Determination

Have you seen one of these? 

It's called a Gordian Knot.  There is a legend about a man named Gordius in ancient Phrygia (I think that's where Turkey is now) who tied his ox cart to a post with a very intricate knot.  Oracles foretold that the person who could successfully untie the knot would rule all of Asia.  Years and years went by and no one was able to untie the knot, until one day when Alexander (not yet THE GREAT) came into town and decided to be proactive and just cut the thing in half with his sword.  

That story was more about ingenuity and audacity than determination and perseverance, but nonetheless, Alexander did eventually go on to rule all of Asia.  Apparently those were the qualities they were looking for in a leader at the time.

That story was told in church a few weeks ago and it caught the Scout Master's attention.  Thanks to the miracle of Amazon, he was able to order his very own Gordian Knot to use as an object lesson in future scout activities.  It arrived last Wednesday.  Within a few minutes, and with the help of the detailed 70 step guide, the Scout Master was able to take the knot apart without any problem.  His plan was to take it on his camp out last Friday night and let the boys practice trying to be the next ruler of the CAMPGROUND.  Unfortunately it never made it to the camp out because unlike its ancient Greek counterpart, this Gordian knot is a little tricky to put back together.  

All day Thursday the pieces sat on the Scout Master's desk.  He worked on it during conference calls and between emails.  It moved into the living room that night so he could work on it after dinner.  A few of the kids tried to put it back together using the flip side of the 70 step take apart solution guide, but they quickly got bored and moved on to other less-taxing activities.  Solving difficult brain teasers is NOT on my list of skills or interests.  I have only ever touched a Rubik's cube once and I think that was only because it was one of those cute little key chain ones. 

If there's too much effort involved, I give up.  It's pitiful, I know, but thankfully I'm good at other things.  

On Friday afternoon, when the Scout Master packed the van for his camp out, the Knot was still in pieces on my coffee table.   Through the weekend, the pieces were still there.  Yesterday morning, they moved back to the Scout Master's desk during his conference calls.  But at 4:00pm, as he was packing for his trip to HOU, I noticed that not a lot of progress had been made in getting that knot "re-knotted."  

Just as he walked out the door to go to the airport, he said to Spell Girl "Why don't you see if you can finish this."   And I think I overheard something about a skateboard as a reward if she could do it.  I don't think he seriously thought there would be a reward to worry about though. 

All of our kids are driven...some more than others depending on the time and the circumstances.  Spell Girl isn't our most competitive, but she is the most determined of the bunch.  She is inifinitely patient (like her dad) and can't turn down a dare (like her mom.)  If you combine those two qualities with the extrinsic motivation of a skateboard...

...you get a 12 year old who can move mountains!   

It was inspiring to watch her work on that puzzle for HOURS!  She never complained, just quietly and diligently worked.  She put a few pieces together and then took them apart.  She looked at the guide and followed the steps and then finally abandoned that and just let her instincts take over.  4 hours later, she proudly held up the completed Gordian Knot! 

The thing about Spell Girl that I love so much is that she is determined.  She defines her goal and then quietly sets out to accomplish it.  And then she does it.  Sometimes it takes days or weeks, or in this case, HOURS, but she does it.  And when she finishes, she never wants to shout it from the rooftops like some of the rest of us might be inclined to do.  She's just content to know that she did it.  I love that. 

Determination and humility.  I'm pretty sure this girl is going to do amazing things in her life.

Toy Jail

Years ago, when the girls were little, after many failed attempts at getting them to clean their rooms and pick up their toys, we started this great cleaning/discipline strategy that we lovingly called TOY JAIL (they didn't love it, but I did.) 

Essentially, if they left their toys out after the alotted "clean up" time (which is BEFORE school, BEFORE playdates, BEFORE TV or computer time) their toys would be subject to being confiscated and thrown into TOY JAIL.  Toys in TOY JAIL have to be purchased back by the owner with our household currency... 

And only one toy can be purchased in a 24 hour period.  The rule was: "If you love it, put it away.  Otherwise it belongs to Mommy."  There were many tears when someone would come home and find their "beloved something" missing.  And occasionally there were extremely creative ways of liberating toys.  Once, TCD (who had LOTS of toy prisoners) convinced Spell Girl (who had lots of tickets) that it would be "the right thing to do" to free all of her toys for her.  We figured out quickly who were our workers and who were our negotiators. 

Overall, it was an effective method of getting children to put away their things.  And even when they neglected that responsibility, I still ended up with a clean space.  Sometime between 2003 when Mack was born and last weekend, though, we must have abandoned the TOY JAIL philosophy.  For all of Mack's life, he's had more mothers and helpers than any little boy needs.  Which is a good thing and a debilitating thing.  Apparently, it's prevented him from learning how to take care of his stuff.

On Saturday morning, I asked everyone to clean their rooms and pick up their stuff (just like I do EVERY DAY of their lives.)  At 11:30, Mack's friends came to get him to play football.  He said, "Can I go??"  and I said, "Is your room clean?"  (And I don't think I just asked if it was generically clean.  I think I specifically asked, "Is your bed made?"  "Are your clothes put away?"  "Are your toys put away?"  To which he answered emphatic YES's.)   So, I said he could play, and off he went. 

...and then I walked upstairs!

There were more toys than carpet as far as the eye could see.  His clean clothes, that I had just washed and folded, were strewn all over the floor.  His bed was unmade.  Not only was his room NOT clean; it looked like a tornado had hit it sometime in the night.  I wish I could say that I was rational and calm about the whole thing, but Saturday was not a good day for me anyway, and this was that LAST STRAW that just about broke me.  He was too far away to retrieve from playing, but in my blind rage, I had a brilliant idea!

I got a trash bag and a large Rubbermaid tub from the garage and I resurrected TOY JAIL.  I, not so carefully, put all of the trash (including things that may have just looked like trash) in the trash bag and all the toys and clothes into the tub.  Then I hauled them both downstairs and waited for Mack's return. 

I did eventually calm down.  By the time Mack got home, I had already let out all of my aggression on his toys, so there wasn't any left for him.  After his inital shock and horror, we talked about TOY JAIL and the importance of taking care of our things.  I showed him where his stuff was and assured him that it would be there until he earned it all back.  I explained that the girls had all had their TOY JAIL experiences in the past, and now they're so good at keeping their things tidy (I wish that were entirely true.)  And each of the girls commiserated with him that he had to suffer this heartache. 

But, in the end, TOY JAIL on Saturday was extremely effective. 

1) Mack has kept his room clean for the past three days and has asked more times this week than in his entire life if there are any jobs he can do around the house.  Do you think 8 is too young to clean gutters?

and...

2) When the girls saw the mood I was in, they quickly cleaned their rooms TO PERFECTION so that I would have no reason to collect any of their belongings.  And they kept them clean. 

Sometimes fear can inspire greatness....

I try not to be the dragon too often.

 



Time Out

I'm taking a break from the usual Stuff I Love topics...just for a second...I'm sure there will be things I love tomorrow...or next week.

But today, I can't really think of any.

Do you know what I HATE??

I hate cancer.
I hate devastation and destruction.
I hate being caught up in gossip.
I hate when the people you want to be with the most are too far away.
I hate disappointment.
And I hate OU.


That's it...

 

ESPN

Just in case you didn't happen to see the most exciting football game on ESPN last night, here's a highlight video...

ALLEN HS v PLANO EAST 

It was an amazing game.  I don't think I breathed at all during the last quarter.  And once again, #19 Andrew Rodriguez was phenomenal.  Love that kid!!   

I'm so glad we got to see this game in person.  It was totally worth being stuck in the parking lot for 45 minutes and staying up until midnight on a school night! 

Final score: Allen 42 Plano East 38

Happiness

Don't you love that feeling when you're just happy...not for any particular reason...just happy.

It's fall.  The weather is gorgeous.  It's football season.  It's almost Halloween (more on that later.)  There's a lot to be happy about.  I absolutely LOVE this time of year.  And even though it's been an exceptionally busy couple of weeks, I feel totally and completely happy.  

Rolls

We invited our friends over for dinner tonight and to watch the second session of Conference.  
We really really like them, so we planned our most extra special dinner.   The Scout Master grilled flank steak (and I might have had a few bites of it because it smelled SO good!)  I made two pans of funeral potatoes, rolls, and a giant fruit salad.  Natasha brought broccoli salad.  And Blanca brought homemade caramel empanadas (serious YUM!)

In my entire life, I can count on one hand the number of times I've attempted to make rolls from scratch.  But I did it for this dinner because (did I already say this?) we really, really love these people.  A few years ago, my sister in law, Nance, made her mother's rolls for a Thanksgiving dinner and I'm pretty sure they were the only things I ate.  The recipe is surprisingly easy even for the "bread making disabled." 

Here's the recipe...

Scald 1 C milk in microwave with 1 stick butter, 1 C sugar, 1 t salt (about 3-4 minutes)
Mix one pkg yeast, 1/3 C warm water, 1t sugar.  Once it's risen and foamy, beat 4 eggs and add to yeast goop.  Then add scalded milk mix.  
Add 4 3/4 C flour.  Stir with wooden spoon till sticky.  
Let rise once, then cut into rolls.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Here's Nance's secret and the thing that makes them the BEST ROLLS EVER!...

...before you put the rolls on the pan, you throw a half a stick of butter on it and put in the oven until it's melty. And then you put the uncooked rolls on it and bake them in all that drippy deliciousness.  (So YUMMY!)
 
Here's what they look like when they're done...

 these aren't mine...I was way too busy cooking to take pictures of anything...but my rolls looked just like this

And guess what!  They turned out amazing and they tasted even better.  And our friends totally loved the dinner.  Hooray!  The smallest things are so completely satisfying sometimes.

Those rolls might be showing up more often than just on special occasions. 

Hamsters

You know that scripture about running faster than you have strength?  

Mosiah 4:27 "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."
Well, I thought I'd test it this week.  

See that first column that's covered in BLUE?  That's usually for MOM and DAD, but this week, I don't have room for any of the Scout Master's stuff on there and I've been too busy to even ask him what he's doing this week.  It's all just MY STUFF!  And see all those other BLUE things sprinkled in the KID's columns?  I have to DRIVE to all of those, so it's not like those aren't part of my week, too.  It's insanely busy.  I'm already completely exhausted and grumpy and it's only TUESDAY!

And guess what???  Look at October...

 It hasn't even gotten here, and it's already full.  I think I have a free day on the 18th...ugh!

I'm so tired, I can hardly keep my eyes open and I still have two more places to go tonight.


But I read this recently and it reminded me of the whole reason I write this blog... 

"Never let a day pass without looking for the good.  Make it your life commitment and you will stand in utter awe of what happens in your life."

I don't really know if anyone else reads this or cares about the stuff I say, but it's the way I make myself find something great about the day.  Because there's always something great to find...some days when the calendar is covered in BLUE, you have to look harder, but it's there.


Today it's this...


Text from TCD as I was sitting in the carpool line waiting to pick up Spell Girl from middle school... 

Hey, Mommy, did you know that cigarettes are a lot like hamsters?  They're perfectly safe until you put one in your mouth and light it on fire!

That dumb joke made me laugh all the way to the high school and again just now when I wrote it.  Sometimes when you're about to fall asleep waiting in line at the grocery store, or when you're so sick of cleaning the kitchen and restocking the pantry, or when no amount of begging, pleading and terrorizing is getting your children's rooms cleaned, a good hamster joke is exactly what you need. Enjoy!

Fifteen

How is it that this cute little thing...

...is now 15 years old?

Here's some stuff you might not know about TCD...

She didn't have any hair until she was about 9 months old, and when it came in, it was RED!

 She's been a Daddy's girl since the day we brought her home.

I refused to dress her in pink, ruffly, fluffy things...which is funny if you think about what she's drawn to now. 

She has ALWAYS had a thing for shoes!

It's such an amazing thing to watch your little baby turn into a remarkable teenager.  I am totally in awe of this girl.  Everyday she says or does something that happily surprises me. 

I love that she is driven and focused in school, but hilariously funny and goofy at home.  
I love that she spends her free time working on Personal Progress and challenging her friends to read the Book of Mormon.    
I love that out of the past 15 years of her life, her favorite one was this past one.
I love that she has a magnetic personality.  People just want to be around her.
I love that her lightning fast wit keeps me constantly laughing.
I love that she jumps into everything head first...100%...without looking back.
I love that she genuinely cares about other people.
I love that she strives to always do better.
I love that she is confident and a leader.  There's a reason we call her "The Cruise Director."
I love that she still listens to her parents even though she knows a lot of stuff.
I love that she's adventurous and outgoing.
I love that she forgets herself and does quietly nice things for other people.
I love that she is bold and convicted about her standards.
I love that she has common sense like no one I have ever met.

I love that she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. 


This morning she wanted cupcakes for Seminary...for BOTH Freshman classes because her cute friend, Cameron, is in the other class.   

It's Cam's birthday today, too.  In fact, not only were they both born on September 26, 1996...they were born at the same time (almost).  Cameron was born at 5:25pm in Dallas (CST).  TCD was born at 6:29pm in Atlanta (EST).  Cool, huh?  

General Relief Society Broadcast

I loved the General Relief Society Broadcast last night.  I always love to hear from Sister Beck and her counselors, but by far the greatest talk of the night was President Uchtdorf's.  I think that must have been the general consensus everywhere because I heard many sisters say the same thing last night after the broadcast and again this morning in church.

 Forget Me Nots

"I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your life joyful and sweet."

1.  Forget Not to be patient with yourself.
2.  Forget Not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.
3.  Forget Not to be happy now.
4.  Forget Not the WHY of the gospel.
5.  Forget Not that the Lord loves you.

"Never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy. Please never forget that the 'why' of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves and cherishes you."  - Pres Uchtdorf

I sat in the chapel last night thinking how different things are now than they were a year ago.  Last year I was fairly new in this ward and I didn't know very many people.  My friends from Mendon had all made their annual trip down to Salt Lake to attend the RS broadcast in the Conference Center.  And as the camera scanned the massive audience, I remember looking for familiar faces.  I couldn't see any, but it was immensely comforting to know that they were there listening to the same talks I was listening to.  

This time, I only had to look down the row in the chapel to see plenty of familiar faces that I have come to love.   It's still so comforting, though, to know that even though we are far away, the friends and family I have left in Mendon, Salt Lake, Atlanta, and Seattle were doing exactly the same thing I did last night.  I am so very grateful to be united in this worldwide sisterhood.    

Maroon 5

Do you know what I love about concerts?  The driving beat.  It's so loud that you can feel it INSIDE your skin.  You can't tell if it's the drums or your heart beating.  I LOVE that feeling when the music compels you to MOVE.  What an amazing rush! 

It's been FOREVER since I've been to a real concert. 


I average about one every decade...

 Journey (80s)

Jimmy Buffett (90s)

 Donny Osmond (2002)

Maroon 5 (2011)

They toured with...

 Matt Nathanson

Train

Guess what I'll be learning on the ukulele next?? :)

All three bands were amazing!  The Scout Master prefers Train.  But I'm a HUGE Maroon 5 fan, so I thought they were the best.  From the time they started until the left the stage, they didn't even take a breath.  It was like one continuous song.  

  Never Gonna Leave This Bed (favorite song of the night!)

Makes Me Wonder 

(no, maybe this one was the best???)

Harder to Breathe

oh forget it, I can't decide...I loved all of them!

I should just make a Maroon 5/Train/Matt Nathanson playlist.

AHS Football Update:  We were seriously conflicted about whether to go to the concert that we've had tickets to since May, or to skip it and go to the AHS @ Plano game.  Maroon 5 obviously won out.  But we sent TCD to represent us at the game.  And they won 44-7.  Two (almost three) of those TDs were made by #19.  Oh, and Allen is currently ranked #1 in the nation, just in case you were wondering.