Tell a story about you and one of your grandparents.

Blog Challenge question....

Sadly, all of my grandparents were dead before I came into the world. The one person I would like to have met was my maternal grandmother. Her name was Maria. She was a twin. She and her brother were close. Her life story is amazing. She knew how to shoot a rifle and loved hunting, which was uncommon for women in those days. She was a fighter and an optimist. She could tell the time of day by looking at the sun and the stars. She was a midwife and could tell by looking at a mother what she was having and how many more days she had until delivery. I wish I had the privilege of knowing her, but I thankfully, I have the hope of knowing her one day.

What places do you want to visit in the world and why?

This is for my blog challenge.....

The first time I saw a desk globe at school was when I decided I wanted to see the world. I was going to join the military to accomplish this in my life, but last minute I chickened out of the military. Not a proud memory for me, but if I had gone my life would be very different today. I would probably have a different husband and not my four wonderful children. In the end, it was a better career choice even if it put my travel plans on hold for a while.

My first stops would be Israel, Europe and the ruins of Mexico. I don't really know anything about my heritage and I need to know more about my ancestor's country of origin-Mexico. I want to go to New Zealand, Asia, Russia and well, just be able to say I've been to every country in the world. All of this takes money, and I doubt it will happen in this lifetime. If I had to only choose 2 places it would be Israel and Mexico.

I would also like to take a tour of all the LDS Temples in the world with my family. I think this would be an amazing experience. It would be fun to do this one summer. Maybe we will get to do this before my son goes on his mission. Here's hoping.

Color

Blog Challenge: What role does color play in your everyday life?

I missed this one. This was a question from a while back, but since we have not been receiving any new ones. I decided to go back and do this one.

Thankfully, I do not live in Pleasantville (see:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120789/ ) and my world is full of color. My two favorite colors are red and green. My firstborn child, my son, was born on Christmas Eve the holiday of red and green. My baby (3rd child) was born red, very red. We named her Red Green (not literally, but a variation of these words).

I guess right now in my current living conditions (renting) the color defining our everyday life is brown, which is hilarious since my eyes and skin are this color. I have always thought (since I was raised in the desert) brown was the color of dirt. Whereas red and green are the color of life. Red for the life giving blood in us and green for all of the plant life around us.

If I remember the movie above correctly, I recall that the more the people enjoyed life the more color became present around them. What a lovely idea!

Favorite Poem

Blogger Challenge: What is my favorite poem and why?

When I was a 5th grader I came across a poem. I fell in love with it. I memorized it and still remember it to this day. Here it is....

TeeVee

In the house
of Mr and Mrs Spouse
he and she
would watch teevee
and never a word
between them spoken
until the day
the set was broken.

Then 'How do you do?'
said he to she
'I don't believe
that we've met yet.
Spouse is my name.
What's yours?' he asked.

'Why, mine's the same!'
said she to he,
'Do you suppose that we could be - ?'

But the set came suddenly right about,
and so they never did find.

By Eve Merriam (1916 - 1992)


I always thought it was a cute and funny poem. Looking back on it, I am glad I have this poem to show what my television/media addiction can do if I let it get out of hand. I never want to be like Mrs. Spouse, nor do I wish this for my children.

Time For Self

Blogger Challenge: What do I do when I have time for myself?

I try to take a nap. Nap time is rare since I have one child who refuses to nap. I rarely have time for myself during the day. I usually have to stay up late to get time to myself, but then it defeats the purpose of sleep, doesn't it?

Tell About Your First Paying Job

Blogger Challenge Question....

My first paying job was babysitting. I was a 13-year-old who was use to other people's children. My mother babysat some 40-50 children in her lifetime. Every morning Mom dropped me off at their home. I still remember their names, but I will only say it was a big brother and little sister. They were tots who loved to watch their videos all, and I mean ALL day.

It was too hot to go outside and their parents did not want them playing in the 100+ degree summer weather. I was relieved because I got headaches in the heat and did not enjoy being outside during the summer. So, we sat at watch the videos they had because that's what they wanted to do. I was much to young to know to take charge and make them not watch so much TV. I wish I could go back in time with my knowledge of children and do a better job. However, after seeing the 3 videos they owned for the 3rd time in a day. I would be tired of it and make them play with their toys. I wish I would have played games with them, had them color and read to them. They were such sweet and precious children.

My favorite memory was when the parents asked me, a kid, to help them come up with a plan to keep them from sucking their thumbs. Their teeth were beginning to push out into an overbite. I was a nail biter and was currently using a polish to keep me from biting them. I suggested this solution. They were happy because they had "tried everything, but nothing is working."

The next day I came over to babysit. They looked exhausted. I asked them how it went with the nail stuff. "Yeah, it works, but we did not get any sleep. They cried all night. We are beat. Please don't put it on them again. We'd rather sleep; then have them stop." After they left the children told me about how their thumbs tasted awful all night and they could not sleep. They told me I was not allowed to put polish on them again.

Fairy Tale

What is my favorite fairy tale? And why?

I have always been partial to the Little Mermaid. I can still remember the first time I saw the old (non-Disney) version of this movie at a friend's birthday party. In the end she dies because she loved her prince more than herself. She was willing to sacrifice herself for his happiness.

I loved that version of it and the lesson it taught me regarding the scriptures, specifically the verse...."Greater love hath no man than this..." Later, I introduced the Disney version of it to my niece, who in turn introduced it to my daughter. I remember being a teenager and watching this movie over and over again with my niece (at the time she was 3-years-old). We never tired of watching it. Her mom would come in and say, "You're watching it again!?" I'd just laugh.

In turn she did the same for my little 3-year-old. It was an amazing to see life come full circle. It was as if time did not exist, and isn't this true of any child. What child knows the full extent of time? Now my daughter likes to talk of the day when she can swim in the water and dance with fishes, much like Ariel, much like I did as a little girl long ago playing in my yard.

What is My Favorite Christmas Movie? Part 2

I just had my children (except baby) watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with me. I told them it was my favorite movie. My son said his favorite was "The Polar Express", which came as no surprise to me since I know of his love for anything with wheels. My 3-year-old daughter said hers was still "The Grinch."

During the movie, they seemed bored and I told them to watch it. My son says, "I did not tell you I wanted to watch this movie. I never said that, did I? Did you hear me say I wanted to watch this movie?" My daughter just parroted him and said, "I did not want to see it."

He starting watching it towards the end and so did my daughter who was sitting in a corner. I asked him what he thought about it. Here was our conversation:

"I think nothing of it," he said.

"Nothing? You did not like it? Would you tell Daddy to watch it? Would you watch it again? What did you think?" I asked.

"No! I told you I think nothing of it. I have nothing to say about it. I don't have questions, words or anything to say about it. I told you I think nothing of it."

"OK." I turned towards my daughter and asked her what she thought of it and all she said was "It's pretty."

So, to my children my favorite movie is "Nothing Pretty." I guess I will just watch it alone for the next few years and maybe when they are older I hope they will like it too.

My Conversion Story---Blog Challenge

Here's the short version of my story:
I grew up in a Christian home, but had many questions regarding our faith. No one could answer them satisfactorily and I began to wonder if there ever were answers. I got discouraged in this faith and left it. I began to live a life of sin thinking I was going to hell anyway and I wanted to make sure I deserved it if that's where I was going to spend eternity-on fire.

I met a co-worker who was Mormon. He prayed to find someone who wanted to know and there I was an 'instant answer to prayer'. I am grateful he was good enough to heed the promptings of the Spirit, first to pray and then to befriend me. He gave me a Book of Mormon. I took it and put it on my self never intending to read it. He introduced me to my husband. We married, but I emphatically told him to leave the religion talk out of our marriage. I had enough of it and I was not going to join his weird church. Of course, he left it alone, but I could not. After many contentions, started by me (of course) he challenged me to read the Book of Mormon.

I began to read it with him. Had moments of clarity, but continued to be stiff-necked about it. I took the discussions and almost ran the missionaries away. I prayed, read and fasted to know the truth. I finally got my answer in the Mesa Arizona Visitor's Center after a movie. A week or so later I was baptized.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church on this earth today that is lead by Jesus Christ himself. The same Jesus born in the manager, the same Jesus who performed many miracles, the same Jesus Christ, whom the Father said of him "This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Jesus who suffered our atonement in the Garden Gethsemane and later sealed it with his blood on Calvary's cross, the same Jesus Christ that was resurrected on the 3rd day, and the one that continues to live now-he is the leader, king, ruler or whatever title you wish to give him of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Jesus' name Amen.

What Is My Favorite Christmas Movie? Part 1

This question is part of the blogger challenge.....

Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in 'It's a Wonderful Life', which I have to watch every Christmas Eve.

Why?

There are so many reasons. I believe it is the greatest love story of all time (Next to Luke II or John 3:16, of course). The love of a man/husband and woman/wife, father for his children & children for their father, friends and a caring Father in Heaven who answers prayers. Here is a man down on his luck and he is surrounded by earthly and heavenly angels who love him. They show him the true meaning of life and give him what he needs the most.

He gets to see what the world would be like if he had never been born. What a gift to be able to see what a difference your life made to those around you! I am sure if we all got to experience this gift, like George did, we would know how important we are to those around us. This is why I love this movie. We cannot live in this world without making a difference to at least one person.

Now, this blog is about Children. So, there will be a part 2 to this posting after I get my son and daughter to opinions of this movie. I wonder if they will think it's as great a movie as I do.

Favorite Holiday Tradition

Blog Challenge....

Question---What is my favorite holiday tradition?

We did not have many growing up, but the few I remember was going to church on Christmas Eve and being in the annual Christmas play. It was such a fun time. Then we'd go home after eating with our fellow church members and open our presents.

Now that I am grown and have children of our own, my husband and I try to bring the Christmas spirit into our home by using this booklet I made with the help of a friend. My children really love it. Each day as we count down to Christmas Eve we read a verse, a story, then sing a song.

Afterwards we read a scripture showing us an attribute of the Savior and tell the children how we can be like Jesus. If I ever feel like the little girl in the Grinch movie...."Where are you Christmas? I can not find you...." this tradition is a gentle reminder (and invites the Holy Spirit) of what Christmas is really all about. My son likes it when we sing at night, but he says...."I like Christmas day." We also watch Christmas movies during the day...it's the one time of the year I let my children watch more television. They really like to see the ones about Santa and I am sure it's not hard to understand why. On Christmas Eve, we read Luke II and watch "Joy to the World" a music display with nativity scenes.

See:

Favorite Day of the Week

Blog Challenge Question....

I asked my children what day of the week is there favorite and to my delight they both said, "Sunday." I asked why Sundays and then they said they like everyday of the week. So, I guess I'll never know why, but I can guess they just love life.

I enjoy Sundays because it is a day of rest. I get to take a nap and my husband takes care of the children.

Favorite Book as a Child

A few friends from my old ward invited me to enter a blog challenge. Being new to blogs I thought this would be fun to do. I hope that I can find a way to tie each question into my blog, but I will find a way to do it.

Here's my first challenge: Name a book you loved as a child and tell why.

So, this is a story of my childhood of the sweetness of older siblings. I guess you could say it is an awww...swelling heart moment from my past. My parents never read bedtime stories to their children and I know that their parents did not read to them. However, I did not grow up without this wonderful experience. I was blessed to have a big sister who loved to read. She once told my other sister and I that she wished someone had read bedtime stories to her.

Instead of letting this fact cause her to become bitter, she decided she would not let us grow up without anyone reading to us. The first book she read to us was Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. I can still remember her face while she sat on my sister's bed reading a chapter to us. Each night by the glow of the lamp as she read to us about Wilber, Fern and Charlotte.