Christmas from the Heart

 From the Heart

A thought comes to mind; you ponder it.

The scope takes its shape; you do not quit.

A coy smile shows and excitement spreads,

For the perfect gift is just ahead.

Are sewing, photos, writing, searching

Part of the gift oh, so worth giving? 

Creative thought and desire true

Make Christmas special for me and you.

Time and love freely spent and given

Will surely go with us to heaven!

- Julie Bushman

This Christmas was truly one from the heart. Gifts given and received were extra special because of the time, thought, and effort put into them. I have written about this before, (Gifts of Love) but must do so again.

I was especially impressed with my children's efforts to give gifts from the heart. When I witness such beautiful tributes, it's a Mommy-Moment that makes it all worth it. You could say it's payback time or voluminous validation. Whatever the case, I encourage it and love it!

Thank you to the beautiful people in my life who take the time to give gifts from the heart. I love you all!

Gifts From the Heart...

My daughter's fiance created this beautiful collage, wrote a poem, and pressed a rose from their engagement.

 

My son gave his three youngest siblings a gift of time - movie and an ice cream outing.

One of my amazing Laurels gave a generous gift of time and created this beautiful sketch (right) of the photo on the left.

We gave it to our "other Grandma" for Christmas.

Big brother willingly helps little brother build his new catapult. Gifts of effort, time, love and willingness.

Squares designed three years ago for Grandma's 80th birthday...

...were sewn together by my daughter for one of her Personal Progress projects. Merry Christmas, Grandma!

Mom typed up letters my Dad wrote years ago to his parents and gave us all a binder filled with memories and family history. What a blessing to read some most precious words and feelings! Love this beautiful give from the heart!

Older brother is leaving for two years and can't take his iPod Touch. He made one 14 year old boy very happy with a gift of generosity and thoughtfulness!

My boys' Great Great Grandfather, John Bushman had his own brand for his cattle ranch...

Grandma gave all of my boys a pin with his name and brand. TREASURE!!!!

Older sister...

Creates custom tea set for little sister...real china plates and cups.

Bonding experiences and great memories!

She loves her "glass" tea seat!

A copy of our traditional 24 days of Christmas book for the soon-to-be wedded!

A search by one daughter to several DB stores in Utah County for this plaque to go with our picture of Jesus Christ. "Christmas is the Season. Jesus is the reason."

A darling photo book of our Alaskan cruise from my sensational sis!

A beautiful book from two beautiful ladies I LOVE!

Books from my childhood!

The Alaskan Nativity from Sam. I saw it in a small shop in Ketchikan, Alaska but didn't make the purchase. He sent my brother back to get it for me. It was carried by my sister from Alaska back to Utah. Sam presented it to me at the beginning of the season to enjoy all December long. What a beautiful, thoughtful gift from the heart!!

 ...and so many more from amazing people in my life. Bless another with a gift from the heart!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

The Pressure is On

I hope they call me on a mission

When I have grown a foot or two.

I hope by then I will be ready

To teach and preach and work like missionaries do. 

I Hope they Call me on a Mission - Children's Songbook

The past six weeks has been a roller coaster ride as our son is preparing to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Learn More about Missionaries, Here. On October 5th, he was going about his college life, planning on leaving for his mission in August, 2013, when he turns 19. Saturday, October 6th brought the announcement of the decade for members of the church. The missionary age was lowered by the Prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson. Boys can now go when they're 18, and girls when they're 19. Here's the quote from the 10AM General Conference Session:

"I am pleased to announce that effective immediately all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19...

Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21." 

The response from him was instant amazement and enthusiasm. "I can go early", he repeated. And that is how the whirlwind began.

October 19th he decided to plan for school and a mission and see where that leads. If his start date is after the winter semester, he'll go to school. If it's before, he'll leave on his mission.

He has had his wisdom teeth extracted, vaccinations, dentist appointments, and his physical exam. He has researched how to defer his schooling, housing contract, and scholarship. He filled out all the paperwork, had his interviews, and received confirmation that the papers were submitted on November 9th, three weeks later.

And now he sits and waits for the envelope to come in the mail. It could be any day. 

Our soon-to-be Missionary

Knowing that this Thanksgiving and Christmas are his "last" for the next two years, he has told me the following: "Mom, this is going to be the best Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm going to play tons of football with the boys, watch movies with the family, make awesome food, play games, take the kids places, listen to Christmas music all the time, drink hot chocolate, and love every minute of it."

So, yes, the pressure is on...pressure to make this Thanksgiving and Christmas AMAZING for my son that is leaving for two years. I've been thinking a lot about it. What will make it amazing? No, it won't be the gifts he receives on Christmas morning. It won't be spending dollar after dollar on fancy Christmas concerts and plays. The "amazingness" comes through desire, attitude, time, service, and traditions. 

Desire: If one desires something, he strives to achieve it. He puts his heart and mind into making it happen. If the desire is there, the likelihood of it coming to pass is great!

Attitude: You can have an "amazing" time doing anything. It's all in the attitude. Scrubbing the floor can be amazing. Making dinner can be amazing. Raking leaves can be amazing...or not. Is it a chore or an opportunity?

Time: An amazing holiday experience will happen if you spend time on it. Time to prepare, and time to enjoy. Time is all that children really want if you think about it...loving, quality, precious time.

Service: Giving of oneself brings joy and satisfaction. Serving others helps you forget your own issues and bring happiness to someone else. What better way to spend the holidays than in service?

Traditions: Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions are what make the season. It's knowing what to expect, what you'll feel, what you'll eat, what you'll enjoy, what you'll remember for next year. It's placing the advent piece on the calendar, reading stories, playing Thanksgiving Bingo (a new tradition this year), making egg nog, singing, cutting down the tree, football on Thanksgiving morning, candy turkeys, the "For the Pore" jar, or sitting on the couch in the dark with only the Christmas lights on. Wrap the family in tradition and they'll forever remember it.

Those are my keys to an amazing Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Desire, Attitude, Time, Service, Traditions. It will be AMAZING!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Patterns to Ponder

Grateful for Print Shop Knowledge and a Daughter that Inspires Me

 Pattern: noun

"An original or model proposed for imitation; the archetype; an exemplar; that which is to be copies or imitated, either in things or in actions; as the pattern of a machine; a pattern of patience. Christ was the most perfect pattern of rectitude,patience and submission ever exhibited on earth."

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

My amazing daughter is about to turn 16. She finished Driver's Ed. She already passed her driver's test (with a perfect score!!!). Now it's the waiting game. Just a few more days and I'll have a driver again. Woo-hoo. It's not just the driving aspect that is exciting. It marks a huge milestone, new opportunities, a day she's long awaited. I'm happy for HER!!!

One exciting moment is her first boy-girl party. Yes, she's been to other people's parties, but this is the first party for her that has included boys. This is a big thing! She's had her list made, game ideas mixing in her mind, and endless food possibilities mulling around for MONTHS! In preparing for the big day, she found a super cute birthday invitation on one of the popular photo sites. No problem...only $1.46 per invitation. WOW! Multiply that by 30-40 people and you're spending over $50.00 just for the invitations - a little piece of paper that will just be tossed in the garbage. She realized the expense and said, "Mom - I like this invitation. Could we design something like it?"

Yes, we can! We went to work with my favorite little desktop publishing program, Print Shop. It is one of my best friends on my computer and has provided so many amazing creations that have saved money and time. We played with different colors, font styles, and font sizes. We came up with the following:

I cropped out all the personal info, but you get the picture.

Now, zap it to Costco's photo center and for $4.00 total, you have some darling invitations, ready to deliver. With the money we saved ($40 plus), we can buy the food for the dinner at her party. With a little bit of desire, time, knowledge, and patience, money is saved and knowledge is gained, but more important, a lesson is taught. Those lessons, one by one, will be passed on to our children, and their children, and their children. The responsibility of raising stick-to-it kids is one that affects our entire posterity. 

Think of the things you've learned from your parents. Many of those attributes were picked up from their parents and so on. Now it's our turn to pass these patterns down - good or bad. What are you passing down? Kind of scary to think about, but amazing at the same time. Am I passing down patterns of righteousness, kindness, responsibility, integrity, virtue, love, time, service, self-reliance, knowledge, and industry? Definitely something to ponder!

This simple invitation was one way to instill a pattern of frugality and self-reliance. Multiply it by dozens and hundreds of childhood lessons and it becomes part of them. That's one powerful invitation! Can you plan and carry out the party for me, too?

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

 

October Theme - Be Grateful

"Look for the Sunlight in the Clouds"

Gordon B. Hinckley

This week kicks off the first month of our Family Theme, Way to Be, based on the book, Way to Be - 9 ways to be happy and make something of your life by Gordon B. Hinckley. The month of October is geared toward the principle, Be Grateful, perfect for leading up to Thanksgiving. We spent Monday night reading the chapter from the book, Be Grateful, and discussing things we can do all month to be more grateful. Here are a few things we came up with:

1. Gratitude Quotes - We chose three quotes from the chapter to be the monthly memorization. We are encouraging everyone in the family to memorize them. Prizes are awarded for participation.

"There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are 'thank you'."

"Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at it. You will find that it will yield wonderful results."

"Look for the sunlight in the clouds."

2. Gratitude for Eachother - We created a sign for each person in the family that says, "I am grateful for _____ because:. The goal is to fill up each person's page by the end of the month, stating specific things we're grateful for. When one is grateful for another, service ensues and love follows. I'm hoping for more love in our home! Each family member wrote on every page before refreshments were served. Love those no bake cookies!

3. Gratitude for others - I've always been a big thank you note person, thanks to my Mama. I've shared my thoughts before (read all about it) so I won't go into detail. However, I will stress the importance of expressing thanks often, and thank you notes are the perfect way to do so. This month we have a goal to write 100 thank you notes as a family to show gratitude for the many, many people whom have blessed our lives. When a note is written, it is recorded on a square in the below chart.

4. Examples of Gratitude in the Scriptures - For our family devotional each night, our scripture readings are geared around gratitude and thankfulness. I've enjoyed researching these and recording my thoughts. It's very rewarding when the children come up with their own as well.

5. Words of Thanks - We'd like to learn to say thank you in many different languages. We're reinforcing the children's song, Children All Over the World

Other ideas are in the works which we may or may not implement. I don't want to be too overboard, because I have a great desire for our family to be successful with those things that we introduce this month.

I'm grateful for the inspiration I received for our family theme for 2012/2013. I'm grateful for a supportive husband and children who are taking it seriously. 

I'm grateful to you for reading my blog. Now, go out and Be Grateful!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Write-Downable of Last Week

Write-Downable (n) 

"A statement that is cute, funny, priceless, sensitive, loving, one-of-a-kind, sweet, or spiritual; a word, phrase, sentence, or story that touches the heart of another and is deemed worthy to write down, thus recorded forever and not forgotten."

Word Created By: The Bushman Family

Definition By: Julie Bushman

Write-Downable of Last Week:

Our older daughter complained to her little sister, "I have a headache. What should I do?"

4 Year Old: "Ummmm....put a bandaid on it."

She has all the answers!

Simple answers! Even though a bandaid is not the simple answer to a headache, many parenting issues can be resolved with simple answers...a hug, listening, validation, gentleness, love, discussion, communication, prayer, desire. What's the common thread? TIME. Kids don't need money or the latest toy or a new outfit to feel important or loved. They need Time. It's as simple as that.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

The Great Bamzini Does it Again!

Common Phrase: If there is a will, there is a way.

I like to think of it like this: Heavenly Father will show us the way,

when we are willing to do His will.

Drum Roll...........

Headline: The Great Bamzini Does it Again!

By: Julie Bushman

(American Fork, UT) Just a few days ago, a hard working, thirteen year old boy paid off the final five dollars of his $3,150 cost for an educational experience to Washington DC with his seventh grade class. It's not an easy thing for anyone to save money in this economy, let alone a young teenager. So, how did he do it? Determination, a strong will, discipline, desire, prayer, faith, patience, persistence, dedication, and tremendous support from family and friends.

In late August, 2011, the Great Bamzini had a desire to join his seventh grade class for a ten day trip to Virginia and Washington DC. The trip was scheduled to depart on June 7, 2012. The price tag: $3,150 including airfare, hotels, food, souvenirs, luggage fees - everything. Nine months for a young man to earn such a sum is no small task, especially when a boy of 13 cannot get a typical job. How on earth did he earn the money?

"I mowed lawns...a lot of lawns. My cousin, who also went on the trip, and I put together a fundraiser with a local sporting goods company. My dad taught me to board-op a radio show so I spent my Saturday evenings producing radio shows with my Dad. I babysat, cleaned, shoveled snow, and took care of neighbor's dogs. I saved all of my birthday money and Christmas money. Some of my family members and friends heard about my trip and donated some money", explained the Great Bamzini.

Where did the name, Great Bamzini, come from? His Dad explains, "It was an early childhood nickname that his Mom made up. He was a very handy and helpful boy...always fixing things and coming up with solutions to problems. One day his Mom said, 'Look at that...another feat accomplished by The Great Bamzini', spoken in a magician announcer's voice. It just stuck. Now, when we see his successes, we declare, 'The Great Bamzini does it again!'"

 "It was a long nine months", recalls his mother. "He had to make some hard choices along the way. He skipped out on outings with friends so he could earn money. He sacrificed some sleep to get up early on the weekends to take care of his mowing jobs before his radio work. He went without purchasing treats or games or movie tickets. At times he felt like the task was too great, that he wouldn't make the deadlines. But we encouraged him and told him, 'you won't go on the trip for sure if you give up now, so you might as well keep working on it'.  It's good for children to work for something they desire. I have a feeling the trip meant more to him than it would have if we had just paid for him to go."

The hard work paid off with an exciting visit to Historic Williamsburg and Jamestown, Fort McHenry, a personal tour of the US Capitol with Senator Mike Lee, a pre-sunrise devotional on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and dozens of other historical sites. The purpose of the trip was to see the Hand of God in the founding of our nation, as well as evidences that America was built on Christian principles.

Upon return, The Great Bamzini was asked if it was all worth it. "YES...it was awesome. It was definitely worth it. I'd do it again!"

Today's Stick-to-it Tips: 

Stretch yourself. You'll go a lot farther!

Real Men wear Bibs!

Can we put a price tag on learning about liberty?

Encourage your children to follow their heart.

Sure, it may be going out on a limb but if you don't try, you won't succeed.

At times we might get stuck...

But there is always someone to help us out!

If you STOP, you won't GO.

Financial discipline is the first step on your march to financial success.

Standing on the shore doesn't get you anywhere...

...You have to jump in to enjoy the journey!

If we do His will...

...He will show us the way!

 Congratulations to The Great Bamzini! You did it....again!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Stick-to-it: 20 Activity Badges!

How do you Raise a Stick-to-it Kid? 

Encourage and support them in their righteous and good desires

When my son became a Cub Scout Webelos at age 10, he wanted to earn all 20 of the Activity Badges. Not only would he earn the badges, but he would earn the "20 Patch", as well as be awarded the prized Buffalo Head. The awards are an incentive, for sure. However, I'm hoping that he did it for the learning experience and the satisfaction of making a goal and achieving it.

One year later...

He earned his Arrow of Light, the last Activity Badge, his buffalo head, and the 20 patch.

I think about all of the times he came to me asking what he could do next in his book to progress on an Activity Badge. I think of the many weeks I helped him remember to go to his den meetings (which is where the majority of the work happens). This goal was HIS idea. It was HIS desire. It was HIS project. Because I knew it meant so much to him, I encouraged him. I listened and helped, and worked, and supported. He knew that I backed him and that assisted in his gumption to keep going. 

Mom and Dad with the Scout-of-honor

With the other Award-ees - Good job Boys!!

The Finished Product!

Congratulations to you for your awesome accomplishment! What an example you are of sticking to a goal and fulfilling it! 


Side Note: See the 20 patch in the above picture? He asked me to sew it on for him. It only needed four stitches - one in each corner. I could have said, "Yes, I'll do it later." However, when would that later have been? So, I stopped what I was doing and did it then. Not only does it get done, but your child feels like they're important. No, it can't happen every time. Certainly, you don't want your child to think that their project is so vital that Mom will do it above all others. But, it does give some validation and feelings of love and importance. It can definitely be used to your advantage. They see you drop your project for theirs...they tend to be a little more helpful when you need it. Parenting - it's all about using your brains and your heart.

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!

Starting Over

It looks like the media fast really worked! I had a SUPER LONG media fast from blog-writing. The desire to get on my computer when everyone else was taking a break from it continued to diminish through the month-long media fast that my family participated in back in February. (See Media Fast Day 1 for more info.) After the media fast was completed, our family discussed the benefits that come from media-simplification. We came up with a bundle of benefits but the biggest one for me was peace. I found more peace in my personal life by eliminating excess media influences as well as more peace in our home. With eight children in a 2300 square feet home, that is big. Thus, the desire for me to do anything extra on the computer waned to non-existence.

However, looking back on the 109 blog entries about raising Stick-to-it Kids, my heart is yearning to write more. I feel like this is of the most value to my posterity - a guide book from "one-day, down the road, in the far-future, Grandma Bushman" about raising responsible, dependable, respectful, and successful children; a how-to-parent practicum with real-life examples that mean something to them because it's about them!

So, I'm starting over. Thus, the title of today's launching off point for more thoughts on raising Stick-to-it kids, whether you like it or not. Starting over - a perfect principle to teach our children. When they make a mistake, choose the wrong, hurt someone's feelings, suffer disappointment, or didn't meet a goal, they can start over. That's the beauty of our life on earth and the blessing of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are given the chance to renew relationships, repent of misdeeds, try for success again, or get over fears...start over.

Here are some examples of starting over that we've experienced lately:

1. Sister steals brother's gum. After discussions, sister admits to it. She is given the opportunity to start over: she apologizes, buys him some more gum and does a few of his chores to make up for it. 

Friends Again

 2. Baby is scared of the animals at the petting zoo. 

How scary can a sleeping, fat bunny be?

 She screams and screams and doesn't want to touch them. A little bit later she thinks about it and decides that they look cute after all. She decides to conquer her fears and start over.

3. Another child decides he's a little unhappy with how life is going. He re-evaluates, makes some great changes, sets some goals, works hard, and accentuates the positive.

4. This young lady is well on her way to starting over with a new life...life after graduation. Congratulations, honey; you did it!!!!!

5.New experiences and new friends!

Starting over...it's a beautiful thing!

More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!