Motherhood

This past week has been filled with reflection...do you ever have days like that? I just want to sit and write in my journal and snuggle with my kids and be better and do better.

I had a talk with Carter Wednesday about being able to accomplish hard things. We just got the most recent Friend (LDS children's magazine)in the mail and it is awesome. It has the story of David and Goliath and we recently discussed this story in Sunday School and I had some thoughts I wanted to share with my kids about it. Tay and Kimball were napping and Carter wanted to help clean the basement to earn some money so I told him he could get started while I finished folding and putting away laundry. After a few minutes he came upstairs and told me it was too hard. We had a great discussion about David and Goliath and accomplishing hard things and trusting in Heavenly Father. My sister and her family were here last week and my sister lost her keys. I suggested we say a prayer and we found them shortly after. I knew we would. I know Heavenly Father answers prayers. Carter and I talked about these things, offered a prayer to Heavenly Father to be able to accomplish hard things (like cleaning a messy basement) and Carter headed down the stairs with a smile on his face. Maybe ten minutes later he came back up, told me Heavenly Father had told him that I should clean the basement, and then went into his room to play. Hmmm...not quite sure what he got out of our heart to heart. But the message of David and Goliath is still ringing in my ears and I really want my kids to grasp it. There are so many Goliaths they will face...especially with Carter starting kindergarten in 2 months...as a four year old. I really want him to know and internalize, like David, that Father will care for him and has great things in store for him. I wonder what David's mother said to him, how she taught him, to help him have such great faith. Like the stripling warriors...I want to teach as those mothers taught.

A blog my sister got me reading, 71toes (written by the daughter of some of my favorite LDS parenting authors, the Eyres), has a lot of great insights on motherhood and a recent post has me especially excited. She wrote about a motherhood retreat she recently attended sponsored by a company, the Power of Moms. I've read about this organization before and especially like the Mind Organization for Moms section, but recently happened upon Learning Circles. Here's how their website describes the circles:

What is a Power of Moms Learning Circle?

• part girls' night out (with a meaningful purpose - in addition to having a great time)
• part book group (with a lot less pages to read...yep, you can complete the reading for each month in about 30 minutes)
• part support group (we all need more opportunities to learn from, encourage, and even sometimes commiserate with other moms?)
• part motherhood course (because you deserve a monthly class to help you grow yourself, build your fellow mothers, and shape the future that starts right in your own home)
• A Learning Circle involves 5-12 mothers who gather each month for great conversation centered on an important motherhood topic

And I got to thinking how I would love to be part of a group like this. I'm blessed to live in a neighborhood with so many young families and involved moms and know there is so much I can learn. So, any of you cranberry farms moms (or anyone else interested) want to take part?