(photo credit)
Translation: In a shut mouth, flies cannot get in.
Interpretation: Sometimes silence is the best option.
Even though my mind has been really busy, none of it has seemed very blog-worthy, and no one wants to bore others on purpose. So here’s a brief report of the happenings around here lately:
- Matt is on his way home right now from finishing day two of the Bar exam. It was hard. He feels nervous. I gave him a hard time about “You’d better pass or I’m getting a nanny and going to Hawaii for two weeks to recover,” (because I’ve been single-parenting for so long while he’s done law school and studied for the test, and because I’m so supportive like that), but I know he really did his best and we just have to wait for fate to play itself out. I really am proud of him, regardless of the outcome.
- When it’s a school holiday and you are trying to keep your children under control so your husband can study, might I suggest driving an hour and a half to an indoor swimming place and letting them swim for FIVE hours? They will be so tired that they can’t even speak on the way home and then you simply have to tuck them into bed on arrival. Plus you get to sit in a chair and read books while you “supervise” them. (I fully admit that I have entered a new stage of life where my children are big enough to need minimal supervision. This would have never been possible in the last 8 years. I acknowledge the new-found blessing, and I embrace it.)
- I have been using MyJobChart.com for a few weeks and it has worked so well with my kids. I just want to mention how much it warmed my heart when Grant — the child I have been butting heads with lately– spent his very first hard-earned job points on “Mom time.” I still can’t believe it.
- Have you ever noticed that even though you complain a lot about something and even have small-scale tantrums about it, as soon as you make it a matter of prayer, progress is made, and then you feel like an idiot for complaining so much in the first place? Cases in point: 1. Boo hoo, poor me, I’m new and it’s hard to make friends. –> More people than I ever imagined signed up for my girls’ night out and made me feel like a rock star, plus some little doors cracked open and I’ve felt some positive opportunities for new friendships. 2. I’m annoyed with the school situation here. I wish I could find some better options for my boys. –> I got a phone call saying that they had both (literally) won the lottery and were accepted into a well-reputed charter school. 3. I feel a little “underwhelmed in the kingdom.” I miss teaching. –> I got an invitation to substitute for an Institute class at BYU and some random emails with loose invitations for possible speaking assignments. Common ingredient in all three “solutions”: prayer.
- I think I might have been marked in the pre-existence as “the one who will always have library fines.” I’m just faithful at fulfilling my destiny, that’s all.
- I am so sick of filling out medical history forms. Shouldn’t there be some big database out there for that? Kind of like ancestry.com, except it’s more like diseasesofyourancestors.com. I should really market that.
- Clark just came into the room singing about how happy he is. When I asked him why, he replied, “Grant said he’s going to run away because he hates me.” I’m so proud of the loving family I’ve raised. *shaking head*
See? Sometimes silence is the best option.
Diapers and Divinity 
Thanks for the reminder of prayer for help. I often forget that and just complain. And I so look forward to the day I can read a book while my kids play or swim. Glad to hear it’s as great as I think it will be.
Keeping my fingers crossed for Matt! I’m sure he did very well.
My sisters and I used to have a rule that we couldn’t call each other and complain about anything unless we had read our scriptures that day. Works almost as well as that prayer idea.
I think we have the same fore-ordained library problem. I’m also tagged with, “the one who always has baskets of unfolded clean laundry in her room” too. Which is okay because I think my kids were tagged with “the ones who’ll wear unmatched socks and wrinkled clothes”. So we’re all pretty much at one with our eternal destinies. It’s all good.
Oh, and I so wish we lived there so the girls could babysit because you and Matt deserve a hot date on Saturday night!! Glad he’s done!
That fact that I have only heard (seen?) you complain twice about being a solo parent already puts you far above me on the heavenly scale. I believe I complain once a week, on a good week. ; )
My legs are shaking for you both.
Oh my goodness – I was fore-ordained to have library fines too . . . I thought that I was the only one. (I’ve discovered that at my library, the children’s librarians don’t give you the evil eye when you pay your fines)
I’m going to have to adopt “The Queen’s” scriptures before complaints requirement!!
Thanks so much for your blog & best wishes to your hubby on the bar exam!
I’m glad you weren’t silent. Sometimes the best posts are the ones when we aren’t trying at all. Know what I mean? Cause this is you, and this is real, and I like you. So I like this. 🙂
And I’m right there with you on the library fines. EVERY single time.
I’m convinced I’m doing my part to boost the local economy by paying our library fines. After all, if it weren’t for my family, the library would probably have to let go at least two employees.
And yes on the medical database thing. All over that.
Totally love the saying. 🙂
Good luck with the bar exam results!
I’m in a similar stage of life, and there’s a lot to love about it, I agree.
The job chart site looks awesome, I really think that might work for our Wild family.
Thank you for the prayer reminder. As cheesy as it sounds, you’ve been the answer to my prayers more than once.
Arg, library fines. But your line: “I’m just faithful at fulfilling my destiny, that’s all.”…classic!!!
diseasesofyourancestors.com?! Genius!!!
You just rock. Thanks for not staying silent. 🙂
Loved this post. I’ve (obviously) been thinking of you a lot this week with your wonderful e-mail and help and everything. I can’t tell you how much I pored over your thoughts, as well as the links you provided. It really, really helped.
I’ll be thinking of you and Matt as you wait for the bar exam results. 😉 I think things will be fine.
Unfortunately I’m lucky enough to live somewhere that library fines don’t exist. Lucky me. Otherwise I’d be in the same boat!
Giggling STILL at your story of Clark and Grant! I LOVE IT! Mostly because my 2 oldest are acting like that too… the joys of posterity, right? 🙂
And THANK YOU for the reminder to pray. It comes at a very important time – when I am needing help a LOT!
So… moral of the story – don’t keep your mouth shut! We all love to hear you talk! Even about the hard/boring stuff! 🙂
The power of prayer is beautiful. I would love to hear you speak sometime.
I, for one, am especially glad you got the pool time. 🙂
The pool idea is a wonderful one! Oooooooh I hope Matt passes!!! And I’m so happy your boys found a for both of them to be happy.
way
I’ll be the first customer to sign up for disease of your ancestors site. Definitely one of my least favorite parts about moving, also because it’s connected to my number one–communication with new insurance company. Argh. I can’t figure out why they are designed to be antagonistic to the people who use and need them.
Ha! I love your library fines comment. I try to keep them low, but oops – just found out we had 2 books that are 2 1/2 weeks late. Oh well. I justify the fees as going to a great cause. Charity!
Good luck to Matt on the Bar!!
Prayer: there is nothing like it.
I’m so excited for your charter school selection. I put my oldest (now in 1st) in the pool for one before kinder. He made it, we turned it down – at 15 minutes each way it felt like too far a drive that would likely interfere with naps and preschool drop offs and pick ups. Oh, how I wish we’d just gone with it. SO much.
Boys.
And I should really try that prayer thing more often.
ha! I must have been right there with you on the library fines… 🙂
Life is like that… and I love that you share it with us, Steph, it makes me feel more normal.
Good luck with the Bar exam!
Amazing how prayer works. I hope the answers are what you are looking for. Best to hubby on his results! It will be a relief to know. btw – what is the wait time for an answer? I LOVED the post title. It was often said in my mission. Sometimes to the missionaries.
Unfortunately, an answer takes 8-9 weeks! Have they no heart?
My favorite line…
“More people than I ever imagined signed up for my girls’ night out and made me feel like a rock star, plus some little doors cracked open and I’ve felt some positive opportunities for new friendships”
love it.
When do you find out the bar results?? I can’t wait to here. I’m sure he did very well.
Where did you take the kids swimming, and what school did they get into? I have many school decisions to make for next year and I need to make them QUICK!
I am looking forward to GNO. I hope I’m one of those glimmers of friendship you saw (OK, is that totally middle school?)
And library fines..don’t get me started! In Ohio they NEVER charged fines for childrens books. And because that was mostly what I was checking out in those days I had very low library fines. Here…well…I just rack ’em up until they tell me I can’t check anything else out until I pay them.
Have a great day! And I just got my Magleby’s gift certificate in the mail…yea!
Um..that was “hear” in my last comment..did I really graduate from college?
The year that I could sit at the pool and look at a magazine for a few minutes while my triplets played in the shallow end–that was like being born again. Seriously. So enjoy that time, you deserve it!
Amen to the prayer thing, too!
We were at the library the other day and I had my money out and ready to pay and was told I didn’t have any fines. I was shocked because this NEVER happens.
So nice to find out I am not the only one! I love posts like this. I call it brain decluttering. I think you may be on to something with the whole praying thing. I am going to put it to the test too. 🙂 I needed that reminder! I am going to check out the Job chart website….See how important posts that you don’t think are, are!
Accumulating library fines is one of my super-powers. That and not ‘cerrando mi boca’ at appropriate times. I had to write and apologize to someone just last night because I let slip a secret they had shared with me a few months ago. It wasn’t intentional, but if I had just kept my trap shut none of it would have happened. I wonder if I’m just doomed to have a mouthful of flies and a library account full of fines.