Divine Motherhood

There is something Divine about motherhood. Especially when a little one is cuddling up to you, around your belly, and he falls asleep with head against your heart.

Mothers who Know

Today I taught the Relief Society Lesson. It was on the Sunday morning conference talk "Mothers Who Know."

Like always, there is never enough time to cover all that you would like to say about it and have all the discussions you would like to have on the topics in the lessons.

Basically- what it boiled down to is that Mothers Who Know, Know that they are a Child of God, that Jesus is their Savior and from that knowledge they get their strength to run their house and teach their children, and choose the best ways with eternal perspective accordingly.

Grandmother who know - aunties who know, the nice lady behind you in church who knows...all call upon the strength of the Lord to help raise the next generation in righteousness.

No matter how alone you may seem, parenting is not a one person job. We need the help of our friends, neighbors, and even people on the street, to keep going when we are down, to help us remember that the job we are doing is more valuable then any other job in the world, and to be honored accordingly. We also need you to be good examples, to help lift the kids when and where we fail, to follow the promptings of the spirit and provide the words of inspiration and encouragement that is needed at the moment- especially when they don't want to listen to mom anymore.

Mothers who know are not afraid and face the future in faith. Of course, that is probably why we keep having children. :)

bits and pieces

Happy New Year.

I think my baby doesn't want me to do anything. I felt fine all holiday- when I wasn't doing too much, but today- when I planned to get back to work and everything else, I was sick, nauseous and tired again.

I am not sure if the blame rests squarely on baby or if the leftover chocolate frosting mixed with walnuts is to blame.

What I find is interesting is that I have trained my body enough that when I go after those chocolate (calorie fixes) then I end up eating the nuts out and leaving the chocolate and then finishing the whole snack off with a good handful of fresh veggies. However the veggies never mitigate the fact that the chocolate frosting sans cake is a good mix with a pregnant digestive system.

Oh well. I did manage to exercise for a bit yesterday- didn't manage it today- will have to do it in the (tomorrow) morning. Along with shipping, and all sorts of stuff. Clay of course. Loves it when I try to exerciser. He comes up and crawls under me and tries to sit on me. He also does that during prayer- if he catches me. Then personal prayer turns into prayer with a Clay squished between my lap and the bed.

Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that just by being pregnant you are doing more then most people all day.- or at least your body is. I had a dream this morning that baby introduced her/himself to me. Came up to my hand while it was on my belly and showed me her head and back bone. I think it will be another cuddly kid. I seem to make cuddly kids.

My Grandmother once remarked something about if you ask why? on something that you were likely to find out.

Well, I have come to an understanding of certain things in these last several months that I never before could fathom how anybody could do that.

I used to be completely at a loss to understand the news stories where mothers could kill their (usually all of them at one time) children. It leads from depression, despair and hopelessness. I have seen those roads opened in my life and have throughly refused to go down them.

The experience has created great empathy within me. And I have often sat pondering how does a society protect mothers from this? Our society is not set up to honor motherhood anymore. In many ways the media ridicules us on every side. And then we feed upon it's influences allowing shows like Martha Steward and houses seen in Country Living to make us think that our little hole in the weather, with children's scribbles on the wall, dirty diapers stinking up the garbage, and mismatched dishes, is not worth maintaining or investing in.

Yet if we hearken to the one or two voices out there proclaiming the value of what we do in our little, humble, well used, homes then we at least know that what is required of us as parents (in the Lord's eyes) is that we nurture and care for and teach our children.

He doesn't require of us to be rich, hold a prestigious job, own a boat or RV, keep a well decorated house. Those things are distractions from our real work, and our real hope and glory.
When we keep our minds focused on the things of eternal importance, despair and hopelessness flee. Indeed, they cannot stand against the hope of eternal life and the joy in building His kingdom on earth.

Hi,
I am not trying to be silent, I am just too exhausted to think any more.

2 pink lines

list

When I listen to conference I take notes (and do some doodling) but in my notes are certain items I star, these are items that are then put upon my "to do" list. This conference my list seems quite long.

I am to do the following:
1. Seek for personal revelations.
2. Buy 12 Book of Mormons and give out during the next year.
3. Give one to a business friend for Christmas
4. Give one to a friend from work.
5. Get CS Lewis's the Screw Tape Letters and read it.
6. Teach my boys to honor and reverence Sacrament meeting.
7. Be a Mother who Knows.
8. Express love to spouse, children, parents and siblings daily.
9. Write a few lines daily in journal to answer this question "Have I seen the hand of the Lord in my or my children's lives today?"
10. Search the scriptures with pen in hand.
11. Get another copy of "Preach my Gospel" and study it and use it for FHE.