September

Blurb: large plate, journal: small plates. I never understood why the spiritual we're on small until I compared it to my life. 

Baptism: I love my calling and the opportunities that accompany it. Baptisms and confirmations are so special and I feel privileged to sit in on them. "I always feel the spirit at the temple and baptisms." Ashcraft

Home is not the house we live in, it's wherever we are. 

In communicating some frustrations with this difficult transitional stage that James is going through, my mom have some good and unintentional words of wisdom: "Cut the little guy some slack. He's still really young and as far as kids are concerned he's a good, nice kid."

Andrew needs a lot more one-on-one attention then I'm giving him. He'd thrive on at least an hour of together play time a day. 

Christ as the comforter. Not just a feeling from the Holy Ghost, but the hope in, and the peace and knowledge that comes from the atonement. 

My favorite moment from today is:

Rachel's husband came to me today: "I hardly know you, but I needed to say this: be nice to your kids. Be gentle. Comfort them bc I can only wish I could. I wish I could physically be there for my kids. I can't. But you can. Give that gift to them, to yourself, and to me"

"No drama discipline" The problem is, children have a profound need for connection...When children concentrate on their horrible luck to have such a mean, unfair mom or dad, they miss out on an opportunity to build insight, empathy, and problem-solving skills. Putting them in time-out deprives them of an opportunity to build skills that other types of discipline could focus on. Setting clear limits while emphasizing collaboration, conversation, and respect gives kids a chance to practice being active, empathic decision makers who are empowered to figure things out on their own.

Next time the need for discipline arises, parents might consider a “time-in”: forging a loving connection, such as sitting with the child and talking or comforting. Some time to calm down can be extremely valuable for children, teaching them how to pause and reflect on their behavior. Especially for younger children, such reflection is created in relationship, not in isolation. And all of this will make parenting a whole lot more effective and rewarding in the long run.

Ten things that supremely happy people do:

1.       Happy people surround themselves with other happy people. Joy is contagious. People are four times more likely to be happy in the future with happy people around them.

2.       Happy people try to be happy. When happy people don’t feel happy, they cultivate a happy thought and smile about it.

3.       Happy people spend money more on others than they spend on themselves. Givers experience what scientists call the “helper’s high.”

4.       Happy people have deep in-person conversations. Sitting down to talk about what makes a person tick is a good practice for feeling good about life.

5.       Happy people use laughter as a medicine. A good old-fashioned chuckle releases lots of good neurotransmitters. A study showed that children on average laugh 300 times a day versus adults who laugh 15 times a day.

6.       Happy people use the power of music. Researchers found that music can match the anxiety-reducing effects of massage therapy.

7.       Happy people exercise and eat a healthful diet. Eating a poor diet can contribute to depression.

8.       Happy people take the time to unplug and go outside. Uninterrupted screen time brings on depression and anxiety.

9.       Happy people get enough sleep. When people run low on sleep, they are prone to feel a lack of clarity, bad moods, and poor judgment.

10.   Happy people are spiritual.