Wednesday Wisdom

Just a little humor for the day....

The Definition of Stress

(Pic from www.top20fun.com)

Ever felt like this poor little doggy...yeah, me too!

Hope your day is not too stressful!

Wednesday Wisdom

Please forgive the lack of posts...

We're making a final push to get the basement finished!

Plumbing, electrical, drywall, doors, mudding, sanding, and texturing are all done, so I've been holed up in the basement for the last few days slaving away with a paint brush, roller, and gallons of paint. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is finally getting bright enough to see...WooHoo!

In lieu of more painting to be done, I'll leave you with this little tidbit of wisdom...

Stressed is DESSERT...

spelled backwards!

Have you ever noticed that all my treats involve chocolate of some sort???

Wednesday Wisdom

A friend of mine shared a site where you can create all sorts of fun stuff like those inspirational posters, etc. Suffice it to say that I had to much fun playing with all of the gadgets...but I thought one of my creations was appropriate for the wisdom of the day....

I love this saying! (I found it the other day...and thought it went perfectly with the pic, so I had to create a poster of it!!) It's one of those sayings that I might just have to have done in vinyl so that I can put it up on the wall in one of my kids rooms! FYI...I think it was Christopher Robin saying this to....Winnie the Pooh! Who else?? Love it!!

Wednesday Wisdom

Even Superman Needs A Dad

(Liz Lemon Swindle)

This is one of my favorite pictures, and I think a perfect piece of wisdom for Father's Day. And while I think the picture in and of itself speaks volumes, I think Liz Lemon Swindle's "Story Behind the Art" absolutely says it all....

Driving through a parking lot, I saw a boy and his father coming out of a store. The boy was imagining himself as a mighty hero, but he looked at his father with more admiration than any hero is likely to receive. Right then, I knew I had to paint "Even Superman Needs A Dad."

This father took an interest in everything his son had to say. Every moment seemed magical. While this little boy looked a bit out of place dressed in a Superman cape and red cowboy boots, his father could not have looked prouder. Who was the real Hero? Who was more in awe of whom?

When I look around at the thousands of Supermen who play alone each day it breaks my heart. Looking at these two I remember a wonderful father who took the time to be there for me, who taught me by example what a father should be. -Liz Lemon Swindle

Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful Dad's out there!

Thursday...Wisdom??

I wasn't able to post any wisdom yesterday because I was at Girl Scout Day Camp doing the girl scout thing! So,today I want to share a couple of thoughts:

1. Yesterday they talked to the girls about kids that are "different." Specifically, kids with disabilities, and I just have to say how impressed I was by one little girl in particular who, after this lesson was given, proceeded to take great care in guiding another young girl with Down's Syndrome through the rest of the days activities. She was so sweet to this other girl. During volleyball, she went and got the ball, gave it to her friend, and cheered as her friend threw the ball over the net. She made sure that she and her "new" friend were on the same team during the tug-o-war even though she knew that team would probably lose. She took her by the hand to each and every activity, not minding the fact that they got to the activity last each time. What a sweet girl! In a world where people are quite often out for themselves, it makes my heart smile to know that there are people like this sweet little girl who are willing to help others!

2. Today, while I was putting off all of the housework that I didn't do yesterday, I found a little blinkie that I thought, had a great saying on it:

Appropriate, since it rained buckets here today, but also because it reminds us that sometimes we just have to keep going in spite of everything!

Wednesday Wisdom

Here's another installment of...(da da da duh)
Lesson's From My 3 Year Old

Rylen has become our resident comedian over the past several weeks.  He has discovered the art of "joke telling" and while he is far from being a comedic genius, he has given me quite a few chuckles (albeit more from his personality than his jokes.)  His repetoire consists of a few knock knock jokes:

Knock Knock.  Who's there?  Orange.  Orange who?  Orange ya glad I didn't say banana!!  (He hasn't quite grasped the concept of doing the knock knock joke with the banana answer prior to telling this one)

...and a  few "why did the chicken" jokes:

Why did the chicken cross the playground?  To get to the other slide!!!

But mostly his jokes consist of things that he makes up and thinks are funny:

Why did daddy mow the lawn?  Because it was getting long....hahahahahaha!!! (that sort of funny!!)

More often than not his post joke laughter is funnier than the actual joke...and is what spurs on my own laughter.

So, why in the world am I telling you this?  To subject you to the same barrage of lame jokes that I hear on a daily basis???  Maybe.  Hope not!   But as I was trying to think of something to write today, Rylen's humor kept coming into my head, and I kept thinking why am I thinking of all these silly little jokes that Rylen has told me???  

Well, the short answer is that it is something to write about.  

The longer answer (although not that much longer) is that my 3 year old is able to see humor in everything.  (And I suppose the silly jokes are his way of sharing that humor with me.)  I think I could learn a lesson from him.  Sometimes I find myself so wrapped up in things that I fail to see the humor in even the most humorous of situations.  Kids seem to laugh deeply and easily, but I've noticed that it becomes increasingly difficult to laugh at the jokes like, "Why did Brighton crawl up the stairs?....So he could come back down."  I don't find it funny to chase the little monster up and down the stairs all day to make sure that he doesn't get hurt, but I suppose if I looked at it from Rylen's perspective it could look pretty funny to watch mommy hovering protectively over his little brother on one of Bright's many trips up AND down the stairs.

So, I suppose the lesson is this:  life is funny.  Even the most mundane acts are funny...to someone.  It's just up to us to be that "someone" that it is funny to!  Take some time to laugh today...even if you have to make up your own UN-funny joke!

Wednesday Wisdom

A friend sent me this poem.  Can you relate??

The Girl in a Whirl

By "Dr. Sue" (a.k.a. Vicke Gunther)

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classroom! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
I memorize the names of the General Authorities,
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My check books all balance!
Each week each child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! never late!)
I'm taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But, that is not all! Oh no, That is not all.
I track my bad habits 'till each is abolished;
Our T-shirts are ironed! My toe nails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully, too, It's easy to do all
the things I have to do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in the stake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It's the least I can do for my cherished ward 
Sisters.)
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each "lost lamb" on my Primary roll.
I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all.
I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write "thank yous" to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids got straight A's! and their bedrooms are
clean.
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautiful groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car's tires! I fix the sink's leak!
I grind my own wheat and bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure I rotate our two-year supply
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard; 'tis good if you do them;
You can if you try! Just set goals and pursue them!
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all,

too!

"It's easy!" she said and then she dropped dead

Message for the Day:  

You don't have to do it all...not at the same time at least!!

Wednesday Wisdom

This is definitely not your "conventional" wisdom, but I thought it was funny...and pretty much how I come up with any of my ideas!

Calvin : You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
Hobbes : What mood is that?
Calvin : Last-minute panic.

Does anybody else relate?

Wednesday Wisdom

"The tendency to focus on the insignificant at the expense of the profound happens...to everyone. We know what is important in life...Our weakness is in failing to align our actions with our conscience.
Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused on those short-lived fleeting things that matter only in the moment, or on things that matter most?"

-Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down, Apr. 2009 General Conference

Wednesday Wisdom

Rather than sharing a thought today, I decided to share a couple of pictures to remind us of what Easter truly means....

"It is Finished"

"Why Weepest Thou?"

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the moring, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabou, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen..."
(Luke 24: 1-6)

Artwork by Liz Lemon Swindle

Wednesday Wisdom

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now....Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."
-Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Oct. 2009 LDS General Conference

Are you finding joy in your journey?

Wednesday Wisdom

I've posted previously that not all wisdom comes from a quotable source (ie. books, leaders, well known people.) Some of the best wisdom comes from our children, or even from observing our children, and that's exactly where today's wisdom comes from. Here is Lesson #2 from Lesson's From My 3 Year Old...a blog that I have long since abandoned but not forgotten....(and as I've said before, this will be an on-going, occasional indulgence of mine)

Lesson #2
Bandaids Can Fix Everything

Kenny always says that you can fix anything with duct tape. It's a "must have" in every man's garage.

I've come to the conclusion that a bandaid is a kid's duct tape. Bandaids make everything better! Get hit in the shin with a baseball...use a bandaid. Sliver...bandaid! Wipe out on the pavement and skin your knee after attempting a quadruple twisting double back flip on your skateboard...bandaid! FYI, bandaids are good for moms too. Kids being too noisy...bandaids (to close their mouths.) No tape to wrap a present...bandaid. Need some sympathy...bandaid (a well placed bandaid can get you a well earned 15 min. of down time...and a load of hugs and kisses to go along with it) A house without bandaids will, in all likelihood, fall apart at the seams!

Funny how something so simple can make everything all better...but it does. The tears fade, the smile returns, and 2 min. after affixing the bandaid, Rylen is back out on his scooter attempting another stunt with reckless abandon. I guess life is like that. Simple things can solve the biggest problems. We have the right idea as kids. Our bandaids just evolve as we get older.
My bandaids: Chocolate, Kenny, and Prayer.

What are your bandaids???

Wednesday Wisdom

I recently saw a clip by a comedian on Youtube making fun of people because they/we complain about everything. Unfortunately, he was more right than wrong. It made me wonder if I was like one of the complainers? Hope not! Anyhow, then I read this quote on a friend's blog. It immediately reminded me of the Youtube clip, but it also reminded me that all I need to do to NOT be one of the complainers is to count my blessings!

Excerpt from "How to Be Totally Miserable" by John Bytheway


Lots of people complain. Most people complain about their problems, but miserable people are different-they complain about their blessings. If their car breaks down, they complain that it isn't new. If their waitress is slow, they complain and withhold a tip. If their cell phone drops a call, they complain about their service. They're like the people in the Old Testament who got free food from heaven and said, "What? Manna again?" By contrast, happy people are grateful to have a car, thankful they can afford to eat at a restaurant, and stoked that they have a cell phone. Most people in the world don't have cars, can't afford restaurants, and have never sent a text message. Happy people count their blessings, while the miserable complain about theirs.

Count your blessings today. It will do wonders and, more than likely, put a smile on your face!

Wednesday Wisdom

I'm taking a "Time Out For Women" seminar. Sheri Dew is the instructor for the next couple of weeks. The lessons this month are focusing on "The Divine Gift of Influence" with a specific focus each week. This week the topic is "Righteous Women Can Change the World." Sis. Dew spoke about our focus and influence this week and asked us to think about:
1. What our focus is on
2. How a life focused on Christ compares to ours
3. What we can do to improve our focus
4. What influence we have as a result of our focus.

The following are 2 quotes from the lesson that I found particularly poignant. The first reminds me of where my focus should be. The second leaves me feeling hopeful, in spite of trying times, for a brighter future.

"What you're focused on determines what you see and what you don't see.....If we focus on the world, we don't see the Lord or the adversary. If we focus on the Lord, we not only see Him with clearer vision, but we are also better able to detect the presence of the adversary." -Sheri Dew


"These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life...that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues."
-Abigail Adams (David McCullough, John Adams, Simon & Schuster, 226.)

*Just a quick note. If you're interested in the Time Out for Women Seminars, they are available on-line now. Click here for more info.

Wednesday Wisdom

Over the past few weeks...maybe since the beginning of the year...I've felt the need to learn. Learn what? I'm not sure if there is anything specific, and since I don't have the option of going back to school at the moment, most of my learning will be done through my own reading and experiences. I love this quote by M. Russell Ballard given in his April 2008 conference talk entitled, "Daughters of God."

"...sisters, find some time to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to other, even your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse, mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don't allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it."

Just an FYI for anyone that might be interested: I received an e-mail for a new Time Out For Women Class. (Time Out For Women is a learning seminar designed for women. There are classes all over the country.) They are now offering an on-line seminar. The cost for a limited time is $39.99 for 3 classes, which is actually 3 months worth of classes. The instructors include Sheri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, and S. Michael Wilcox. Here's a link for more info if you're interested.

Wednesday Wisdom

*I had an idea a while ago to write down all of the things that I learned from my kids. I called it, "Lesson's From My 3 Year Old" although I've learned things from each of my children. I tried to write diligently each week, but kind of fizzled out after a little while. One of my thoughts in starting this blog was to give me an opportunity to restart writing excerpts for "Lesson's From My 3 Year Old"...occasionally. So, indulge me. Every so often Wednesday Wisdom will not necessarily be wisdom from a quotable source but wisdom learned from my observations of my kiddies.

Lesson #1 - I Belong...

I've noticed that each of my kids likes to look at pictures of themselves and our family. This has never really struck me as unique until I noticed Bright (our 7 mo. old) doing the same thing. I would hold him as I worked at the computer and he would wiggle and squirm until I brought up pictures of our family from our blog. Then he would get a big smile on his face. He would get all excited and start to babble. I also noticed this same reaction every time Kenny's picture came up on my phone. Bright's reaction was the same every time he recognized the people in the pictures, but he was very indifferent to pictures of people that he did not recognize....and I started wondering "why?" I know that babies enjoy looking at faces, so it shouldn't have really mattered which faces he saw, but Bright's strong response came only when he saw our faces. Why? Obviously he sees us all the time. He recognizes us. He knows us. We are familiar to him. He feels like he belongs with us.


My lesson learned:
We are each born with the light of Christ. Some of us are fortunate enough to have families where that knowledge is cultivated. Other's have to search for it. When found, I think that we experience that same sort of reaction that Bright had. The excitement. The recognition. The feeling like, "this is where we belong." We recognize our divine heritage,are drawn to it, and are drawn to other people that radiate that same light....just like Bright recognized and was drawn to the pictures of our family. It is where we "belong."

Wednesday Wisdom

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I think about this line of the poem around Valentine's Day for a couple of different reasons. It reminds me that "love" is a verb. "Saying" I love you through our actions is just as important as actually voicing the words. It helps to remind me of the small everyday actions of my family that show (even though I might not think about it that way at the time) that they love me. Bright growls in my ear when he is comfortable. Rylen shares his songs on his iPod because he thinks they're my favorite. Breven tidies up the loft every morning before we read scriptures and pray. Ashlynn changes Bright's diaper...willingly. Jackson takes the garbage out when it is full. Kenny answers my calls while he's work and takes time to talk to me. It also helps me to remember that I also need to show others that I love them. Sometimes actions go further than words. The words are the initial act and the actions are the follow through. Love requires both our hearts and our hands.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
-Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse