"Using" the Atonement--10/15

This past weekend was General Conference, and, as always, someone mentioned something about using the Atonement every day. I have used the phrase "use the Atonement" myself, but never really thought about what it meant until a couple of days ago. What does it actually look like to "use the Atonement"? I've asked several people about it, and mostly received vague, broad answers--the kind that I could have given--no new thoughts or ideas.

For the last couple of days Trevor has been pretending with his play food--he has set up his own restaurant in our linen closet/sauna downstairs, and "makes" me food per my order. This morning all the boys got into it--they created a "Trevor dollar" currency and symbols, credit cards (complete with a balance sheet) and a menu with appetizers, drinks, main dishes and desserts (they almost had 'deserts', but I had Mason add the necessary 's').

I love when they play together like this, but this morning they really needed to get dressed, make beds, do WAR (writing, arithmetic & reading) and in general get ready for the day. I was about to open my mouth and remind them about these things when "the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance" and I remained silent. Them playing together so well and so happily was more important than getting started 30 minutes earlier. (Not to mention the spelling and math that were occurring as part of their play!)

When I was (finally) showering I started thinking: I need the Spirit to be with me because I am a much better person when I am receiving inspiration and revelation and reminders to take deep breaths or laugh or put myself on time out. Having the Holy Ghost as my constant companion, however, depends on my personal righteousness. And how do I remain righteous? Through repentance. And why is repentance possible? Because Jesus Christ paid the price of my sins.

So if I can feel the Spirit with me, I have used the Atonement. That is something measurable to me--something I can recognize, something I know how to do. I also know what to do to keep the Spirit with me. Not that I always do what I know, but at least I do know!

I'm looking forward to discovering more practical, measurable ways that I can--or already do--use the Atonement every day.

Lincoln--7/10

My little guy is pulling himself up--has been for several days--and I can't find my camera!!! He is too cute, in case you were wondering. Here's a picture from last week...

Definitions by Stephen--1/10

Vacation: only working 8 hours a day.

Desk: any flat--no, every flat surface.

Potluck: An event with big metal chairs that your kids fall through the back of, tall tables and strange food that your kid's won't eat and where you don't get to enjoy your food because you are chasing your kids around.

Little Generals--4/10

This audio production was created by an MBASA classmate, Karl Rosengren. Mason did the voice for General Warren.

Sunday breakfast--3/11

Oatmeal muffins...a Sunday morning tradition. Best served with home-canned peaches and pears--and as a "flower".

1 c buttermilk (or sour milk - 1 TB vinegar + enough milk to equal 1 c)
1 c oatmeal

1/4 c oil
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg

1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Soak oatmeal in buttermilk. Mix next 3 ingredients. Sift dry ingredients together and mix it all up briefly. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (less time if you use mini-muffin pans).

Just another day in paradise...11/11

It is strange to think that I have 5 kids. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Elise, Mason, Sammy, Lincoln, Trevor. One girl, 4 boys--the same as in my family: me and 4 brothers. More kids than just about every family I know. And I, at 31, have 5 kids. Don't you have to be old to have 5 kids?

I digress...

Nursing takes a lot of time. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing, but I figure I'm sitting for an extra 3 hours every day. I love the fact that I have to take breaks and just sit and relax. I can do quite a bit while nursing--read to myself or the kids, supervise cleaning, type one-handed on the computer. I continue to digress...

Things have been going very smoothly my first week alone with 5 kids, so I should have been expecting today. It started out with my shoes sticking to the kitchen floor. Strange, but not unheard of. I did a quick mop while the kids ate grilled cheese sandwiches that Elise had made. As soon as Lincoln finished eating I got him ready for his nap, noticing the second strange thing: his pant legs were soaked about three inches up the hem--like he'd been walking through water. I smelled them and they smelled like apple juice. Very strange. I tasted it, and it tasted like apple juice.

Now, I was certain that we have no apple juice in the house, and the older kids were as befuddled as I. Nevertheless, I sent them downstairs to see if maybe something spilled down there, thinking--hoping, I don't know, that perhaps there was no explanation for the mysterious apple-juiced pants.

Their report was not heartening, and the timing made me laugh. I was rocking Lincoln, Trevor was fussing to be nursed, I was in the middle of doing 9 loads of laundry, and they report that Lincoln got a jar of homemade apple cider and had dropped it in the laundry room, making everything sticky. There was glass and cider everywhere. Oh yeah! I thought I had heard a crash earlier! (But since no screaming followed the crash, I promptly forgot about it).

I love my life.

Stephen's post...1/12

Stephen claims his professors think we have some type of super-human strength to have our (large) family in the PhD program. The conversation usually goes something like this…

“You have some kids, right?” (Most of his colleagues have the very appropriate number of 2 children or less.) At Stephen’s response, “Yes, I have 5”, they say, “Wow! Are any of them in school?” When he tells them that we homeschool he gets an even longer, “WOW!!!” And then the inevitable follow-up question: “How do you do it?” Recognizing the double entendre in their question, his initial thought is that “The kids come quite naturally, it’s the raising them that is the hard part.” Even after he explains a little about the structure we use in our home—Sunday planning sessions, evening meals together, story time (leaving out that the downstairs is always a mess)—they still can’t quite fathom it.

It works for us, and we couldn’t be more happy!

O, Christmas Tree 12/2014

For the last couple of years (I think every year we've had Christmas in MN), we have walked down the street a couple of blocks to get our Christmas tree. I think Stephen joined us one year, but usually it is just the kiddos and I. This past December they begged and begged to get a tree, but I was just so stinking tired with being 8 months pregnant and planning the Nutcracker. I kept putting them off until one morning that I happened to feel fantastic. So away we went, the kids happily pulling & pushing the wagon. "You won't have to do anything, Mom."

4-H Swine project

When we moved to our property over a year ago, we were excited to jump in to 4-H and decided to try out the swine project. Everyone told us, "new to 4-H? Do pigs, they are easy." "Pigs are no work!" HA, I say. Just HA.

The adventure started last fall when we found a breeder and visited their farm, meeting the pregnant mamas. (We also got two kittens from them.) We went back again when the pigs were very young--I really wanted the kids to see the whole circle of life--and again  a couple of months later so the kids could choose their pigs.

An honest-to-goodness pig pile.

"Oh, the cuteness! I just love them and can't wait to bring a little darling home"...says Elise at the beginning of the process

Getting the back of the barn ready for a cold-weather home for the piggies. 

April 1st. How much does that pig cost? I told the kids I would pay $125 towards the purchase of their pigs. Mason chose a $250 pig and Elise and Sammy each chose a $300 pig. 

We brought the pigs home in a rather unconventional way...in the back of our Suburban. We also learned that pigs don't say a simple "wee-wee-wee" all the way home. It's more like "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" until they run out of breath, only to do it all over again. They are LOUD!!

Elders Donovan and Elder Allen helped us unload the pigs. It was hilarious!

Mason named his pig Smoke E. Bacon

Introducing Kris P. Bacon

And here is Tomato Lettuce Bacon

First time walking the pigs...it was not a success. In fact, it took a looooong time and some serious help from friends before we got it figured out. Turns out you don't just give incessant little taps, it sometimes takes a few good whacks to really get their attention. 

Elise loved grooming the pigs and spending time with them. 

She didn't so much love walking them. That didn't change through the 4 months we had them. One time she came in sobbing hysterically, which continued for at least 5 minutes. During that time she threatened the life of her pig several times, begging for an axe, finally calming down enough to say, "I'm going to do cake decorating next year."

Getting bigger, but not much better at being obedient. 

Hooray for short-sleeve weather!

Our first weigh-in, June 1st. It only took one pond visit and 1.5 hours of trying to get the flim-flanging pigs loaded in our neighbor's horse trailer. Elise had some friends from MN visiting, so they got to enjoy the 4-H cultural experience with us. Pigs weighed in at: Kris--151, Smoke--144, Tomato--135.

We changed up their feeding after weigh-ins--making more feed accessible at all times. They had to weigh at least 220 at the fair weigh-in on August 1st. They gain about 2 pounds a day, so we expected them to each gain about 120 pounds, easily making weight. 

In their outside enclosure. We would spray down the dirt when it got really hot--they loved the mud!

Getting better at listening...training pigs was an excellent lesson in patience and perseverance for the kids. 

Ruth is growing up in a very different environment than the others have--she'll grow up knowing fairgrounds and how to raise animals!

Elise and Mason participated in the Cowboy Youth Classic--and time to learn about how to get pigs ready for showing and then getting the chance to practice showing them. They learned a TON--it was the best fair prep we did.

This picture is awesome because it looks like the pig is actually doing what Mason wants it to do. It's not really, he's just following it around. :)

Sable and the pigs had a funny relationship. She loved being in the pen with them, but they would always nip at her tail, causing her to growl at them. Sometimes she'd herd them, which turned out to be super helpful when they would start running outside their pen.

Sunscreen au natural

Bath time at the farm! It's amazing what a little shampoo, conditioner, water and lotion can do for a pig's looks. 

Mason's pig was a little sunburnt, so needed a little more TLC.

Washing in the pig pens at the fairgrounds.

It's so much easier to wash here than at home!

Kris's final weight: 256

Smoke's final weight: 260

Tomato's final weight: 239

Filling the waterer was just one of the fair chores. 

Mason during the showmanship round. For some reason I didn't get any good pictures of him.

Elise at showmanship

Sammy--his pig actually did really well!

Nearly every day that we had the pigs each of the kids spent quality time with them--that didn't change at fair time. Now they just got so spend time with clean pigs in clean pens.

Elise and Kris were penned pretty early on in the market round. 

Every child had their picture taken with their animal--it was hilarious to watch!

Twice a day we went to the fairgrounds to feed and water the pigs. Once a day the kids washed the pigs and cleaned out the pen, removing the old bedding and replacing it with new. At the beginning of the week they shaved their pigs--there is a lot of work that goes into getting a pig ready and keeping it ready for fair!

Mason started breaking out in hives about Wednesday of fair week. On Friday I took him to the pharmacy to try to get some meds so he wouldn't be so uncomfortable. I told the pharmacist his symptoms and that we thought it was the barn at the fairgrounds that was causing the reaction. She told us in no uncertain terms, DO NOT take him back to the barns. So Sammy and Elise ended up doing the rest of the pen mucking/cleaning.

A 4-H friend...just hanging out!

Lincoln stepped up to help since Mason was forbidden from entering the barn.

Fair kids are strong kids.

Saying goodbye. Sammy was the only one who cried a little at "goodbye". 

At the auction!! Sammy's pig sold for $1,600, Elise's for $1,500 and Mason's for $1,300. All the kids decided to do pigs again next year.

Farewell to pigs! (We let Mason in the barn for a quick goodbye pic.)