Good bye blog

Just a quick, last post to say goodbye. I have LOVED my blogging experience and treasure the friendships I have made over the past couple of years. Thank you all! But, I've done some inward reflection over the weekend and I realize that I'm blogging for the wrong reason. This is embarrassing to admit, but honestly, I blog to persuade others, and myself, that I'm awesome. That I'm more than the mistakes I've made, that I'm more than a clueless young mom, that I- a Mormom- believe in and accept Jesus Christ as my savior, and that because of this belief I am filled with hope and therefore cannot pause to be sad, or scared, or missing my mom (which I often am and do!) With every post I type, I feel like I'm persuading people (friends, family, and even strangers) that I have it all together. I feel like I am arguing my beliefs and justifying my parenting and trying to be more talented than I really am. It's ridiculous! This passive aggressive approach to relationships with everyone is delusional and self destructive! I'm so concerned with trying to be great that I am always tearing myself down and often don't let me just be me. Slowly, without me even knowing it, I've set exhausting expectations for myself and I'm ready to let them go. If this quote rings true (and I apologize for not knowing who originally said it) then I'm ready to be silent. Silent and happy and content, with my focus on my children and my husband and a heart guided quietly by my loving Lord.

CONFIDENCE

is silent

INSECURITIES

are loud

It's like what Oz learned at the end of the film Oz Great and Powerful, there is something even better than greatness: goodness. Fixing my priorities starting today. So, good bye friends!

Jesus Christ Created the World for Me

  

We were having a really rough week. We all had colds and baby brother was the sickest. I was exhausted from being sick myself, from taking care of sick children, and only getting a few hours of sleep each night. To say I was feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement. Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse, the exterminator showed up (our apartment has a terrible spider problem). His presence didn't make things worse, what he told us did: We needed to leave for at least an hour because the chemicals weren't safe for the children. The sky was grey, we were still in our pajamas, my sinuses hurt, my husband had our only car with him at work... Where could we go? What could we do? I burst into tears and got the kids ready for a long walk... and it started to rain. Discouraged and defeated, I set out with my two babies prepared to suffer through a long, weepy hour. But, do you know what happened? The motion of the stroller lulled our sweet baby to sleep- his first restful sleep in days, and without me having to hold his heavy little self. The rain gave way to a mist and the grey clouds blocked what would have been a sweltering glare from the sun. While we walked, my ever curious toddler pointed out the bunnies, the rocks, the stream, the sounds of birds and insects; everything around her fascinated her! The wonderment in her voice refocused me and I looked up to the heavens with a thankful heart. I started speaking out loud as if to tell my daughter that those bunnies, those rocks, that stream, those incredible chirping, buzzing sounds were made by God- because He loves us, but the words were really for my own benefit. For the first time in a long time I saw the world through wondering eyes in all it's beauty, with all it's mystery and I felt such balance and such joy! I felt so blessed to have this safe and lovely walking path available to us; so blessed to breathe in fresh air and enjoy the vivid colors of the world around us. 

This experience goes so well with the lesson we were focusing on this week! I'm really grateful that we had this lesson on our minds, otherwise I may not have realized how great a world I am a part of and could have gone without the comfort I felt from acknowledging Gods creation this week. 

The Bringing our Children Unto Christ series continues: 

 30 Weeks to bringing our children unto Christ using the nursery manual found on lds.org.

Each morning, we begin our day with breakfast at the dining room table. 

Before we start our hectic day, we take some time to be still...

We pray together and we learn of Him.

In just a few moments a day, we plan to complete one lesson each week. 
I do not claim these lessons as my own, but I can testify of their goodness. 
Studying these truths together as a family has brought us all closer together,
and closer to our loving Heavenly Father. 
The atmosphere in our home when we start our day with a nursery lesson is one of peace and love.

Lesson seven is:

Jesus Christ Created the World for Me

How we learned about this, this week:

1. Sing about it: My Heavenly Father Loves Me (Music and lyrics here: Children’s Songbook

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by, 

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by our lilac tree,

I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heavenly Father created for me.

:

2. Read about it: Genesis 1:1,  Moses 2:1,  Moses 6:63, Abraham 3:24–25

3. Personalize it: Inspired by a suggestion in the nursery lesson, we created a book together this week. It is a 5 page book. Each page had a simple image of something God created and that our daughter is really interested in right now. She loves stars, animals, trees... Our daughter colored the pictures, one page each day, while baby brother looked on. Soon he'll be old enough to join in! 

 This lesson can be viewed in its entirety here: lds.org

Heal an ear infection, naturally!

Little girl got sick and gave her germs to daddy, 

who passed them on to mom and baby. 

I guess the family that shares together... 

suffers together? Not any more! 

I never want to catch a cold, suffer a sinus infection, or endure a fever without doTERRA essential oils again! We all battled those awful symptoms this week, but poor baby boy had it the worst of all of us. Our little nine month old screamed all day and all night. It wasn't until after fervent prayer that my husband caught on and suggested the poor dear had an ear infection! Of course! Babies are so susceptible to those and he was tugging on his little ears so miserably! I frantically called neighbors for doctor recommendations, and called members from our church to help drive us as our only car was in the shop- but we didn't even have our car seats, so never mind that idea. And just when the whole situation seemed too much to bare I decided to give my essential oils (EOs) a try. Following the advice of EO experts, I applied melaleuca and lavender to his ears. Within 5 minutes his desperate screams gave way to happy smiles! The first smiles we'd seen in three days! I did the treatment twice that first day, and once the second day and he's been fine ever since! What a blessing doTERRA is to our family! The funny thing is now whenever this cutie pie sees a cotton ball his eyes kind of glaze over all hypnotized like and he leans in to run his head and face on the little white poof. Kids are smart! He knows what makes him feel better. :)

By clicking on the above image, you can view it larger.
Send me a message if you'd like to learn more about doTERRA,
and how it is literally changing lives every day!

Another Used- to- be- Maternity Skirt

Here's a little number that went from this:

Maternity Friendly Circle Skirt; Tutorial [here.]

to this: 

I started by removing the maternity waist band and opening up the side seam. I basically cut a panel out of this circle skirt to make a smaller, less full circle. I needed to add a zipper and finish off the top but was able to leave the original hem.

Becoming Who I Want to Be

Original Source Unknown

I love my kids because they love me even when I stay in my pajamas ALL day. I love my husband because he loves me even when he comes home to a messy apartment and a cold dinner, despite my best efforts. I love that the soundtrack playing on repeat in my mind all day includes Wheels on the Bus and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. I love that I become a jungle gym every time I flop down on the floor to relax, that I always have a spit up spot (or two) on my right shoulder, and that my toe nail polish is always selected by my two year old. I love it all, I really do.

But, sometimes I remember the old me. Not because I'm not happy with the current me! I love my life! I'm just saying that sometimes I remember that girl that actually got 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. The girl that wore the cute shoes and fake eye lashes. The girl that liked to travel the world and socialize. And, sometimes I wonder about the future me. Will I reconnect with who I was? Will I somehow disappear into the piles of laundry and little league/ dance recital audiences? Have I just put myself on hold for the next 18 ish years, and will I try to pick up where I left off when the kids have grown? I don't really think the stilettos and glitter of my twenty year old self will have the same affect on the 38 year old, saggier, more maternal me... Will I be best friends with my husband? Or will he have grown and accomplished so much in his corporate world career, while I stayed at home forming play doh, that we won't even have anything to talk about? 

You know who I'd like to be in the future? I'd like to be just like Leigh Anne Tuohy as represented by Sandra Bullock in the movie The Blindside. Fit, beautiful, professional, involved mother, happily married, and not ignorant to those in need of a little family love. I'd like the future me to have been there, at home, for my children while still having set an example to them in such things as forming friendships, achieving goals, continually learning and enjoying life. 

So, I started something new. I didn't give it a lot of thought. An opportunity presented itself, I got the 'go- ahead' from my always supportive husband, and I jumped. I took that leap of faith. It may not have been the best time. (Waiting to close on a house is generally not the right time for any sort of additional investment.) But, if not now- then when? Is there ever actually a wrong time to start being who we want to be? I know that my efforts to learn, share and inspire through doTERRA will spark new friendships and opportunities to socialize, maybe even give me a reason to bust out those cute shoes again. Maybe what it comes down to is having a reason to hold myself to a higher standard than the all day pajama mama!

I am first and foremost a mom. Nothing is more important than raising the next generation. I am now also an Independent Product Consultant for the company doTERRA. Last week I learned about the company and products during nap times and became doTERRA University Certified! Ok, it's seriously not a big deal; just a matter of completing a few online quizzes, but I'm not going to lie: It feels good to have accomplished something that came with a certificate! I am hopeful that this new journey will include many more accomplishments down the road. In the meantime, I am so excited to be part of this life changing company and I love how my family is already benefiting from doTERRA essential oils! 

If you are looking for an opportunity to enrich the lives of your family members through natural, pure products used in holistic health care, cleaning and spa products- and/ or if you are looking for an opportunity to make friends, work your own hours, determine your own goals and expectations, and even bring in some additional income, then this company is probably perfect for you, too! Find out more by visiting mydoterra.com/jessicamyers or even easier, send me an e-mail! doterraipc.jessica@gmail.com

Facing Her Fears

Although we can't see it for all the trees, we do live right off a highway and it is noisy! We are constantly hearing sirens sound their hurried, "wee-woo, wee- woo" calls as they drive by. It is very fitting then that our daughter, age 2, has nicknamed all emergency vehicles, wee-woos. Baby has a shirt with a fire engine on it, and bibs with fire engines and police cars; our daughter calls them his wee-woo clothes. She points out emergency vehicles everywhere we go and when we hear them at home she runs to the window and calls out, "Wee-woo! Where are you? Come here- wee-woo!"

Last week, a friend from church organized a play date at the local fire station; I just knew we had to attend! There was quite a crowd of moms and children who showed up to tour the building and admire the vehicles. The crowd, the firemen gear, and those huge trucks and ambulances made our daughter extremely nervous. Mostly, she stood by me wide eyed and shaking. I'm learning not to push our introverted daughter into new circumstances, so I let her hang back and take it all in but gave her opportunities to explore by asking her questions about the inside of the trucks or about all their gear. She was clearly terrified and fascinated at the same time.

Afraid that my daughter would burst into tears when the trucks pulled out of the station and sounded their sirens, I scooped her up ready to distract and comfort her. (Can I just get a nod here for my super mom strength holding 50+ pounds between my two kids in that hot, humid garage. Honestly, they're giving medals to all the wrong people... Well, maybe not. I am grateful to the men and women who work to save our lives...) Anyway, the huge garage doors went up, little girl kept shaking. The fire truck pulled out, tears shown in her eyes. And then those lights flashed and the loud sirens wailed, and do you know what she did? She leaned forward in my arms toward those big, scary trucks and she roared! Yes, she roared like a lion at that truck and when she turned to face me she was wearing a big ol' grin! As the truck disappeared down the street, she called out, "Go that way, wee-woo!" Then, she stuck her tongue between her lips and blew a slobbery raspberry in its direction. Fears conquered.

*Thank you so much, friend, for putting this play date together for us! Thank you Dear Husband, for finding a ride to work that morning so we could have the car and attend the fire station tour.  And thanks to the awesome firemen who did a really great job engaging the kiddos and showing off all the cool features!

Here's a classic fire engine that was actually used in our town back in the day!

Kind of checking out the ambulance.

Interested, but hanging back for the fire truck presentation.

Polka Dot (No-Longer-Maternity) Skirt

I've decided to demote some of my maternity skirts to the regular, not so pregnant type.

Skirt number one, my polka dot bubble skirt, became an A-line skirt with front ties. 

Then...

Now!

Voila! 

Basically I cut the skirt apart at all the seams and removed the pregnant belly waist band.  I sort of eye balled an A line skirt, held it up, decided that it'd fit and sewed up the side seams. I went to try it on and... holy hips. Oh yea, those things. Now a zipper was a good option. But, I didn't have a zipper. I also didn't think hauling the two kids to the store for a zipper was worth my time. Especially since we'd have to walk. And walk. And walk some more. We're a one car family and Dear Husband has dibbs for driving back and forth from work. Anyway, I added some inverted triangle pieces to the top of my A line skirt to widen the top enough to slide over my freakishly wide hips and my no way is it that big, and not big in a good way, butt. (Curse you pregnancy! Love you babies.) Anyway, I used some knit fabric cut from another would be maternity skirt to make a waist band and after it was attached everything fit just fine. The fabric around the hips kinda popped out from my triangle improvisation, so I added the front tie to (hopefully) distract from that. 

I had fun making this! My daughter had the very important job of pushing down on that handy little lever to lock my stitches in place whenever I started and ended a seam. She seemed to enjoy that. Ha ha. Get it? Seam, seemed... That's a funny one right there! I'm pretty proud at how well the skirt turned out because most of my sewing equipment is packed away in a box somewhere. That means I had to do it all, even the hem, without pins or measuring tape/ seam gauge, etc. Don't look too closely, k?  

I Believe in the Holy Ghost and in Child Safety

 30 Weeks to bringing our children unto Christ using the nursery manual found on lds.org.

Each morning, we begin our day with breakfast at the dining room table. 

Before we start our hectic day, we take some time to be still...

We pray together and we learn of Him.

In just a few moments a day, we plan to complete one lesson each week. 

Lesson six is:

The Holy Ghost Helps Me

**Time Out** Before I continue on with talking about the Holy Ghost and how we studied lesson six this week, I want to suggest to you awesome articles on how to keep our kids safe. Safely Ever After, is a blog site devoted to keeping children safe from predators. STOP telling your children not to talk to strangers! (They may NEED to talk to one someday.) Instead, teach them about safe people (like a mom with kids) that they can approach if they ever need help (like if they become separated from you in a crowded store.) And, teach them about dangerous people whom they should never trust. While you're teaching them about people, PLEASE teach them about their emotions. Their "gut- feelings." That alarm that each of us experiences in scary situations. Explain to children that they have "uh-oh" feelings and that these feelings are good to have! Whenever they have these feelings, our children should know to run (not walk!) back to a parent to talk out this situation! Always, always, better to be safe than sorry! Take a moment to read more about this and how to explain this to your kids at different stages and ages, here from: Kim Estes of the savvy safety mamas blog. Ok, one last thing while we're talking safety,  PLEASE take advantage of this {FREE} fully illustrated book for the slightly older children, "to talk with them about their bodies, about sex, and about how to keep their minds and bodies safe from sexual abuse and free from the degrading notions about our bodies that are presented in all forms of media" (Jocylyn, author). Download this important book at: http://beinglds.blogspot.com.
Don't wait, visit Safely Ever After, [HERE] right now!

Ok, on to the lesson which is pretty well related to child safety. One of the roles the Holy Ghost plays in our lives is in providing promptings and warnings to guide us and keep us safe. 

How we learned this lesson:

1. Sing about it: I Know My Father Lives can be found online [here] the lyrics to the first verse are as follows:

I know my Father lives and loves me too. 
The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true, 

And tells me it is true.

2. Read about it: John 14:26 reads, "The Holy Ghost... shall teach you all things." And, how does he teach us? 

"The Holy Ghost speaks softly. 

He never shouts, it's true.

He'll bless and help and guide you

In everything you do." (lds.org)

3. Talk about it: Here I quote directly from the manuel, "The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, along with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He is a personage of spirit (see D&C 130:22). The mission of the Holy Ghost is to testify of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things (see 3 Nephi 11:36; Moroni 10:5). He can also guide us to make righteous choices and comfort us (see D&C 31:11). The way the Holy Ghost speaks to us is described in the scriptures as a “still small voice” (see 1 Kings 19:11–12)" (LDS Nursery Manuel).

4. Personalize it: We had a lot of conversation and time for listening to our feelings this week. We discussed "tricky people" and "uh-oh" feelings along with the emotions love, peace, and comfort when afraid. All feelings that the Holy Ghost conveys to us. 

This lesson can be viewed in its entirety here, on: lds.org

Jesus Showed Us How to Love Others

 30 Weeks to bringing our children unto Christ using the nursery manual found on lds.org.

Each morning, we begin our day with breakfast at the dining room table. 

Before we start our hectic day, we take some time to be still...

We pray together and we learn of Him.

In just a few moments a day, we plan to complete one lesson each week. 

Lesson five is:

Jesus Christ Showed Us How to Love Others

Images available at ldsclipart.com

How we learned this lesson:

1. Sing about it: Our daughter especially loves when we sing together. So, I decided to introduce three songs this week. I didn't expect her to learn them all, or even to try to sing along with me. But, she likes listening to me and this time when she insists, "again, again" I had a couple options to chose from. 

The first, as suggested by the lesson on lds.org, is: I'm trying to be like Jesus. (Music and lyrics here.) The chorus is especially sweet: 

Love one another as Jesus loves you. 

Try to show kindness in all that you do.

Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, 

For these are the things Jesus taught.

The second song, Jesus Said Love Everyone (music and lyrics here,) was fun to do with the actions suggested by the lesson plan:

Jesus said love everyone; (spread arms out wide)

Treat them kindly too. (nod head up and down)

When your heart is filled with love, (put hand over heart)

Others will love you. (hug self)

The third song, is a childhood favorite of mine: As I Have Loved You. (Music and lyrics here.) 

As I have loved you,

love one another... 

And, *DOUBLE BONUS* lds.org even provides video for two of these three songs in sign language! You'll see the links there on the right when you open up the music via the links given above for I'm Trying to be Like Jesus and, As I Have Loved You. 

2. Read about it: The scriptures tell of countless stories where Jesus Christ showed love to those around him. We chose to read a new scripture story every day. 

The stories we used were: 

     3 Nephi 17:21–24    Jesus blessed the children when he visited the Nephites. 

     John 9:1–12            Jesus gave sight to the blind man.

     Matthew 14:13–21   Jesus fed the thousand with fish and bread. 

     Luke 10: 30 - 35      Jesus gives the parable of the Good Samaritan.

     Mark 1: 34               Jesus heals the sick

To keep her interested: I printed off a clip art picture to represent each story, wrote a verse on the back, and put them in a bag. Our daughter then had the very important role of choosing a picture out of the bag each day! She loved this! The picture prompted discussion and made reading the verses more fun. Having the verse written on the back helped me stay organized so that talking about the stories, and reading a verse from the story went smoothly and quickly, therefore keeping her attention. 

3. Talk about it: Our daughter loves for us to tell her stories before nap time and bed time. It's her way of stalling. So heck, why not use the time to reiterate what we learned during our little daily lesson time? 

4. Personalize it: I made more of an effort to remember and emulate Christ's love in my own actions this week. I found myself with added patience and gratitude toward my little children. 

This lesson can be viewed in its entirety here, at: lds.org

Easy sticky paint recipe!

 

I just learned about sticky paint! It is so much fun! Wipes clean and isn't toxic... because... all it is is a can of sweet and condensed milk colored with food coloring! I divided the can of condensed milk into six using a large muffin tin, but next time I'll use paper cups or bowls to make clean up quicker. Three drops of food coloring into each round and we had a paint tray just waiting for an eager toddler! This paint is awesome because it's thick and fun to goop on the paper. And, unlike water colors it won't run everywhere or turn to a murky brown when my kid mixes it together on her paper. In fact, it kind of has a marbling effect! I gotta remember to pick up some paint brushes next time I'm at the store! We improvised with q-tips and two sponge brushes today though and they worked well.

Bringing our children unto Christ, week 4.

30 Weeks to bringing our children unto Christ using the nursery manual found on lds.org.

Each morning, we begin our day with breakfast at the dining room table. 

Before we start our hectic day, we take some time to be still...

We pray together and we learn of Him.

In just a few moments a day, we plan to complete one lesson each week. 

Lesson four is:

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Love Me

How we learned this lesson:

1. Sing about it: I Feel my Saviors Love; music [here].

              "I feel my Savior’s love 

           In all the world around me. 

              I feel my Savior’s love,

           The love he freely gives me"

And, bonus!, lds.org even provides video of this song in sign language! You'll see it there on the right when you open up the music via the link given above. 

2. Read about it: John 15:10-12, Matthew 18: 5, 10, Mark 10:13–16, 3 Nephi 17:11–24.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love all of us, and maybe especially the children! The bible testifies of this, as does the Book of Mormon. Reading the scriptures with our kiddos is a great way to show them, and not only tell them, how important we believe the books to be.

3. Talk about it: Share a story about Jesus's love! The nursery manual offers this summary of the story found in the 3rd Nephi scripture listed above:

 "Jesus was teaching the people. He asked them to bring their little children to Him. They sat on the ground around Him, and Jesus knelt and prayed. Then He blessed each child, one by one. Jesus did this because He loves little children (lds.org)." 

4. Personalize it: When we brushed our teeth, I'd point out my kids reflections in the mirror: "Look at you! Is that you?" And, to my toddler, "Repeat after me. Heavenly... Father... and Jesus... love me!"  

This lesson can be viewed in its entirety here, at: lds.org

It is hard to imagine someone, anyone, even deity, loving these kids more than I do! 

Toddler Feet: Painting Butterflies

Our two year old has requested a purple butterfly room in our new house and I knew just the craft to do for it! Not my original idea, lots of talented moms out there have done this already, but today was our turn! Didn't they turn out cute?! I love them! We just used plain white paper because I'm not sure how I want to use these butterflies in her room yet. More than likely I'll frame them, or modge podge them onto something. Ideas?

We had a lot of fun making these this morning! I even snagged my wiggly 8 month old to get his foot print and handprint stamped. Better add those to the scrap book! Our mess was mostly contained too, except for the little bit that made it to the floor that I didn't notice until after little girl had walked in it and little boy had crawled through it! No biggie- scrub, scrub, scrub!

We didn't want to put the paints away, and really- what's the hurry? So we used sponge brushes and q-tips to create some more masterpieces.