My friend Emily is taking a photography class...so I was an "assignment" for using different angles. It was SO WEIRD to be in front of the camera instead of behind it. 
I have THE BEST mom ever. She is all of the things I aspire to be like, for instance:
She has ENDLESS patience- this is an understatement
She is not judgemental- AT ALL.
She is kind hearted
She loves everyone
She does not get offended. Really and truly. Hence her ability to say untactful things and not realize it may offend someone else. :) I love that about her
ie: when I was nursing 2 children at once and pumping for my neighbors adopted newborn I wasn't exactly out to tell anyone. But while she was at my house when I had Jay she kindly called her entire family and mentions "Jen is tandom nursing the two kids" to everyone! Hello mom! :) Seemed a bit private at the time, however I could care less if she bore her testimony about it now.
She is always up for a laugh
She's an amazing seamstress
She doesn't seem to get stressed
She is always there to talk to
She is completely Christ-like.
I LOVE YOU MOM! Happy 29th bday! :)
Anyway, so my first week of being "old" has reminded me how bad I am at balance. It's like I know "how" but then I can't just do it. I feel like I'm refusing to look at the staff and live. Instead I'll just sit at my computer and edit other people's photos (I have HOURS AND HOURS worth), but not my own.
So how do you all do it? How do you balance and feel like a good mom at the end of the day while continuing to nourish your own spirit? The crazy thing is I could answer this for myself quite easily and I feel like I've been given answers from Heavenly Father time and time again....and yet I'm still the same. :) So I need to start setting some goals again!
So my goals for this week are to:
Read my scriptures every day- hard for me lately.
Pray in the mornings
Say no to extra time consuming activities
Put my children first
Be able to stop the computer madness when I need to. :)
Just so you know, I am actually feeling really good these days, I'm not depressed, or even sad, just frustrated wondering how I can be better...a little inspiration please...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
a week of 32 & Happy Day Mama!
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Jen-ben
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21 comments:
well...i don't have kids and...i don't balance well either so instead---THANKS for blogging for me! hehe. i was going to ask jana too but she did it before i was able to ask her! lol. :)
love you jen! you're awesome!
~~~~~~~~~Balance vibes~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Birthday MOM! i totally agree with everything jen said on there! you're AMAZING!!!!!! We're so lucky!
oh! and tell Emily her pics of you turned out so great!!!
and the pic of mom and dad is So Cute!!!
You're lovely, Jen. So did you edit them or did she? :)
And Happy Birthday to Karen! I love my mom-in-law.
You do have the nicest mom!! Happy Birthday!!!
I LOVE your mom too. She is all that and more.
You are so not old. 32 is young. I did not even have my first child until I was 33. Life is what you make it and you are only as old as you act. M
You're funny Mechelle...I have never actually felt old- that was a joke. :)
Cherise thanks for the vibes...I'm sucking them in!
Happy Birthday to your cute Mama! What a darling picture! You have such stunning parents! I love how your mom's eyes match her shirt.
The pictures of you look so good! You've inspired me to edit more. You said that you try not to edit very much, and that you hardly ever crop. I guess that should be a goal of mine because I am definitely NOT there yet. In the meantime, I'll use the gifts of Photoshop a little more liberally. I've been afraid of over-using the "Edge-burner" action, but you make it work so well. Oh...I'm in awe of you...I have so much to learn!
As far as balance goes, please let me know what you learn. Right now I'm typing this (downstairs) while Macy watches a movie (upstairs) that she put on by herself. She has been such a grump lately that I've been staying out of her way. I think I'll get off the computer and go upstairs and make an effort. Maybe read some books or make some cookies. I don't know...Something to help her snap out of this mood.
It seems like one of the biggest problems we all have is learning to BALANCE. Let me know if you figure it out. :)
By the way, I'm curious as to where Emily is taking her class. I've looked around but would like a referral. I tried to get on her blog to leave her a message but it's private. Can you help me out?
P.S. you look pretty!
(As always...)
Wow. I should probably die before I get any more perfect... I love you kids so much for all you do not remember - and not saying anything about it if you do :) Thank you very much Jen, you really are a sweetheart! I also love the pictures Emily took of you - very 'Classic' looking. Great job.
And thank you to you sweet friends who wished me a happy birthday here! I found that if you want to have a really good day it pays to remind people in advance that it's going to be your birthday... hehehe. Dad gave me a Nikkon D40 camera! Time to go play with it!
I struggle everyday with balance, between being a Mom, Wife, cleaning my house, playing with my kids, spending time for myself & working! So, it's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Mom my told me once that she thinks that learning balance is one of the things we've been sent to earth to learn & fortunately we're given a lifetime to learn it. I think she's right!
One thing that our little family has started doing is reading the scriptures every night before bed (I call it one of my little triumphs). We each read one verse & then talk about what the verse meant. It means we only do four verses a night, but that's about as much as my kids can handle. It's been a great way to have a quick spiritual moment with my kids every day & a bonus is it's helping Gwendolyn with her reading (she barely needs our help anymore).
Hey girl! I feel everything you wrote. And it would be fun to meet your mom some day, she sounds a lot like mine! Anyway, I find that with having three children, finding time to do much of anything you "want" to is hard. But, it is important. I'm going to find that out much more when I start work this next week. But, I think it's imperative to remember what is most important in this life. We are all here to be happy, that's the whole plan in a nutshell! Seems so simple, doesn't it? But when I get frustrated, and feel like I can't do enough for everyone, I just remember that Heavenly Father didn't put me here to be miserable - He put me here to be happy, and boy, does that make a difference!
:)
The pics of you are so pretty! How fun to get to do that!
I adore your Mom! She really is amazing! Working with her in RS was wonderful! I miss being in their ward!
Your kids look soooooo much like you!!!!
Balancing....is always an act(ion)...
It's tough! Good luck! ...But I think you should always put YOURSELF first (at least when it comes to your prayers and scripture study!) or it just won't happen - the nature of the beast.
can I just say that you rock!! Seriously , you are one of the neatest people and always put your kids first, you are beautiful and just by reading your blog I have learned so much more about you. A true inspiration, wether you think you are or not..YOU ARE!
Jen, I don't know if you will take this advice or not, nobody in my family ever takes my advice:) I have struggled a lot with balance and one day I had the most wonderful epiphany...just take it one thing at a time and just do it! I wanted to start reading scriptures with my husband and we were having the hardest time and then one day I just decided to go to bed and get the scriptures out and that was that. We don't do it every night but we are much better than we used to be. That is the approach I have taken for everything, it seems like I have a goal list that is 100 miles long but if I just conquer one thing at a time it is SO much easier and way less overwhelming. It is a daily thing, finding balance. So, when you think to yourself "I need to read my scriptures" go and get your scriptures and read them, no matter what else is going on. That is what works for me anyway, hopefully it will help a little. For the other things which aren't as physical, like putting your children first when you have that thought go and do something with your kids and so on. This is really long sorry, but when I figured this out I was SO much happier. I don't always do it but when I remember to do it it makes me happy:) If you want to see my blog, it is private, email me at knhakaspud@hotmail.com, I always feel bad that I look at other people's blogs and they can't see mine.
Kate Melo (Holdsworth)
You are gorgeous... That's all I have to say.
Hi Jen, gorgeous, gorgeous photos of you!!! your friend did a beautiful job.. but how could she not.... she had a beautiful subject!!
Happy Birthday to your mum!! she is so very beautiful, it radiates from her! Hope you are feeling well!!
take care,
love,
tanya xxx
I know the answer! Just pray to heavenly Father that you will be a better mom and he will take all your photography work away like he did with me! haha j/k. Really though, it's helped me balance it, and it makes me see, really see the difference it is making in my kids lives, and mine. I am amazed how much children suffer from their mom working. I am not at all pointing fingers at moms who work. It's necessary, heaven knows I know it is necessary. I wish I could work! But, I am amazed how much better I feel and how much better my kids are. I guess it all comes down to faith that somehow the financials will all work out. I am teaching RS on sunday and there was a good point in the talk. Elder Ballard points out that Kids are only under a mom's supervision for 1/4 of her life. And of that 1/4 only 10% of a mother's life is spent during her kids most formative years 0-12. Kind of puts things into perspective. I have to remember that I will have the rest of my life to work, but this is the only time in my life I will have my kids little like this
Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).
okay, enough all ready. You get the point. Now you know my lesson I will be giving on Sunday!
You are GORGEOUS.
(and, my only balance tip is setting aside specific amounts of time for things- I WILL read for 30 minutes with my kids. I will ONLY spend 1 hour on the computer until I take a break and clean the kitchen... etc.)
You look beautiful in the pictures!
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