February Love List

February is ending, but if you're like us there will still be cold and gloomy days in the future and we are RESTLESS.
I decided to share a few of my kids favorite things (and a few mom pick-me-ups too) that help us make it through days when we really just want to be outside.

Stir Crazy
Treats are always a good distraction from the cold, and this one is fun as well as delicious. When we are getting Stir Crazy we break out the Stir-Crazy (sorry I had to).
Our Stir Crazy makes the BEST popcorn, and it's guaranteed to get my kids smiling and giggling while it's popping.
Bonus: Popcorn kernels are CHEAP, and it's whole grain (though we use twice as much butter as the instructions recommend).



PlayDough
I hate the smell and clean up of store bought playdough, and I know I'm not alone. I much prefer this homemade recipe, and so do my kids because they get to choose their colors (using Kool Aid packets or food coloring) and there is LOTS to go around.

In a pot mix together
2 c. Flour
1 c. Salt
4 tsp cream of tarter
Koolaid packets (optional)

Stir in
2 c. Water
2 Tbsp. oil
Food Coloring (optional)

Cook, stirring, over low heat until thick.
Let Cool, and Play
*Sometimes we make the dough without color and then I add food coloring into the center of a ball of dough and let it turn colors as they knead it.
*Add in a rolling pin (or a cup), some cookie cutters, and you've got an hour of quiet -maybe.
Also, did you know you can buy kids rolling pins in bulk? Neither did I. Find them on Amazon.


Gel Beads
Colorful sensory play. Add water and watch them grow. My kids love to run their hands through them, scoop them, and dump them.




Of course as moms we could all use a little pick me up this time of year so here are a couple of my current favorites:

This facial cleanser/massager for under $20. My skin has never felt and looked better. Grab one for you and one for a friend.

A truly long wear lipstick that doesn't flake for under $10!
I'm wearing it in Little Minx every single day. If you watch my Instagram stories ( https://www.instagram.com/the.carter.crew/ ) this is what you're seeing. If you're not following me on Instagram come find me, lets be friends.

Baby Cannon

I had the amazing experience last week of being with my sister for the birth of her first child.
Life is a miracle.

 All pictures taken with my Nikon D3300 and 35mm 1.8 lens.

Gifts That Matter

The Christmas season can be one of excitement and happiness. It may be a time chaos and stress. For many it is a time of impulse shopping, financial indiscretion, and materialism. Some may find it to be a time of mourning and of loss for those we love who are no longer with us, and without whom there is a void in our lives.

It can also be a time of great peace. This season can bring contentment and healing as we focus on the love of Jesus Christ, and on his birth which brought hope and joy to our world.

The Savior spent his life, his ministry, giving. He gave sight to the blind, he raised the dead, he healed the sick, he calmed the tempests; he forgave sins, he gave peace to the soul, love to the world. He suffered for each of us, and then he gave his life that we might gain life eternal.

I have no doubt that the gifts you open on Christmas morning will bring excitement and happiness. Those emotions will be fleeting, they may last minutes, or they may last months, but they will fade. The joy that objects bring to us always fades. There is always something else to want, to need. There will be something more exciting, you will change and that change will bring new interests, new desires, new excitement, new passion. I'm excited for the opportunity to watch you grow and change and to see your wishlists evolve, that's a wonderful part of life. However, I want more than to give you toys, games and treats.

I would that I could give you something more lasting. 

I would give you confidence. 

I would give you kindness, generosity and selflessness. 

I would give you a happy disposition, the ability to lift others and bring them joy. 

I would give you faith and hope. 

I would give you integrity. 

I would give to you a desire to work hard. 

I would give you a heart so big, and a love so strong that it would change the world. 

I would give you peace in your soul, quiet in your mind and contentment in your heart.

I can't. You have to live and grow and experience and seek your own gifts. Through your trials you will have the opportunity to grow and gain your own gifts and talents, and through my words and actions I can try to ease your path and help guide you along the way.

I can show you kindness, fill your world with laughter. 

I can encourage you when life is hard, and teach you to seek for the positive. 

I can explore with you and discover the world at your side. 

I can be patient and hope that you learn from my example. 

I can praise you and hope that praise sinks deep into your mind and teaches you to believe in yourself. 

I can labor with you and show you by my attitude what it means to find work rewarding. 

I can share a smile and a kind word and express the joy it feels to lift another's spirit. 

I can share my faiths, my beliefs and hope that they resonate with your soul.

I will fall short, I will make mistakes, and hopefully as I work to improve and reconcile my actions with my beliefs you will learn to apologize, to forgive yourself, and to keep on trying. I will give you my love, and hopefully in my words, in my embrace, you will find the peace that will fill your soul.

I love you.

Let's make this season a season of gratitude. 

Shards of Glass

I don't remember why he was throwing a tantrum, I can't keep track of all the things my children get frustrated about, but suddenly a glass was flying through the air at my head. I stepped out of the way. It shattered on the floor. I took both my kids to another room where they couldn't be hurt by the broken glass and then I began to clean up the mess.

As I picked up each shard of glass placing it into a bag I thought about our interaction. I wish I could clean up the broken pieces of my children as easily as I cleaned up those shards of glass. This world is a hard and confusing place to these little people. There are so many things they don't understand; so many rules, restrictions, changes and frustrations. There are things they can't do, can't have, can't touch, and just when they're most frustrated the people around them become frustrated too.

So as that glass came hurtling through the air I may have yelped in surprise (after all, I quite like my head, it is very functional) but I didn't yell, berate, or belittle. I simply said "Uh-oh" and showed him the mess he had made, then moved him to safety. He's one-and-a-half, he won't remember that I didn't yell, scream and call him names, but hopefully my reaction was one step toward teaching him not to react in anger and frustration, one less broken piece of his sweet spirit to mend.

I often look back at my reactions and wish I could have a do-over. I lose patience. I say things I regret. I miss opportunities to praise and encourage. I dole out consequences that are too harsh for the situation. Each of these interactions is a break, a crack, a shard. Those shards can't simply be swept up.

I believe in persistent parenting.

Persistent is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as:
 "continuing to do something or to try to do something even though it is difficult..."

Parenting is difficult, but it's worth it. It's worth continuing to try and do better, it's worth starting over when we make mistakes. It's worth being persistent, and starting over no matter how many times we make mistakes.
It's worth saying "Sorry", giving a hug, saying "I shouldn't have ______", "You were wrong, but I was wrong too, let's both do better next time".
Because even though I constantly fall short of my own expectations I know what my goal is, and I will be persistent; I will stop, regroup, apologize, think through how I wish I'd reacted, and try to do better next time.
After all, repentance and forgiveness apply to Motherhood every bit as much as they apply to every other aspect of my life.
What better way could there be to teach our children how to right their wrongs, than by showing them ourselves?