Magic of Family

So this video has been around for some 10 years but I haven't seen it until now.  That's OK.  Perhaps I appreciate it more now than I would have 10 years ago.

I must be in way too philosophical of a mood today but I absolutely loved this video.

Yes it is funny.  It is hilarious.  But it struck me as so fabulous and even beautiful.

I got a few take-aways from this.

The first is that no family is perfect.  When we look at each other superficially (like in a picture or from facebook posts) we see the surface.  We don't usually see the realness behind: the struggles, the prayers, the joys, the triumphs...

Second, kids are great: babies, littles, middles, teens, and adult kids.  They are great.  I  had kids so that I could have teens.  And now that I have them, I know they are better than I imagined.  I am so excited to see what it will be like to have adult children.

Finally, Families are the best invention EVER, as in ever!  eternally!   No other organization has ever come close to the simple beauty of the lessons learned in the family.  No where else can you so perfectly learn the lessons of love, sacrifice, compassion, forgiveness, long suffering, the value of work, obedience, humility, cooperation,... oh, the list goes on.

Back to Zones

We have been functioning on minimal maintenance (if even that) since Joshua arrived. Next week I want to get back to our work zones and do a deeper cleaning each day. I use to think that I had to do one zone a week because that is what was always recommended. This was because they were always trying to tell me "this is all you have to do today so you can do it." Instead, I will work on a zone until it is finished and then move on to the next zone whether it takes 2 days or 2 weeks. What was happening was I was finishing early and then getting a break. This is not good if I am trying to create a habit. The idea is to get into the habit of consistently working through them.

Zone 1 Laundry Room / Garage, Playroom and Outside
Zone 2 Bathrooms and Bedrooms
Zone 3 Kitchen and Dining Room
Zone 4 Living Room and Desk

It is good to have a smaller house!

Now Daniel likes to use the chore cards. Steven prefers a simple list. I wonder if I can accommodate both of their preferences without doing too much myself.

The other trick is working in our rhythm. (Of course the flow of the day is often determined by the level of successfulness of the bed time routine from the night before.) I want to include:

Clean bedrooms
Breakfast
Scriptures
Chores
With feeding Joshua and pumping somewhere in the mix. This is what is messing up the flow.

By this time, they usually need a good break. Now during the school year, this would all happen before we begin school for the day. If we are slow then school doesn't start until almost lunch time.

I need to figure out when I will do my own studying too. I would like to do as much before they wake up as possible, (without starting the day out too late) and then have an hour or two in the afternoon when I have uninterrupted time. (Yeah right, with Joshua?!?)

Be prayerful. Take it one day at a time. Create a victory list.
I think I need someone to report to; someone who will keep me accountable, not to perfection, but to progression.

Happy Birthday Daniel / Welcome Joshua

So the revised the due date (12th) came and went. Since he wasn't coming and he wasn't coming, we started to wonder if the original due date was more accurate after all. I was really hoping to have Daniel's birthday and the new baby's birthday at least a week apart. I finally began to think that I was forever going to be that big and live with sciatica.

So Daniel's birthday and due date came (Saturday the 22nd). We had a fun birthday for him. He received the watch he had been wanting so badly and all the neighborhood kids came over for cake (that way I'm not tempted to finish it).

Rebecca, Daniel, and his motorcycle cake

Steven accompanied "Happy Birthday" on his guitar

Then Sunday morning at about 2:00 I was woken up by "a real contraction." I had them rather consistently for a while at about 10 minutes apart. They eventually tapered off and I got some more sleep. But this was the day. Tawni (sis in law) and Sage (sister) came over with all sorts of food. (Tawni left us with 3-4 dinners. Bless that woman!!!) But I wasn't moving quite fast enough and she had to go and rescue Hyrum from his National Guard Drills. Sage stayed though and kept the kids occupied as my contractions became more intense. We called the midwife at about 6:00 and she headed over. Our baby was born at 9:26pm.

He weighed 9lb 4oz and 22 in long. Our biggest yet. With this and a few other indicators we figure he was over due after all. Daniel didn't get him for his birthday, but they are now birthday neighbors.

Steven had all the kids calling him Joshua and since Mom and Dad never really came up with anything else, he won. We finally decided to name him Joshua Moroni Johnson.

Naturally our camera decided to loose itself so we have only a few cell phone pictures. Rebecca has misplaced the phone and I don't want to wait any longer to post this. I'll have to add them later. sorry. Here is one to keep you going.

Archery

Have I told you (bragged on) how good Steven is with archery? Jefferson Academy (the charter school in Show Low) had an archery class. Steven fell in love. At the time we were able to buy one of those cheap (toy) bows from Walmart. He has been saving ever since for a real bow. With a wonderful gift from Grandma, he was able to finally get his Genesis Bow after Christmas.

In early March we found a 4H archery club in Mount Vernon. It is almost a 45 minute drive, so we do not go every week. But he has already made a name for himself there. He is the kid "who doesn't need sights." (He has just gotten use to not using them and when he tries, they mess him up.) But even without sights, he shoots better than almost everyone else there. The kid is actually pretty good!

Finding order in this place.

Yesterday Jonny accused me of nesting. WHAT, just because I am having the kids help me scour every forgotten corner of this place?!? OK, maybe nesting is part of it. Another part is knowing that it needs to be done. A third reason is that in having a home birth, I will be inviting people into my home and I want to minimize my embarrassment. But the main reason is my children. I have been doing to much for them. They are capable and deserve to have me do them the favor of teaching them to work themselves.

Housekeeping has never been one of my strengths and with my lazy nature, I have had difficulty learning to do it while teaching my children to do it at the same time. I have fallen into the trap of doing most of it for them. I finally came to some realizations (in part inspired by the lazy organizer). I'm not sure how much time I want to spend in confession mode right now. But I have had some epiphanies over the last couple weeks. Some were some duhh moments, but apparently I have needed them spelled out for me.


One thing she said that just hit me was this:
"There is a reason why we have to prepare meals, wash clothes, clean up dirt, care for our homes and the people in it. These are not meaningless activities that get in the way of real life. THIS IS LIFE .... My purpose in life is to care for my family and clean the dirt every day."


So, my job is not to get the house work out of the way so that I can get to the noble business of changing the world. My job is to get up, teach my children how to work, and really love my job. It has been a huge paradigm shift that I am loving.

Consequentially, we have been spending several hours a day working together. It has been great. I am very surprised my energy level has remained as high as it has. Usually at this point in pregnancy, I sweep the floor and then have to sit and rest before I can grab the dust pan to finish the job. Even with my poor sleeping I am able to do quite a bit. Maybe it has to do with those green smoothies I have been making :-)


I actually made it past that first big hurdle that always throws me back to where I was before. I know there will be more (like childbirth and family vising) but I am on my way.

I am loving my job. YAHOO!!

PlayDo Days

We have been having several days of play do fun. They were so

productive and creative. Not exactly what I had planned, but why mess

with a good thing? Actually it all started with cub scouts last week when

they had a game day. They have been playing UNO, checkers, and chess, almost daily ever sense.






I'm not exactly sure what they are suppose to be, but they did have fun. Since they insisted I keep these images for posterity, you have the opportunity to enjoy.

Teaching Self Government

I love children. They each challenge me in a different way. It seems Daniel is determined to make me a better parent. Steven just goes with the flow. Isaac is so undemanding (unless you fail to prepare him for a change, but that is rare). But Daniel really likes to push buttons. He must enjoy the power he can have over people. For about a year, I have known that I need to find a better way to parent him, or our lives would just be a series of futile power struggles which would just get worse. I think I could really ruin the kid if I do not start doing something differently.

I have pondered and prayed about this quite a bit. Last Spring I heard a talk given by Nicholeen Peck on teaching your children self government. She was the foster parent of many tough kids for several years. Today she parents her own children using the methods she learned as a foster parent. When she and her husband received training as foster parents they were taught parenting skills that were originally developed in Boys Town. Now I admit that the only reference I had to Boys Town was the movie with Spencer Tracy. He played a Father Flanagan who started a home for troubled youth.

Nicholeen has taken the lessons she learned and applied gospel principles. The one hour talk I heard was abridged from her 7 hour seminar. I knew I needed the whole thing so I finally gathered the money to get the seminar recordings. I have learned so much from her and what little I have been able to implement in our home, has already improved things for all of us and encouraged me to continue.

Last week, the Pecks were featured in one of Britain's reality shows called "The Worlds Strictest Parents." Here is the link to see the show. http://teachingselfgovernment.com/worlds-strictest-parents-video-part-1_482/ I have enjoyed reading her blog as she talks about all that happened that didn't make the final cut.

But it is not just about troubled kids; it is about changing hearts. Learning self government is about learning how to govern you own behavior, about finding a reason to change; not just power struggles. These are skills that many adults have never developed. In a nutshell I have learned how to set up a system of family government. This leaves me the ability to love, teach, and change hearts.

Happy Birthday Rebecca

Rebecca turned 2 today. This is rather bitter-sweet. She is starting to potty train too and is now doing pretty well. Her independent streak is showing up more. She wants to dress herself, but does not quite have the motor skills to do so and becomes frustrated, yet still refuses help.