Playing Outside

It was an absolutely beautiful day today. Days like this are VERY few and far between here. As soon as the weather gets decent it seems the neighborhood wakes up after a long winter's nap. Seriously, it's as though the whole neighborhood was in a coma or something all winter long. I just sit at my window and stare at all the activity that goes on now that good weather days have hit. We won't mention  how much snow we got this winter because it brings tears to my eyes - but let's just say it was record breaking. Because of these cold and oh so snowy days I have come to LOVE and appreciate warm weather beautiful days. Today was one of those days. My kids got home from school and I sent them out to play and I heard them from the screen door playing and frolicking in our back yard. I smiled. Hearing them play put me in a good mood. However, going outside and joining in on their kickball game put me in an even better mood. Kickball is one of the least talked about funnest sports. There are not many other sports where you get to throw the ball at someone and  it be okay if it hits them. I loved playing kickball on recess in Elementary School. It is an awesome sport. There needs to be a petition to make it an Olympic Sport. Seriously. That would be awesome! Playing games outside is so much fun. Taking advantage of beautiful days by playing outside put me in a good mood and even as I write this I am still smiling as I think of the fun I had. Sun and play and fresh air make for a good mood. Try it. Live by it. You won't regret it. I love Sunny Days.

Getting Up Early

My name is Rebecca and I am NOT a morning person. (said as though I am at a "sleeping in" addict meeting) For the last few months I have been asking myself and my Heavenly Father what needs to change in my life so I can feel closer to the Spirit. And for months I have known the answer...

I have a job...four hours a day I update links for a website where you can watch TV and movies and such called Yidio.com.  My normal routine would be working two hours in the afternoon while my youngest slept and then working another two at night after the kids are in bed. This worked out really good for a while...but then the night time hours started getting later and later until some nights I was working from 12a-2a or if I wouldn't get in my afternoon hours (which happened a lot) I was working from 10p-2a.  It was draining me and getting hard to stay awake and positive and happy and patient. So without thinking my work hours were the culprit, I asked my Heavenly Father and searched my soul for what I could do to bring me closer to the spirit. I came to the answer months ago in church that I needed to start doing my work hours in the morning and afternoon so I could go to bed early at night.  This is something VERY hard for me. I am as they say, a "night owl" I can't remember the last time I have been in bed before 11pm.  11pm is early for me. The night time hours are precious to me because the kids are asleep and I am able to do projects, and laundry and other things without my little minions needing my attention.  So, I put off this answer - I knew it was my answer, but I put it off and put it off. Well I started to feel farther and farther away from the Spirit. I started thinking I could do it all on my own. Be a mom, a wife, an employee, sister, friend etc.. without help from the spirit.  I kept getting the same answer...(to wake up early) through friends, through my sister, through my husband, through conference talks, through church lessons and church talks.  

Finally after months and months of stewing this answer in my mind and heart I put it to the test two weeks ago. I waited for a Monday morning and got up at 5:30a - read my scriptures, said my morning prayers (which I probably hadn't done in...well in a while) and then did 2 hours of work in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon and went to bed relatively early at night. I did that for a whole week. I told Heavenly Father this was my goal and I could feel unseen strength helping me get out of bed. The difference in that week was amazing.  I felt more energized, I got MORE housework done. I was a better person, a happier person, a better mother. I felt worthy of the spirit and received more promptings that week on big and small issues in my daily life.  All this was because I finally followed the prompting I received months ago to get up early. I am not saying I am perfect at it. Some mornings I may only get an hour in and a couple mornings last week I did sleep in. However, I KNOW that following the promptings of the Spirit and getting up early blessed my life. So in reference to this blog, Getting Up Early (and following the promptings of the Spirit) put me in a wonderful mood. It was amazing. So grateful my Heavenly Father has the patience I lack.

A Window

In all the places I have lived my kitchen has been a dark place with no windows. Windows are such a wonderful invention.  I remember watching Little House on the Prairie and seeing an episode where the Ingalls were so excited when they could have glass windows in their home. Can you imagine a house with no windows?  In today's modern world we take windows for granted and obviously expect that if we buy a house, there will be windows in that house and one in every bedroom and sometimes bathrooms and entryways etc...  Anyway, since we can have windows anywhere in a house, I have always wanted one above my kitchen sink.  Everywhere we have lived I have done dishes staring at a wall or sometimes a picture I decided to put up and I felt so caged in and alone with my dirty dishes. Because I felt this way, I hated to do the dishes.  Well I am finally living in a place that has a window above the sink and it makes all the difference. I am telling you what - doing dishes is so much more enjoyable to me.  The view out my kitchen window is into my back yard. I love looking out there because when I do I realize that there is a world out there that doesn't revolve around me hating to do dishes. There are people out there with real problems, problems bigger than if we are out of dishwasher soap or not or if I have to soak that pan overnight or not.  I look out there and picture (when the hundred feet of snow melts) my kids playing out there and back yard BBQ's and I love the images and dreams I create by looking out that window. I also look out there and think of the good times we have already been able to have back there with pools, sprinklers, frisbees, footballs and picnics, even snowmen and snow angels in the winter.
I love my kitchen window and whenever I think about it, it puts me in a good mood. So in life, when you look at a problem and see only a wall  and feel caged in by it. Just pretend that wall is a window and look out and find the memories and dreams to see past the problem into the bright future. Open up your windows of possibilities.  Windows put me in a good mood, especially ones over my kitchen sink. 

To Tickle

One of my new year's resolutions is to make each of my children laugh every day.  Not only is the sound of a child's laughter medicine for my soul, it also boosts my mood and is fun to try to think of ways each day to get them to laugh.  My oldest is harder because you can't just chase him around the house and expect him to laugh anymore, so I have to get really creative. What this post is about, however, is how the easiest way to get my youngest to smile is to "tickle" her.  She can be in the middle of a tantrum and all I have to do is tickle her to get immediate laughter amidst the screams and crying.  Tickling is an art.  I remember being tickled as a child - sometimes just for laughs and other times out of real torture. I mean, sometimes when an older brother is holding you down you truly are being "tickle tortured".  Tickling is a good mood booster, whether being tickled or tickling a child, it's reaction is usually laughter.  It is flirty, fun and dates back generations. Your parents did it, your grandparents did it, and most likely even the President of the United States has participated in some sort of tickling.  It is an equalizer.  A worldwide pleasure.  Tickling is famous.  It's in movies, in books. It is a past-time.  So on a sad day, just tickle or be tickled. Immediate smiles and laughter will be the results.

The Towel

Towels are a funny thing don't you think? Even the word is funny, towel, tow-el. to-ow-el. Weird. But you don't realize how important or useful they are until you don't have one when you need one. Right? With that thought I begin my story: 

Today the towel I usually use to dry off with after my shower was in the wash. I therefore grabbed a different towel and went about my business.  When I needed said towel I soon realized that it was not as clean as I thought and was not only not clean, but dirty dish towel stinky.  What do I do? I could either stand there and drip dry, wave my hands and run around to air dry or use the stinky towel. So I stood there and ended up wrapping my hair loosely in the stinky towel and using the used, small hand towel that was just kind of dirty but not stinky to dry off. I know this may not be an appropriate picture in your mind or this post may not be appropriate for young readers, however it needed to be told so I could figure out one of my good mood triggers: CLEAN, FLUFFY, FRESH TOWELS. I didn't realize what I was missing until I had to use stinky towel and hand towel and put on enough lotion and hair stuff to mask the stench left behind by the stinky towel. I wasn't about to go out, find a new towel and then shower off again. Too much work! So by having a "stinky towel" experience, it really made me appreciate the days when I have a clean towel. Isn't that how life works? So get yourself an awesome, big, fluffy,  fresh towel and use expensive fabric softener just on it and enjoy the freshness. Sure to put you in a good mood. Because the stinky towel kind of put me in a stinky mood not to mention a stinky person in general. I am washing my fluffy towel today.

A Fresh Cut

Getting ready in the morning can get very tedious and boring. So much so that most days, unless I have somewhere I absolutely have to be, I avoid getting ready all together, doing the bare minimum.  Sometimes not washing my hair, not putting on makeup - just making it so my kids don't say "mom, you stink".  Today I figued out a way to combat the "getting ready" monotony. Get a new haircut.  A few days ago I got my hair cut by an awesome stylist whom I love and now I love getting ready and even look forward to it.  Now, this sort of thing doesn't happen for other monotonous tasks like doing the dishes for instance.  If I get a new glass or bowl, I don't make it dirty just so I can wash it or I don't stare at it in the sink just waiting until I can pour soap into it and see it clean again.  Even a new dishwasher might make doing the dishes exciting for one day, then I would be sick of doing them again. On the other hand,  a cute haircut can make me excited to get ready for weeks!  So today, a new haircut is all it took to put me in a really good mood and motivate me to get ready. Unfortunately, a bad haircut can have the exact opposite effect so be careful who you trust with you locks! Go out and get a fresh new haircut and see what it can do for you.