How to use Faith in Healing....

This book continues to get better and better.  I love it.  

Anyone not have a problem in life?  I didn't think so we all have them whether they are great or small.  We all have some sort of problem and if you don't..... well you have a problem. haha
This chapter continues on with the theme of put your troubles in Gods hands.  His name is even Immanuel meaning God is with us.   As Christians we believe that God is near us, we can call on him to help us, to lean on, and he can support us.
Have you ever had a problem and as you sit pondering it trying to come up with a solution and you have a thought pop into your head.   Do we give credit to where the thought came from?  Where did that inspiration come from.  It was most likely our Heavenly Father giving us an answer to that solution.  He gives us ideas and if we are willing to try them and believe that they will work, we can solve our problems.  Now its not that easy sometimes.  We have to work for it and sometimes we go for days,  months and even years before we get these ideas or before we are willing to listen and heed to them.  If we actually take the time to ponder and think, take that time to be quiet then we can allow those lines of communication to be open.  We have to be willing to experiment upon the word too.  Be willing to try something new or something we had never thought of.  We have to have an open mind. It might not be something we want or would like to do but it is the answer.
A very important part in solving a problem is to realize that we have the power within us to solve that problem.  We have to have faith in ourselves that we can get that solution.   Second  We have to make a plan.  There are so many things that fall threw the cracks because we have no plan.  Its like those new years resolutions we write down (if you are that good to write them down.  haha)   We don't go further than that.  We don't make a plan on how we are going to change and meet that goal.   It's the same thing with solving this problem.  We need to write down how we are going to work it out, what steps we are going to take.

At the end of the chapter he gives 10 ways to help create a technique to solve our problems Here are some of the few that I really liked.

• - Keep calm  we can't make a good decision when we are rushed and flustered.  Find a calm place to think about it,  it will work out.  We can't operate very well under stress
• - Don't try to force an answer keep your mind relaxed and ideas will start to flow keep a pen and paper hand to write them down.
• -Pray about the problem I guess I figure this is a given one how can we expect help if we don't ask.
• -  Go to church or temple where the spirit is strong and let your subconscious work on the problem as you calm yourself.

Something else that I have learned from my  husband is to talk it over with people you trust.  You can get those great ideas and solutions from others as well.  They can be inspired to help without even knowing they are helping.  Its good to bounce ideas off other people.  I have even had some problems put into perspective as I talk about them I realize they aren't as bad as I thought.  When we say them out loud sometimes that helps or brings new ideas to our minds.  So be open to talking and trying new things.

This next chapter really has impacted me lately.  How to use Faith in Healing.  I had another foot zone from a different friend and it really truly helped me heal on all levels.  Physically, spiritually and emotionally  it was a wonderful experience. This chapter hit a little closer to home than some of the others.  I have also had a desire to study faith more and really try to increase mine.

He talks a lot about how sickness is a lot more than just our bodies fighting bacteria and viruses.  It is deeply connected to our emotional state.  We need to make sure we are addressing the emotional side of our bodies as well.  With it being "winter" or "sickness" season.  I have been trying to find alternative ways to prevent and treat sickness a more natural way.

He says that there are 5 factors that have to be present to heal.  He is referring to physical and mental sickness as well.

1.  A complete willingness to surrender oneself into the hands of God.  Why wouldn't we want to do that he knows best right?
2.  A willingness to let errors and sins go.  We have to let those go to cleanse our soul.  
3.  To believe and have faith that with both God and medical science we can be healed.   We need both to truly heal our bodies and souls. They both help each other.  
4. A willingness to accept Gods answer no matter what it may be and to not be bitter about the answer if we like it or not.  
5. Unquestioning faith that God can heal.  

I think most people will hit this or reach this point when they have no where else to turn. They have no more hope so they finally reach out to God.  It shouldn't be this way but sadly it happens this way a lot.    If Jesus could heal the sick, blind, the lame, everyone when he was here on the earth then why can't he now?  He is the same yesterday today and forever right?  I had never thought of it in that way before.   Spiritual forces as well as medical technique are important in healing.  Our bodies as well as our minds need healing and God is over both.   I think about priesthood blessings when I was reading this and how if we don't have faith we won't receive what we need.  Faith is so important in everything. This is why I have been thinking and wanting to study more about faith.  I don't believe i have unwavering faith and I would like to increase it.  I know that it has to be practiced so that is my new goal is to exercise my faith. 

   He ends the chapter by saying "Remember that Joy itself possesses healing power."  Just being joyful will help us heal so why not be happy and enjoy life more.


picture credit is from (http://ralftagao.com/2016/06/use-faith-healing/)

Pres Monsons biography is amazing!!!

I have never read a biography of anyone before and my sister had read President Monsons and said how good it was.   So I started a very large book and I really don't have time to read or I don't make time to read. It took me about a year to read it all the way through.  This book is quite big so I knew it would take me a long time to finish it.  I would just read a few pages or sometimes a chapter before bed and I loved it.   I learned so much about his life.  I loved to see how as a boy he was slowly prepared for each task he was asked to do. Also to see that he was just a normal person learning how to do things.  He learned how to listen to the spirit and follow its promptings no matter what.  He was very young when he was called to serve others.  At 22 he was a bishop I can't even imagine that.
   Something I didn't know was that he was a big part in the Gospel being spread in Germany.  It goes into great detail about it. There is actually a whole book about his involvement with it.  I loved reading about how he was so dedicated to helping those saints. He went to support the saints and they finally after years and years opened up and built a temple because the government trusted him because they had watched him and the members for so long and liked how they were true and good people.  He had a lot of patience and faith that things would work out in a situation that didn't look so good in the beginning.

 I also loved reading about a lot of other apostles that he worked with and encountered before they were put in as apostles.  They were all prepared in the same way that he was.  They were also all very faithful and hard working.  I got to see some of their history and where they came from.

The biggest thing President Monson does it that he cares about the one.  He knows how important every individual is.  That focus on "the one", that willingness to stop, to pay heed to the spirits promptings, defined him long before he was called as an apostle, and that expression of Gods love has continued throughout his life.  His whole life was one story after another of helping or heeding to the spirit to stop and talk to the one, or take the long way home and he would meet someone that needed him.  He was always doing small little things that was more often then not be an answer to someones prayers.   He said something like he knew it would all work out because he knew that God would answer his prayers sooner or later in the way He wanted.  What faith he had.
Making others feel loved has been a hallmark of President Monsons life and ministry.

His accounts of personal experiences became the hallmark of his teaching.  He would give talks with his own personal experiences. Everyone loves his stories and experiences.  He helped with the Preach my Gospel Missionary book and he said that putting personal experiences in there would help more people understand the principle, and be able to apply it into our lives easier.  We tend to listen and understand more when its told in a story or real experience.  We can relate to it when we hear it.

Put simply he finds goodness in everyone.  No matter who you are he always looked at the best in them.  He said " Have the courage to refrain from judging and criticizing those around you as well as the courage to make certain everyone is included and feels loved and valued."  Once again it goes back to making sure that everyone felt loved and included.  Who are we to judge others?  He was such an example of unconditional love.  I know this is something that is a daily struggle for everyone,  we all try to put off the natural man every day and not judge others.   He was a great example to us all.


He has been in the quorum of the 12 for a long time he was able to see so many different things come to pass. He was there for when the Blacks were granted the priesthood,  the scriptures were updated with the footnotes, the ensign was put out.   The ensign was new in 1970 and would be written for the adults of the church, that they might be more adequately prepared to be examples to their children and to the world.  I loved reading about this and what the purpose of the ensign was.  I never really thought about how different the church was when my parents were growing up.  It was quite different in a lot of ways.  There were no Area authorities, and so many councils to help improve things.   The church has evolved in a lot of ways but the Gospel is always the same.   I loved reading about the changes and seeing how he was a part of it all.
 Reading about his life made me have a deeper testimony of the truth of him being the true and living prophet. I felt the spirit testify again and again of this truth, also that all of the apostles are called and have such an important role.  They are mostly all older gentleman and yet they still are able to carry on and travel and be active with their responsibilities.  I know that the Lord is with them and keeping them healthy so they can fulfill their callings.  I am so grateful for all they do.   He truly was prepared and called to serve and lead our church in these latter days.  I know when I listen to him speak again I will see him a little differently knowing more about his past.  I have a greater love for him personally because I have seen and learned about the sacrifices he has given to move the work of the Lord forward.

Power of positive thinking... Two for one (8 & 9)

Two for one today.... I don't believe in defeat and How to break the worry habit.  I put two chapters in this post because I feel like a lot of it is repetitive and its just helping grind it into our minds.  Which is good because it takes different stories to help us see it in ways that we can adapt them into our lives.

I don't believe in defeat-  

This was a very positive and encouraging chapter.  He says if we practice believing that God is with us and that in combination with him.  We will have the power to handle whatever comes our way.    He goes on to say that most of our obstacles in our life are mental in character.  We imagine up things to be worse than they actually are, or we imagine up hurtles to have to jump to get to where we want.  People will say mine are not mental, mine are in fact very real.  That perhaps may be true but your attitude towards them is mental.  Our attitudes play a big part in how we, meaning our minds perceive them.
With God all things are possible.  We can imagine putting our problems in the Lords hands.  Handing them over to him.  We trust him completely to help us solve it and make it through whatever trial it is.  If we don't believe in defeat then we can't be defeated.  We will keep trying and trying harder and harder to accomplish whatever it is.  We will stay positive for that is what will get us through.  When we have a negative thought come in about defeat we have to counteract that and think a positive thing or two about that exact negative thought.  It will switch our brain to start to think positive about it.  We need to focus on the positive and that is how we will overcome defeat.

How to break the worry habit.....  This had my name written all over it.  I am a huge worrier.  You name it I have worried about it and having kids it is even worse.
He talks about some ways that we can help break these worry habits and one of them is to empty our mind daily.  He says the best time to do this is before bed which makes sense because our dreams usually come from things that we have thought about or subconsciously been on our mind.  Our dreams tend to absorb the last ideas that were in our mind.    So to empty our minds before bed will help our sleep habits.  To empty your mind you just think about pouring everything in your mind out, cleaning it all out.  Whether you think of sweeping it all our or like a dumpster dumping out.   Then we really have to think its empty, remember how powerful our minds are if we think it, it can be....  Its like when a child gets hurt and we kiss it better and it is.  I have done this and it seems to help me, it really helps to imagine an actual dumping of my thoughts or worries.

  Faith can always overcome fear.   If we pray and we say God is now protecting me and my loved ones from all harm. We won't have to worry about it.  "Worry is a destructive process of occupying the mind with thoughts contrary to Gods love and care"   He doesn't want us to worry, he wants us to be full of love and faith.  T
he more you worry the better you get at it and I have found that to be true.  Once I get worrying about something and playing it through my mind how badly something will go, I keep making it worse and worse.   I have to think of something positive or listen to some good music to distract my mind from the worry I was doing.
When my husband is out of town it is the worst.  I hate sleeping alone or knowing I am alone all night.  I imagine up the worst things to happen.  I don't know where it comes from.  This is one reason I can not watch the news, there are so many bad things they report and I don't need to encourage or give my mind new ways to worry.   I try to read my scriptures or a good uplifting book before bed.

I know there are so many things to worry about and I have just tried to think positively about everything.  If I have a worry thought come into my mind I say is that really realistic or am I just imaging the worst.  Most of the time I'm just imagining and nothing is ever bad.  I know that if I just have faith and put my trust in Heavenly Father each day that things will work out.  If something does go bad as it sometimes does.  I have to remember everything happens for a reason.  There is something I can learn and I need to learn to lean on Him for help.  This has helped me a lot with my worry.  It takes constant practice, I have had this habit for a long time and I know it will take a lot of work to slowly overcome and be better at it.

My himalayan salt lamp

I have gotten quite a few questions about our himalayan salt lamps.  My husband for one thinks it's just a big expensive cool looking rock.  I started to have my doubts too after reading all sorts of stuff on the internet.  You can find whatever you want to find on the internet for or against anything.


I had heard about them in a crunchy group I'm in and thought I want to try if it will help kids sleep and improve with allergies.  So I got one on Amazon of course, I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon now.  Its just easier and they usually have a good price.  I put ours in our kitchen since that is where we spend most of our time.   What can I say we like to eat. haha.

These salt lamps emit negative ions, very small amounts but when you have it lit for long periods of time it releases more.  These negative ions help with all of the positive ions that are in our air around us from electronic devices.  These positive ions disrupt our sleep, cause stress and can make allergies worse.  Having a salt lamp lit will help counter some of these positive ions we have on our homes, even if it is a small amount.

They are a great night light as well, they are soothing.  We have one in our kids bed room and they love it.  It is their night light as well as doing all of the other great things that they do.  Something else my husband said was that the light alone is probably taking up way too much energy just to have it on all the time.  It actually runs on a 15 watt bulb.  That is nothing, it will not raise your electric bill.

They can sooth allergies as well because the lamps attract  water vapor that is in the air.  This water vapor can carry mold, bacteria and allergins.  It will carry these to its surface and remove them from the air.  So it can help purify our air.  I figure if it has a chance of helping us keep sickness and allergies away, its worth it.  Well take it.

I really like the look of them, they have this low orange glow about them.  You know how when you look at a fire and are mesmerized by it?  Well this is kind of like that.  It just feels good and looks amazing.  I know these lamps are not a cure all but they are beautiful and they are doing a small little part in being a little bit healthier.

How I treated my sinus infection naturally

As the season finally changed and it actually started to feel like winter a few weeks ago I got a terrible cold.  It started out with a sore throat and I tried to suck on the onguard throat drops but I"m not a huge fan of the taste of them.  I did it anyways because I did not want to get sick.  Nothing is worse than being a mom of three young kids and being sick.   I upped my water intake hoping to keep it away too.
The next day I was sick sick luckily it was saturday so my husband was home he could watch the kids.  I just was sore and did not feel good.  I drank lemon honey tea.  I learned this remedy while on my mission in Chile.  It was great.  I already know how good lemon is for me and of course honey.  It was the only thing that helped my throat and made me feel better.  I drank that three times a day for quite a few days.
Sunday came around and I felt a little better I was still very stuffed up and I felt sinus pressure but I made it through church alright.   I continued to be incredibly stuffed up and had this terrible sinus pressure that hurt my eye and was giving me a constant headache.   I even tried putting some breathe essential oil on my nose and sinus and it burned my eyes.  I should have done it before I went to bed. haha  Lesson learned.

After a week of being sick of being stuffed up and this terrible sinus pressure, I was ready to be done.  I really didn't want to go to the doctor because I knew what they would prescribe me....  antibiotics and I did not want that.  So I said If I am still sick at two weeks then I"ll have to make the decision to go in or suffer some more.  I can't live like this any longer.  I went and got a foot zone for this and some other reasons as well.  I believe it helped with the sinus infection, I was sure I had.  She also suggested drinking colloidal silver.  I had never thought of that.  I mean, I use it topically, for things like that but I have never actually ingested it.  I don't know why I didn't think of it, it's a natural antibiotic and will kill those nasty bugs.  So I started drinking it just a tsp twice a day.  I also got some Vitamin c tablets and unscented garlic pills. I had heard these were great to ward off sicknesses.  So I started doing all of these things at the same time.  I also started diffusing Breathe right by my bed at night, I know this helped me sleep better and be able to breathe.



This was all on saturday, a week after I had been really sick.  So by about wed, a week and a half of being sick, I was feeling much better. I wasn't blowing my nose 89 times a day anymore.  I was so happy when I finally started to feel better.  Since I started doing most of it at the same time I can't say it was just one thing that helped fight it off but I was so glad that I did it using natural resources.  I think it was a great combination of all of it.

I also didn't eat any sugar.... that is hard.  I have really been trying to cut back on our sugar intake lately and it has been hard, I am a major sugar tooth.  I know sugar just feeds the sickness, and is overall terrible for our body so I put my foot down and told myself  NO!   Great lesson to myself,   I can do hard things.   I also started to drink a ton of water, this was so helpful except the part where I have to go to the bathroom 15 times a day.
I am just so glad that I was able to use my resources that I have found so far on my trying to be healthier and natural journey.   I love learning about new things and actually getting to try them out first hand.  I hope to be able to fight sickness off all winter long the preventative way.

Power of positive thinking.....Expect the best and get it!!!

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"  Mark 9:23

What do you believe in?

This doesn't mean that  by believing you are necessarily going to get everything you want or think you want.  That wouldn't be good for us.  When you put your trust in God, he guides your mind so that you do not want things that are not good for you.  This can be really hard to accept.  I read an article in the Ensign last week that talked about if we are ready to accept Gods will no matter what it may be.  This young couple had just gotten married and the husband had found cancer and they were asking for a blessing and one of the general authorities went and asked a few questions before he gave him a blessing he said are you really ready to accept whatever got has in store for you?  Even if it is returning to your heavenly home right now?  That came as quite a shock to the couple they weren't expecting that, they didn't really want that.  Were they truly willing to accept whatever his will was?

Part of expecting the best is that you have to do your part and actually work to get it.  I think we all know that you can't just expect to sit back and have great things happen to you.  We have to go all out and put all of ourselves into whatever we are working for.  If we do this and put everything we have in, life will not hold out on us either.

We have to be specific about what we want.... we can't just say I want to be happy.  We have to have objectives about what we want to do to be happy and what makes us happy.  We need to take them one by one and work little by little.   We know we can only do so much but as long as we are giving it our all and continuously working towards that goal we will be blessed.

A lot of this chapter and even this whole book is about being true to yourself and really letting those deep feelings and wants out.  We have to be honest with ourselves on how hard we are really working, what we truly want,  What God wants of us.   This is a hard one, In order to know this we have to be one with God, we have to have that communication open with him.  One of the questions he asks is "should we want it? "  talking about whatever we are working towards.... what is our purpose in wanting it.  Will it help us?    We can ask God for any right thing and ask it as a little child... They truly believe and have such great faith.  We cannot doubt, it closes the flow of power but if we believe and have faith then we can do it.  Faith is so powerful that if God is for us, who can be against us?  Really!?!  Think about that for a minute.... he knows all and is all powerful.

I have really been trying to build this closer relationship with my Heavenly Father to try to be more in tune with the spirit and be able to use this power through faith.  As I raise my own children I need the divine guidance from Him.  I want my kids to be successful and be good people, so I need his help to know what they need individually.  We are learning quickly that each child is so very different.  Different things work for different kids and we have to adapt to each one to help them learn and love.

 A small phrase he had in this chapter that really made me think was "Love cannot live under domination"   I am a pretty stubborn person and when it comes to throwing fits I can tell its a struggle for me.  This phrase though is making me see myself better  I can't just dominate the kids.  I have to work with them and come to an agreement.  Love doesn't work in a forceful way it has to be felt.  I have a hard time with being firm and domination.   I guess its about our intentions if I'm just being stubborn and don't want to let it go or if I really feel that its an important lesson to learn.   Its hard being a parent some days.  I really am trying to do my best and I love the insights that this book gives me.

Why I let my boys play with dolls

We baby sat my nephew the other day he is 5 months old and it was great.  It fed my baby hunger and it was good.   He is an adorable baby but he is always hungry and reminded me of how a baby is.  I looked at my 22 month old and realized he is no longer a baby.   Funny how when they are your youngest you forget how a real baby is.  

Anyways it was fun and I enjoyed it.  Apparently my "baby" did too.  We have a few baby dolls that were given to my daughter but she hasn't played with them much the last little bit.  My baby started to carry around these dolls and feed them his fishies, or take them for a stroller ride.  He would also share his binki with them and look at them like he was comforting it.  It was adorable.  He also likes to read books to his baby.  He will lay in his crib at night or at nap time with his baby and read books till he falls asleep.  I realized that this was from seeing me take care of my nephew.  He is so observant.  He will see the older kids do things and he will imitate them.  So he was being a mommy.  I thought it was so cute.  

I think its great for boys to play with dolls.  Some dads and even moms are not ok with that idea because they are boys.... They should play with boy toys like trucks.  We have plenty of trucks and I think its sweet for him to play with a doll.  

He will hopefully be a Father one day and this is good practice for him to know how to take care of a baby.  That improves his fatherhood abilities.  I am not worried about how he is playing with a "girls" toy.  I think its adorable.    

Power of positive thinking ....Stop fuming and fretting

Once again this chapter is for me.   haha I love this book.   The main part of this chapter was to slow down our lives and simplify and I have been working on this for a few weeks.  Looking for ways to simplify everything.  

He talks about how we an stop fuming and fretting over things.    We need to slow our lives down  and sometimes we don't even realize we are going so fast.  The other day Jared asked me if we should put Lexi in something like dance.    I was like no first of all DANCE!!!  No... she wouldn't like that.  She would like swimming maybe but I love that we don't have to be a million places all the time.  I love that we can stay home at night and just hang out with our family.   I know in a few years it won't be that way, I want to enjoy it.  

He says it is impossible to have peace of soul if our pace is so accelerated.  God won't go that fast.  God gets things done and they are done right and he does them without hurry.   I remember when I would do my chores growing up my dad would always say  Do them right the first time and you won't have to redo them.   Sometimes I know I would rush through so I could play but then I wouldn't get paid that week and I would have to do it again.  So if I would just do it right the first time it would save a lot and I would get more money.    My dad is wise.  

What do we miss when we are so busy with "life"  simple things get passed by.   I have seen this a lot with kids.  When I am so busy with mom duties.... laundry, dishes, cleaning I miss out on the little fun things the kids are doing.  Simple funny  things they say and do.   

We need to take that time and have quietness to have things settle down.  We need to practice being peaceful.  When I was studying for my hypnobabies birth I would practice relaxing for when labor acutally came.  I would practice peace it was wonderful.   I would look forward to that 30 min after the two kids went to bed that I could relax and practice that.  It really helped me relax and in turn helped me have an incredible experience.  

He talks about this comparison of muddy water.  If we let the muddy water settle and let it stand alone for a minute it will become clear.  We can see better and clearer.  This can true with our lives as well.  We don't make good decisions spur of the moment or when we are in a rush, or very emotional.  We need to stand back and let it clear up, look at all of the options and then decide

Something that can help us slow down and not fume and fret about things is to actually sit still.  It is hard to do sometimes because we are so accustomed to moving and always doing something.  We can be physically still and just think about peaceful things.  Think about a place that you find peaceful and the feeling you get when you are there.

I think in today's world we are always going and it would be good for most of us to slow down and just sit still for a minute without our phone or anything and just think  peace....  It can really calm us down and help us clear the muddy waters of life.  

Put it down and take a step away..... part 2 simplify life

I decided that I needed to make some changes and disconnect with the world. I need to simplify this part of my life.   I needed to put down my phone and give more undivided attention to our kids.  I looked back to how I grew up, there were no cell phones. It was awesome we played all day long, well, besides when we were doing our chores.  I don't want my kids to remember me as the mom that was always "busy" on her phone. I'm just on more than I would like and most of it is just browsing a lot and it's mindless stuff a lot of the time.  When I could be spending quality time with our kids this makes me sad that I sometimes choose that over them because I am "stressed"  Even looking back 3-5 years ago when I didn't have the internet on my phone it was so much better.  I only relied on my phone for calls and texts.  I want to go back to that.

I knew it was going to be hard and it has been hard.  I am just doing little by little.  I am realizing that my kids are growing up fast and soon they won't want to play barbies, or cars with me.  So I need to take advantage of that now.  Some days I really am terrible and I look back and think did I really play with my kids today between all of the household things I did?   

Lexi and Max have always been really good to play together well.  They have so much fun pretending.  It used to be Lexi telling Max what to do but the other day I heard Max telling her what to do and she did it.  I guess they have reached that point where they both listen to each other.  It makes my heart happy to see them play together.  They are best friends.  We were going somewhere and Lexi wasn't listening and getting ready and we said ok we are going to go.  Max said No we can't leave Lexi, She has to come she is my best friend.  It made both me and Jared smile.
  

It has been hard to leave the phone alone some days.  I am realizing I am a lot more attached or addicted to it then I thought.  Just the last few days my phone has been having issues and not working right.  I tried rebooting and uninstalling things and finally I uninstalled facebook and instagram.  My phone works fine now....... Is that a sign or what?  I am going to take it as one.  I installed instagram again but I am not going to do facebook because I waste a lot of time on there and I don't want to do that anymore.  I want to not be reaching for my phone all day long.  I am tired of being a slave to it.
I have found when I leave my phone in another room then it seems easier to not see it there and glace at it, then I get sucked in.  So if it takes me longer to respond to something you know why.
  

  Yes I love the convenience of it and all of the good things I can do with it. I do a lot of my church calling on it, researching ideas for cub scouts.  I get a lot of emails from my daughters school with important things. I listen to conference talks and the scriptures sometimes.  I love that there is so much good stuff available so quick.  There are so many groups to have and share support but I really believe the best support is going to come from my husband and Heavenly Father.  They know me best and that is where I should be looking the most for answers and help.   So I need to spend more time getting closer to them.

I have been doing this for a few weeks now and I have noticed a difference in my attitude and I love it.  It takes a conscious effort some days to keep the phone away and not be on it.  I love the time it has freed up though.  I am not only spending more quality time with my kids. I don't feel like I have to be up to date on everything in the online world.  Its a nice change.  I look forward to continuing to change this and simplify my life even more.  

Why my kids are going to play night games....

We went on a walk recently for our "date night" and saw some kids playing night games.  Emotions rushed over me of my childhood.  I told Jared the last time I played night games I was 20 and I had broken my arm and gotten hit in the nose with a pitch fork.  Not the best memories that night but all of the previous ones were fun filled.  We live in a semi country place and we have some fields around us and I love it.  I want my kids to grow up getting dirty and running around hiding in trees and making huts in the "woods"  I want my kids to be carefree as long as they can be.  Kids should be able to be kids and enjoy just being kids and having fun.

  I realized just watching these little kids play night games that I need to let go of so much anxiety.  I know all of the terrible things that could happen and I seem to worry that will happen. This is one of the reasons I love reading the power of positive thinking so much, its really helping me to stop worrying so much.  I need to just have faith that things will work out.  I think its just natural once you have children you have that worry about your children.  That is mainly what I worry about.  I have very real dreams that they are in trouble, I should say nightmares.   They are so real and then I can't go back to sleep because the dream just continues.  I have to get out of bed and go see them to make sure they haven't drowned or been abducted.   Its terrifying.
As I learn and read more about the church and the ensign talks I realize I need to let this go.  This is not how one should live.... in fear.    I know the world is getting worse and its not going to get any better.   I am scared for my children but I need to look for the good. There are way more good people out in the world then there are bad I believe.  Especially that live close to me.  I need to not read the news that just upsets me even more.  I need to be prayerful and I will be warned if things are to happen.  I have felt such peace about this but its hard to stop my mind.

One of the chapters in Power of positive thinking talks a lot about this and letting that worry go.  It talks about thinking positive and not thinking about the things that can go wrong.  When we think about those things then it gets us worked up and we can't function right.  We need to stay positive and trust in God.  That doesn't mean bad things wont ever happen but we will be able to deal with them better if we have that faith in God and his plan.  Are we willing to accept that plan?  Live life to its fullest and things will work out as long as we are trying our best and doing what is right.
I think as long as I am doing what is right, God will watch out for me.  He loves me and wants me to be happy. I need to have that trust in him and do my best to raise smart kids.

Getting rid of that stack of pants

I have three beautiful children and I love it.  I love being a mom, It's got its ups and downs but its all worth it. As a mom we experience a whole new life once we have kids.  Our bodies are able to grow a tiny baby and then we are able to trust our body to birth it.  Our bodies go through so many changes to have a baby.  Our hormones get out of wack.   I am so grateful for the ability I have to be able to carry my children and birth them.   It truly is a blessing.  

I am amazed at my body and how it has been fairly easy to recover and adjust from being pregnant and having babies.  In this post I wrote a while ago, I talk a little bit about how all three of my babies births and breastfeeding journeys were different.   This also played a part on how my body recovered. As long as I nurse my baby I actually hold onto 5-10 extra pounds then when my baby completely weans I seem to lose that weight.  Not the norm I hear.  

After my second I lost all the weight from his pregnancy and then more from the first.  haha.  I was less than before I had kids.  Stinking gallbladder.   

My third has been a little bit rougher journey.  I haven't been as dedicated to working out or running. I used to run quite a bit and loved it.  I find with three kids its just not happening.  I don't make it a priority I guess.   After 19 months I am back to the range of weight that I am comfortable with and yet still my pants don't fit without being uncomfortable or that muffin top look.  I think that after three kids my hips have widened.  Is that a real thing?   

Or am I just making it up to make me feel better about my old pants not fitting anymore?!?  I don't know but either way that is fine.  I went out and bought a few pair of pants that do fit and make me feel great.  They are comfortable and that is what its all about.  

So here is my stack of pants that I am going to go sell to a consignment shop and get some money out of them so I can fund those jeans that I finally purchased that fit and make me feel wonderful.  

Some things about being a mom aren't fun but its still all worth it... even this stack of pants.

1 year of blogging

I started this blog 1 year ago today and I have loved it.  I have learned a lot from trying new things or just writing my thoughts down.  I have learned a lot about myself too in this journey so far.
Some of the new things I learned I still use and some have faded away and are replaced with new things.  We are always changing and trying to improve.

For example I kind of fell off the green smoothie habit when I tried the 3 day detox.... I am gagging here just thinking about it.  I made it until lunch and I couldn't gag down another drink.  It was so gross to me.  So I guess my mind related that back to my smoothies.  So for a few months I struggled to make them daily.   I had to start back with more fruits than veggies and absolutely no protein powder stuff.  I actually can't have that powder in it at all anymore.  I gag every time I think or smell it.  I have found other ways to adjust my smoothies.   I am back to having a smoothie almost every
day or every other day.  They are getting more and more veggies and less fruits.  Its all about steps and getting back to where we want to be.

I have tried more things because of my blog.  I am a pretty picky eater and this has helped me go out of my comfort zone.  Pintrest also helps a lot with that, what would I do without pintrest?!?  I am better at looking for new things to try and being willing to make those changes.

I have loved reading the power of positive thinking.  This book is so helpful and I have loved adapting and learning different ways to try to be more positive in my life.   A lot of this is helping my spiritual self.  I love it.  I need to make more time for this area in my life. Every time I read this book I feel great and positive.  This book really inspires me to be a better person.

I also just love thinking things through and writing it down.  I have always been a journal writer and this has been a part of that for me. I love reading back through my old journals and I also enjoy scrolling back and looking at the posts I have made.

I love getting feedback and comments too.  Its fun to hear what you have tried and what works for you.  Its fun to meet like minded moms and people, that I wouldn't otherwise meet.
I really can't  believe its been a year.  Time is going by so fast. I have enjoyed it all and hope to continue on.

I have posted every Monday and Thursday for the whole year and I think this next year I might have to slow it down to once a week because I am really trying to spend more quality time with my kids and husband.  I am putting my phone in "time out"  so I am not so easily distracted.  It has already helped tremendously to not be so caught up in the facebook/social media world.    I realized I don't need to be so informed about everything.  Its more important to spend time with my kids that are growing up too fast.  I know I will miss this stage of their lives, so I don't want to let it fly by me.
So I want to switch some things up this coming year.  I might do some vlogs because I love watching them and think they are so fun.  Well have to see what next year brings but it will be  a little different.

One year down and hopefully a lot more to come,  and look how much this kid has grown!!!

  




(http://www.thememorist.com/2013/03/28/happy-blogiversary) for the cupcake picture

Trying to minimalize in our home

During the course of a normal day I clean up about 1000 toys.  Every year between the start of school and Christmas I like to go through all of our toys and purge.  I know that they will most likely get some new toys and so I like to make room for them by cleaning out.  I love that I can sell most of them and then use that money to buy Christmas for the kids.  I love getting rid of all of the little broken toys that have gotten pushed to the bottom of the toy box or under the couch.  It just feels good to clean out..   I love the idea of the kids picking one toy to donate to a toy drive or sub for santa type thing.  That way they can learn and participate in the Christmas Spirit.
Along with going through toys I have been getting out the new season of clothes and putting the summer stuff away.  I went down to the storage room where I keep the kids clothes.  I can't believe that we take up a whole wall just in kids clothes.  I KNOW I had too many baby girl clothes so I went through all of them and got rid of a whole big black garbage bag.


  I had my brother that has a baby girl come take what they wanted and then I'll let my sister that has a 1 year old come look.  Then I will take what is left and sell it at a local consignment sale.  I went through my boys clothes too but I didn't seem to have as many.   I have gotten rid of a lot of clothes that they hadn't worn because I don't want to store all of that. I also haven't bought or acquired as many boys clothes as I did girls.  They still have plenty and if they need a shirt or two that is fine, I'll find some cheap at the consignment sale.

I used to store the clothes in the vacuum seal bags at our old house because that was the only way we had room to store them all.   I ordered some more and started using them again.  I can fit two sizes  in a big tub when they are vacuumed out.  That is progress for sure.  I just finished the other day finally organizing it all again.  It feels great.

Now I just need to go through the boxes of kitchen stuff I haven't opened since we moved over a year ago.  I'm sure there is stuff in there I can get rid of since I haven't used it in a year.  I really want to keep everything at a minimum and try to not let it get cluttered up again.  A lot of it is the corelle and glass stuff that I don't want to use when we have little kids.  I know exactly what will happen to it.  So that will probably stay in a box for at least a few more years.

I also went through my clothes and have a separate post about that and the process I used,  it was hard.  It feels so good though to have a cleaner closet.

I love cleaning out and getting things organized.  When we moved I loved finding new places for things and organizing everything into a new to us house.  It was so fun for me, because I enjoy cleaning things out and organizing.  I know call me crazy.  Its funny how when you have a space you make it work and then when you get a bigger space you seem to fill it up.  We didn't have a garage at our old house and so we had to fit everything outdoors in our little shed.  When we closed it up for winter it was too the brim by the 6th year we lived there.  Now we fill a shed here with some extra room and our garage.  Granted we have bought some bigger yard stuff since we have a much larger yard now.

I really just want to simplify my life and one of the first steps is to get rid of stuff we don't need so here is to de junking and getting rid of all of the stuff we don't "need".

The power of positive thinking: How to create your own happiness

Abraham Lincoln said that "People were just about  as happy as they made up their minds to be."  You can decide if your happy or not.  You don't always get to decide what happens to you but you can always choose how you react and that is where most of us think we are "made" to be happy or unhappy.   It is a conscious choice we make everyday and even within that day if we will be happy. We can develop that habit of being happy by practicing happy thoughts. If an unhappy thought comes immediately stop and eject it out and replace it with a happy thought.  It takes a lot of work to be able to have that mindset but who doesn't want to be happy?

 "One of the most simple and basic of such principles is that of human love and goodwill.  It is amazing what happiness a sincere expression of compassion and tenderness will induce. "

  How many times have you been having a not so good day and someone compliments you or does something nice for you?  It totally changes your day and your attitude.  Just think if we could be that positive happy influence in other peoples lives and even our own.  I have found when I dwell on my own "problems or struggles"  I get sad and depressed.  On the other hand when I am trying to find ways to give service to others, things seem to look brighter and I also feel better.    A great way to create happiness in our lives is to practice love, pure love of Christ.

 "The way to happiness is to keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry.  Live simply, expect little, give much.  Fill your life with love.  Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would like to be done by.  Try this for a week and you will be surprised."

   Just reading that I thought  ..... I have a lot of work to do to overcome this natural man and be able to increase my giving and scattering sunshine.  Its hard to overcome the expect little and give much.  We think I have been giving so much and I should get something out of it right?   Also as I was reading this I thought this is a perfect description of Christ.  He was all of this, he was always serving and giving everything never expecting anything but for us to follow him, and love everyone.

Matthew 22:39 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as they self.   This is the second greatest commandment.  We need to love everyone.... This is no easy task for most of us.  This takes a lot of charity and love to see people as our Heavenly Father would.  It will totally change our perspective of people when we can look at them through our Heavenly Fathers eyes.   Something I read somewhere is that we shouldn't be judged or judge someone on their worst moments or mistakes.  We should always look for the best.  We get new chances everyday to repent and become a better person.  We want others to look at us that way so why can't we look at others that way?   If we can stop comparing ourselves to those around us our lives would be a lot easier.  I know I suffer from this, I see what other moms are doing and I think I'm good if my kids get dressed and eat some days.

This all boils down to making our own happiness.  How much do we want it?  What are we willing to do to get it?  We need to humble ourselves and get out there and do service for others and get those happy thoughts running through our minds.  We make or break our day everyday.  We choose how to react to things that come our way.  Lets be the happy people that spread that sunshine to others.

I can't believe I bought another one......

Yes its true I bought another stroller.  If you recall my previous post about strollers here.  I have had A LOT of strollers and I liked each one for a different reason.  I had it narrowed down to two strollers.  I love the single bob its amazing by far the best single stroller.  Then for my double I was using a bike trailer since we use it as both a stroller and a trailer.  It made sense.


So what happened?!?   My daughter went to Kindergarden.... and we live two houses away.   So we walk everyday sunshine, rain,  snow or sleet.... ok I did drive once or twice so far, because the wind was blowing like crazy.   Taking the kids there its slightly downhill so usually the way there everyone is happy no matter what we do... bikes, or walking.   The way home is slightly uphill and it gets Max everytime.... even though he says he wants to ride his bike.   He really is getting better.
Lexi has been asking the last few weeks to ride in the stroller home and usually there isn't room for three.  So I thought since we will be walking kids to school for years it would be worth the money.
I got a double bob.... I have always wanted one and now it was justified!  RIGHT?!
I absolutely love how easy it is to use.   It turns amazing and I can do it all with one hand.  The kids love it.  I can fit three even four kids "on" this stroller

I love the shades on the bob  they come so far down its amazing.  I figure when its really cold or windy and we still want to or have to walk I can just throw a blanket over it and they will be all covered, well at least the two in the actual seats.
It has been so nice and we have only had it a week.    I was able to put away my other two strollers  since I use this one twice a day.  I am guaranteed that at least two kids will want to sit in there if not more.
In the morning I strap my baby in my kinderpack and the other two in the stroller and then when she gets out to go to school I either just head back home or put the baby in the stroller.  Whichever he prefers that day.   Also this is so nice because we tend to cut it close a lot of the time and this makes it so we can get to school in 2 minutes if I can speed walk the stroller down there.

Another great thing about this stroller is that it is only 6 inches wider than the single stroller.  It still fits through standard doors.  This will be great if we go places that I need a stroller usually my kids are old enough they will stay by me or I have one in a pack and I can hold the other twos hands.   That might change when we have more kids so this will come in handy then.  I love that it is so narrow.  You can see in the  picture how the wheels are set inside of the frame or the curve in so its not as wide.  The seats still have plenty of room to fit my 5 year old.



I know, I know how many  more strollers are you going to go through is what your asking. I'm sure my husband feels the same way.   If I didn't know I could resell things for the same price I bought them or more .....or I will completely use this till it dies.  Then I would probably be more hesitant to buy things.  I absolutely love everything about this so far and I am pretty sure nothing will change.

Meals I snuck my kefir into this month

I like to sneak kefir into things because then it keeps us healthy haha.  We always have plenty of kefir, and I usually don't have ricotta cheese or sour cream on hand so this makes one less trip to the store.    Which in turn helps us save $ because then I don't buy stuff we don't really need.  I have really been trying to save money lately and so I have tried to be really good at making meals.  I get lazy and forgetful and then we end up eating out.  Not good for anyone and making dinner makes me feel like a better mom and wife anyways.


So here are some meals that I used kefir in this week.  I made shepherds pie and I usually make potatoes with the potato pearls from the cannery.  Since I had a bunch of real potatoes that were going to be going bad soon I decided to make mashed potatoes the old fashioned delicious way.  Instead of creaming them with milk, I used kefir.  I know that making it hot or mixing it with hot will kill a lot of the good probiotics in it.  I figure either way its still better than sour cream or milk.
It was delicious and no one even suspected it haha.

The second meal I sneakily made was meatball pasta sauce stuff.  I got the recipe off the back of the meatballs from costco.  It used spinach and so I said sure lets try it.  Jared is awesome to try new stuff.  I mixed it up in the blendtec and it called for ricotta cheese..... who really keeps that on hand?  No one  so they make a special trip to the store for it..... well not me I pull out my awesome kefir and walaahh.... done!!!  It was so good everyone loved this meal.  The kids are really picky about trying new things but they tried this and they ended up liking it.
I actually made the left over meat balls with normal spaghetti sauce and noodles later and Max said but I liked the green one better,  ok I don't mind putting more spinach in your food, not a problem.

Then the third item I made was muffins that called for sour cream.  I do not like sour cream so we never have it and since I have been growing kefir I don't ever buy it because I know how well it can be replaced with good old kefir.  So there you go and the muffins tasted great.

I love finding ways to use this kefir and make us a little bit healthier.   Also in turn I save money by not going to the store and buying that extra sour cream, or ricotta cheese.  It is not cheap.  We make a lot of lasagna and I like to add it in there too.  We of course use the kefir in our smoothies we do.  Its even better when its made from raw  milk its awesome.  I'm sure I will come up with some more random places to replace things for kefir.

The power of positive thinking..... Try prayer power

I really enjoy reading this book with the little reading time I am allowed...  I am learning so much to help me slow down and relax.  So here is the review of the next chapter.

Try prayer power:

"You can receive guidance in problems if prayer is allowed to permeate your subconscious, the seat of the forces which determines whether you take right or wrong actions. Prayer has the power to keep your reactions correct and sound."  This is where I had to stop and think.  I immediately thought of those times that I get so frustrated or mad at the kids for making a mess or getting into something they shouldn't for the umpteenth time.  Prayer has the power to keep that reaction to that situation correct and sound.   How big of a deal is it really that I had just spent an hour cleaning and organizing all of those toys that they just dumped into a huge big pile on the floor?  Does it really matter?   NO!  It makes me crazy but having that constant prayer in my mind will keep that reaction in check.  This will be a big help to me.
I remember on my mission we would visit with the members and encourage them to talk to their neighbors about the gospel or visit teach.  Sometimes it was even as simple as reading their scriptures and praying,  Something I didn't get why they weren't doing that daily.   I have since had the struggle personally to make that a daily habit.  I go in spurts where I am really good about praying and reading my scriptures then time goes by and I realize its been a while.  I know there is a lot of room for improvement.  I need to re-prioritize. So this chapter was much needed for me.

The secret of prayer is to find the process that will most effectively open your mind humbly to God.  We need to be open enough to receive the answers or promptings that he will give us.   Talk to him like he is really there.  I remember hearing this all the time when we would study prayers.  These are a few of the questions he suggested to help with our prayers.  What will I do about this?  Can you give me new insight on this? Can you help me understand this situation better?  Those are just some questions that he suggested we use to open it up a little bit.   I really like the help me see a new inside or side on this because there is so much we can't or just don't see.

"Work hard and intelligently, thus doing your part to achieve success in the matter."  Things are never just given to us.  We have to work hard and keep moving for things to happen.

"Within the mind are all of the resources needed for successful living. Ideas are present in
consciousness."   we just need to open them up and discover them, use them.

He talks about a story where a girl used this power of prayer and she said that those times when she would normally get upset and frustrated, if she has said her prayers and had a prayer in her heart and on her mind.  The situation just doesn't seem to have the power to upset her anymore.  So life still has struggles and frustrations but she has changed and she is stronger so they don't make such a big deal about certain things.  This is what I need because I know that life will still happen I just need to be prayerful and have that help in my life.  Especially the way things are going right now in the world.

He gives a few rules to getting effective results from prayers here are two of my favorites.
1-  Pray as you go about the business of the day, Utilize minute prayers by closing your eyes to shut out the world and concentrate briefly on God's presence.  The more you do this everyday,  the nearer you will feel to God's presence.
What a nice feeling that will be but we have to make the effort to make him part of our day and talk to him.  This will bring such a feeling of peace because he knows all.

2- Always accept willingness to accept Gods will. Ask for what you want, but be willing to take what God gives you.  It may be better than what you asked for.  He knows everything and he knows better than we do what we really need.  He knows the long run, we have a harder time seeing that big picture.

I think that is a big one that we need to be willing to accept what God gives us.   He knows what we need and we only think we know.  We have to have that faith in him though and know that he will really give us what we need and ultimately want.

This has been a great chapter for me because I have been struggling with my prayers lately and I know that I can improve a lot.  I need to keep that prayer in my heart and not just pray when I am in need.  I know this will improve my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and who doesn't want that.   So here's to being better and improving every day.  This is my new goal.

Expensive canning mistake

I have done a lot of canning this year and I like to try new things so we have a variety of food in our storage.   I normally just can the plums just by themselves.  This year I decided to try plum jam and I found a recipe that didn't have sugar it had honey.  I thought awesome, honey is better for you than sugar.  It has all of these good antibodies and it helps you fight colds and boosts your immunity.  I proceeded to make this jam and can it.  It took  A LOT of honey.  It was equal parts plums to honey.

  



   I don't know why it didn't cross my mind while I was making it but after I was all done and used a ton of raw honey.  Raw honey isn't cheap either.  I realized that heating up the honey to can it, it looses all of its good benefits.  Its still maybe a hair better than sugar but not much anymore.
I was so sad because I had made 24 pints of this jam.
Don't get me wrong it is delicious but it was expensive and it doesn't have any of the benefits of raw honey left since it was boiled.  I was sad, mad, disappointed and frustrated all at the same time.
I guess I learned a valuable lesson from this.  First never heat honey above 108 degrees I believe that is where it looses its good qualities.   Second always ask my mom if she has whatever I'm looking for.  Turns out she has tons and tons of honey from my grandma years ago.  Honey never goes bad.  So at least I was able to refill my honey stash. haha.
Its good to have these learning experiences to keep us humble and remind us that we should ask questions.  It will taste great all winter and I don't think this is a mistake I will ever repeat.

Our grape harvest this year....

When we moved into this new house I was so excited for all of the canning possibilities it had.   There were so many fruit trees,  they all needed work or just burning done. haha.   One of those things was the concord grapes on the fence.  We have one fence that has grapes and they are wonderful not only for the privacy they give us.  They give tasty grapes.  Last year I only got maybe 6-8 quarts of juice.  So this year I wasn't expecting too much more than that.  I got 32 this year it was amazing.   I did use the other side as well because no one had bought the house yet.  We are getting new great neighbors  in December. yay.

My little buddy wanted to help me like always.  He loved dumping my full buckets out.  He really tries to help me and I love that he wants to help, its cute. 

I scored a juicer while they went on sale this canning season and I love it.  I used it for apricots too.

Last year I found an earwig at the bottom of one of my jars so this year I took the extra step and strained it all.  We were safe this year.  Its really not hard work to juice it just takes all day.  

It tasted so good.  My mom told me that the longer they stay on the vine the sweeter they get so I tried to let them go as long as I could but I finally just did it.  I hear that if you wait till after the first freeze that is a good time to do it. I think we were pretty close maybe just a week or two early.  

I would dump out the already juiced grapes and put them in a bowl while the next batch was going and it would put out more juice so I would add that to my jars.  It was great.  Waste not, want not.

Normally you would add the juice and then one jar of water then add sugar to taste good.  My sister said she just drank it in the concentrated form and it was sweet enough to not add sugar.  I was  excited about that because I am really trying to cut sugar out little by little.  

I am so grateful that my mom taught me so much about canning and that she lets me call her all the time with my questions.  I have a lot to still learn.  I love looking at this wall in my storage room.  One reason is that I'm proud I was able to do that and make it all.  The second reason is that we are prepared if anything happens whether is a disaster or a loss of a job.  We are prepared and that gives me peace. I love it.  

What's in my church bag?

I have two bags I take to church every week.  Well actually I have recently narrowed it down to one because I only have to take one diaper and wipes to church now.  Phew... its nice to not haul around so much.

We usually take some stickers for Lexi she loves them, or those reusable stickers.  Sometimes she will choose those magnets too.  We like to rotate it so they are kind of like a new toy every week.  It helps keep her attention longer
I also have this toy that my sister came up with and has been so nice.  Its just one of those take and toss containers that I use for baby food. She cut a small hole in top and then got those pom pom balls.  The kids love to push them down in and get them out again. Sawyer things its the best toy ever.








I also take some crackers for them to snack on since we are there during lunch time.  We try to eat before but we usually just have them eat snacks.  Then we eat "lunch" when we get home.  I used to take fruit snacks but they were so loud and I  felt like they caused more problems then they were worth.

We like to put some coloring books in there too sometimes.  I think the biggest thing for success for my church bag is to mix it up and not always have the same books or things for them to use.  Most of the stuff we take is only for church too.  So it is a special treat to play with them.

I got these plastic finger puppets when Lexi was little and they are great.  There were 5 but we seem to have lost one along the way.   They still love these and they are very durable for babies to chew on haha. 

This is the toy that we need to give back to grandma. They have been enertained by this for quite some time.  They boys are usually fighting over it.  Sawyer likes to erase things and so we get to work on our drawing skills.   I love that its small and it doesn't make noise.  We really will have to look for one so we can give it back to grandma really.  

YAY I am down to just one diaper and some wipes to church so I usually just stuff the one clean diaper and wipes inside of my small wetbag and then if we end up using the diaper the wipes just come out and the dirty diaper goes in.  Its so nice to only have to take one so I only have one bag now.  

I also have this book with pictures of Jesus in it.  Lexi uses this to look at during sacrament.  I have been trying to have her sit and think about Jesus during the sacrament.  It is slowly getting better.  This book helps her a little bit.  I hope as they get older they will like to look at this book for because that is the whole reason behind why we go to church and try to sit quietly during sacrament.

I hope this helps and gives you some good ideas to those of you that have little kids.