tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49117156504422263632024-03-05T04:52:56.095-08:00Becoming a Woman of CharacterOur children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-15854067425660609672013-01-18T00:08:00.001-08:002013-01-18T00:08:03.718-08:00It has been s long time<p dir=ltr>I can't believe it has been that long since I my last post! Obviously Raquel is here and 3 1/2 months already.  </p>
<p dir=ltr>She is a happy little baby and her brother and sister just love her so much! </p>
<p dir=ltr>I have almost 5 years of experience on being a mother and no matter how many children I have. ..I love them the same. I feel blessed to be a mother of these 3 little children and I know how sacred a woman's role is and how important it is to raise children and to be a good wife. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Some days can be hard but I choose not to have hard days, and thanks to that choice,  it has been really easy to adapt to live with 3 children. .. it also helps that Raquel is such a sweetheart.</p>
<p dir=ltr>All I can say now is that I can't express how happy I am to get such a cutie!!!<br>
Don't you think?</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFMYck2kcFbdfO5R0hQVM2NRiKY4EqGEch1_Ut5myQNl3LrhclkiSW9V1mVIosXXXfcBULs245s4KBZWbegdgyDPMeDO8FmL3HyCEQJmDIrp5C3oIokF84N__va8F3kFUpe512_Y_FjPM/s1600/20130116_154933.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFMYck2kcFbdfO5R0hQVM2NRiKY4EqGEch1_Ut5myQNl3LrhclkiSW9V1mVIosXXXfcBULs245s4KBZWbegdgyDPMeDO8FmL3HyCEQJmDIrp5C3oIokF84N__va8F3kFUpe512_Y_FjPM/s640/20130116_154933.jpg' /> </a> </div>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0Provo, Provo40.233845 -111.65853tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-36772317584076988392012-09-10T22:50:00.001-07:002012-09-10T22:50:55.168-07:00Preparing for Raquel JuliannaIt has been busy for me lately. I have been organizing, re-organizing, cleaning, re-cleaning, and finishing the Homeschooling Schedule for the kids. I also added sewing projects to my list and few books that I wanted to re-read to refresh my memory. One of those books was "Parenting with Love and Logic" which I highly recommend. It is so amazing!!! It really helps on disciplining the kids without nagging them and making them responsible for their own consequences, without frustration. I feel like our Heavenly Father is the same way, he wants us to grow and become better people but he lets the consequence happen when we disobey so that we can learn from our mistakes. He truly loves us and if we love our kids, we should let them learn from their own mistakes. I also like the quote that says "Good Parents don't give warnings", it goes on to explain how many times in real life, we don't get warnings about what is going to happen to us for taking the wrong decisions... the consequences just come and therefore, we should prepare our kids for real life, which is life without warnings. As I said, I highly recommend it. Another of the books I read was 1776 which, obvious by its title, talks about events of that year, focusing on the battles to obtain the independence in America. I am about to read now "The Weight down diet" which is really not a diet but a lifestyle and will help a lot to remind myself the whole process so that I can lose the weight quickly after my little girl is born. I can't wait to post pictures of the blankets I have made, I am very proud of myself for having done that. I never before thought that I would enjoy sewing so much... although the sewing machine and I didn't get along at first, now we are in good terms and trying to make it work. What is left now is just wait and enjoy my nights.... but I already have another project in mind: Homemade Laundry Detergent!!! I am excited about this one and I am hoping that it will save us money in the long run. Next time, I will post pictures of my finished projects.<br />
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I would like to post this quote from the book "Daughters in My Kingdom"<br />
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"<i>If we only half do our work we will have no pleasure, if we do it from a sense of duty we will have no joy, but if we feel we are a branch of this vine, and that our Father in Heaven has felt us to be worthy to be a member of that branch, and that we can carry this work when it is here to do, then we will have joy." - Louise Y. Robison.</i><br />
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I know this to be true, the more I learn and the more I enjoy doing what I have learned, the more sense of fulfillment I get. I know that I am a special daughter of a Heavenly Father that loves me and I am grateful for the love that He gives me as His daughter. As Howard W. Hunter said "<i>You are chosen to be faithful women of God in our day, to stand above pettiness, gossip, selfishness, lewdness, and all other forms of ungodliness. Recognize your divine birthright as daughters of our Heavenly Father" </i><br />
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I truly hope that all women may find their happiness and truly feel their role here on Earth.<br />
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<br />Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-82479656328008467572012-07-23T20:56:00.002-07:002012-07-23T20:56:21.181-07:00Every day is a blessing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: blue;">I can't express how happy I am and how blessed I feel to have a good
husband and amazing kids. Every morning when I wake up, or when I am
woken up, by little feet that come running to my bed; I feel so happy.
There are many reasons for me to progress in this life, but mostly is
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<span style="color: blue;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Without them, it would have been hard to see my faults. Thanks to them, I opened my eyes and realize the changes I have to make in my life. They teach me so much every day and I am forever thankful to my kids for that. I just hope that I show them enough, of how grateful I am to them. My husband is my rock that supports me and encourages me to keep me going. My kids are my reason to be better every day.... I want to be with my family forever. As the primary song says "The Family is of God" and I know this to be true. This life might be short but full of opportunities for me to learn and progress. I feel grateful for every day of my life that I get to spend with my family, I truly feel that every day is a blessing from my Heavenly Father and I can feel his love and inspiration. I am never alone and never will be. </span>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-85648362563990486692012-07-19T21:43:00.000-07:002012-07-19T21:43:32.181-07:00Through service I can feel closer to Christ Many times I have wondered, "why do I like to serve?". If I hear of someone that needs my help with cleaning, I rush and help them. I love cleaning but is it because I love cleaning that I do it? No. It is because I love to serve others. Through service I feel closer to Christ. He served and sacrificed so much that the least I can do is to give a little of my time to others to help and make a difference. I am humbled because I have opportunities to serve, through service I can understand other people better instead of judging them. Through service I have learned to not be as prideful. I consider myself very prideful, I feel that I don't need help and that I can do everything myself, but thanks to the opportunity that other people have given me to serve them, I have learned how much help I need. I can't do it all, I do need help, and when I get help I feel so much love that I cry of happiness, even if it is a simple small gesture makes me feel "they are thinking of me" and it feels good. Every time I get such gestures, I can't help but think how much I would love to do that to others. I don't have many talents and it might seem very convenient to me to clean but I feel that by perfecting in one talent, I can move on to acquire new ones. If someone asks me to sew them 10 dresses, if I say "yes", that won't be a service. Actually it will be more work for whoever asked that service from me because I can't sew, I don't enjoy it much, but I want to learn. I have understood that, in order for anyone to serve, we have to truthful of our abilities and we can't put off our family matters either. We can, however, offer ways to serve. Taking the example of the dresses above, instead of saying yes to sewing we can probably say "I don't know how to sew but I will be glad to deliver them for you" or "I can't sew but I can keep the place clean while whoever is doing is working, that way it will be less work for that person". There are always ways to serve, and if we truly want to help, we will find the ways to do it. Christ never looked who he was serving, he just did without judgement. Christ sacrificed himself for all of us!!! I have so many weaknesses that I feel that service will help me over come those weaknesses and help me be a better person. I feel love towards those I serve and I feel loved when I am helped. Maybe I can't sew, I can't cook everything in a recipe book, but I can sure clean, organize, babysit, bring treats, drive, and be a friend. Hopefully one day I can name more qualities but for now, I work with what I have and I am happy for it, I do want to learn new things so that I can be of more help to my family and others but for now, I have no excuse to not help others. I love this gospel and I know is true, I have learned so much thanks to having the gospel in my life. I love my Savior and my greatest wish is that I can be like Him and live with my family for the eternities.Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-15397744426527530512012-02-26T22:08:00.001-08:002012-02-26T22:41:12.158-08:00Praying to the Lord.... conversing with the Lord Today my home teachers came by and talk about this following message "Exhort them to pray" <br />
<a href="http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/02/exhort-them-to-pray?lang=eng">http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/02/exhort-them-to-pray?lang=eng</a> (link to it).<br />
I really enjoyed it, how many times have I prayed??? Countless to tell you the truth. How many times have I conversed with the Lord? I hope that also countless, but today I learned new ways to converse with Him. I specifically loved this description of prayer given in the bible dictionary (link to follow) I suggest you read the 7th paragraph a few times which I am posting in my blog after the link. <br />
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<a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer.p2?lang=eng&letter=p">http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/prayer.p2?lang=eng&letter=p </a><br />
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"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (<a class="scriptureRef" href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/7.7-11?lang=eng#6">Matt. 7:7–11</a>). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship.<span style="background-color: yellow;"> Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. </span> <span style="background-color: yellow;">The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them</span>. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." <br />
I highlighted what stood out to me the most! It is easy for us to talk, and ask the Lord but we also have to listen, "correspondence with each other", if we are to have a conversation, we can't have it with ourselves.... a conversation requires two or more people. In this case (prayer) is between us and the Lord. From what I could gather today, the way I can make my prayers better is:<br />
- (most important one) Kneeling down, not laying down because I could fall sleep and I love kneeling to converse with the Lord. I feel humble and ready to talk to Him.<br />
- Thanking Him for the things that happened that day, specific things, not vague remembrance of things but of things that we noticed His hand in our lives that made us feel blessed.<br />
- Wait for the Spirit to guide us on what we are going to ask for<br />
- Not being so formal has helped me to be close to my Heavenly Father. I feel like He is right next to me listening to me when I acknowledge His existence but talking like I would talk to my dad.<br />
- Ask for what I need, also specific things, and listen to the answer. If the answer doesn't come I simply say, I will wait for your answer and I will ask again tomorrow. It makes me feel happy that the Lord is getting ready to answer me and I look forward to what he has to tell me.<br />
- If I receive an answer I thank Him for always guiding me the right way whether I am happy for it or not, and I tell Him sometimes, if I am not happy but I also acknowledge the fact that He knows what is best for me and I tell Him that I will do it because I want to be obedient. Then I wait again.<br />
- I say goodbye to Him by closing the prayers in His son's name. Then I would listen to the Spirit once more fill me up with peace.<br />
Aren't prayers great? Knowing that we have a loving Heavenly Father that listens to me and guides me towards the right path makes feel much more secure about every step I take. I love feeling close to Him, I love feeling loved and I can't feel it if I don't wait for His answer to come to me. He is a perfect being and I admit that sometimes I don't feel 100% happy about doing something but I feel 100% sure that it is the right thing to do, and that at the end brings me happiness and peace to an 100%!!! How wonderful it is to have the true gospel in my life and the opportunity to learn from it every day. I know that when trials and tests come my way, I am not alone; I have my Heavenly Father and He will always be with me, no matter what.Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-11238433578928717692012-02-08T23:00:00.000-08:002012-02-08T23:00:31.207-08:00Lehi leaves Jerusalem behind... As I was reading this chapter (1 Nephi chapter 2). I kept thinking about how Lehi was obedient to the Lord and left a great deal of his possessions, not to mention his house, in Jerusalem. The Lord had told him that Jerusalem would be destroyed and he immediately obeyed and took his family and left, no matter how much the Jews mocked him. It relates to the times before a lot, we are told to not do things that either will destroy us or are commandments from the Lord. Our prophets counsel us all the time on what we can do to be better. In church we are taught the words of the prophets so that we don't forget what they have said, also we are taught basic things.<br />
We are asked to keep the Sabbath day Holy, to love our neighbors, to not commit adultery, etc. How many of us are willing to follow just the basic things that we are asked? Do we read the scriptures daily and pray daily? do we turn off the TV on Sundays? do we do Family Home Evenings? Do we go to the temple regularly? It made think so much of the things that me and my family are doing right, and what we are doing wrong. The only way to improve things is by doing things better starting now, not tomorrow, but now. I love Nephi's words "I will go, and I will do, the things the Lord commands". Even though it seems easy, many of us struggle with simple things and those are the things that we can start to get better at. Sometimes we make the excuse of busy life, but it doesn't take any time to just "Choose the Right" which is the primary theme this year. I am determined to "choose the right" so that I can be a good example to my kids, specially while I am teaching them the theme of the year, this month's theme, and all the wonderful primary songs for this year. We are examples of our kids, our kids depend on us. We might think that "just this one time won't hurt me/them" but it does and it will and even if it won't... if the Lord commands it, we must obey and no questions asked.<br />
I love the Lord and His gospel. I have felt His love everyday of my life. I know he listens to my prayers and answers them. I know that even if I want something and the Lord knows is not the best for me, I can trust that he won't give it to me and I am ok with that because He knows better. I hope I can leave "Jerusalem" behind me and not look back. I hope I can go and do what the Lord commands and I hope that my kids do it too... Being a parent it's a huge responsibility!Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-80679269283039557492012-02-05T21:14:00.000-08:002012-02-05T21:14:48.383-08:00Yes, I am pregnant!!! I was waiting so long for this moment that I couldn't wait to announce it. I am as in today... 4 weeks and 5 days pregnant! not too far along but I knew since the day I conceived, it was a strange feeling but I knew that I did all my Heavenly Father wanted me to do and I knew that this was the time! The 30th of December I started taking some pills to regulate my hormones and bring on a period, which I hadn't have since I got pregnant with Charlotte (2009). The 1st of January I had my first period, meaning the pills worked great. The 18th of January I conceived, I tested and I was ovulating and that was the night that I returned home from Chicago... what are the chances, right? After that, I knew I was pregnant, I just knew it. I knew that the Lord was happy with all the things that I was doing to prove I wanted a baby. I knew the Lord wanted me to have more kids because I actually prayed and asked, therefore I wasn't worried when I wasn't getting pregnant. It was disappointing due to the fact that I had to test every 2 weeks just in case and also because I had no period. <br />
I knew that having the surgery was a blessing because it removed the cysts that were blocking the only fallopian tube, even though what caused the surgery was my appendix attack. The Lord does work on mysterious ways. I trust Him completely and I am so grateful for the strength that He has given me. I knew that after my treatments, everything was going to be just fine, because I knew what he wanted me to do. What surprise was that it was on the first try that we got pregnant, but then again, that is how it was for my daughter and my son... he was a happy accident. Even though I was on BC he was sent to us, and we didn't complain at all and somehow we knew that my health will be just fine.<br />
Now, what do I want, girl or boy? whatever the Lord sends me I will be happy with... if I could really really choose, then I will choose a boy but a girl will be welcome too!!! I can't be picky!! I can't wait for my Ultrasound which who knows when it will be but I can't wait to hear the sounds of my little ones heart beat. It is one of the most beautiful sounds anyone can hear. <br />
I can honestly say that thanks to my kids I am closer to become a woman of character, they teach me so much every day, that I couldn't be any more grateful to my Heavenly Father for my children.Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-72132828310500415752012-01-26T17:50:00.000-08:002012-01-26T17:50:52.005-08:00The Book of Mormon It is truly amazing how many times I can read it and still learn something new. I get inspired to be better thanks to reading it. I can understand the present more thanks to the learning of the past. I know that the Book of Mormon is from God. If it were something evil... how can it inspire everyone that reads it to be good? This past Sunday in the Relief Society class, someone read one of my favorite scriptures which is in: Alma 37:37<br />
<a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="" name="37"> "</a><span class="verse"></span>Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."<br />
What a beautiful scripture, it reminds me of the importance to talk to the Lord through prayer. He will guide me in all my doings, which I need due to my imperfection, and if I pray before going to sleep he will watch over me... well, I know this because I have felt His protection. Sometimes I get feelings of fear, but I know I can turn to the Lord and they immediately go away. I feel everyday grateful towards God. He has given so much to me! I know if I am obedient I "shall be lifted up at the last day". He doesn't ask much of us, truly. Through His doctrine, through the reading and studying of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I have through the years, learned that His love is perfect, that He doesn't ask much from us, and that He loves us. I can feel His love but the only way to get to know Him and His gospel is through praying and studying the scriptures.<br />
“Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).<br />
“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation” (Helaman 5:12)<br />
“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him”(Moroni 10:32)<br />
I can't add any more words to this, read the scriptures, study them, and learn.Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-68703319703173695892011-12-11T23:13:00.000-08:002011-12-11T23:14:33.341-08:00Making home a holy place part II It is because I really liked this article that I had to write more about it. For now, I will be focusing on television, music, and books. I can't tell you enough how many times I have stopped reading a book because of its vulgarity. Music that are extremely sexual and vulgar makes me mad! I enjoy a lot of different types of music, my favorite is heavy metal and classical (I know, two opposites but I love both equally). I am picky though in what I listened to and if I feel comfortable hearing certain songs loud then I know it is good to listen, I know of some people who listen to music and as soon as someone is close by, they lower the volume as if ashamed of what they are listening to and who could blame them? many songs are shameful, old and new songs. Some people think that music nowadays are bad but I have heard music from the 60s or 70s that are equally bad too. There has always been good and evil, therefore there has always been good and bad music.<br />
What about TV? there are so many shows out there that are family oriented, funny, and uplifting... there are also many that are... the opposite and not even funny when they try to be. Then why watch them? why waste our time on things that are not going to be uplifting? I am not saying I don't watch TV, in fact, my husband and I enjoy of a little "date" almost every night by watching a show on netflix or movies. The thing is, we have the power to choose what comes into our homes and what doesn't. We literally have remote control that enable us to "switch" the channel whenever is needed and to turn it off when TV is not needed.<br />
Like brother and sister Mouritsen (refer to the article) said: "We don’t feel it’s necessary to have religious or classical music playing constantly. We find it helpful to have appropriate music playing much of the day and evening; it produces the calming, cheerful effect as only good music can."<br />
It is plain that we are not required to only listen gospel music or classical music but choose wisely. What more about books??? just because it is a book doesn't mean that we can read anything we want. As I mentioned before, there are many books out there that are simple unreadable to me. Also, think about it. Movies and books are almost the same thing, movies, shows and TV are just representation of books that have been written, so... no, books could be equally evil if we let it be as TV, if we let it be.<br />
I have come to realize how hard is to be become and exemplary woman, mother, wife, person. There are so many things that threaten our families but I am so glad that WE have the power to choose! I am truly grateful for good TV, good movies, good music, and good books. Thanks to people with amazing talent we can appreciate and enjoy all the things listed above. I don't have words to express how thankful I am towards my Heavenly Father for inspiring people to do good and to show it through their talents so that we can enjoy them too. As I said in part I of this topic, let's keep our houses clean... this time not only dust but from evil things!Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-86814486027726528372011-12-04T22:12:00.000-08:002011-12-04T22:12:51.405-08:00Getting ready for Christmas!We started a new tradition of writing Santa letters the week after thanksgiving. Alexis was really excited about it so that he could tell Santa to bring him back his tools (he saw or knew that his gifts were in the back of the car and we told him that Santa has them now). So, I set out to write the letters and this is what Alexis and Charlotte told me to write:<br />
- Tools, belt for tools, helmet, mac (a truck that carries cars, he calls them mac thanks to the movie "Cars"), and food for Charlotte ( I hope he meant the play kitchen oven that comes with plastic food)<br />
We put it in our little Christmas tree and I told them that Santa would take it one night, after a couple of days the letters were gone and Alexis exclaimed "yay" while jumping up and down! <br />
It is so wonderful to see kids so happy about magical things like that. To me, Santa represents the love of Christ. I told the kids how Santa works for Christ and he was really happy that he was helping Christ. I explained to the kids how when Christ was born there were three wise-men who brought gifts to Him. In Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Christ. I loved an article in the lds.org website where it talks about Santa and Christmas. It says that if we eliminate Santa because we think of it as commercialism and then the idea of not celebrating Christmas at all because Christ was born on April not December.... well, it is plainly ridiculous. I have done some research and I loved some talks from Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf in which they say that Christmas is when everyone is united and can feel the spirit of Christmas and when the hearts of people open. I know I have strongly felt it, everywhere I go, I can feel people changing. I also love how President Uchtdorf quoted a story well known "The Grynch that stole Christmas" form Dr. Seuss.<br />
Let's not be a Grynch, also, don't let anyone steal the spirit of Christmas. Tonight a phrase that stuck with me after watching the devotional was "Don't spend Christmas" Christmas is not about money, or gifts, I am not saying gifts are wrong because even Elder Holland said "I am a little giddy about giving and... receiving" he mentioned he likes gifts but not to make this holiday season only about gifts. I am excited to spend Christmas with my family, this year I made the gifts for my parents and other family relatives, I hope is more meaningful this way to them as it is for me. I learned new skills while making them and I thought about each person as I was making them. It made me happy and it brought the Christmas spirit this season.<br />
Also we started a tradition a few years back of doing an anonymous service for someone. We love it, we love giving, and meanwhile, we feel like we are receiving blessings. I hope our kids can grow up and see that, I hope they know how important it is to remember the Savior even more during Christmas time. I really hope they can remember the biggest gift that Christ gave to us, salvation through his atonement. May the Spirit of Christmas be with you all. I can't express how excited I am for it and how much I am grateful for all I have and for all the blessings I have received.Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-68626735682103848402011-11-29T13:36:00.000-08:002011-12-02T20:13:13.722-08:00Making home a holy place I love cleaning but I guess, is not so much the cleaning as it is to have a clean house and be able to feel the spirit. I have 2 young kids that love getting their toys out and that is fine but there is a big difference between toys scattered and dirt scattered. I see toys in the floor and it doesn't bother me, as long as the kids are playing with them, but it bothers me when there are crumbs on the floor. It doesn't take long to clean up a room or to vacuum. I vacuum the living room twice a day and each time it takes 2 minutes. I sweep the kitchen floor few times a day, usually after we are done eating and when the kids go to bed, again it takes few minutes to do this. It feels really good to have a house that smells good and feels good. <br />
<a href="http://lds.org/ensign/1980/01/making-home-a-holy-place?lang=eng&query=clean+homes">http://lds.org/ensign/1980/01/making-home-a-holy-place?lang=eng&query=clean+homes</a> This is a really good article that pretty much summarizes how cleaning:<br />
1 - Home beautification and orderliness<br />
<div class="">"Just as we feel the Spirit of the Lord in the clean, orderly surroundings of a chapel or a temple, we can more easily invite the Spirit of the Lord into our homes by making them clean and orderly. No home, no matter how costly, is beautiful if it isn’t neat. Even an impoverished home can be beautiful if everything is orderly. We find an increased spirituality and reverence when our home is clean.</div><div class="">Parents and children should all help keep a home clean, inside and outside. We have tried to make housecleaning more of an attitude than an event. We try to generate pride in our home, which prompts a more constant awareness of the home’s condition. When we clean thoroughly, father is responsible for major parts of the process. When the children see him helping, they have a greater desire to do their part." </div><div class=""> With that said, let's keep our homes clean and organized! let's not accumulate things that we don't use, let's keep the dust out of our homes, let's keep our homes as a sanctuary and we all can start by cleaning! </div><div class=""> </div>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-40159155825049898532011-11-27T21:47:00.000-08:002011-11-27T21:47:17.090-08:00Thanksgiving!I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving day. I know we did. The thankful jar was a success, it was so great to hear the things we had written down that we were grateful for on that day. We definitely felt the spirit in our home. As for the "Thanksgiving meal" it was great, we are still eating left overs. We loved it and it was such a fun day. Here are the things that we wrote down:<br />
<b>Cameron</b>:<br />
- A clean house. Studying to get a good job for Millie, Alexis, and Charlotte. Living in Provo. Charlotte, Millie, and Alexis. Prophets. Mormon messages. Life. Bright future. Living in the mountains<br />
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<b>Me: </b><br />
- For Service and the opportunity to serve. Beauty of the Earth. My body and its strength. Family. Lord's guidance. For freedom. Internet. Mountains. For my kids. Snow. Grateful that Kena is ok, and that her surgery was a success (my neighbor's daughter)<br />
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<b>Alexis:</b><br />
<b>- </b>My feet. Daddy. Food. Hot chocolate. Puiqui (his penguin). Cookies and cars.<br />
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<b>Charlotte:</b><br />
- Cookies. Water. Feet. Belly. Eyes. Elbows. Pizza. Poto (butt). my hair.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcCw5skcfkaw9AnlJZ-BmkM8r744aej60ugR8m5c2OUY_rEOjESOXFX18gWwmcg_LDusGGaxR9TSMihyphenhyphen7XwJjQHHCwBAqyZ-BM0t1nyENnr7Z3Tr_i6a105gyl-Ope7n5bkAqXa-FGgfJ/s1600/Nov+11+006+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcCw5skcfkaw9AnlJZ-BmkM8r744aej60ugR8m5c2OUY_rEOjESOXFX18gWwmcg_LDusGGaxR9TSMihyphenhyphen7XwJjQHHCwBAqyZ-BM0t1nyENnr7Z3Tr_i6a105gyl-Ope7n5bkAqXa-FGgfJ/s320/Nov+11+006+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, gravy, green bean casserole, brownie, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and stuffing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-53603955360186939872011-11-19T20:28:00.000-08:002011-11-19T20:28:25.604-08:00Families are ForeverEvery day I have gospel discussion with the kids, they are very simple of course for a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Lately we have been talking about "The Family: A Proclamation To The World" and I have been explaining how we are a family and that we do things together and try to be good so that we can stay together forever. Well, I thought they weren't listening or that they didn't understand the meaning of family. Every day I wondered if they were learning something or at least feeling the Spirit, now I know that they have! My son took a picture where I am with my parents, my brother, and my little cousin then he showed it to my husband and told him: "See? my family!" I couldn't believe it! He understands it so well, it is nice to see the fruits of hard work and love! He is such a sweet little boy and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father to have sent me such wonderful children. I know that families are forever and every moment is precious. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHYtLM0cnWR51fo9kOEZAb0HRxPuXnnvmWkk3xi_mdjbMuwBVZz0ioPqMLrI5DzaPt6-gdAg1Lu9F_DqQSNIoX5vgGcN8qLlkeomK2aAqpFJYwnwVsN652JakIAZiENr9VypgtkcujNOz/s1600/Sep+11+-+Oct+11+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHYtLM0cnWR51fo9kOEZAb0HRxPuXnnvmWkk3xi_mdjbMuwBVZz0ioPqMLrI5DzaPt6-gdAg1Lu9F_DqQSNIoX5vgGcN8qLlkeomK2aAqpFJYwnwVsN652JakIAZiENr9VypgtkcujNOz/s320/Sep+11+-+Oct+11+121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet boy! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-69752558336285287702011-11-15T21:01:00.000-08:002011-11-15T21:01:07.974-08:00Babies!!I am crazy about babies! I want more kids and we have been trying to get pregnant for over 1 year now. So I had surgery a little over 2 months ago. I had an appendix attack and when they opened me to remove it, they discovered cysts, and scar tissues, which they thought it was cancer. They fixed everything but meanwhile, they discovered I had only one fallopian tube and the only one I had was the one filled with cysts. Now, I hope you can see why I think it is a blessing. I am so glad that I had an appendix attack, otherwise I probably wouldn't have discovered the cysts and scar tissues until it was too late... and no, I don't have cancer. I do, however, have a pituitary tumor which affects all the hormones of my body and doesn't let me get pregnant unless I take some hormone medicine which I can't until I get an MRI, which I also can't have until I have insurance so... next year I will have my insurance and get that all checked out. Still, I feel terrible every time I get a Negative Pregnancy Test! I am not even 100% sure that it is the tumor affecting me but at least a 90%.. which is a lot! I felt stressed and horrible about myself. I kept thinking of all those girls that don't want a baby and yet get pregnant so easily! but now I know better. I know that if the Lord wants me to have more kids, he will send them to me, granted I have to do my part, which I will once I get my insurance, and the rest it is up to HIM. I feel much more relaxed now and I am just looking at the future with faith, if the Lord only wanted me to have my two kids, it is for a reason. I love them and I am happy with them and I can't deny I still would love more babies, at least one more. As I said though, it is so much nicer to just trust in the Lord because even you want something, it might not be the best for you and the Lord knows better. I am grateful for the surgery, I am grateful for my kids and my husband, I am grateful for my health even though it seems like I always develop a new place for a cyst or tumor I still love my body!! I am grateful that my Heavenly Father gave me this body, and I just need to walk with faith on HIM. When I do get pregnant though, I will post it to the world!!! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizynI5NBO0N5spitjNwY7kYiAiby0x26lyv5H7zNDXLm_x2DJXe9Id3tomLIcLkuPLwxDNRhaeRzb_JJWxgAcJBp7Vhk7z5ub1NE0czg9XeybvIDHD-S1Gm2kJ9N7-oIudUEf4jViZvjMI/s1600/Nov+11+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizynI5NBO0N5spitjNwY7kYiAiby0x26lyv5H7zNDXLm_x2DJXe9Id3tomLIcLkuPLwxDNRhaeRzb_JJWxgAcJBp7Vhk7z5ub1NE0czg9XeybvIDHD-S1Gm2kJ9N7-oIudUEf4jViZvjMI/s320/Nov+11+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do have the cutest kids in the world!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-89691919689845143842011-11-12T10:38:00.000-08:002011-11-12T10:41:48.655-08:00Homeschooling...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2VWb5kePGTwBGyLTwgErLPikzoLs6_Nsfvm_TnDy9Mi2wH7eDaPWnvIC_TUd0Sop5e9cypavqTui378hA7GbwNZh_QqvLbx8ri7wtjmgB1yjssTyuV5-_zQFm5Dox4BX_ITSES12X6CB/s1600/fun+with+my+babies+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2VWb5kePGTwBGyLTwgErLPikzoLs6_Nsfvm_TnDy9Mi2wH7eDaPWnvIC_TUd0Sop5e9cypavqTui378hA7GbwNZh_QqvLbx8ri7wtjmgB1yjssTyuV5-_zQFm5Dox4BX_ITSES12X6CB/s320/fun+with+my+babies+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Do you need patience to homeschooling? yes! Do you need to be organized? Absolutely! Is it easy? Nope, Is it worth it? Yes. I am often asked why am I homeschooling my kids, there is a simple answer: Because the Lord told me to. I did not want to home-school but my husband was saying that it will be the best. When my first child was born, and after much praying, I felt that I should home-school, I knew the Lord wanted me to do it and I knew, as I know now, that He will guide me through it. When you see your kid learning something new it's like watching them to walk for the first time! or like saying their first word. That is homeschooling, it is a blessing! Do I think is for everyone? NO! Some friends have prayed and half their kids are homeschooling and the other they felt strongly that they needed so send them to school. We are all different individuals so I know that the Lord has special missions for each one of us. For those out there who are homeschooling... don't give up, if you know you are doing the right thing you will be guided, you are your kids best teacher and they will eventually appreciate the time you are giving up for them. For those of you who know that the right thing is to send them to school, ask your kids how their day was, learn what they are learning so that you can talk about it with them. They will love that their mom is interested on the things that they are learning! Needless to say, I love being a mother, I love homeschooling my kids, and I know I am doing the right thing. I have never ever felt like I needed to send them to school. In fact, when I think about it I get a feeling like it's wrong! So it's better to follow what you feel and never doubt!!Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-64537388541161783502011-11-07T21:29:00.000-08:002011-11-08T13:33:03.699-08:00Mother for the eternity, what a great calling! I am so grateful to be a mother. Even though my husband is going to school we still want to have more kids, sure our finances are a little tight because I don't work and I am not planning on doing so because I think I have a bigger job to do, which is an honor, to raise and educate my children. It is interesting to see women go to school, marry, and keep going to school and still they don't feel fulfillment. I think because we as women are born to be nurturers. We might not have a lot right now, but I am sure the Lord will bless us for following his commandments. I love a quote from President Kimball:<br />
"I have told tens of thousands of young folks that when they marry they should not wait for children until they have finished their schooling and financial desires.... They should live together normally and let the children come....<br />
"I know of no scripture," President Kimball continued, "where an authorization is given to young wives to withhold their families and go to work to put their husbands through school. There are thousands of husbands who have worked their own way through school and have reared families at the same time"<br />
I have to say, I love it. My husband is working part time and going to school full time and he still has time for us. We don't have much money but we are smart on our finances and more efficient because of it! I have learned to appreciate things so much more and I feel it is a blessing because when losing so much I have gained so much more!!! I can't deny that I am scared of how my kids are going to turn out.<br />
Today my little girl fell backwards from the couch, my husband slid on the floor and was able to put his hand on the floor just as her head was about to bump it! It was a scary thing to watch and I am grateful that my husband was quick enough to stop what could have been a disaster. Afterwards my daughter said to me, while hugging me, "mommy, I am not going to fall anymore... no more" to which I replied: "I know you won't, I know you learned, and I will be here to hold you if you do" I can relate to that when she grows up, how many of us get scared of our kids "falling" into bad habits?, into things that they shouldn't be around of?. I kept thinking that I don't want her to "fall" but I can't shield my kids from everything, they are going to have their own experiences and makes mistakes but I am going to make sure that they learn so that they don't "fall" as much and when they do I will be there to hold them and "catch" them. In moments of trials it's when we need a loving person to hold us tight. When you fail you learn but hopefully they don't have to learn the hard way. It is scary indeed and that is why I have to change myself and be a better person so that my kids can have a good example in their life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlgm3Rv6W1SvA98-bN3r7oEVT1WQQo-lMbImEvDWIhtVrFjhd3CU0VjlaJMoF5sJW6OY-m4WomeErd1vS8y7qzT6WoMqNzGoFLYrbYcauPVYNPwM3HCq9O6Muh5j-FjUtkcWh-kLLVDJ7/s1600/Sep+11+-+Oct+11+115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlgm3Rv6W1SvA98-bN3r7oEVT1WQQo-lMbImEvDWIhtVrFjhd3CU0VjlaJMoF5sJW6OY-m4WomeErd1vS8y7qzT6WoMqNzGoFLYrbYcauPVYNPwM3HCq9O6Muh5j-FjUtkcWh-kLLVDJ7/s320/Sep+11+-+Oct+11+115.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aren't they adorable? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4911715650442226363.post-32937150877579684852011-11-06T22:30:00.000-08:002011-11-06T22:53:29.937-08:00This Fall..I am planning our first Thanksgiving dinner by ourselves this year! I am really excited because I feel that I have learned so many new things like: cooking, sewing by hand, and crafts. I am making the decorations and planning the menu already!. I really enjoy cooking and making my home look beautiful. It is hard sometimes to find time to do some things with the kids around. As mentioned in my profile, I am homeschooling and even though my kids are 3 and 19 months we still have a routine that we love to follow. When they go to bed at night, it's my time to read, learn, do crafts and rest which works out perfectly. So... this year I decided to make a "Grateful Jar" which I am decorating it (pics will follow once I am done) and as soon as I am done making it we are going to put paper and pen right next to it on a table and write things that we are grateful for until Thanksgiving day. On Thanksgiving, we are going to read them out loud before we eat! <br />
I thought this was the perfect solution to the repetitive "I am thankful for my family", which it's true but it seems sort of meaningless when you don't know what else to say when it's your turn to say what you are grateful for this year. I am sure some days we feel really grateful about some things but we don't write them down and either we forget, or it loses its meaning b/c we don't quite remember how it happened... am I right? So writing them down as they happen will have more meaning and it will be a great tradition to start. Also, we can learn from each other and we'll be strengthen as a family when listening to moments of great joy and happiness. I think next year we are going to start since November 1st though, to give more time for us to appreciate things better and find more reasons to be grateful about our life that the Lord has given us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD-tvfKL9J_95lFpUpgSA-kj2fqnRPm_qM82L3VhqkgejcAwx3dkdTFCt7u2FZZBGnNkXwzWx1vVQGy8zhC1e8002i31qSxb1f6gXwTb235UVC_aHQtdl4MTEazySR67W6RAVALJHQpSl/s1600/Nov+11+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD-tvfKL9J_95lFpUpgSA-kj2fqnRPm_qM82L3VhqkgejcAwx3dkdTFCt7u2FZZBGnNkXwzWx1vVQGy8zhC1e8002i31qSxb1f6gXwTb235UVC_aHQtdl4MTEazySR67W6RAVALJHQpSl/s320/Nov+11+062.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I painted the vase with homemade materials</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our children are the futurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10510625474324362896noreply@blogger.com0