Mormon Bloggers

For many teens and adolescents, summer break means a completely different sleep schedule. When I was growing up, my sister and I would use those last few weeks before school started again to stay up late and sleep in as long as we could. Then, with just a few days left, our parents would have us try to get on a normal schedule before school started. Needless to say, it was always difficult to stay awake that first week in class. Our bodies hadn’t adjusted completely to our new routine.  Sleepiness at school can have negative effects on a child’s ability to perform and retain information. Below are a few tips to help your child get back to a more regular sleep schedule for school. Several weeks before school begins, start to set limits for the latest bedtime and wake up time. Make sure to enforce these times and as school draws closer, gradually move these times earlier. Help your children enjoy the last few weeks of summer by encouraging early morning activities... Read the rest of this entry »

So today I am proud of me. I probably shouldn’t be too proud- but today I declared my major. Yay me! But I am so behind and really shouldn’t be proud, and you probably shouldn’t be that impressed considering I should be graduated. The people that I started school with have already left. But it’s a big step for me!  Read More →

I adore Autumn. It’s my favorite season of all. So when August 1st hits, it so closely resembles “Autumn” that I start getting in Fall mode. Sadly, here in Florida Fall won’t hit for months …. sigh. I’m especially excited because this year (just several months ago) we had a wonderful large front porch built on the house. I love a front porch … for sitting and enjoying company, quiet time and the weather and also for the decorating potential. I am looking forward to Fall decorating my front porch this year. I will certainly be sharing that with you when the time comes. This past weekend was busy. Saturday we did a lot of running around. Our 14 year old is starting our local high school as a freshman in 3 weeks after being homeschooled the whole time. He has been going to football weight training all summer and is excited about playing football this year. That boy loves football. We went to Dick’s Sporting Goods Saturday and got him some things... Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments on yesterday’s post! My writer’s block seems to have disappeared and I want to apologize to Teach. She felt bad yesterday about the off-hand comment she made about nobody caring if I posted or not. She just meant that maybe no one would notice if I took a day off here and there, not that I should quit writing because no one was listening. My  Read More →

For the last 4 years, I have been very bitter.  Bitter that I had to go to work when The Princess was only 2 years old.  I was able to be home with all 3 of my boys, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t be home with my girl.  But over the years, I have received several revelations.  I have talked about this several times here.   But in the last month, I have come to the biggest revelation of all, which has eased the bitterness. Heavenly Father knew I was going to have to go to back to work, and he prepared the way for me.  Back in 1998, I was prompted to go back to school.  I didn’t know why at the time.  It took me 2 years, another child, and 2 carpal tunnel surgeries, but I made it through.  I got my Bachelor’s degree.  And then I didn’t use it. But, when it was time that I had to go back to work, I had a degree to use.  I didn’t have to go and work at Wal-mart for minimum wage.  I didn’t have to work nights... Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday was Terryn’s end of the year school party. The parents were invited to come in the morning and spend some outdoor time with their kids. Then they were invited inside for a snack and afterwards the children gathered in a circle and sang songs.  Terryn is still quite the loner. He usually plays by himself. He loved playing in the sand pit with the different excavators, tractors and shovels. Then he was off to drive around the wheeled contained that held the balls. Some kids decided he need help and at one point there were four kids all pushing this container around. When they got tired of that, they resorted to diving inside of it and getting pushed around while inside. They had a man come and make little figures for the kids. I’m not sure what the dough was made out of, but when Terryn picked one out he stuck it in his mouth and bit the head off. Nice. Then he spit out the head. I guess it didn’t taste very good. The guy was pretty talented though. He... Read the rest of this entry »

This photo comes from the time in my life I like to call my “fountain days.”  What happy memories come flooding back as I think about the free-spirit I was back then feeling the invitation of refreshing bubbling water.  And its impossible to think about fountain-hopping without also thinking of my old friend Jason. I started college when the internet was still a novelty.  Sitting in the campus library I signed up on a Christian dating site and quickly met two fantastic people.  One of those people was Jason and it was only a matter of months before I hopped on a plane to New Jersey to meet him. My mom dropped me off at the airport a little confused and a lot scared and horrified.  I figured that out when I didn’t think to call her upon arrival and she hunted me down by phone at Jason’s grandmothers home.(Important clarification: Jason and I were always just friends.  Our hotel rooms always had two beds and we never even held... Read the rest of this entry »

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My Past Small town Iowa girls don’t often take far trips from home.  From birth to age 17 the longest trip I had taken was a three-hour road trip to my uncle’s house in Weeping Water, Nebraska.  Then my mom blew everything out of the water.  Attempting to get me away from an abusive high-school boyfriend, she loaded me on a plane and sent me 8 flight hours away to the European continent. Now, don’t go thinking this was normal for my family.  We grew up on hand-me-down clothes and Hamburger Helper with twice the noodles and half the meat.  Fate just happened to intervene that year and I became the first student  hosted by our local Lions Club in a Youth Camp and Exchange Program. Traveling to Brussels with 25 Iowa teenagers and then embarking on a 6-week solo adventure with host families in the Netherlands was the most frightening enterprise imaginable. I came home at the end of that summer an altogether different girl (yes, I did get rid... Read the rest of this entry »

Today is definitely a very productive and busy day. Cleaning up after Megan is always a constant chore. My wife uses the analogy of trying to shovel away snow in a blizzard – you are not going to get very far. While there is still much to do around the house, the fact of the [...]  Read More →

~by Janelle Q: Do all Mormons home school? A:  No. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an international church with members living all over the world and we typically follow the educational norms for our region whether that be public or private, home or boarding schools. A small portion of our members home school when they feel that they can provide a better educational environment at home, others happily send their kids to public school, still others send their children to private school. On occasion members will attend religious private schools provided by other religions – particularly in other countries where public schooling is not offered. I send my kids to public school. We’ve had a good experience so far. But I am worried about middle school. I would not be opposed to pulling my kids out of school if they fell into the wrong friend group or if I felt they were being bullied by peers or mistreated by the adults at the school. I like having the option of... Read the rest of this entry »

The scripture in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” has added meaning to me the past few months. As we have now crossed the finish line to the 1st week of school, I am able to pause and reflect on the summer we have enjoyed. I love summer. It’s an extraordinary time. For us, summer is filled with rich memories, people and purpose, time spent with loved ones and of course the excitement of building anticipation for new adventures that lie ahead in the fall. With school-age children is it easy to get swallowed up in the multitude of tasks associated with being a mother. Being a mother requires skills in all trades but the one skill I value most is patience. Summer really embodies the sweetness of this. During the school year it is rush rush rush… patience is a rare commodity. It is hurry here, hurry there. Taking a cleansing breath can be a rarity, the type of cleansing breath that absorbs... Read the rest of this entry »