Search Results for: blog how to worry less

Do You Want To Yell Less and Love More?

The past three days have been very peaceful around here. Not quite, mind you, but peaceful nonetheless. I think that I know why, too. You see, a few days ago, I came across a wonderful blog called The Orange Rhino Challenge. The blog is a chronicle of one mom’s commitment to “Yell less, love more”. Once I read about how not yelling has made a huge difference for both The Orange Rhino and her family, I decided that I, too, want to stop yelling at my kids. I do my best not to yell, but it happens. I have yet … Continue reading →

Using Play Doh to Teach Preschool Lessons

Play Doh is one of my favorite preschool activity toys and art mediums. Mashing the dough can creating people, ice cream cones, pizza, and animals, is as much fun for me as the kids.  I am not sure what came first, the lessons I developed using Play Doh or my desire to play and the need to make it count as part of my lesson plan.  Nonetheless, I have come up with a way to play and learn.  Now, when my husband comes home and finds Play Doh mashed in the carpet its all good. In all seriousness, using a … Continue reading →

Can You Get By With Less Financial Support?

What would you do if you got a letter from your state government that asked if you would willingly accept a reduction in the financial support for your child? This is exactly what happened to parents who had adopted children with special needs in Vancouver, Washington. Adoption does not happen instantaneously. It is a long process, and it requires a lot of strength and patience. Prospective parents will need to show that they are ready to be a good parent, both emotionally and financially. Parents who choose to adopt a child who has special needs must be ready for the … Continue reading →

What Lessons Did I Teach

What has divorce taught our children about love? I worry about what my divorce has taught Hailey about love and marriage. Unfortunately, most of the people she knows have been divorced, at least once. What does this teach our kids? When I was growing up all of my friends parents were married, my grandparents, aunts and uncles, were all married, to their original spouses. The only divorced person I knew was my mother. It’s the opposite for Hailey, she knows hardly anyone with an intact family. There are a few here and there but it seems they are the exception … Continue reading →

Back To School Blessings

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It is often a tradition in many mormon homes to give back to school blessings at the beginning of each school year. Or, at least it was in mine. I don’t remember anything that was said in those blessings, but I remember feeling peace each time my Father would lay his hands on my head and reassure me that the year would go smoothly. I remember feeling safe, and warm, and knowing that not only did my earthly Father love me, but my Heavenly Father did too. Giving your children back to school blessings is a great way to calm … Continue reading →

Pets Leaving Food: Should You Worry?

My cats have caused so many food-related problems this year. I went from giving my cats food once a day to twice a day, then three times, having to split up normal portions into weird smaller amounts. My cat’s gluttony, food thievery, mischievous behavior, and sudden desire to eat people food all prompted my decision. As spring progressed and melted into summer, I thought I’d finally sorted things out. No, now my cats have changed their eating habits again. It all started when Jon and I left for a weekend. I put out two days’ worth of food; we weren’t … Continue reading →

Spending Less on Kids Shoes

Is it me, or are the prices for shoes and athletic shoes rising? It is not uncommon for me to come across kids with everyday shoes that cost $100-$500. With three growing kids, I can’t imagine spending that much on a single pair. Still, it doesn’t make sense to purchase the cheapest shoes either. Not only will this probably not be acceptable to your child, but cheap shoes wear out too quickly. I have first hand knowledge of this. One year I bought inexpensive sneakers for my kids at one of those box stores. In a few months, the shoes … Continue reading →

Owning Less is an Uphill Battle

Lately I have been exploring the idea of owning less–really owning less, cutting down our possessions by up to 70 percent, I can see how having less stuff in our lives would give us less stress. There is less to maintain, less to clean, less to spend money on, less to worry about. Then I try to look at reality. For example, this week, my so needs water shoes for a class trip and my daughter needs a gray shirt for a show she is in at school. Two more possessions that need to come in to the house. The … Continue reading →

A Baby Blessing

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In the LDS church, we believe that we should be baptized when we are old enough to know right from wrong. As little babies, we don’t sin simply because we don’t know right from wrong. We also don’t believe that by being born we are born with sin. So, in our church, we do not baptize infants. But, having a new infant is still a very special time. That little life brought into a new home is so magical. You can’t help but feel how close they are to their Heavenly Father, and you can’t help but worry about the … Continue reading →

Worrying Too Much

I know I’m constantly railing against letting the often-inaccurate media have too much influence over our marriages and our approaches to romance. One of the reasons why I harp on about it so much is because I’m talking to myself as much, if not more, than I am to others. I’m a worrywart; it’s one of my least favorite facets of my personality but one I know I have to acknowledge and for which I have to watch out. There’s little that I can’t manage to fret over, and whether or not I’m going about my relationship with my husband … Continue reading →