Sleep?

Last night, Quinn turned to me, as I had my typical pile of books next to the bed to do a "quick read through" before I pass out for the night, and said, "when do you sleep?" I lovingly looked at my pile of books and said, "Only when I absolutely have to...there's just so much to learn!"  Of course, realistically, I seldom get past one page reading in bed at night before my eyelids close on their own...

Maybe I am in scholar phase finally?  I don't know, but this learning business sure is a riot!  The other day I asked Avot to cover a map with blank outlines of all the countries of the world with one candy in every country.  Then, atlases by our side, we began!  One at a time, naming what countries we could using the maps or from memory.  We also watched my friends amazing presentation on prezi about North America that had cool pictures and links like "vimeo: naturally Haiti" that is all about their cool art and the Laia temple dedication video on You tube, not to mention a cool one on Inuits.  I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it!  It was so inspirational!  Then we talked a little bit about the Perpetual Education Fund, and Piper picked a cool page from the Friend magazine for my church about appreciating diversity.  So cool!

http://prezi.com/rinhrvlh3pfl/north-american-continent/

Then Goober taught Chugger-dude and I some cool math tricks from "Go Figure!", one of the truly coolest Math books in creation that we got for Christmas.  Fun day!  It's nice to have one of those sandwiched amidst some of the other "less productive" days :)...

POTTY TRAINING!!!!

Does it ever get "easier"? NO!  Does it every become more bearable..perhaps.  Perhaps it is as I begin to realize cleaning up poop hasn't killed me yet, and beds can become clean multiple times, and, yes, you can potty train using diapers at night and not be a failure in the long run :).  (I took the coward's way out.)

But then again, no mere coward could potty train dearest Hava-lava...

"Levels" of society and living and personal application

Quinn told me recently about an article he read about the “stratification” of society and their eating… “habits?” for lack of a better word.  The lower class is mostly concerned with quantity of food, the middle class=quality, and the upper class=presentation.  Now this got me thinking about whether or not this applies to other things, like jobs, clothes, houses, etc.  How often does this apply?

This also got me thinking about my personal issue with this type of “labeling”.  I hate it.  I don’t agree with it.  The very terms “lower” and “upper” denote levels of quality, which I don’t agree with.  Ghandi and Mother Theresa qualify as “upper class” to me, yet out of choice, they occupied society’s lowest social tier.   

It also got me thinking…in what things am I concerned with quantity? In what things, quality? In what things, presentation? (if any, on that last one :).)  I further thought: “Where do I want to be?”  I want to live simply, free from the pressure of materialism.  Does that mean giving up "quality" sometimes?  Ghandi gave up spices, striving to free himself from the obsession with taste and the sophistication that he felt went along with that.  I am no Ghandi, but what is the principle?  When we spend our time and money obsessing over quality and presentation of material things, do we sacrifice quality and presentation in more important matters that are seemingly immaterial? For instance, do we sacrifice family time, connections with our neighbors, cultivating our intellect when we spend hours and hours creating "quality" in lifestyle, physical appearance, or presentation?  On the other hand, God worked hard to create beauty in even the small things...things of quality.  At what point is it valuable and beautifying, and at what point is it meaningless?  Different answers for different situations and different people?  Probably :).  Sounds like another area for individualized "follow the Spirit" type action!

As I thought about Ghandi, it struck me how much he focused on fostering independence among his people, starting with independence from the English economically.  Ghandi taught them to harvest their own salt, sew their own clothes, produce their own food, for he knew that in this was the seed to freedom.  It made me think about our society.  If we seek to be truly free, we must be free from dependence upon our government or our economy.  If we know how to grow, harvest and preserve our own food, make and clean our own clothes, clean up our own messes, and live on what we can produce, even if we choose into the economic conveniences of our society, we are not bound to them or paralyzed in the face of economic challenges.  How vital it is that we know how to live within our means, use our resources, and tighten up our belts when the times are challenging!

Blind in more ways than one...

The other day, my eyes were irritated and it was difficult to see.  I have had this problem often enough that it started me thinking about what it would be like to be blind.  As I struggled to do some things while my eyes were irritated, I thought, “One of the worst things if I went blind would be my inability to read books.”  I thought about books-on-tape, which led me to books on-line, which led me to communicating via email, and how challenging it would be to type and effectively communicate (knowing how often I have to fix my writing as it is with me “seeing”!).  I thought, “I bet I would more easily offend people if I were blind.”  Then I thought (don’t you love this stream of conscious “Mary-ism”?), “I wonder if that is like how it is so easy to offend people when we are ‘blind’ to their situation or their needs and just ‘blindly’ charge ahead, unaware of the mistakes we are making.”  Hmmm….

Dependence=Spiritual Bondage

Right now, as I live with my parents during this transition time, I have been so blessed: m y mom loves to wash dishes.  Now, typically at the end of a project-filled day at my old house, I made the choice often to leave the dishes for the morning. However, my mom enjoys doing it at the end of the day after she has been at work. “It warms up my hands,” she lovingly insists, bless her heart.  I have loved it so much, but now, sometimes, as I make a mess, I am very conscious of how much she will clean up, if she does it before we get to it.  Now, we have a great relationship…I love to cook and “make the messes”, so we seem to have a good balance, but it does make me think as I have someone else cleans up after me and my messy creativity. 

It made me think about how binding and depressing it would be to be dependent upon someone to do that regularly, without doing anything in return. I am blessed in that there are some things that I think I can help out around here with, so I think we are something of a help, in the face of the obvious inconveniences of having 10 extra people in your home for a few months .  It just made me grateful, grateful that I can clean up after myself…eventually; grateful for the freedom that comes with it.

Hair-cutting tips...from Oprah?

Random thing:  I learned how to layer my own hair a while back. I think it came from Oprah, but, seeing as I have never watched it in my life, wonder how I heard about it, and how I know it came from her.  But, that point aside, it has been cool to do my own layering!  You bring all your hair as evenly as possible to a pony tail on top of your head.  If you want it shorter in front you bring the ponytail closer to the front of your head…longer, toward the back.  Then you bind your hair every inch or so with another ponytail elastic, until you get to toward the end of your pony tail.  Then, you slice it off evenly across the bound pony tail..I like to start with 1/2 inch to make sure the change is not to drastic my first time doing it on someone.  Let your hair out, and you are done!  It works on my curly hair and very nicely on Lily’s perfectly straight hair. Then, you just cut an even straight line across the bottom once they hair is let down.  So cool!  Thanks, Oprah?

Why do hard things?

The other day, my dad commented how Tova was such a hard worker.  “Yes, she is,” I thought.  Then I thought about her comment about a week before that, at the end of a long, full day.  “I feel so happy, mom, when I do these hard, scholar days.”  These experiences together made me ponder on what I believe is a truth: when we do hard things and overcome challenges, we are happy. 

Now, why is that?  Why is the right way for each of us often the more challenging one?  For instance, as I stood over the sink the other night, cleaning up after my family’s mess instead of playing games J, I thought…sometimes being a mom of nine is hard!  You don’t always get to do what you want, surprise, surprise J! ( Well, at least if you do want to do things outside of basic maintenance for too long, things seem to be harder afterwards J.)    These thoughts led me to reflect upon a marvelous book I read a while back, called “Do Hard Things” written by two young men.  They challenged their peers to do hard things!  They insisted that youth are craving meaningful, challenging experiences to really push them, despite modern societies tendency to coddle them, cater to them, and entertain them until they are “ready to become adults”.  This! Coming from “teenagers”?

So I thought, “Why?” again!  What is it that is so deeply satisfying about doing what needs to be done, whether it is hard or easy?

Then the thought came to me: perhaps it is because in the process we are stretching our souls, our abilities, our potentials to become more like God!  To fulfill our divine destiny, God has promised, is the most satisfying, the most rewarding,…yields the most pure joy!  It reminded me of the quote in Mere Christianity, where C.S. Lewis points out that God gives us commandments not just to see if we will jump through some hoop to see if we will be obedient, but because, by following those commandments, we will be able to become like Him…kind of like the ultimate coach and mentor is someone who has been down the path you want to go down, and is willing to tell you how to do it.

I mean, think of it!  Think of all that God does, all that He keeps track of, all the disappointment, heartache and time He devotes to us, His work and His glory…  While it may be easy for Him now, if we are to be like Him, it certainly wouldn’t be easy for me now J!

End thought: Don’t shirk from hard things.  Of course, don’t go looking for them (they will come on their own), and just because it is the right thing, doesn’t mean it has to be hard.  However, there are times when the right thing is the hard thing, and we need to do it because it is the best thing.

Amazing Blog post on Environment in the home!!!

In this world, there are many different style of parenting for a very important reason...there are many different styles of us!  :)  Each child is unique, and, I feel, is sent to the parents they have for a reason.  (I don't pretend to understand why some are sent to abusive homes, but trust God's wisdom and love for those children.)  I feel that each parent receives the particular inspiration they need for their child, and it is not for us to judge, for perhaps it is the "quirks" of  those parents that that particular spirit needs.
For instance, I have a dear sister-in-law who might be considered "phobic" about letting her children near the water, another might be called "phobic" about where her kids are at all times.  I am openly "phobic" about what I let my children listen to and watch, fearing the emotional and spiritual safety perhaps as intensely as they do the physical dangers that face their children.
My dear friend, Karen, has a blog that I like to read, and she posted something that perfectly outlines why I am so "paranoid" about what I let my kids watch and listen to...especially when they are little.  I like that she doesn't outline specifics about application.  I feel that we should each study correct principles and then apply them in our own homes as the Spirit directs--and this will look different for each one of us!  Some might consider one film uplifting, another one find it offensive.  That being said, I think Karen has nailed on the head the principles behind creating what God intends for us to have as our environment in the home.
It is found at: http://www.thetaleofourquest.blogspot.com/

Pay it forward!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc8ZbVcdHpg&sns=fb

My husband sent this to me...cool!

Today

We are still surrounded in totes here at my parent’s house, but have been steadily getting rid of more and more.  I just gave away two huge totes and two large garbage bags full of clothes from our “clothes storage”.  It is crazy how it just feels right.  My logical part of my brain has remained stunned and speechless as I find remarkable peace in getting rid of so much that I previously felt like was necessary…probably partly because before it felt right to keep it…

We had a special treat a couple days ago: we were able to go to lunch with a bunch of Quinn’s siblings.  As I came away from it and have thought about it since, I realize how blessed I am to have such amazing people in the family I married into!  I love them dearly and they are so good to me…  We went to the Cheesecake Factory and were treated to lunch by Quinn’s sister, and, boy!, was it yummy!  Unfortunately, this holiday season I have been surrounded with plenty of “yummies” and have been so tired and stressed that my self-control has gone out the window :).  So much for losing weight!

On to paint again today!  Things are really coming together at the house, so it should be soon now that we can get it on the market.   I must admit, it looks pretty nice! J  Quinn’s dad has been awesome at helping us paint, and my older ones have been amazing at watching the little ones while I do it with Quinn.  The kids want to paint our haza in Hungary before we move in so it looks szep. (Nice Hungarian, udja?)

Scripture reading = Power

The song “Scripture Power” is going through my head right now: “Scripture power keeps me safe from sin; Scripture Power is the power to win…” or something like that.  The other day I didn’t read any scriptures…we didn’t have family reading time, I didn’t do a quick glance into it, didn’t even read the Ensign!  And, boy, did I have a rotten day!  Nothing outside happened, really…in fact, everyone else was wonderful, which at times seemed 10 times worse when I had no excuse for my rotten attitude!  I was grumpy, surly, hyper-sensitive…you name it!  Of course, I have those days often enough, but normally it feels a little, ummmm…tempered, I guess?  I have the Spirit whispering, “Oh, you just blew it J…” and things like that, guiding me, and I feel like Heavenly Father is catching me the many times I fall.  However, that day felt…different.  I could feel a big contrast, and, when trying to put my finger on the difference, realized it was because I hadn’t read my scriptures! It struck me that I have taken the power it gives me for granted.  I had always heard and said, “Oh yes!  It makes a difference when I read my scriptures..”; however, at that point, reflecting on my day the next day, I knew it.  It also seems to be my womanly time for grumpiness (excuse? I think not J…), the time when I feel lonely, self-pitying, and irritable.  However, not having that spiritual buffer that day helped me realize how much it makes a difference!

Moses-Painting-Friends

It struck me as I was reading in Moses 1 yesterday morning an interesting event that happens in the lives of several of the prophets.  They are shown into the presence of God or an angel and are shown all the works of God, His many creations on this world, all the planets, worlds without number, and so much more: “And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God. (Vs 28) And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. (And then vs 29) And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.”

So I thought, “Why that?” Why are they shown, as the crowning event of God’s trust in them and their closeness to Him, all of the children of the earth and His creations?  The answer came in Moses 1:39: “For behold, this is my work and my glory…”  So, a couple spin-off thoughts from that…

1. The contrast between what God shows the prophets and what Satan showed Christ atop the temple.  Satan showed Jesus glory, power, and riches.  God showed the prophets people and their doings, where they lived, who they were, and every particle of the earth.

2. When we learn about people, places, and the world around us (especially with the light of the Spirit), we are “beholding” the work and the glory of the Father…we have arrived!  To be able to see the many cultures, the many people, to study the planets and their orbits, the earth and the many creations, is to be truly engaged in the work of God!

As we engage in learning, led by the Spirit (as it states in Alma 12:10-11), our understanding of the world around us will enlarge until we can see seemingly impossible things…like “each soul” among the numberless inhabitants of our planet alone.  This is what the prophets were shown when they were experiencing mighty visions!  It gives me different perspective on the value of learning. We become more intimately engaged in "His work and His glory". 

Painting

As I have been painting the house, it has been a very good thing to reflect upon each room and memories I have made in that room…very good closure.  I don’t mind leaving the house, caught up in the “rightness” of it all, so fixing it up has not been bittersweet at all.  Even the time spending there has allowed me to rub shoulders with dear, dear friends I will miss.

Friends

So that is what I do miss, and which I will never have “closure” with, thankfully!  Dear, dear friends!  It is not real to me yet, all the people I may never see again, although a good many I will, and others I hope to at least keep in contact with.  I miss my friends, some of whom have become like sisters to me, a relationship I cherish.  To have someone who understands and knows you (like an email I got from one friend a while ago: “Mary, you are on the computer at 8 am!  Is everything alright?”), who has seen all the really stupid things you have done, and still loves you, embraces you, and accepts you with all your idiosyncrasies is so precious! This Christmas, I am very grateful for the gift of friendship that I have been given by so many of you!

Chugger-dude's birthday

For Chugger-dude’s birthday, we thought it would be fun to go swimming.  Everyone was feeling relatively better (except for Piper who quietly lay on the couch downstairs with Grandma and Grandpa at home the whole time), so Quinn and I thought it would be a nice treat for Chugger-dude on his birthday.  Quinn came up to where he was sitting and said, “Chugger-dude, for your birthday, mom and I thought it would be nice to do something super special…we’re going to clean out the garage!” After a pause, in which Chugger-dude looked stunned, Quinn quickly added, “Just kidding!  We are going to go swimming!  Doesn’t that sound fun?!”  Hyrum hid his face and burst into tears.  Baffled, Quinn and I looked at each other and I asked Chugger-dude, “Don’t you want to go swimming?” He always loved it before!  He raised a tear-filled face and said, “I don’t want to get cold outside!”  Poor dear…

shopping with Hava-lava

Quinn told Hava-lava to pick out some presents for Papaya at the DI for Christmas this morning, then watched as she walked down the aisle, saying, “Papaya likes this one; Papaya likes this one…”, until she had collected the following:

After she had finished,  Quinn told Blossom to take Hava-lava to the next aisle over so he could put the toys back without Hava-lava getting upset.  When Hava-lava came back to the emptier basket she was dismayed: “Where are all of Papaya’s presents?!”  Sweet dear.  Quinn assured her he had taken a picture of all of the toys, and she seemed to be alright.