Proof That Kids Still Live Here

Evidence #1: There is a Fuggler waiting for breakfast at my kitchen table.

Evidence #2: Someone has made modifications to Nicky's mission photo.

Evidence #3: There are resins on every corner of our kitchen cabinetry. 

Evidence #4: Whatever this is. 

Evidence #5: More of the same. 

Evidence #6: There are rocket turtles on the ceiling. 

Evidence #7: The kitchen light fixture is draped in curling ribbon. 

Evidence #8: There are mini figs on the door frames 

Evidence #8: There are Legos, squishies, and homemade pottery  on the bookshelf.

Evidence #10: This. 

(Note the keypad entry)

Sunday Sentiments - Temperance

This week I studied the talk, “Adorned with the Virtue of Temperance” by Ulisses Soares, and it was much needed. Just the other day, in my prayers, I expressed to Heavenly Father that I need some help loving His children as I am not finding it easy to enjoy my fellow earth dwellers as of late. I’ve been feeling annoyed, appalled, and impatient with many a human being. 

In October’s General Conference, Elder Soares taught the following about temperance:

-Temperance is an essential trait in becoming like Jesus Christ

-Temperance protects us against spiritual erosion

-Christ exhibited temperance in all aspects of His character

-Other attributes and virtues are harmonized and strengthened by temperance

Though I’ve heard the words “temperate” and “temperance” throughout my life, I have to confess, I didn’t actually know what they meant. Contextual clues placed me on the right path, but I figured it would do me some good to learn a little more about the meaning of temperance. 

Temperance is essentially moderation in all things. It is voluntary self-restraint and emotional balance. A person who is temperate is able to avoid extremes and manage their desires and behaviors. 

The apostle Paul taught that those who desire to be like the Savior should be “not selfwilled, not soon angry,... [and] no striker” (Titus 1:7). Elder Soares explained that:

- “Not selfwilled” means to refuse to act with arrogance or pride

- “Not soon angry” means to avoid the natural urge to be impatient or angry

- “No striker” means to reject aggressive or harsh behavior

(Oh, hey! Three things I struggle with. And now I have a new vocabulary term to describe my frustration with my fellow mortals. I am “soon angry!”)

Elder Soares said:

Oftentimes, the world exalts behaviors born of aggressiveness, arrogance, impatience, and excessiveness, often justifying such attitudes by the pressures of daily life and the inclination toward validation and popularity. When we turn our gaze away from the virtue of temperance and ignore the gentle and moderating influence of the Holy Spirit in our way of acting and speaking, we easily fall into the enemy’s trap, which inevitably leads us to utter words and adopt attitudes we will deeply regret, whether in our social, family, or even ecclesiastical relationships. The gospel of Jesus Christ invites us to exercise this virtue especially in times of challenge, for it is precisely on these occasions that the true character of an individual is revealed.

We definitely live in a world that expects us to showcase our anger and frustration, and I admit, there are times where I just want to explode at a person… and I have (and I always feel very foolish afterward). In times when I have exhibited temperance, I’ve had a much better outcome. I can’t think of a time when I have acted aggressively or impulsively and had a long-term positive result. 

Temperance is known as one of the four cardinal virtues - cardinal meaning of high importance - in philosophical traditions. Some believe it to be the most important virtue. The other three are:

-Prudence: using wisdom and discernment. Being able to weigh consequences and make good decisions

-Justice: fairness, giving others their rightful due

-Fortitude: having courage, overcoming fear, being able to confront uncertainty and intimidation

Some believe these four are the virtues on which all other virtues hinge. 

Elder Soares taught that “Temperance harmonizes and strengthens other Christlike attributes… humility, faith, hope, charity, and the pure love that flows from Him.”

As we moderate ourselves and act with spiritual wisdom, we build upon other virtues and practices that make us more like Jesus Christ. The scriptures are full of examples of Christ’s temperate actions. Elder Soares promised that if we strive to cultivate temperance, we will become, “better capable of restraining anger, nurturing patience, and treating others with tolerance, respect, and dignity, even when the winds of adversity blow freely.”

So I guess I need a dose of that. 

Is He a Hottie?

The other night Scotty and I were watching Indiana Jones. Historically, I've never thought Harrison Ford was all that attractive, but I'm 42 now, and I have to say that Harrison Ford was quite handsome in 1981, and I see it now through my wise, mature eyes. 

This made me wonder about Daisy. Would she think 1981 Harrison Ford was attractive? I decided to compile a series of photos to show Daisy and ask, "Is he a hottie?" I put the images on the TV and allowed her to express her opinion. Some of her answers surprised me. But what was even more entertaining was Scotty's commentary. It went a little bit like this:

Is Harrison Ford a hottie?

Daisy: Not in that picture. I need to see more to decide. 

Scotty: Oh yes, he is! He is a total hottie!

Is Jonathan Brandis a hottie?

(I used to love watching Ladybugs, and I thought he was GORGEOUS!)

Daisy: Um... maybe. I don't know. He looks kind of feminine.

(This comment is pretty funny if you know the plot of Ladybugs). 

Is Brendan Fraser a hottie?

Daisy: No.

Is Elvis a hottie?

Daisy: No.

Is Donny Osmond a hottie?

Daisy: No.

Is Andrew Keegan a hottie?

Daisy: A little bit.

Is Joey Lawrence a hottie?

Daisy: No.

Is Brad Pitt a hottie?

Daisy: Yes.

Scotty: That's the guy from Boy Meets World. 

Me: No, it's not.

Is Steve Martin a hottie?

Daisy: Ew, no. Why does his chest hair come up so high?

Scotty: That's the Star Wars guy. 

Me: No, it's not.

Is Christian Bale a hottie?

Daisy: Yes. 

Is Leonardo DiCaprio a hottie?

Daisy: He's okay.

Is Tom Cruise a hottie?

(I intentionally chose a photo from The Outsiders because he wasn't exactly Tom Cruising at that point in life)

Daisy: I love The Outsiders.

(So, she didn't exactly answer the question).

Is Chevy Chase a hottie?

Daisy: NOOOO!!!!

Scotty: What? You don't like the Fonz?

Me: That's Chevy Chase! 

Scotty: No, it's not!

Me: Yes, it is!

Scotty: Nooooooo! That's the Fonz.

Me: No, it's not!

Is Jonathan Taylor Thomas a hottie?

Daisy: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Me: I am such a proud mom right now!

Is Ryan Gosling a hottie?

Daisy: Yes. Wait, is that Leonardo DiCaprio?

Me: No, it's Ryan Gosling when he was in Breaker High!

Sunday Sentiments

I'm a bit spiritually defunct right now, but I'm trying to push through and continue studying the gospel regularly (I can't say "daily," but I can at least say most days). 

This week the Come Follow Me lesson prompts us to think about "gathering manna." What are the things we do every day to find spiritual nourishment?

Remember the Del Parson painting with Christ at the door?

There is no knob, so all Christ can do is knock, and it is up to the person on the other side of the door to open it.

For me, even when I feel spiritually "down" (as I am now), I know that if I keep doing the daily practices that leave the door open, eventually Christ will come in. Sometimes I feel like I’m faking it, and I don’t like that, but so far my success rate of making it through is 100%.

About ten years ago, there was a lot of buzz among members of my faith around the book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. The book is a collection of letters that Mother Teresa wrote in which she expressed her own feelings of spiritual darkness.

For Mother Teresa, as soon as she began doing the work that she felt Christ called her to do, she stopped feeling Him near. She longed, more than anything, to have a relationship with God, but for over fifty years, she struggled to feel Him near (read a little more about Mother Teresa's story here).

Isn't it interesting how these things happen during crucial points of our lives? 

The lesson this week links to a talk by President Uchtdorf called "Daily Restoration."  In President Uchtorf's talk, he reminds us of the importance of small and simple acts of realignment. He says it is an ongoing process. It is normal to veer off course from time to time and need to redirect ourselves. I personally feel like I’ve had the best learning experiences while trying to come out of my spiritual droughts. One result of such experiences is that I no longer beat myself up for them. I used to be so hard on myself if I wasn’t feeling regular doses of the Spirit, but now I’ve learned to give myself grace and a little bit of time. President Uchtdorf taught that striving for “daily restoration… is how we become true disciples of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” 

I’ve found that pushing through times of spiritual struggle has helped me understand people better and overcome some of my own unhealthy ways of thinking. Hopefully, as President Uchtdorf stated, it truly does help me become a better follower of Christ. 

Things the Kids Say: Episode 40

Eva: Can we go to Target?

Me: No, I've already been there today.

Eva: What for? To get your old lady meds?

----------

Cake: How do you afford your rock and roll lifestyle?

Eva: This guy sounds like he's not even trying to sing. 

Zoe: Ya, if I made this song, I would be pretty disappointed with my life.

----------

Zoe: I think I need to go to the eye dentist.

----------

Zoe: I wish napkins had a better flavor.

----------

Eva: Those people are easveswalking!

(They were jaywalking)

----------

Eva: I ate a receipt once. It tasted horrible.

----------

On our way to Target...

Zoe: My pants look weird, but it's okay because it's not like Robert Irwin is going to be there.

----------

Eva to Scotty: Mom's too normal to be with you. 

Eva 

Clues that I am Aging

Clue #1: I have sleep apnea.

Clue #2: Over the weekend my brother-in-law started a conversation with me by saying, “Ya know what I learned about pigeons recently?” and I was very interested. 

Clue #3: My friends and I review our perimenopausal symptoms with each other regularly. 

And our prescription meds.

And our skin care regimens.

And our hair care routines (because we are losing our hair).

Clue #4: I keep seeing social media posts that tell me a trend is back, and I never even knew it left.

Clue #5: I am becoming less tolerant of noise every day. 

Clue #6: People on old TV shows that used to look old to me look young to me now.

Clue #7: I don’t want to learn any new technology. 

Clue #8: I feel like I don't belong in this world - like I am no longer relevant here. I've outgrown it. 

Clue #9: I look at old photos of myself, and I don't feel like that's me. But I also look in the mirror and don't feel like that's me, either. 

Clue #10: When I have to give my date of birth, I feel like I'm confessing a sin.

It wasn't supposed to happen to me!

The tulips in my yard have already lived and died (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Eva has started saying she wants to marry Jack Black. Imagine Jack Black as my son-in-law. How fun (and weird) would that be?

She writes him letters

Fact #2: I have the vacation bug. I’m itching to go somewhere. I want to book a whole summer’s worth of adventures. 

Fact #3: Zoe and Eva pulled quite the April Fool’s prank on us. I don’t know where they come up with their big ideas. 

Fact #4: For years I’ve heard about Coachella and never paid attention to what it was. Today I finally googled it. Apparently it’s a music festival? Okay then. 

Fact #5: We have the beginnings of our garden in place. The peas, onions, radishes, carrots, and potatoes are successfully growing. We usually plant our cool weather crops around Saint Patrick’s Day and the rest around Mother’s Day.

Eva keeping a map of what we planted

Fact #6: I really want to start a commune. And possibly my own cult. There will be strategy board games. Corn hole will be outlawed. We will have lots of potlucks. 

Fact #7: Costco has Snoop Dogg chips. I had them in my cart, and then I ended up putting them back. We don’t need Snoop Dogg chips. I mean… we kind of do. But we don’t.

Or do we?

Fact #8: I actually don’t like kettle chips very much, so that made the Snoop Box a little easier to walk away from.

Fact #9: I just finished the season finale of Shrinking. This week will be the season finale of The Pitt. Will I be able to go on without my shows? 

Fact #10: It took me over a week to finish this post.