Mornings

This morning was awful.

Just plain awful.

And what's sad is, that many of our mornings are like that.

Getting three children ready in the morning for school is a lot of work, and requires a great deal of patience.

I struggle with patience.  I have always wished I were one of those moms that never raises her voice and never gets impatient with her children, but I fall short here.

Every night before school as I tuck the children into bed, I help them pick out their outfits for school the following day so we are one step ahead when the morning comes.

But when morning comes, there are still tantrums.

Someone will be upset about what is for breakfast.  Someone will be upset about the things I am packing in their lunch.  Someone will change their mind about the outfit we picked out the night before.  Usually one of the girls gets upset about how their hair looks.  Sawyer usually takes a lot of coaxing to wake up, then is groggy and grumpy as he's getting dressed.

And by the time I drop them off to school, there has been so much arguing that I am emotionally beat and cranky because that is not how our mornings should go.

This morning, things started off ok, and then slowly things started escalating for the worse.

On these stressful mornings after I drop them off at school, I feel like the worst mother in the world.  I tell myself I should have been more patient, I shouldn't have raised my voice at them, I should have been more prepared, and on and on…

And then I always think…do my children really know how MUCH I love them when I'm sending them off to school like that?  Telling each of them I love them is always the last thing that leaves my mouth when they exit the car in the drop off lane, but do they REALLY know?

When I got home this morning from dropping them off, feeling sad and discouraged, I knew what I needed to do.

I got down on my knees and asked Heavenly Father for help.  I asked for strength and ideas to help our mornings to go smoother.  I know I can't do this on my own, and that I need divine help from my loving Heavenly Father.

I didn't receive an answer right away because I was still lost in self pity. But soon after, ideas started flooding into my mind.

#1 - I help set the tone for my family.  If I get all frazzled, it's only going to make things that much worse.

#2 - I need to stay more calm, and one helpful way to do that is by starting the morning by dropping to my knees and saying a MEANINGFUL prayer!  I need to be putting on my spiritual armor before I even see them in the mornings.

#3 - I need to buy Sawyer a neat, children's alarm clock so that I am not starting the morning off nagging him and making him frustrated and he can be responsible for getting out of bed himself.

#4 - I need to prepare lunches the night before.  This will free up my time in the mornings so that I can be more available to help them individually, rather than being frazzled about time.  This will also hopefully prevent the tantrums over what is packed in their lunches.

#5 - Discuss with the girls the night before about how we should style their hair and choose the hair accessory that matches their outfit so it's all ready to go.

#6 - Wake everyone up a little bit earlier, which also means that I need to go to bed earlier so it's not as hard for me to get up in the mornings.

#7 - Make time for family prayers in the morning.  This is something that we are not as consistent with, but we really need to be.

#8 - Play spiritual music to help set the tone.  It's hard to get angry when there is spiritual and uplifting music being played.  Music just really helps set a tone, and we can utilize it in a good way that brings feelings of peace to our home.

After all these solutions came flooding into my mind, I also felt Heavenly Father's love for me.  He has so much patience with me, and I need to remember that as I am caring for my/His sweet, precious children. Children are truly a blessing, and I always need to treat them with patience, love, and kindness, just like my Heavenly Father does for me.

I am sharing a video that I have always found to be uplifting.  Watching it always reminds me of my divine role as a mother, and that I have a sacred, special responsibility of raising my children.

Please watch!

Inspired from Italy

My youngest sister Casey is serving a mission for our church in Italy. Currently, she is serving in a city called Vercelli.  I love to read her letters she writes each week. While reading her letter from last week, I was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures from Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8...

 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;  

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

These two verses have comforted me during times of my life when I have been sad, worried, and lonely.  We all feel that way at times, and these words are soothing to the soul.  We must endure our challenges well, they only last a small moment in our lives, and then Heavenly Father promises that we will be blessed and overcome whatever we are facing.

Here is an excerpt from Casey's recent letter...

No matter what we are going through we can always turn to our Heavenly Father and ask for his help and guidance, and one day all these trials and hardships will be over. And if we endure it well we will have everlasting peace. If that's not an initiative to endure to the end, I don't know what is. I feel so blessed with the scriptures and the modern day revelation that our prophet receives for us. We cannot take them for granted!
Well I love you all and I hope you guys have a good week. You're always in my prayers and don't forget to get on your knees and pray. Go out of your way and do something nice for someone this week. Be an instrument!

Casey on the left

I love her reminder at the end to go out of our way and do something nice for someone else this week.  We are here on earth to serve and love one another.  We are to forgive, to love, to help, to be an instrument in Heavenly Father's hands.  When we focus on serving others, it helps us to forget our own challenges and struggles we are facing, whatever they may be.

I'm Crazy for Coconuts!

I'm a sucker for a good soup recipe.  When it comes to the combination of coconut milk, chicken, and curry, I am ready to scarf!  I stumbled upon this recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Soup, thanks to Pinterest.  I made it last week, and it was soooooooo tasty!

photo courtesy of Chef Michael Smith

The lemongrass and lime added so much goodness to the broth.  And my kids especially loved the addition of the bean sprouts because it added a little bit of crunchiness to it.  If curry coconut flavors float your boat, definitely give this recipe a try!

Lately, I've been really sensitive to cow's milk.  I was beginning to notice that any time I drank some of it, I would feel gross and lethargic.  I started researching how to make my own coconut milk.  Usually when I start watching health and wellness videos on youtube, I get sucked in.  I'll click on another video, then another, and then the next thing I know, I'm an expert on 5 different ways to make coconut milk...and it's 1 a.m.  

One video that I found to be very helpful was this one…

The next day after watching this video, I went to Safeway and bought 2 coconuts. I drained the water, cracked them open, removed the meat, and followed her tutorial.  My homemade coconut milk was delicious! Danny and I used it in our smoothies and the kids ate it with their cereal for breakfast.  Even Asher liked to eat the plain coconut meat before I made milk out of it.  Coconuts are so amazing, and have so many nutritional benefits!  They are a great source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, electrolytes (ditch the Gatorade!), and they support healthy bones and teeth, amongst many other amazing benefits. I've also used this method to make almond milk, which is also very good. Sometime this week, I plan to make more coconut milk using a different method that involves (organic!) unsweetened shredded coconut flakes. It's definitely going to be a time-saving method, however, I think the method in the video above is my preferred method because of the freshness of it.  

Ever since I was a teenager, I have always loved the smell of coconut lotion.  It's one of my favorite scents!  I slather this product on my skin every day, and I also use it as a moisturizer on my face under my makeup every morning….

I buy a few jars whenever I'm at Trader Joe's, and I love that they are only $5.99 per jar.  They last awhile too!  I'd much rather be using this product over the lotions that are filled with chemicals I don't want on my skin.  Our skin is our largest organ, so we need to be taking good care of it!

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of coconuts.  The smell, the flavor, and all the amazing benefits that they offer!

Payton's Baptism

My oldest daughter Payton was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on December 22, 2013.  It was such a special evening.  We were so blessed to be in the presence of so many loved ones.  It was one of the most spiritual occasions I've enjoyed.  I could feel so strongly of our Heavenly Father's love for Payton.  She is such a great example to others around her.  She has a giant heart, and is always thinking of others.  She is such a beautiful girl, on the inside and outside!

Payton with her Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Walch

My Grandpa and Grandma Walch came from Utah for her baptism. They are such wonderful, special grandparents, we are so lucky! Grandpa spoke on Baptism, and Grandma spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost. They were truly inspired talks.  My Grandpa Walch also spoke at my baptism when I was 8 years old in 1992.  I remember feeling overcome with emotion as my Grandpa spoke because I could feel the Spirit, as well as Heavenly Father's love for me so strongly.  I thought it was extra special that my Grandpa was able to also speak at my daughter's baptism. Payton is their oldest great-grandchild.

Payton & Sage

I feel like it wasn't that long ago that she was born!  I'm so grateful she made the decision to be baptized.  As the oldest child, she sure sets a great example to her younger siblings.

Payton with her Grandpa Fry & Dad

Payton with her Grandpa and Grandma Walch

The whole evening we were surrounded by such special friends and family members that we cherish.  We could feel the abundance of Heavenly Father's love for each one of us.  He provided a way for us to return and live with Him again, and being baptized is the first step.  The whole evening I was overcome with emotion as I watched my oldest daughter follow the example of Jesus Christ, who set the path for us to follow.  I know without a doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I'm so thankful to know that I can be with my family forever, not just in this lifetime.  We have truly been given so many special gifts from our Father in Heaven because of His love for each one of us!