SPRING BREAK!

My four older children are in three different schools, and it just so happens that they all have spring break at the same time! Woo-hoo! So.... time to party!

Here are some of our plans:

• Read Together Every Day! (we haven't been doing too well with this oh-so-awesome family habit)
• Get Together with the Cousins! (13 cousins live within 10 miles or so from us, but it takes a conscious effort to make sure we hang out)
• Feed the Ducks at Decker Lake! (we already have two bags of too-old bread!)
• Play Boggle! (a new fave along with Phase 10 and Monopoly)
• Go to Temple Square! (Daddy works there... he doesn't get the week off like we do, but we can still go eat lunch with him)

It's so nice, sometimes, to get a break from the daily rigamarole... of course, some things still have to get done, like Chores...

You may not already know that in trying to help our family have a good attitude about chores, I adopted FLYLady's terminology and instead of doing chores we refer to it as "Bless Our Home." Another way I have attempted to not waste energy on complaining 'cuz it's gotta be done so we might as well use our energy to work rather than whine IS... helping them see that chores aren't a punishment! They aren't just fabricated slave labor to build character! They are simply what needs to be done as a result of something else being done first. And so I present to you...

The Parable of the Open Drawers

© Kingdomgraphix | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

In our family, we like to eat. It's a silly little thing, I know, but something about growling tummies, and boom, we're in the brand-spankin'-clean kitchen lookin' for somethin' to put down the ol' cake-hole. I don't know if this happens in your house, but alluvasudden, the kitchen ain't so clean anymore.

MOM: Hey, kiddos, let's clean up after we eat!

KIDDOS (in unison): But Mah-ahm (whining always makes Mom have two syllables) we didn't do anything wrong. We just had a snack. Don't punish us!

MOM: Ummm, (using a calm and friendly voice) I will only punish you if you don't clean up!

Then for demonstration, I open a drawer. And leave it open. And open another drawer, and leave it open... Then I try to dance through the kitchen, dramatically banging into the drawers...

MOM: Chores, errr, blessing our home, is like closing a drawer. You close it because you opened it, and because a closed drawer presents fewer problems than an open drawer.  In an area with open drawers, ya can't have as much fun. Taking the time to close it gives you space to be free.

I see the lights go on in my oldest child's eyes. Whew! Once I have him helping me, together we can convince the others of the cleverness of this perspective!

And we can go have fun during our Spring Break!

Easter Egg-citement!

Here's a thankful shout-out to my sister-in-law for running the Easter Egg Hunt today. She single-handedly filled 300 eggs with jelly beans -- and many with good chocolate, too -- so that each of the 11 collective grandchildren could feel most successful as they gathered the goodies.

I have a daughter named Esther, who sometimes gets called or spelled Easter. I think she likes getting mixed-up with a bright, colorful holiday which really *is* a holy-day. Those of us who are Christian owe our religion to the miracle of Easter. Christ did many amazing things while he was alive but it was his power over death that won him worldwide fame. The resurrection was what sealed the deal -- he really is the Son of God, after all, and can kick the whole kick-the-bucket thing away. Hooray!

Nowadays, many good people doubt this. Many are slowly converting to atheism as science tries to persuade them that the Creator is merely a theory called evolution. I want to add my voice, small as it may be, to that of the prophets of old as well as current prophets, that the Creator is, in fact, alive! We have a second witness, in companionship with the Bible, that testifies of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The Book of Mormon tells of how he came to the American continent shortly after his resurrection and showed his body -- even let these people feel the wounds in hands, feet, and side -- and established his church among them.

My life, everyday of it, is blessed beyond description by these truths -- the reality of the resurrection, the existence of God, our Father, and his love embodied in his Son, Jesus Christ. It's better than even the good chocolate Becky put in those eggs! I know there are people out there looking for reasons to believe -- kinda like my kiddos were lookin' for eggs today. They aren't quite ready to give in to social pressures that mock God's commandments (which are actually hints to happiness). They want to pay attention to the inner voice that whispers of their divine nature and individual worth.

If you are one of those people, consider investigating the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have found it to be the closest thing to proof of God that he'll allow there to be. He wants our decision to follow him to be based on faith -- so until his Son comes to earth again, we'll be choosing freely to submit to his will, rather than being forced into it because of too much proof. However, he provides evidences all along the way PLUS that inner voice, the Holy Spirit, that can guide us and help us know of him personally as we pray.

Thanks for letting me share my witness with you! I do it in Jesus' name, and invite you to email me personally with any questions. Love, Regan

Mess Magicians

My kids feel so good about making messes... it's fun to watch them -- when they don't know they're being watched! Their imaginations lead them through fantastic adventures that leave a trail of toys behind them.
Oh, and if dinner doesn't taste good, it makes good fodder for finger plays, if you ask my three-year-old!

Here is just one of the many, many pictures of one of my little mess-makers!

 I've had to come to terms with the fact that messes are simply a part of life. Mind you, messes are NOT limited to life with children. Plenty of us grown-up-types are still pretty-darn-good at making messes.

While it's nice to avoid messes as much as possible, sometimes it's not possible, in which case you might as well look for the gold nuggets in the mud of life! My sweet daughters are illustrating this concept for you (during a field trip to This is the Place Heritage Park):

Gotta be gold in all this mud...

Sure, I'll play in the mud even though I'm wearing a dress!

 And here is a picture of my little mess-maker CLEANING UP! Ahhh, an action worth remembering!

Appreciating moments like these inspired me to treat messes a little differently. Rather than waste my energy on being annoyed/disappointed/frustrated/mad with all of the messes, I decided to focus my energy on calmly teaching the little one how to become a

MESS-MAGICIAN and make the mess disappear! 

It turned it into a game rather than a punishment... this is something both of us can appreciate in the family dynamics of keeping the peace!

Heck, if ya have a hat to add to the atmosphere -- ABRA-CA-DABRA and PRESTO!!!

© Creatista | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images