Motherhood

This has REALLY been on my mind.
I read it HERE.
This young new mother lost her daughter last summer-
this is put so well:

Life is hard. Sometimes it's incredibly hard. That is how it's been for us the past little while. Many people have told me that when I look back I will be amazed at how much I've grown, the crazy thing is I've already seen it...

For all of you who have lost a child, or who will in the future, I'm not going to pretend it isn't the most painful and difficult thing I've ever experienced. I've always wanted to be a mother, and have loved every single moment. To all the mom's out there I think you're simply amazing. I don't think we realize how much time we give up, and how much we love doing what we do for our children. To revert back to only having myself and Patrick to think about is difficult. It's painful to wake up each morning to silence and not hearing Preslee call out "mama." I miss the long stroller walks and reading her books. I miss the tender moments I had with her saying her nightly prayers right before bed. I even miss the tantrums thrown in public. :) I miss everything about that little girl. Again, it's so difficult to go back being consumed with myself, and not focused on Preslee.


President Thomas S. Monson, stated: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.” That's what being a mother is, it's service. That's why it brings so much joy. So tonight, when you've had a long day and your kids are on your nerves, realize how much different you would be without them.

Being a mother is a service. I love every minute of it. Even the worn out days, the annoyed moments, the arguing, fighting, it's all worth it. What a blessing it is to be a mother. I have printed this quote out- and put it in a visual place I can see everyday. Just to remind me how blessed and lucky I am to have these 3 wonderful children who need me everyday. Without them I would just be a mother without kids.

I can not even imagine attempting to overcome a trial like this AMAZING mother has. (go here to read about her journey)
My heart just aches for what she has been through.

What courage and faith it would take.

I look at my beautiful children differently. They are gifts from my Heavenly Father. For me to take care of. love and nurture.
I am so grateful for this woman and her willingness to share her struggles and thoughts.

May we all start tomorrow off with a grateful attitude, and remember how thankful and blessed we are.

Valentine's Day ideas....

What to do what to do....
SOO many cute Valentine's Ideas to choose from!
look at these FREE printables...

I just love heart day!!
Nothing funner than telling someone you love them, right?

LOVE YOUR HOME MONTH

After coming back from a few vacations,
I was feeling a little over whelmed on getting things back in order.


Where do I start??



Then I came across "miss brilliant" AKA Clean Mama's latest post-
and it is as if she knew exactly what I needed!! Go HERE and get it for yourself too :)
What more to get you positive than to LOVE YOUR HOME?? Such a cute idea...

I printed a chart off for myself, placed it in a sheet protector, and put it up on my fridge.

To be honest, I am kind of excited for this month!!

Im back....

I took a blog brake-- basically I got swept on some vacations-

and whos gonna say NO to that, right?!?

I can't believe the month of January is about over....

how did cleaning go?

DO you feel better?

If you get behind, like me--

I will be following some of the same things for the beginning of Feburary.

Here is the wonderful Clean Mama cleaning schedule for Feburary... follow along HERE.

Heart day is coming up....

Here are some cute ideas I thought I'd share!

Valentine's Day Printable

Valentine's Activity stuff

One of my favorite holidays of all time.... because all you have to do is show your love! :)

I was able to spend some much needed and deserved time with my wonderful husband,

for a whole week, in this place.....

yup- we were on teh BIG boat out in the ocean....

beautiful.

Im still here....

I thought December was going to be busy,
January is kicking my butt!!

I have not been able to hold up my cleaning goal as much as I'd planned,
due to some last minute trips and sick kids.

BUT I will make up for it very soon!!
Getting your thinking caps on for Valentine's Day things...
Cuz it is right around the corner!!!

Vacuuming....

Following along???

Well,

guess what?

I am SOOO on top of this cleaning stuff.

I am not sure exactly where all this energy came from,

maybe its cuz my 2 youngest kids were actually getting along,

but I went cleaning CRAZY!!

Here is the vacuuming info-- HERE.

I'll tell you what-

I am beginning to feel pretty good about this--

I just might be able to keep up with CLEAN MAMA. :)

Wanna join? Check it out... HERE.

Join the band wagon!!

I dunno about you, but I sure need the motivation--

remember THIS??

Well it is January, so let the cleaning begin.

I talked about following along-

and I will admit, I may not do it daily as I'd like to,

but I am going to try my best!

You should join me!

It will make you feel productive,

and if you miss a day or 2-

who cares. nobody is keeping count.

Go HERE to get the schedule for the month of January,

made by CLEAN MAMA.

It's a FREE printable, so go ahead and print it off-

She also created THIS to help us stay on top of things. I printed mine off and put it on my fridge were my whole family sees it daily.

Let's start this New Year out in a good, CLEAN way.