Category: Yearly Goals

Greetings from Littleton Colorado!   Yes, we survived our last week of school and the drive to Denver.  In general, things worked out.  The cake actually tasted good, so it became the dessert we needed for the gymnastics dinner.  We ended up with enough clean clothes (barely) to get in the car (thanks to my sister’s efforts in finding what we needed in the mountains of clean clothes).  There are plenty of little things I forgot, like my makeup which is sitting on my bathroom counter at home and our toothbrushes, which we bought more of.  In all honesty, I think I forgot my brain as well since I’m having a hard time thinking and speaking since I’ve been here, but at least I’m here.  The house didn’t get clean, but I’ll deal with that next week.  The drive was eventful enough to be memorable, but gratefully we were safe.  And let me just tell you, our kids said some hysterically funny things on that drive!

So we’re here, loving every minute spent with grandparents and cousins, enjoying fabulous weather and the beauties of the foothills.  It’s been so long since I’ve been here, I’d forgotten how pretty everything is.   I’m loving the flowers my parents have everywhere, making me regret my decision to leave these at the garden center a couple of weeks ago.  I love geraniums!


Ok, this week’s report:  48 steps.  Good enough.  Some weeks it is enough to have lived through it all, and this was one of them.  It was pretty ugly, but it’s over.

Highlights:

1.  Yesterday we attended the baptism of my niece.  Everything was wonderful and it was a privilege to be there.

2.  On Thursday I took my son to a soccer practice with a new team and a coach I’d never met.  It was amazing.  I was very impressed with the coach and feel thrilled to have my son play for him.  I feel like my prayers in this area of his life are being answered.

3.   Yesterday my mom, 2 sisters, sister-in-law and I went on a marathon shopping day together.  We had a great time, found some fun stuff, and completely exhausted ourselves.  It was so much fun.  I can’t remember the last time I was able to do something with my mom and both of my sisters.

4.  Today I was able to visit for a few minutes with an old friend, which was refreshing.

5.  I’m feeling inspired and motivated by my sister’s cute house.  I might actually get mine clean this week after being in hers.

6.  Yesterday morning a few of us jumped in a couple of cars and hit as many garage sales as we could find.  I found a couple of cute things that I’ll share soon.

7.  I love working in my mom’s kitchen with her.  She is amazing, and such an example of joyful service.

And with that short list, I’m headed to bed.  My baby didn’t sleep much last night and I’m starting to fall asleep as I type.  I hope your week is great!

Hopeful Homemaker

What a week!  As I think back on it, I can remember only one night when we ate a normal dinner, at a normal hour.  The entire week was spent here and there, meeting this or that obligation.  Such is the month of May.  We made it, though, and managed to have some fun in the process.  My house is in need of some big time rescuing, especially in the laundry department, but I really just feel thankful that we survived the week as well as we did.

The coming week will be equally crazy, but at least I know it’s the last.  School will be out on Friday, and I will be one happy mother when that happens.  The end of the school year is the beginning of my summer-long opportunity to run our home based upon what our family actually needs, and not upon what the world wishes to require of us.  It’s a wonderful sabbatical and I’ve got ambitious plans.  But first we have to live through the next five days.

Ok, this week’s report:  58 steps.  I feel good about that, so on with the highlights.

1.  While I managed to accomplish pretty much NOTHING in the housekeeping department, my husband managed to accomplish this:






We’ve got our work cut out for us, but what a great start he made on it!

2.  We enjoyed an evening up the canyon with Aunts, Uncles and cousins to celebrate my sister’s birthday.  My awesome younger brother did a great job of planning it.  We played a fun new game, roasted marshmallows and ate pizza.  Amazingly, it didn’t rain until after we got home.

3.  I read another book.  I didn’t have time to read it, but I did.  (My house might look a couple of hours better if I hadn’t).

4.  This week a close friend shared a parenting experience she’d had with me.  It struck me as profound, and positively influenced both my heart and my responses to one particular child this week.  I feel so grateful that she shared it.

5.  I was able to find a babysitter so I could attend a luncheon celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday.  I sat there as we all talked and I marveled a little at the blessing of having so many good friends who are a few years farther down the road than I am with my family, and how their efforts and their sharing has helped make my path a bit easier than it would otherwise have been.  It was a tender moment.

6.  My brother and his two boys came to visit for a few days.  They very graciously put up with a messy house and boring food.  I really enjoy talking with my brother and I feel happy that he’s bringing his boys here.  Last night the kids got a little silly (during scripture study) and I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures during the visit so I snapped a few.  Forgive me for sharing three of them, but they are laugh out loud funny to me, especially if you know any of these characters.






Once again, they all piled into one bedroom for a “campout” last night and I read to them.  I love to watch my nephews fall asleep as I read, and only wish that my own children would follow suit.

7.  Today I began studying a story in the Old Testament that I’ve never really learned much from or about before.  It’s awesome how the scriptures mean new things to you when you’re in new stages of life, and I feel excited about how this story is coming alive in my mind and heart.

8.  This afternoon my husband and I enjoyed a very friendly, pleasant 30 minutes in the home of some friends as they shared with us a loaf of freshly baked bread.  It reminded us that we need to slow down and make more room for simple pleasures.  It also allowed us to get to know them better, which is a privilege.

In sum, I’d call the week a success.  Sure, I lost some ground around the house, but I gained better things for letting it go a little and investing in people.  I feel overwhelmed and tired,  but happy and optimistic.  I have to keep reminding myself not to get too excited about school ending, or I’ll forget something important.

The last few years have been really hard for me personally.  It’s been hard to deal with the frustration of knowing that my capabilities are so far behind my responsibilities.   I have prayed, wept, begged for help that seemed locked away in some place I couldn’t reach.  In the past 3 weeks I feel like my Heavenly Father has, at last, opened windows of understanding and insight to my mind.  He has placed in my hands books, articles and stories that are perfectly suited for me at this point in time.  I feel as hungry for knowledge as I felt years ago when I’d spend hours on what I termed “treasure hunts” in the University library.  I feel like I am embarking on my own personalized curriculum for a graduate degree in mothering the unique, incomparable spirits that have been sent to my home.    I have the works of inspired men and women across many fields available to me, the Holy Ghost as my tutor, and my home as my laboratory.  This may sound silly, but it’s the best description I have for my feelings of excitement, importance, investment  and relevance.  I know that much of what I learn will be sacred and deeply personal, but that it will spill over into many areas.  I feel certain that, if  I learn well, my life will never be the same.  I haven’t felt so excited in YEARS.

Ha!  Now you’ll probably expect me to become superwoman.  I wish I could!  Like my One Step goal, I know that growth and change will be incremental, even imperceptible at times, yet I am learning that it is never wasted.   I have faith in the blossoms of my future just as I have faith in my cherry trees .  Life is good.

May your week be a good one.  And if you’re like me, almost through the school year, hold on!  We can make it!

Jennifer

Ok, fellow moms out there:  have you ever marveled at the way most of the year’s decisions need to be made in April and May?  It’s the time you make all your decisions about the next school year,  registering children for school and extra-curricular activities that will begin in August.  It’s the time for tryouts for sports teams that will pick up in the fall.  It’s also when you commit your summer:  vacations, sports camps, Scout camps, swimming lessons.  And while you’re trying to manage these down-the-road decisions, you’ve got to juggle a new permission slip almost daily for some unusual end of year activity at the school, come up with a million random items needed for experiments, parties, field days and so forth.  I won’t even mention all of the end of year book reports and presentations.  And of course, while this is going on you’re trying to keep pace with the soccer practices, soccer games, soccer tournaments, piano recitals, band concerts and everything else going on in the evenings.

So pretty much your family (and sometimes your brain) feels like this:




Please understand I’m not complaining, only marveling at the magnitude of it all.  I actually feel pretty good.  I know that I’ll forget a few things but remind myself that I’m miraculously remembering thousands of things.  I have this quiet determination to stay the course, finish the school years calmly and assume that things will work out.

I got a lot of things done this week.  The only problem is that none of the things I got done were on my list of things I needed to do.  I remind myself that this is the time of year when everything becomes urgent and you just do your best to fit it all in.

Everyone is exhausted and overbooked right now.  It’s May.

This week’s report:  74 steps.  Not bad.  I’ll take it.

Highlights:

1.  I finished two books and started two more.  This is what happens when I let myself  start reading.  You can do a lot of reading during minutes spent waiting in the car for this or that to end.

2.  I had a great conversation tonight with a man I taught on my mission 15 years ago.  It’s such a blessing to cross paths with remarkable people.

3.  We spent as much time as possible playing outside, enjoying the nice weather.

4.  Kids activities.  Boy oh boy, have we had a lot of those going on!  On Thursday I let 12 children make their own mini-pizzas.  My kitchen was trashed, but we had a lot of fun and made a great memory.

5.  I had a positive experience tonight with my oldest daughter when she was discouraged about something.  I feel really good about it.

6.  My sister and her husband surprised us by coming down tonight to stay with us.  Hooray!

7.  I’m almost done formulating a plan which I hope will help my children be motivated to work toward personal goals during the summer.  I’m REALLY excited about it.  It’s pretty ambitious, but I think a lot of good will come of it.

8.  We’re trying not to be so busy that we don’t appreciate moments like this.


Life is good.  We have two more weeks of school to go.  In those two weeks we’re also expecting out of town company and we’re leaving on a mini-trip the last day of school.  I have A LOT to take care of!  I have some deadlines that I REALLY want to meet.  We’ll see how it turns out.

I hope your  week is sunny and full of great things!

Hopeful Homemaker