Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Monkey

As I was making dinner last night, Justice was playing his game of climbing in and out of the window.

"Justice, stop that and shut the window!" says I.

"I'm a monkey, and monkeys can jump out of windows." says Justice as he is going for another round.

"Monkeys can have spankings too!" I holler at his disappearing backside.

"I'm not a monkey anymore!" says Justice as he runs off into the other room.

3 comments:

Dana Cheryl said...

ha ha ha ha ha!!! I bet you have some really good laughs each day.

I thought of you during conference this weekend. Especially in regard to our blog conversation about being overwhelmed by our to-do lists. President Uchtdorf's talk hit exactly the right spot for me.

"Slow Down, Steady the course, lift up your eyes."

"We have to fore go some good things in order to choose others that are better or best."

And then Elder Bednar's talk about priorities tied right in ...

"Avoid overscheduling"

"Daily family prayer, daily family scripture study, a daily family meal, and weekly family night...nothing should come before these activities."

I am just so grateful to have a living prophet and apostles that receive inspiration and revelation and tell us what God wants us to do in the everyday matters of life.

I tell ya... I was feeling at the end of my rope. Tired. Frustrated. Stressed! Commiserating with ya brought some comfort and then conference brought resolution, peace, and specific instructions on how to avoid feeling that way. I am so grateful for all the support I receive in the Lord's Church.

I'll have to make some sacrifices and give up some things that I thought I had to do and some that I wanted to do but I am going to slow down. As hard as it's going to be I'm going to have to step back from geneology. (Not quit it entirely but limited it to just one night a month.) I'm going to have to give up singing in Handel's Messiah this year too. I have to slow down, steady the course, and life my eyes up.

Renae said...

I like you a lot Dana! Thank you for your helpful comments!

I felt like Uchtdorf was talking straight to me. I jotted down quite a bit of the things he said, in my little book I keep in my purse (which I can't seem to find since conference. Oh well, it'll turn up. It's probably right behind this desk I'm sitting at.)

After his talk, I was sitting there thinking about what I needed to cut out. I was wondering if I should give up my music writing ambitions, piano, running, etc. What could I possibly NOT do to be a more effective mother.

Then I flipped absentmindedly backwards in my little book and struck upon where I had written in my little book (which I just found. yay) "And Moses' father in law said unto him 'The thing that thou doest is not good.'" That's the part where Jethro (and somebody else talked about this passage later on in conference, but I don't remember who it was) ANYWAY Jethro tells him that he needs to delegate so that he has time for the important things. Plus the people that he's delegating to need the experience for their own growth.

Ahh, a big sigh!! I don't need to give up EVERYTHING else that I love to do. I need to get my children off of their lazy booties and make them help out. They spend entirely too much time in front of the TV. It's really bad. They need to learn to work, and that will help my stress greatly. That's not to say that I can just have a billion little hobbies and make them do all of the work, but it's nice to know that I can still have my small breaks, which honestly I really need.

I'm still opting to abstain from the marathon craziness. That is not a priority for me, as trendy as it is these days. I just don't have the time, and I know it.

And for the record, I have been making a conscious effort to dramatically cut back on time spent on this confounded computer. That's a good thing.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I do appreciate your suggestions!

Dana Cheryl said...

I really like you a lot too!! I love our conversations and I learn from you because you're so willing to share both the joyful moments and the struggles.

Conference especially blessed me this time around. Maybe because I was in a place were I was truly open and listening. I came to conference needing guidance and got it. Oh how I love God for all that He does for us!

It's wonderful that you've found the balance you need. Stepping back from the computer is something I've been doing too. I'm scheduling my blog posts in advance so that I can write them when I have a free moment instead of trying to cram them in during the busy times. So blogging is definitely something that's staying for me. I need to keep in touch with people. It's vital to my well being. As is continuing on with my education and fulfilling my callings. I'm finding what can stay and what can go by listening to the Spirit and following promptings. Can I just say again how grateful I am for conference? :)

I know that the choices you make will greatly bless your family!