BEING THANKFUL AND A WINNER.

Thanksgiving is on my mind. Not only do I want to be thankful and show my gratitude but, I am wondering just how I might begin to teach the principle of gratitude to my little ones over the next few weeks, and beyond. Let the brainstorming begin!

In the spirit of thanksgiving, this Mormon Message really hit home. It's a good one.

And now for a winner.

Again, I can't thank you enough for your comments on music. I have gained so many new ideas and can't wait to start implementing them in my home. 

The big #1 is the winner, via random.org. Hannah of sherbetblossom said, "music is a big part of our family. I am constantly singing, probably to my children's chagrin. We sing every night before they go to bed. We sing on road trips. I make mixes of children's hymns that I'd like them to learn."

E-mail me Hannah at mamaswhoknow (at) gmail.com and we'll get that in the mail. 

GOOD MORNING MONDAY.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and survived the time change. Daylight savings is not always nice to us mamas. I'm just praying our wake-up times return to normal in the coming week, I'm just not a fan of a 5:55 a.m. start for a one year-old.

I was flipping through my calendar yesterday, taking a bit of inventory.  November is one week down, leaving two full weeks until Thanksgiving week. Like you, these are busy months at our house. With the regular holidays we also celebrate all four of our birthdays in November, December and January. In fact our celebrations began this weekend with my husband's 27'th yesterday.

With November underway, my visiting teaching sisters came to mind. The earlier the better, in my opinion when there is so much to be done in these busy months. I was reminded of Sister Thompson's talk this last General Relief Society meeting. Wasn't it good? I especially love the quote above.

On another note, the Tabernacle Choir giveaway ends tonight, make sure you've signed up. Thank you all for sharing how you use music in your mothering. I have loved reading your thoughts. For some inspiration, I would definitely recommend reading through the comments of the giveaway.

Hope your day is productive!

THE POWER OF MUSIC & A GIVEAWAY.

I don't have a musical bone in my body. It's sad, mostly for my children, but I really do struggle musically. Even after years of piano lessons, there aren't many songs I can pluck out on the piano. It doesn't mean that we don't enjoy music however. It's a big part of our lives.

A friend of mine recently posted on her family blog about how music has been helping them in their home. As most boys probably would, her three year-old son has recently had a lot of behavioral issues since his Dad deployed to Iraq a few months ago. After seeking help from LDS Family Services, and trying some new things, she has seen a significant improvement in her sons behavior.

One thing that that has brought increased peace to their home and to her son, is music. They now begin each day by playing music and keep it running throughout the day. The TV time has diminished and she has noticed a change in the atmosphere in their home. I was impressed.

First thing last Sunday morning I awoke and put on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I kept the hymns and Church related music running all morning. I too noticed an increased amount of peace in our home. Of course it was the home of little children,  but things did seem calmer. I want to use these tactics more.

Now for the giveaway. I would love to hear your thoughts. Is music a big part of your mothering? How do you bring music into your home and family? Leave me a comment with your ideas and thoughts about music and mothering and one lucky mama will be chosen first thing Tuesday morning to win a copy the latest Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, entitled "Celebrating a Century of Recording Excellence". It includes two discs with all of the hits as well as a bonus DVD. Some lucky family will really enjoy it.

(this giveaway is now closed)

Giveaway ends Monday night!

COURAGEOUS PARENTING.

I can't get over this talk from conference. I loved it, and I think it will be even more applicable as my children grow. I love the word "courageous" when paired with "parenting". This role is not just a sit back and observe job, rather we must be engaged, deliberate and courageous with what and how we decide to raise our children.

Were you impressed with Elder Lawrence's talk? How has it helped you in your parenting over the last month?

EVIDENCES.

Our stake had stake conference this past weekend. I actually don't mind stake conference and our girls did quite well, considering the circumstances.

For the past few years our stake presidency has given our stake specific goals and and tasks to accomplish. They are very standard items, but a handy list to keep you focused and geared towards the Savior. I appreciate a good list. It helps me track my progress.

As I looked over the list for 2011 earlier this week something jumped out at me, one bullet states, "reflect at the close of each day on evidence of the Lord's hand in your life, regularly record your thoughts."

This concept is nothing new. In fact, many keep gratitude journals or even record how the Lord has blessed them on their personal blog. I however, am not always examining my days to recognize just how the Lord has shown His hand in my life, that day.

I want to do better with this.

I recalled a talk by President Eyring, "O Remember, Remember", where he shared his experience of learning the importance of recording just how the Lord had blessed him in his life.

From his talk:
"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

The years have gone by. My boys are grown men. And now and then one of them will surprise me by saying, “Dad, I was reading in my copy of the journal about when . . . ” and then he will tell me about how reading of what happened long ago helped him notice something God had done in his day.

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. You remember that song we sometimes sing: “Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Considering the season we are quickly approaching, I want to be better in recognizing and recording the evidences of the Lord in my life. How about you? How do you remember this? Do you keep a journal or record of these things? I'd love to hear your ideas or thoughts.

A HAPPY WEEKEND.

We had a great weekend. One that included trunk-or-treating, a bit of trick-or-treating, spider web cupcakes (half of which were dropped on the floor), dinner on the lawn at the hospital (to visit the Dad), stake conference and family pictures. Glad those are over!

On to some more good things.

A few weeks ago, my Relief Society president asked me to demo "Pancake Art" at a Relief Society activity. She had seen a segment on Rachael Ray about it and thought the sisters in our ward might enjoy it. I studied the art, practiced a bit and the demo was a success. Halloween turned out to be a great time to put it into good use. Nothing like Jack-o-lantern pumpkins to kick off a Happy Halloween. I think we'll be using pancake art for birthdays and other holidays. I'm sure your kids will love it.

Directions for Pancake Art

You will need:
Regular Pancake Batter
Food coloring or natural preserves to color the batter
Empty condiment bottles

- Mix regular pancake mix thinner than normal. Make sure that all the lumps are out. I ran mine through the blender.

- Use empty condiment bottles for the batter.  Make sure the tip is wide enough that the batter can pass through.

- Use preserves or chocolate syrup to color the mix. I went with a little food coloring to make the colors bright.

- Heat griddle well so that the batter will cook quickly. Make outer edges of figures first and fill in with batter after. Cook different pieces of your figure separately (ie; pumpkin, mouth, stem will be cooked separately).

- Put the design together when you plate the pancakes.

- Use chocolate chips or sprinkles to decorate. Enjoy!

We also did a butterfly to celebrate our Halloween costumes!

Hope your Halloween was successful and you've figured out how to get rid of all that extra candy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN MAMAS.

 

It seems that our mothering job really comes alive on holidays. I am just finishing up one butterfly costume for our ward's annual trunk-or-treat this evening. I am praying that it doesn't need washing because I am just sure that hot glue and foam will not bode well in the washing machine.

Our weekend is full, and I like it that way. Wholesome recreation, if you will. We have stake conference too this weekend so it makes things a bit crazier.

I personally love Halloween and even more so with my kids. Everything is just that much more magical.

We'll see you back here Monday with costume photos and belly aches. Have a wonderful weekend!