I was so excited Friday afternoon when I looked at the calendar and discovered that there wasn't much going on. The scheduled youth Temple trip had been cancelled, which meant that I didn't have to get up early Saturday morning and make the long drive to the Temple, 2 hours away. As much as I love when Austin gets to go with his friends to do the work of The Lord, I also find it a blessing when our weekends are quiet and we get to enjoy simply being together as a family and not rushing through the busy weekend. Our friend Cole (he's just a little older than Austin, but we love him just as much so we can call him our friend too!) came over on Friday to join Austin on the temple trip (which we didn't know was cancelled until after he got here) the next day, so he got to join in on our family time. Lucky him!
Friday nights are usually pretty quiet for us. We like it that way. There's nothing better than curling up in my pj's with a good book or a movie to enjoy (BY MYSELF!!!) after the girls have gone to bed and the boys are busy gaming. In dealing with my illness I have learned that these quiet, selfish moments are critical for my well being. I set myself up with everything that I need, a drink, something to munch on, a warm blanket and I'm set for the evening. No need to move an inch. As a mother, in need pretty much all of the time, these moments are very much appreciated.
Because we had company on Friday night (we like to be involved when our kids have friends over so that we can get to know the people they hang out with, so yes, he was OUR company) we decided to watch a movie together, but it didn't take long to see that the boys had other things in mind. They headed outside, which to me was a great idea! How often do we see our children headed outside these days? Hardly ever! They are far too distracted with their systems and devices, so when the boys offered up this outdoor adventure, I was more than game. Little did I know that those little stinkers had concocted a plan to plastic wrap and tp (toilet paper) mine and Andrews vehicles. Oh, they thought they were so funny! I didn't see it (Andrew cleaned it up before I had to witness it-he knows me well) but they had also found it funny to tp my bedroom. I should have known that they were up to something the moment they wanted to make a trip to the local dollar store. I did question why they returned home with plastic wrap but was satisfied when I asked what it was for and Cole responded with, "My parents wanted me to pick some up." Apparently I'm more gullible than I thought.
The worst was the following morning when Kali, my 4 year old, woke up from her long nights sleep and headed into the bathroom to take a morning pee pee. The poor, sweet girl almost cried in embarrassment when she discovered that her pee was running down to the floor instead of into the toilet. Those brats had plastic wrapped the toilet seat and poor Kali didn't know what was going on.
The pranks continued anywhere from salt in our beverages to hundreds of meaningless pictures filling up the memory on our phones to silly string and fog horns (ask Andrew how much he loves fog horns!). Even though I was nervous the entire time about how far they would go (I don't deal well with mess in my house!), I was happy to see them having a good time outside of their devices. Next time I'll be sure to suggest Cole's house as the sleep over spot. ;)
Saturdays are always so nice when we can take our time getting up and making breakfast (which usually turns into lunch because it takes us so long) and decide to do whatever plan comes to mind in the moment. This particular Saturday we decided that tobogganing was going to be the adventure of the day and we bundled up (all except Cole who wore nothing but a sweater) and headed for the slopes. Funny enough, we got a phone call from some friends letting us know that they were heading to the slopes at the very same time as us, so we met up. What a blast! Who doesn't love tobogganing?! It was a very wet day and by the time we left every one of us was dripping with wet snow but we didn't let that get in the way of our fun! One more quick stop to Timmies for some hot chocolate and donuts and we headed home.
My brother-in-law Sam came over to spend some time with us that evening, so we decided on a family game night. We started off with Apples to Apples Disney Edition, Kali and Lili's favourite, and after they headed to bed, dare I say we enjoyed a game called, 'Munchies'. It's a nerd game (says me) that I would normally never even entertain the idea of playing, but because the rest of the fam was excited to try it out, I sucked up my pride and agreed to give it a try. It took me about 2/3 of the game to finally get the idea and just as I was starting to really be able to play, Andrew pulled out some crazy wild card and won the game. Boo! I was so close to winning!
Sunday mornings are always hectic. I would love to know one family who has it all together on Sunday mornings getting ready for church. It's simply not possible. As Sundays are meant to be the one day a week that we devote to our Sunday best, it takes a lot of effort to get everyone showered and cleaned up, outfits picked out, hair done, make up on (I shouldn't be including make up as I'm the only one in the house who wears it and I can't even say that because all I apply is a little face cream, some lip gloss and mascara), snacks packed, breakfast eaten, and out the door on time for church. For those of you that don't attend church every week, it's like getting the whole family ready for a wedding every Sunday! It's exhausting and I always dread the stressful hours that lead up to Sunday morning church, but once we are there, the Spirit takes over and fills my heart with so much love, I am so grateful that we made the effort.
For me, going to church is so refreshing. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sunday is a day that we devote entirely to serving The Lord, without all of the distractions of the world. We do not play sports or go shopping on Sundays. We don't eat out or even put gas in our vehicles. We don't spend any money on Sundays at all. Anything that we feel we may need on a Sunday we simply prepare ahead of time on Saturday and if we have forgotten something and feel we may need it on Sunday, well it has to wait until Monday. I love it because it teaches us to be prepared as well as shows our dedication to The Lord. Sunday is a day of rest from all of the previous days stresses. It is a day to reflect on the challenges and mistakes that we made throughout the prior week and to be able to repent and partake of the sacrament and renew of our covenants that we have made to our Heavenly Father. When we are baptized, we are making a covenant (promise) to our Father in Heaven that we will keep His commandments and do as He would have us do. As none of us are perfect and we all make many mistakes throughout each day, Sunday is a day to be able to tell Heavenly Father that we are sorry for our mistakes and as we partake of the sacrament (bread and water), we are renewing our covanent with Him. It is truly a blessing to be able to feel His forgiveness each week and to be able to have a fresh start Monday morning as we venture back out into the world where we try so hard not to be so easily distracted. For us (Latter Day Saints), serving The Lord is something that we devote our time to each and every day of the week, not just on Sundays, so we need the extra boost to help us get through our week as we maintain a balance in our families, work, service, and callings that we hold within the church. It can become overwhelming at times and we always depend on the help of our Heavenly Father. When I don't make it to church, usually because one of the kids are sick, I really feel that void throughout my week. I need and depend on being able to renew my covenants on Sundays and feel so blessed that I have the knowledge of the Gospel in my life. I can honestly say that Sunday is, by far, my favourite day of the week and I look forward to it all week long!
Over all, it was another wonderful weekend, accompanied by many challenges (I won't bore you with the ugly details of my weekend). As I reflect on all of the blessings that I have in my life, at this moment, I am especially grateful for my health. I have felt pretty good since Christmas (Christmas is always overwhelming for me!) and although I'm still struggling with my 'new life', I'm grateful that I have been feeling somewhat balanced. I'm happy to say that the month of January came and went without any major episodes and I am ready to face February with the same hopes. As I never know what to expect with my illness, I can't be too certain of anything except, without the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, I would be lost. I would be without hope for my future and at many times, would find myself feeling as if I have no reason to live. Im so grateful for this blessing in my life and I encourage all who are without it to seek it out and invite it into your lives. The blessings will flo and you will be so full of love and gratitude for your life and hope for your future!
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For those of you that take the time to read my blogs, thank you. I know that they are long and can take some time out of your busy days. I start them with the intention of keeping it short and to the point, but once I get going, the words just start flowing. You're encouragement and support is overwhelming and I am grateful to be able to share my stories and feelings. Whether I am reaching out to some of you or simply just adding to your reading, I am grateful that you take the time to follow my blog and I will continue to write as often as I can. For nothing else, it is helping me and I can always use the help!
Happy reading! Nighty night!
I love reading your blog, Jara!! It was great to see you on Sunday. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Cassandra!
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