Thanks to M. Russell Ballard's talk at General Conference, this week I am going to try a little harder. His talk made me pay more attention to how awesome my kids and husband really are.
I appreciate it more that T pulls faces at me and giggles when he is supposed to be calming down to go to sleep. I am loving the fact that Seth will sit down and read The Princess and the Pea to his little sister. He also will sneak around and quietly make everyone's bed in the morning which is SO fantastic. And where would I be in this boy-filled house with out my Alice? She's keeping it feminine with the princesses, dancing, and singing. She is also such a great helper .
I am wishing that they would all just slow down a little, and grow up later rather than sooner.
So, I plan to kick it up a notch this week. I will be more upbeat, play more Hungry Hungry Hippos, bake more bread, read more stories, and generally turn myself into Super Mom.
I expect scads of appreciation, but if any kid happens to turn their nose up at the dinner I slaved over for hours, I'll just turn to Barry Manilow to remind them all how much they need me.
Mandy
I remember all my life
Raining down as cold as ice.
Shadows of a man,
A face through a window cryin in the night,
The night goes into
Morning just another day;
Happy people pass my way.
Looking in their eyes,
I see a memory I never realized
How happy you made me.
Oh Mandy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
Kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today. oh, Mandy!
Im standing on the edge of time;
Ive walked away when love was mine.
Caught up in a world of uphill climbing,
The tears are in my mind
And nothin in rhyming.
Oh Mandy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
Kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today. oh, Mandy!
And when they play this at my funeral in 50 years, my children will all sit there, sobbing into their handkerchiefs, wishing that they had at least tasted my Chicken Cacciatore.
Another thing I needed to justify my existence is this article. Granted, this is not "news" in any way shape or form, but sometimes a little recognition is nice. Of course, I also have to give a nod to Michael, who when he has time, does a very impressive job cleaning the kitchen. Seriously, he makes it sterile. You could perform surgery on our counter tops. Yup, he's a winner. I'll keep him. However, the image Elder Ballard painted of himself sitting in the back of church trying to entertain six little kids with hand puppets and spilled Cheerios made me laugh, because it is SO easy to picture my guy in that exact position!
Addendum: When Michael checked Seth's math homework tonight we had a laugh. The assignment was to estimate something that could be a certain length, then actually measure to see if it was what you estimated. Seth put that he estimated that a yardstick could be about a yard. I'm pretty sure he didn't measure to see if his estimation was correct.
7 comments:
Great thoughts. I loved his talk, too. It is worth all of our efforts, large or small.
I agree, it did inspire me to work harder, but it would be easier if maybe there were more hours in the day? By the way those are some totally cute boots you are wearing in your family pic. I do love shoes :)
Amen. I loved Elder Ballard's talk too. I'm trying a little harder this week to be a fun Mom too. That's so funny you play Barry's "Mandy" for your fam. They'll totally bawl at your funeral, that's for sure. You're great, Mandy!
Nice boots.
I've had that song in my head all day, thanks to you! Your kids will miss you tons, and have great memories. But who's going to sing that song at your funeral? Maybe Barry himself! We have nightly math homework too, and it's always fun to see what J puts down. Estimation is a hard one.
Yeah, that talk made me feel good, motivated, and frustrated/embarrassed with how I'm doing all at the same time! And I should be more willing to play Hungry Hungry Hippos too, instead of hiding it on the top shelf.
Very good thoughts Mandy! I must add my amen to that sister!
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