Mission: Simplification

One of the reasons this weekend was so enjoyable was that when it came time to clean up, it was quick and easy because there wasn't much to clean up! When I went on my first cruise, I discovered that I truly can take care of my things- when there are less things to take care of. (and when someone makes my bed every time I leave the room and cooks for me!) I had such a peaceful, relaxing weekend at the beach, that I have decided to take what I learned back home with me. The answer is:

Simplify!!

The problem- My A.D.D brain has a hard time deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. So, I am trying to move quickly through my house and make the decision on the spot! For example, today I cleaned out the kids bathroom and got rid of baby towels and hand towels that we don't need. There were A LOT of them. I also went through all the mismatched socks, matched them, and threw away the ones that didn't match. Any solutions for how not to lose socks?

I feel really good about what was accomplished today. My plan is to declutter an area every day. My end goal- less things to take care of means less stress and more time to enjoy my kids.

Anyone have ideas? What do YOU think are the bare necessities?

Just the 5 of Us

I like to think of myself as a "fun" mom and keep the kids busy with things such as library time, going to the pool, and sometimes even bigger adventures such as going to the beach. Most of the time these trips include me and the kids- but not dad. Our weekends tend to fill up with normal things such as weeding, cleaning (important, nonetheless!), sports, etc. Daddy does like to take them to the Y, Home Depot, or for donuts. Our bigger adventures with the whole family seem to also include other families. Boating, for example requires us to have another family to help with the flagging. :-) We have a yearly beach trip that we have been doing for 8 years and we go camping once or twice a year, and it's always with another family. We love spending time with other families and our kids love having their buddies around, but I think it would be a good thing to get some time with just US every once in a while.

That long winded explanation gets us to this weekend. (Do you expect anything less from me?!) I was feeling pretty sick on Friday and spent much of the day in bed. It was beautiful weather and I was sad to be wasting it inside. I got this crazy idea that I would rather be laying on a couch at the beach! I asked my good friend, Ranell if her beach condo happened to be available. It was and I looked on my calendar and amazingly enough, we had nothing scheduled!! I mentioned it to Jeff and he didn't seem too thrilled, but I realized it was because he had a few things he wanted to get done. So, on Saturday morning, I woke up feeling a little sick still, but went for a run and came back rejuvenated! Jeff took the kids with him to play Ultimate Frisbee and I went to work cleaning the house. When Jeff got home, he worked on his project and then he was ready to take off.

(This view is what I was dreaming of! There is nothing more soothing to me than being at the beach. It is so calm and peaceful and there is nowhere I would rather be. I know a lot of my love of the beach came from my dad, so it means even more to me now to be there.)


I packed as little as I needed just to make it less stressful. It is nice knowing the condo is well stocked with fun things to do. We went to my favorite beach first and played on the sand. It was a little colder than I had imagined in my head, so we didn't stay too long.


We went out for dinner and then headed back to the condo for my favorite part- a late night swim!! No pictures because I just wanted to enjoy it and not worry about my camera! It is a warm pool that looks out at the ocean. It was wonderful.

Today we slept in, played some tennis, played board games, read books, and just relaxed.


We went for a walk to Devil's Punch Bowl and then cleaned the condo and headed home. We spent time discussing our goals as a family. We did have some whining and that gave us a chance to talk about how we feel when we aren't appreciated. Overall, I think we all had a great time. I look forward to coming back and staying for a few days this summer. It is my favorite place to stay at the beach. Lots to do or nothing to do- it is all your choice! I love my little family and I am glad we got to all be together!

Love is...

...seeing your son baptized by his father. What a special experience this was for all of this. My mom was able to come as well as Jeff's parents. I am so grateful they flew out for Dallin's day.

I am so proud of Dallin and the boy he has become. I know I am too hard on him sometimes because of the bar he has set for himself. I need to remember to let him be a kid still. :-) He is sweet, kind, and works hard at everything he tries. I am grateful for Jeff for the example that he has been to me and my children.
We had many friends come and I hope Dallin felt how loved he is. We are grateful for all of our friends here who have become as close as family.
The one person who I really was sad couldn't be there was my father. I know he was there in spirit and I hope Dallin knows how proud of him he is. We all miss my dad so much, but we think about him often and that makes us strive to be like him.


We went out with the grandparents that night to play some miniature golf and arcades. It was a great day. We were sad to see Grandma Di and Grandpa Mel leave.

The rest of the week we spent playing with Grandma Nise. All of us love having her here, especially Emily.
As I have spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about Love, I have recommitted myself to making it my focus. Relationships are the most important thing to me, and I want to make sure the choices I make and how I spend my time reflect that commitment. I tend to overanyalyze things and today in primary, we sang these words, and it hit me, it's very simple!
What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say? Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way!

It really IS that simple. Be like the Savior. Treat others with Love, as the Savior would. I am grateful that Dallin chose to Follow the example of Jesus, and I will strive to do the same.