First of all, my sincere apologies (especially to Amber) for not getting this up earlier today.  The day had a long to-do list and just slipped away from me.  Today you get to meet our second Amber on Find-A-Friend Friday.  Amber and I have known each other for a little while through blogging, and she has always been so nice to me.  She is the kind of person who really wants to do what’s right (and frankly doesn’t give herself enough credit for all the good she does.).  I hope you enjoy meeting her here today and leave her a little love in the form of comments or by visiting her blog.  Here she is:

 

Hey everybody!  My name is Amber Peck.  I’m so thrilled that Stephanie asked me to be on her blog this week, but I’m also super nervous.  Once upon a time I was a young and confident teenager who could stand up in front of anyone and own the room.  I was in theater in high school and I loved to perform.  I actually looked forward to giving talks in church.  Somewhere between then and now, though, I retreated into myself a little.  Being a stay at home mom has, at least in my case, toned down my love of the spotlight.  So I’m excited and yet tentative about all of you “looking” at me right now.

 

I’m still young, just 26 years old and I have four children. Taesya is six, Canon is four, Keller is two, and Jovie will be 3 months old tomorrow.  Grocery store checkers everywhere tell me, “You really have your hands full.”  And I do.  Luckily, though, I married an amazing man, who is a wonderful partner.  He helps me in so many ways, not the least of which is reminding me constantly “Everything’s going to be ok.”

 

1.     What’s your favorite part of motherhood?

We call them “Lovins” and they’re my absolute favorite.  I love it when my baby girl smiles at me, when Keller puckers up so tight for a kiss, the way Canon wants to sit right by me when there’s a whole couch worth of space available (k, sometimes I don’t like this), and how happy Taesya is to see me after school and tell me about her day.  Love and affection are my favorite part of this little family I have.

2.     What part of motherhood would you subcontract out if you could?

I watch the Brady Bunch and wish so hard that I had an Alice.  I could really use a backup of some sort, like a nanny or a babysitter, who could watch my kids at a moment’s notice.  Then I could run to the store for eggs without towing four kids with me.  Or I could let my younger two keep napping, instead of waking them up to get the older two from school.  And during the times when I just feel overwhelmed and depressed, what a relief it would be to know someone else is there to help with the kids.

3.     Name 2 or 3 items on your “bucket list.”  (Some things you’d like to do before you die.)

(1) A vacation to New York City.  Preferably a trip that’s not super structured, with lots of time for Ben and I to just experience the city.  One night we’d dress up nice and get tickets to a Broadway Musical.  Sounds like a dream to me!

(2) A piano of my very own, so I can learn challenging pieces of music and feel proud of myself.

(3) Earn my Bachelor’s Degree.  Who knows if I’ll every have a career in the future, but I just really love learning, attending classes, doing homework.  I know it sounds crazy, but writing papers and preparing for tests sounds really wonderful to a mushy Curious George and Dinosaur Train brain like mine.

4.     Brag for a minute.  Do it.  What are a few things that you’re pretty good at?

Mainly, I would say that I’m creative.  I come up with fun crafts for the kids to make, I can think up catchy taglines or funny titles, I have a good eye for composition—basically, I’m just creative in a lot of ways.  And, I really hope this doesn’t sound cocky, I think I’m funny, too.  I love making people laugh.

5.     What are you loving lately?

Sorry to be so boring, but I am so in love with sleep.  My baby’s only three months old, after all.  I fantasize about my pillow.

But also, I just did a post about my current favorites.  (Just the silly things that make life a little smily-er.)

6.     Do you have a favorite scripture or quote?  Why?

Right now, I am really clinging to scriptures about prayer.  It’s important for me to remember that God hears me.  I have these two posted in my home:

2 Nephi 4:35 – “Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh.  Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.  Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God.  Amen.”

D&C 112:10 – “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answers to thy prayers.”

7.     What do you gravitate toward during your unscheduled time?

Blogging is, of course, on the list, along with Novels, Movies, and Theater.  When it’s warmer, I’m really excited to spend time at the park with my kids, and to swim at my parents’ house.

8.     Tell us some of your best mom-tricks  (things you’ve figured out that work well for you).

My kids seem to do really well with consistency, doing things the same way over and over.  We have family prayer every morning at 7:00, we clear our dishes after we eat a meal, Keller takes a nap after we drop Canon off at preschool—little things that always stay the same.  It’s been tough for me to do things this way, because I’d rather just make things up as I go.  But if I can avoid one or two tantrums with a basic routine, that’s what I’ll do.

9.     What’s something you don’t usually tell people, but that they need to know if they’re going to be your friend?

I’m kind of insecure, at least at this stage of my life, and I worry almost all the time.  So I’m going to be embarrassed about my messy house and my noisy kids, and I’ll wonder if I said something dumb.  That’s just the way I am.

10. If you were in charge of a girls’ night out, what kind of activity would you love to plan?

I think we all deserve a pedicure at Sego Lily Spa.  We’ll all sit in that big room and have a nice relaxing foot massage while we chat about movies and our kids.  To finish off the night, we’d eat some kind of magnificent dessert.  Comfort and sweets equals a good time to me.

11. Friends are great for venting.  What’s been frustrating you lately?

Oh dear, how much time do you have?  There’s a lot.  I think the biggest right now would be how much my kids fight and pick on each other.  I just want them to be kind, but somehow someone always ends up crying.  It drives me crrrrraazzyy.  And really I have no idea how to make it better.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

12. What parts of your testimony are you the most sure of?

I am so sure of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He lived his life in the most wonderful way, to show me what is important.  He loves me and he believes in me.  He sees so much more in me than I will ever understand.

Tell us about your blog:

At eight years old, I received my first journal, and I’ve been hooked ever since.  I love writing and I love having a place to pour the contents of my brain.  A couple years ago, my older brother recommended I start a blog.  I’m so glad he did.  My blog is called Peck of Pickled Peppers.  It’s like Journal 2.0 where I write about my life as a mom and as an individual.  I share goals, ideas, stories, recipes, photos, and whatever else I feel like posting on any give day.  My blog is a peck/peek into my lovely and chaotic world.  Stop by and say hello sometime.