I always look forward to General Conference for a multiple of reasons. I love being spritually fed and it is always a quiet family weekend with no other meetings that separate us for the day. It is this great calm. Until today. I have been soloing it while my sidekick has been off exploring Arches National park for work. A great thing for him. Home has been great and the kids have been really nice to me. I awoke this morning with great expectations for a wonderful conference session. The kids were excited to watch conference and have a special breakfast treat.
Mistake #1- I did not go with our usual Costco breakfast treat, opting instead to fix one after the first session. (we start at 8 am) The kids are way too hungry to make it that long and that is one of the things they look forward to is the muffins. They only get them twice a year.
Mistake #2- I did not double check that Conference would be shown on normal tv stations as it had in times past. It was not being broadcast so I tried to watch it on the internet. Kids are now really not paying attention. I am going crazy because it stops after every third word.
Mistake #3- I don't know if this one is really a mistake but we'll just keep with the format. For the afternoon I decide that we will go to the chapel and watch it there. The kids have been great and were excited to go. So armed with Conference packets and crayons we go. We lasted 15 minutes in the chapel before heading to the "mother's room". There were too few people and Carsten and Josette didn't have the first clue about using quiet whispers.
By this point I am rather frustrated because I have yet to catch a full talk. I did catch a bit of one from Elder ? He told of the story of his daughter going on a blind date and leaving with guy who was coming to get a sitter for his kids. It was all about how laughter changes everything. We need to laugh more, life is too short. At least that is what I got.
By the time we got home I was really at an end. What to do to entertain the kids for the rest of the day?
Mistake #4 - Let's all make bread together! Everybody agreed and we started. We'll make a double batch so that there is plenty for everybody to play with. 4 cups water, 2Tbs Yeast, 4 TBL sugar, 3 cups flour.....I need to get more flour from the garage. As I come back in the house two little boys come running downstairs covered in this dough, head to foot and I hear the mixer up on the table going crazy. The first thought that comes into mind was Elder ? hiding in the kitchen when the real date showed up because he was laughing so hard. What could I do then but laugh! I then sprinted upstairs to turn off the mixer. Everything was covered in this wet mixture. It took an hour to clean up but I was sure grateful for the timing of that talk and that I was able to catch that little bit. I think after the way the day had gone I would have had two boys in bed for a long time and I would have been in tears!
No bread was made but a mother's sanity was saved by the inspiration of an apostle of the Lord to talk about laughter. I'm going to download this one and listen to it at least once a week to remind me.
No pictures were taken to try and discourage this type of laughter in the future.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Timing is everything
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8 comments:
Oh my Catherine - you are a Saint! 4 kids, no husband and conference weekend, bless your heart! I'm awed by your patience. The church has an awesome new media player which makes it really easy to re-watch later :)
Catherine,
Your story made me laugh. I am sorry to say that I missed most of that talk also which included the story...I will have to go back and listen as well. I always hope I will get to listen to more of conference but am amazed that what I do get to hear is always what I need.
I am sorry Matt is gone! I hope it isn't for to much longer.
By the way, I loved the story about the boys on the roof. The things boy will think of always amazes me. Ben hauled a huge 2'x3' chunk of bark because HE HAD TO all the way home from a walk they went on!
~Kim
Loved the story. Its amazing how different talks just speak to us. I kind of wish you would have taken a picture. Would have been cute.
catherine- you are amazing. i loved that talk, but seeing it in action is even better. i am always in awe when we see you with your kids at how incredibly great you are with them and how you take everything in stride. i have never EVER seen you overreact or do anything other than be calm, cool and collected with them- with a lot of laughter. i admire that and i try to think of it when i'm dealing with my ONE! :)
Ewwww yeasty bread boogers! I think you saw the calm before the storm and chose to laugh in the storms face. I have heard before that life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how
you take it. Congrats on handling it well! Love Ya.
I laughed all the way through your story. You're a good writer...mabe you'll be an author someday. Melia kept asking what I was laughing at...so I told her about her "naughty" cousins. She didn't quite get it, but it was a fun for Bert and I. Glad you survived! love ya
I was laughing so hard I was crying. I could hardly get through reading the post to Dad. I learned long ago not to leave the kids by the mixer. That's just too tempting. Anyway thanks for bringing a big smile to our faces and cheering up our day. We love you all.
Catherine, it's great to catch up with you and find you still have such a great sense of humor. What a funny story! I got your blog site through Kim, and will send you an email invitation to our family blog. I missed that talk, but surely will think of you and laugh when I read it in the Ensign.
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