"Keep Doing a Lousy Job"

In Stake Conference about a year ago, there was a speaker (sadly, I can't remember who) who talked about how difficult it can be to do all the things we're supposed to (i.e. FHE, read the scriptures, family prayer, etc.) when we have young kids. He talked about feeling like we're doing a lousy job because we can't get our kids to sit still long enough to teach them anything. Sometimes it is difficult to feel the Spirit when we're constantly struggling and wrestling kids to sit still, fold their arms, or listen. Sometimes it feels like it may not even be worth trying to do while the kids are so young. I have definitely had those feelings! Well, he encouraged us to "keep doing a lousy job" because that is exactly what we should be doing to build a foundation for our family on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even if the kids aren't grasping the concept completely, at least we are teaching them that these things are important to us!

Well, that was a very encouraging talk for me - here is our family doing "a lousy job" :)

and then here is Katie's version in "Spanitch" :O)

It Has Come To This

This is Mom not ready to ween baby off bottle for her own sanity and sleep needs. This is the only way to keep McKenna from taking off the lid and pouring out all the milk.

D.E.A.R. time

Katie & I have been reading Charlotte's Web for the past month or so and finished it today. We have discovered that Katie loves us to read chapter books to her. She gets very excited to read a chapter before naptime or bedtime and is thrilled when we finish the entire book. It started with a princess book that her Uncle Don gave to her two Christmases ago that was about 250 pages long and full of chapters. We didn't dare tackle it back then when she was 2, so we mostly just looked at the pictures and made up shorter stories to go along. This summer I started reading it to her - one chapter at a time - to see how she would like it. She ended up loving it and asking for more everyday until we finished it in October. I honestly didn't think we would ever make it through the whole thing, but she loved every second of it. When we finished Katie said, "Mom, there was no Snow White or Sleeping Beauty in that book!" She then decided that she was going to ask Santa for another princess chapter book that had ALL the princesses in it for Christmas. In hopes of keeping her interest in chapter books alive, we started reading Charlotte's Web with the goal to finish it before Christmas when hopefully Santa would bring her the exact book she requested. And we did it! We read the final three chapters today before her nap. She was so excited when we turned the last page. She knew that meant that her princess book will be here soon! We'll see if she gets what she asked for tomorrow!

I am enjoying this time reading with Katie and hope that she continues to love reading, and reading with her mom, for a long time. I had never read Charlotte's Web before. I loved the animated movie as a child (and still do) so I knew the story well. I loved the book just as much as the movie, probably a little more (no surprise). The last two chapters were pretty emotional for me though. I don't know if it was the writing or the hormones, but Charlotte's death and Wilbur's new friendship with her daughters at the end definitely got me. What a sweet story of friendship and love. I would definitely recommend reading this classic children's story if you haven't already. And if you have, read it again!

Drop Everything And Read