Striving for Order

I've been struggling a bit the past few days. And the Lord knows it and showed me a rare and welcomed mercy today - Owen and Daniel and Peter have all been asleep for like 2 HOURS!!!! That does not usually happen. Sigh, it was been a very nice break, I hope it happens again! My hands and full and it's hard. I think I'm getting better at carrying the load, but the load does seem to steadily increase in heaviness every year. I guess that is progress though. I really really want to create a house of order. I'm still striving to focus on what is important to Corey and I and to simplify all the kinda have to do's (like cleaning and dishes) and eliminate things that are not helpful. Again, it's a lot to manage. And many times the kids try to and succeed in slipping past our radars. One area that they do this is in practicing their music. SO, I got a new calendar at the dollar store, and I put each kids' initial on each day, and we're going to keep track of who practices.

I think that will be helpful. I'm doing pretty good at practicing, I find it very fun and fulfilling. With the toddlers and baby at home, practicing violin is one thing that I can do for brief moments. I usually have these three options:
  1) do what I can with kids awake and running around - aka laundry, sort in basement, clean.
  2) do what I can while Peter is nursing - aka computer work (family budget, blog)
  3) do what I can while they play at my feet - 10 min of violin, dishes, sweep
If I am not in the room with them, they usually make a mess. Like today, the boys found Corey's cologne and sprayed it on the night stand and in a cup and on a speeding ticket that was on the night stand. That's a ticket that Hyrum got. I don't know what's in cologne, but it made almost the entire carbon copy illegible. Luckily I could still see the citation number, so I called Millcreek and they told me they send their stuff to Salt Lake County. So getting that figured out. The boys all have been doing pretty good and keeping their room clean and doing their laundry. I still help start their loads sometimes. On Sunday Wes was folding his clothes and showed me how Peter was helping him....

Peter was down in the tall laundry bin and would do his baby squat, pick up a sock or shirt, hand it out to Wes. The boys were all laughing at how cute it was. Peter is pretty much perfect.

Elder Wride is doing well, he had a "buena semana". In my attempt for order, I tried to make sure Sophi did violin right after school and before going to play with friends, so I helped her practice for 30 minutes, then when I came upstairs I learned that I had missed Joseph! I'm going to blame Hyrum who had my cell phone to check group me. I was able to see Joseph wrapping up his headphones and packing up to leave, the video was still on, so I waved and mouthed "Sorry!" that I love him. It would be helpful if he called earlier in the day! And not as I'm in the after school rush. Oh well. Good thing I sent him an email this week, although it was short:

  So, I have some things to send to you, package goes out this Saturday. I got the Holy Tabbs, didn't get an oil vial yet, or more rocks. I'll try to get those soon. I did email Pres Barney yesterday to ask about your release date. What did he tell you last week when you talked to him? (or was that 2 weeks ago?)

  A few pictures from this week: Wesley's back has been hurting him - he pulled it at the end of September at a "lift clinic" for Clayton productions, his performing group. So I took him to the pediatrician on Monday (dr. Schmidt) and now Wes knows the doctors orders on what to do to help it heal. Now he just needs to do it.

  I took Owen Daniel and Peter when we went for Wes. They all got flu shots, our first time ever doing that, so we'll see if it helps. Going to get flu shots for the rest of the kids. When I was at Primary's with Peter in October the doctors said in passing that it's gonna be bad this year, so we're trying this out to see if it helps. We've never gotten flu shots before. 

  Hmm, this isn't letting me insert the photos...

  Well, violin is going well. I'm working on Bach's Minuet 1, it's really fun. I'd play violin all day if I could! I really like it. We're doing better at keeping track of and helping the kids to practice. 

  We watched a movie called the Fighting Preacher on Sunday, it was really good, about Willard Bean who served a 25 year mission on the Smith Farm in New York (was supposed to be 5 years) He worked hard for years to buy the hill cumorah, cool movie! I'll tell you about it when you call. 

  Love you, keep on keeping on xoxo

So that's it for today. And that Fighting Preacher movie is really good! We all liked it. I think the teenager's two favorite parts were Willard Bean punching people's lights out: "Yeah, and we also believe in the laying on of hands!" "I am gonna strike you blind!". Keep on keeping on, press forward, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year (we still need to do family pictures this year....) oh, and find joy too!