Friday 5

I'm linking up today with my fabulous friend and cousin-in-law, Emmy Mom, for Friday 5! Since we've been sick this week and haven't done much of anything I'm sort of cheating and covering the last 2 weeks. 

5 Thoughts

1. I love my kids! Most of us have been under the weather this past week which is no fun, but they have the best attitudes. When I lost my voice they turned my trying to communicate into a game of charades that ended with us laughing like crazy every time. When my son comes home from school he is not always in the best mood, and with homework, piano, and chores to do I don't blame him. Today, however, when he came in the door he was in such a happy and cheerful mood! It really reminded me how much one person's attitude can affect the rest of the people in the house. I immediately felt happier and more cheerful, despite feeling blah from being sick, all because he was a bright ray of sunshine. 

2. Disneyland knows how to do things right. It is no secret that my love for all things Disney runs deep but last week I got to do something I've never done...volunteer at a Disney race! I worked 2 days in the Expo handing out shirts for the 5k and the 1/2 marathon. I am no runner by any means but I have run a few 5ks in my time and let me say that packet/t-shirt pick up is the worst! Long lines, wrong t-shirt sizes, people who have only been trained briefly and are still figuring things out, you name it. But not with Disney! There was not a single line at the t-shirt station the entire two days, that's how efficient their system is. I am excited to volunteer again but also excited to sign up my family for their Disneyland 5k in September!

3. Miss M had her dance recital last week after 7 weeks of rehearsals. She was incredible and has such a talent for dance, but my favorite part of this has been seeing how much she lights up when she dances. She took dance year round where we used to live but this was our first time getting her in a dance class here. I think it's something we need to make a regular thing. 

4. I'm so grateful for good friends. Whether it's a conversation via text with friends who live far away, lunch with a nearby friend, or a phone call when you need it. Good friends are a treasure.

5. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with cancer recently and while not pleasant at all, we are already seeing some of the "side effect blessings" as I like to call them. Our children have been praying for her every single night and if they/we forget to they insist that we pray again. We have also started video chatting with her each week which has been such a treat as she has lived on the other side of the country for the last 10 years and so we don't see her often. It has been great to connect with her and be uplifted by her faith and her strength.

5 Pictures

1. 

Such a diva at her dance recital. 

2. 

Volunteering for 2 days at the Inaugural Disneyland Star Wars 1/2 Marathon Weekend

3. 

Creating our new family "awards." The one he decorated was the "Squeaky Clean Award."

4. 

Weekly Review time! Find out more at powerofmoms.com

5. 

Can't wait to attend TOFW this year! Find out more at http://tofw.com/

Message in a Cough Drop

My husband bought these new cough drops which say they have "a pep talk in every drop." Kind of like Laffy Taffy or Dove chocolates but instead of jokes or messages of love it has motivational sayings.

After a bit of an asthma/coughing attack mid-sleep tonight I was feeling sorry for myself as I have been sick for a month straight.

I opened one up and it said,

"You've survived tougher." 

Picture from Sams Club Website

Talk about the right message at the right moment. It took my bedroom at 12:30 at night from being a place of whining to a place of perspective.

I HAVE survived tougher things than this. And not only have I survived, but I've grown and become stronger because of them.

Thanks Halls.

Trust the Timing Of Your Life

As part of my life long search for calm and balance in my life I have begun following Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, on Facebook. I am one of the few who has yet to actually read Eat Pray Love (it's on my Kindle, I'm working on it). However, I've heard her speak and she is so full of positive energy and perspective and really seems to have it all together.

Recently she shared this on her page after having to cancel a much looked forward to trip to India last minute after having a health issue:

This is why I follow her on Facebook, for these moments of clarity and inspiration I relate to my own life. At the time I remember thinking, "that's a really good thing to do, I should try harder to trust the timing of my life."

I even thought of my sister-in-law who within the last month has gone from having a cold, to pneumonia, to cancer. Her life was in limbo at the time already, her being between jobs and living situations, and to have cancer added on top of it all is a lot for anyone. And yet she handles it with such grace and faith and truly trusts in the timing of her life.

There are times where life hands me a bowl of lemons and I want to say, no thanks you keep them. Other times prayers are sent heavenward and seem to go unanswered without any logical reason why and I turn to sorrow.

Whatever our situation may be, good or bad, joy or sorrow there is a huge difference in just "getting through it" and really trusting it. When these waves of life come and start beating us down we might try to look out to shore for help, only to see the next wave in front of us. What we might not see is the lifeboat that is just beyond that next wave, waiting to rescue us.

We'll never get to that rescue if we panic, flail about, and fight the water just like we'll never find peace and balance in our trials if we panic and flail about and fight against them. Hold on to them, embrace them, seek help and solace where you can, and trust in the timing of your life.

Welcome to 2015

It's a New Year and with that comes a new post! I love the beginning of a new year and how fresh it all seems.

Tonight as a family we are having our annual New Year's Family Home Evening. We gather as a family and go over personal and family goals. The best part is we introduce our families theme for the year!

I love having a family theme. It gives us direction and guidance as we go throughout our year and helps us to focus on what is important. Our yearly theme is usually based off of a verse of scripture. However, this year we are branching out and our family theme was inspired by a talk one of our church leaders gave as well as a familiar children's song in our church.

The theme for 2015 is........(drumroll please!)

Kindness Begins With Me!

I remember hearing the talk, "Remember This- Kindness Begins With Me" by Mary N. Cook, one of the leaders in our church who is over the girls ages 12-18. She spoke of the Christlike attribute of kindness and the effect it has on others as well as yourself. I studied further and found a wonderful talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin called "The Virtue of Kindness". In both of these talks it was emphasized that showing kindness gets us out of our own selfishness, increases our awareness and service to others, and draws us closer to Christ by becoming more like Him. 

As I have wondered recently how to be more patient myself and how to help my children with their (what seems like constant) sibling rivalry I have circled back again and again to this principle: kindness begins with me. We can't change other people so the best place to begin change is with yourself. 

Here is to a wonderful, exciting, and more KIND 2015!!!