Sage's 8th 'Frozen' Birthday Party!

Sorry for my absence for the last week…I knew that it wouldn't be long before I disappeared for a couple of days (okay, I know…it's been 8 days…who's counting?). I have a pretty good excuse, although I'm sure that I could have shared what I was up to with you. Well, nows as good a time as ever!

Apparently I have given myself a reputation of throwing a really good party, and well the word is out! A friend of mine from church just brought her #7 bundle into the world and asked me to help her plan her daughters 8th 'Frozen' themed birthday party. I was thrilled to take on the challenge! The planning and creating kept me quite busy last week, but I love when I get to plan a party! It's always so exciting to get on Pinterest and see all the many wonderful ideas that others have come up with and then incorporate my own into the mix! With Frozen being the 'in' thing, there were limitless ideas already out there. So fun!

I don't know about you, but the first thing that I think about when I think of 'Frozen' is snow! Lots and lots of snow!!! And snowflakes!!! And ice!!! And cold!!! And I can't forget snowmen, that love warm hugs!!! So off to work I went, in search of whatever winter clearance items I could get my hands on!

Do you think that when I started searching for these items at the stores, it would be something that I could find? Of course, with it being January and the Christmas season behind us, all of the winter stuff was taken down, put away, and replaced with Valentines Day items! Are you kidding me? Everywhere that I went, I walked in to find an entire empty isle, lined with boxes of hearts and candy and red EVERYTHING, waiting to be put on the shelves! This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought, but it wasn't going to stop me either!

The first thing that I got to work on was Sage's birthday banner…

Sage wanted lots of blue's, white's, and silver's as her colour scheme, which went perfect with the Frozen theme. I found sparkly, blue snowflake card stock at our local craft store for $3.99 a piece (are you kidding me??!!), on sale for 50% off, so I bought two and decided that I would have to make do with that. One for the banner and one for the cute little paper trees that I was making to add to the decor. Luckily they had some cheaper sparkly silver and white paper for not nearly as much and I could mix it up a little. For the rest, I just used regular craft paper that Sage's mommy had in her craft supplies. Score!

Here are the fancy trees that I made…

The one on the left, I just happened to pick up off a clearance rack at Party City. The only thing that I could find that related to winter or Frozen or even the colour that I needed! The rest were just made out of card stock. They look so cute on the table buried in the cotton 'snow'! I loved them!

Sage and I found some really cute 'Elsa crowns' on Pinterest and she just had to have them. They were so easy to make! I got my super talented hubby to free hand a template for me and I cut them out of sheets of coloured foam. Next I glued glitter (which I will never do again as it took me 4 hours to do 14 crowns) with rubber cement, hole punched each side and tied a white ribbon through each hole for them to tie onto their pretty little girl heads. I was pretty tired by this point and decided that the hand cut snowflakes that I was going to make for each one (I couldn't find anything to do with snowflakes ANYWHERE!!! and free handing it was my back up) had to go! I made one and placed it on Sage's crown to make hers the special birthday girl crown.

                                 

Sage's little brothers would be attending the party as well but couldn't possibly wear an 'Elsa crown' so I made them little 'Sven' antlers to wear instead, courtesy of my hubby's amazing talents again. He laughs because this is such a simple thing to draw, but I couldn't draw it if my life depended on it.

A snowflake committee commenced at some point during the party preparations and thanks to my friends, Erica, Roya and Kathy, we had plenty of beautiful white snowflakes made out of doilies to add to the decorations!

I bought lots of other pretty blue, white and silver items to make the party just right and by Friday night,

after making the blue chocolate dipped marshmallows,

and a visit from Sage's mommy and daddy (who were stopping in for just a quick second, but we kept them talking until midnight and their brand new, week old baby girl was at home screaming her little lungs out with grandma…I'm soooo sorry Elora!),  I was as ready as I was going to be.

I had planned to be at the church, where the party was being held, by 9am, but as Saturday mornings usually go in our house, we didn't end up getting there until after 11am and I was stressed (but careful to hide that small detail from Sage's mommy who had just delivered a baby, is caring for all of her other children, planning a birthday party, as well as a blessing and a baptism for the next day! if anybody was entitled to be stressed, it was her, not me!).

Before we left, I got my girls all dolled up, doing their hair like Elsa and Anna, whom they love to think that they are when they play together. They looked so cute!

Kali, my oldest daughter had her hair done like Elsa,

and my little Lili like Anna. 

Haha! I laugh out loud every time I look at this picture of Lili. She was sad because I brushed her hair.

We made it to the church and got straight to work, with me as bossy as usual, snapping at my poor husband every time that he did anything slightly different from what I had asked him to do. I'm pretty sure that he was ready to walk out the door on me the moment I said, "Oh Andrew, Kathy asked me to help her with Sage's birthday party"! He knows me well enough by now that if there is a party in progress, my role as a wife and mother get put aside. But he never does walk out that door. He patiently helps me with whatever I need, every time I make the decision to start another party planning adventure, ignoring the mess of the house, lack of groceries and clean laundry, and always lovingly pep-talking me through my last minute melt down at the very end of it all, when I feel like it isn't going to come together the way that I wanted it to. He knows how much I love looking at all of the pictures afterwards and posting them all on Facebook to brag to my Facebook world about how much I had just accomplished (while meanwhile my entire life is falling apart around me) and he always reassures me of how successful everything went, despite my chaotic lifestyle for the weeks leading up to it. It's amazing the simple things that make us realize just how lucky we are to have such incredible people in our lives! (I just turned to Andrew and said, "Oh, you're getting praise in this one baby! Everyone is going to be telling you that you're the man!". It would be awesome if you did! His confidence would boost, even though he would never show it, that wonderful, humble man that he is!)

Just as we were about ready for the party to begin, Sage's friends starting walking in, one by one, and before long all 12 girls were ready to party!

I'm glad that I was too busy to notice that my banner had fallen because I would have been quite sad about it. It would've made for a better picture had gravity not taken a toll on the thin string that it hung from.

Kali and Lili let their Elsa and Anna barbies join the party also!

Melted snow water bottles and cute little snowmen heads made by Sage's mommy! I already showed you my marshmallows.

Snowman building, snowflake decorating, and Roll-A-Snowman centres were set up for the kids to enjoy.

Can't forget Pin-The-Nose-On-Olaf game that once more, my talented hubby drew by special request from Sage! So fun!

On to opening presents and enjoying some yummy cake to finish off the birthday celebrations!

Overall, I'm pretty sure that Sage and her friends had an icy blast of a time! Okay, that was lame! Haha! Everyone seemed to leave happy, with their treat bags of candy, the edible snowmen that they made and their Elsa crowns! It was a great success!

After a quick clean up with a team of grandparents and friends to help out the party was over and I was ready for a big, long nap! (Kathy, if you are reading this, I loved every second of helping you out! Truly! And don't ever be scared to ask me again! Lol!)

Happy Birthday Sage!

I'm off to finish the last 3 chapters of my book that I ordered a couple of weeks ago, Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson. I'll be happy to tell you all about it tomorrow!

Nighty night all! Sweet dreams!

Busy But Eventful Weekend!

Happy Monday everyone! I know, Mondays are not normally happy but, in my perfect world, everything is happy! So with forced, exaggerated effort I wish you all a happy Monday!

I'm going to try to make this one quick this morning! I have a lot to get caught up on. My poor family is without any clean laundry, and the bathrooms...well they could definitely use a scrub! I'm pretty sure the vacuum has been sitting in the hall for two weeks, waiting to be put to use. Oh well! Such is life and I'm learning to love it!

It was a busy, yet eventful weekend for us. It started Saturday morning when my alarm when off at 6:00am. Andrew and I were going with some friends to the Toronto Temple, which is a lengthy hour and a half drive, so we wanted to head out early. 

I always take a picture of the Temple, as we get close enough to see it, to send to the kids at home. I want them to feel my excitement for the Temple so that they can grow to love it as much as I do. Here it is...

The Temple was a wonderful experience! It always is! It is so quiet and beautiful inside. It always makes me feel so peaceful and free from the worries of the world. Even in the darkest times of my life (when the adversary works the hardest to make me feel unworthy of entering the Temple), I know that as soon as I walk through those doors, I am leaving the darkness outside. It is truly a spiritual place, full of Heavenly Fathers love. 

After we left the Temple, we made a quick visit to the Lindt Chocolate Store in Toronto. It's a tradition for our friends, that I will be sure to make a part of our trips. The selection was great! There was even a discounted section in the back for the recently expired chocolate, most of which was 50% off! Who doesn't love a deal?!

After we left the chocolate store, we headed to Applebee's for a deliciously wonderful lunch. Here we are, trying to stay very still while Brian took a wide angled shot to fit us all in. Heaven forbid my husband smile in a picture. It's highly unlikely for him!

Our drive home was full of laughter, so much that we all had sore cheeks the next day at church. All this talk of pumpkins and pumpkin carving had us in stitches (sorry everyone! It's an inside joke and you couldn't pay me enough to tell you)! Somehow through all the laughter, Andrew still managed to fall asleep. Here's a failed attempt at capturing his short-lived nap...

He is such a lite sleeper that he could feel us plotting and woke up just as Brian snapped the picture. Darn!

Here's me with an entire moon shaped chocolate in my mouth, waiting for the explosion of liquid chocolate to break through the chocolate shell! Although I couldn't breath, it was well worth the wait!

I see that I have such great friends, making bunny ears behind me! Ian!!!

Brian, Jill and I, with Andrew being creepy in the background! 

Oh yes! Can't forget the kissing! Ian's getting it from both sides! Yikes!

Needless to say, we were full of silliness all the way home, which was a great finish to our trip!

As if my day had not been remarkable enough, I came home to this thoughtful gift that had been delivered by a new and very dear friend! She must be paying attention because I love the colour pink! Baby pink! She could have brought me an old pair of stinky sneakers, as long as they were pink, I would have loved them! Though this was a much better choice than sneakers and it definitely made my day! It's so nice to have sweet friends!

Sunday came along and, of course, we have church, which is always they most uplifting part of my weekend! One of Austin's dear friends received the Aaronic Priesthood, which is a very exciting moment for a young man. We are so proud of him! Ironically, his name is Aaron! Haha! Aaron + ironic = Aaronic! I wonder if anyone else thought of that, or if I'm the only one that has far too much time on my hands?! 

After church we rushed home to get in a quick bite and headed back for two baptisms. A sweet couple, who have been investigating the church for a few weeks now, made an excellent choice to be baptized. It was an enjoyable experience and the spirit was very strong. 

What's a baptism without refreshments, right? Here's some 'mini cherry tarts' that I whipped up. Super easy and they ended up tasting not so bad either (because it's always about the presentation with me...tasting good is just a bonus! I'm totally kidding!).

Following the baptism, we headed home for dinner, which we super excited about, because we were having bacon wrapped, goat cheese chicken breasts (yummy) and who wouldn't love that? Unfortunately, because we weren't going to be home all day, I made them in the crock pot and they ended up a total bust! All the flavour blended together and the chicken, funny enough, was dry! What?! Boo! Next time I'll be sure to make them in the oven. Lesson learned!

Before we could even clean up from dinner, I had fallen asleep on the couch and didn't wake up until the middle of the night, to find my husband asleep on the couch beside me. Awe! He didn't want to wake me or leave me alone (I'm terrified of the dark!) so he fell asleep beside me until I woke up and we could go to bed together. Sometimes it's the simple things that make all the difference! 

Oh I almost forgot! Look what came in this weekend! My new book 'Heaven is Here' by Stephanie Nielson! Yayyy! This is the one that I was telling you about in blog post #1 about the LDS woman who was horribly burned when her plane crashed in 2008 killing the pilot (a dear friend of hers) and leaving her and her husband nearly dead. She shares details of her overwhelming daily trials and the road she took to acceptance of her new life. I can't wait to read it and share it with you!

Overall, it was an awesome weekend and nothing got done around here so here I go, off to get started on my house duties! If you don't hear from me for a week, perhaps you'd better check on me. I may have disappeared in my disasterous mess! 

Happy Monday everyone! Make it a good one!

Living a Happier Life Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Warning!!! This is long one but a good one! Don't miss out!

Yes, it's me again! I'm simply full of inspiration and ideas for my new blog. I'm sure that it will slow down soon enough, but for now, I want to get it all down before it leaves my head. 

I came across this quote today by one of my favourite apostles, Elder Ballard!

Isn't this a wonderful quote? How true it is! My life is a sure witness that living the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ can strengthen our homes and families! Here's my story of how I discovered this to be true!

When I was a young girl, around 12 years old, I decided to go live with my father (my parents divorced when I was only 3) and his girlfriend. I had been struggling to keep up with the standards of the gospel and, as an older sibling of 4 younger sisters (now 5), there was a great deal of pressure on me to be a good example. I lacked encouragement and love in my life and was struggling with my new found discovery that, on top of all of my current struggles, I was also dealing with a mental illness...something of which most people at this time, knew very little about. It was all too much to handle and I needed an escape.

My fathers life was much different, not being active in the gospel, and he assured me that the grass would be greener on the other side (don't they always say that?!). After many screaming matches with my mother and physical fights with my step-father, I finally made the decision and called my father. A fresh start at, what I thought would be, a less disciplined and free lifestyle. Although it wasn't nearly what I had hoped for (it never is for a child), I had soon adopted this new style of living into my life, and woowwwwweeeee, what a worldly one it was. 

For years I went on living this way, feeling confused, lost and mostly alone. Without God in my life, where was I headed? The older I got, the harder it became to manage. By the time I was 15 years old, I had become expelled from high school, attempted suicide twice and because nobody in my family could understand me, I was on my own. I got a full-time job at a video store and, shortly after, was offered a place to stay with my manager at the store. Not long after, she ended up getting a promotion at another store and moved away. I took over the lease on the apartment (can you image anyone signing a lease with a 15 year old? Was this even legal? Probably not!) and thus began my challenging life as a 15 year old employed renter. By 17, I was living in an abusive relationship and was expecting a baby. Sad, I know! At 20, I packed up Austin and myself and headed to live with my father, once again, in order to free us from the abuse. This is where my mental illness really took its toll. Mixed with drugs and alcohol, my life quickly spiralled out of control. With Austin by my side (this is very hard for me to admit) I bounced around from man to man and then back to the abuser that I had freed myself from once before. I wanted to try again to give Austin the life that he deserved. A life that I never had, with both parents in the home. Before long, that came to another screeching halt, because this time, I had landed myself in jail and decided that enough was enough. 

Stay with me everyone! I know that this is a lot of information to process (trust me! I know! I lived it!) especially for those of you that haven't known me very long, but the good part is coming! 

Sleeping on couches at a full house at my moms, I came home late from work one Saturday night (it was actually 4 o'clock in the morning...I worked at a very busy pub!). I knew that I needed help from someone that I lost my relationship with many, many years ago...my Heavenly Father. I remember (like it was yesterday!) kneeling down beside little Austin on the couch and wondering where to start. Before the words even left my mouth, I began to sob, uncontrollably. He was there and He was ready to listen, just like that! I begged for His forgiveness (hardly remembering how to even pray) and pleaded that He offer me some direction for my life. I thanked Him for the strength that He had blessed me with through my many trials and ended my prayer. Exhausted and emotional, I went to bed. 7 o'clock came very quickly and the house was alive with most of my family getting ready for church. Something inside of me was telling me to get up and go with them. I don't even remember feeling tired, despite the lack of sleep that I had gotten the night before. I felt determined! My whole family was in shock when I told them that I was going to join them at church that morning. Up until this point, everytime that I had entered the church, I had always felt ashamed and uncomfortable, as if everyone was judging me. This time, as I walked into Gods house, a sense of belonging came over me, as if I knew that this was where I belonged. I felt home! 

Many months meeting with the missionaries, taking the discussions, attending the investigators class, lots and LOTS of repenting, and renewing my baptismal covenant (that I had made so many years ago) by taking the sacrament each week, led to a very quick recovery in my life. I got a new job, found an apartment for Austin and I and was on to a new and healthy lifestyle. It wasn't long before a couple of very cute RM's (returned missionaries) started asking me out! ;) 

I began looking for someone to share my life with, as hard as I felt that was going to be. Who would want to be with someone who had a past as wild and dark as mine?! But, Heavenly Father had a hand in all of it and it wasn't long before I was blessed with a very humble man, who accepted my trials and experiences as growth in making me who I am today! Andrew and I, (with a very excited Austin waiting patiently outside) were sealed in the Toronto, Ontario Temple, on February 23rd, 2008, not only for time in this life, but for time and all eternity! Although Austin wasn't able to be sealed to us (his father couldn't stomach that one and I don't blame him) and that was a hard cross to carry, we know that one day we will be an eternal family. 

Since then, we have been blessed with two beautiful daughters. We try everyday to live the gospel to it's fullness and have witnessed countless blessings along our way. Upon graduating with a BA in animation, Andrew landed a job in London, Ontario, where we are making a wonderful life for ourselves. I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mommy (I wouldn't have it any other way!) where I watch my three beautiful babies learn and grow (way too fast!). Most of our strength as a family comes from making it a priority to have daily family prayer, family scripture study, FHE (family home evening) and to simply just be together as often as we can! We keep our schedules as free as possible to keep from anything getting in our way of what we feel is most important, being together. 

My greatest blessing is watching my children grow along side us in the gospel. My girls love getting up and going to church to learn about Jesus! Little Kali says most of our family prayers because she loves saying them so much! Austin hit a milestone this year, when he turned 12, by entering into the youth program and receiving the 'Aaronic Priesthood'. Watching as he, so reverently, passes the sacrament is a constant reminder to me that the decision that I made to listen to the spirit that morning and go to church was the best decision that I have ever made. 

Our lives are richly blessed and it is no question as to why that is! Although life isn't perfect, and just like each of you, we have our fair share of struggle (especially with a past like mine!), we are certainly on our way to what, one day, will be a perfect life! The gospel of Jesus Christ has strengthened us tremendously! Without it, I do not know where I would be today, but I have a pretty good idea. Our relationship with our Saviour grows through all of our trials, as we continue to lean on Him. We look to our father in Heaven for every decision that we make. It takes a lot of work and dedication, but in the end, it is what makes us who we are and leads us to where we long to be one day...in the presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as an eternal family! This is our ultimate goal and we know that by living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can attain this!

Visit this link to hear an inspirational talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland! 

It's Never Too Late

To find your path to eternal happiness and to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, visit lds.org or mormon.org or message me and I'll give you whatever information that you are looking for! Remember, as far as you feel that you have strayed, or as dark as your life may seem, there is never anything that you have done that is not worthy of repentance. Heavenly Father is full of mercy and has given us an incredible gift, to help us find our way. The Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrificing atonement is there for us to use in our lives, whenever we need it. Words cannot express the difference the gospel of Jesus Christ has brought into my life! It has brought a whole new meaning of love and encouragement that nobody should have to miss out on! 

Thanks for reading! 

Talk by Elder Holland

I just came across this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland and simply had to post it for everyone to watch or read. It goes along with my blog post #4. For those of you that share my faith, you probably share my love for Elder Holland and his messages. He speaks boldly but always with the spirit and I so much enjoy when I have the opportunity to hear his words! For those of you that don't share my faith, I strongly recommend getting to know him. He is an incredible example of faith and leadership and we could all use some more examples like him in our lives!

Here's the link...
It's Never Too Late

If you have any questions about my faith or simply want to know more, visit lds.org or contact me personally at jaraburton@gmail.com and I will assist you in finding the information you are looking for.

And off they go...few!

Back when I only had one child, I hated sending him off to school to leave me home alone, worrying and wondering what he was doing all day. Who was making sure his button was done up after he zipped up his pants? Who helped him get his straw into his juice box at lunch? Who was going to make sure that he finds a friend to play with at recess? 

Now that I have three (only two of them in school), in the morning, when they're finally dressed in all of their winter gear (that takes me almost 15 minutes just to get on), and they head out the door, Ive started noticing a reoccurring theme that I've gotten myself into. This morning I really noticed it! As soon as they have both feet out the door, I quickly shut it, followed by letting out a huge sigh of relief! 

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who does this?! It's only 8:40 in the morning and I feel like I have just conquered an entire day! Nope! It's only beginning! 

We love our children with everything that we have, but let's be real here, we are with them all of the time! Who wouldn't want a break every now and then? Okay, so I enjoy my breaks daily. Don't judge me! My kids are busy (not that any of yours aren't!), especially my middle child. That girl can talk and talk and talk, and the whining...you can only take so much of a screeching voice before you actually want to throw them out of a window! But I won't, because my unconditional love for my children outweighs all of the exhaust that they bring me.

Who ever said that being a mom was easy, lied! Flat out, no exception lied! But whoever says that being a mom is worth it, now that's the truth! 

My youngest daughter is a riot! I know I'm bias but I'm telling you, she is the funniest little girl I have ever heard! She has this thing where she roars like a lion, really loud! As her parents, we remind her to use her indoor voice. She continues to roar like a lion. We then strongly suggest that she use her indoor voice. She continues still. Finally, we raise our voices, letting her know that we are serious. She looks up at us with the sweetest look of shock on her face, as if we had said nothing prior to raising our voices, and let's out a very quiet, "meow". Bahahahaha! Seriously puts us in stitches every time. 

My son is at that pre-teen stage, where he has a million and one stories to tell about something that we have no idea what he is talking about! Oh yeah! You know! But we sit listening (okay, half listening), nodding our heads, letting out a, "uh huh" every once in a while, so that he thinks that we are following along.We're not. He lost us at, "Hey mom! On Minecraft...". Oh gosh! Here it comes! A 20 minute explanation of how he conquered something, using something, with someone, at somewhere where we have no idea what he is talking about! But he's cute and we love him, and when he visits his fathers some weekends, I actually miss his stories (as much as I don't want to admit it!).

Kali, my middle child, well, she's a handful, like I said before. But she is my sweet one. She loves everyone (most of the time)! My favourite thing that she does is climb up on my lap, with her ring finger in her mouth (she has sucked on her fingers since she was born!), and the silky tag of her teddy in her other hand, and she leans her head into my cheek, with an expression of utter love for me and my touch. I love it! I snuggle her so close when she does that, knowing that all she needs right now is that physical touch from someone who loves her dearly!

Well there we have it! I've forgotten all about the way I felt when my kiddlets left for school this morning and I can go on with my day, knowing that in less than 6 hours, my babies will all be home and I can start all over again, loving and losing my mind, over and over, until one day, they will all be grown and I will miss each and every moment.

Here's something cute to make you smile today! Enjoy!

The Parent Rap

Happy reading! Have a wonderful day!

Destined To Be Friends/Importance of Talking to Your Kids About Pornography

Today was a great day! It's been a while since I have actually done my hair, let alone look half decent, but today I did, so we can definitely call that a success! Horray for 'doing our hair day'! 

The girls and I had a play date this morning (Kali played hooky from school...shhhh!) with some new friends, and of course, all of our kids. A huge thank you to Michelle for hosting 4 women (including herself!) and our 10 kids combined! I would have been pulling my hair out, but she was as calm and relaxed as could be. She made for an incredible hostess and it made for a great time! 

It's a funny story how we got to know each other. I won't share the whole thing (although it is quite amusing!) but basically, I went to her wedding years ago as a date with someone that I was seeing and years later, without remembering each other, our daughters are in the same class at school, AND her sister was my next door neighbour for a very short time when we first moved to London. We got into talking one day and figured this all out. How funny! We were definitely destined to be friends! 

By the time we got home today, I was ready to crash! I stayed up too late last night, creating my new blog and could hardly sleep because I was so excited about it! Luckily for me, my 2 year old still naps and my 4 year old is great at watching movies beside me while I nap. Slllleeeeeepp for me! Too much sleep! I couldn't get up. Once Lili woke up she sat so quietly with her sister, enjoying the movie while I dozed back off. What a treat! The best part was, I didn't even feel guilty when I finally woke up! That NEVER happens!

Needless to say, dinner was a simple whole chicken on fresh buns with some corn. Boring, but we needed something quick. Daddy was just as sleepy as Mommy because he came home, had a quick bite to eat, and hit the hay around 7 o'clock! We really need to start sleeping better around here! The girls crashed as soon as their heads hit their pillows and now I'm laying beside Austin (my big 12 year old!), writing in my blog, while he 'vines'. If you don't know what that is, you have saved yourself some sanity by not knowing. So dumb! But the tweens/teens love it! Just a warning for those who's kids do use it, it needs monitoring! Austin has a few people that he follows that don't use bad language and are age appropriate and I have approved them, but it can get pretty inappropriate, without parental supervision. 

On that note, my message of the day...

Something I feel very strongly about, and was actually talking to a friend about today. Children and the internet! Our youth today couldn't avoid 'pornography' if they tried! It is everywhere they look! Let's not add to it by allowing them complete freedom with their devices. It is our duty as their parents to protect them from the evils of the world, so let's work together in bringing up a generation of men and woman that have standards and morals, in a world where that no longer exists! Austin is 12 and has an iPad of his own, but he is not allowed to have it in his bedroom, EVER! He is given an hour a day during the week, and 4 hours total on the weekends on the computer, iPad, whatever he chooses, and it is always monitored. There are passwords on each device and all of them are to be in my bedroom before I go to bed. This way, there is no temptation to go on the internet for improper use. Let's keep the pornography out of our innocent children's minds! Want to know more? Read this talk about the importance of talking to our children about pornography, written by a clinical social worker, Dan Gray.

Talking To Youth About Pornography

Well, I'm off to read scriptures with Austin...he's the only left awake tonight to read with me. Happy reading everyone!

Nighty night!

My Family!

Just wanted to post a quick picture before I drag myself to bed! My I introduce my incredible family...

My husband, Andrew. My son, Austin, 12. My daughter, Kali, 4. My baby, Lili, 2 1/2. And of course, me! They make me smile and bring me great joy!

A New Life!

Well, this is it! I've gone and done it. I have finally decided to enter the blogging world! This is all very new and I'm not very good at all the technical stuff, so bare with me everyone while I figure out what it is that I am doing! Yikes!

I've been inspired! All credit goes to Stephanie Nielson and her incredibly beautiful story about how she is faced with countless challenges after she was nearly killed in a plane crash in 2008. This phenomenal woman was burned on 80% of her body and is working on facing what she calls, her new life.

Watch her story and how incredibly inspiring she is! Have a box of Kleenex handy. Trust me...you will need it!

Stephanie Nielson My New Life

I told you!!! Incredible!

So, I need to tell you why she has touched me in such a way that has encouraged me to start my own blog. Well, for many reasons...

1) Just like Stephanie, I have...let's call it...an impediment. Mine is not physical. You can't see it and many of you may not even know I have it, but let me tell you, it's there! Mine is mental. They call it a 'mental illness'. I have been diagnosed with something called Bipolar Disorder. Now don't go running from me the next time you see me. It's not contagious. You cannot catch it. I'm still the same smiley, friendly person that I have been for as long as you've known me, however long that may be. In fact, this may explain some things that you have been wondering about me. Why do I disappear through the winter months, never to be heard from or rarely seen? Why do I have all these productive plans that I never follow through with? Why do I make plans to get together and then just not show up? You got it...because I have bipolar disorder. I don't know what I will capable of from one day to the next! And trust me, it's no more fun for me than it is for the people that I let down daily. So that's it! Now you all know my impediment! (Well, at least the ones that are taking the time to read this!)

2) All Stephanie wanted for her life was to be a mother! And a darn good one at that! When she was faced with this life threatening trial, she knew that there were going to be many obstacles that she would have to overcome before she could even think about fulfilling her mom duties again. It's been no different for me. When I was first diagnosed with this illness, it took many different attempts at finding what worked for me in terms of medication, support, counselling, sleep, exercise, eating habits, and much more. And to be honest, I'm still not even close to figuring out what I need, but each day, I'm just a little bit closer and that is what counts. There are days that my thoughts tell me to just give up, but I look at the sweet faces of my children and I know that Heavenly Father has a great purpose for me, even if I don't believe in myself. And that brings me to my next point...

3) Stephanie's faith is of the greatest importance! Incase you don't know, she and I share the same faith. We both belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Just like Stephanie, I know and truly believe that Heavenly Father has a purpose for me, and although there are days that I struggle to see that purpose, I know it to be true with everything that I have. I have been blessed with an incredible husband and truly remarkable children and a life that is full of promise! I am surrounded by enough love and encouragement, just within the walls of my own home, to know that Heavenly Father loves me and is encouraging me to persevere through my trials. Through the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, when I fall, I have the opportunity to brush myself off and try again. I cannot fail! He will not let me! Without my faith in my Heavenly Father and my Saviour, I could not stand where I am today! They are my light and my life and I breath a little easier each day knowing that They are by my side!

I've always wanted to start a blog, but I guess that I have never had the courage. There's always a fear of what others will think when dealing with mental illness and most times, the subject causes such a negative response because people simply do not understand. Listening to Stephanie's story brought me so much hope. It inspired me to be an example of faith and to share my story for all to see that, even in times of despair, if we have faith in our Heavenly Father and rely on our Saviour, we can be healed of our wounds. We all have trials, big and small, and we can all receive the relief that we so long for. If sharing my story touches just one life, I will have succeeded in my efforts.

Stay tuned! I will have lots more to share! My children give me great happiness and I'm sure much of what they do will fill up my blogs soon enough! And don't worry...not all of my posts will be this long! Although, I do have a tendency to go on and on! I'll try to refrain from babble! I'm doing it now...on and on and on...