School...heavenly school

I love my kids

You know what feels good?

1. When you've been out shopping all day with your 4 kids and a complete stranger comes up to you in Walmart and says "you have such well behaved kids."

2. When your kids remember to thank you for buying them the really cool hats, that they really didn't need, but they looked just so darn cute wearing them. But hey, they deserved them for being so very good.

It was a super good shopping day. I wonder if we'll ever be able to duplicate it.

POP! goes the canning jar

I love canning. I love looking at the finished product all lined up on my storage shelves. I love the bright, vibrant colours. I love to eat all that I have canned all through the winter. But more than that, I love the actual task of canning...not so much the cleaning up afterward. I love that time to myself. It's like sewing, in that most of the time it doesn't require me to actually think about what I am doing, I just do it. And that leaves me plenty of time to think about other things that need thought about. Sometimes it is a primary lesson, or a talk. Sometimes it is a problem I am trying to solve or planning a Relief Society party. Sometimes I work through something that has made me mad and usually by the end of it, I am no longer mad. Sometimes it gives me time to think through something before I actually say it out loud to someone(usually my husband). This has saved me many times from saying something stupid. And many times I have come to the conclusion that what ever I was thinking just doesn't need to be said. Sometimes, like today, it's a blog post...although it's sad to say, that many of those blog posts that I have thought up in my head while sewing or canning, have gone unblogged for one reason or another.

2010 peaches

Today was different. I started out canning peaches by myself as usual. The girls were outside washing all the splattered bugs off the van (their idea, not mine). I was peacefully watching them out the kitchen window while I peeled peaches, just simply enjoying what I was doing. But the girls finished washing the van before I finished pealing my first batch of peaches. Kathryn was the first to ask if she could help. My first instinct was to tell her no, but then I thought about all the times that as a child, I had helped my parents can something or another. And it is because of those times that I have the desire and the knowledge to do my own canning. So I put her to work peeling peaches. And really it was good timing because James had decided he needed to eat. When she was done peeling peaches and James was fed and happy, I cut peaches and I had her fill the jars with the peach slices. After the first batch was in the canner we started the whole process over again, but this time Tansley wanted to help too. So I put them both to work peeling peaches while I cut them up. Then Kathryn filled jars with peach slices and I poured in the syrup and Tansley kept on peeling, Kymberly even helped peel peaches for awhile. It wasn't quite as peaceful as it usually is for me, the girls can get pretty silly and pretty loud. And although they are not as careful as I am when peeling I have to admit that they were actually a great help and we where able to get 60lbs(33 quart jars) of peaches done in just under 3 hours. It was nice to not have any down time and just keep going through the cycle. So although I didn't get in my usually thinking time, it was still very enjoyable and I was glad to have my girls helping so willingly and happily. I hope that over the years, that they too will gain the knowledge and the desire to continue canning in their adult years.

Thanks mom and dad, for teaching me, and allowing me to help in my younger years and making me help in my teen years. It has certainly paid off.

A brilliant "new" idea

So, I am changing James' diaper and Kathryn is standing near by watching. Suddenly she says "Mom, you know what would be a good idea? If there was such thing as reusable diapers. You know, you could just wash them instead of throwing them away. It would be better for the environment." I laughed right out loud. Then she wanted to know what was so funny. I told her that when I was her age my little brothers wore cloth diapers that we had to wash. I told her that these days you could even buy fancy "reusable" diapers in all kinds of colours and even with designs on them. She suggested that I should buy some and use them. I admitted that I liked using disposable diapers. She then told me that when she is a mom she would use reusable diapers because they were better for the environment. I told her that was a great idea and that she would be a better person than me for doing so.

Trust a child to lay the guilt trip on you...she almost has me convinced to switch...almost.

In other news, Kymberly(or Princess Potty as she wishes to be called) has been diaper free for two and a half days(not including night time, yet). I simply refused to put a diaper on her and then gave her a book called "Princess Potty". The book comes with a tiara that she gets to decorate with jewel stickers every time she uses the potty successfully. I had to sit and read it to her 4 times when I first gave it to her. She only gets to wear the tiara and read the book when she is sitting on her "royal throne". Today was her first accident free day. And really that was quite impressive, since we drove out to Cardston(an hours drive) for my grandmother's 80th birthday party. We took her little potty so that if she needed to go on the way there she could...we stopped 8 times for her to try to go...and only on the last attempt did she have success.

So there, I am doing my part to reduce the number of diapers that are being tossed out.

Kymberly, the Big Sister.

Kymberly loves being a big sister and she loves her baby brother. Whenever he is sad she sings him a lullaby. While we were camping at Writing On Stone with the Court crew, I happened to have my camera close by so I was able to capture the moment.

Kymberly's never ending lullaby for Baby James