Lessons from Junie B. Jones

Benjamin finished kindergarten earlier this year, and throughout the school year we read the Junie B. Jones series. I loved the series when I was young. My favorite is Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal. I grew up going to and hosting sleepovers, but I never had one quite like that! Benjamin and Luna have thoroughly enjoyed the series - so far we have only read the Kindergarten ones. We'll read the first grade ones this up coming school year. It has been really interesting hearing Benjamin's reactions to the situations that Junie B. finds herself in. He points out when any of the characters are making bad choices or being mean, and I have helped him identify when they are being nice.

As an adult and a mom reading the series this time, I noticed some parenting/teaching lessons that I missed as a kid. There are a few times where Junie B. does in fact make a choice that warrants the discipline that she receives - like when she cuts her stuffed animals and her own hair, or when she colors on her graduation gown. Barbara Park helps the reader know when Junie B. knows that she is making a wrong choice by having Junie B. use language (Junie B. is the narrator) like "sneaky" and "quietly" to describe her actions. 

However, most of the time, Junie B. is just reacting to the circumstances around her. She still needs guidance and correction, but I don't think she needs to be yelled at by her teacher or parents as often as she does. In fact, reading the series has made me check how often I yell at my kids - I'm not perfect at it, but I'm working on it. Which, I think, might have been Barbara Park's intentions. I really love how Junie B's grandpa Frank Miller and the school principal treat her. They are both so patient with her, and they aren't as put off by her little quirks the way other adults in her life are. They are great examples on how to interact with children.

Like any series,  the side characters - Junie B's classmates - really bring the stories to life and teach great lessons about kindness and friendship.

Grace is, in my opinion, the kindest kindergartner in Room 9. She's honest and tells it like it is, but she rarely gets angry nor misbehaves. I think her character is a great role model.

Lucille is a product of her grandmother's spoiling. Honestly, she is not kind, but at that age it isn't her fault because her grandmother raised her that way. Junie B. and Grace are friends with Lucille regardless of her less than gracious language towards them. They will defend themselves when they need to, but I like how they constantly turn the other cheek and continue to play with Lucille. At the same time, however, Benjamin has had friends that, like Lucille, are

not consistently nice to him or others. It got to the point where I told Benjamin that he had two choices: walk away from that kid and no longer play with them, or shrug it off.  With the exception of a few incidents that absolutely needed to be addressed, Benjamin - bless his heart - chose to shrug off the mean things that kid would do and continue playing with them. I was honestly hoping that Benjamin would choose to walk away from that friendship, but the important thing is he made the decision that he wanted to make. I didn't make him stay friends with that kid.

"cry baby William" as Junie B. calls him, is the Neville Longbottom of Junie B. Jones. He is scared of everything, and cries easily. This time reading the series, I saw Benjamin in William. Benjamin has anxiety, and my heart was softened towards William as I saw the similarities between my own son and this character. Then, in one of the last books of the kindergarten series, Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day, William gains his entire class's love and respect when he is able to do pull ups on the monkey bars when no one else is able to for the field day activities. He is a perfect example to not judge on the outside, and to give everyone a chance. I love William.

"meanie Jim" sent me two strong messages in two different books. In Junie B. Jones and Meanie Jim's Birthday, Jim invites every kid in his class to his birthday party except Junie B. He gets in trouble with his mom and the principal, and is forced to give Junie B. an invitation. On the day of the

party, Junie B. is on her way to his party when she changes her mind and she goes to her grandparents' house instead and spends the day there. Even though she wanted an invitation, she didn't actually want to go to his party because he is mean to her. The weeks leading up to Benjamin's birthday I felt stress if I should invite the whole class. There seems to be a collective attitude online that you either invite the whole class or don't invite anyone. I knew I couldn't spend the money it would take to host his entire class, and we didn't have room in the small apartment we lived in at the time. I decided to ask Benjamin who he wanted to invite, and wrote down the names that he said. He chose to invite six boys from his class. I asked his teacher what her rules were on birthday invitations, and she said that it was best to come the last five minutes of class. She said some kids would get their feelings hurt, but it was okay. I'm glad she had that attitude because I agree, we aren't going to get invited to everything, and it's important to learn that early. Now, in Junie B.'s situation, it is wrong to invite all but one, but it's completely okay to invite a few and not the rest. Three kids in Benjamin's class did express disappointment in not getting invited. I remained silent and let Benjamin handle it, and he kindly said, "Maybe next time."

In Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine, Junie B. receives a Valentine gift from a secret

admirer. It turns out that the valentine is from meanie Jim! Junie B. is understandably surprised, he has been mean to her the whole school year. She asks him why he is so mean to her if he likes her. Jim tells her that she makes school interesting, and it wouldn't be interesting anymore if everyone knew, so he asks her to keep it a secret and act like nothing has changed. She agrees. This plot fits right into "boys will be boys" and "he's mean to you because he likes you." Which, of course is a big no-no in today's society. Something interesting that Barbara Park does is she neither condones nor condemns Jim's actions with her words in that book or future books, but her silence in future books sends a clear message. In all of the books after  the Mushy Gushy Valentine, Junie B. never mentions Jim's feelings for her. He's still meanie Jim, and she continues to defend herself. As the narrator, Junie B. never reminds the reader that her fighting with Jim is just for pretend so the class doesn't know he likes her. I think that tells us what Barbara Park thinks of that kind of behavior, and what she wants Junie B. to think of it too: that it's not okay, and therefor not worth giving attention to.

I highly recommend reading the Junie  B. Jones series to your children. Today was Benjamin's first day of first grade, and I can't wait to start reading the Junie B. Jones first grader series!

My Mighty Change of Heart: My Journey to Accepting My Brother's Sexuality

Most of you know that I am an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of you also know that my brother, Michael, is gay. Unfortunately, some of my responses have not been best, but my heart has recently changed; and I say better late than never.

Michael came out to me privately on December 30, 2013, and he came out publicly on January 2, 2014. I struggled for the first few years. I never stopped loving Michael, I never looked down on him, and I never viewed him as lesser. But I did feel sad for him, and I felt sad watching him go on a rollercoaster trying to figure out where he fit in in the world and in the Church. I struggled and felt conflicted with what and how I wanted to teach my children about Michael's sexuality while remaining steadfast in the gospel. And I struggled with how to navigate my testimony of the doctrine on the family, and how to best support Michael. Do I allow my children to meet his partner(s)? If Michael gets married, do I attend his wedding?

I also felt hurt and angry that my parents had known for years and I had been kept out of that knowledge until 3 days before Michael told everyone else. Michael and I are the only children our parents have, and I am the older sibling. If I had been the younger sibling I could understand not telling me. If we had more siblings I could also understand not telling me. But I was literally the only person in my house who did not know. I did know something was going on. I knew private conversations were happening. And it hurt that it was kept from me. In the past six months Michael and I have been able to heal from those years of secrecy, and we are fine now.

In the beginning, I encouraged Michael to find a woman who he could be best friends with and marry as a best friend. I encouraged this because I thought that was what he wanted, and early on that is what Michael communicated to me that he thought he wanted that. When he changed his mind, it took me longer to get on board. I just wanted Michael to find a way to be happy living the gospel the way I was living it. I wasn't trying to be harmful, everything came from a place of love.

I started to see some cracks in my thoughts - and people who share the same thoughts - when one of Michael's singles ward bishops tried to put Michael through a disciplinary council, and possible excommunication. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because it's not my story to tell. Michael's stake president put a stop to it and said no, that Michael did not need to be put before a disciplinary council. It broke my heart to hear that someone viewed my little brother like that.

I also started to question if I was going about this correctly when I heard some people say, "I don't go to family events if my gay cousin is there with their partner because I don't want my children to see that." My passive, non contentious side said nothing, but on the inside I was screaming, "When it's your sibling or your child it is so different! If I did that, I would never see my brother."

I also can't support attitudes that believe we need to be constantly preaching against LGBT lifestyles. Believe me, they know the Church's teachings. They don't need weekly reminders. I'm not going to lecture Michael every time he goes on a date. We all need to get to the point where we step back and respect individual agency. If the family is the most important aspect of the gospel, then contention due to the exercise of agency is not going to help with a loving family atmosphere.

My dad has been inactive for 14 years. A few years ago I told my mom how angry I was at dad. My mom told me that if I'm angry instead of loving, how will my dad ever view the Church positively? Michael is the same. How is he supposed to feel loved by members of the Church, if all we do is lecture him on his lifestyle?

In addition to all of this, I'm not going to criticize the leaders of the Church. I'm not going to demand changes to doctrine. I still have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ and his gospel. There are some things I don't understand. I still have struggles with certain topics and information. But I have faith that answers will come. I have faith that everything will eventually work out. And I have faith that following the prophets, even amongst human mistakes, will bring blessings.

In the past year I have received several personal revelations on how to improve my relationship with Michael. I have told Michael that he is welcome to talk to me about men that he is seeing. I have told him that we will welcome anyone he might want to bring to family dinner. So far we haven't met anyone yet, but the openness is there.

Recently, Heavenly Father has prepared me ahead of time for certain announcements and statements made by Church leaders. Thoughts and inspiration will come to me and then not too long after, something will be said that matches my personal revelation. This recently happened with the updated baptism and apostasy policies.

A few weeks ago while questioning - for the umpteenth time - if it would be okay to attend Michael's possible future wedding, I received the inspiration to view gay marriage the way I view a member to a non-member marriage. My sister-in-law married a man who is not a member of the Church, and we love and accept him. I can view Michael's potential spouses the same.

Then, the first Presidency announced:

"At the direction of the First Presidency, President Oaks shared that effective immediately, children of parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender may be baptized without First Presidency approval if the custodial parents give permission for the baptism and understand both the doctrine that a baptized child will be taught and the covenants he or she will be expected to make.

A nonmember parent or parents (including LGBT parents) can request that their baby be blessed by a worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holder. These parents need to understand that congregation members will contact them periodically, and that when the child who has been blessed reaches 8 years of age, a Church member will contact them and propose that the child be baptized.

Previously, our Handbook characterized same-gender marriage by a member as apostasy. While we still consider such a marriage to be a serious transgression, it will not be treated as apostasy for purposes of Church discipline. Instead, the immoral conduct in heterosexual or homosexual relationships will be treated in the same way.

The very positive policies announced this morning should help affected families. In addition, our members’ efforts to show more understanding, compassion and love should increase respect and understanding among all people of goodwill. We want to reduce the hate and contention so common today. We are optimistic that a majority of people — whatever their beliefs and orientations — long for better understanding and less contentious communications. That is surely our desire, and we seek the help of our members and others to attain it."

I believe that my personal inspiration matches what was announced at the leadership conference. I'm not trying to say that I receive revelation for the Church. But I very strongly believe that God does speak to me, and the changes I have made to help my brother feel more loved and welcome were inspired by God.

A few years ago Elder Uchtdorf said,

"That Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love—a day when broken hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of gratitude, when all will be made right.

Yes, there will be deep sorrow because of sin. Yes, there will be regrets and even anguish because of our mistakes, our foolishness, and our stubbornness that caused us to miss opportunities for a much greater future.

But I have confidence that we will not only be satisfied with the judgment of God; we will also be astonished and overwhelmed by His infinite grace, mercy, generosity, and love for us, His children. If our desires and works are good, if we have faith in a living God, then we can look forward to what Moroni called “the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge.”

This quote has helped give me peace for my family being less than perfect in our religious circumstances. It allows me to step back and breathe. It has helped me respect the agency of others, while still living my beliefs. My family is sealed together, and everything will work out for us. I don't know exactly how things will work out, I simply have faith that they will.

I know now that I can share my testimony while giving Michael room to breathe and figure things out for himself. I need to respect his agency. But I also don't regret many of the things I have said and thought because I can't change the past and it was part of my learning and growing. Some things I have apologized to Michael for, and that's between us, and our relationship is strong and loving.

I'm sure some of you are feeling appalled at some of the things you have read in this post. Why couldn't I have just supported him right away? Because I am human, and therefore am imperfect. I have imperfect human emotions and feelings, and I am allowed the time to navigate them and figure it out for myself.  I think it's extremely hypocritical to try to encourage change and when someone does to fire back with "You should have never thought that in the first place! Too little, too late!" It's more important that I got here eventually, than getting her perfectly. And I would appreciate my past not being held against me.

On the reverse side, I am not breaking temple covenants, ignoring the doctrine, nor encouraging sin. I am loving my brother the way that I have been inspired to love him. I still believe the Church is true. I believe the leaders are chosen by God. And I believe in personal revelation.

Because I believe in personal revelation, I don't think that what I have shared is a one-size-fits-all solution to this complex topic. Other families may receive different answers, and that's fine. I just wanted to publicly share my love and support for my brother Michael.

My Village is not Dead

"It takes a village."
"The village is dead."

 Have you ever heard or read either of those phrases before? Parents of today feel an enormous pressure to do it alone, and to do it perfectly. The mom at the grocery store with a screaming baby or toddler is judged instead of helped. It is very difficult for a family to survive on one income, and at the same time the price of daycare often makes a second working parent not worth it. And in some families, extended family members prefer their relationships with nieces, nephews, and grandchildren to be only during the holidays, and sometimes less than that or non-existent!

It took me six years of being a mom to realize this, but I am happy to say that my village is not dead. I have a village made up of family members and neighbors who are a part of my children's lives, and I love those people so much, and am so grateful to them!

My parents and brother are a part of my village. They live seven minutes away, and all of us utilize that. We have dinner at their house every Sunday. Everyone pitches in with feeding, diaper changes, playing, reading, and baths. Back in 2016 I was in a rough spot emotionally, and my mom suggested that Gerson and I up our monthly dates to weekly dates. She said to pick a night, Friday or Saturday, she would watch Benjamin and Luna (now Lily also), and the night we didn't choose would be date night for her and my dad. She offered that, I didn't ask; but I do think that young parents shouldn't feel guilty for asking family to watch their children so they can have a date night. My parents invite B&L to sleepover about once a month as well (Lily will join when she is old enough). While this does provide much needed alone time with Gerson, it also strengthens my children's relationship with their grandma and papa - that relationship is really important! They have also bought needed items for B,L,&L when finances have been tight for us. My brother reads to them, he plays with them, he also babysits every once in a while. They love Uncle Michael, he is the favorite uncle.

My in-laws are a part of my village. Gerson's family lives in California, so they can't help in the way that my parents do; but they still love their grandchildren and provide love and support where they can. Whenever we see them, they always give us clothing for the kids, and that is extremely helpful. They provide encouragement and support in how Gerson and I are choosing to raise our children. Gerson's sisters always let B&L sit on their laps, hold their hands, and cuddle with them. And we maintain communication through phone calls and Skype. B,L,&L love their Abuelito, Abuelita, and tías.

My extended family is a part of my village. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have all taken an interest in B,L,&L. They give them love and attention at family gatherings. They help feed them, play with them, comfort them. My parents recently took B&L to visit my dad's mom for a few days, and my cousin and uncle went to the grocery store to buy B&L's favorite cereal for their breakfast while they were there. The love that my family has for my children just warms my heart.

My neighbors are a part of my village. I have two wonderful neighbors that have become honorary tías to my children. We bonded while watching The Bachelor together, and our children are the same age, so the friendships on all levels worked. They are safe adults in my children's lives. B&L play in their homes, I can call on them to babysit - and have also taken care of their kids. I can tell them about my struggles without feeling shame or embarrassment, and receive support and advice. I can also comfortably ask for an ingredient I am out of while making dinner, and they do the same with me. We rarely replace what we borrowed, because we are family. (Off the top of my head I can only think of two times where I requested a replacement because I was using that ingredient the next day and couldn't get to the store when they could.) On top of all of that, we simply are best friends, and we love each other! I love the community we have created, and am sad that location-wise, the closeness is temporary since we are in apartments, and we all will one day move away. 😭 But I plan on staying connected, and

hopefully our children will remain friends as well!

I don't think that the village is truly dead, but I do think it takes love and effort to make it successful! It took me 6 years to realize that I had a village - and to accept that it's okay to need help. Children need more than just their parents. Children need other adults in their life who are safe, loving, and supportive. I am so grateful that my children have that.

Princess Mononoke and the Right to Live

*Disclaimer: Everything I say about this movie is from a Western-Christian point of view. I am in no way trying to speak for the original intent of the writers and producers.

Once a week my brother and I try to get together and watch a movie. We take turns picking and introducing each other to our favorites. My brother is a huge fan of Studio Ghibly (we grew up loving Kiki's Delivery Service), and he has picked his top favorites to show me. So far we have watched (in this order):

Castle in the Sky (Loved!)
Spirited Away (Terrified me, never again.)
Howl's Moving Castle (It was enjoyable, but I had some problems with it.)
Princess Mononoke (LOVED!)

The basic story line of Princess Mononoke is that humans are destroying the forests for industrialism, and the spirit animals (called gods) are at war with the humans to protect the forests. The main character, Ashitaka, comes from a distant village and is unaware of the conflict until he accidentally finds himself in the middle of it. Lady Eboshi is the leader of Irontown where they dig up iron for profit and cut down the forest for building. San, a human who was raised by the the wolf god, helps the wolf clan fight the humans and protect the forest. Ashitaka, as a stranger and outsider, is not emotionally attached to only one side, and wants everyone to coexist peacefully.

In this movie, hate has the power to become a literal demon within those who allow hate to grow in their hearts (mixed with some other stuff, but I'm not going to give the whole movie away). Hate encourages both humans and animals to kill. Ashitaka tries to convince both humans and animals to let go of their hate, stop killing, and live. The Great Spirit, also called the Night Walker, represents a Creator being, and is in charge of both life and death. He is supposed to be the only being in charge of creating life and taking it away.

Due to my Latter-day Saint background, I couldn't help but notice a similarity between Heavenly Father and the Great Spirit, and Hate and Satan. The Great Spirit is all seeing and all knowing, and is the only spirit/god to see Ashitaka for who he really is (the other gods fear and hate him simply for being human).The Great Spirit has a few moments of saving characters who have not reached their time, and allowing others to die when it is their time. Hate encourages killing of the "other," greed, and anger. Ashitaka seems to be the only character who truly understands that the Great Spirit is supposed to be the only being in charge of life and death, and it's that message that got me thinking about hate, life, and death in the real world.

Heavenly Father is the creator of life, and it is supposed to only His power to take earthly life away. But as Satan encourages hate among mankind, we end up killing each other and sometimes ourselves - this killing can be literal or emotional, fast or slow. Here are some common ways in which mankind kills:

• Murder
• Abortion
• Neglect
• War (Of course, there are times where war is necessary)
• Suicide (I understand suicide is very complex, and I know I am not an expert. I am not judging anyone who has taken their life or attempted to take their life, and I know that God knows what is in their hearts.)
• Over eating/under eating
• Over exercise/under exercise
• Seeking perfection
• Harmful words against others or oneself
• Working too much/not working enough
• Judging others or oneself

I'm sure more can be added to the list.

We need to let go of our hate for others or ourselves and live. Heavenly Father blessed us with life, we can thank Him by living our best life. No, we won't be completely free from trials, pain, and temptations, but we can use His help to overcome them or live through them, and find joy. No, I'm not perfect, and I'm not trying to look down on anyone. This movie simply touched me very deeply and I wanted to share my feelings about it. My hope and goal is to start ask myself when I am making a decision, "Does this decision allow myself and others it affects to live?"

If you have seen the movie, I would love to hear your thoughts about it. If you haven't seen the movie, watch it! It is so good!

 

Lily's Winter ONEderland

At the end of last year, Lily turned one! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it. At this point she says Mama, Dada, Hi, and lots of gibberish - but it's not gibberish to her, you can tell by her tone of voice and facial expressions that she knows what she is saying. She can stand for several seconds without support, she walks sideways with support; but she cries when we try to help her walk forward, she would rather crawl. She has only 5 teeth, which is weird for me because both Benjamin and Luna had all of their teeth by the time they were one.

With Lily being born two days after Christmas, we thought convincing other people to spend the time and energy to celebrate her Birthday would be difficult. But our friends and family surprised us and either came to her party, or still made an effort to send Birthday greetings. We appreciate everyone who wished Lily a Happy Birthday in some way.

Gerson's sister graduated from Weber State University two weeks before Lily's birthday, and the rest of Gerson's family came that weekend, so we had Lily's party then! I thought it would be fun to do a winter theme, and while I was searching Pinterest for ideas I found the winter onederland spelling and thought that was super cute.

We started the party crafting tree ornaments. The options were: snowflakes, snowmen, and penguins. It was really fun, and Benjamin and Luna loved it!

We had a snowman piñata. Benjamin was the oldest kid there at the time, and he couldn't break it open on his own. So my brother hit it a few times to weaken it, and Benjamin ultimately broke the piñata open! The final activity was pin the nose on Frosty. Everyone did a good job.

We had soup, rolls, chips, and chocolate covered strawberries for dinner. Lily had a cake all to herself, and cupcakes decorated with snowmen and snowflakes were served to everyone else. Benjamin and Luna both got really messy diving into their cakes when they turned one. Lily was so cute and dainty; she would pinch tiny bird seed sized pieces of cake and frosting and eat them! She still did get a little messy though.

We had such a fun time with everyone that all of my pictures are from after the party ended - they way it should be!

I'm a Working-From-Home-Mom

Last year, I felt inspired to start looking for a part time job. Specifically a teaching job - or something similar connected to education, since that is what my degree is in. Part time teaching jobs exist, but they obviously aren't as common as full time. I also needed it to be at a time of day where I wouldn't need a babysitter. That gave me the option of teaching summer school or night classes, which greatly decreased my options further. I found a few, and I applied for them, but it didn't turn into anything for me. I paused my search as we prepared for Lily to join our family.

Shortly after Lily was born, a sister in my ward told me about her job: she taught from home, part time, and she set her own schedule! She taught English online to children in China. It took me a month to decide to apply. By then I thought I had missed my opportunity, but it turned out the company is always hiring. I reached out to the lady in my ward, and she sent me a link to apply.

The company is called VIPKID, and they hire English speakers to teach English online. We use a web cam, and a headset with a microphone. The company has their own video chat program. We can see and hear the student, they can see and hear us, and we both can see the lesson Power points that the teacher controls. One must have a Bachelor's degree, but it doesn't have to be a teaching degree. I filled out an application, had an interview, and what is called a Mock Class before I was officially set to start teaching (the mock class portion of the hiring process has changed slightly since I was hired back in March). Through the Mock Class, and a video recording of myself "teaching" I became certified for Pre-VIP Level 1 and Trials (Trials are potential students trying out the program before they buy classes.)

Because my students live in China, I teach during their awake times, which for living in MDT can range from 6:30pm- 7:00am. The lessons are 25 minutes long and begin on the hour and half hour. I chose to open up my schedule for 5:00-7:00 am (those two hours are the "hot" times because it is in the evening after school, after extra curricular activities, and after dinner). I don't get assigned students, the parents choose to schedule me. My first week teaching I got scheduled 3-4 of my 4 slots every day! I was so excited. They were all trials, and half of them ended up being "Student No Shows." After that, for the next several months, I only got 1-2 students a week, still all trials, half being No Shows. (Teachers still get paid for a No Show - half if it's a trial, full if it's a "Major Course" - since we are there in the classroom ready to go.)

I became very frustrated, and I felt like I was working for the teaching version of Jamberry or DoTerra, where it sounds great, but really only a few employees are successful. I felt like the person who referred me only did so for the monetary incentive on their end. In May and June, I got a couple of Major Course students who rescheduled me a few times, but I eventually never saw them again. I took every workshop that VIPKID offered. I changed my profile picture, changed my introductory video, changed the background of my classroom, and got certified to teach more levels; hoping that one or all of those changes would help get me more students. None of that seemed to make a difference.

VIPKID does 6 month contracts. My first 6 months were up at the end of September. At the beginning of August I was seriously considering not signing a second contract and looking into local after school tutoring jobs. Gerson suggested that I sign my second contract and we evaluate at the year mark. I'm so glad he had that impression and encouraged me, because towards the end of August I woke up to full bookings for the following week! And I haven't had a scarce schedule since.

During my "dark days" where I thought I had been duped, I heard other teachers claiming that after weeks of nothing, one day they woke up and had full bookings. I resentfully thought, "That's not possible for me. Are they hiding something they did to get bookings?" But it did happen to me, it just took  much longer than I thought it would take. I'm glad I hung on, and I'm glad Gerson encouraged me not to give up.

I love this job. I love my students. My sleeping schedule is taking a while to get used to because I have to go to bed early and wake up early. Gerson is home to take care of the kids if they wake up while I am teaching. I believe Heavenly Father was preparing me for this job a year before I learned about it when He inspired me to start looking. It was the perfect timing. It helps a little bit financially, and it helps me significantly emotionally and mentally.

 I call myself a "Working-From-Home-Mom" and I think that needs to be an initial: WFHM. 😉

Luna's My Little Pony Party

A couple of weeks ago, Luna turned 3 years old! She has developed so much. She can hold an actual conversation, she knows the alphabet, she can count to 20, she knows colors. She has such a cute imagination and she is quite the gymnast!

On Luna's actual birthday, we went out to dinner as a family and she opened her gifts from us that night.

We threw a friend party for Luna on the weekend that was My Little Pony themed. I made pony tails out of ribbon in the colors of the 6 main ponies for the kids to wear. Luna picked Pinky Pie and Benjamin picked Rainbow Dash.

The opening activity was a blank pony that the kids colored in.

Once all of the guests had arrived and colored their ponies, we moved on to Pin the Tail on Rainbow Dash. One kid got super close, and the rest landed somewhere in the middle.

After that, it was time for the piñata. A Pinky Pie piñata of course. We lined up the kids by age after Luna, and the 4th kid knocked the head off! So we had to tie it back together so everyone could have a turn.

We finished the party with presents and cake. Luna loves all of her presents and places all of them either right by her bed or on the headboard for nap time and bedtime.

It was so fun to see all the neighborhood kids playing together and having fun. It was nostalgic for me because it reminded me of the birthday parties in the apartment complex I lived in before my parents bought a house. Especially this photo.

I'm so grateful my kids have such good friends.