Analogy: Crayons, Choices, and Children

"Mom, come quickly. Look what she did!" 

Black crayon scribbled all over the coffee table.

GASP (from me)

Eyes full of  sorrow looked up at mine. 

No, I wasn't mad. But, I wasn't going to let a teaching lesson go by.

Get out the Magic Eraser. Wait, I don't have a Magic Eraser.

Baby Wipes.

Well, it's not the first time I've dealt with a child scribbling crayon all over something, whether it be the wall or the couch or the table, or my Messiah score. At least crayon comes out, not like the "pretend boyfriend" one of my daughters drew in permanent Sharpie on the bedroom wall years ago. 

After seeing the mess she made and being so proud of myself for not raising my voice or getting upset, I quickly told her that it's unacceptable to make a mess of our home and she needed to clean it up. Remembering that the Magic Eraser was used up with some spring cleaning a few weeks ago, I resorted to the baby wipes. I gave her a handful and told her to go to town on scrubbing that table clean. She knew not to complain. She got busy. (Sometimes I think they like cleaning up the mess - to a point - especially if it involves scrubbing.)

No, I don't clean my house or make sure my children look perfect before I take their pictures. This is Bushman Family Reality!

Almost immediately, older brother jumped in to help.That's my scout - doing a good turn!

Many Hands make the Job Light

 
After 20 minutes or so she asked me to come and look at her progress. Pretty good, especially for a 4 year old. There were a few places she missed that I pointed out. She started to complain a bit, "It's too hard, Mommy." There it was...the words that sink into your heart when a child has done her best and is feeling the effects of fatigue and remorse. I took the wipe from her and started scrubbing for her. She placed her hand on mine and we scrubbed the last of it together. She felt happy, with a sense of accomplishment for fixing what she had done.

...take me by the hand...

As we finished up, I suddenly had a spiritual moment...

We all make mistakes in life, like scribbling on the table.  If we leave it alone and don't try to clean it up or make it right, it stays there for all to see, or maybe just for us to see, reminding us of the mistake. Those reminders make us feel guilt or sorrow or sadness. We look at the mess and think, "I don't know how to get rid of it. It's too hard." That's where the Savior comes in. He helps us get rid of the mess, standing by us, strengthening and encouraging as we follow his road map to repentance. (Brother Scout) As we follow it, and do ALL WE CAN, he takes our hand and helps us finish on the path (Mom). He forgives us and remembers our mistakes no more. Best of all, he takes away the guilt and the sorrow and the sadness. He cleanses us and comforts us, which enables us to feel joy. He makes it right.

It's interesting what happens when we follow the Lord's plan of parenting. The pattern is set in the scriptures, and it's up to us to study and learn and practice. We both learned a lesson that day. She learned the consequence of scribbling on the table - being accountable to clean it up, apologize, and do all she can to make it right. I also hope she realized and felt the support from those who love her.  I learned that parenting brings joyful lessons and spiritual moments, thus the Analogy of Crayons, Choices, and Children.
 
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!

Why am I doing this?

Why? 

The age-old question. 

Why can't I have my own phone?

Why can't I drink a Dr. Pepper?

Why do I have to go to bed?

Why do I have to answer why all the time?

Why am I writing this blog???

I've been a little anti lately. The desire to write has not been there, and it feels as if there's not much to share or record. In fact, it's as if I've just been holding on, going through the motions...going from this activity to that chaos to that meltdown to that moment of joy. Most mornings I do try to sit down to write something, but doubtful thoughts creep in...Is this really important? Haven't I written about this before? Is this appropriate to discuss? I don't have any pictures to go along. This is interesting to me but will it be to someone else? I can't think of a way to begin. Why am I doing this? And so on...

As I was tidying the living room this evening, the basket of books I keep by the couch was a giant blob of unorganized reading material mixed with crumpled paper, broken crayons, dirty socks, random toys, and puzzle pieces. I decided to tackle it right then. It only took a few minutes to sort through it and create a nice basket of books with good stories to read to the children and beautiful picture books to look through. I decided to put my blog books in the basket. 

Background: A few months ago, I printed this blog to hard-backed books using the print service www.blog2print.com. The first book is for 2009-2010 because I didn't write that often. The second volume is for the year 2011. 2012 is going to be big! I may need to split it into two volumes. 

Why create these blog books if they are not in a place to be read? Before placing them in the basket, I opened one of them, perusing some of the past entries. A few of my children saw me sitting; they gathered 'round to see what I was doing. They were hooked! They spent the next 30+ minutes looking through the books - laughing, reading, remembering. Seeing this sight was an eye-opener for me. This blog - my words to them - really is important, and meaningful, and enjoyable to THEM. After all, I'm writing this for my children. I witnessed in this beautiful moment the impact that my time and efforts are having...NOW. Hopefully as they have their own children in the future, it will be even greater.

Quickly grabbing the camera, I recorded some precious moments...

 

So buckle up and enjoy the ride. Why, it's not going to end any time soon. 

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

The Red Headed Hostess

Grateful for the Red Headed Hostess

My Learning Style: Visual, Hands on Interaction

One part of the day that I truly enjoy is my personal devotion and scripture study. 5:30 AM rolls around so quickly, but it's worth getting up to have some quiet moments of reflection and peace before the joyful chaos ensues. I am a visual and interactive learner. I don't do well with just one-sense learning. Just reading the scriptures quietly does not catch my attention. Just listening to the scriptures on my phone does not provide adequate depth. I need to read, write, highlight, and record my thoughts to have a truly meaningful experience, and to embrace the lesson that is meant for me.

For spiritual organization, my new friend is The Red Headed Hostess. I discovered her website a few weeks ago and instantly felt like this was the method that would work for me. She has developed scripture journals, a fabulous way to organize your scripture study. I picked up a chapter journal and a topic journal when she had a $3.00 off per journal sale. The chapter journal allows you to take notes and write down inspiration for particular scripture chapters. The topic journal is for recording scriptures, quotes, and thoughts about specific topics. Both journals can be referenced to the other due to her thoughtful and organized layout. Multiple designs are available to fit your style. I also purchased a topic journal for my son who is preparing for an LDS Mission. Just for your information, his journal is not pink and green like mine.

Because October is our Be Grateful month, I chose Gratitude as the first topic in my journal. Immense joy has been had as I've recorded all the scriptures, quotes, and personal experiences I've had this month in one place. Now I have a complete two page spread about gratitude that I can refer back to for future reference.

Now that I've finished my Gratitude scripture study, I've moved back to regular chapter reading. I love having an organized journal where I can record insights for specific verses, words I looked up, other scriptures I cross-referenced, or thoughts from study guides. It makes my scripture study more meaningful and I feel like I internalize the principles more fully.

I'm grateful today for The Red Headed Hostess. She has provided a product that fits my style and my needs.Try it out and let me know what you think!

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

California Dreamin' Travel Tips: Part 3

If you have 16 Mike and Ikes,

and you take away 7 Mike and Ikes,

How many Mike and Ikes do you have left?

Travel time in the car does not equate to turning off your brain. All of those hours driving to Southern California can be used for some exercising of the mind. My daughter was in need of some brushing up on her math facts, so I began with the repetitions: 8+9, 7+6, 9+4. 13-7, 15-9, 17-10. That didn't last very long. She freezes when she hears the dreaded "minus" word. Then, a bright idea popped into my mind. Use the Mike and Ikes as a treat and a tool for teaching subtraction.

We spent the next 45 minutes practicing subtraction problems with the Mike and Ikes as the manipulatives. After five subtraction problems, she was allowed to eat 1 piece of candy. It was one of those brilliant Ah-hah moments that just came to me...

We are stuck in a car. We have limited supplies at our disposal. She is bored. She needs something to do. I need something for her to do. Treats are always an incentive. She needs help with her math facts. Put them both together and...Bingo!

 

More California Stops - Visiting the So. Cal. LDS Temples

Los Angeles, CA

We arrived at Sunset

She ran into her friend from school!

Our first stop when we arrived to CA = Grody Picture

It was dark as we were leaving!

 Newport Beach, CA

My 4 Girls

Love Temple Pics!

Relying on the camera timer doesn't always get the best pics.

Random, but cute.

San Diego, CA

Love Big Bro/Big Sis Photos

And another - with PURPLE

GORGEOUS - but another timer pic.

All the kids wanted a pic here...but I can't post them all!

Redlands, CA

We always have to get a fountain pic.

Just a pretty shot

Can you even see us?

These temple stops were the perfect half way points for most of our long jaunts in California. It provided some welcome travel breaks and even better, beautiful and spiritual enlightenment.


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

Sabbath Thoughts: Hide-and-go-seek?

Oh, if only my children spent every Sunday afternoon like this...

I need some more ideas for Sunday afternoon activities. Any thoughts?? I can only handle so many rounds of Hide-and-Go-Seek. Although, I am the best hider in the family!

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!

Sensitivity to the Sensitive

"Up, up in the sky, where the little birds fly;

Down, down in the nest where the little birds rest;

With a wing on the left, and a wing on the right;

The dear little birdies sleep all the long night.

When the bright sun comes up, and the dew floats away;

'Good morning, dear sunshine', the little birds say.

How fair are the flowers; how green are the trees!

Our Heavenly Father made all of these things."

 "Up, Up in the Sky" - an old Primary song

My mom used to sing this to us when we were young children. This is probably where I developed a tender spot for birds. As a child, I remember watching all of the birds in our neighborhood in Northern California, especially the Mourning Dove. I loved this bird so much that I chose this particular species for the bird report I was assigned in elementary school.

I have also carried guilt about killing my friend's parakeet when I was 11. The bird was in my care while my friend's family went on vacation. I tried to feed it and give it water but every time I did, the bird would peck at me. Being a scared and slightly stupid child, I didn't ask my mother for help. I found the bird dead on the bottom of the cage from starvation and dehydration. They still paid me for taking care of it. I think her mom was happy to be rid of it...or maybe that thought just makes me feel better.

Last month, we cut down the trees in our yard in an attempt to start afresh. We had a huge blue spruce pine tree against our house. 

The final day for our blue spruce pine.

 When it came crashing down, so did a bird's nest. After the workers cut up the tree and removed the trunk and branches from the lawn, two baby birds were found. My daughter's sensitivity kicked in and she immediately pleaded with me to help her save the birds.

I thought of the yellow parakeet. Now's the time to redeem myself and help another bird live! No, I really thought of my daughter's desire to care for two of Heavenly Father's creatures. How could I not be sensitive to her sensitivity?!?

I looked up on the Internet how to care for baby birds. We made a nest for them in a plastic Easter basket. (The workers had already thrown out the nest.) We borrowed dog food from the neighbor and soaked it in water for an hour. Once it was soggy, we fed it to the birds with tweezers. We hung the basket in some tall bushes by our house. We hoped the mother would hear their cries and would come take care of them. I don't think that ended up happening, but they did survive the first day! She named the baby Eats-a-lot because he ate soooo much...every half hour. The older bird was named Sits-a-lot because he would always sit on the smaller bird. (All those episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman gave her the idea for  Native-American sounding names.)

The two birds were different ages. The older one is above the younger one.

So happy to be helping these little birdies!

The basket, hanging from the bushes near our porch. She was out there ALL the time. She will be an awesome mother!

After the first night, we discovered the older bird gone from the basket. Thinking optimistically, we consoled our crying daughter with the thought that it was big enough and strong enough to fly away, thanks to a healthy portion of soggy dog food. I was a bit upset with the older bird. I don't see how it didn't like the bright pink basket-nest we created! We also hoped it would stick around to help care for the little one. But alas, it was gone so efforts turned to saving Eats-a-lot.

The week turned cold and my daughter put a washcloth in the basket to help keep it warm. It slowly stopped eating and then one day it was no more. I had never seen such a heart broken little girl. She cried and cried. I cried and cried for her sorrow. (I'm starting to cry right now just thinking about it). I told her she would see Eats-a-lot again and he would thank her for trying to save him.

This photo is of a LIVE Eats-a-lot!

So, that is our baby bird adventure. The chance of the birds surviving was very minimal. However, I had to do all I could to help my daughter care for them. Hopefully, she will remember this experience and will feel love and care from her mother as I was sensitive to her sensitivity. 

I think of the quote from Benjamin Franklin: "And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?"

I know the quote is talking about the founding of America, but I like to think of the empire as my little family. God saw that baby robin fall, and likewise, I know he is aiding me in the raising of my family.

Today's Stick-to-it Tip: Give care and show support of those tender emotions inside of your children, for their feelings are precious and fragile, just like those baby birds.

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