"You have not taught your children light and truth, . . . and this is the cause of your affliction. . . . first set in order thy house. Your family must needs repent and forsake some things . . . pray always lest that wicked one have power in you . . . set in order [your] family, and see that they are more diligent and concerned at home, and pray always . . ."

As I study, I am slowly learning what my kids do and definitely DO NOT need. The stuff they do need needs to happen while they are awake, but the purge/forsaking of things they don't need needs to happen after they are unconscious or it'll never go away.

No Apologies

"No woman should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that her contribution is less significant because she is devoting her primary efforts to raising and nurturing children. Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven's plan." ("LDS Women Are Incredible," Elder Quentin L. Cook, General Conference, April 2011)

No Dinner

I feel like I did so much today, but I have absolutely NOTHING to show for it.

Christmas Shopping

The Key

So Happy To Be Mommy

"The greatest job that any mother will ever do will be in the nurturing, teaching, lifting, encouraging, and rearing her children in righteousness and truth. None other can adequately take her place." ("Women of the Church," President Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October 1996)

Family Reunion

Thanksgiving

Cleaning

Having a clean house is overrated. I actually told Stella to hide things under her bed because we have company coming tonight and I needed to vacuum. I'm such a good Mom.

Parenting

Bless my instructor for giving us Thanksgiving week off of homework . . . there's no way I'm getting anything done with these cute little distractions around.

Sisters

Yep, that about sums up my relationship with my sisters. I'm glad I get to hang out with all three of them this week!

Homemaker

My Mother

My sisters and I find it hilarious that we can talk exactly like my Mother . . . Elliot, on the other hand, is a little afraid. But I can't tell you how many times I find myself thinking of my Mom in awe of what she accomplished as a mother of 7 children. And that wasn't all, she was a working full-time, mother of 7, wife of a farmer/bishop AND she was also the most faithful Visiting Teacher of all time AND she cooked ALL of our meals on top of all other things including, I'm sure, a never-ending pile of laundry for 9 people. I always think of picking up the phone to call her and thank her for the kind of mother she was . . . now if I could only find that phone. I love my Mommy.

Home & Temple

"We go to the temple to make covenants, but we go home to keep the covenants that we have made.  The home is the testing ground. The home is the place where we learn to be more Christ-like.  The home is the place where we learn to overcome selfishness and to give ourselves in service to others. I say again that we go to the temple to make the covenants, but we go home to keep those covenants." (Elder J. Ballard Washburn)

Next to Eternal Life . . .

Dinner vs. Mothering

I'm feeding my kids love . . . actual food is optional.

"Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world." (David O. McKay)

A New Goal

So the way that the Young Men in our Ward pass the sacrament is pure chaos. They all get the trays and every one of them heads to the back of the chapel overflow and randomly pass the sacrament as they move forward to the front of the chapel. There is absolutely no order and it's distracting . . . really distracting. They don't work together and it's a train wreck that I can't look away from. For instance, say my family is sitting in one row. One deacon will pass it to the first person in my family and then instead of another deacon catching it on the other side as we pass it down through our family, that same deacon will run around the pews to retrieve his own tray until there is just a mess of deacons crashing into each other as they race around the pews. Chaos. I keep meaning to say something to the Young Men's president, but then I always forget about it by the time the meeting is over.

But I don't want to forget about the sacrament. I want it to be meaningful. I don't want to go through the motions of taking the sacrament. There are sacred covenants associated with the sacrament that I want to remember (as I've promised to do). So I'm committing right now to stop watching the deacons and just focus more on the covenants I've made so that I can show the Lord that it means something to me. It means everything to me.

"In renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so." (Dallin H. Oaks)

Celia's Blessing

Elliot gave Celia the most beautiful blessing this afternoon at church. I'm so grateful for a husband who listens so closely to the Spirit and the beautiful blessings that the Lord has in store for our sweet baby girl.

Attention Deficit Mom

. . . sorry Sweetie, this house will never be clean again.

Raising Children

I'm Right

Anniversary

Elliot and I celebrated our 16th anniversary yesterday. Elliot is big on patronizing restaurants that aren't chains, but all I really wanted was to not have to make anymore decisions for the day. But this is usually how our pre-dinner conversation goes:

We ended up at California Pizza Kitchen (a chain) and I decided (ugh).

Happy Anniversary Sweetie . . . we'll figure it out eventually and I wouldn't want to know it with anyone else.

Go Home

Mother

Discipline

Don't you love it when you punish your kids for saying something that you just said to them the other day?

The more I study the Family Proclamation, I can't help but focus on my responsibilities as Mommy of this group of rascals. I am so grateful that they are mine and need to remember that my efforts will be magnified and blessed if I am doing what is right. I found a lot of comfort from the talks that I've read this week. I loved this one from Julie B. Beck:

"Mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children." (Julie B. Beck, "Mother's Who Know," General Conference, October 2007)

Sometimes I get so scared having to raise my babies in this increasingly evil world, but if I am being the GOOD influence on my children that I need to be, there will be nothing to fear!

Sacrifice = Investment

Distracted

I can't even wrap my mind around doing homework right now.

So True

Treat It Differently

Fourth Child

Elliot has to go back to work this week! Wish me luck!

Look Comfortable

Seriously though, I don't know why they leave Daddy alone when he's cuddling with Baby Celia, but if I sit down and get comfy for a snuggle, I have the whole passel of kids on me.

There is just no way to stay awake with a sleeping babe on your chest.

I guess we'll re-read those General Conference talks next month . . .

She Smiles

This little lady is a smiler.

Celia Kent Dibble is Here!

Celia Kent Dibble

born Thursday, September 24, 2015

5:52 am

8 pounds 9 ounces

20 3/4 inches

. . . oh, so happy she's finally here!

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