Liebster Award

I'm feeling pretty special to find out my sweet friend nominated me for the Liebster Award from over at First and 5.  It's an award given from another blogger that likes what you share and wants to acknowledge your blog.  Thank you Brigitte!

The nominated blogger does the following:

• Share 11 random facts about his or herself

• Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created

• List 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers (as best as you can tell based on their page) They should be bloggers that you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!

• Post 11 questions for the bloggers for the newly nominated bloggers to answer; and let all the bloggers know that they've been nominated. Do not nominate the blogger that nominated you.

Here's some random facts about me:

1.  Everything is a song with me...I constantly sing to my kids or hum as I go through my day.

2.  I have taught piano lessons for the last 6 years and love it!  Right now I have 18 students!  I never dreamed this talent of mine would bring me so much happiness or help our family so much!

3. I traveled from my home state of Utah to England, Japan, Florida, Mexico, California, Nevada, New York, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Boston, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Canada,  Virginia, and Washington DC all before I was 18 years old.  

4.  I'm married to an airline pilot and love that my travels are easy for me to continue.  I've always been so interested in seeing new places, experiencing how other people live and feeling apart of "all that world out there."

5.  I have always treasured my alone time--even since I was a little girl.  Thinking things through, setting goals for myself and dreaming of things to come brings me great peace!

6.  I take things too serious.  I fell in love with my husbands ability to laugh and let things go.  He's taught me to do this more!

7.  I love art.  I could wander through an art museum for a week straight and be perfectly happy.

8.  I have this hidden desire to be a ballerina again...I love exact movements of ballet, the exercise, the classical music, the elegance, the gracefulness. 

9.  I get lost in books.  Books just make me happy.  I want a huge library with walls lined with all my favorite reads!

10.  My daughter has Prader-Willi Syndrome that makes food a huge issue in my house.  I hate that food and eating has made me very obsessive.  I worry how my other 2 kids will be affected because of the strict plans we have to follow with our eating.

11.  Growing up I thought I would have 10 or so kids.  My Heavenly Father had different plans for me.  To get my three children in this world and keep them alive has been trying, brought miracles and made me who I am!  

And my questions...

1. What is the funniest thing you have heard in the last week?

My 9 year old son talking about the Texas love bugs..."all those love-bugs do all day is take care of their womens." After I can't contain my laughter, he says "What? They do.  They just carry those ladies around on their backs all day long."

2. In 3 words, what were you like as a child?

Independent, stubborn, organizer

3. What do you do to recharge after a stressful day?

Get in my pajamas as soon as possible...pull out Netflix or a book...oh and my Blue Bell Ice-cream

4. What do you love most about being a mother?

Watching my kids conquer something they have set their mind to.  Like when my son finally gets an answer to his prayer, when my special needs daughter can finally pronounce a word, when my 3 year old can make her own sandwich, receiving a cub scout award, 3 yr. old writing her name for the first time...and on and on.

5. What is your least-favorite household chore, and how do you get it done?

Cleaning the showers and honestly, I assign my kids to do it or wait til it's so bad that my awesome amazing husband decides to do it.  Just being truthful.

6. If you could spend 30 minutes interviewing someone, who would you choose?
I thought forever about this and had a bunch of funny people come to mind...in all seriousness the one at the top of my list would be "Eve, the first woman to roam our earth!"  

7. What are some of your favorite activities for date night with your spouse?

Playing a card game called "Speed."  It cracks me up and I usually beat him.  I've always loved making up stories about other people around us when we sit in a restaurant or people watch.

8. What is your favorite family tradition?

Snuggling on one of the kids beds to read before bed.  My heart just feels like it'll burst when I look at their three little faces all snuggled together trying to see the pictures.

9. What did you think of your spouse the first time you met?

He has really strong arms...I really like talking with this guy.  I really want to get to know him better!

10. What is your go-to dinner on a busy day?

Bean and cheese burritos.  I always keep tortillas in the freezer...so handy! Oh, and everyone will actually eat them.

11. What piece of advice would you give to a brand-new first time mom?

Snuggle, sleep, sing and pray whenever you can!

I officially nominate:

Kristi

for the Liebster Award!  She's marvelous...you'll love her words like I do!

I really only read a few blogs that don't meet the criteria for this award and there are many I would nominate but are private...that won't work. If I come up with more I'll add them but 11 was really stretching it for me.

So, I'll ask Kristi these questions:

1. What's for dinner at your house tonight?
2. Where do you picture yourself in 10 years from now?
3. Where is your dream vacation?
4. What made you laugh today?
5. What inspires you?
6. What went through your mind the first time you met your husband?
7. How many places have you lived? where?
8. As a child, what did you want to be? anywhere close?
9. If you had a free day to yourself with unlimited money, what would you do? 
10. If you had one last day with your kids, what would you tell them?
11.  If you could just subtract something from your "mom duties" what would it be and why?

My Hug from Heaven

I just came home from dropping my two big kids off at school.  I had all three of my kiddos at the pediatricians for their yearly well checks and lets just say I was so highly strung that I was having an out right battle in my head!

It was supposed to be quick in and out...see how tall they were, check their weight and possibly get their flu shots...or I mean the mist that all three prefer over a needle in their arm.  Didn't quite turn out that way.

First, I was informed they don't have record of Spencer's shots before he was three...I've got to track down his old doctors in another state.  Sarah is apparently having to adjust her diet and any talk of this over her head never turns out peaceful.  Alli pead her pants all down the front of me as she was clinging to my face and pony tail during the dreaded shots.  Spencer was complaining the whole time about shots which automatically raises the anxiety for Sarah even though I give her a darn shot every single day of her life!  The one at a time shots with the others out in the hall coloring didn't even help.

So, all the tantrums, the four year bouncing off the walls, the urine smell, stickers all over the place, hand full of paper work, questions of missing lunch time at school, and the nine year old turning into a ball of anxiety deflated me!  I'll admit I may have looked like I was keeping it together but when I walked in the door to our house is when that battle in my head began!

Walk the dog? Do the dishes? Pick up my produce? Eat lunch? the full mailbox? the laundry with my pead on clothes and Alli's? play with the bored 4 yr. old? vacuum the crumbs and dog hair? maybe wipe up the eggs from breakfast? look at my phone that I accidentally left home all morning? and then it came to me...movie for Alli and scriptures in my bedroom with the door closed.  I didn't have anything else in me.

May I share a prayer I had...just a part.  Usually I pray for peace or more likely plead for peace in moments like this.  I stopped.  I prayed for direction today.  Help in Choosing the Better or Best out of the Good everyone.  That theme put a little air back in my deflated spirit today.  I then turned to a scripture just by chance:

Alma 37:35-37
"O, remember, my son [daughter], and learn....Yea, cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good...."

I went to bed last night with a grateful heart from friends helping me through stressful things at the church but a very high strung mind and heart.  I woke up pretty uptight still and came home worse.  I tell you what...I forgot to ask for my Heavenly Father's support!  I just try to do it on my own way too much.  It's not right.  He would not have it that way and He let me know just now.

I'm thankful for this hug from heaven!  So grateful!