Mormon Momma

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.

The thing is, though, they will. And what are you going to do when you get poked in the patootie? I can tell you what I do: I scream and yell, and chuck a colossal conniption. I tell God what He needs to do to remedy my situation. Then I sit and wait for Him to comply.

And wait.

And wait.

Waaaaiiiiitttttiiiiinnnnngggggg.

So as it turns out, I’m not really one of God’s advisors. I don’t hold a lot of influence when it comes to Divine Policy. I’m not even on His payroll. So where did I get the idea I could tell Him what to do? Not sure. But I do know it has never worked out very well for me. Continue Reading »

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

• 2-1/2 C vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 C milk
• 1/4 t mint extract
• 8 drops green food coloring

1. Place all ingredients in a blender in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Turn on machine slowly and increase gradually to full speed.
3. Blend about 15 seconds or until desired consistency.

I just got this from my favorite blender company today. We might try this with some of the lower fat/lower sugar ice cream and skim milk and see how it comes out. It supposed to be 60° tomorrow, so we’ll be feeling like spring!

I have to admit, whining drives me nuts. Beyond nuts. I’m not sure there’s a word that satisfactorily describes the particular kind of psychosis I suffer on Fast and Testimony Sundays when my children are attempting to fast.

“Can I have water?”
“Can I chew gum?”
“Can I suck a mint?”
“Does fruit count?” (Hello?)
“How much longer do we have to wait?”
“I’m starving to death.”
“I’m dying over here.”
“Bury me next to grandma.”
“I can’t STAND it anymore.”

Well, NEITHER CAN I! The temptation to shout “If you can’t handle fasting, then don’t do it!” is almost too great to resist. I want to throw open every cabinet in the kitchen and let them have at it. “Take what you want. Eat it. Eat ALL of it! But please–PLEASE– for the love of all that is sacred, PLEASE stop whining about it!” Continue Reading »

Ezra Taft Benson was right. We’ve been ignorant of our constitutional rights for decades, at our own peril.

Jerry Day came up with some great questions about the census — that the Census Bureau Media Relations Department refused to answer. Setting aside my dropped jaw over the fact that we are paying the Census Bureau to staff a media relations department in the first place, they are great questions that deserve a response. But they won’t be forthcoming, because there are no good answers.

As for our home, when we are served with the census — in whatever form — our answer will be the number of people living in our home. Period. End of discussion. Then I will read/enclose Jerry’s questions and wait. And wait. And wait. Continue Reading »

Do you know a mother who doesn’t work? I mean, really? I am wondering when we drew this horrible line in the sand between those of us who make sacrifices to provide/supplement our families and those of us who make sacrifices to stay home? I am a stay at home mother with four young children. I also run a small business out of my home that I work on mostly at night and during naps. I have a calling or two in my ward. I am part of a large extended family. I am part of various communities. I work pretty much all of the time. I bet whether you’re CEO of a large corporation or CEO of your household, you do too.

I write about balance. In the context of integrating work and life and workplace reform. As I watch women making up more than half of the American workforce (and similar statistical thresholds are being crossed throughout the world), I see the change needed to make the paid workforce a more financially productive but also socially responsible place to be. I regularly agitate for organizational and political reform through my personal blog and some advocacy groups. Some in the LDS community might see those efforts misplaced and as detrimental to the counsel we have to raise and nurture our children. I believe the absolute opposite is true.

From an economic and quality of life stand point, organizations need to empower their employees, to trust them, to stop clock watching and measuring ‘face time’ and focus on results. Imagine opening the floodgates of possibility for flexible hours, part-time schedules, for men and women, that still allow some kind of meaningful career path. How does this fit in with the sacred mission of a Mormon woman of faith? Continue Reading »

This has been a really hard month for my extended family. [Deja vu. Haven’t I said that recently?]

Yesterday morning I had some insight into why I personally am struggling so much with the unexpected health crises of my family members. (You know, beyond the normal reactions one would expect from life-and-death situations.)

I realized that I am taking feelings, reactions, fears, hopes, reliefs, and thoughts from a number of experiences in my past, and conflating them all into one big immediate THIS is what I need to handle NOW. Continue Reading »

I’ve decided to take a leaf out of Maxwell Smart’s book. You remember him? Guy with the shoe phone? Always gets his nose shut in the sliding door at CONTROL headquarters? And in the latest iteration, has to kiss Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. “The Rock”)? (Who, speaking of which, was kind of funny in this movie, and even showed some acting chops. Okay, more like a chop. Half a chop. Or maybe like a cutlet. Anyway, he was kind of funny. Especially when he stapled that one dude’s memo to his head.) Yeah? You do remember him? Good. Because that’s going to be crucial for the rest of this column. Continue Reading »

One of my favorite conference talks was given by Shayne Bowen back in 2006. Because he states his message so well, I have included the link here: 

The Atonement Can Clean, Reclaim, and Sanctify Our Lives

I must admit that there are many days that I feel like it is much more comfortable to dig up the garbage/mistakes of the past than it is to move forward in faith. Some days I have to walk with a prayer in my heart continuously to help me look forward and not back — to forgive myself for my former faults and failings — and to accept the rich goodness He wants me to enjoy.

God encourages me to move forward, the adversary encourages me to wallow in the garbage of the past and tries to convince me that I am too far gone. God sees my potential, the adversary wants me to stay mired in a self-induced pity party.

I don’t have a huge “a-ha” to share here, but just wanted to reach out and say that some days I really struggle with this and if anyone else does, let’s all hang tight and remember who we are, remember that we are truly loved, that we are good, and that the power of the atonement can buoy us up in moments when we feel not good enough and are tempted to dig up and wallow in the garbage of the past.

February has been a tough month.

Week 1: My Aunt M was involved in a multiple car/motorcycle accident in CA. Extended family spent an anxious two days waiting for tests to finalize what we all internally knew was inevitable… Continue Reading »