Parents Must Have the Courage

"Parents must have the courage to filter or monitor Internet access, television, movies, and music. Parents must have the courage to say no, defend truth, and bear powerful testimony. Your children need to know that you have faith in the Savior, love your Heavenly Father, and sustain the leaders of the Church. Spiritual maturity must flourish in our homes...[T]he moral issues of our day must be addressed in the family."

-Elder Quentin L. Cook

Happy Friday!

This video makes me giggle, and the song makes me want to dance. So that's like a double-shot of happy, right?

Bonus points if you can spot Weird Al in the video.


Happy Friday!

Light Will Burst upon Them

"Every man and woman who serves the Lord, no matter how faithful they may be, have their dark hours; but if they have lived faithfully, light will burst upon them and relief will be furnished."

-President Lorenzo Snow

Happy Friday!

So, how's your Friday going? Good? Not?

I really like this thought:

[from The Happiness Project]

Do you think that's true? I don't think it means to be fake; I think it's the same principle that works when serving other people makes you and the other person feel happier. A little boost of happiness all around!

By the way, if you haven't read The Happiness Project, you totally should. There's a Happiness Project website, too.

Happy Friday!

Stuff I Should Do...But Don't.

I was going to write a post about the sourdough bread I made this week. And I probably still will, some time.

But I know that there's a tendency in the blog universe for women to look at each other's blogs and say, "Wow, she homeschools, she makes her own bread, she reads a lot, she does genealogy, she grows vegetables...I could never do all that. What's wrong with me?"

So before I write that bread post, I just want to say: there's nothing wrong with you. Or, if there is, there's just as much wrong with me. None of us is perfect, right? And I want to point out a few things that I should do, but I don't, and it seems like every other mother in the world does.

I don't...

• clean my house very often or very well. I'm serious. If the laundry gets done and we have enough dishes to eat off of, that's a good day for me. I'm trying to get back into some FlyLady routines, and they've helped a little, so we'll see how that goes. 

This is what my kitchen table looks like almost all the time. Except for when we know someone is coming over.

• take amazing photographs. (See evidence above.) I wish I did, but I don't have the time or inclination to learn. Once in awhile, one will show up on my camera by accident. Isaac insists that those are the ones he takes.
  
• get out much. We have one car, and Isaac takes it to work. He does some of the errands, and I do the rest on Saturdays. The Boy and I do get out to see friends sometimes, but we don't go out every day.
  
• have more than one child. This is not by choice, but there it is. Maybe someday.

I'm not trying to throw a pity party or anything. I'm okay with where I am. But if you find yourself thinking I've got it all together, don't worry--I don't, and I probably never will.

If you do want to homeschool, or make bread, or find good books to read, or whatever, and you think I could help you with that, then feel free to ask! I'm happy to help. Just don't ask me anything about cleaning. Or sports. I'm really bad at sports.

Happy Friday!

Dang, it's Friday again already! How was your week? Mine was busy, I guess...school for me and The Boy, writing a lot (not here, obviously), and trying to get our house decluttered and a few other projects finished before (maybe) moving when Isaac finds a job.

But. It's Friday. And you know what makes me happy?

Bubbles, that's what! Go outside and blow some bubbles today, okay?

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I usually post jokes here on Fridays. But not today! This is the happiest thing I've seen all week. Watch it. You might feel happier, too.




And here's the latest blog post from the girl in the video, Al Fox: "Tattooed Mormon."

I love this part: "This- what we’re a part of- is real. What you do does make a difference. His ways- His promises- are worth it. And how grateful I am that I decided to keep going. How grateful I am that I made the decision to trust. The decision to have faith. How grateful I am for the decision to choose God. I do not have words adequate enough to express my gratitude I have for how I feel. For who I have become. For what my life is today. It would not be have I not made those decisions. 

Choose. Choose Daily. Choose God."

Happy Friday!

The Boy's Other Future

Yesterday, I wrote on Pie for Breakfast about how The Boy may grow up to be as nerdy as his father, in a soldering-iron-and-goggles kind of way.

But I have to admit that there's another possible future for The Boy:

Taking after Isaac still, but in a very different way.

Or...maybe he'll grow up to be an underwater basket weaver. Who knows?