I love hot chocolate. Last night I was craving hot chocolate. And so, even though it is clearly past hot chocolate season, and it was 82 degrees outside, I made myself a cup. Drinking it kind of felt like being a full-grown adult and deciding to cruise main street. You thought it was a good idea, and you remember it being really enjoyable, but something about doing it now feels all wrong. I think I'll have to go camping to really enjoy that steamy chocolaty goodness again before October. Luckily, unlike teenage-hood, hot chocolate season is a reoccurring thing.
But there is good news. I also love SYTYCD. And though the hot chocolate season is over, the SYTYCD has only just begun!!! I knew I liked summertime.
Also, I was thinking summer should really be a season for reading. I was walking through Barnes & Noble with Kate and looking at all the novels that would make great summer fodder. And I was thinking, I want to do nothing this summer but swim with my children and read! I remember Sister Hinkley once talking about how proper childhood requires idle summer hours. However, since then I have proceeded to pack our summer full of lessons and trips and activities. Hmmm. Maybe next year.
22 May 2008
21 May 2008
Two Specials on the Credit Crisis
We've recently listened to two podcasts explaining the credit crisis that we've liked. From This American Life, The Giant Pool of Money tells how it all came crashing down in words a 3rd grader could understand. And from The Economist, A Special Report on International Banking also tells how we're trying to avoid making this mistake next time.
17 May 2008
Happy Mother's Day
Brent makes a new picture for me every year and glues it in my Mother's Day book. This year's spelled out "Happy Mother's Day."
I have really enjoyed everyone's Mother's Day Posts. I love what Tisha said about this "pleasant bump in the month of May that gives us all a chance to remember and reflect on Motherhood. Of course, I think of my own Mother…I try to follow in her footsteps while keeping balance, understanding that we are different people with different strengths, that my kids will hopefully still turn out alright even if I'm not canning dozens of jars of fruit while 9 months pregnant, or running a daycare while caring for 5 children of my own…I often think of my peers. The mothers who are my friends, my sisters, those who relate to the day to day insanity of living with little ones. And I stand amazed. All these fun-loving, carefree, interesting, strong, laid-back, intense girls, who sacrificed their body, their time, their hearts, so much of themselves to give life and rear another."
How nice it was for me to become a mother and suddenly notice I was surrounded by incredible mothers, both as family and friends. During many pieces of my daily routine, I think of other mothers. I think of my own mother, for example, when I catch myself being too dramatic, because she always made the job seem straight-forward, and always did the important things first, and did them all day long, and it was as simple as that. When I'm folding or making beds I think of my mother's mother, whose clothes folding is neater than oragami and bed making is smoother than wedding-cake fondant. How does she do that? When I start to baby my kids too much, I think of my mother-in-law, who raised four self-sufficient children. It goes on and on with friends I've met in each place we've lived. More than just mothering techniques, it's the feeling that I'm part of this group of dedicated and focused and upbeat women, happily losing sleep and cleaning up disgusting things and reading favorite bedtime stories over and over again.
The best part of Mother's Day was seeing that Kate really wanted to make me feel special on my day. She made and wrapped a pipe-cleaner and bead bracelet completely on her own. After Mother's Day, I couldn't resist the urge to call Andrea, and do what has become our yearly Mother's Day review of church. This came up the year after Andrea's ward got them nothing (is this right, Andrea?) and the talks were about tithing or something unrelated. This year I got a Sees truffle. And also a fantastic story about President Andrew Jackson's mother. It was great.
In church 4 years ago, a dad speaker said delicately, "I know some mothers don't enjoy Mother's Day, and feel guilty thinking about how good of a mother they could be." This shocked me back then, though I can understand it now. But I did make up my mind to just be happy on that day. I do have to say I kind of had ah-ha moment this year when I realized, if memory serves me correctly, that it was is the second mothers day in a row where Brent has found time to take a quick nap and I have been too busy "accomplishing things." That has got to change. So as a quick note to myself. Next year I'm going to accomplish nothing on mother's day, except a nap and time with ones I'm mothering and chatting with my mothers.
I have really enjoyed everyone's Mother's Day Posts. I love what Tisha said about this "pleasant bump in the month of May that gives us all a chance to remember and reflect on Motherhood. Of course, I think of my own Mother…I try to follow in her footsteps while keeping balance, understanding that we are different people with different strengths, that my kids will hopefully still turn out alright even if I'm not canning dozens of jars of fruit while 9 months pregnant, or running a daycare while caring for 5 children of my own…I often think of my peers. The mothers who are my friends, my sisters, those who relate to the day to day insanity of living with little ones. And I stand amazed. All these fun-loving, carefree, interesting, strong, laid-back, intense girls, who sacrificed their body, their time, their hearts, so much of themselves to give life and rear another."How nice it was for me to become a mother and suddenly notice I was surrounded by incredible mothers, both as family and friends. During many pieces of my daily routine, I think of other mothers. I think of my own mother, for example, when I catch myself being too dramatic, because she always made the job seem straight-forward, and always did the important things first, and did them all day long, and it was as simple as that. When I'm folding or making beds I think of my mother's mother, whose clothes folding is neater than oragami and bed making is smoother than wedding-cake fondant. How does she do that? When I start to baby my kids too much, I think of my mother-in-law, who raised four self-sufficient children. It goes on and on with friends I've met in each place we've lived. More than just mothering techniques, it's the feeling that I'm part of this group of dedicated and focused and upbeat women, happily losing sleep and cleaning up disgusting things and reading favorite bedtime stories over and over again.
The best part of Mother's Day was seeing that Kate really wanted to make me feel special on my day. She made and wrapped a pipe-cleaner and bead bracelet completely on her own. After Mother's Day, I couldn't resist the urge to call Andrea, and do what has become our yearly Mother's Day review of church. This came up the year after Andrea's ward got them nothing (is this right, Andrea?) and the talks were about tithing or something unrelated. This year I got a Sees truffle. And also a fantastic story about President Andrew Jackson's mother. It was great.
In church 4 years ago, a dad speaker said delicately, "I know some mothers don't enjoy Mother's Day, and feel guilty thinking about how good of a mother they could be." This shocked me back then, though I can understand it now. But I did make up my mind to just be happy on that day. I do have to say I kind of had ah-ha moment this year when I realized, if memory serves me correctly, that it was is the second mothers day in a row where Brent has found time to take a quick nap and I have been too busy "accomplishing things." That has got to change. So as a quick note to myself. Next year I'm going to accomplish nothing on mother's day, except a nap and time with ones I'm mothering and chatting with my mothers.
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