The husband has been gone all week on a business trip.  (Who ever planned a business trip to involve Halloween weekend probably doesn’t have kids.  And while we are on the subject of not having kids , whoever enacted the time change law also must not have kids!?!)

Let me tell you it has been a long and tiring week, but I also know I was strengthened beyond my own means.  I never could have survived without all the prayers being said.  I even woke up with a lousy migraine this morning, but thankfully some medicine and 8 year old Keri came to my rescue. She “babysat” the kidlets while I attempted to get some extra shut-eye this morning.

Anywho, here are some fun pictures of our adventurous evening last night.  We first went to our Church’s trunk-or-treat party and then the two older kids went trick-or-treating in a local neighborhood.  (Much thanks to my dear friend who watched Eli for us so he didn’t have to freeze!)

Trying to get all 3 kids to look at the camera at the same time is not an easy feat.  Hence the candy wrapper and bulge
in little Eli’s mouth.

These two kids adore each other!  Best buddies!

Maybe our little 15 month old tiger should have been a monkey. He loves to scale everything!

The kids had a blast last night!  Cory declared that Halloween is his favorite holiday. Keri likes it second best, Christmas ranks first for her.

On the agenda for this week?

My husband is having foot surgery on Wednesday.  And there is supposed to be a three week recovery for it.  Hopefully it goes well and hopefully I will still be standing after a month long bout of parenting on the solo side !

Do you have too much Halloween candy on hand from all your trick-or-treating munchkins? Or too much left over from trick-or-treaters who never visited?

Besides doing scientific experiments on it or running a small candy store where your kids trade in their treats for little toys or fun family outing coupons, try freezing some or putting it in your food storage.  We like to do this and recycle their treats into their Christmas stockings, Valentine’s Day gifts, etc.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

It is hard to believe November is here. Thanksgiving (one of my favorite holidays) is in a few weeks.  And Keri promptly told me this morning that Christmas is in 55 days. Yikes!

A few weeks ago, Rudy mentioned a couple of different times how he thought little Eli was starting to look kind of like a girl.  He thought Eli’s hair was getting too long and shaggy.

I should have taken a before shot.  This was from the
beginning of September.

Learning how to cut hair is something I have always wanted to do [kind of like how I eventually want to take voice lessons and how I eventually want to take photography lessons and how I eventually want to learn how to sew and how I eventually want to take piano lessons again], but right now I don’t know the first thing about how to do it.  I once shaved my brother’s head in high school … with clippers even … and it looked wrong.  Just wrong.

I have also attempted to trim Cory’s and Keri’s hair before, but I wasn’t overly fond with the way it turned out.  It seemed somewhat crooked and lopsided to me.

Apparently my domestic/homemaking skills are non-existent in this  department.  That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to me, though, because in general I don’t have much of an artistic or creative flair.  It is hard for me to even visualize things in my head.  Perhaps that is why I didn’t like geometry in high school, but I adored algebra and calculus.

I think my older brother got all the art and design genes in the family.  Although, somehow those genes have been passed on to my kids.   Both Keri, who is 8, and Cory, who is 4, draw WAY better than me.  Even my stick figures tend to be crooked.

Anyway, I didn’t feel like shelling out a bunch of cash to go get Eli’s hair cut, so I decided to try and take on the project by myself.  I was a bit nervous, but I did search the Internet for some tips on how to cut kids hair, especially toddlers hair when they don’t want to hold still.

If I do say so myself, it didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would.  His bangs aren’t the straightest thing in the world, but for the most part I think it looks kind of decent.  Especially since I only used scissors and no clippers.

However, now that he has his hair cut, he looks much older to me.  He looks like a little boy, not a little baby.

I miss my baby!

But I am glad he is growing up.  Just don’t grow up too fast, OK little one?

I adore libraries.

I love meandering up and down the quiet aisles perusing the titles of dozens and dozens of books.

I love holding a book in my hands and thumbing through  its pages which hold the words of a story waiting to be devoured.

Not only do I love finding great reads for me, but I also get a thrill out of finding literary treasures I know my kids will enjoy.  I can spend forever and a day in the picture book section of the library poring over all it has to offer.  In fact, I don’t think I can enter a library …  even when I don’t have kids with me … without stopping in the children’s section.  It is too enticing.

While in the library today with my three little ones, I absentmindedly picked up a Halloween book.  As soon as I looked at the cover I was flooded with a myriad of memories.  (Don’t you love it when something you see, hear, smell or taste brings back pleasant childhood memories?  I cherish these unexpected trips down memory lane.) Instantly I knew this was a book I wanted to share with my kids.

I remember reading this book, “A Woggle of Witches,” as a young child. I remember curling up on our family room couch and being fascinated by the paintings this author-illustrator, Adrienne Adams, created.

It was charming and magical.

It taught me that a woggle is a medium-sized group of witches.  It taught me that witches like to eat bat stew.  It taught me that witches get scared, too.

This book probably helped sparked my love for the Autumn season.

And now it has sparked my new obsession with the word woggle.

Woggle.  Woggle.  Woggle.

Although I think I am going to use it to mean anything medium-sized … medium being relative.

I should now hurry off and attend to the woggle of books waiting for me in the other room.

Hmmm.  Maybe the stack is more like a woggle times a woggle.  Or a woggle to the woggleth degree.

If you live in Western Washington, I just thought I would give you a heads up that Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy will be performing at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Thursday November 5th – Sunday November 8th.

Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy takes flight this fall as Feld Entertainment’s newest ice spectacular, featuring four fun-filled classic and current Disney stories.  Worlds of Fantasy showcases beloved characters from Disney/Pixar’s Cars, Disney’s The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, as well as a live debut of the magical cast of new Fairies from the 2008 release of Walt Disney Pictures Tinker Bell DVD.

In a captivating “fairy tale” segment, audiences will enter into the wondrous world of Pixie Hollow and meet the Disney Fairies from Tinker Bell. The entire ice floor will transform into springtime, as the fairies’ magical role in the mysteries of nature is finally revealed.  From wheels to waves, Pride Lands to pixie dust, your family’s favorite Disney moments come to life at Disney On Ice presents World of Fantasy with dazzling skating, special effects and beloved characters certain to create a lifetime of memories.  Special Bonus!  Disney Princess Pre-Show: Arrive up to one hour early to tour our dazzling display of gorgeous gowns.

If you are interested in purchasing discount tickets (4 tickets for $11 each) then click HERE.  Enter MOM as the password.

We will definitely be heading to one of the shows thanks to the tickets Disney provided us.  I know my kids are going to love it!  Of course my boys will love the Cars act and my daughter will adore the skating in general. We hope to see you there!

If you know me at all, then you must know that I positively adore Autumn and everything about it.

Crisp, cool nights.  Seeing the trees ablaze with color.  Relishing new beginnings that come with the start of a fresh school year.  The smell of pumpkin, mingled with cinnamon and other spices.  Snuggling under soft, cozy blankets on your bed late at night and early in the morning.  Sipping a steaming mug of hot cocoa.  Indulging in delicious pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

‘Tis the best season indeed.

And since we love Fall, we obviously have to decorate to help us celebrate.  The kids enjoyed helping me put up some simple decorations around the house.

For the last few years we have had fun making egg carton spiders, but this year we decided to try a new spider craft thanks to the generosity of California Raisins.  They sent us a package that included all the ingredients to make a batch of Spooky Raisin Spiders.

The verdict?

The kids had a blast mixing up these no-bake treats in the kitchen and they loved decorating the spiders with colorful eyes and wiggly legs.  Since there is so much candy and sugar around Halloween time, it was nice to have a somewhat more healthy alternative.  (Although, for one of my kids this was especially healthy because she didn’t so much care for the taste of the treat, but she thoroughly enjoyed putting her creative skills to work.)

Many of you probably already have the ingredients on hand to whip up this in-the-kitchen craft-treat, but I am still going to offer one lucky US resident reader the chance to win their own Spooky Raisin Spider kit.

What do you need to do?  Simply leave a comment on this post before Tuesday October 20th.

If you want to be entered into this giveaway three times, then in your comment answer at least one of the following questions:

• What are you or your kiddos going to be for Halloween?
• What do you love about Autumn?

If you want to be entered into this giveaway five times, then write about this giveaway on your blog or your Facebook or Twitter account. If you do this, though, please make sure you tell me in your comment.

I hope you are having a …

Happy Autumn!

Me and office supply stores go together like kids and toy stores.  I can’t get enough of the organizing paraphernalia I find in these places.  And don’t even get me started on all the fun pens and markers.

You can probably guess then that I actually enjoy all the back-to-school supply shopping … that is until I get to the check out counter and have to fork over the cash.

Thanks to Avery, though, I am now the proud owner of this free and fabulous gift basket. It will definitely help with my office supply fetish and with all the school supplies my kidlets need.

And did you know that Avery recently partnered with Box Tops for Education?

“Now, when you purchase Avery school and office supplies you also receive Box Tops coupons to clip and return to your child’s school to be redeemed for cash.”  This is perfect for me because Keri’s school is an avid collector of these little coupons.

“Avery has also teamed up with organizational expert Jodie Watson, founder and president of Supreme Organization and the organizational expert from TLC’s Real Simple. Real Life.  She has many tips for parents and children to organize for school success in order to reduce stress and be more efficient and productive.”

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

** “Create a binder to house the best of your child’s school work as they go through the school year.  Use a template to create the front cover and spine of the binder with your child’s name, school, year, etc.  Use dividers to make sections for homework, artwork, certificates of recognition, awards, projects, etc.  Keep papers inside sheet protectors so the work will stay in good condition.  Take pictures of any larger artwork or projects they make and place the photo in the binder.  Photos can be printed as large as 10’x8” for best viewing.  At the end of the school year, you will have a completed binder with all their best work.”

3rd – 5th Grade

** “Place a dry erase calendar where you and your child can see and reach it.  With a marker write down all the upcoming school dates for the year – school breaks, events, field trips.  As you go through the year, use the calendar to track project due dates and help your child to schedule in the days they will be working on long term homework assignments in order to complete them on time.  Calendar can also include play-dates, parties, doctor’s appointments, and sports or dance lessons.  This is a great way to introduce your child to project management at an easy to understand level.  If you have more than one child, use a different color marker for each one to easily differentiate between their schedules.”

6th – 8th Grade

** “Help your child create a fully personalized, unique binder with Avery Signature Binders to organize their work for the upcoming school year. They could use one binder to hold all of their class work or individual binders for each class they will be taking.  Use dividers to create separate sections for each course or class, such as: history, math, science, and/or create separate sections within each class, such as: notes, assignments, handouts, etc.  Label each divider with a permanent marker or print labels on your computer so you can clearly see which section is which.  Insert a copy of your child’s class schedule into a sheet protector and place at the front of the binder.  For each class make a cover sheet with the class name, teacher, room number, location, days/times of classes.  Place the class info cover sheets into sheet protectors and insert into the binder at the front of the section for that particular class.”

** “Encourage your child to use a highlighter to empathize important content while taking class notes or on handouts.  This will help them to find relevant content later on when they are studying.”

So how do you win this giveaway?

Simply leave a comment on this post before Saturday October 17th.  One lucky winner will be selected for this Avery gift basket that contains nearly $50 worth of goodies.

If you want to be entered into this giveaway three times, then in your comment answer at least one of the following questions:

• How is your house doing with the kids being back in school?
• What is your favorite office supply?

If you want to be entered into this giveaway five times, then write about this giveaway on your blog or your Facebook status or your Twitter account. Make sure you indicate in your comment that you did so.

Sorry, but this giveaway is for U.S. addresses only.  The winner will have 2 days to claim their prize.

I hope you are having a Happy October!

A new favorite quote of mine:

“Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yours is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interest in these His little ones. . . . Rear your children in love, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Take care of your little ones. Welcome them into your homes, and nurture and love them with all of your hearts. They may do, in the years that come, some things you would not want them to do, but be patient, be patient. You have not failed as long as you have tried.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley (emphasis added)

[Note to self:  Be patient with them.]

[Second note to self:  Be patient with me.]

[Last note to self:  Remember I, too, am a "little one" who has parents.  Be gentle.]

In today’s society, especially with the media and the ever present entertainment industry, it is easy to become obsessed and overly preoccupied with body image.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my own health and the lifestyle I currently lead … partly because of some blog posts I read here and here, partly because I have a MRI scheduled for next week, but mostly because I know it ties into having a calm, peaceful, alert and not-so-quick-to-react demeanor (I have been insatiably craving these attributes lately) for indeed the body and spirit unite to form a soul.

Consequently I have been taking a personal health and wellness inventory.  Am I exercising?  Am I exercising for the right reasons?  Do I make healthy food choices?  Do I emotionally eat?  Am I teaching my children how to take care of their bodies in a positive and healthy manner?  Am I teaching my children and family how to find balance in their lives?  Do I get enough sleep?  Do I take care of the body I have been blessed with?  Do I show my gratitude to my Father in Heaven for the gift He gave me or do I covet other body shapes and sizes that I see around me?

I want to be a healthy me. I want to achieve an optimum level of health and wellness that is just right for me and tailored uniquely to me.  After all, taking care of our bodies should not be about being a certain size or weight or shape or trend.  And it definitely should not consume all of our time, thoughts and energy.  There is so much more to life than that!

I know I want to be more grateful for the body I have for it is a gift given to me by the Lord.  I want to be grateful that it works. I want to take care of it and not berate it and wish it looked like something or someone else.  I want to love and be grateful for who I am, for the talents and weaknesses I possess, for I know I am “imperfectly beautiful.”

Because my mind has been focused on health and wellness lately and how it affects my moods and how I treat others and myself, I decided to do some research on what it means to live the Word of Wisdom as found in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants.  I wanted to better understand the blessings that come from abiding by its precepts.  Here are many of the gems I found.  I think the last quote by Elder Perry is exceptionally powerful and that it sums up my findings rather well:

“The Word of Wisdom does not promise you perfect health, but it teaches how to keep the body you were born with in the best condition and your mind alert to delicate spiritual promptings.” ~ President Boyd K. Packer (Ensign, May 1996)

“This revelation has such far-reaching effects on so many aspects of our lives, and on the social behavior of those in our communities, that I firmly believe most of the ills of society today could be cured by the acceptance and observance of the Word of Wisdom… Surely the Lord gave a revelation and a promise for the benefit and blessing of his children.” ~ N. Eldon Tanner

“Bringing into your body substances forbidden by the Lord in the Word of Wisdom will prevent you from feeling and recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

“What a blessing! What a blessing is the Word of Wisdom, that the Lord would set before His Church a pattern of living which would bless our lives.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

“The Lord’s commandments in the Word of Wisdom regarding the care of our physical bodies bless us first and foremost with ‘wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures’ (D&C 89:19). Furthermore, they lead to a generally more healthy life and freedom from destructive addictions. Obedience gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity to come and go, to work and create. Of course, age, accident, and illnesses inevitably take their toll, but even so, our obedience to this gospel law enhances our capacity to deal with these challenges.”  ~ Elder D. Todd Christofferson

“Guard and protect [your body]—take nothing into it that shall harm the organs thereof because it is sacred. It is the instrument of your mind and the foundation of your character.” ~ Patriarchal blessing of Boyd K. Packer (“Ye Are the Temple of God”)

“I found in the Word of Wisdom a principle with a promise. The principle: Care for your body; avoid habit-forming stimulants. Such addictive things do little more than relieve a craving which they caused in the first place.  The promise: Those who obey will receive better health (see D&C 89:18) and ‘great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures’ (D&C 89:19).” ~ President Boyd K. Packer (“Ye Are the Temple of God”)

“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man. … All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.” ~ Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 181)

“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16–17

“When any unworthy desires press into your mind, fight them, resist them, control them (see James 4:6–8; 2 Ne. 9:39; Mosiah 3:19). The Apostle Paul taught, ‘There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’” (1 Cor. 10:13; see also D&C 62:1) ~ President Boyd K. Packer (“Ye Are the Temple of God”)

“The Lord has commanded you to take good care of your body. To do this, observe the Word of Wisdom, found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. When you do all these things, you remain free from harmful addictions and have control over your life. You gain the blessings of a healthy body, an alert mind, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. …  We do not want to harm our mortal bodies, for they are a gift from God, and part of our Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness is the reuniting of our immortal bodies with our spirits.” ~ Elder L. Tom Perry  (“Let Him Do It with Simplicity”)

And even though the following isn’t a quote I found while researching,  it is still something that really struck a chord with me.  It is one of the comments I recently read on a blog post about health.  She said something simply profound in a very clear and concise manner:

I have struggled with eating disorders since I was a [young teenager] and I can confirm that the adversary wants us to be preoccupied with our physical appearance. The more we are consumed with the fleeting aspects of our bodies, the less we are able to feel the Holy Ghost and follow his promptings. And when we are focused on ourselves, we are not able to serve others as we should. ~ La Yen

Wow.  So incredibly true.

I now have a myriad of thoughts floating around in my head, thoughts about goals and choices I want to make so I can be more calm, peaceful, alert and not-so-quick-to-react, so I can be more healthy and well and so I can promote health and wellness in all aspects in my family.

But those goals and ideas will be saved for a later post.

A couple of weeks ago I sent my sister a rather bleak email.  I didn’t necessarily intend to spill out all my horrible life woes, but it had just been one of those days, one of those weeks.  At the time I was feeling lonely and discouraged.

I wrote the note at night.  Things are always worse at night, especially when it is already past bedtime.

But I knew I could trust my sister and open up my heart to her.  It helped to write out and share my inner feelings, even though I knew I was simply caught up in a dark and exasperated moment.

Little did I know that not only would she just listen to me, but she decided to show me her love and concern in an even bigger and generous way.  This is what arrived on my doorstep today.

My eyes became misty as I read the letter she also sent.  Part of it touched my soul, and part of it was quite amusing.

That afternoon I was telling “Sydney” [her 4 year old daughter] what we were going to do while “Hannah” was in her reading class.  I said, “We are going to go to Trader Joes and get some chocolate for Lucy.  She was sad today and I want to send her a package.”

To that Sydney responded, “Lucy is sad because she ran out of chocolate????”

I couldn’t stop laughing, it was very cute.  If only life were as simple as our kids make it out to be.

Very true indeed.  If only life were as simple as kids thought it were.  But then again, I know the Lord has admonished us to become more childlike.  How incredibly fitting.

Since I sent that email a couple of weeks ago, I have been doing better.  I have been learning to navigate this life experience I have been given with dignity and with a cheerful heart.  What a difference this kind of attitude makes.

This post is dedicated to my sisters, all 6 of them.  And to all my dear friends and family members who are as close to me as sisters.  Thanks for all you do for me!

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me.  ~Mary Montagu

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.  ~Author Unknown

A sister is a forever friend.  ~Author Unknown

Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.  ~Carol Saline

Sweet is the voice of a sister in the season of sorrow.  ~Benjamin Disraeli

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.  ~Isadora James

An older sister is a friend and defender – a listener, conspirator, a counsellor and a sharer of delights.  And sorrows too.  ~Pam Brown