My summer starts in one day. Even though there is still lots of snow on the ground (le sigh), I am done with the university school year and will not have to teach nearly as much over the summer. I will also not be performing at all this summer, and sad as that is, it…
One of my husband’s favorite recipes is this easy lemon cake. It’s super easy because you just have to doctor up a basic yellow cake mix, and it’s really good, too. I need a good dose of springtime in my life, so we made this cake a couple weeks ago, and it was just the…
Recently, we implemented a new system for chores and allowance. It is still working really well, but I have not been super pleased with my ugly, taped to the cabinets, checklists. Then we started using a different brand of tape and it began to take the paint of the cabinets. This made the need to…
I’ve mentioned more than once what an all or nothing personality I have. I’m either perfect at everything or completely apathetic. I’m either dressed up quite nicely or in my pajamas. I either eat 100% healthfully or I eat like complete crap. My house is either perfectly clean or an absolute wreck. And I have…
In this post from 2010, I talked about making temple envelopes for my young women. It was for a lesson on temple preparation. I found a poem online somewhere and attached it to the envelopes. I had a reader email me today about what the poem was, because you can’t see the entire thing in…
While watching General Conference last weekend, I noticed a few distinct themes that were things I personally needed to hear. The first of those themes was Obedience. I loved Elder Hales’ and Elder Perry’s talks on Obedience. Elder Hales: If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments focused on following the Savior’s example in obedience, using our…
How to help your children find their strengths and develop their own unique talents. All children want to fly. They all want to excel at something, too. As a parent, I also want my children to fly. I grew up in a household that encouraged talent development in a big way, and I owe my…
It’s conference time again. Oh, how I love General Conference time. Last night was the General Women’s Meeting and I was spiritually filled. Which is good, because I am currently not at church right now. Instead, I am home with a very sick Sophia. The whole meeting was so good that I don’t even know…
Moms have busy lives, and sometimes it can get very overwhelming. Remember these six things to help you avoid burnout and find more balance when you are feeling overwhelmed. Are you a mom who is easily overwhelmed? I am a mom who is easily overwhelmed. But the longer I do this whole mom gig, I…
Luminescence by Braden Bell is the third and final installment to his Middle School Magic Series. (I have reviewed The Kindling and Penumbras, the first two books in the series, HERE and HERE.) In my last review I said that I was so excited to read the final installment of this series that I would…
Love BYU mint brownies? Here’s the secret recipe! Our favorite brownies are the ones you can buy on BYU campus—the yummy BYU mint brownies. Over the years, my husband has done his best to dissect and perfect a recipe that comes pretty darn close to the ones you can buy at the CougarEat, and I…
Are you shelling out the big bucks for music lessons only to have your child not practice? We sacrifice so much so that our children can have good quality music instruction, and it really frustrates me when they refuse to practice. But it turns out that there are several very legitimate reasons why a child…