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?

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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.

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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.

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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. 

The Spring Break Rundown

Today my kids went back to school after spring break. We didn't have any big plans for the week (except for Daisy who got to go on a school trip ). We stuck around close to home and had a lot of appointments. We made up for our lack of adventure by eating out way too much, Here are some of the events of spring break 2026:

-Went to Disneyland (Daisy)

-Celebrated Easter and listened to General Conference

-Went birthday shopping (Eva)

-Slept over and Grandma and Grandpa's house (Eva)

-Went to a trampoline park (all the girls)

-Went to another trampoline park (Eva)

-Went to see the new Mario movie

-Had dentist appointments (the girls and me)

-Worked (Daisy and me)

-Went to Phantom of the Opera (Scotty and me)

-Had a hair appointment (Daisy)

-Went to the zoo

-Went to Daisy's best friend's mission call opening

Cutest tears

-Went to a baptism

-Had Game Night

-Slept in a tent for a week (Eva)

-Had a family birthday party for Eva

Honorary birthday party attendee

Our kids tend to have breakdowns right before going back to school, and they were right on schedule for Sunday night at 7:00. All of a sudden everyone needed to shower and do homework, and all hell broke lose as each girl entered crisis mode simultaneously.

Every time. 

EVERY

DANG

TIME!

Easter 2026

It’s been a week since Easter, so it’s probably time to document the holiday before I forget how it all went down. 

Our festivities began on the 29th - Palm Sunday. Since our Church’s General Conference fell on Easter Sunday, we had our Easter program on Palm Sunday. Daisy and I went to hear our friend Whitney sing at her church. Then we went to our church. Have I mentioned that Scotty was recently put in the bishopric? (No, I have not). Palm Sunday was the first meeting we had with the new bishopric.

Some years we get Easter dresses. Some years we don’t. This year we did, and we wore them on Palm Sunday. I didn't take a photo.

That afternoon we had my mom’s Easter party where I didn’t take a single photo. 

At some point we dyed eggs. I have no memory of what day that happened, but I want credit for it because we don’t always dye eggs. Once again, I didn’t take a single photo.

Daisy left for a school trip on Wednesday, so she was gone for a lot of our Easter celebrations.

The day before Easter I spent a lot of time prepping food. I made fruit trays for some friends for General Conference and delivered them. We listened to Conference and worked in the yard. Then we had Scotty’s dad’s Easter party… and I didn’t take a single photo.

The Easter bunny stopped by our house and left a toy hippo for Eva, Michael Vey books for Zoe, and lashes and self-tanner for Daisy for Easter morning. And I didn’t take any pictures.

But…

We made resurrection rolls for breakfast, and I DID take some pictures!

We also lit the Immanuel wreath, which we do as we read The Living Christ.

And we shared the story of Easter as we put out an Easter crèche. 

I did lots and lots of food prep that morning. We listened to Conference, and the girls hung out in hammocks in the backyard. 

In between sessions of Conference, we went to Scotty’s mom’s house for lunch and stayed for the second session of Conference. 

My sister-in-law and I told our mother-in-law she wasn’t allowed to fix any food for Easter. Her only assignment was to provide paper products. It took us weeks of lecturing to get her to abide these instructions (and she tried several times to infiltrate the food prep). I decided to make her a crown and sash that said, "Miss Obedient 2026," which I would present her only if she followed through with her promise to not prepare any food (if she snuck in any extra food, I was going to cross it out and write "Dis Obedient 2026"). I wasn't sure she'd pull it off, but she did! She earned her sash and crown with no alterations (and it nearly killed her)!

It was really weird having half our kids gone for Easter! Daisy got home from her school trip late Sunday night. We've arrived at the phase of life where there's always potential that someone will be missing from holidays and vacations. It's something we're going to have to get used to. 

Sunday Sentiments: Jesus the Christ

 In 2020, I set (and met) the goal to read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. 

As Easter approached, I went back through my notes and highlights from Jesus the Christ to see what stood out to me about Christ’s character during that reading; specifically His attributes, His behavior, and the way He treated* others.

(Let me just interject a plug here for the digital resources on the Gospel Library app. There are definitely some kinks (I submit feedback all the time), but I really love the ease of marking and adding notes as I study. I enjoy going back and reading the thoughts and ideas I jotted down during previous study sessions, and I often copy and paste quotes from Conferences and other teachings into my scriptures. It's just a whole lot of fun! Plus, you can use all sorts of colors and make things pretty!)

Here are some of the things I marked in the book (I’ll include the chapters where the quotes are from. Unfortunately, the digital copy doesn’t show the page numbers - I'll submit feedback):

Christ had the attributes of God and man and met the qualifications to be the Redeemer. 

Jesus Christ was the only Being suited to the requirements of the great sacrifice:

1—As the one and only sinless Man;

2—As the Only Begotten of the Father and therefore the only Being born to earth possessing in their fulness the attributes of both Godhood and manhood;

3—As the One who had been chosen in the heavens and foreordained to this service… (chapter 3)

These attributes are what made Him eligible to provide the Atonement for us. 

He gave His life for us willingly. 

It’s important to understand that Jesus Christ had a choice. Our omniscient God knew the choice that Christ would make, but God’s knowledge of that choice doesn’t diminish the agency that was involved. The Savior willingly died for our sins. 

…He voluntarily surrendered His life, and permitted His own decease through an act of will. Born of a mortal mother He inherited the capacity to die; begotten by an immortal Sire He possessed as a heritage the power to withstand death indefinitely (chapter 3).

Christ had to come to earth to obtain a physical body. As a resurrected being, He now has all the essential characteristics of the Father.

During that antemortal period there was essential difference between the Father and the Son, in that the former had already passed through the experiences of mortal life, including death and resurrection, and was therefore a Being possessed of a perfect, immortalized body of flesh and bones, while the Son was yet unembodied. Through His death and subsequent resurrection Jesus the Christ is today a Being like unto the Father in all essential characteristics (chapter 4).

I don’t know if we realize that having a body makes us more like God. It’s no wonder Satan would have us abuse our bodies, neglect them, and hate them. Even our Savior had to take this step of receiving a body to become more like the Father. We are truly blessed to have mortal tabernacles.

Jesus Christ learned line upon line, precept upon precept. 

I think we sometimes assume that Christ knew all during His mortal existence, but He experienced gradual knowledge and understanding over time just as we do. Even His comprehension of His mortal mission was developed throughout His lifetime.

Christ’s realization that He was the chosen and foreordained Messiah came to Him gradually. As shown by His words to His mother on the occasion of the memorable interview with the doctors in the temple courts, He knew, when but a Boy of twelve years, that in a particular and personal sense He was the Son of God; yet it is evident that a comprehension of the full purport of His earthly mission developed within Him only as He progressed step by step in wisdom. His acknowledgment by the Father, and the continued companionship of the Holy Ghost, opened His soul to the glorious fact of His divinity (chapter 10).

He was capable of sin. 

It wasn’t an inability to sin that kept Him sinless. He had every bit of agency God’s children are entitled to. 

Our Lord was sinless yet peccable; He had the capacity, the ability to sin had He willed so to do… The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews expressly taught that Christ was peccable, in that He was tempted “in all points” as are the rest of mankind (chapter 10). 

(Side note: my digital copy of Jesus the Christ is full of word definitions I had to look up. While reading it, I would sometimes think, “Okay, Brother Talmage, did you really use these words in 1908, or were you just showing off?”)

Christ’s body was subject to mortal conditions, but He cared for His body and was healthy.

In recounting Christ’s calming of the sea, Talmage wrote:

Jesus found a resting place near the stern of the ship and soon fell asleep. A great storm arose; and still He slept. The circumstance is instructive as it evidences at once the reality of the physical attributes of Christ, and the healthy, normal condition of His body. He was subject to fatigue and bodily exhaustion from other causes, as are all men; without food He grew hungry; without drink He thirsted; by labor He became weary. The fact that after a day of strenuous effort He could calmly sleep, even amidst the turmoil of a tempest, indicates an unimpaired nervous system and a good state of health. Nowhere do we find record of Jesus having been ill. He lived according to the laws of health, yet never allowed the body to rule the spirit; and His daily activities, which were of a kind to make heavy demands on both physical and mental energy, were met with no symptoms of nervous collapse nor of functional disturbance. Sleep after toil is natural and necessary. The day’s work done, Jesus slept (chapter 20).

The Savior heals in phases. 

This is something I noticed about the story of the ten lepers. Traditionally that story is taught as a tale of ingratitude, for only one of the ten returned to Christ to thank Him for the healing. But in addition to that, the story illustrates how Christ doesn’t necessarily heal all at once. The lepers were offered physical healing, but the one who returned to thank the Lord was given additional spiritual healing as Jesus pronounced, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:19).

Talmage shared another example: 

A blind man was brought, and Jesus was asked to touch him. He took the sightless one by the hand, led him outside the town, applied saliva to his eyes, laid hands upon him in a ministration, and asked him if he could see. The man answered that he saw dimly, but was unable to distinguish men from trees. Applying His hands to the man’s eyes, Jesus told him to look up; the man did so and saw clearly… This miracle presents the unique feature of Jesus healing a person by stages; the result of the first ministration was but a partial recovery (chapter 22).

 Christ was truly selfless.

After Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, Satan tempted Him to use His power to obtain food, but He would not. In fact:

… we find no instance of a miracle wrought by the Lord for personal gain or relief of His own need, however pressing (chapter 24).

 

I confess I have a very imperfect relationship with Jesus Christ. There's a lot I don't understand about His sacrifice and the necessity for a Savior. But I am ever learning and striving for greater knowledge of spiritual things. I look forward to studying more about our Redeemer this year.

*I’ve really struggled with tense in this post. I’ve gone back and forth between present tense and past tense. Mortality and eternity make for difficult grammar choices! Haha!