Mom Remembers

ME: Would you like to tell a story? SOREN: Yes. I am going to tell the last story. It is about Moroni. He was ... he was ... who was he? ME: He was a prophet. SOREN: Yes. He was a prophet and he did ... he did ... what did he do? ME: He buried the gold plates so Joseph Smith could find them. SOREN: And Joseph Smith found them and thought that they were the scriptures so he read them. This is a true story. The end.

Every mom needs faith. I'm talking about faith in God. I, in particular, need more of it. That's why I'm writing myself this pep talk. This is what I know: There is a plan for Soren and Carl. I am a part of that plan. God wants me to be the best mother I can; He is counting on it. This is something else I know: I have made mistakes and I will make many more. I am often selfish and prideful, which is something motherhood allows me to work on overcoming. Sometimes I just make stupid choices. However, this is still part of the plan and I know that God's plan is more awesome than I can imagine. I will do the best I can and He will make up the rest. Hard as it is for me to believe it, He loves my boys more than I do. He isn't going to let me jeopardize their eternal happiness. So when I fret about parenting philosophies and educational decisions, worrying that I will "screw my kids up forever", I just need to take a deep breath and have a little fai...

It's obvious in this antidote that I am overtalking. I do that a lot. Oh well. ME: We're going to have scripture study so I want you to keep your mouth closed and your ears open. And what should you do with your butt? CARL: Um ... listen? ME: No, sit!

ME: Would you like to tell me a story? SOREN: When Sariah's sons went to Jerusalem, they got the gold plates. That's kind of like a magazine, I think.

There are a lot of things that I want to teach my kids. There are stories I want to tell them and songs I want to sing with them. There are hugs and kisses I don't want to miss and life skills I feel it's important to practice. In the business of daily life, sometimes it's hard to find time for the time I want to spend with my kids. I hope that I can take advantage of the spontaneous moments that arise but just in case, I try to carve out special time with each boy every day. The way I do this is with Circle Time . It is easy to take 10 minutes for an individualized Circle Time because both of my boys still have a daily Room Time . So while Soren plays alone in his room, Carl has his Circle Time. Then when Carl plays alone in his room, Soren has his Circle Time. With Carl, I am currently teaching him to sit and listen to a story, which I hope will transfer over to more reverence during family scripture study in the evenings. So this is what Carl's Circle Time loo...

1. I love that he is not as anti-cuddly as he once was. For example: 2. I like the way he snuggles with me while we watch The Electric Company 3. or the way he holds my hand when we walk 4. or the way he hugs me so earnestly and kisses so sweetly. 5. I am glad that he loves to learn 6. I love that he doesn't do anything halfway. He is enthusiastically engaged in everything he does. 7. I enjoy overhearing his pretend play, which is rich with fables and mythology as well as day-to-day activities. 8. I like to hear him telling his dad about all the things he has learned and done in a day. 9. I am glad that he still takes a nap. 10. I am glad that he has such a nice-shaped head. That sounds silly but it makes him look so good after I buzz his hair. 11. I love to hear him laugh with Carl. 12. I love that he still plays a lot with Peter (who was once "Rabbit"). 13. I love it when he is appreciative. Sometimes he is so thankful I start to worry. Still, it makes me feel good abo...

Goals for Soren: * continue potty training (shoot for complete autonomy) * daily circle time - continue learning the stories from "Heroes of the Scriptures" * learn not to interrupt Goals for Carl: * continue potty training (shoot for keeping dry between scheduled pees) * learn to be quiet during scripture study Goals for Carolyn: * start and finish arranging Bro. Fetzer's music * drink a liter of water before nap time every day * read the scriptures every day before reading any fun material Goals for Mom: * don't forget Carl's pee times (wake-up, before Room Time, before outing, after outing, before nap, after nap, after dinner, before bed) * spend ten minutes every day per child attending to positive behaviors * take a picture every day