Give Away

Hey Guys!  I am doing my first Give Away today Monday July 15th at my Facebook page.  I made a really cute Owl Prayer Board to help you remember the people you know who need prayers, you could also use it as a to-do board etc.  It's 8x10 and it comes with everything you need, papers, pins, etc. 
Here's the link to my FB page so you can enter:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Focused-on-the-Positive/207847512639736

All you have to do is like my Facebook page, or share this give away on facebook with your friends.  Pretty easy.  It is open today Monday July 15th until midnight.  Good luck!

A Mother's Purpose

I want to share some of my thoughts about what it's like to be a mom today.  Thanks to the wealth of ideas on the Internet the expectations of a mother have become a little... unrealistic.  We feel pressure to:

• cook yummy meals using all the latest healthy ingredients; create edible creature snacks for the kids and fancy festive treats for the neighbors.
• maintain a clean and organized home, decorated with homemade crafts for every season. 
• rear our children with our sweet peaceful voices and artsy activities..... AND SO ON

Yes, I have participated in this latest practically-perfect-mom trend, until I remembered what my real purpose as a mother and wife is. The most important task I have is to teach, nurture, and love my children.  Everything else is secondary.  Even the cleaning. 

In Today's Family: The Eternal Role of Mothers Elder Ballard says, “What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.” 

Above dirty dishes, and homemade soap? 

I think so. 

Don't get me wrong, it is important to live in a clean home and participate in wholesome activities, just not as important as spending time with our children.  Certainly most days have time for a little of everything, but let there be some days where the lessons learned and memories made take up more time.  Nothing terrible is going to happen if you read a book with your kids instead of mopping the floor.

So please, don't be embarrassed if the house is a little askew.  And do not feel sub par when you look at other moms who seem capable of doing everything. 

Be reassured in knowing that your children feel loved and valued, and when they are all grown they will fondly remember the love we gave them and the lessons we taught them.  Motherhood is such a divine calling.  I am grateful to be a mother, and I know that a mothers job is so very important. 

Credit: Edgar Barany (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

lady cleaning image by fanfo

My First real 4th of July!

As most of you know I officially became an American citizen this year, so this is my first real Independence Day!

A few days ago my family and I returned home from a vacation, in which traveling by car for 14 hours each way was required, and may I tell you this truly is a beautiful country to live in.

We travelled through the desert and the prairies, and it was all stunning!  What a blessing it is to live in a country so richly blessed, so vast and beautiful, and so abundant in freedoms!

I hope you have a happy Independence Day!   

Photos: Sunset