conversations in the carpool

"brave" mixed media on canvas

During my drives to take three 5-year-olds to preschool, I hear all kinds of crazy stuff. You know, little girly stuff. Sometimes it’s annoying. Sometimes they fight. Sometimes they demand specific music, like Hillary Duff or Hannah Montana.

This is part of what I heard today:

Child 1: My mommy stopped nursing my little brother a long time ago.

Child 2: Do you know that ‘nursing’ means breast feeding and breast-es are BOOBS!

*giggles*

Child 3: Well, when I was born I came out of my mommy’s private parts!

*more giggles*

and on the conversation went…

girly.

Muse

Muse: mixed media on canvas

being a mom means that you have little muses surrounding you always. aren't we moms lucky?

It’s hot today. We’ve been playing and crying and laughing and drenched in sweat and then dried again. Now we’re all salty and content.

I walked into the kitchen and I spotted her on the floor. She was laying there on her back with the most peaceful half smile on her face and her feet propped on the cupboards staring at the ceiling. She was humming and there were cherries next to her on the floor.



We all know that motherhood is hard.

But that’s not the point.
Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded.

Because then I refocus and remember. There’s a lot to remember, no? But when I do remember, life is so much more enjoyable.

make a wish

here she comes! she's got some wishes grasped in that cute little hand.

she wished for something cute.

I won't tell you what it is - it might not come true!

wishes in the grass.

I wish...

*that it was high fashion to never shave your legs

*that Edward would bite me so that I would never have the need to sleep and I could get everything done super fast

*that I my baby wieght would magically disappear

*that we could live off trades and forget about money

what do you wish for?

melty inside

sometimes I walk into a room and see this:



makes me melt.


sometimes I walk into a room and see this:



I think: "What, are you kidding me? We've got ourselves a family!"
(can you name that movie quote?)

conspiracy {update}

Just in case you were wondering, I’ve broken through. I packed a big punch.

You know, I’ve always thought it was a little weird how “they” diagnose you with ADD and then just back right off and expect you to just take care of it all by your little dysfunctional self. It’s like saying, “the reason your brain is a little funky is this: ADD. Don’t expect to ever be able to start any projects, large or small. But if you DO miraculously start something, then don’t expect to actually FINISH it. Now, go and figure out how to deal with it.” And then “they” go into a little room and laugh at you. “They” realize that the way society works is basically made by the people who don’t have ADD, because the people who do have it mind their own business. “We” (the ADDers) would be just fine without schedules and deadlines. But the other folks want it and need it and enforce it, and the joke is on us (the ADDers) because there’s no way we’d be able to concentrate on the task long enough to actually break through the system and loosen everyone up a little. Everyone else has such staying power! So, “we” try to fit ourselves in, a square peg in a round circle.

(you can’t imagine the sheer force of will power it took me to complete that paragraph, and I hardly have the stamina left to proof read it to see if it even makes any sense!)

I.

Get ready.

Called.


A psychiatrist.


WAHHHH ha ha ha haaaa! (that’s an evil laugh)

That’s right, I poked a hole in the conspiracy to keep my mind at bay, victim to the distractions of pretty things and making cookie dough as an escape. I was so desperate and overwhelmed that I actually took the time to make several phone calls in order to do this. (That might not sound like a big deal, but it’s like climbing Mount Olympus. Which incidentally I have also done and it was quite lovely and rewarding. Candice and I did it for my birthday one year…AH! See, I got distracted, but I caught it! And I’m not even medicated!!)

Some day in the near future (hopefully) you might find me…say…not only making dinner at the appropriate time and finishing it, but actually having all the ingredients needed. On hand!

Upon telling Jake my plan, he responded with, “Brittany! There’s no possible way that you’re going to walk out of that place without a prescription!” And to that, my reply is: exactly, my love. That’s my big evil plan. To take a little pill. Wahhhh ha ha ha haaaa! (again, the evil laugh)

I’ll show “them!” I’ll show them ALL!


update: so I went in, and sat there on the chair, facing my shrink and she flat out told me no meds while I'm nursing. period. I cried. but onward and upward, my friends.

zombie

zzzzzzzzzzzzz....what? *shakes her head* Oh. ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....oops, a baby just spit up on me. *wipe, wipe, wipe. pat, pat, pat*


zzzzzzzzz...phone rings, startles her. I guess I should do the dishes.

i'm starving.

last minute mother's day

there's still time, friends. I send the aprons priority mail, so they will still make it in time for mom:)

glimse into eternity

They were in the car driving to a secluded little place that would be just right. He didn’t tell her what was going on, but she knew. As they hiked through the knee-deep snow, she looked up into the dark sky—the stars were like a glimpse into eternity. A foreshadowing, if you will. She trudged through the snow behind him and stepped in his footsteps as if he were forging a trail made just for them.

When they came to a place that was completely private—the brightness of the snow and the glow of the stars was all that kept their company—he stopped and turned to face her. He took a deep breath and knelt down in the snow. She wasn’t surprised, just moved and as tears filled her eyes, he spoke of their relationship. He told her about the qualities that she possessed that made him sure that they were a good match. She felt like royalty. He told her that it was forever, and asked her to be his wife as he held out a ring. A futile attempt to look at the ring through her tears and unexpected laughter brought her to her knees. As they knelt in the snow together he suggested that they pray and they took each others’ hands.

His tone reverenced her and the way he spoke to God about their relationship and its future brought her deep peace. She had been scared to place her trust in someone else, to place her future in the hands of another human, prone to mistakes and weakness. But this partnership was worth the risk—if she had to put her trust in someone, he was the one. He seemed more trustworthy that her own self. As she listened to his prayer she recognized the feelings of eternity.


The past 13 years have been my happiest yet, and it's because of you. I love you, babe.


{I just heard the quip for star wars day: May the 4th be with you. After 13 years of not remembering whether my anniversary was on the 4th or the 6th, I finally have a way to remember:)}

Dear Fellow Visiting Teachers,

feel free to print this off for your personal visiting teaching pleasure.

Since last month was General Conference we are supposed to go over the report and choose our own quotes. That is a tough job—it’s hard to narrow it down!

What stuck out to me during conference was that I need to get myself to the temple more often. What stuck out for you? While I was going over the talks to choose a quote I was also taken by the messages from the Young Women broadcast. I hadn’t realized that they added in another value to the motto—Virtue. I love that.

So Elder Bednar’s quote seemed perfect to me. “Please seek after the things that are of eternal consequence.” So simple, but also very hard to remember to do daily. It is when I get wrapped up in temporal things that I get overwhelmed and stressed out. If I let the worldly things drop away and focus on things that matter in the eternal scheme of things, I find peace.

Did you know that you can download the music from general conference to your ipod now? So cool.

Happy visiting teaching,

Britt

grateful friday

I’m grateful that I got to pick some weeds in the garden. {it means that there’s something pretty going on}

I’m grateful that I can liken that to my life in several ways off the top of my head.



I’m grateful that my husband took time to take #3 to the doctor so I wouldn’t have to take 5 children into the doctors’ office. Sweet, no? and very thoughtful.



I’m grateful that my 7 year old made a mii of Bob Ross. It really looked like him, too! Made me laugh.



I’m grateful that my babies smile up at me with their sweet little faces. Melts me every time.