Mumbo Jumbo?

I love magazines.  Particularly of the ones targeted for my demographic...busy, middle-aged, suburban Mom who manages work and kids, etc....Better Homes and Gardens, Taste of Home, Family Fun, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Food Network, HGTV, O, Martha Stewart, the list could go on and on. 

One of the reasons I love them is that it requires very little brain power to enjoy them.  I can open a magazine, read for 5 minutes, and be able to put it down with no commitments.  I love feasting my eyes on the visual splendor of a magazine.  The glossy pages filled with inspiring projects, beautifully decorated rooms, and delicious meals.  I love everything about them!!  They are my guilty pleasure I guess. 

I picked up an issue of Woman's Day the other day.  It was the cover that sucked me in.  An attractive combination of a cute color scheme, and yummy looking pasta dish inside called to me...little did I know I would find more than that in it's contents. 

As I flipped through the pages, I came across a half page column by the infamous Joel Osteen, famous televangelist extraordinaire.  I can't decide if he's a hoax or not yet.  He seems too smiley, manicured, and shiny.  Also, his southern accent is just a little too "adorable" for me I guess.  Anyway...his advice caught me off-guard. It made sense.  It spoke to me.  Seriously?!?  But it really does make sense y'all.  Behold, I give you Joel Osteen's 5 Small Changes To Transform Your Life.  Stop laughing!  Just read it.  Think about it.  See if you aren't moved a little too.  Then at least I won't feel weird.  kthanksbye.

1.  Find the gift in each day.

How you start the day is going to determine what kind of day you have. Instead of waking up and thinking, "I don't want to..." focus on the positive things.

2.  Don't give away your power.

Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed, or offended...but by indulging these negative emotions, we are giving away our power to control our own happiness.  You can choose NOT to let things upset you.

3.  Know whom to ignore.

Having an argument with someone who's not important to you should roll off your shoulders.  Save the time and effort for resolving conflicts with the people you cherish.

4.  Be a victor, not a victim.

See the positive in negative events...nothing happens to you, it happens for you.  See your trials as blessings.

5.  Celebrate others' success.

We live in a culture that relishes tearing people down. It's better to help people reach their goals.  Instead of feeling jealous, remember: If God did it for them, He can do it for me too.

This week...

We are in for a doozy of a week.  Starting today, we have 3 doctor's appointments...one for me, one for Parker, and one for Avery.  We each have varying degrees of a respiratory infection, and it just keeps going around and around. 

In the meantime Maryn has flute, and Avery has piano lessons tonight. I had to take off work for the dr. appts, which is fine except when I don't work I also don't get paid.  Funny how that works.  

Tuesday, Maryn has flute ensemble, and I have Enrichment...our theme this year is "Self Reliance", sounds familiar right?  Hasn't this been done before?  Ha ha!  We are learning to seal rice in mylar bags, and can entire meals in glass mason jars.  I can't wait for the meeting where we build bomb shelters in our own backyards!! :)

Wednesday I work in the afternoon, and then Maryn and I have Young Women (I just got called as the YW Secretary).  We are having a panel discussion about "What a Mormon Woman Looks Like"...we have a panel of 4-5 sisters speaking about their lifestyle and circumstances...one is a stay-at-home Mom, one has a part-time job and stays at home (me!), one works full-time and doesn't have children, one doesn't work at all and is an "empty nester".  Interesting, hope it goes well.

Thursday is Valentine's Day!  Mark will be taking the day off to travel to Michigan for his second interview with Delta College.  We are dying with anxiety about this y'all.  Please keep him in your prayers.  The girls and I have decided to stay home.  We had wanted to all drive over, but it seems like everything under the sun was scheduled for THIS weekend, so we are going to "divide and conquer".  Mark goes to Michigan to conquer the job...I stay home to conquer the weekend!  Meanwhile, Avery has a class valentine's party (her last for 5th grade, as next year she will be in Middle school too!), and Maryn has an all day band rehearsal for a concert that evening at LP High School. Did I mention I had to take off work today too?

Friday is Mark's interview.  Friday is also the day of Parker's playgroup at the church, the cookie booth for the Girl Scout troop, as well as the Middle School Valentine's Dance.

Saturday morning will dawn bright and early at Ottawa High School for the County Spelling Bee where Maryn will compete with other kids from multiple school districts.  Eyesh...should be interesting.  Mark is planning on driving back home Friday night, so that one of us can stay home, while the other parent attends with her.  I wish we both could go, but finding a sitter for a Saturday morning can be a little tricky.  Especially when you live in the middle of nowhere, and don't really have any friends or family close by.  It sucks...sucks real bad.  Did I mention Mark is interviewing in Michigan?  Please, please pray for us y'all. 

Saturday afternoon is also the day of our Ward Temple trip...guess I won't be able to go to that one either as we have no idea how long the Bee will go, and the Temple is 2 hours away.  Sunday is Maryn's first Stake Fireside in Joliet...she is so excited for this!  It was supposed to have been a couple weeks ago, and was rescheduled for bad weather to THIS weekend...the same weekend that everything else was scheduled for!

I guess this is what "busy" looks like.  Hope we can get through this week!