Truly Tender: "That's What Little Kids Do . . ."

Several times lately I have heard that very grown up phrase come from little Lady Slipper's mouth. 
This time we were playing with plastic storage bowls and lids.  We were stacking them up to make a pretend sand castle and then having the "waves" come and knock them down.  Then we would laugh and build them up again and knock them down again.  Suddenly she paused in the fun and said it again: "That's what little kids do . . ." then we stacked a few more and she added a new part, "and mommy's too."  I am so glad I chose to stop and play sand castles for a few minutes so I could be a little kid too :)


Be Inspired,

Janelle Joy

Family Friendly: Yoga Alphabet

S few months ago, Morning Glory suggested we do the alphabet in yoga poses. It was a lot of fun and we posted about it here.
I wanted to give you all another chance to have some fun creating yoga poses for letters too. If we don't have any response then we will just continue to post our own poses but it would be really fun if any of you want to help us add to the creativity!

I would love to post your own funny Yoga Alphabet pictures to finish off the Alphabet. If you want them shared, send the images and description to me at simplesupermom@gmail.com with the subject line Yoga Alphabet. Be sure to include your permission to publish the picture and include permission for whatever information you want to share. Note: All pictures must be modest and approved for all viewers and only information from submitter's 18 and older will be shared (ie I will not post your children's names or any other info without guardian permission).

Be Inspired and be fit,

Janelle Joy

Wise Women Carefully Choose Priorities

I read this poem during naptime after a very busy morning of Dr appts: Morning Glory needed a cast put on her broken thumb and Lady Slipper needed her ears checked (yes, she had an ear infection). I wanted to cry as I read it. It made me think of so many questions I want to continually ask myself in order to choose the right priorities from moment to moment during my usually busy days. It made me think of so many things I want to do better. But it also helped me feel joy in the knowledge that often, my choices do reflect priorities that are the best, though mostly unseen.
I hope that every night I can report to my Father in Heaven in my prayers and say something similar to the words of this poem. If I can, then I believe my priorities are in the right place.

"What did I do Today?"

Today I left some dishes dirty,

The bed got made around 3:30

The Diapers soaked a little longer,

The odor grew a little stronger

The crumbs I spilled the day before

Are staring at me from the floor.

The fingerprints there on the wall

Will likely be there still next fall

The dirty streaks on those windowpanes

Will still be there next time it rains.

Shame on you, you sit and say,

Just what did you do today?

I held a baby till he slept,

I held a toddler while he wept.

I played a game of hide and seek,

I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.

I pulled a wagon, sang a song,

Taught a child right from wrong.

What did I do this whole day through?

Not much that shows, I guess that's true.

Unless you think that what I've done

Might be important to someone,

With dark brown eyes and soft brown hair.

If that is true...I've done my share.

Author Unknown

(I found this poem quoted in

"Cloth Diapers Made Easy" by babyvilleboutique)

Be Inspired,

Janelle Joy 



Truly Tender: Monkey-packing with my two-yr-old

I love the smile on my toddler's face when I get out the "monkey-pack."   What am I talking about? 
See my Fitness Blog to find out.

Be Inspired,

Family Friendly: Run in the Water

What memory did you create today?

Be Inspired,

Janelle Joy

Truly Tender: Alma Song with my Toddler

Our family experienced several very tender moments lately as my littlest daughter has become very interested in singing songs together as a family.  She has certain signs she uses to let us know what song she is wanting to sing.  The one she keeps doing over and over again is to hold up her little fists by her face and scrunch her nose.  That means she wants to do the "Book of Mormon Stories" additional verse about Alma.  The spirit of peace and happiness just flows into our home when she holds up those little fists and the whole family responds by singing and doing the actions(which we made up) with her.  Her favorite part is when we all get down on the floor to show that we are now humble and repentant :)

Be Inspired,

Nana, I Love You the Yellowest

I am thrilled today  to discover that our daughter advanced to the publishing level of the poetry contest she entered last year. She wrote this poem about my own special Supermom and I agree with these shining words! Here is her winning entry:

I Love You the Yellowest

Nana, I love you the Yellowest. 

 I love you the color

of the bright yellow moon

filling the sea black sky of wonders.

I love you the shade of a light yellow daisy in a

garden of bright green grass

and sweet flowers.

I love you like the yellow, golden,

 shimmering sunshine at daylight.

You are a sweet yellow star that I wish upon at night.

Nana, I love you the Yellowest.

(Written by my own Joyful Canary, copyright  2011)

If you are interested in your child having a chance to enter a poetry or essay contest and have a chance to be published contact Creative Communication.




I love you my Golden Joyful Canary
  

Simply Undone: Elementary School Play

My daughter had two things scheduled on the same night (it is starting already in the second grade). My husband said to give her the choice of which to do. When she chose her Faith in God Activity, I was tempted to encourage her to choose the school play she had worked so hard on. But these thoughts came into my mind: "Which is truly more important. What will happen in her future if you discourage her in her own choices? What are you teaching her by encouraging her to choose school over church activities?" Needless to say, I did not encourage her to change her mind. I supported her in her decision and within my heart, I thanked God for a little daughter who is a good example and for the inspiration which came to help me as I strive to be a good Mom.

My Daughter's Thanksgiving Decorations

I loved it when I saw how my daughter had used my favorite pilgrim decorations in a fun new way. She separated them by what they were holding in their arms and then put that item around it--like the girls were holding apples so she put a real apple by them, pumpkins by the boy holding a pumpkin and dried corn we picked up at the corn maze by the indian holding corn. I usually just lined them all up. It is so fun to walk into my living room and see her creation! I cheers me up and makes me smile:)

"Matt and Mandy" helps me teach.

My daughter LOVES to read the "Matt and Mandy" section of the Friend magazine each month. She also loves to watch "Matt and Mandy" episodes online (click on the link above). One day, when she was facing a problem with some friends from school and trying to decide what she should do about it, we decided to create our own "Matt and Mandy" comic page about a similar situation and figure out what she thought Mandy would choose to do. It really helped her in thinking through how she should solve the problem (and helped me refrain from telling her how to solve it so she could learn to do it herself). I am really thankful for the Friend magazine!

Morning Glory Moment

My daughter came to me soooo excited. "There is a Morning Glory Mom!!" She repeated over and over again. It was so fun to see her so excited. And no wonder . . . she planted the seeds herself a few weeks ago and just two little tiny shoots have come up. She has not given up on her tiny plants, even when we thought they were dead after a family vacation. This may be the only bloom we see from her efforts, but so worth it. I am glad pictures can make moments last forever.

How to Make a Tissue-Paper Doll

Here is a craft idea created by my daughter. Here is how she describes how to make it:

"First you get one tissue. This will be the body of the tissue-paper doll. Then you take one rubber band (the thin little black ones) and then take one and put it in the middle of the tissue. Then you take another one and put it on the bottom.

Then you take the last one and put it on top.

Then you take one square of toilet paper and make it into a loop. You have to make two of them--these will be the arms of the tissue paper doll. Then you either tape or attach them somehow to the middle of the doll.

Then you color the shirt and pants of the doll with markers. Then you color the mouth and the eyes of it. The mouth and the eyes will form a face when you are finished. Then you color the hair and color the tissue part with the rubber-band and any part you want to be the hair. (Just be sure not to color the face yellow) Then you add like a ring or like a butterfly ring or CTR ring or any ring and attach it to the middle of the shirt. Forming another layer of rubber band, take the one that the ring is attached to and attach it to the center and then you have your toilet paper doll."

So cute! I have a little blogger.

Teach Small Children to Read

I am including an email message from one of my friends with information about my FAVORITE resource for teaching reading. My daughter started with these level books just before she started kindergarten and although she was already a beginning reader, she very quickly went through these books with me. The beginning levels tell simplified scripture stories from the Book of Mormon. (Which is on Lliam's list of Most Influential Books) The last level includes actual scripture passages and after that she was ready to read the Book of Mormon herself! She is now starting second Grade and reads at a third-fourth grade level. She also LOVES Scripture Stories! The bonus is that they make Great coloring books for church too. :) Thanks Doris!!

"Below is an email from my mother-in-law who has written leveled books called "Book of Mormon Little Books." My mother in law has been a teacher for over 20 years and the past several years has been a reading specialist for the state of AZ. If you have children or grandchildren who are learning to read, these books are great and she even has made a lesson plan book to go with them.Another neat thing she has put together is when her kids were young, for her scripture study most days she would compile Book of Mormon Picture Pages. Basically she has gone through the entire Book of Mormon and has written out the scriptures on individual pages (most pages contain several versus of scripture) but she has organized them in such a manner so that her children could take a page and draw a picture relating to the scriptures, then they would each share their picture and learn the scriptures in a more hands on way. To this day the kids still talk about and remember a lot of the pictures they drew and my mother in law has notebooks filled with these picture pages her kids created. She has compiled all of these onto a DVD, they are blank pages for you to print out for your children to draw the pictures.Anyhow, she is discounting the prices right now so I wanted to just let you all know this. There is more information below along with websites if you would like to visit them.

Michelle."

"Dear Friends,Recently I've been part of the UHEA (Utah Home Education Association) Convention. I had the pleasure of presenting 2 workshops as well as having a booth where we sold my 32 Book of Mormon Little Books, Scripted Lesson Plans, and Book of Mormon Picture Pages (family scripture study for all ages). I'm offering everyone free economy shipping and UHEA Convention discount prices that are listed below through June 30, 2009!Please share this with all your friends.Thanks!Doris Johnson Please visit both websites:http://www.mormonlittlebooks.com/ UHEA Discount until June 30th!http://iceitnice.blogspot.com/ Family Home Evening & Other Occasions--Cake Decorating Fun for Everyone!
UHEA CONVENTION DISCOUNT PRICING
Until June 30, 2009"

Comfy Cozy daughter's room all by herself!

Here is a before picture. It is not as cozy, right?

" Now the pictures are organized together as a 'unit' Mom!"

" Now there is a rug on my floor! (I just made it out of a blanket) But the only thing missing is I don't have any lamps! " We might have to go look at a thrift shop because Angela says it's never cozy without at least three lamps. :)

I am impressed. The room is clean, it is comfy cozy, and she did it all herself with no prompting (she even took the pictures herself).

Thanks Imaginecozy!

Clean-Up Fairy

I was in charge of the activity for Family Home Evening tonight. (That is a fun family tradition we have been encouraged to do each week by the leaders of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

So I wanted to come up with a fun way to clean the house since we were a little behind today. I said that we were "Clean-up Fairies" and when the music played we would quickly clean and then stop and become humans again whenever the music stopped.

It was really fun. My daughter really got into it and even decided to clean out and organize my tupperware drawer and my kitchen towel drawer. Each time I stopped the music we would start to "wonder" what happened to all of our stuff. Each time the music began again we became magic fairies trying to surprise and help the humans. It was really fun!!