Category: Motherhood

Fitted to their talents

President Emily Freeman quoted Churchill last night in a devotional for youth, leaders, and parents about education.

I think the Lord taps us on the shoulder many times throughout our lives to help others based on our gifts and preparation. President Freeman’s words caused me to reflect on the times I needed to step up to do something special, unique to me, and fitted to my talents. Here are some of the things that came to my mind.

Mothering Paige, Daniel, Timothy, and Mark

Teaching homeschool

Speaking to congregations as a sister leader

Leading church and community groups

Writing family stories

Using my gift of listening

What positive things does this quote bring to your mind about your own unique contribution to the world?

Typhoon Bolaven

This week as we talked to Timothy, he was in a long line of cars waiting to fill containers with drinking water. Saipan is in the path of a typhoon, and the islanders were busy preparing for the emergency. As we continued our conversation, we were interrupted by the rumbling of power tools as someone drilled plywood over his apartment windows.

It has been four months since Typhoon Mawar pummelled the island of Guam, where he was serving at the time.

I am not worried, but maybe a little weary from his great adventure. 😅

Deadline

We are in college and scholarship application season, and it seems to get more intense each time.

I sat through an application seminar last week, even though we have successfully navigated this process several times. “Things are changing,” is what I keep hearing about scholarships and universities.

This week, there is a deadline for a scholarship competition, and we have been through several phases of realization, some of them pretty miserable.

I have loved raising our kids, even this difficult, anxious phase with some of the last lessons before flight. As Mark writes his essays, we revisit the triumphs of growing up and the failures, too. Its a time to look back together before things get really busy, so I won’t wish away these days.

Update on our grown children

Child is a word that applies to any age when a person is linked to a parent. Even though they are independent and strong, I am glad that I am still allowed to think of Paige, Daniel, and Timothy as my children.

I haven’t written about our older kids in a long time because they are living their own lives, very independent from us. But in my journal of tender mercies, any day that I get to talk to one of them, it makes the list of blessings for the day.

Paige and I have a phone appointment each Wednesday morning. It is something I look forward to each week.

Paige and Mike bought a house in Alabama this spring.

They both work from home. Michael is an accountant, and Paige works as an illustrator, and she has done a lot of digital art for the online Investopedia magazine. She mostly illustrates financial concepts, but she has also done some medical illustrations and more. This summer, her work was featured in a printed version of Investopedia magazine. She also did an illustration for the January 2023 Friend magazine.

Paige and Michael serve in the Primary organization at church. We will visit them later this fall, and it will be our first trip to Alabama.

Daniel lives nearby, and he begins his senior year at BYU this week, studying electrical engineering. He did an internship at L3 Harris (Richard’s company) this summer, so Richard talked to him quite a bit during the past several months.

After graduation next spring, Daniel will pursue a masters degree, and L3 Harris has offered him a job. Daniel and McKenna are quick to serve wherever they are needed. Daniel plays the organ in sacrament meeting and piano for choir, plus he serves in the elders quorum as service coordinator. McKenna served as assistant girls camp director this summer. Both of them help their local grandparents with all their hearts.

Timothy, our missionary, is on a new island, Saipan, a Northern Mariana island. This is country #4 where he has served during his mission, so I bought a new flag to display in the yard. He is excited to be on Saipan, and he and his companion are very busy teaching people. He is happy, as you can see.

He alternates with other missionaries to fly to a small island called Tinian on weekends to support a tiny group of members for church services. Here is a picture of their sacrament meeting last Sunday on Tinian. Oh, my! ❤️

We have a video call with Elder Ross each Sunday in the late afternoon, which is Monday morning for him. I have a hug scheduled with him on November 1 when he arrives home.

Ask

Maybe it’s the waning influence that I have during a child’s 18th year, but it feels like I am welcomed into a pretty exclusive club when I am asked to help with a dance invitation.

Paints, brushes, adhesives, poster board, and markers covered our kitchen surfaces on Friday afternoon and late into the evening. It’s an “Up” themed invitation, and Mark painted a little birdhouse in all the pastels from the movie.

We delivered the invitation late at night, as one does. I have become a slick getaway driver.

20 months

Each month, I add a new house on my kitchen windowsill to mark the time that Tim has served as a missionary. I think of the people he has met, and the many houses he has entered.

This display was marketed as an advent calendar, but the anticipation of placing a new house each month might actually be more exciting than counting down the days until Christmas.

I like to find ways to mark our days. Sometimes it’s impossible to convey all that has come during a period of time, but somehow, these little houses hold my secrets.

Prayer Fog

Such a helpful insight from Becky Craven on Instagram today!

In my journals from the busiest years of my life, I often expressed frustration because I struggled to concentrate during my personal prayers. In one journal, I used the pages to write out my prayers, thinking that this would improve my focus.

I wish that I had understood that some of those thoughts that snuck into my mind during my seemingly unfocused prayers were God’s way of reaching me.

Also, I understand now that during those elemental prayers, which were scattered and pleading, I was actually creating a relationship with God because I was being real. He didn’t want a formal structure as much as He just wanted to hear from me. My prayers were effective, and I didn’t know it.

So, today I encourage you to keep praying through the frustration and fog. We may not see it now, but heaven is closer and more helpful than we can imagine.

Structuring home life with children

Over a year ago, someone asked me to write my advice for someone who was a new homeschooler. I haven’t talked about homeschool on this blog in many years, but I had an interesting moment this morning where I not only remembered this email, but felt a strong urge to post it here.

I think most of these points apply to anyone trying to structure home life with children, especially during the summer, so take what you need, and forget the rest.

1. Pray first thing as a family every day. Establish routines for start time, subjects, breaks, and lunch. Consider scripture time a daily subject.

2. Do things regularly with other families. It is good that kids play with children of all ages.

3. Choose a curriculum strong in language arts and math. Have a plan for the year, each month, week, and every day.

4. Steel yourself to criticism from those who don’t understand what you are accomplishing.

5. Go on dates with your husband without the kids.

6. Fill your house with books of all kinds and read, read, read together and independently.

7. Find a friend with whom you can share your experiences so school and children aren’t the only things you talk about with your husband.

8. Plan unstructured time for kids to explore their own interests. Their interests can propel their desire to read, write, and learn how to be proactive learners.

9. Celebrate achievements with certificates or stickers or whatever makes your kids happy. Don’t feel like you have to mirror a public school classroom with big charts, etc. You can do simple, meaningful things to track progress.

10. Go outside together or do crafts when things get too intense in the house.

11. Explore nature, go to museums, run and play, visit the elderly, take art classes, make collections together. Some of the best advice I received was to play with playdough with my children. Your children will need to help around the house, too. You can’t do everything yourself.

12. Look at every subject as a means to increase reading and writing skills.

13. Take pictures and cherish the time together. Don’t broadcast everything on social media. Honor your children’s privacy in learning and development.

14. Listen for and expect the Lord to lead you in small things and big things. Heavenly Father is even more interested in helping your children progress than you are, so be willing to accept answers that aren’t part of your original plan.

15. You can contact me if you want to talk. I was a homeschool mom for 14 years.

Art by Paige, around 2010

Moab Trip

The Ross family tour bus departed on Memorial Day, just as most people packed up their RV’s to come home. We passed masses of traffic traveling home in the other direction, and discovered that the places we visited near Moab were not crowded. Richard made excellent plans and accommodations for us. He is so good at this.

After such a wet winter, the landscape was more green than we can remember. There were so many wildflowers, that whole fields were dusted in color, mostly orange, but many other colors, too.

Do you spy Paige and Michael, and Daniel and McKenna traveling with us? Lucky us! My brother Joe shared his van with us so we could all ride together.