Not The Real Thing

Mom:  "Yay Joshua, Today is your half birthday."

Joshua:  "I wish it was my weal birthday and get wots of presents instead."

Three and a half!!

Happy Half Birthday Sasha!!

Living

A friend of mine, who actually happens to be the (M.O.M) Organization Queen recently did a post of full disclosure.  She was brave enough to step into territory we as mothers too often try to hide.

It isn't the territory of misbehaved children, or even mommy temper tantrums, I'm talking---messes!
You know that which we as mothers and/or women are always apologizing for the second someone enters our house.
(Well except, I try not to apologize anymore.  Even though I did recently refuse to allow myself to post a CUTE photo of my son on this blog because the books on the shelf in the background were extremely disheveled...)

April wrote in her post,
"Some friends and I were talking a few weeks ago, and we figured it would be helpful to women worldwide if every blogger posted a photo of her own beautiful mess.  You know, so we don't feel alone...and so we don't feel sorry for the other moms out there--supposing that they never get to experience the fun of beautiful messes."

Now I certainly don't know if I agree with her entirely.  I'm honestly not sure I ever have or ever could call my messes "beautiful" but I will admit my house is 'lived in' and I'm very proud of that fact.

And so today I present to you my kitchen:
My dishwasher was full of clean dishes, the sink overflowing with dirty ones...

Obviously, someone(s) forgot the 'everything has a place rule'...

Items found in the kitchen/entryway.  Anything from cowboy chaps to a water bottle to exercise shoes....

I'll even grace you with my sweeping pile this morning...

(I'll even admit that I am known to throw away ALL of my swept up pile, although cowboy, hairclip and all three hot-wheels avoided instant disposal today.)

All this reminds me of the quote I have hanging in my kitchen,

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.  I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.  I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn.  I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.  I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from  helping to weed someone's garden.  I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder.  I want the Lord to know I was really  here and that I really lived."--Marjorie Hinckley

Believe me.

We're living.

Do I Dare?

Though I have thought about this post in my mind for months, I have never gotten around to really formulating my thoughts into written form.  Though, believe me, I've shared all of these thoughts in the verbal form many a time!!!  But a few random occurrences lately have made me decide to see how alone in my thinking I may not be.

If you recall, I have alluded to this subject two times before, here in this attempt at being funny or this change of tune here that only lasted a couple of days.

And so,
Drum roll please...

We are talking about nothing other than the Boy Scouts of America program.  Hereafter to be referred to as BSA.

Before I begin my rant writing, I will first remind myself of the conversation I had with my uncle recently.  My uncle is someone I admire.  I admire his humbleness, his faith and his perseverance in life.  So with that admiration intact, I broached the subject of the BSA program with him at a recent family event.  I clearly stated my objective in my initial question, "What are your thoughts on the BSA program?"  His initial reaction, 

"Well first off all, you must remember it is a church (LDS) supported program."

His response struck a slight humbling reaction in me, yet I still spewed forth my BSA rhetoric.  (I guess I figured if I spewed my BSA rhetoric once before to a 'high up' BSA/LDS official (who really shall remain nameless) I could again amongst family!)

And so I pose my questions:

What other calling within our faith requires a leader to purchase a $30 +/- piece of clothing?

Why do we from our pulpit encourage our members to pay generously to the leaders that will be coming to our houses to collect money that will be sent to pay BigWigs salaries, overpriced awards, etc?  (For the record, I DO NOT pay 'Friends of Scouting'.  And in fact, when a member of our bishopric recently said to Mike and me, "Oh, I have the Friends of Scouting envelope to drop by." I replied, "Don't bother.  We won't be paying.  Have you seen the mark-up of items at the Scout Store recently?"

What other group (youth or adult) in our church requires $50-$60 spent to participate?  (Shirts, books, scarves, optional belt, etc.)

What other group in our church spends $1000's dollars each month for some scraps of material/pieces of metal to be sewn on shirts, worn for a couple of years and then stored away in a box in the attic for decades?

What other group in the church takes unnecessary risks in the winter weather to attend winter camp-outs for the sake of maintaining good standing for a BSA award?

When has a YW group gone on a camp for more than 4-5 days.  Yet boys AND THEIR LEADERS WHO MAY HAVE LIMITED VACATION DAYS typically stay Monday-Saturday at a BSA camp?

What other calling within the LDS church requires back-ground checks?

What other program (in or out of the LDS church) places so much emphasis on boys receiving one particular award that alone suddenly makes them 'credible, responsible, trustworthy, honest and a man of character'?

Why in the world would parents place demands/conditions/rewards that can not be fulfilled until a particular award is earned?  Is that award really what you want the emphasis to be on?  And don't give me the 'It will teach them to be responsible, dependable, etc. etc.'  Because that just feeds into the whole line of thinking that there is no other way to have honorable, worthy men of character without the BSA program!!!

Aagh-this whole thing is wearing me out.
What about you?

Now, I know enough about extra-curricular activities to know that being a Cub Scout and/or Boy Scout is actually a very good deal (financially) and an extremely beneficial program physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, etc. etc.  But extra-curricular activities are chosen based on family situations; be them financial or time-concious.  And on a child's personality and interests.

If you have paid any attention to my family or my blog in the past, you know my son Luke, well enough to know he is a prime candidate for the BSA program.  He completed his Bobcat requirements in less than a week, his Wolf requirements in less than six months.  And so I will admit, that even if we lived somewhere obscure and had no LDS affiliation, I would most certainly look into the BSA program for him to join as an EXTRA-CURRICULAR activity.

Mike and I have both taken our turns as leaders within the BSA program.  Besides having brothers involved in the program, my first personal introduction to it was as a leader when I had one six-month old baby girl.  Mike has served several times within the BSA since his involvement with it as a youth.  I have mixed feelings about serving in the program as leaders.  Sometimes I blow steam and say, "We will completely separate from any and all BSA associations as leaders and thus, will have to separate our children from it too."  But is that really fair to my boys, in our society?  That's a hard question, that probably only Mike and I can answer. 

Referring again to my BSA chat to a 'high up' BSA/LDS official, I was told that within the LDS church, there should be far more emphasis on the priesthood within the Young Men Program (Duty to God) than on BSA.  Sounds great in theory, but I don't think that is the case...

More often than not when I share my BSA thoughts, I have people agree with me.  Even if not entirely, they do partially.  Sometimes I wonder if all in the name of being good, faithful, obedient members of our faith, our passiveness is misinterpreted and is not doing anything to cause a little change.

In my humble opinion, I think it is perfectly ok to have and share our opinions.
I'm just sayin'...

Picking

The children spontaneously picked pumpkins the other night from our garden. Though it was really nothing important, nothing momentous, and nothing grand.

It was everything.

It was one of those moments that didn't really matter if I had a camera or not, for some reason, it was my heart I was capturing the random moment with.  

A near-perfect Fall memory.

(Even if my camera battery was dying fast and most photos were blurry...)

A (Sort of) Shed

"Dad, we should sell the trampoline.  And then in it's place I'll build you a shed.  If it only took me a couple of days to build mine.  I could build one for you in a week."

A Memory For Monday (With Casey and James)

I know I've mentioned my two younger brothers, Casey and James a few times in random posts/memories.  My two little brothers that as a little girl, I hoped so much would replace my baby dolls. 

Just recently while going through an old journal, I found a cute, handwritten little note from James when he was about nine years old.  I also still have a Beverly Hills 90210 bookmark that James gave me years ago, and in his childish, hard to read handwriting on the back writes about me being 'the coolest sister in the world.' 

Now, I would hate for James to outdo Casey in his expressions of love for me, but I have keepsakes from him too.  I have books given to me with Casey's childish handwriting saying, "I love you, from Casey"  or "To Tiffany. From Guess?  Anser: Casey"

I lived at home throughout college and though I now regret that maybe I was too busy worrying about a social life and studies, and I probably brushed them off more than I should have, I do have precious memories of time with them.

I remember frequently playing card games with James before his elementary school car-pool came and I remember distinctly Casey appearing at my bedroom door quietly yet excitedly saying, "Guess what? I just found a hair in my armpit."  (Did I really just write that for the whole world to see?  Sorry Casey!)   

I remember fondly the time I spent with them, especially during my college years.  And though I may have been busy worrying about school studies and a social life, I remember taking them on numerous trips toTop Hat Video for video games, to a UofU/BYU football game, movies, restaurants, bowling, etc. etc.    The night Mike proposed to me, it was my brothers I told first as I came into the house that night.  Casey and James were settling down for the night in their bunkbeds and had big smiles on their faces as I told them my news.  It was my brothers that I cried about leaving, as I packed up the last of my stuff the day before my wedding.

And though my brothers don't write me handwritten notes telling me how 'cool' or 'awesome' I am anymore, I'll get the occasional text and/or email from them and if I'm really lucky, once in a while a phone call.   They are now grown-up, handsome men.  One a dad, one a dad any day now, one in Law School at BYU, one studying business at the University of Utah.  And though we all have busy lives,  I love my brothers and guess what? I know they still love me!

I love my brothers.  And it is after them, that Joshua got his middle name 'Jace'... a combination of the sounds 'James and Casey.'  (Creative I know, but I couldn't name Joshua after one and not the other!)

Eat and Heat

One of the few reasons I love the heat wave we've been having:

I will miss snacks, lunches and dinners outside on the patio in the coming months.