#19 Play out in the snow with the kids, just to play

So it is February...and snowing....probably one of the last times this year.

Oh...#19! So we put on our snow bibs and hit the backyard. It was a beautiful day. The clouds were sitting so close and the world was beautiful.

My dad came over on Sunday and asked why we had all of the blankets in the backyard getting snowed on....those are the kids house's. They play "neighbors" and they go back and forth visiting each others houses and taking each other gifts...TOO cute!

We had snow smoothies, and pomegranite seeds, and snow dipped strawberries...let me tell you it was a delicious meal. I even had to eat some just to humor my neighbor Mr. Chipper

It was beautiful snow that melted away by dinner time. Good thing we went out and enjoyed the day.

Motivations

Can you tell that I am going threw my scattered papers today? A few weeks ago I went to a body language class. Some of it was interesting...some I really didn't like it was a bit "mystical" for me but the instructor talked about motivations..your own and your loved ones. It is a bit like the 5 love languages, except there are many more motiviations than just five. So I thought it would be fun to find out the kids motivations as well...I printed some pictures off the internet and asked them by the pictures (for the younger ones) which ones they liked the best. Suprisingly I think they are pretty accurate:

Hub
Fairness
Knowledge
Commitment
Simplicity
Fun

Moo
Creativity
Hurry
Religion
Accountability
Courage

Dude
Creativity
Structure
Invention
Fun
Money

Chipper
Courage
Wisdom
Invention
Change
Creativity


Chip
Religion
Honesty....he is the most honest person I know
Wisdom
Money
Trust

Me
Religion
Change
Integrity
Perfection
Growth

I found it interesting that both of my boys would have money in their motivations...it is important for men to have the desire to provide for their families. I have to admit that I was really surprised by hub's...his are really different from mine, and different from what I would have suspected...although he did want to take the test again now that he understands what I was showing him random pictures for :) I also found in interesting that my older two really are into creativity...they always want to draw or act or create something new...and I always knew Dude would invent something someday...he just has that kind of mind that likes to work on a problem...so different from my sluggish one.

Here is the list so if you want to take the test yourself you can....pick which ones describe you and which dont...then narrow the ones that describe you down to 10 and then 8 and then 5 and then order them in importance to you.

Urgency
Fitness
Wisdom
Innovation
Commitment
Team Work
Knowledge
Diversity
Achievement
Fun
Structure
Quality
Change
Balance
Passion
Money
Volunteer
Simplicity
Religion
Fairness
Customer Service
Loyalty
Creativity
Growth
Legacy
Trust
Family
Status
Courage
Effectiveness
Accountable
Independence
Integrity
Perfection
Honesty
Recognition
Authority

...I should mention that I took family out of the options when I asked my children...mostly because I think they all would have picked it and secondly...I don't really want to know if family isn't on their list :)

If you want to know more about the body language guy his name is Kirk Duncan and his email is office@3keyelements.com

Other notes:
Judgement is when you stop trying to learn about someone or something...we should always be learning.

Practice being still (I am so a leg shaker) Notice why you are moving

Recommended reading...the JackRabbit factor by Householder

Triangle means God (top) Self and Others
Circle means give and receive...in a round
Square means to design it...to give something shape...the corners are your first 30 minutes and your last 30 minutes

He talked about eye eye movements
up is accessing your higher power...record it
down is looking within yourself...usually an emotion with it
looking at ears...listening to the voices in their head...not the crazy ones...other peoples opinions...let them listen
up to left...accessing data, past, history, facts
up to right...creative, hopes, wants, future

He also talked about vision boards..but that is for another post after I actually get around to making my own then I can blog about it

# 33 Family History, 5 Generations

So I don't sleep at night. It is a rare occurance when I sleep without waking up for hours at a time. I know...I know.. everyone has an idea on how to fix that problem but I've tried them all and so now I've resorted to waiting for the Lord to heal me or having the patience to live with this affliction.

Anywhoo, I digress (hub's favorite word), the other night I was not sleeping. I usually just lay there or pray or think but I have been teaching the children about geneology during our school time lately and so I thought I would do a bit myself. You see, I've always had this question in my mind...hub and my mother share the same maiden name so we've always joked about how we are probably long lost cousins. So I decided to get on to familysearch.org and see what I could find. Well (drum roll please) we are but it is definately long and lost. We are actually both related to a reverend in England during the 1400's. He actually had two wives and Hub is from one wife and I'm from the other. It was really cool I was so excited I found it that I woke Hub up to tell him...he was not so excited, but hey how exciting is geneology at 3 am?

I also learned that Hub's grandma and my grandma share a maiden name as well so I've got some more searching to do :) Don't look now, but I might become a geneology nut....just what I need one more hobby to keep me up late at night :)

Chickens

Did you ever want to own chickens? If not I'd suggest it...atleast once. Chickens are quite hilarious little creatures...they are mischievious and diabolical as well as loyal and hard working. Recently my chickens have been hard working eating the worms out of my garden and turning up the soil in the process....who needs a roto-tiller?

It recently became legal to have chickens where I live....hooray...now if I could only have goats :)

There is a down side to this story though. Some members of the city council...in an effort to appease the people and to be "seen" as doing something limited who could have chickens and who could not. So only people with 1400 sq ft yards (over .3 acre) can have chickens on their property...even though chickens smell better than dogs, make less noise that dogs, cause less problems than dogs, etc.

So being the outspoken person that I rarely ever am I decided that I should say something in behalf of all those people who had worked so hard to get chickens approved without now being about to have chickens. So with shaky-knees I shared with them my appreciation for being allowed to have chickens and my sorrow for those who would not be able to. I shared with them my thoughts about government and my lack of faith in those who represent the people but forget that they are to serve the people. I mentioned that when we take away freedom from one person really we take away freedom from everyone. When we say that a person does not have the right to do something on their own property (which does not take away from anyone elses rights) freedom is the looser. I also mentioned that we sure need a little more public virtue. If I have a problem with my neighbor or my neighbor's animals I should talk to my neighbor not to the government. I can either get over my issue, bring it up with my neighbor and find a solution or I can move but I DO NOT want the government to tell me how I can or cannot act toward my neighbor or what I can or cannot do in my backyard.....the governments only job is to protect my property from my neighbor.
...so I should mention here something I learned from a friend the other day about Chinese. Chinese is a language with different levels....pictoral, phonetical, numberical, etc so the Chinese picture for country was a man with a box around him. A man who owns property is a country...and he has the freedom to protect himself and whatever lies within his box...I believe that the US Constitution would also support this view of what a country is...a man, or a group of men, who band together to protect each other and their property. Well, we all know the end to this story, the communist party took over China, and they lost all their freedoms and slowly the character for country was changed...it is now a king in a box...interesting! When we give our government power to control our "box" we loose our freedoms.

So get a few chickens, or goats, or an extra dog...or how about look at the laws your officials are proposing or passing and ask yourself if your loosing your freedom, if someone else is telling you what you can or cannot do in your box...I think you'll be surprised by what you find...I was.


oh, and by the way, if you live in Layton never, ever, ever vote for Joyce Brown...she is a freedom, prosperity, happiness leech blech....okay that was a little harsh she still is a child of God but that doesn't mean I have to vote for her

#64 Stainless Steel Bowls

A while ago I got rid of all the plastics in our house....I know a bit extreme, but hey, it your going to try to be healthy might as well be healthy right :)

So in my overzealousness I found I didn't possess many bowls or utensils that were either glass or stainless steel....thus #64....I thought these bowls were pretty fancy and I really love that them.

If you'd like to learn more about why plastics are bad for you...here is a great link http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Plasticizers/Out-Of-Diet-PG5nov03.htm

I'm not quite as serious as this guy is...mabey someday. In the meantime I will enjoy my stainless steel bowls

Would the world be better?

This morning for devotional we were reading a poem called "The Question"

"Were the whole world good as you-not an atom better-
Were it just as pure and true as you
Just as strong in faith and works
Just as free from crafty quirks
All extortion, all deceit;
Schemes its neighbors to defeat
Schemes it neighbors to defraud
Schemes some culpri to applaud--

Would this world be better


If the whole world followed you-followed you to the letter-
Would it be a noble world
All deceit and falsehood hurled
From it altogether;
Malice, seflishness, and lust
Banished from beneath the crust
Covering human hearts fom view-
Tell me, if it followed you
Would the world be better?"

We talked about how Christ is really the only person who it is better to follow (it helped that we were talking about Christ speaking to his disciples today and talking about how he told them he came to earth to set an example :)) and yet we can be better by thinking about what we are teaching others by our own behavior.

I think this will have to be part of my future mission statment...when I finially get the 100 things done and work on that one :) In every instance I can ask myself will the way I am feeling, behaving, choosing, leading, guiding help the world be better?

Would the world be better if it always followed me?

Something that won't get undone

What does that mean? I heard a wise woman say once that you should do something every day that does not get undone.


Being a mother means that many things that I do will get undone: the dishes, the laundry, the vacuuming, the cooking, the cleaning, making your bed, getting dressed...he he even fun stuff....exercising, praying, crafts, teaching, and reading. Sometimes it seems everything will have to be done over again. This feeling can get a little frustrating and also can be depressing.


So I have set a goal to do one thing a day that won't get undone...or atleast won't get undone right away...like write on my blog, read slowly a chapter of a book and try hard to understand it, make a new recipe to see if I like it or not, start on a big project like shelving or animal pens, or square foot boxes or paint :) and then keep working on it.


It has helped me to have one thing every day that I know is not going to be undone...atleast not by tomorrow and then I can freely give myself to do the things that I need to do that are really important, but that I'm going to have to do again tomorrow....like be with my kids, read my scriptures and clean my house.


Wrote in my blog...did something today that won't get undone! Time to get to work

#8 The Freedom Project

I am taking a class every other Wednesday night called the Freedom Project. We are studying the founding fathers and their writings. Last night we had a simulation on the Constitutional Convention. I learned a few things.

I learned that I know nothing compared to those men. It was hard to know even where to start...even though we have their model to follow. They made the model from scratch...from their readings, and I believe inspiration.

I learned that I don't even know enough about their model to hold an intelligent conversation about their model...better work on that.

And I learned that it is important to be more virtuous than one already is. Let me sum up:

Their constitutional convention made two compromises

1. Slavery...some states wanted to keep slavery others did not, they could not agree

2. Taxes...some states wanted less votes to determine if a tax law was passed (51% vs 67%),..so one could pass, some states wanted more votes...so it would be harder to pass.

The delegates for lower tax votes were against slavery, and the delegates for slavery were against lower tax votes. So they compromised and we got slavery and lower percentages to pass tax bills.

Some of the greatest problems in our country today can be linked to these two problems:

If they had decided right then and there to overcome slavery (we may have a had a civil war) the states would still be sovereign and be equal powers with the federal government. Oh what a joy that could be!-lesser federal government as the founders intended.

If they had decided right then and there that you had to have 67% of the delegates vote for a bill that affected taxes I think we would have a whole lot less bills, and taxes...and only ones that all the many delegates agreed with would pass.... "party politics" would not have as much power.

To sum up: If the founding fathers had been just a little more virtuous on these two issues where could we be today intead of where we are...slaves to a huge socialist government who has decided that the constitution was written by athiest men who are way behind the times and irrelevant to our "global" society today. So much for truth and right and principles and VIRTUE.

Okay, that was a little harsh...and I have to be in control of my self so what am I going to do about what I learned:

1. Read more of what they read...Locke, Blackstone, Montesquie

2. Study more of what they wrote..Constitution, Declaration, personal writings

3. Be more VIRTUOUS....what if my non-virtue of today causes more non-virtue tomorrow in my kids or my community? I think I can always be a little more virtuous :)

Great Big Monday's

So I have this silly thing...I like Monday's. I like the start over fresh and new... a brand new week with no mistakes in it. I love Monday's. Whenever I want to start something new in school or work or home I start on Monday.

New Years is like a Great Big Monday. It is like a new fresh start over that is a brand new year with no mistakes in it...yet. I am working on many new things at the start of this Great Big Monday called the new year. One thing I am working on is writing 2010. I miss the 2 O's together :( I also am working on Spending Time one on one with each of my kids each day and Reading my scriptures every day and Reading something I want to read every day, keeping the upstairs clean every day and doing something that won't get undone every day. As well as helping the children do their 5 things.

So, the whole reason I wrote this post is because I have a friend who likes to tease me about my "monday issues" and she says I'm the only person in the world who does "monday". But last night after checking my blog I went to another young ladies blog and she called new years a great big monday and has "monday issues" too. I love like minded people. Monday Issue People UNITE!

100 Things to Do:
1. Start a Blog.......Done Jan 4, 2010 Okay I know it's silly, but you got to write something on the list you can check off...might as well be #1

To Learn:
2. Read Jesus the Christ
3. Learn to Play the violin
4. Start a patchwork quilt
5. Learn to Play the guitar
6. Read the Whole Messiah Series
7. To Speak Spanish
8. Freedom Project Class ...Done Jan 6, 2010
9. How to birth a goat, ween a goat and milk a goat...wish me luck
10. Learn Hebrew

To Live:
11. Exercise 3 X a week for six weeks
12. Eat no processed sugar for six weeks
13. Take a nap ...Done Jan 16, 2010...I got 1/2 and hour anyway :)
14. Get a message
15. Buy more herbs and a book on how to actually use them
16. Sleep through the night without waking up, and without drugs
17. Get another years worth of food storage
18. Take the kids on a walk Done March 1, 2010
19. Play out in the snow with the kids...just to play Done Feb 23, 2010
20. Make bread...again ...Done Jan 15, 2010

To Love:
21. Finish a Patchwork Quilt for the Girls room
22. Teach Moo to Play the Piano
24. Sew Patches on Dudes Scout Shirt
25. Teach Chip and Chipper to read...I think this should count as two
26. Spend Time with Each of my kids every week day for six weeks
27. Spend Quality Time with hub every day for six weeks
28. Work on Scouts everyday with Dude till he gets his Bear
29. Sew...nope...Buy Pin Pouches Done March 2, 2010
30. Say 100 nice things to Moo, Dude, Chip and Chipper

To Leave a Legacy
31. Keep a journal...atleast once a week for six months...ouch
32. Scrapbook the rest of my printed pictures
33. Do my 5 Generations of Genealogy and then do something more
34. Take 100 pictures...post some on the blog
35. Read RJB's books to kids Done March 22, 2010. Need more family history stories!
35. Hang a family picture in the kids room
36. Go to ward temple night
37. Clean Grandma R's Home
38. Visit the inlaws
39. Save 5k for a rainy day
40. Buy the Children 5 books-their own copies that are important to me & inscribe

Just to Do:
41. Paint the 2nd Floor done Feb 13....Happy Valentines to me! It looks great...thanks hub
42. Wood Floor the 2nd Floor
43. Plunge all the toliets...geesh..do I get to count it every time I do it?
44. Install a wood burning stove
45. Figure out if I can knock down a wall....if I can-do it...if not...well...I'll think of something!
46. Replace the Cupboards and Countertops in the kitchen
47. Get dressed every day for 3 weeks....no sweats! and if your really good you could wear makeup
48. Clean and Paint the Garage Floor
49. Clean my Room...all of it
50. Replace old blinds

To Visit:
51. Yellowstone...cause we love it so
52. Disneyland...one more time :) and :( January 25th 2010
53. Israel....this is gonna get deleted I just know it
54. Yosemtie...cause hub really wants to go
55. Virginia...to visit MaMoo and see all the cool stuf
56. New York....to see the sacred grove
57. Nauvoo....all lds people gotta go there
58. Bob and sil....because we need to
59. Tee and Allee...because we want to
60. Jay and Sis...because they always come here

To Buy:
61. A Generator
62. A New Kitchen Table February 5, Happy Valentines to me!..seems like I get lots of Valentines but I bought a black table for 250!...it only has one ding and fits 10 people and I love it!
63. Glass Bowls April 11, 2010
64. Stainless Steel Bowls ...Done Jan 15, 2010
65. A new Fridge
66. A new Dishwasher
67. Matress Cover for the girls April 9, 2010
68. Wood for Girls/My room
69. New Carpet for Downstairs
70. Square foot garden boxes

To Give:
71. A whole bunch of stuff to DI
72. A gift to the Bec's
73. Cookies to my 5yo class
74. Bread to others
75. Smile to 20 strangers
76. A home where the spirit is able to be
77. Something to my blog everyday, okay sometimes every day
78. The kids a day off...a holiday...with no requirements from me
79. The walls a good rub down

To Share:
80. My testimony at church
81. FEC every week with hubby (check off at 2 months)
82. Interview with kids once a month (check off at 6 months)
83. My blog with the universe
84. Clothes from my closet
85. A holiday with a stranger
86. Time reading about teenagers March 5, 2010 Do Hard things
87. A Beautiful Girlhood with Moo
88. A Hug with my kids everyday (pass off after my arms are tired)
89. $50 with someone who needs it Feb 1, 2010...Haiti relief...

To Get it Done ALREADY!
90. Fix that blasted mailbox
91. Buy a little truck to haul all the junk away March 23, 2010..Thanks Grandpa J!
92. Find out where the leak is...done Jan 23...darn furnace company :(
93. Clean the Cold Room
94. Actually Have School in the School Room
95. Go Camping
96. Grow in a greenhouse
97. Go on a Family Bike Ride
98. Teach Chip and Chipper to Ride a Bike....probably should do 98 before 97
99. Replace the old rickety gonna kill someone someday deck
100 Take a Evening Out for Yourself to do something you really want to do

To Learn, to Live, to Love, to Leave a Legacy....Covey...the rest I just threw in there :)