The Sprinkle on Top

Last Sunday Justin and I got to teach our Sunday School class of 9 year olds about Zion's Camp -- a group of 200 Latter-day Saint men and women who walked 1,000 miles from Ohio to Missouri to bring food, clothing, and other supplies to the saints who were being persecuted in Jackson County. Lately we've had a bit of a tough time keeping the attention in our class with a simple object lesson and telling the stories and church history accounts. Let's face it - by the third hour of church, kids are almost entirely out of the energy to focus. Sometimes us adults are too. As we planned this week's lesson, we decided to try something a little different. We were going to take our class on an "Oregon Trail" of sorts, but instead of being a part of that pioneer company, the kids were going to be members of Zion's Camp and we were going to march from Ohio (our classroom) to Missouri (the pavilion outside of the church). Along the way the kids would learn about t...

When entering the unknown landscape of your first pregnancy, it can be hard to know what you should and should not eat (goodbye hot dogs and sausage), what you should and should not feel (hello morning sickness), and what you should and should not do. From the end of my first trimester until now (week 38) I have participated in a prenatal Pilates series that is safe for moms to do throughout all three trimesters. Of course, before beginning any exercise routine you should consult your doctor especially if you did not previously participate in that type of exercise prior to your pregnancy. The Pilates series I participated in came from The Balanced Life with Robin Long . Review:  I've participated in Pilates for 5 years now and have gone through a number of Pilates instructors (in person and online) and Robin has been one of my favorites so far. Each exercise program walks you through exactly how to get yourself into the shown position and offers alternatives if the ...

33 Weeks on Bridge at Dry Fork Flume Interpretive Trail When talking with other mom's-to-be, more often than not I hear the complaint that time just is not going fast enough. The days drag on, the months linger, and why are they so far away from their due date? Not once during this pregnancy have I had that feeling. Maybe it was the chaos of moving cross-country the day I found out I was pregnant, maybe it was all the past experience I've had with time always passing no matter how anticipated or dreaded a certain day may be, or maybe I'm just content with the limited time I have left to focus on my husband & me. Regardless of the reason WHY? I have felt like my feet are strapped to a high speed train hurtling towards July 31. Days pass by in a blur, busy weekends fly by, and suddenly here we are in July with only a few weeks to go. As our last adult only summer for possibly a few decades, we wanted to really make the most of all our time. After all, wha...