Creativity~give it a try

I've been enjoying making little creations of my own lately, and its really brought me a new level of joy and satisfaction. There is something about trying new things and making something new that really makes me feel proud and makes me feel just, good.

For inspiration, the following are excerpts from a talk from a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and goes perfectly with my challenge for the next couple weeks~

TO CREATE SOMETHING!!!! It can be anything. Please share your creation with us :)


"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.


The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."


Here are a few of my latest creations.

Easter Chick Cupcakes (found the idea online and recreated it)

My/my friend Andrea's first fondant cake, and the cute little girl was partially my creation too :)

A birthday plate all signed by London's 1st birthday guests.


A plate for my nephew's upcoming baptism/birthday to be signed by guests. A coordinated creation with my sister Janell :)

Go out and create :) Report back so we can "borrow" your cute ideas :) Thanks!!!

Fun Fact

I got an email from my gym saying it was time for my annual renewal, and as I was searching online for the place to pay I fell upon the CLUB VISITS button. I clicked on it and it told me all the dates I have visited in the last year. Interesting to see what months were nil to those that were full of activity.

So, if you are interested here is my record of how many times I visited the gym each month over the last year.

2010
April-0 (month London was born)
May-4
June-8
July-1
August-3
Sept-3
Oct-10 (month London turned 6 months and could be taken to the gym for care)
Nov-8
Dec-8
2011
Jan-16 (started the Shed 5 Fast challenge)
Feb-15
March-15
April-3 (the month is not over, but the kids were on spring break so I'm far behind)

Of course I did other forms of exercise like videos, jogs, a couple of park workouts with friends, etc... Nonetheless, thought it was interesting to look at and see which months of more exercise related to things going on in my life. If you frequent the gym, check out your # of visits. :)

The Healing Medicine

Thought I'd share for those of you who are still reading this blog. This weekend was just one of those weekends. Too little exercise, too many sweets, and a sicky hubby to take care of.
When monday rolled around, I had all 4 kiddos home (spring break), and a sick hubby to take care of. We also have lots of fun plans on the calendar for the entire week, so I knew I wouldn't be making it to the gym much. I just didn't feel good because I hadn't gotten that dose of exercise my body is used to and just craves now. So, instead of making it to our planned parkday right on time I decided to hit the gym hard and I feel sooooo much better!
Exercise to me is a type of healing medicine that only costs time~so worth it!!! Makes my mind more clear, my body healthier, my attitude positive, and helps me enjoy the moments with my family so much more.
So, next time you are having a bad day think about what you are needing, perhaps your answer will be the same as mine was today :)

Ups and downs of Motherhood

Last week one of my friends told me that the DI Pod was at one of the church buildings here in our city. If you don't know what a DI Pod is, its like a donation box to bring you old used items to. The items are distributed to all different places~including shipped across seas to countries in need. Anyway, this got my mind going crazy. When the DI Pod is in town I always try to clean out a drawer, the toy box, or a closet. My closet was the lucky draw this time. I have had 4 children over the last 8 years, so all different sizes and styles of clothes can be found in my closet. My husband never believes me that I have nothing to wear because of the pure bulk of clothes, so I decided it was time. After I do all the laundry I can hardly find an empty hanger to put the clean clothes on!

Step #1: I started by emptying out all the clothes that don't fit~ including a few maternity pieces that were missed, some tops I bought simply for nursing, and lots of older pants and shorts that are just huge on me. I found some that I used to wear back in college~ so disturbing! Why was I holding onto this stuff? I have the pictures that prove I gained the freshman 15, (so maybe it was 20)~ why do I need the pants? If you've lost some weight and don't want to go back to that size ever, then get rid of the clothes!!! (If you are still having children then put it away in a box, don't keep them in your closet).

Step #2: Once I rid of those I went onto those things I haven't worn in years and that are way outdated and I would never want to be caught dead wearing them! Seriously, I don't plan on being the mom that wears the same dress in family pics 15 years later by accident!

Step #3: Next, I went onto a few shirts that have mommy stains and I never wear because of the stain I was never able to get off. Sad, some of them were only worn once or twice, but that's what happens when we are mom's right? The price we pay :)

After all the sifting and organizing my closet looks much better and I can find the things that I like to wear much quicker. It feels good to walk into a clean organized space where I have only those items I enjoy wearing and not the ones that remind me of times when I was unhappy with my body image. It felt great! So if you haven't cleaned out that closet in a while, give it a whirl. Good luck!

Calendar in control?

Life is just CRAZY!!! I don't know if its because I have 4 kids now, but life has just gotten so hectic around here! I had just had enough of it and needed to make a change. I was so exhausted every night running off to practices, finishing late night homework, running here and there and everywhere!

I decided to read a few talks from leaders of my church and a couple things hit me. Here are a few of the words from Dieter F. Uchtdorf~
"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.
It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Over scheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.
There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions. Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace. "
I decided to take these words to heart, so instead of complaining about my busy life as a mother of 4, I decided it was time to take hold of my life and that of my children as well. Kirk and I decided to fore go the baseball season that we considered signing Bruin up for and sticking to some more simple activities that take up less time and are more flexible with our schedule. We are loving that our evenings are more open to spend as a family and enjoy some relaxing moments together. We are also able to visit with family and friends more often. Its also been helping me feel peace in my life. I feel blessed to have time to do those things that matter most.

Challenge: Try to cut back on the scheduled events on your calendar. Find one night a week that you can spend just doing something together as a family. Enjoy time with your husband, children, parents, or with whoever is most important in your life.

Sorry!

Sorry for being lazy on keeping up with the blog. Guess life happens~ keeping up with 4 kids, house, homework/projects, laundry, exercise, church stuff, etc. is not easy!

Two great things have happened this week that I want to share.

#1 Has to do with exercise. I have been continuing to go to the gym, and I got a friend to join me this week which was really fun and exciting (thanks Linds)! Also, on Tuesday before our normal "park day" my friend and I went to the park an hour early and worked out while our kids played. When all the other fun gals got there we explained why we were sweaty and in our work out clothes- they were sad they missed the exercise, so we decided to do an exercise/park day today and it went really well. Instead of sitting around munching on our kids goldfish and other miscellaneous crackers we worked our booties off~ it was awesome. Sounds like its a new weekly routine, so I'm really excited about it! Moral of the story, share a workout with a friend~it makes it so much more fun and enjoyable!

#2 I have a fun lunch date set up with a family member who I have let slide through the cracks somehow and never really gotten to know much about. I'm looking forward to it :) I hope we can become better friends and understand eachother a little better.

So, that's my weekly wrap up. What good things have you made happen this week?

Jean Shopping

You know when you go to the store and try on two different sizes of pants, and usually its the bigger one that fits? Today I fit into the smaller size, the size I haven't hung in my closet since high school! Amazing feeling! Working out and making small changes to my diet is really paying off! I feel awesome! Thanks everyone for helping to keep me motivated. Your little success stories and words of praise have really inspired me. Keep them coming!

Oh, and I thought I'd share that I got in contact with my special lunch date and we are hoping to get together really soon. I'm excited to learn more about this person and spend some time together just hanging out and getting to know each other~ I am super excited!!!

I am planning to post my next challenge on Sunday. Its one I've been working on doing better at, and its really changed my feeling about life in general. Thanks everyone for taking on these small challenges with me and making small improvements to ourselves along the way :) You deserve to do something for yourself every once in a while.