Rising generation

Wade was invited to a classmate's birthday party today at a pizza place.  He had a total blast!  I didn't know the birthday boy too well, but I could tell a lot about him by his guest list.  As I dropped Wade off, I recognized several boys at the party who went to school with Wade, and they all happened to be kind, fun, sporty, and super smart.  I had this out-of-body, futuristic realization that I was looking at a group of very special boys with tremendous potential, and I thanked the heavens that Wade was included in this unique group.  I didn't need to worry that he'd see bullying or hear bad language or feel uncomfortable--he could just enjoy being a boy and have some good, clean fun. 

It made me very happy.

Should I or shouldn't I?

Remember this post?  http://cacushing.blogspot.com/2011/03/turn-off-that-spotlight-please.html

The other half of that story was that the Red Sox coach noticed me in the first place because I was standing right next to a player on our team who happened to shout out some very un-sportsman-like words to their team.  I was oblivious, doing my own fair amount of shouting.

This Monday night Wade had a baseball practice.  The Red Sox were practicing after us, and as we were leaving, I saw the coach from their team.  My heart started thumping, and I asked myself, "Should I, or shouldn't I?"  I bit the bullet and walked right up to him.

Me:  Are you the Red Sox coach?

Coach:  (smiles a little) Depends on who's asking!

Me:  (gulp)  Well, I have been meaning to apologize to you for a very long time.  I've had a weight on  my shoulders from the way I acted at the last game we played against your team.  I was really into the game and not paying any attention to what our boys were doing in the dugout.  I'm very sorry--I've been meaning to tell you that for a while.

Coach:  Hey, it's like it never happened.  Don't worry about it!

Me:  Thanks!  I've learned my lesson!

Have you ever been carrying a heavy load, physically or figuratively, and had it lifted off of you?  That's how I felt.  I felt unbelievably light.  It had been this little itch in the back of my mind that I just could not get rid of.  My plan was to just hide the next time we played the Red Sox, but after coming clean and fully repenting, I felt whole again.  I hope I don't forget this experience!

Conference talk recap

I took some random pictures of the kids this morning.  Rhiannon was in a goofy mood--just before I'd go "click" she'd stick her tongue out or jump down or do a crazy face.  She was definitely having a good time.  Wade did the same--he loved posing with the Nerf gun.

Easter Sunday came and went--it was a perfect day.  We spent most of it with the Samuels family--Katie and her kids came to stake conference with us, we joined their family for an Easter egg hunt in their backyard, and then their whole family joined us for dinner.  We had fun!

I wanted to say a little bit about Rhiannon's talk that day, too, for posterity's sake.  Rhiannon stunned our stake with a perfect execution of her talk.  She has been walking on air the last few days--I'm grateful now for the huge confidence boost this has given her.   The background behind her being asked to speak in Stake Conference went like this:  our stake Primary president called me one day and said she needed to give some Primary children names to the stake presidency for a speaker at conference.  She said Rhiannon had come to her mind first.  I immediately hemmed and hawed, didn't think she'd want to do it, and gave my friend several other possible children's names.  Two days went by and the stake executive secretary called to ask Rhiannon anyways. :)  I just wanted to get the record straight that I wasn't the one who put her up to it!  She studied for the talk, I typed out her notes for her, and then she practiced, practiced, practiced.  Poor thing was getting tips and advice from both Jason and me for several days. 

The day of her talk she looked beautiful.  We got to the stake center too late to sit in the chapel section, so we were on the first row starting in the cultural hall.  Brother Byerly, the executive secretary, came to Rhiannon and whisked her away to the stand.  He and President Hedman had her sit on the front row of the stands, in between two of our favorite people from 3rd ward who were also speaking that day, Diana Platts and Judy Pommerenke.  I felt right away that Rhiannon was surrounded by angels.  Rhiannon said that both ladies gave her a pat on the back when she got up to give her talk.  She also said she thought she saw a lot of mouths drop when they saw her walk up to the microphone!  Her heart was pumping fast, she said, but you never would have guessed she was nervous.  It was amazing--she delivered the talk perfectly--it was easy to forget she was 10 years old!    When our stake president stood up to speak, he complimented the speakers.  About Rhiannon he said, "I am so proud of Rhiannon.  I gave a talk in stake conference when I was about her age,but I certainly didn't have the poise she did!"  Rhiannon sat on the stand the entire two hours, and she was so surprised and happy to receive so many hugs and compliments from "strangers".  Wade was the first one in our family to give Rhiannon a hug afterwards--he squeezed her tight right around the middle--you could tell he was happy for her, too!

Later that day I sent a message to the stake Primary president:  "You were right, and I was wrong.  Thanks so much for thinking of Rhiannon--it has been a good experience for her."

We are so proud of her!  The sky's the limit now!



Rhiannon's Stake Conference talk

This is the talk Rhiannon will be giving in about 2 hours.  She put together most of the talk herself--I added the "helpful"notes and added a few extra quotes from talks she'd studied to fill up the 5 minutes.  I am so excited for her--she will do great!  Happy Easter!

What Easter Means to Me                                                    

Stake Conference talk, 4/24/11

Remember that we are SO PROUD of you, and that this whole building is full of people who want to hear what you have to say because they care about you!  You'll do great!  Love, Mom & Dad

Speak s-l-o-w-l-y and clearly.  Look up after every sentence if you can! 

            Good morning!  My name is Rhiannon Cushing.  My topic today is "What Easter Means to Me."  I'll be honest, the first things that come to my mind are candy...and a good dinner!   (pause, SMILE!)

I'm just kidding.  What it really means to me is Jesus Christ's Resurrection.  (look up and pause)

Jesus Christ made it all possible by coming down to earth and teaching us, but most of all, by fulfilling the Atonement for us.   Because of  this gift, we can repent and return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ some day.  Jesus made it possible for us to see our deceased family members and friends, and be with our families in heaven. 

(breathe, SMILE!)

The  Primary song "Did Jesus Really Live Again?" tells us more about this. 

Share this part S-L-O-W-L-Y.  Stop and slow down if you feel yourself speeding up.

 Did Jesus really live again?
Yes, when the third day came,
He wakened and he left the tomb;
He called Mary’s name.

Did Jesus come to those he loved?
Yes, people touched his feet,
And of the fish and honeycomb
He did truly eat.

And there were nail-prints in his hands
And a spear wound in his side.
Did Jesus really live again
After he had died? Oh yes! And so shall I!

(pause, SMILE!)

I'd like to share with you a personal story about my great-grandpa Ed.  He died 2 years ago on an October General Conference weekend, when we were living in Virginia.  Well, when my dad came home with the news, we were all pretty sad.  The things that I liked best about Grandpa Ed were:

--He was really nice, generous, and friendly.

--He gave us a great bear hug every time he saw us.

--He loved us. 

(pause, SMILE!)

We were all very upset, but I remember that we said many prayers, and my brother Wade and I kept saying "We'll see Great -Grandpa Ed again when we're in heaven."  I know this is true.  I'm thankful for Jesus Christ's resurrection that makes this possible!

I like the latter-day testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his friend Sidney Rigdon, in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 76, verses 22-23: 

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

For we saw‍ him, even on the right‍ hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten‍ of the Father.

(Look up!  Smile!)

Our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, talked about the meaning of Easter last year in General Conference.   I'd like to share a story he told about a 15-year-old boy named Jason. 

Jason was very sick and had to stay in the hospital.  His father came to visit him and saw that his eyes were closed.  He didn't know if Jason was awake or asleep, and he started talking to him.  He said, "Jason, I know you have been through a lot in your short life and that your current situation is difficult.  Even though you have a giant battle ahead, I don't ever want you to lose your faith in Jesus Christ."  Jason immediately opened his eyes and said in a firm voice,

"NEVER!" 

(pause, look up)

Jason died 2 weeks later.  Two of his siblings were serving missions and sent letters home to be shared at Jason's funeral.  His sister wrote, "I know that Jesus Christ lives, and because He lives, all of us, including Jason, will live again, too.  We can take comfort in the sure knowledge  that we have been sealed together as an eternal family...If we do our very best to obey and do better in this life, we will see him again."  The sister also shared a scripture that meant a lot to her, in Revelations, chapter 21, verse 4:  "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

(pause, look up, Smile!)

President Monson closed his talk with this:  "My beloved brothers and sisters, in our hour of deepest sorrow, we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning:  "He is not here: for he is risen." 

(breathe!  Smile!  Look up!  You're almost done!)

I'm thankful for the chance I had to speak about Easter today.  I'd like to bear my testimony that  because of Him, I know that we will be able to return to heaven someday and be with our families, if we follow the Savior and try our best to choose the right.  I'm thankful for my family, my friends, the Church, and for Jesus Christ. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

(YOU DID IT!!! WAY TO GO, RHIANNON!!!!)

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

Happy Easter!

Feeling Great in Eight

I signed up for something interesting tonight called the Feeling Great in Eight program.  If nothing else, it will help me get to know some new people here in our stake, and maybe, just maybe lose a little weight and practice some healthy habits!  I can do anything for 8 weeks, right?

Right now I'm the cheerleader for Team #3, meaning I'll collect everyone's points on my team each week and give the average to the woman "in charge."  There is no money involved, just good fun and a little competition.  We gain points for everything from healthy eating to exercising to doing daily prayer and scripture study.  The only way to lose points is if you eat bad foods. The winners will be treated like royalty at a party where we'll all come together to celebrate.  A stay at a contestant's condo in Vegas might be up for grabs, too!

I've never done anything like this before, especially in a competitive format.  I purposely volunteered to be one of the team leaders so that I could stay motivated!  Who knows, if it's fun I might try and set up a little friendly FAMILY competition, too!

Hardies, catchies, and other random stuff

The kids are out in the backyard playing their own version of wall ball up against the side of the house.  It's a VERY popular recess game at their school.  I love that they're having fun together and getting a little exercise, but my favorite thing is when Wade tries to explain different ways to hit the ball--I can't get enough of him saying made-up game words like "hardies, savies, bullets, black magic, double bouncies,and catchies."  Elementary kids may not like me saying this, but it's just so darn CUTE.

We had a pretty good dinner tonight of salmon, canned corn, apple slices, and fettucine alfredo.

I cannot whip together a decent alfredo sauce.  The few times I've done it, it's been crazy thick, no matter how much milk I keep adding to it.  Knowing my limits, I picked up a can of alfredo sauce, and it was a LOT better than anything I'd tried to make myself.  I'm getting better at making some various yummy breads, but I'm not going to touch alfredo (unless someone has the perfect recipe that won't stick to the roof of my mouth!).

More random:  this seasoning is CHEAP and AWESOME.  The can says it's great on everything, and so far that's been true.  It's got plenty of kick, though, so a little bit goes a long way!

The Verizon internet service here in town is overloaded and seems to get slower all the time.  So we're going to switch to cable.  Some nice techs came out this afternoon and did a very thorough investigation all over the house and property, concluding that the best thing to do would be to dig in the road in front of our house and thread a brand-new line to us, which can be done 3+ months from now when their contractors come through town.  I love this house, but I think some crazy stuff went down when the "exotic landscaping" and other remodeling was done, years before we got into it.   The poor tech assumed we'd have built-in cable connections because he thought the house looked "new"--that's a nice compliment, but at the end of the day it's still an older home with some funky wiring that we have to work around! :)

That's all for now from the   !

Time to buckle down and do it!

We have a really wonderful hometeacher named Brother Robins. He visits often and gives great lessons, and he's great about talking with the kids and getting to know them. Yesterday he came by and talked with us for several minutes about dealing with fear. See, he had read this book about how the brain works, and how the author illustrated that fear and excitement cannot be felt at the same time. He tested the theory by going to an amusement park with his wife for his birthday. Rollercoasters always scared him, but he decided to choose to be excited instead of scared--he said he'd let out a big war cry whoop as the ride began, and then he just enjoyed the whole experience from start to finish.

For his birthday, he CHOSE to not be afraid and conquered a life-long fear he had. (He said that taking some Dramamine helped, too! :)) We all shared fears that we had, everything from getting hit with a baseball to needles to shots to difficult sub jobs. Then Brother Robins reminded us that we could face those fears by choosing to think about them in a different way. Of course he also talked about the Savior, and how He knows what we're going through and is there for us, how we're not alone!

It was a very timely lesson, since the CA Cushing household has some "opportunities" coming up that could be either scary or exciting, depending on how we look at them!


--Wade has an opportunity to overcome his fear of getting hit at bat. He got hit on the hand by a pitch at Wednesday's game and was pretty skittish at the following one! His dad had a long talk with him and challenged him to practice his batting by swinging 50 times every day, before he plays video games. I've been outside with him for 3 days now, throwing him pretend pitches, and I can already see a difference!

--Rhiannon will be giving a talk on what Easter means to her at our stake conference for church this coming Sunday. This means standing in front of 400+ people and speaking for 5 minutes, something she's never done before. We are positive that this will be a good experience for her, as long as she chooses to be excited about it and puts her energies into preparing for the talk, instead of being afraid of it. So far she is incredibly confident!

--Jason...is he scared of anything? We're not sure. We do know that he's already mastered the "fear or excitement" idea. He's a great example of buckling down and just getting things DONE.

--Me...well, it's that point in the school year again where I get to be the Science Fair Project Cheerleader. Rhiannon wants to build the circulatory system out of play dough. And Wade wants to study animal teeth to figure out what they eat.   EEK!!! Oh, I mean, "YAY! I CAN'T WAIT TO HELP THEM GET STARTED! WOO-HOO!"

Wish us luck!

Spring!

Aside from the allergy issues that seem to get worse for me every year (itchy throat, watery eyes, sneezing), I really do love this time of year.  Here's one reason why:

I spy radishes, tomato plants, zucchini, apricots, grapevines, marigolds, roses, strawberry plants, snap peas, and a basil plant (that one's from the store and just thrown in for fun!)

Time will tell how long this beauty will last, and if our garden will continue to grow.  For now, we're soaking it up!  I was most surprised by the little apricot trees out by the pool.  I'd noticed the green leaves, but when I got up close there were little green apricots growing EVERYWHERE!  So cool!

I do have some questions for more experienced gardeners out there:

--what do you do about the little green/white bugs on roses?  I think they're aphids, but I'm not sure.

--what do you do to keep the birds away from your fruit trees?  As soon as those apricots ripened last year, we were lucky to get a handful or two, while the birds ate everything else. :(

Random funny:  Wade came to my bedside first thing this morning.  His eyes were opened wide, his smile was stretched ear to ear, and his face was inches from mine.  "Do you know what TODAY is, Mom?"    We both said, "Harry Potter!"  (We're just a little excited about the blu-ray coming out today...can you tell?)



It's that time again

Inspired by my sister-in-law Jaymie, I made new chore charts for the kids for the umpteenth time yesterday, and it promises to be a good system...for as long as the novelty lasts!  In less than 24 hours, my floors are mopped, dishes are done and put away, the main level is dusted, plants are watered, and Rhiannon has begun doing her own laundry (the kids already fold and put away their own clothes most of the time--I just wanted Rhiannon to get comfortable with the washer and dryer part!).  I helped here and there, but about 90% of it was done by the kids.  I'm so proud of their good attitudes and willingness to be good workers and helpers.  I assured them that I stayed busy with other chores while they were at school and that their new daily chores would take at most 15-20 minutes out of their day.  By doing the chores they'd be doing their part as members of a family, and it would help them be cleaner, more organized missionaries, roommates, spouses, and parents someday!  It's the same spiel I give every time, how I don't want them to be slobs!  I also shared how the quote at church yesterday--"You become what you practice"--hit me like a load of bricks.  We go through cycles, and lately the things we'd been practicing the most were Netflix, computer games, and reading!  :)  The kids couldn't argue with that truth!

We made a schedule through the end of May, and then we'll reassess when school is out.  I put 8-10 chores on the side of the chart and gave them a letter.  Then I'd put letters in each box on the calendar, so that they had 3 chores every day, including feeding Toby his breakfast or dinner. :)  On one or two days, the kids have the same letter on their individual charts, meaning they do that chore together.

I'm excited, and I think the kids are, too.  If they do a good job on this round, we'll celebrate with some pizza or a movie!

Our chore system is always evolving, and that's okay.  As long as the kids can tell their children someday that yes, they did chores and helped around the house, I'm happy!

http://chorecharts.com/Free_Chore_Charts.html

Monday morning plans

This morning I woke up to some great news--we have a new cousin/niece!  Welcome to Reta!!!  We are so happy for Jordan, Amelia, and the big brothers!

Right now I am downloading last week's General Conference to my

.

It could take a while, so while I wait I will probably

     and and    .


After Conference is done downloading, I'll lace up some shoes and listen to Conference while I go for a nice long



around the neighborhood, taking a 2-mile route that I haven't done before.  I haven't been for a walk/jog in a couple weeks, and I'm ready to get out there this morning!

Random fun:  I ordered some fun things today for Rhiannon's birthday party next month.  We found a SUPER CUTE theme on Oriental Trading:



So, think owls, lots of balloons, pool party games, and this cupcake cake off of FamilyFun:

 

Should be fun, as long as I don't make it too "cute-sy" for our soon-to-be 11-year-old!

Random funny, for posterity's sake:  Last week I ran into some friends from church at Wal-mart.  The 4-year-old in the cart recognized me from Primary, saying, "Mommy, I know that lady from church!"  Her mom said, "Yes, that's Sister Cushing."  Later on in the day, her mom shared this funny moment.  She said the little girl was so excited to tell her big sisters the news when they got home from school:  "Guess what?  I saw Sister Couch Cushion today!"

Thanks, Mom!

This morning the house was quiet, except for the white noise of the dishwasher and the tick-tick-tick of the clothes dryer.  I sat down for a minute and thought about Mother's Day coming up next month.  I grabbed a catalog nearby and flipped through it, hoping I could find the "perfect" gifts for the wonderful moms in my life, my mom, my mother-in-law, grandmas.  Nothing jumped out at me, so I set it down and just let my thoughts go.

The first thing that came to mind was a snickerdoodle cookie.  One of my first cooking memories was being in a small, cozy kitchen with my mom and brothers, sitting on the countertop and rolling the little pieces of cookie dough in a bowl of cinnamon and sugar.  Man, those cookies were good!

I remembered how Mom would send us kids out the door to play so that she could have some rest (or read books).  I'm really happy that she tried to steal a little time for herself while raising 6 monkeys/kids.  I have a third the number of kids she has, but I still get tired and I still like escaping to a corner with a book! 

I thought about Mom being my companion, nurse, and shoulder to cry on when we were down at Loma Linda waiting for Rhiannon to be released from the NICU.  We were staying at the Ronald McDonald House, and even though I'd finally been released from the hospital, I was still pretty weak and needed help packing a small hole in my c-section incision.  Mom was kind and strong and incredibly loving and patient. 

I remembered being a teenager and giggling with Mom when boys would check BOTH of us out when we were driving around town together!  I thought of all the dresses she had made me, and the fun we had picking out fabric.  How she was really, really angry when I went bridge-jumping, because it was dumb and dangerous.  How she'd be sort of awake when I got home from dates and want to make sure I checked in with her before I went to bed.

I thought about the big smile that comes to my face every time I talk to my mom on the phone, how my heart feels lighter and happier, even if I'm already in a good mood!  How she's always so encouraging or sympathetic, about everything.

I love you, Mom!  Thanks for being YOU!

Way to go, Rhiannon!

On Friday Rhiannon was awarded Student of the Month from her teacher.  We are so happy for her!  Now we need to go out and celebrate!!!

Seriously?

So I got online today and the first thing I saw, screaming in big print on the MSN homepage, was this:

"WANT TO SAVE MONEY?  DON'T GET MARRIED," followed by a lengthy article listing several reasons to support the headline.

It made me angry and sad, but not confused.  After I got over the sick feeling in my stomach, the very next thought/feeling I had was one of gratitude for the messages of General Conference this past weekend, several of which focused on family, marriage, and the happiness that both bring.  This was one of my favorites:




I feel better.  And I've removed the MSN homepage setting!

"Mom, you should blog about this"

We watched General Conference this morning (so GREAT!!!) at home and then we all went out in the backyard.  Jason was working on a project with the swamp cooler, and Rhiannon and I thinned out some radish seedlings that were popping up everywhere in the garden. 

Dad suggested we bring Toby the Tortoise outside, and then Wade joined us, too.  It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot, light breeze blowing.  I dragged some patio chairs out into the shade near the oleander bushes, kicked off my flip-flops, and plopped down in one of the chairs.  It was so nice!

Rhiannon was playing with Toby in the grass (turns out he really likes to eat dandelion flowers) and before long Wade came and sat next to me with his iPod.  He offered one of his earpieces so that I could listen along with him.  We listened to:

--Sticks and Stones by Jonsi, the song that plays during the end credits of How to Train Your Dragon

--Sphinx by Trevor Rabin, music from Gone in 60 Seconds

--Ministry of Magic and Farewell to Dobby from Harry Potter 7, Part 1

--528491 by Hans Zimmer, it's the music playing during this part in Inception when the man opens up the safe and finds the paper pinwheel that his dad had saved (Wade and I both really like this part in the movie).  Wade knew exactly where to skip in the music to get to that "part."

It was incredibly relaxing.  Wade looked up at me and said, "You should blog about this, Mom!"  So I did! :)

Another reason why we love Ridgecrest

We recently started getting the local newspaper again.  It's not the greatest paper--the frequent spelling mistakes and typos really bug me sometimes.  But it's also full of treasures.  On the back page of today's edition a man had taken up a quarter section to thank those who had helped during his medical recovery.  I'm not sure if I know this man or not, but his gratitude sure made my day!