What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Do you ever have those days were you feel like your kids are on a secret  mission to see how quick they can make you lose it.  This past week I had a group of ladies coming to my house.   I was feeling a bit frantic about getting my house in order before they showed up.   It seemed that I would finish cleaning one mess, only to turn around and find my kids had made 2-3 more for me to clean up.

It was lunch time and my kids were getting crabby because they were hungry and I was crabby because I had so many thing  on my “to-do list”.  My4  year old asked if she could have Frosted Flakes  for lunch and I told her sure.  Yip….  I totally  fed my kids a sugar coated cereal and slapped the label of lunch on it (lol).  She was super excited and I was just happy for a quick meal solution.   I poured her a bowl of cereal then started loading the dishwasher.   She was eating with her Sip-N-Spoon and was happily blowing some bubbles in her milk.

I turned around to see milk bubbling over the side of her bowl, and her giggling at the giant milk bubble she just created.  She had never made them that big before.  She was BEAMING with excitement, but trying hard to not smile too big so she could keep blowing.  But at that moment all I could see was MORE work for me to clean up. Just then she said, ” Mommy  did you know vat (that) Frausted Fakes (Frosted Flakes) makes the bestest milk bubbles ever.  This is the best lunch ever”.  It was just enough to make me stop, and see the moment for what is really was and giggle with her.  She was not blowing milk bubbles to create extra work for me.  She was simply being a kid, and enjoying life.

One of the quotes I have hanging in my house helps me remember this, it says …. Life is to be Enjoyed, Not just Endured ~ Gordon B. Hinkley.

 What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

A got my 2 year old son a new jacket (yes the arms are still a little long).  He looks so stinking cute in it.  My 4 year old daughter came around the corner, saw him in his new jacket.  She smiled and then declared, ” Mommy my baby brother looks like a big boy,  It makes me want to squeeze his face and say U’s So Cute”.  Yes I have to agree…  a little “face squeeze” is always good for a Mommy’s soul

 What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Have you ever had one of those days were nothing seems to go as planned, and you feel like your kids are on a secret mission to see  what it is going to take to push you over the edge.  I was gathering up a few last minute things for an appointment when my 2 year old appears… 5 minutes before he was clean and ready to go.  Now he was a chocolate covered piece of work. I will spare you the details… but I think this photo speaks for itself.

Just wanted to let all you moms know you are not alone…. and we all have those days.

2 days later I now think this photo is kind of cute… and the moment it made me want to cry

 What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I was blessed to grown up on a family farm, and have both sets of my grandparents live within 2 miles of my childhood home.  My Grandpa Ashby passed away when I as just 10 years old, and he was rather sick so I do not have many memories of him.  But I do remember that he LOVED his garden, and his flowers.  I remember as a little girl walking down across the 40 acre field to my grandparents home.  In the front yard I found my Grandpa sitting on the grass under the blossoms of his apple tree, planting  and tending his flowers.  I was a little startled because normally he was inside in bed.  But I had never seen him more alive and happy as I did when he was outside doing the work he loved.

Grandpa’s Shed I use to play in when I was little

My cousin now lives in my Grandparents home, I drive by often but have stopped  in probably 10 years.  This week I went to a baby shower held there.  I drove up and right away was greeted by the same flower blossoms that I remember as a little girl.  Grandpa has been gone for over 22 years now but his flower blossoms took me back in time, and it was almost as if he was there smiling at me just as he did when I was little.  But this time I was holding the hands of my little girls, as I walked… and told them about their Great Grandpa.  I am pretty sure he was smiling down on us, and happy to see us enjoy the beautiful tress he planted 40 years ago!

We love and miss you Grandpa!

We share many aspects of our life with our readers.  But this is just a small window into our very busy lives.  I often ask myself what I should and should not share in such a public manor.  Last year I mentioned to you a few times that I have not been feeling well.  Trying not to complain but the truth is,  the last year I have been sick more than I have been well.  My body has just been so “off” I would get over one thing only to come down with another.

But on top of being sick, I was dealing with a constant head ache, freezing all the time, shaky, dizzy, exhausted,  and forgetful.  I  am pretty good at putting on a “happy face” for the outside world, but was wearing down.  My doctor and I decided to look a little deeper and try and figure out what was going on.  Tests results came back and showed that my thyroid was not working as it should and my pituitary gland levels were off as well.  My doctor was concerned that I may have a tumor on my pituitary gland, which meant I needed an MRI. Being told you may have a brain tumor is not something one looks forward to hearing.  Having major head surgery is something I have done before, but would prefer to avoid again.

As if just this news alone was not stressful enough this month my son was in the ER after I found him in bed face down having a seizure.  I was on yet another round on antibiotics for a bad chest cold, I had a PH study done on my stomach, in which I got to wear a fancy tube hanging out of my nose for 48 hours.   Then to top it all off my hubby Matt ended up in the ER with blood presser 178/129 that he was unable to lower even after an aggressive round of meds.  At this point I am starting to wonder what else could go wrong. As I was laying in the MRI scan I realized  I had done this 20+ years ago as a small child … once again trying to figure out what was wrong.  I realized that it was the strength of  that little girl still inside of me that I find myself coming back to.  Knowing that  my Father In Heaven is aware of my trials, He hears my prayers and will give me the strength to keep moving forward.  And what I am doing now as a Mother of my own 4 little ones is SO IMPORTANT!  I need to teach them to know who they are, find strength, establish good habits, teach them to be strong,  be compassionate… because some day they too will be searching for answers on how to make it thru the challenges in life.  It will be their faith, and life lessons that will get them thru it.

I am happy to report that I do NOT have a brain tumor, but after more tests we found 7 spots on my Thyroid.  I have since had 2 ultra sounds and now planning to do a nuclear scan.  Being that thyroid cancer runs in my family these spots are not something to take lightly  ( my mom had cancer as well as her sister and several of her kids).

I still have many question that are unanswered maybe that is why I have waited so long to share this with you all… But I do know trials in life make one stronger and make you look at what is most important in ones life.

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Well this week is more of a Daddy Moment. It’s Matt, and the other day I was home alone with Maveric. I turned on a truck show where they fix trucks and talk about new parts to add. Well Little Maveric became so in tuned to the show that I didn’t even know what he was doing. I looked down at him and realized what he was doing.

Little Maveric had seen on the show that they had raised their truck so they could work under the truck.

He had tipped his truck up on end and got out all of his tools to complete the needed repairs.

With the repairs complete using all of his tools, little Maveric was so happy with his work!

Always remember that the little ones, even so young, watch and do everything you do and watch on TV as well.

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What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I have learned that life is full of moments good or bad, happy and sad…I call these my Mommy Moments.  We have been very blessed these last few years. Many of you who have been following my blog recently… may not know that my son Matthew was born missing half his heart, he has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He also has a history of seizures, but we have been off medication for a year.  We have been able to live a pretty normal life, free from the constant trips to the hospital that once consumed our everyday life.

This weekend we went to Idaho Falls so I could have some medical tests done and also attend the Time Out For Women conference with  Matt’s Mom and sister.  Matt, the kids, and I were all sharing one room at Matt’s parents house, we tucked our little ones into bed as normal.  Said our prayers, sang songs, gave teddy bear kisses and drifted off to sleep.

At 3:55 am I awoke to a very faint “gurgling” sound… In an instant my gut told me something was very wrong.  I quickly flipped the light on… I found my sweet little Matthew face down in bed, in a pile of his own drool, and non-responsive in what I could only guess what was a seizure.  Praying desperately in my heart that it was not a stroke,  I shook him firmly with no success in waking him. I called for Matt and told him to get dressed and that we needed to get Matthew to the ER, as to not startle the other kids.

This is a role we have played many times throughout his 10 years, in the darkness throwing on our clothes, gathering up medications, cell phones, as calmly as two very concerned parents can be …  then make that drive in the darkness to the hospital.  The drive always seems so long, often silent and left alone with our thoughts and fervent prayers to our Father in Heaven. As we get to the ER  I watch the strong arms of my husband tenderly grasp our limp son, wrapped in his fuzzy blue blanket, and run in the darkness to the ER doors.

Luckily for us, this time shortly after getting him admitted  to the ER, he finally opened his eyes.  Still unable to talk or move his limbs, at least we knew he was starting to pull out of the seizure.  It is one of the few times in life that a mother will welcome the cry of her little one … because the silence of a non-responsive child is one of the worst sounds ever.

After about a hour he was able to regain his speech and our sweet little Matthew seemed to be back to normal.  Unaware as to what happened to him or why he was in the hospital…. and why Mom and Dad were showering him with hugs and kisses.  We as his parents are once again given a firm reminder of how precious he is and what a blessing every day is with him.

Some of you may wonder why I would take photos during an event like this, and I am sure I will receive some criticism. My camera just happened to be in my coat pocket and I felt sharing my story would help other families that have gone through similar things feel that they are not alone. Having a child with special needs can be very lonely and you often feel you are the only one facing these challenges. Real life is much different than the images you see played out on your television set.

So Hug your little ones… this week’s Mommy Moment made me remember just how blessed I am to be given this courageous young man to call my son.

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

 The simple joy in having a tea party with your teddy bear… makes being a little boy  pretty amazing!

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

The kids were SO excited to wake up to snow this week.  It had been rather warm, then out of the blue a cold front moved in and brought a little snow storm along with it.  I got my two older kids off to school on the bus then started on round two getting the little ones ready for the day.

Maveric sat inside with his little nose pressed against the window saying, “no out (snow out)” I must officially be old because when I see snow the LAST thing I want to do is go play in it.  But I could not say no to his big blue eyes and his pleading to go out in the snow to play.  Of course he would not keep him gloves on, and his favorite game was to pick the snow up and toss it at me then have me blow on his hands to warm them up. We did this over and over, then right back into the snow he would run.

We had fun playing but his cute little fingers we getting really red so it was time to come inside and warm up.

As you can tell he was not to happy about it …..

Oh he makes me laugh, some times I wish I could just plop down in the middle of the floor and have a good cry too!

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Last week Matt was out of town for 5 days, he went to a bloggers conference.  I had wanted to go and I was trying to decide if I should go or not.  But after watching the show Courageous I felt very strongly that this time I should stay home with my little ones.  Knowing I would be home alone I asked my baby sister Millie (she lives 6 hours away)  if she would like to come spend the week with me.  Just the week before she finished getting her cosmetology program and earned her license.  I am so proud of her!

My sister is 10 years younger than me so I was grown and out of the house for over half her childhood… but we are still close and I love spending time with her.  My girls  think that Aunt Millie is just about as fun as they come, since everyday is a spa day when she is here.  She paints their toe nails, puts flowers and sparkles on their finger nails.  She does their hair everyday so they look like they are ready to go to prom on something.

Having my little sister here was so much fun, the 5 days flew by.  In 11 years of being married I have never had my her come stay with me overnight (instead she would always stay at my parents and I would go visit them) , it was so nice to reconnect and giggle till all hours of  the night.  The amazing thing about  sisters is… they know you, understand you,  what a wonderful gift to have 2 sisters in my life (plus my 4 wonderful sister in-laws as well)

After watching the movie Courageous I knew I was suppose to stay home… I thought it was for my kids.  But I now realize it was for me!  I needed that time with my sister, to recharge, reconnect and giggle just because we are girls.

I invite you to find time this week to call, write or let your sisters know how much you love them!

Wonder where the photos are of my little sis are… well she does not mind being “Sarah’s” little sister… but being A Thrifty Mom’s little sister and being posted in front of a national readership is not really her idea of fun…lol

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

What is he after?

The last few chocolate covered raisins…. to bad he just sucks the chocolate off and puts the soggy raisin back in the bin

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I was up stairs putting laundry away when I hear my oldest son running up the stairs.  He busts into my room laughing so hard he can hardly talk.  ”Mommy, Maveric is giving himself a bath and doing the dishes.”  So I run down stairs as fast as I can ( trying not to kill myself as I dodge the shoes and toys my kids seem to always leave  on the stairs).  He likes to play in the sink so I thought he had just spilled water all over the place…..

NOPE the little bugger pushed a chair over to the sink, climbed inside as if it was his own little tub (fully dressed I might add) turned the water on and was having a ball!  How can you not smile when this is what you see…. Oh this little guy wears me out!   Now if I could just get him to really wash the dishes and put them away

And if you are wondering yes that is sheet rock on the walls… we are in the middle of a VERY long kitchen remodel you can read more about that here.

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

One of my goals this year is to teach my children to love service.  I do service in many ways almost daily but I do not always involve my kids … or explain to them why we are doing something.  If you look for ways to give back or serve you will be surprised how many opportunity’s  come your way.  Saturday  was our families day to help clean our church building that we attend every Sunday.  Waking up on the weekend and going to clean is not always my idea of fun, but my kids were super excited that it was our turn again. (Matt was at work so he wasn’t able to come.)

Matt’s Sister came to visit so I had an extra pair of hands to help me get the kids dressed and in the car.  We were doing good on time but I did not want to be late.  On the drive there I talked to the kids about service, what it means, who we were helping  and why we were cleaning the church.   Just then I saw a man on the side of the road with his hand is his pockets just standing there with no coat on. My first thought was dumb kid…. where is your coat!  Then I realized he didn’t have any shoes on either, and his feet were covered in mud.  Back in the field behind him I spotted his SUV up to its axles stuck  in the mud.

I was in a hurry to get to the church on time so I drove past thinking I am sure he has called for help and someone is one the way to help him.  Plus I am bit leary to stopping to help a total stranger with my kids in the  car.  But something was different this time, and I quickly turned around to go see if I could help him out.  I pulled up and realized this was not a man.. but a teenage boy.  I asked him if he had anyone on the way to pick him up, he said no.  So I asked him if he wanted to use my cell phone and call someone, once again he said no he just moved here 2 weeks ago to live with his sister and did not have or know anyone to call.  I then asked him how long he had been standing in the cold, and he said about 20 minutes.  He tried to flag people down to help at first but then just gave up….

My heart sank this poor boy had been out in the cold for 20 minutes and no one had stopped to help him.  I teased him a bit about being in his PJ’s and not having shoes.  I told him I could give him a ride to his house, but he said then he would be stuck there and still not be able to get his SUV out.  I then told him that we were going to clean our church and I was pretty sure we would be able to find someone with a 4×4 to help pull him out.  After talking a bit I realized he went to the the same church we did when he lived in Wyoming, so he hopped in my van and off we drove to the church with a muddy stranger aboard.  While waiting for help to come he pitched in and helped us clean windows and sweep.

It was a good lesson for me, often we are so busy on our journey to “do good” in this case clean the church that we drive right past opportunities to help others.  But I am pretty sure the Lord would rather have me help one of his children in need, instead of having spotless windows at church.  Once back in the car on the ride home it felt good to once again talk to my kids and discuss how we were able to do random acts of service.  As my little ones would say ” Mom, it was fun picking up that Muddy boy and helping him get out of’ the Mud”

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I was busy trying to get dinner done, I told my kids they needed to grab a bag and get all the trash picked up in the toy room before dinner.  They had been working on art projects, but it looked more like a paper factory exploded.  I heard lots of laughing and so I assumed not much cleaning was being done… but I was not expecting to see this….

Mom we are trash…. and we picked ourselves up.

Lol they were so proud of themselves .

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

If you are a mom you are well aware of the “Get dressed so we can go” routine.  It is that fine line between teaching your child to  do things for themselves. Or doing it for them just so you can get them out the door and wondering if you are still going to be dressing them for college.  It is not uncommon for me to say “Are you ready to go?” … and I hear 4 children reply back “yes”. Only to round the corner and see them like this….

Often half naked, no shoes, legs in one pant leg, shorts in the middle of a snow storm, underwear as a hat, shoes on the wrong feet, or two totally different shoes,  hair all jacked up on one side and a pony tail missing on the other.  The bunch of them look like they just escaped from a fashion bootcamp gone wrong. Oh but wait… then I say “You can’t go out looking like that!” and they all look at me like I am the over bearing fashion police.

Depending were we are going some days I let them prance out of the house looking like this (only if we are just going to Grandmas or something) … but only at the last minute do they have the “I can’t go out like this meltdown”.  I scratch my head thinking really… really… come on I have been telling you to change for over an HOUR and now in the last 30 seconds you realize I mean business?

Yesterday while trying to “herd” my children to the car…. I saw my sons  crack when he bent over to put on his shoes. My first thought was good grief the kid is trying to go commando style today.  I told him to go get some underwear on, he quickly replies back that he already has them on and proceeds to tug at an elastic waste band.  But all I saw was the waste band, no undies…. Not sure how, or why his undies were torn to shreds?   But I am sure if underwear could talk they would have a great story to tell.  Needless to say we were a few minutes late, as I felt the need to cover his naked bottom before be left the house …lol.

It’s Matt – FYI – that same pair of underwear Matthew was wearing as a whole underwear just that morning. Who knows how it got like that!

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Christmas time is my favorite time of year.  Even as a little girl I would start thinking of gifts I could make my family months in advance and have them wrapped and waiting.  I made my share of homemade hot pads, macaroni necklaces and a whole bunch of other “useless” items.  Yet my Mom and Dad would open them with delight and thank me for  the wonderful gift.  I quickly learned the warmth and joy in the power of giving to others.  Sure I was just like other kids and wanted gifts as well…. but also looked forward to giving.

So each year we take our little ones shopping.  We have a talk about the meaning of Christmas and tell them to think about what would make the people on their list happy.  They buy a gift for Mom, Dad and their siblings.  We take them to the dollar store to shop, since they don’t quite grasp the concept of the dollar value of an item.  Our main goal is to teach them to forget what they want… and think of others.

It is rather funny to watch their little eyes dart around and store and see what they pick out.  We try to help them select a gift but  let them make the final choice.  It is a great learning tool,  as they are not always thinking about why someone would want  or need a gift instead….  They just like the way it looks.  Like my 4 year old daughter was SURE Daddy need this 4 piece funnel set… but then finally picked out the 150  q-tip box… ” My Daddy woves (loves) to queen (clean) his ears… lets get him this”

It is neat to hear the conversations turn from ” I want”  to “lets give”.  They  come home and wrap their gifts.  It is so fun to watch their faces and see they find joy in giving to others.

How do you teach your children the Joy in Giving?

This is post here for the do’s and don’t of Dollar Store shopping!

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

I am blessed to be able to work from home.  But it is also hard some days to get my work done as I still have all the daily tasks or chores to do as any stay at home mom.  Much of  my work it is done when my kids are taking naps or in bed.  But they also see me at my desk a few hours a day.  How do you explain to a 1 year old or any child for that matter that Mommy has work to do?

It can be a real challenge making sure that each of my 4 children get enough one on one time.  Making sure they know just how precious they are, and the joy they bring me.  Sure I tell them to take their dishes to the sink, or to pick up their socks, or change their clothes. But sometimes the more important words or moments fail to find time in our busy everyday life.

Maveric my 1 year old will grab his blanket, and then come push on my legs (or if I am sitting at my desk,  push me and my chair across the room) saying Mama, Mama.  This is his way of letting me know he needs a little time with me.  Yes some days it drives me nuts as I am busy trying to make dinner and the last thing I want is a 1 year old clinging to my leg.  But the older I have gotten, I have learned just how fast they grow…. and to snatch them up, love of them (even if it is just a few minutes) and know that in the moment nothing else could be more important.  But even I have to remember and make that choice everyday.

I invite you to  have a few Mommy Moments this week

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Last night was our church Christmas party. We ate, sang Christmas songs, and at the end all the kids got to go meet Santa Claus. All of our kids jumped in line and were so excited. But as soon as it was Matthew’s turn he….

But later  after some encouragement from dad… he was able to brave his fears..

What is a  Mommy Moment, click here

Look what I  found …

At first glance you would think I have a mouse problem at my house.

  See the little hole in my bag of coconut….

But then the knife laying next to the bag, makes you think this is a different kind of pest…

Oh and the Teddy Bear Tea Cup on a pink plate….

Oh it is all coming together now… I don’t have a problem with mice….

I have CHILDREN!