To Do List- Be Organized.

I am not an organized person. But I would like to be! But I just have such a hard time with it. When I turned 32 last month I decided I would do things that I was afraid of... I would conquer my fears!!! Well... I haven't done so great with that. And although my lack of organization isn't a "fear" per say, my fear is that I am not good enough at being a housewife/homemaker. I have fallen back on the excuse that I am just not that kind of person. But I think it's time to be honest with myself and admit that I need to be better with organizing my day to day life.

Now I want to clarify... I am not talking about a sparkling clean house and a step by step meal plan and a cute basket for a certain item. that goes in it's own little spot. My home will never be "magazine" worthy because we live in our home. And I don't know how anyone keeps a place completely de-cluttered. What I am talking about is organizing my life better so that the things that are most important get done and I don't lose or forget. I am pretty sure I have ADD because I get SO distracted and instead of just getting something done I get a bunch of things started... and never finished! You should see my bedroom! I decided to go through our clothes and hey are still all over waiting to be put away. It's not good... If I have to get something done then I have to make a list and make sure it is where I will for sure see it or chances are it will slip through the cracks of all the craziness!

Another problem I have is that I procrastinate! I put things off or forget about them until it is too late or I am running around like a crazy person trying to get it done at the last minute. Time is a gift and it needs to be used the best way possible. Sometimes I know I'm using my time wisely. But I am afraid that I'm more often than not just wasting it. And I can't help but wonder what I could accomplish if I was more efficient with my days... Learn to sew... Workout... Do my hair in more than a pony tail... Write a book... Learn a dance on YouTube... Grow my own business... Save the world...

So.. Here's my reason for this post. I NEED YOUR HELP!!! What do you do to keep organized? What are your tips and tricks to keep the things that matter and need to be done at the top of your list? And if you are needing help like I am what do you feel are your problem areas? I know I'm not alone in this!

I found this video on Facebook and had to share because sadly... it is so me. Except it love to read to the kidlets and I do laundry everyday... I just don't ever get around to folding it and putting it away.

Every Life Matters Q&A - ME!

OK... So I slacked and didn't get my questions sent out in time to the person I wanted to be this weeks Q&A guest. So... I decided I might as well do it myself.

Here's my E.L.M. Q&A...

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi. I'm Katie. LDS. Wife. Mama. Utah girl. I grew up in the most beautiful little town in Southern Utah. Have you heard of Panguitch? Chances are you have because I am always meet people who know someone who has lived there or you have driven through at some point. I love that lil town. My childhood was a dream living in such a great place.  Because I grew up in such a beautiful area I grew to love the outdoors and the beauty that is Utah! I love to go on adventures with my little family and explore our awesome place we call home. If you have read my blog or follow my on Instagram you know that I am married to the most amazing man and that I am blessed to be the mama to 2 gloriously awesome kids. I love my family! I love being a wife! My husband is so important to me and I just love our relationship. I also love being a mama! When I was little I only wanted to be 2 things when I grew up... A mom & a singer! Looks like I got my wish. I don't get paid lots of money to sing all over the world but I do get paid in loves and smiles and snuggles and kisses to sing to and with my babies in our home and the car. I say that's a much better deal. Something else I want to share about myself is that I have struggled with depression and confidence issues since... Well... For a long time. Only recently have I really been able to break the walls down that I had up and truly learn to love myself. My depression is something I know I will never get rid of but instead I have learned to cope and live with it. Learning about myself and who I am has helped me more than I could ever say. I haven't really wrote about it on my blog because I don't want to focus on it. But I know I will end up writing about it when the time feels right. The purpose for my blog is to spread love and happiness. I love life! And hope that by sharing my thoughts and doing this Every Life Matters Q&A series that I can help others find their happiness and know that they matter. A couple other things to know about me are.... I love music!!!! I am always listening to music or singing a song in my head. My dream world would be like a musical where everyone just burst out into song and dance. I hate microfiber rags and cotton balls! The thought of just touching them makes me cringe. I love love love to laugh! And I absolutely love to be a dork and dance and lip sync! I guess that's about it... for now anyway.

Who matters to you?

I have so many people in my life who matter to me. Of course at the top of my list is my family. But my husband matters to me more than anyone else. Our relationship matters more than anything. He came into my life when I had decided to just be a single mom cause there wasn't going to be anyone out there right for me. I was happy where my life was at and was kind of worried that a man might mess that up if I dated. To be honest... I didn't think I was lovable. I had been divorced for 3 yrs and my previous marriage and the divorce had done a lot of damage. But I wasn't able to keep my mind off of that guy after a friend of mine tricked me into meeting him. I fell so madly in love with him and I am so thankful that he is my love. He matters to me more than words can say!

How do you show him that he matters to you?

I try to take care of him. And not just by cleaning and cooking. I actually suck at that! He does most of the cooking and our house is not magazine worthy. I try to take care of him emotionally and tell him that I love him and a reason why. And although I know he isn't ever excited about it when I want to "talk" about our relationship and lives, I know he is thankful for it afterward. He matters to me and our marriage matters! Sometimes I get caught up in my own crap though and forget that I need to give him more time and thought.  I think too many couples forget to put the time that is needed into each other and their marriage. I pray for him so many times a day that he will be able to know through my actions and efforts just how loved he is. I love how embarrassed he gets when I compliment him or get all cheesy. He's gonna love this! LOL

Tell us about a time in your life when someone has made you feel like you mattered.

Well I don't want this to become a "my husband is awesome" interview... although he is... And he has really done so much for me and my healing. I felt very worthless before he came along. But other than all the times my husband has made me feel like I mattered and all the times my kids have made me feel the same... So the first that comes to mind (that isn't my husband or kids) happened last July. I had gone to an event called Bright Night Event and to be honest I was so nervous. I had been working so hard on my confidence and self image problems for a few months but I was nervous to go to this event with so many amazing impressive women. Normally I would have just kept to myself and not let anyone get to know the real Katie. But on my way I decided to just be silly goofy dorky self and to put myself out there and be sociable. I ended up having the time of my life and truly having a breakthrough with my journey of finding and loving myself. The women I met that day were interested in ME! The real ME! They opened their circles of friendship and welcomed me into it. I left that night feeling pleasantly shocked. And since then a lot of those women have come to be close friends that mean so much to me.

Tell us about a time in your life when you haven't felt like you mattered.

Gosh... I didn't realize this one would be so hard to answer. Hmm... Well I have had times here and there in my life when I have had someone be unkind to me... Lots of memories from my school years. And there have been times in my adult life. But the first that really stands out and I think was a factor in my problems of low self esteem and all that is when I was in elementary school. I wrote about it before in one of my first post on the blog. There was a girl that was very mean and unkind to me and she said things to me that were untrue but that I believed. She went out of her way to make me feel badly throughout my childhood and into my teenage years... It sucked. That is one of the reasons I was so nervous to have my own daughter. Because girls can be so mean! And even if you raise your daughter to be kind and loving... She becomes the target for the mean girls...

                                         

 

 How did you overcome that?

Honestly, I don't think I fully have overcome it. I am in the process.... But not all the way. I have made a lot of progress by being happy with who I am and realizing that all the things she said and the way she made me feel were not my problems but hers! I'm 32 years old and it is finally clicking that I wasn't less important and the things she told me about myself were not true. This is why I want to do what I can to teach moms, dads, kids... everyone that EVERY LIFE MATTERS and that EVERYONE deserves KINDNESS! As a mom I know how important it is to give my kids these life lessons and teach them kindness and compassion for one another.

What matters most to you?

My religion and faith in Jesus Christ. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Throughout my life I have come to know of the importance of the gospel in my life and I am so grateful for it in my life. My testimony has grown stronger and stronger throughout my life and all of it's ups and downs. I know that without my relationship with my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ that I would not have been able to rise above my trials. I would not be who I am today. I can't even imagine my life without the knowledge of Their love for me. Everything I have... My family... My individuality... My interests... it is all because God loved me enough to send His only begotten son to be crucified for us. I know of it's truth and I am so blessed.

Life can be pretty crazy and sometimes what matters most can get lost in all the day to day things to do and worries of life. How do you keep what matters most in the forefront of your life?

That is a hard thing to do. Sometimes I get caught up in the world and what it thinks should matter. Like i said in my last post, I know where true happiness comes from and when I lose sight of that them I get lost and forget. I know that I have to keep prayer at the top of my list and doing all I can to live a Christlike life. I also know that I have to keep my family and our needs at the top as well. The happiness of my family will not be determined on how big our house is or how popular we are or even how many followers my blog has. Our happiness can be eternal if we live a kind and loving life centered around the teaching of Christ and His gospel.

If you could give one message to those reading this what would it be?

Be kind. That's it. Our words and actions create what the future will become. There is a huge "kindness movement" going around and I am loving it! But how much are you really doing to help it along? Are you saying one thing but doing another? What do your children see you do each day? What are we teaching the next generation? I think we need to really focus on teaching our children to be kind and loving to all. And we need to teach them that EVERY LIFE MATTERS! Even if someone is different or wants different things than us it does not mean that they are weird or that something is wrong with them. Everyone has a story and deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. And the only way to do that is by example!!! Let's teach our children what really matters in life.... Each other!!!

XOXO

Katie

Hello... Happiness??? Are you there?

I have said it before and I will say it again... 

Happiness is more than just a feeling... It's a choice.

Happiness is found in the beautiful special day to day moments. This morning has been so full of those moments and I just keep finding them all over. I found one when my husband put an extra blanket over me when he got out of bed to get ready for work. He knows how much I hate to be cold in bed. It was there when I peeked in my baby's room to see if she was still asleep but found her wide awake and laying there snuggling her stuffed monkey. The look she gave me made me want to cry tears of joy. It was there when we went to wake up big brother. Seeing how he will be laying in bed is always a surprise. We call him the sleeping ninja. And it is in the way my kidlets smile at each other when they see each other in the morning. Their love for each other is a force to be reckoned with. I felt the  happiness peek through the impatience and frustration I was feeling while Cooper ate breakfast and talked my ear off. I have to constantly tell him to eat more and talk less. But in all honesty I love how he talks so much. He is so clever and curious about life. And it was swirling around the room while Molly girl danced her little heart out to Bing Crosby singing Jingle Bells . She loves music as much as her mama. I even felt it as she pulled all my pot lids out and made a one baby band on the floor. And I felt it when Cooper proudly placed the little misshapen rug he made in front of the sink, stood on it and exclaimed "Comfy". And all those wonderful happy moments all happened in an hour.

But the happiest moment happened as I said the morning prayer before Coop ran out the door to catch his ride to school. At that moment I knew how and why I could be so truly happy. Unfortunately I sometimes get caught up in the world and it's worldly problems and I forget. I forget what true success is and I let the world tell me I am not up to it's standards. I don't have this or that... I don't have a long list of events and things to go to with all my many many friends. And I don't have my own big house and a closet filled with nice fashionable clothes for me to wear. I compare my life to other's and I think I'm not a success because I am not where they are at. And that gets in the way of my real happiness. But like Alison of The Alison Show says, "Avoid the comparison trap!"

We live in a small 2 bedroom duplex because rent where we live is so steep!!! Recently I let myself forget what really matters. I was frustrated that we didn't have a bigger house and that it wasn't as nice as this person's or that person's. I really don't want a big house though... I like small houses. I grew up most of my childhood in a 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house and there are 8 in my family. I never thought we needed a bigger home cause we didn't. I loved every bit of my home and being so close to my family. I know that we wouldn't have as many awesome happy memories if we would have all had our own rooms. We spent time together and formed a bond that I know other families don't have. I'm so thankful my parents knew what mattered and taught me to be grateful for what I have. It's those lessons that keep me in check when I start to feel like I don't have enough because someone else has more. Stuff does not equal happiness. Moments of faith and family... That's what equals happiness.

Yes I am HUGELY pregnant in this pic!

Love my family

If we are always waiting for happiness to come along with the next thing or promotion or whatever it is than we will never see that our happiness was right there all along. I am so thankful that I have been taught to see the happiness in my life. Sometimes it's right there... easy to find and easy to enjoy. Other times I have to make an extra effort to seek it out. It's hidden in a current struggle or a difficult moment... But it is always there. We have to make the choice to see our happy moments each and every day!

XOXO

Katie 

Mountains to climb... The wild way.

The other day while we were driving through Provo on our way home Coop and I had this conversation.

Coop: I've Always wanted to climb that mountain (Mount Timpanogos).

Me: That would be an awesome thing to do. Maybe Uncle Ronnie will take you... He does cool stuff like that all the time.

Coop: He does???

Me: Yep! He loves the outdoors and goes on lots of exciting adventures. I bet he'd take ya.

Coop: OK! But it's going to be hard and he will probably get tired but we have to go ALL the way to the top! Above the clouds even!!

Me: That is pretty high. But if you really want to do it you can.

(Now he uses a wild west tough guy voice from now on)

Coop: We'll do it the wild way...

Me: Wild way?

Coop: Drinkin outta the streams... Catchin fish and puttin them in the fire with rocks around it.

Me: Oh... Of course... The wild way!

Coop: We'll fight an angry old bear and make bows out of branches!

Me: Sounds intense...

Coop: I need to call and tell Uncle Ronnie.

He then called his Uncle and told him all of this and added something about "the manly way" and that barbie dolls aren't allowed up on the mountain. 

So next late spring or early summer or whenever it works out Cooper, Uncle Ronnie and whoever else goes with them will be climbing this mountain, fightin a old angry bear, makin bows outta branches, catchin fish to cook over fire and drinkin outta streams. Dasani counts right? They claim it comes from a spring.

OK... So this is where I use this lil entertaining conversation I had with my 8 year old as lesson on life. 

I want my kids to be adventurous and to do amazing awesome things. I want them to have an amazing childhood filled with excitement and beauty. I want them to know what an amazing place they live in. I grew up in Southern Utah and all the amazing places that people come from all over the world to see... that was my backyard... my playground! I want my kids to know how amazing Utah is. I am a truly proud Utah girl!

Now get ready... I'm about to get really cheesy. I want them to know that everyone has their own goals to reach... Trials to overcome... Lives to figure out and live... Mountains to climb. The climb isn't always pleasant. But I also want them to know that if they want something bad enough that it's possible. No more "One days" and "maybes". I will teach them to climb that mountain and to do it the wild way!!! There are no limits to what they can do. NONE! And I will make sure they know it. As their mom I will be there to listen to them and help them toward their goals. I love when I see parents who encourage instead of discourage their kids ambitions. My parents did it for me... My husband and I will do it for our kids.

I am so inspired by my kidlets. I strive to be more like them. Adventure is out there. I can't let my mountains stop me. If I can't climb my own mountains how am I going to help them climb theirs?

XOXO,

Katie

The boy who made me a mama

My life changed so much 8 years ago when they placed that tiny little baby boy in my arms. I had always wanted to be a mom. It was my dream. And he made my dream come true by choosing me to be his mom. I truly believe he chose me. And not because he thought he would need me... But because he knew I would need him.

I'm not sure how it is between other parents and their first child but I think Cooper and my relationship is special. As a baby he was so sweet and calm. I couldn't sleep the first few nights after he was born because I just couldn't take my eyes off of him. I was fascinated with him. He was mine. He grew inside of me and I was his mother. I will admit that the first day and even today that when I think about it I was floored that God gave me such an amazing blessing.

As a toddler Cooper was so full of spunk and kind of a stinker. When he was 2 years old our lives changed suddenly. Cooper and I were on our own... Our own little family of 2. He saved me. His pure childlike love saved me from the sorrow. He made me smile when I thought I would never smile again. He kept me loving. The love I had for Cooper was a lifeline and helped me to love others. Our lives were so blessed with each other. Life turned out to be so much better than I had ever hoped. And all because of this child that called me mama. We had so much fun those years that it was him and I. I will always treasure the time we had and the bond it created between us.

Ever since Coop could form sentences... Heck... Even before full sentences... Cooper has always bee a question asker. One day Cooper and I had gone to Cedar to visit mamas boyfriend (aka dad) and Dustin decided he would count how many questions Cooper asked in an hour. He had read somewhere that the average 4 yr old asked so many questions a day. I can't remember how many... I think it was around 400. Cooper asked over 100 in that hour. And he didn't slow down with them throughout that day either. He's always been and still is such a curious kid. I love it.

Cooper is an amazing kid. I can't explain it in words when I think about how much I love him. If you do know him you are so lucky.  And for those who dont... I just wish you all could know him. He has such a great fun loving personality. 

He is smart.

He is witty.

He is fun and silly.

He is kind.

He is curious.

He is sweet and tender.

He makes me laugh and think about things in a way I never did before he came along. Cooper is a choice son of God who chose to come to this earthly life. He is valiant and I know he will change lives one day by being an example and by sharing his light with those around him. He has changed my life by doing so.

I love you Coop-a-doo. Thanks for being such a rad kid. Life is entertaining and so fun with you around. You are such a great big brother. Molly loves you so so much! And you are the best son dad and I could ever ask for. Love you to the moon and back.

XOXO,

Mom