Christ-centered Christmas Advent Activities

November 24, 2017November 23, 2017 / srabbott2 / 2 Comments

Last year as we were coming into the Christmas season I had a few strong impressions from the spirit which lead to some resolutions. One that I needed to be a more deliberate mother, that we needed more structure in our lives. The other that I needed to focus on keeping this holiday about Christ. With absolutely no deliberate action on my part, my children will learn about Santa. Santa is everywhere. Shows, decorations, songs, EVERYWHERE. Let me be clear that I am by no means anti-Santa, and he does visit our house. BUT, because everywhere else we get inundated with Santa and commercialization, I felt very strongly that I needed to come up with meaningful and fun activities to make sure my kids understand that this holiday is about Jesus.

If you look at my Thanksgiving advent post I explain a little bit of how I put together these activities. But for a quick recap, I keep it simple, there’s candy involved, and I use dollar store muffin tins with circles of construction paper to make the calendar. I don’t have December’s put together yet, but here’s a picture of November’s for reference- just imagine red and green paper instead.

Some of my activities are based on the #LightTheWorld campaign from mormon.org, but I struggled to come up with activities for a 3 year old and 1 year old that fit with each scripture. I also did not go in the order of their calendar at all just because certain activities would work better for us on different days of the week.

You’ll notice that I included a day to celebrate Hannukah, I did this for a few reasons:

One of my very best friends is Jewish and she has inspired me to want to teach my children to love and respect other cultures. Also she’ll be visiting right after Hannukah ends, so we’ll get together and have a belated Hannukah bash!
My thought for that day is that we believe in a God of miracles. The story of Hannukah contains a beautiful miracle and it’s fairly simple for children to understand.
I want my children to understand that God loves and gives miracles to EVERYONE, even those that believe differently than we do.

In addition to the activities listed below we also have Nativity picture books, one from Usborne and the others I think I just grabbed from Toys R Us, and I found some Nativity printables on Pinterest and turned them into magnets for the magnet board in the play room.

I don’t have all the dates set in stone, but here’s my list of thoughts and activities. Activities based on Light the World have a little star.

Jesus created the world and all of nature. Decorate the Tree.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.* Attend the Southwest Family Christmas Party (my mother in law works for Southwest and you should all be jealous because their family party is so much fun! But I felt like this Light the World activity should definitely be matched up with a party, so if you already have a holiday party to attend, just pair it with this scripture!)
Jesus speaks through His Prophet and Apostles. Watch the Christmas Devotional.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.* Make ornaments to take to neighbors (I’m using foam and felt snowflakes that I got from Target last year because they are super easy and low mess, but substitute whatever craft floats your boat.)
Nativity sticker scene, again, I picked up a pack of stickers last year at Target.
I was in prison and ye visited me.* Take treats to a police station.
Make gingerbread stables for Family Home Evening.
Jesus is the light of the world. Go to Glendale Glitters. Here’s an example of doing something fun, but still keeping it Christ-centered by linking the lights back to Him.
I was sick and ye visited me.* Take treats to the NICU. If you want the long story for why we pick the NICU you can read that post here. Short story, my daughter was in the NICU for 10 days. We took treats last year, and I plan on continuing the tradition as the kids grow up. If you want to do a NICU near you just know it’s best to call ahead and you really will just drop the treats off, young children will most likely not be allowed in. But, being there even for the short time we were, was lonely and stressful, I can’t imagine being there during the holidays, so NICU parents are definitely a group that could use some cheer. You could pick any group of ailing individuals, visit someone who recently had surgery, etc.
Jesus gave us temples. Got to the Mesa Temple Lights.
Family Home Evening, movie night with Nativity movies. Bible Videos-Nativity, Collection of short Christmas videos, Joy to the World
I was naked and ye clothed me.* Drop off donations to Maggie’s Place.
We believe in a God of Miracles. Tell the Hannukah story, light candles, play dreidels, etc.
Jesus gave us families. Make ornaments for grandparents.
Visit a Live Nativity. There’s a few I’m considering but need to figure out some dates. Here’s some links to help you out. Walk through Bethlehem, Grace Glendale
Because of Jesus, our family can be together forever. Make wreaths (circles have no end.)
Ye shall meet together oft.* Go to church.
Make more ornaments for friends and family.
Family Home Evening- Caroling
For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat.* Donate food, either to a food drive or take a meal to someone who is sick, or a refugee family.
Wisemen still seek Him. Do a wisemen craft.
Jesus was born in a stable with animals around. Visit a petting zoo.
Go to see The Star in theaters. We aren’t huge movie goers, and part of me is wondering if I’m crazy to take a 1 year old and a 3 year old to a legit movie theater, but I feel like it’s important to support this film so that more like it can be made! Also, my friend’s son is one of the animators so that’s pretty cool!
Bethlehem dinner. Last year we started this tradition, and it definitely went over my son’s head, and I think he was sick and didn’t eat anyway, but by golly we are going to stick with it. We’ve decided to do Christmas Eve on our own as just our little family. For dinner we eat the type of food that was eaten in Bethlehem. We had lamb with pita bread which I bought from a Middle Eastern market (you should find one, it was a really neat experience). We had goat cheese, I cheated on this and bought the stuff wrapped in cranberries from Costco, so maybe less authentic, but sooo good. Then we read the Christmas story and used our Nativity magnets to help act it out, as the kids get older we’ll have them do the acting, but for now we just use the pictures.

Merry Christmas!

To Tremble Because of Pain

November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 / srabbott2 / 3 Comments

I introduced this idea in my post about my birth stories, but wanted to develop it further.

If you’re into birth stories then give it a read, but if you would like to be spared all of the TMI here’s the pertinent part of the story in a nutshell.

With my second pregnancy I developed symphysis pubis dysfunction at 10 weeks. Which basically meant that I was in debilitating pain for the last 30 weeks (plus the 2 days overdue) of my pregnancy. It was horrible and my doctor didn’t care/ wouldn’t listen.

The pain was sometimes mild and manageable but frequently jumped to excruciating, by the end it was mostly always excruciating. But no matter what, it was constant.

I had a doctor’s appointment on my due date, which was a Monday and my doctor agreed to set an induction date. He initially said Wednesday then changed his mind and suggested Friday. I piped in, “Or Wednesday!” “No, Friday will be better schedule wise.” “Or we could do Wednesday.” “Why Wednesday, what’s two more days?”

Anyone who would suggest that it’s just two more days has clearly never experienced chronic debilitating pain. I mean he might as well have said, “What’s two more days in Hell?” It’s 4 MORE days in Hell, is what it is, because Wednesday is 2 more days.

He settled on Friday, I felt powerless to argue, so that was the plan. That’s not what ended up happening, but that starts getting way off topic. She did end up coming on her own on Wednesday.

The thought of having to be in pain longer caused me to reflect deeply on a favorite passage of scripture. This comes from the Doctrine and Covenants and is a revelation given to Joseph Smith in which Christ explains and details His life and mission. He explains His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to being crucified:

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”

That phrase, “to tremble because of pain” has always struck me, but now it was striking with more meaning. I felt like my pain was being disregarded, that I was being treated as weak or foolish for expressing that I was in pain, and yet the Savior, even God, TREMBLED because of pain. I by no means want to compare my pain to what He must have gone through in that time, and yet, it was validating to realize that He was admitting to trembling in pain. I realized on a very personal level that He understood what I was going through which made me feel closer to Him.

The biggest thing it did was make me thing about how we, “mere mortals,” react to pain in ourselves and to others.

No one will get through this life without experiencing some form of debilitating pain, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, or really any combination of the above, because really they are all connected. These painful trials can become a stepping stone that allows us to draw closer to our Savior making them sacred experiences. But what about when you are in the middle of it, or someone around you is in the middle of it, too often we try to just make it go away or make it seem less awful than it is, I feel that this can take away from the sacred nature of pain, and unfortunately can make the situation harder in the moment.

I want to take a look at some of the mistakes we make when dealing with pain both our own and others. Like I’ve said in other posts, if you realize that this is something you have done to me or others, know that I am not upset, or holding a grudge. I know that people are for the most part well meaning. My hope is that we can learn together from these mistakes so that we can be more helpful to others in the future.

What not to do:

Putting things in perspective

Having an Eternal perspective is so important when dealing with trials. Knowing that God is there and on your side and that “all these things shall give thee experience and work for thy good,” can be the only thing that keeps you going sometimes. I feel like developing an Eternal perspective is something that you should be working on constantly, especially during the “down time” when you aren’t in the middle of a crisis so it’s there to get you through the crisis. When the crisis comes, the Eternal perspective becomes a very personal relationship with God through mighty prayer and faith.

Sometimes people say things, well meaning of course, to try and spin the Eternal perspective, or put things in perspective during the crisis. Things like, “Well it could always be worse….you could have….” or “Well at least you have….”

Yeah, because when you’re in pain you definitely want to think about how things could be worse, that’s a pretty hopeful place to go.

I really can’t picture anyone saying to Christ in the Garden, it could always be worse, I mean you could have gotten YOUR ear cut off, or your disciples could have gone home to sleep instead of falling asleep in an uncomfortable garden. You wouldn’t say that to Him. And the only person I can see coming up with a “Well at least…” statement is Satan. “Well at least you HAVE body.”

Those kinds of statements invalidate the experience. And OF COURSE it could be worse, and people have gone through harder things. I mean ultimately Christ experienced it ALL. But I can’t for a moment picture Him coming and saying it could be worse, or at least you didn’t have to go through what he went through. No. He validates our pain because He experienced it. He sends the Comforter to help us through.

I feel like in Mormon culture we don’t want to let things be bad. And maybe that’s because we believe that ultimately we will be led to pure joy. Or we have this idea that in order to be Christ-like we can’t admit to the struggle because He was perfect and somehow we think that being perfect means not having human emotions, reactions, or struggles. And yet, he said, “Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.”

Was he showing a lack of Eternal perspective in that moment? Was it sinful to show weakness? No, but He was expressing His emotions and His pain freely to His Father. Sometimes things are just hard, really hard and awful, and the cup can’t just be removed. He had to experience it in order to fulfill His most sacred responsibility. Likewise we have to allow ourselves and others to experience pain in order to fulfill our sacred potential and join the fellowship of Christ. To try and remove it, or make seem not as bad would hold us back from being able to “overcome all things,” which is a characteristic of those who will inherit the Celestial Kingdom.

Find the deeper meaning or give an explanation

“He’s in a better place.”

“God must have needed her more on the other side.”

“Think of all the lives he’s touching.”

“If it’s God’s will….”

“I’m sure it will all be ok”

These platitudes, plain and simple, are not helpful.

As individuals deal with pain, grief, and loss and turn towards God, sometimes they receive answers that give meaning to what they have experienced. Sometimes the personal revelation they receive sounds like some of the lines I wrote above. HOWEVER, those answers are deeply personal, need to come from God, and need to come when they are ready to receive it. While it may turn out to be true, to try and offer meaning or give an explanation is an attempt to receive personal revelation for the other person.

Also, don’t give assurances that it will be ok. Again, that’s as if you have received personal revelation for someone else’s experience. When I was 16 my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. For the 2 weeks between diagnosis and hysterectomy I lived with constant weight and fear of the unknown. When I told people they frequently said to me, “It’s alright, your mom’s going to be fine,” “Everything is going to be ok!” It was really frustrating because I didn’t know if everything was going to be ok, I hadn’t received that answer from God. The prognosis was good, but there was still the lingering fear of what could come, not to mention that even if they could get everything out with the surgery and no follow up needed, my mom was still undergoing major surgery and would be healing for several weeks. (For the record, everything did turn out ok. In fact, after the surgery they came back and said it wasn’t actually cancer, just cysts, and now 15 years down the road there have been no continuing concerns.)

When baptized in the LDS faith we covenant to bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. Our job is to bear, mourn, and comfort, not to explain or reveal meaning, that is God’s job.

Comparisons

Don’t compare your pain. Don’t compare anything for the matter, but really, don’t compare your pain and your trials.

As a missionary I started out with a chip on my shoulder. I had myself convinced that I had sacrificed more than most of the other missionaries, so I really had a reason to struggle and have down days. I did sacrifice a lot to be there, and I certainly had my fair share of literal blood, sweat, and tears. But one day I was humbled with the seemingly obvious realization that at some point everyone would go through the hardest thing they have ever gone through. That would be different for everyone and tailor made for them to grow and develop as needed. I realized that I needed to allow other people to struggle, because while they weren’t going through the same thing I was, what they were going through was hard.

I had to learn this same concept but flipped when I went through my second pregnancy. I was surrounded by people who were going through very very difficult trials. A few friends experienced infant loss while I was pregnant, another friend was struggling with infertility (prayers for her recently implanted baby!). And then there was me, carrying a healthy baby, and yet struggling so much. Let me be clear that none of them did or said anything to make me feel guilty, I placed the burden of guilt on myself.

How dare I feel depressed when there were so many people around me going through something much harder. Never would I ever wish to trade places with them. So I tried to tell myself that I should just suck it up, and I should be so happy. And of course I WAS happy to be carrying a healthy baby, that wasn’t what I was depressed about, but that’s what makes it depression. I wasn’t really sad about anything, I was sad about EVERYTHING, and being in constant physical pain made it so much worse.

I finally realized, that yes, while other people were going through things that were harder than what I was experiencing, that didn’t mean that what I was going through wasn’t hard. While I found joy in the hope that I would have a healthy and happy baby at the end (which isn’t quite how it went what with the NICU stay and all, but that’s a different story), it didn’t mean that I had to pretend to be enjoying my present circumstance. I needed to validate my own pain and stop comparing it to others.

Another comparison we need to avoid is an attempt at an empathetic comparison.

A dear friend of mine lost her Father to a very long battle with cancer when she was only 19 years old. I was her visiting teacher at the time and I’m sure I said some well meaning, but stupid things to her, but did my best to comfort while validating her pain. At one point I started to say to her, “I know how you feel.” Then corrected myself, and said, “Actually, I have no idea how you feel.” She thanked me for saying that and told me that she found it a little frustrating when people said, “I know how you feel.” And then a lot of them would follow it up with something like, “My grandpa died.” Not to take away from the pain and sadness of losing a grandparent, but losing your parent especially at such a young age, is a very different experience.

On the flip side of that, the “I could never do that” response is another form of comparison. Again it’s well meaning, and perhaps trying to highlight a strength that you see in the person. Unfortunately it can feel like a wall being put up that makes them different. The implications of the phrase, while in most cases not meant to be malicious can hurt the person who is doing their best to get through something difficult. Often people experiencing loss (especially in extreme cases such as the loss of a child or untimely death of a spouse) feel guilt when they realize that their life is moving forward, especially in the moments when they realize they “forgot to miss them” or “forgot to be sad.” Somehow they do have to continue with their life without letting loss consume them. Comments like, “I could never do that” or “I would just fall apart” can increase that feeling of guilt, as if moving forward means that they didn’t love the person enough. That’s of course not the case, but in the middle of loss our brains are not exactly known for being entirely logical and rational.

An empathetic response is wonderful, however an attempt at an empathetic comparison may leave the person experiencing the trial actually feeling less understood and less validated in their pain which can unfortunately end up causing more pain.

What TO do:

I feel like this painting really illustrates it perfectly. Allow people to go through the experience, to grieve, to cry, to express themselves, and mostly just be there holding them, listening, and loving.

The angel isn’t saying to Him, “It’s gonna be ok.” Because she knows it’s not, His trial and pain were going to continue and get worse. I picture her simply saying, “I’m here, I love you, your Father loves you, I’m sorry you have to go through this,” and then crying along with Him.

In my experience, and from what I’ve observed with other people’s experiences is that in the middle of the trial they need people to just be there, to allow them to express the reality of their pain, to let them ugly cry when needed, and to just know that you are a safe person to vent to.

Rather than trying to give a positive spin or a comparison say things like:

I’m so sorry this is happening
That sounds so hard
I can only imagine

Don’t just tell them that God loves them, SHOW them by being an extension of His love. Let them know that you will be there and help with whatever they need, give them ideas of what that means. Tell them if they need to talk about it then your ears are open, if they need a distraction to get their mind off of it then you would love to get out of the house with them and not talk about it. Offer specific service- can I bring a meal, do some laundry, mow your lawn, watch kids, donate to a fund, etc.

I feel like this quote from Spencer W. Kimball really sums this up:

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs… So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds!”

Pray, and let them know you’re praying, but be aware that it can seem trite when someone says they are praying but doesn’t follow up with any action or dismisses what the hurting person is saying.

Send notes and text messages to let them know that they are on your mind.

Most of all just love and be loving.

To Those Experiencing Pain and Trials

I’m sorry, I hope you are able to find comfort.

Please keep in mind that people are trying to be nice so when they do make one of the mistakes from above, forgive them. When appropriate you may want to find ways to calmly explain what types of responses are helpful vs. hurtful.

Let people serve you! While on my mission, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland did a mission conference for us and something that he said has really stuck with me. He explained that while on our missions we had a very specific and important focus and we ought not to let Terrestrial, or worldly, cares get in the way of our higher calling. That’s why they encourage members to feed missionaries, and ask missionaries to have simple wardrobes etc. so we don’t have to use too much of our precious time taking care of those earthly needs. I feel like this applies to us when we are experiencing significant trials as well. When in the middle of the trial you have much more pressing needs to take care of so let people around you take care of your Terrestrial needs as much as they can.

Most of all take care of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. Surround yourself with positive influences and don’t be afraid to reach out to trusted people.

And if you do need some good perspective, remember that this too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.

Tool vs. Trap

August 23, 2017September 20, 2017 / srabbott2 / 4 Comments

Being the ripe old age of 30, I remember life before the internet and cell phones. As a child one of my biggest pet peeves was when someone forgot to rewind the VHS because it meant I had to wait longer before my movie was ready. I watched commercials and was limited to whatever shows were playing at the time. When I wanted to call a friend I called their home phone and had to talk to whoever happened to answer and then wait patiently for my friend to get to the phone. At one point, just before my little brother’s voice changed, no one could tell his voice and my voice apart on the phone which made for some interesting conversations when his friends asked if I could come and play or if my friends started venting boy drama to him. When I started driving, if I didn’t know how to get to a place, I had to mapquest it before I left. If I got lost, well, good luck.

My kids will never understand the frustration of rewinding. Goodness, we went on a trip this summer and my son watched cable TV for the first time and couldn’t understand why he couldn’t watch the show he wanted WHEN he wanted, and commercials, those were crazy. About a year ago, my son, who was 2 at the time, picked up an old corded phone that we keep around as a toy and shouted at it, “Ok google, show me some pictures of dinosaurs!” With those googling skills, he certainly will never be lost while driving or be in want of random factoids.

I’ve been catching up on some old Star Trek recently on Netflix. They had the concept down for a tablet to read reports and such from, but they had to have a separate one for each report, book, etc. It’s a little funny to watch this “future” technology now, when we actually have things that are more advanced. My cell phone alone holds the Bible, Book of Mormon, other scripture, multiple magazines, and audiobooks, as well as offering me the ability to check messages, emails, the news, and the weather wherever I want all in one hand held device. Take that Star Trek!

Just in my lifetime I have witnessed some amazing technological advances. In many ways our society and culture are very different because of these advances and conveniences.

A few weeks ago my phone died. Not like it ran out of battery died, it gave up the ghost, went the way of all the earth, went to the great charger in the sky. I had some warning signs, it was kinda coming in and out, so we ordered a new one and I hoped that it would stumble along until the new phone arrived, but none such luck. It left me with about 5 days with no phone.

It was weird to say the least. I had to physically write out a grocery list, think of the poor trees that were sacrificed! I had no idea what time it was when I was out and about, a lot of places don’t have wall clocks anymore. I didn’t really know what to do with my hands. And overall, I actually kinda liked it. Not enough for me to cancel my order for my phone, but it definitely got me thinking about the impact of technology on my life.

Technology can be an amazing tool. As I’ve already mentioned it allows us to be in contact when we need to, find places easily, and gives us access to the media we want to enjoy. It has done amazing things in advancing the work of family history, you can track health goals, find recipes, find ideas for basically everything, learn how to replace or fix pretty much anything, stay connected with friends, and share ideas all with a few clicks or thumb swipes. It is truly amazing and such a blessing.

So then why did I kinda like not having a phone for a few days?

Technology is a blessing and a curse. It can be such an terrific tool, but it can also be a terrible trap.

There’s some obviously dangerous traps such as pornography, and predators that stalk the internet, but I don’t want to focus on those. I’m going to focus on things that are a little less obvious.

Before my phone broke I was definitely guilty of aimless Facebook scrolling. I am by no means anti-Facebook. Chances are if you are reading this, you found it on Facebook. I really like keeping in touch with old friends and connecting with new friends. I regularly use it to plan play dates and it’s how I connect with Lifting Hands International to sign up for opportunities to serve refugees. But all too frequently it turns into a major distraction. As a mom who does not work outside the home, sometimes I can start to feel a little isolated. I think I turned to Facebook thinking that it would help me feel more connected to people, which sometimes it does connect me to people, but more often than not it turned into a mind numbing abyss that distracted me from reality. You know, like my kids that are growing up too fast, the food that doesn’t cook itself, the dishes that don’t wash themselves, and just actually living my own life. I would finish a scroll sesh feeling unfulfilled, bored, and sometimes rather anxious. It got to the point where I couldn’t even claim it was relaxing and I certainly wasn’t feeling more connected to other people.

Now I’m not suggesting that this is what everyone should, or must do, but if you find yourself falling into the trap of aimless scrolling, here’s what I did. When I got my new phone, I did not install the Facebook app and I vowed to myself not to open it through the browser. When it was on my phone it was just too easy to hop on when I had a second of time that was not specifically designated for another task, which then turned into too much time. I didn’t have to think about getting on. Regularly I would grab my phone to do something else, check Facebook for a second which turned into lots of seconds, and then forget what I actually got on my phone to do. Now, I have to grab my computer if I want some Facebook time. It has to be an intentional decision to get on. Now Facebook serves as the tool it should be. I use it to connect, make plans, share my blog, and some relaxation time. It’s far less of the time sucking and mind numbing trap it was before.

This issue isn’t limited to Facebook, really it’s anything that sucks up your time and distracts you from your reality. It might be Instagram, the news, a game, Pinterest, or whatever other new fangled things the kids are using these days. All of these have a time and a place and can be amazing tools. I use Pinterest frequently to find healthy recipes and help with creative ideas. Playing games can be relaxing and can even help keep your brain sharp. Keeping up with current events is important for many reasons. I’m not on Insta- but I hear it’s cool and less political than Facebook. The problem is when these things prevent us from living our lives. Are we actually playing with our kids for the sake of playing with them instead of either ignoring them or just hoping for good photo ops to show off on social media. Keeping up with current events is good until it prevents you from keeping current with your family and friends or contributes to anxiety and depression. Playing games can be relaxing and mentally stimulating but unfortunately can also take over people’s lives and prevent them from having a reality. There are so many great ideas on Pinterest, but if you spend all of your time searching for the perfect idea or meal and never actually making them then what is the point.

The April 2017 Ensign (a magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), had an amazing article titled “Growing a Healthy Technology Garden.” While published by a church affiliated magazine, notably this article is not specifically religious in nature, I would definitely encourage readers regardless of religious preferences to give it a look over. The main point that really hit me was creating a “family media plan.” The author, Marissa Widdison, offers some guiding questions, or if you click on that hyperlink it will take you to a search with several organizations that offer ideas for how to set one up.

I wanted to highlight the first guiding question: When is using technology OK, and for how long? I can’t answer this for anyone else, I’m still working on completely answering it for myself. But here’s some things you might consider as you create your plan:

Will I designate a certain amount of time, or designate specific times when I don’t use technology (family time, meals, etc.), or a combination of both
Are there things I should get done before I allow myself designated media time (household maintenance, exercise, church/ community responsibilities, personal/ spiritual development)

I am working on putting my phone away for specific times to devote to my children without any distractions and have decided not to have any Facebook time until I have exercised for the day. This is what’s working pretty well for me (far from perfect), but again, figure out what works best for you.

Here’s what I have kept on my phone to make it a tool:

Fitness tracker- counting calories, tracking macro nutrients, reminding myself to drink more water, tracking exercise, it’s all super convenient
Gospel library app- now instead of browsing Facebook while I feed my daughter her bottles I read scriptures or church magazines- a really great pick me up in the middle of the day
Facebook messenger- I can stay connected easily with friend and family
Audible/ Overdrive- audio books have kinda become my thing lately, check back later for some reviews of some of the books I’ve “read” recently
Organization apps- I’ve got my calendar of course, but also meal planning, and Wunderlist to make checklists that can be shared with my husband
Pinterest- so I can access and find recipes conveniently

It’s liberating. I don’t miss it. Don’t let FOMO (fear of missing out) make you miss out on your actual life. Make your devices tools not a traps.

Quiet Bins AKA Sanity in a box AKA Momvana

August 9, 2017 / srabbott2 / 1 Comment

I’m a stay at home mom (although I don’t really like that term, because we don’t really stay home, we get out as much as possible, but I’m yet to find the right title for my job so we’ll stick with it for now). I have a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old and they are wonderful, adorable, brilliant, and they also are exhausting and are constantly finding new and amazing ways to push my sanity to the brink of extinction.

Being a mom does not come with a lunch break, union required 15 minute breaks, or even actually bathroom breaks. But, hopefully it does come with nap time. I love my kids, I love being home with them, I love taking them to do fun and cool things, and I also really love when they are asleep. I’ve jokingly referred to the moments when they are either both asleep or at least independently entertained as my Momvana, like Nirvana, but for moms. I’ve come to realize that breaks so I can be productive and just be me for a little while are really important. If I can focus on me, then the time I am interacting with my kids is much better. I’m more fun, I’m less likely to resort to screen time, and my patience level is much higher. When I get a break, I’m more present when it matters most.

When I don’t get a break…I go insane. It’s not pretty. No one wants to see that.

So you can imagine a few months ago, when the 3 year old decided to skip naps more often than actually nap, I started going a little insane.

Enter quiet bins aka sanity in a box:

We started a new routine. He still needs to go in his room but he gets a bin, a cup of milk, and a CD to listen to. If he sleeps then great. If not, he has enough to keep him entertained for about an hour which is just barely enough time for me to reset and get one or two things done.

He actually falls asleep with his bin at least 50% of the time now. Today is not one of those days…in fact right now, to prolong the break, he’s actually jumping on couch cushions in his room. You’ll notice the baby gate in the picture, I do put the gate up in his doorway during quiet time so he can open the door if he wants, but not escape. Luckily he hasn’t figured out climbing over the gate, so if that’s your kid, sorry, I pray for your sanity.

I gave myself some general life rules when I come up with a crazy idea, because I come up with a lot of them.

Keep it simple
Keep it cheap

I kept trying to think through elaborate plans for how the system would work and I spent far too long searching Amazon for bins. I ended buying the Iris Stack and Pull Box, 6 pack because it appeared to be the best bang for my buck. I decided not to worry about designating a box for each day of the week and just rotate through.

I filled the boxes with a lot of cheap stuff. Since he accesses it alone I wanted to make sure things were either durable, or cheap enough that if he did break them it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Honestly, most of this stuff came from the Target Dollar Spot. I love that place. They are constantly rotating items there, so unfortunately a lot of the stuff from my bins has rotated out, but there’s always new stuff to go find. They regularly have cheap board books, cheap little toys, and recently they’ve had a lot of felt books and magnet sets. As you look through the pictures you’ll see a lot of those items. The other items are just things I had lying around the house, toys, cars, thrift store books, and some new books. I just raided what we had in the playroom because there’s too much in there anyway. Side note, the toys in the bins, by and large get played with more than most of his toys because he has a designated time and limited choice. I’m thinking about doing something similar with all of the toys, if only I could just get that organized.

I tried to go with themes for each box, but it didn’t work out perfectly. I spent a while trying to figure out more and better themes and then realized that my sanity boxes were negatively impacting my sanity, so I gave up on that and dubbed a few miscellaneous boxes or just threw some things in to fill out some of the boxes that had less stuff.

He also listens to a CD while he’s in his room. I found a second hand CD player at Deseret Industries (a church sponsored thrift store). I had to try a few out in the store to make sure they still worked, but my hunting eventually paid off. Then I realized I had no kids CDs so we’ve been grabbing some from the Phoenix Library. Someone cooler than me could probably figure out a more technologically savvy solution, but the CD player was like $3 and the CDs are free to check out so it fulfills my rules for being cheap and easy. Currently he is loving the Disney songs and story CDs.

These have seriously saved my sanity. So if you have a kid trying to give up naps, I would definitely suggest giving this a try. Give yourself a break so you can find your Momvana be the mom you need to be.

Here’s pictures of each bin so you can get your idea juices flowing. Remember the KISS method (Keep it Simple Stupid!)