Tender Mercies

I wanted to share with you something that has been a lifesaver for me. You ready? Frozen bean burritos.  What? Yep, homemade frozen bean burritos, ready to be popped into the microwave and eaten whenever hunger strikes.  I actually need to confess that I have never tried one, but Marshall can vouch for their convenience and yumminess. Since I do not buy any pre-made snacks, it can be a challenge to figure out what kind of snacks to make each week. I love to experiment and finding snacks for myself isn't difficult. It's finding what snacks Marshall likes to eat. You see, if I am hungry, I don't have a problem going into the kitchen and whipping something up. But if Marshall needs something immediately but then can't find something he can just grab, he will skip eating all together. Which isn't always a good thing. Especially for an Adams boy. So a couple of months ago, Marshall gave me the idea of frozen burritos. When he actually solicited t...

I kinda like to think that there are Tender Mercies everywhere.  Even during hard times. Especially in hard times. But it's during these hard moments that seem to be the most difficult to seek out those so called tender mercies.  What is a tender mercy anyways? Let me try to paint you a picture from an experience I had today around lunchtime.  The plan was to take the kids to music class, where a group of ladies bring their toddlers together for an hour or two of song singing and tricycle riding. It's truly a great time for the kids to play together and the ladies to socialize. As it reached the noon hour today, I noticed the baby was becoming restless, hungry, and tired. So I told her brother that it was time to go; most everyone else was packing up to leave anyways. He had been doing so well in leaving when I say it's time to, but today he was just not having it. He threw a classic three-year-old tantrum and as a new nanny without any kids of her own, I was just b...

As those who have been reading my blog for a while already know, I love to ride my bike. No, I am not a racer or extreme cyclist, but I get a great sense of joy and satisfaction when I get to ride to my errands, work, or to other adventures. This allows me to fit in my 1) outside time, 2) exercise, and 3) commute all into the same time slot. It's pretty awesome. Today I did just that and made a stop by the grocery stores after an appointment at the massage school I'd like to go to.  Sometimes grocery shopping while on your bike can be hilarious. It is a challenge to try and only get what I can carry on my back and then the handle bars in dire situations. So as I was checking out at Natural Grocers, I was chatting away cheerfully with the clerk as I was trying to use my not-so-awesome Tetris skills to get the bulky produce and chicken into by pack. I said good-bye to the lady and off I was. But I only got into the driveway of the store when it struck me. " I didn't p...

For every day that I go to babysit "my" kids, I gain an ounce more of understanding towards moms with their own kids. Being a nanny is way easier than a mom I am sure, but I have had my share of laughs and  ah ah  moments where I finally somewhat "get" what the millions of moms out their have experienced.  You think you understand until you have to actually do it.  Today as I rode my bike over to watch "my" two little ones, I basked in the gorgeous sunshine, the blue sky, and the mild breeze. It was a perfect walk day.  So when I arrived, I asked the three-year-old if he'd like to go find some water. (I was hoping I could find a pond or lake within walking distance.) Asking a three-year-old what he wants to do is always a hit-or-miss thing. They can be so stubborn, and I have had some best-made plans completely abandoned because of the agenda of a toddler. If you're a mom, you're probably laughing because you know exactly what I mean. Howeve...

Last night was a  not-so-restful  kind of night. I really don't know what was the matter, except for that it was hot and Marshall came to bed after midnight and I was hungry. Man, the past couple of days I have been a lot more hungry than normal, so snacking every hour or two has what it's come down to. Which is not a bad thing of course, but it is kind of annoying. But there are worst things in life :).  I woke up happy, made an amazing breakfast for the two of us, then hopped into the shower to get ready for the day. Yesterday was such a productive day that I had high expectations for today. Mistake #1. As I pulled on my jeans after my shower, I noticed they were tighter. It seems as though 75% of my clothes don't fit right anymore. I guess that's to be expected after such a drastic body size change, but every time I put a beloved piece of clothing on only to have it not fit properly or comfortably, my heart sinks a bit and I am discouraged. Ugh, why must I do th...

I would love to go to massage school. It's kind of a new dream of mine that was reassured after a visit to the massage school here in town a couple of weeks ago. Since the price tag is over $18,000 for a 14 month program (and since I've yet to speak with a financial aid lady yet), I felt like I should get a second job on top of the 3 days per week nanny job I've got. So I put my info on care.com. Late last week I received an email from a mother who was looking for a person to do random housekeeping jobs, 3-4 hours a day, 4 days a week. It seemed like it would be a great job, and upon talking to her on the phone, I felt like it would be fun too. They even lived only a block away. However, I felt uneasy and nervous after I hung up and the feeling lingered for a few more days. I was especially nervous about my meeting with her in a couple of days. I did not know why. Everything was logical in my mind. I was just trying to earn more money so that we didn't have to dig ...

This past Saturday was just Awesome! Granted I woke up exhausted from Friday's birthday excitement. Is this what it feels like to be hung-over? Because it just stinks.  Luckily I felt better as the day progressed. Like I said in yesterday's post , Marshall awoke early to play with his airplane and we both walked over to Centennial Park to have his first flight at 8 AM. The skies were clear and he did a great job for his first time in flight. It made me happy how much he loved that thing! At 9:30 AM, we drove to the Kansas City Temple. It was a special day for our family because his younger brother Hyrum (I can't say little because Hyrum is taller than Marshall...) was going through for the first time. The neat thing is that there were 25 family members there at the same time all in support of him! Grandparents, Mom and Dad, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is definitely true that the Temple is made for families.  After the temple, Mars...

"Are you still planning on buying that remote control airplane as an end-of-the-semester reward?" "I am not sure, but probably not," my husband replied. "We don't really have the money and I need to earn it." "Oh, okay then," was my response as the gears in my mind began turning. This was the sort of conversation we had a couple of months ago as his birthday on April 11th drew near. I really wanted to do something special for his big day, but I wanted it to be a surprise. Knowing that we really shouldn't spend the $160 on a remote control airplane set up right now, I asked our parents and my sisters if they were interested in pitching in for his birthday. I was blown away by their generosity, and at the beginning of April was able to purchase the plane and controller on Amazon. Luckily I knew which one he wanted because he had saved it on his Amazon wish list...so I logged on while he was away running errands and emailed the links t...

"Play can  be a doorway to a new self, one much more in tune with the world."                                                  -Stuart Brown, MD in Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. As a child I loved to play. I fondly remember playing outside in my "kitchen," making all sorts of delicacies with mud, clay, ash, flowers, and anything else I could find in the yard. As I look back, it's no wonder I love to cook now! Back in 1996/97, I would bring my sister and two neighbor friends into our living room and I'd choreograph dances to the songs of our  Disney's Greatest Hits  CD. We had a ball! I didn't know my early exposure to choreography would help me in my coaching as I choreographed my skaters' programs.  This past week I finished reading the book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens ...

Happy Easter!!  As a child, Easter was fun. We would decorate and hide eggs, have Easter parties at school, and receive a small gift from Mom and Dad. Although I am a devout Christian, as I have gotten older the holiday just comes and goes for me without much forethought. Yes, I enjoyed the day to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there was no real  effort on my part.  Until this year. 2015 changed my view point forever.  Back in January as I was unpacking boxes after our move to Kansas, I received a phone call from my soon-to-be friend, asking if I could help out with the annual Walk With Christ  event our church put on each Easter.   Walk With Christ   takes visitors through the life of Christ in a 30 minute tour, beginning at Bethlehem with his birth, through his life as a child and baptism, his ministry, the Judgement, Gethsemane, Crucifixion, and finally His Resurrection on the third day. Though I was over my head i...