Yesterday is gone . . . Tomorrow never comes. . . Therefore, you're stuck with today. So get with it already, would ya???

Wow, I'm such a philosophizer, doncha thunk???

Whoever coined the phrase, "Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift that is why it is called the present" -- or however it goes -- must not have had kids, bad hair days, cars that won't start, leaky roofs, yards full of stickers, white socks now dirty from walking on floors (inside the house -- icky!!!), smeared toothpaste on mirrors and counters, garbage strewn all over from neighbors animals -- and then leaving their mountainous deposits in lawn . . . Dexter might step in it and sink up to his neck). Not to mention running from kid to kid trying to catch projectile discarded stomach contents and all the other lovelies that go with it!!!

I think someone once said something about cherishing the moment because when it is gone you will long for it (like to ask them if they'd like to spend a day at my house so they can relive those glory days) . . . and stop and smell the roses (impossible with a clothespin on your nose) . . . and this too shall pass (I've had enough of the passing, thank you very much) . . . and when you look back you will wonder where the time has gone (I know where the time has gone, I charted every minute waiting for the blessed angel of sleep to knock the lights out of my kids).

In retrospect though, there is a silver lining in every cloud. I got to sit on the couch holding my babies and not feel guilty about "wasting time." I didn't have to cook because it wouldn't be eaten anyway. The energy level was quite low and there was minimal fighting. No one complained when they watched a movie they'd seen "one hundred times." Andrew didn't complain when he was late for scouts because ice cream was the food of choice. And, I got to go to bed early with the sickies.

I received an e-mail reply to my last earth-shattering blog post about waking up and saying "thank you" -- already in conversation with Heavenly Father. What a magnificent thought. I'm thankful for a new day to stop and reflect on the gift that I did have yesterday of "setting myself aside" and focusing on those things that truly matter. Will my kids be malnourished because they had ice cream? Nope! Can I open windows and air out my house? Yup! Can I sit and hold my babies when they are full of energy and it isn't "cool" to be sitting with Mom? Nope! Are their brains going to rot out of their heads because we did nothing but fry our eyes staring at TV, computers, or games all day? Debatable, but Nope!

And, above all, they are off and running today. Yesterday is already forgotten. It is true . . . Cherish the moments -- they can seem eternal, but are gone in a flash. Stop and smell the roses -- even if they are rotten and stinky -- at least it means your nose still works!!!!

Writing for the sake of writing -- nothing to say!!!

Ever sit down to your computer and that little voice in the back of your head tells you that you should be writing something interesting, there has to be something worth talking about, how boring can your life be, journals -- what are they for again, and who cares anyway. Well, that is me. I looked at all those cute blog designs and figured that if I changed my blog design then at least I'm exerting some effort.

Then I saw that you could print out your blog in journal fashion and I thought how pathetic life can be sometimes.

Then that little voice inside of me slaps me across the face and repeats some of the things I heard at Women's Conference a couple of weekends ago. "Aren't you glad Heavenly Father doesn't get tired of making one more daisy?" "Aren't you glad Jesus Christ didn't get tired and complain about one more healing?" Set priorities, do those NEEDFUL things and not necessarily those things you think you SHOULD be doing. OOOHHHH, I need to repent.

So, I have decided that I will look for at least one thing of beauty each day and point it out to my kids. Heaven knows I spend enough time in the car there has to be something beautiful out there. At which point Karsten pointed at himself and said how much further do I have to look???? He has a good point. Hopefully if he combs his hair just right he can cover it. Kidding aside. The beauty is right in front of me and sometimes I look over the fence to see what is growing over there.

Don't try and outrun the spirit. And, move forward by slowing down. In Doctrine & Covenants 109, this section is the dedicatory prayer to the Kirtland Temple and a great section in learning how to pattern our homes after the temple. It emphasizes the need to organize, prepare and establish. I spend a lot of time establishing and not enough time organizing and preparing.

Repent, repent, repent. Wow, I'm thankful for another day.