She finally figured it out

We have a very obstinate child who goes by the name of Ash.

Today she refused to ask nicely for anything and simply demanded everything of everyone.

We are no longer putting up with it.

On the way home from the store she screamed at Erik for not sharing the M&Ms he so kindly bought for her with his own money (he took them back when she demanded he give them to her). And she screamed the entire way home giving us all a headache.

I immediately put her to bed and told her she could get up when she could ask nicely for some lunch (again, on arriving home she demanded lunch before putting her in her bed).

A half hour later I had to leave to go with Kiersten to a Mom/Daughter Stake Activity Days function and since she had continually come out of her room refusing to say please, I put her outside on a bench where Tyler could supervise the little stink while he worked on sprinklers.

When I arrived home, she had indeed finally said please and gotten some lunch AFTER TWO HOURS.

Tonight while I was washing her hair I asked what she learned today about saying please. She replied with "I FINALLY figured it out sitting on the bench."

Hallelujah!

Two great stories I heard this week on integrity

My definition of integrity is doing the right thing even when no one will know or see it. It's choosing the right in the dark. It's being a good person because you want to be, not because of a set of rules or commandments or because someone tells you to.

Erik

Several weeks ago Erik was grounded from having pop for a week because he got himself a rootbeer float and left a mess all over the counter. However, several days later he went to Grandma's for a week and she didn't know about the punishment. She asked if he wanted some pop one day and he told her how he was grounded until the first of August. Later that week on July 31 she accidentally poured him a glass of pop for lunch. He reminded her that he couldn't have pop to which she responded that she had forgotten. He decided that he would go ahead and drink what she had given him, but the next day (which was August 1) he would go without.

Nick

I don't know my cousin Nick at all, other than the time I babysat him and his siblings at Grannie's for my Aunt Lisa and he pooped all over my pants. He has just graduated from high school and is going on a mission in December. Financially, hard times have come to his parents and they are having a difficult time making ends meet. This kid works in a law office doing menial work I suppose.,When he gets his paycheck he immediately turns it over to his mother (probably after paying tithing on it). What 18-year-old kid would do that with his hard-earned money?

Inappropriate Invective

Driving home from the grocery store, I happened to get behind a small SUV with an F word phrase plastered all over the back window. I had two kids in the car with me who could read, and I didn't really appreciate the advertising. Thankfully neither Kiersten nor Nate acknowledged it. Gradually I reduced my speed and let him get far enough ahead that I couldn't read his back window. What did I do to him to receive that kind of upbraiding?

It got me thinking. Can a cop pull over a car tattooed with indecency and fine them? Or is that crossing the freedom of speech line? Is it the same for a school educator? Can they make a student change clothing if it is deemed inappropriate?

So I looked up the guidelines for our school. "Any clothing with vulgar words or inappropriate pictures will not be allowed at school." I only wish we had such a rule in force for the roads, especially since I didn't go looking for the smut. I don't mind bumper stickers; I find some to be quite comical. But this was no inconspicuous sticker, rather a blatant reminder that some people have no propriety.

I wonder what his neighbors think?

As a kind of comical side to this, Nate came to me the other day wanting me to spell this particular word being referenced so he would know when he saw it and wouldn't accidently say it. I told him there was no need for me to spell it; he would know it when he saw it.

Confessions of a Binge Reader

Information does not necessarily equal truth or goodness. With a wealth of information now so easily available at our fingertips, we must be careful and even prayerful in our pursuit of knowledge.

• Will this help my children and I grow closer to Heavenly Father and His Son?
• Will we appreciate God's creations better after reading this?
• Will this help my children and me to understand and love our brothers and sisters more?
• Will we be better children of God because we've read or studied this?

Perhaps the most important question we can ask as we seek learning in our homes is this:

• Is the gospel of Jesus Christ at the center of our learning?

I found this passage in a book titled Mothering with Spiritual Power by Debra Sansing Woods. I agree with her that we have to be selective in the things we read. The litmus test I give those things is whether it is "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy," this is the reading material I seek after. I'm not afraid to put down a book if it doesn't meet the criteria.

The book for book club last month was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I had started a book by her before and couldn't get past the language. I was torn with this decision. Do I read the book so I can contribute to our discussion or don't I? I struggled for a few days and eventually decided to not read the book. And I feel like I made the right choice after hearing my book club's views of the book. Nobody liked it due to the subject matter which wasn't very "virtuous."

One of our favorite pastimes is the library. I believe so strongly in reading and wanting my kids to be readers and learners that we decided to pay the out-of-county fees at the Salt Lake County Library just to have more variety. In addition they each have their own card and library bag. I, myself, might be considered a binge reader. I've loved to read ever since I can remember. I would hole up in my room downstairs and read and read and read when I was a kid. My family called me a hermit. As a mother, some days I wish I could hole up in my room and read and read and read. But only if all my other motherly duties magically got done. Below is a picture of several books I'm currently in the middle of. I'm not one to read one book at a time.

I love Ty because . . .

he has my exceeded my expectations for the parking strip we've taken out.

Ninety feet of grass was just too much to mow (and edge every now and then). And the weeds were starting to encroach from the neighbor's yard. And the sprinklers weren't installed very well; therefore they didn't water like they should.

In the spring I announced that the summer project was the parking strip and that if it took me all summer to complete it, that would be okay. I didn't have high hopes to complete it quickly.
Ty helped get the grass out by renting a sod cutter. We put several signs around the neighborhood offering free sod and within three hours it was gone. What a blessing to not have to haul it away because it was HEAVY. I didn't expect Ty to help with much more. But almost every day he's been at it, moving dirt around, planting trees and bushes, rearranging the sprinkling system. The rain has also been a welcome blessing. I assumed I would be chiseling layers of clay until we had taken the entire strip down about four inches. Alas, the rain has kept the dirt soft.
What a great guy. He really stepped in and saw this project through to the very end. The finished masterpiece is just beautiful and I'm so excited about how much less I have to mow.

I'm grateful for . . .

1. Water. When that little stream into your house refuses to give of itself it makes one a little more grateful for the days it flows freely and abundantly. Last night no water came out of our taps. It happened suddenly and without warning. After an hour we got our water back when it was discovered that our sprinklers worked. Simply turning on and off a zone loosened whatever was causing our water difficulties. It sent me into emergency preparedness mode when I realized all the things we use water for. Thankfully I've got a little in storage, but maybe I could use some more.

2. Great neighbors who selflessly gave of their time this week in helping us move 11 tons of rock. There were 3 massive piles and within several hours we had it moved.

3. A healthy body that carried me up and over 6 miles of hills. I completed my first 10K that included part pavement and part trail. The last couple of miles I had a phantom runner behind me. She would catch up to me and then fall behind, catch up, fall behind. She literally kept me going that last mile. I did not want her to pass me. And she didn't. At the end of the race she told me I was her inspiration to keep going. We went camping to East Canyon and this race happened to start a 100 yards from our tent. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity and loved, LOVED running in the mountains early in the morning. There was no better way to start the day than to enjoy the beautiful, peaceful creations of God.

Laura Leary - My Amazing Mother-in-law

This is Laura when I joined the family:Then she was diagnosed with prediabetes and knew she needed to change her eating habits. She began eating more healthier and eventually started exercising. One day she told me she was running almost 3 miles every day. Her daughter, son-in-law, and I all persuaded her to sign up for the Ray Barrus Memorial 5K run on the 4th of July. So she did and completed the race without stopping. She came in first, being the only runner in her age division. WAY TO GO! She is a tremendous inspiration to me that when you set your mind to something, anything can happen. I sure do love her.

This is Laura today, after her first 5K: