Help from the Lord

I am grateful for the help I am given from the Lord in seemingly insignificant ways.  For me the story of Christ turning water into wine is proof that He cares about the burdens women carry - even when they aren't really heavy - but heavy to us.   (This is an Ensign article that teaches this principle beautifully.)

This is a story about one of those times.

Screen time has taken over our life.  Not necessarily that they are on it all the time but more that they are asking for it all the time and emotionally obsessed with it.  I tried setting up rules, times, and restrictions, but nothing really seemed to satisfy them.  One of the problems was that we only have one computer and one tv - and they all wanted to do things at the same time and to rotate through all 4 of them every day was taking hours and it was on my shoulders to make everything "fair".  It was a heavy burden that was weighing on me.  I knew things were out of control - but I wasn't sure what to do.  An obvious solution was to get more "screens" - but we didn't want to do that.  I wanted to take a whole month off and have no screens at all (or a whole year off!) - but I knew deep down that wouldn't solve anything.  I kept trying to come up with new plans and routines - but everything I came up with seemed to make me feel more overwhelmed and depressed.  So I took my petition to the Lord.

On Friday morning in my morning prayers I asked Him to help me to know what to do.  "Should I become more controlling and scheduled in our screen time or should I let go and give them more autonomy and independence with it?" I asked.  I didn't get an answer right away - I ended my prayer and started my morning scripture study.  In the middle of my study my mind saw a clear plan.  I grabbed a piece of paper and stared writing what I saw, as I wrote, more details came - after about 5 minutes I had a clear plan that seemed to solve all our problems - and the best part - I felt excited about it - that is when I know it it the Spirit - my mind feels clear (almost like an obvious "why didn't I think of that before") and I get excited.  Usually I take new plans to Jason before implementing them - but he was at work and it was still spring break and all the kids were home.  I felt so sure about the plan that I went right down stairs and presented it to the kids.  Instead of push back - they were excited too.  Now we have only been doing it for 3 days - but they have been 3 days of awesomeness!   And when Jason came home from work and we told him about it he immediately was on board.

I am so grateful that I get help in this parenting thing from One who knows all and loves me and my children.  I realized I don't turn to Him enough.  Why didn't I ask Him 2 months ago when things started getting out of control?  Why do I try to do it alone?  In fairness I am always seeking for His spirit and praying, reading and doing all of those things and asking for help - but in general ways.  I need to take more specific problems to Him.  I am grateful to know He cares.



**The plan: Each Monday after school they get 7 tokens to use however they want all week (before we had different rules for weekdays and weekends - I threw that out).  To use a token they have to be done with their high 5 (get dressed, clean room, make bed, brush teeth, say prayers) and be done with their homework.  They can use their token whenever they want on whatever they want (before there were restrictions as to what kind screen time they could have at certain times).  Each token represents 40 minutes (two shows or 1 Madden game).  You can watch or play with siblings and not use a token - but the one whose token it is is "in charge" about what is being watched or played.  (Even though this means "more" screen time per child it is important to me that screen time (especially x-box) remains a social thing and not an isolationist thing).  When they are out of tokens they are out.  (I am betting (because I know my children) - that they will be out by Sunday which will make our Sunday worship better because of their OWN choices and not by me not allowing it on Sundays).  Family Movie Night doesn't count.  And (for now) screen time at a friends house doesn't count.

Family News Letter

Last year I started a family news letter for my mom's extended family.  I sent a letter to explain why.  Here it is:

So several months ago I had an idea about "someone should do a family newsletter".  Clearly we all grew up seeing each other mostly every week, and while many/most of you still do that - several of us have (and will) move away and it has been strange leaving such a close family (at least for me).  Eventually that idea turned from "someone should do a family newsletter" to "I should do a family newsletter";  I ignored the idea for months because most days I feel like I am barley keeping my head above water, but after several months of feeling that prompting I finally surrendered to the Spirit and have committed to do it.  However, if there is a Young Woman, Young Man, or anyone in need of a project for personal progress or scouts or anything that would ever like to take over for a month or few months - I would love that!

My plan is to "spotlight" a different person in each family each month.  I plan on also including things like birthdays, important dates coming up, and depending on how much room I have leftover some fun things like favorite recipes, memories, family history stuff, special news, etc.  If you have a good idea let me know.

Obviously in this age of technology this would be really fast, easy, and cheap to do it over email.  However I decided to call everyone this month and found how much I enjoyed talking to people I wouldn't have otherwise talked to.  So you will be getting phone calls from me when it is your turn to be "spotlighted" so please answer or please call back.  I also decided to send it by snail-mail.  I often skim through emails and plan on reading in depth later and never do.  I want this to be able to be put on your fridge and have your kids read as they come in and out.  This however will come at a much higher cost - I am guessing about 15 dollars a month (I am sending 20) - so if you appreciate this J and if you ever have extra stamps, envelopes, paper, or money… please send my way.  I don't know how long this will be sustainable and if needs be I might end up having to do it through email.

Also I am not a journalist, English major, or perfectionist - so please give me grace.  I will try to be semi creative but I am spending minimal time on this.  If you have suggestions or things that you think might help please feel free to let me know - I take criticism well.  But as far as spelling and grammatical errors go - please keep that to yourself. J  Also I would like a better name than "The Brown's" but am not creative enough to come up with something.  Naturally I thought, "The Brown Bugle" but wanted something with a little bit of meaning.  So I issue a challenge for someone creative to come up with a great title.

I love you all and miss you all.  Thanks for being such a strong example to me.  I had no idea how much you were all apart of me until I moved.  Thank you.

It has been a lot harder than I thought, but more rewarding than I thought.  I had honestly hoped to do it every month - but has actually been more like every other month.  But I guess that is ok.  TO be honest I didn't know why I was starting it in the first place - other than the spirit told me too.  I still don't know - I don't know if it will be just a "nice thing" that I did - or if it will really make a difference in our family - either now or in the future.  I will keep doing it, best I can. 

But the real purpose of this post is put our family spotlight from last month.  For journal reasons.  

(Jason and I were spotlighted back in August and the kids in March of this year)

Jamie (I) am devastated summer is coming to a close.  I love having my kids at home and if I thought it was best for them would home school.  This year I will have a 3rd, 2nd, and Kindergartener!  I am not sure what to do with just one 4 year old - I don’t think she will know what to do with herself either.  But we have had the best summer of our lives and I am excited to know that each summer is only going to get  better as my children get older.   They are learning to do chores, and cook, and read, and hike, and do all sorts of fun things.  We love to hike together as a family.  I have turned our basement into a preschool and am about to start my second year.  I loved it last year and am excited to do it this year.   It  is way more of a hobby than a job or source of income – and that is fine by me.  A few months ago  my friend and neighbor got baptized after I introduced her to the gospel – my ward jumped on that opportunity and I got released from cub scouts and became a ward missionary.  I enjoy watching NBC Nightly News everyday to feel in touch with the world, along with The Daily Show, The Middle, Modern Family, and The Good Wife.  I also get together with all the women on my street once a week to watch The Bachelor – sad I know – but I love it!

Jason is doing amazing at work.  His job is everything he/we hoped it would be when we moved here.  He has been promoted several times since our move two years ago.  He was also called as a ward missionary with me (released from primary) – he teaches the gospel principles class for all the investigators and new converts.  He loves teaching – especially in the church – so it is a perfect fit for him and he is doing a great job.  He got into mountain biking with some men in the ward but a hernia surgery earlier this year has put a hold on that hobby for now.  He has plans to buy a gun soon and learn to go hunting.

Brock is in the third grade.  He is our little athlete.  He played his first season of flag football last fall and is signed up for his 5th year of soccer for the spring.  He still enjoys basketball and is planning to play baseball soon.  Everyday afterschool he is playing soccer or football with the neighborhood boys out in the street.  He loves following the Denver Bronco’s and has recently started playing Madden on the X-box and loves taking the Bronco’s to the Super Bowl himself.  Noah is in the second grade.  Noah loves to talk, learn, ask question,  read, and find out why to everything.  He will carry on a conversation with anyone for well over 2 hours.  Last year he was in the school Chess Club and has decided to start taking the piano (first we have to buy one).  He loves to write, draw, and do crafts .  For the last few weeks he has been writing his own comic strip.   His favorite past time is building with Legos, however most weekends you will find him playing Mine Craft.  Megan is in Kindergarten. She spends most of her days  doing crafts.  She has about 3 tables in our house that are her “craft tables” – we go through paper like crazy!  She is learning to read and enjoys writing.  She decided not to sign up for soccer this spring (as was planned) and take swim lessons instead.  She has learned to swim in just 2 lessons and talks about wanting to compete… we will see.  She loves to build with Legos and has recently started playing Mine Craft with Noah.   Madison is in preschool (my preschool).  She recently learned to read and shot well past a Kindergarten level in just  2 weeks – I am amazed at the words she can read – and she loves it!  She insists on reading books to me at nap time instead of having them read to her – even if it is way past her level – she will sit and sound each and every word out.  Madison loves to go outside and play with all her friends in the neighborhood.  She loves to be around people and has great social skills – many of the older girls in the neighborhood love to play with her.  Right now she is really into games.   All day she lobbies people to play slap jack or spot it – if no one will she practices by herself.  She has gotten really good and legitimately can beat any of us at these games.

Missionary work

Megan has decided that she wants to be a "kid missionary".  She made these cards for several kids in her class.  She came running to me one evening and showed them to me.  She said she was going to take them to school tomorrow and hand them out.  If I am being honest I was hoping she wouldn't.  I loved her enthusiasm, but... you know... that's weird.  

But she did it.  So far I haven't gotten any phone calls.  :)

"To Nora
From Megan
Jesus Christ"

"Come to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" 

Bottom circle "Go on Sunday"

Top circle: "By the bank  By King Soopers" (our grocery store ) - she is giving them directions to the church.

Preschool Program

Wow - another Christmas post!  These are some pictures one of my preschooler's mom just emailed me from my Christmas Program. 

This was our Christmas pajama program.

Singing "Way up high in the Christmas Tree"

Rudolph

Lucia, Todd, Madison, Luke, Bailey, and Brighton

 I absolutely love having my preschool.  It is such a wonderful hobby!  I am grateful that I did it while I still had kids young enough to be in it - although I am looking forward to NOT having any kids in it next year.  It is hard to play mom and teacher at the same time.  I am SO GRATEFUL to Jason who has given up half our house and a lot of my/our time to allow me to use my education, develop my talents, and enjoy a hobby - I swear one day I will make some money and stop spending hundreds of dollars on glitter!

Megan

Megan got "big girl glasses" and is growing her bangs out.  I actually love that she is getting older.  She is such a great help to me around the house.  Being the oldest girl (even with two older brothers) still carries a lot of weight.  And she is up to the challenge!

Snow days

We have had 3 snow days this year.  We LOVE snow days.  We spend them playing outside in the snow, shoveling neighbors' driveways (Brock is really into that), sledding, doing school work (I am the meanest mom), and drinking hot chocolate. 

My kids could play in the snow for hours.  On this day most of them were trying to build an igloo - some were more successful than others.

We also love our hill in our front yard - it provides a decent hill if we get more than 10 inches of snow.

Project Linus

Last fall I really tried to get our kids involved in service.  I fell off the service band wagon since the new year - it was time to try again.  Last week we went to a local Catholic Church and participated in a service project called "Project Linus" - making blankets for at risk babies and children.  I have gone to this event several times but this time I decided to take the kids, figuring they are old enough to tie knots at the end of fleece blankets.

When we got there some missionaries were there.  That is Sis Parslow and Sis McBride - I have worked with them a lot.

Krista and Andrea.

They also had blank quilt squares that the kids could color before stitching.  Jason helped the girls make a few.

The boys and I cut fleece.

Isn't he cute?

Together we cut and tied 4 blankets - it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning.

Building a tree house

The weather gets warm here in the winter - it's kind of awesome.  Warm as in - unless it is snowing -it is 60.  On one hand I love it, on the other it makes you think it is Spring - then you realize it is still January and then you want to crawl back in bed and die (did I say that out loud)....

Anyways... One warm day in January the boys and their friends wanted to make a tree house.  I knew they couldn't (our trees are not big enough) - but I wasn't going to tell them that.  I gave them some wood and tools and told them to have at it.  They tried for a good hour and a half.  They could never figure it out - but they loved trying and have a plan to try again next time it's warm - they just want me to take them to Home Depot first. ha

Having big kids rock.  I am loving this stage of life.

Beethoven

Noah had a famous person's project in school.  He picked Beethoven.  He really wanted to look just like him.  That is kind of hard.  He was semi happy with the final results - he said, "I kind of look like a crazy Beethoven."  Noah takes projects like this VERY seriously.  

Go Broncos

It is SO FUN to live in a city with a professional team that is well known and good!  As a child I had a good run with the Jazz from like 95 -97 with Stockton and Malone - but they could never deliver!  Now my kids are enjoying, to the fullest extent, the joy of winning national championships.  They love the Broncos and truly enjoy watching all the games and following their stats.  It is really fun.  We were so excited for them to go to the the Super Bowl.  Go Broncos!

Pine Wood Derby

Brock participated in his first Pine Wood Derby.  Of course it was a Bronco car.  They made it the shape of an airplane wing.  Jason swore it was the way his brother Matt always built his car and he always won.  Brock and Jason had a fun time building it and painting it and Brock was VERY proud of his car.  Unfortunately right before the race we had some wood chip off under one wheel that made the car wobble.  So we didn't win - but Brock didn't care - he raced great and was thrilled to have built it.

The next month we had the Rain Gutter Regatta.  Our Cub Scout Master is kind of really into us building stuff every month.  Needless to say, Brock and Jason have been spending a lot of time together.

The great Lego sort of 2016

January is always a hard month for me (January - March if we are really being honest).  They are also hard for the kids (probably just because I am in a bad mood).  Well  - we needed an activity  AND both Noah and Megan had been asking to rebuild past Lego creations that had gotten broken and the pieces were "lost" in the giant Lego tub.  So one day we decided to start sorting.  I knew that if everything got sorted we could easily rebuild all their old stuff.  Well, we sorted and sorted and sorted.  About 12 hours later (over the space of 3 days) we sorted all of our Legos into about 100 different categories.  It was intense - but actually really fun and very rewarding.  We were able then to pull out all of their old instructions and rebuild things.  It was also very rewarding to find out that we haven't really lost much.  When something calls for 26 very specific kind of pieces and I think "no way we have those still - I have seen them laying all over the house for the past year" and then we end up with exactly 26 - it made me feel like maybe we aren't as chaotic as it seems.  We kept things sorted for a few weeks - but eventually (for space reasons) we had to consolidate.  We condensed it down to about 10 different categories.

They still have their things built and it provided (and still provides) hours and hours of fun.  My kids love to build with Legos and also play with what they built - I love it.  (except Brock - he says, "I am not that in to Legos).

independence

This is a picture from the summer.  We (the neighborhood women and I) have started giving the older boys some independence.  This was their first completely solo bike ride/adventure.  They rode to a local "gully" where there is a pond and caught frogs (that bucket has about 20 baby frog in it).  It was awesome!  They were gone for a good hour.  We all can't wait for this to start happening more and more - they are so ready!

Christmas Toys

We do a simple Christmas around here. 

 Brock got Madden for the X-Box.

New Nerf Guns

And a Bronco's sweat shirt and beanie

Noah got Lego's,

Lego's,

And Lego's.  That's it - 3 or 4 different Lego sets.  

Megan also got Lego's.

And these things.  And also an 18 inch doll (like and American girl doll - but from Target.)

Beware - Madison wanted a picture with every present. (ever from her stocking)

Her most favorite present was this pink bear from Grandma Hanna.

She gets a "squishy ball" every year - she loves, loves, loves them.

Her doll

A Frozen jewelry box

A journal and sparkly markers.

It was a wonderful Chrsitmas and were still spoiled with presents from family, even though they are far away.  We all felt very loved and grateful.  Thank you.