Fall Break '08

It's 4:02 pm and Fall Break '08 has officially started. It must be a full moon tonight because the kids are bouncin' off the walls. They are running from room to room leaving destruction in their wake. I just can't bring myself to spoil their fun. I'll give them a minute before "drill sergeant mom" makes them practice the piano and finish their homework.

In the meantime, I will go back to stressing over this weekend's impending doom. What, you ask, am I dreading this weekend? Namely, my beautiful, tender hearted, little boy's first hunting trip with his father.

I know I don't often share my viewpoints on certain issues with many people outside my immediate circle (children, husband, in-laws, parents, siblings, friends, acquaintances at the grocery store, etc.). But, I have had the occasion to share my disdain for hunting with a few of you. In fact, I think it might have come up sometime during my 1st date with my husband. Anyhow, Reggie is still taking Mitchell on a hunting trip.

I tried to explain to Reggie that Mitchell's sweet spirit would be damaged if he repeated his last hunting experience (the time that he had to shoot the deer 3 or 4 times to finish the job)but, he assured me that all would be well. This, coming from the man who likes to start fires with large containers of gasoline. I felt so much better.

So, I implore all of you to offer prayers on my behalf, that the two boys that I love most in the world will make it home safe and sound, without a deer carcass in the back of the Ford.

By the way, the post about our Japanese exchange student has been successfully translated!

Minor Imperfections

"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds."

-Winston Churchill

"Mother, when would you say it happened? The day I turned into a perfectionist." When did I set out on my quest to find the perfect donut recipe or the best organic peanut butter? My life has turned into such a stressful search for the "best" way to do everything that I seem to forget what it was like before.

I remember the Christmas, when I was 10 years old, when I got the Cabbage Patch doll from Aunt Maxine. It was a bittersweet day, the day that I opened Gussie Toby underneath the Christmas Tree. I had desperately wanted a Cabbage Patch Doll so that, I too, could send in my adoption papers to Xavier Roberts. My happiness, however, was short lived due to the 3 or 4 strands of yarn that sat disheveled on her orange dolly head. I tried to smooth them back into place but it was no use. The doll was defective. I never really loved her the way that a mother should. She was replaced by Sadie Madie on my 11th birthday.

That was so many hair styles ago, and yet I still can't seem to get it together. Today was the first day of Semi-annual General Conference for our church. It was a day to be spiritually fed and replenished. I looked forward to it after a busy week of whipping up another slew of healthy and delicious sack lunches, penning the perfect Primary program, laundering every washable item in my home, etc., etc. Thankfully, one of the main themes that I have taken away from today's talks was a need to simplify our lives.

It reminded me of my favorite talk from last fall's General Conference. It was given by Sister Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President of our church. She said,

"Mothers Who Know Do Less. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children--more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.

Mother's Who Know Do Less."

I don't know what I would do without my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God loves me and that he has a plan for me. I want my children to know what I know. The best way to teach them is to eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the mandatory. I want to be a mother that "Does Less."

Konnichi wa

One of the highlights of this past summer was the arrival of Manami, our foreign exchange student from Japan. Most of you know how I grow strangely attached to pets. It is a trait that has plagued me time and time again (note: I will not accept any more animals from anyone, including the Easter Bunny). Anyhow, I found that hosting a darling girl from Japan to be even worse. Everyone in the family grew unusually connected in such a short time. It is amazing how someone can become part of your family in a mere 2 1/2 weeks.

Manami was a delight to have around. She bravely tolerated the probing questions of three small children as well as the vocabulary queries of a Japanese R.M. (Reggie served in the Sendai, Japan mission 14 years ago). We loved hearing about her "crazy" little sister back home and were impressed with her diligent study habits. I think she enjoyed her exposure to everything American. She seemed to like the food I fixed that represented all things deep-fried as well as my "famous" chocolate chip cookies. We even took her to the Harley Davidson store so she could purchase something "American" for her boyfriend's birthday.

We packed in as much excitement as possible in those two short weeks, visiting: "This is the Place" state park, Lagoon, Sundance, and several malls (her favorite). However, our favorite memories with Manami would have to be the quiet moments at home playing UNO and eating octopus crackers (we got her back with root beer and sour candy).

We made sure she was the last student loaded on the bus the morning she went home. Just a few more stolen moments for Tess to ask questions like, "Manami, that's the moon. Do you have a moon where you live?" As the bus pulled away, we tearfully counted the miles between here and Japan, hoping that our Japanese daughter decides to visit her American family soon!