Hospital Survival Kit for new moms!

I made this fun little kit for a friend of mine who is expecting her first child in a few days. It's been a few years since I've done that, but I still remember all the things I wish I had thought to pack. Such a fun way to celebrate the birth of a first, or tenth baby. I wanted to get her something before she went to the hospital. 

  

Baby Boy!

I went with blue accents.

You could use any color or pattern.

Body wash, soap, and Chapstick.  

Chapstick was #1 on my list.  

Your lips will quickly feel like sand paper.

  

Hairspray and lip gloss.   

You will take more photos this day than any other  in your life. 

It doesn't hurt to have a little something to freshen up. 

Remember, pictures last forever. 

Drinks.

You can't eat, and the next best thing is to drink.  Clear flavored liquid will seem like the nectar of the Gods while in labor. Capri suns are just the right size, and they come with a straw. Bonus.  Crystal light packets are perfect for bottled water. I threw in several.  Baby daddies get thirsty too. 

Sometimes, labor in LONG! 

Kleenex.

You will cry--  

Tears of frustration.

Tears of exhaustion.

Tears from pain. 

Tears of anticipation.

And, the tears of joy...

Goodies.

Jolly Ranchers saved me when I couldn't eat or drink.  

Gum . Contractions can be unpleasant. It helps to bite something.  : )

Chocolate and other candy because they don't serve that with your hospital food, and you deserve it.  You birthed a human. Have a Snickers!

Toothbrush and toothpaste for the trip.

Ear Plugs.  

Hospitals are not sleep friendly.  They are moving 24-7. New mothers need their sleep, and for this reason I send people out to buy me ear plugs.  They were a God send. By the way, one tip here--send you baby to the nursery at night.  You have the rest of your life to get up with that child.  Get some decent rest while you are there.  You are going to need it. There is no shame in sending your baby to the nursery.  Don't let anybody tell you differently!! No shame. 

FUN! 

A little something to pass the time.  Labor isn't also as quick as it is in the movies.  

Ped socks.  

My feet were freezing.  I didn't want to wear slippers all day. These were delightful.

Compact. 

Nobody wants broccoli in their teeth when cameras flash or visitors show up to see the new mom and baby, and they do come(and they do, often in droves.)  You won't feel like getting up and walking to the bathroom, so having a small mirror at my bed was great.  

Hair bands. 

I never had enough of these. 

Head bands.  

You may want your hair back while pushing, or when trying to nurse.  They just come in handy. 

Deodorant! 

Labor is hard work. 

Salt. 

I craved salt.

Medicated lip balm.  

Worked well overnight.

Make-Up Remover Facial Wipes.  

These are simple. 

Again, you won't want to get up and down for things like this. Keep a small bag by your bed.  

Fashion magazine.  

There isn't a woman out there that loves her maternity clothes enough to wear them one day longer than necessary.  Nine months of maternity wear takes its toll on the best of us.  A fun fashion magazine so she can catch up on the latest trends as she switches out her wardrobe.  

Make yourself a label.  You could easily copy this one and print it off from your home computer.  Attach label to your bag.  You can use any bag.  I like the look of the simple brown craft bag.  

Tie the handles together with baker's twine, or some type of decorative string or ribbon.  I found this at Target for $1. 

Fill your bag with all of the items.  Fill in empty space with white crinkled paper.  I put a bow around mine.  You could buy a bow and attach it right to the bag or use ribbon you have to make one.  The zebra looks darling with almost anything.  Glue your label on. 

And....voila!

The perfect gift for the soon to be new mother. I love the idea of gifting the mother things  for herself.    

It's may be the biggest day of her life! 
It is kind of a big deal.
When a baby is born, so is a mother. 
Neither has existed before. 
 Remember her, as well as the baby. 

Hospital survival Kit

for the new mother!

There are a "minion" reasons to READ! Bulletin Board.

...with an eye single to the glory of God!

I changed our ward bulletin board this week. 

Each minion is labeled with the name of a primary child. 

I wanted something bright for spring. 

The minions are so popular right now. 

And, the kids love seeing their name on the board! 

 

To the side of the board, I will post an I-spy sheet. 

 I will include little objects from some of the figures. 

 They love trying to spot things. 

It doesn't take much to entertain kids. 

They love it.

Here are close-ups from of some of the various minions.  

 There are minions & minions of reasons to read your scriptures!

We have three Elders currently serving full-time missions.

  

  

Our Bishop dressed up as Gru for Halloween, so I pulled this picture from Facebook, and put it up with the minions.  His two counselors, Brother Hyatt and Brother Christensen are the two pictured with him.  

This almost became my folly. I looked at Mr. minion here and thought he was a science experiment gone bad.  I thought his beaker had blown up and burned his eyes.  I had him up on the board for a little bit before one of the missionaries in our ward came up and asked me if I had any idea what this guy was doing.  I explained he was the science minion.  He laughed and told me I was wrong, that this was indeed a minion smoking marijuana from a bong. Well....alrighty then! I took him down pretty quick. I am just glad the missionary noticed. I had no idea. Ha! That would have been fun for one of the Primary kids.  I am sure they would love to find their name on the weed smoking minion. Sheesh! Only me! I still think it looks like a bad experiment. :)

Welby 5th Ward 2014

Spring cleaning! It is the best part of spring...

I am in love...

with my new hall closet. Swoon!

I used 5/8" wooden dowels attached to foam blocks on the bottom to secure spindles.  Then, I stacked the ribbon spools on top of each other, through the dowel. Easy Peasy! Now, I can grab the spindle, and easily cut ribbon from any spool without having to dig through bins. Heaven!

8 things Lonesome Dove taught me about voting Democrat in red Utah!

8 things Lonesome Dove taught me about being a Democrat in Utah…

1.  “If you only come face to face with your own mistakes once or twice in your life it's bound to be extra painful. I face mine every day--that way they ain't usually much worse than a dry shave.” 

It is one thing I have come to expect as a Democrat in Utah.  If I am wrong, it does not go unnoticed.  It is the price of being the odd man out.  People never tire of reminding you.  Openly admit your mistakes.  Concede when you are wrong.  Own your flaws and they lose their power. 

2. “You ride with the outlaw. You die with the outlaw.”

The #1 rule of politics!  You are your candidate, and your party.  There is no middle ground. You will pay dearly for every mistake your candidate, or party ever makes.  You will be assigned personal blame for anything that goes awry.  There is no leniency.  Everything they do will reflect on you.  You will forever be defending every action made by your party.  There is no separation.   It is an unwritten law.  There is no gray. 

3.  You teach people how to treat you.

The way you see yourself is mirrored in the way others treat you.  People will not look to you for advice if they still feel you are trying to convince yourself of your own capabilities.  Be confident. Even if you aren’t, fake it. Never let them see you sweat.  People like leaders.  Be one.  

4.  “If you want one thing too much it’s likely to be a disappointment.”

Disappointment is bitter.  It is also avoidable.  Expect nothing.  If you have no expectations, you will never suffer disappointment.   Accept the fact people are human, and will usually let you down.  

5.   “A whore with a heart of gold."

Women are allowed one of three roles: wife, whore, or widow.  They are weaknesses.  They ruin men.  Women are to be protected, paid, or prettied up.  They are unnecessary evils in the lives of men. If it weren’t for the desire of men for a good poke, surely they would have no part in the life of a cowboy.  They exist to tame, trap, or tease the good old boys. The same can be said in politics.  Women are rarely taken serious, and the control they do have is sexual.  They are regarded as delicate, fragile beings needing to be protected by men.               

6.  “Time and again he would walk up on the wrong side of a horse that was known to kick, and then look surprised when he got kicked.” 

When people show you who they are--believe them. Allow people be who they are, not who you need them to be.  You will not change the hearts of most men.  It is often insurmountable to change ourselves.  To change another person is almost impossible.  Possible? Yes. Probable? No. 

7.  There is safety in numbers.

Cowboys rarely travel solo.  They stand very little chance against the frontier alone.   Birds of a feather flock together.  People with like minds will be your safe haven.  The political arena is a battle field in Utah.  It is not for the faint of heart.   As a Democrat, not a day goes by that a flippant comment, joke, or the occasional scathing tirade comes my way.  Most days I don’t give them a second thought, I can’t.  It would ruin me.  It is nice to have a group of similar spirits. "You want to go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came. You wanna go where everybody knows your name." A group of Democrats I can relate to, with whom I can speak freely, not having to guard my words, or incessantly worry about defending them is an incredible source of strength.

8. “It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times.”

You don’t always win.  Most days you just do your thing, but there are also days that will hurt.  The countless hours given to a campaign that fails, a bill that never makes it off the floor, or a candidate that lets you down are times you will feel broken, jaded, and sad.  You will feel cheated and disenchanted by the road ahead.  It is all part of the game.  You take the good with the bad.  Your successes will be fewer than your failures.   But, you will see success, and when you do, your failures make your victories all the more glorious.

7 reasons to stop HATING WOMEN!

7 reasons to stop hating women!

Let’s face it. It is the unwritten truth. The real war on women if fought isn’t political.  It isn’t waged by men.  The real war on women, the “silent killer” is brought to you by you guessed it…other women.  It must stop.  Make no mistake, it is killing us, and worse, leaving behind a wake of broken girls. It is revolting.  Sisterhood is being destroyed one girl at a time.

1.  Stop fighting over men.

Have you ever noticed we are the only species that fight over males? Why?  There are enough men to go around, and any man you need to fight another woman for, is not a man you need.  We use the term “home-wrecker” to describe women who break up our relationships. But the truth is, no woman can steal a man that isn’t  willing.  If two women are fighting over a man’s love or attention, perhaps it is in fact, his fault.  Stop blaming women.  He is playing both of you.  He has not made a choice. Clearly, he just isn’t that into either of you. Let him go. If a man chooses you, you will know it.  You will not need to fight for him.  And that is the only kind of man worth having.  Don't cast pearls before swine.  Do not fight over garbage.

2.  Stop competing with each other. We are all amazing!

Life is not a contest.  It isn't a winner take all scenario.  Women are not competition.  Let’s face it. There will always be a woman with better eyes, a more loving husband, perfect children, or a  nicer figure. There will always be women that have something you do not. There will be women who are talented in ways you are not.  So what? Their talents are theirs, not yours.  You have your own and are no less valuable than another woman. Don’t sell yourself short. If you are secure and confident in yourself, you will not see other women as a threat.  Be honest with yourself.  Figure our why some women threaten you.  Fix those things.  The problem is not other women.  The battle you fight is within.  And it is silly. Because you are every bit as beautiful as any other woman.  The only person you must convince of that is yourself.  You are amazing.  

3.  No more sexual police!

We’ve all done it. An attractive woman walks into a room and we instantly begin sizing her up. She is in shorts and heels.  Clearly, a filthy whore!  This is something we have got to end.  A woman should be able to wear whatever she wants, whenever she wants and not be labeled for it.  Heels are not symbolic of sluts.  Shorts do not define skanks.  Clothes mean nothing.  What we wear does not make us who we are.  Behavior does. If a woman chooses to engage in sex with several men, or does things we find appalling, unless she is asking us to participate, don’t concern yourself with it.  Women have different appetites.  One is not better than another.  Don’t assume your idea of sex is better than hers. We can't possibly know every woman's story.  Let’s not punish women for sexual transgressions. .  We all have our own sins.  We cannot judge situations we know nothing about.   

4.  Give all women, including yourself a chance.

Realize distancing yourself from women and making negative assumptions about them is costing you some of the best relationships in the world.  Women share an unspoken understanding. We offer each other what men cannot. No matter how many men you have in your life, you will need strong women.  Men try, but they will never fully relate to the emotions of women.    Instead of pushing women away, reach out to them. Only mothers understand the heartache of mothers.  There is a world of support and love waiting for you if you will but accept it.  Don’t be a part of cliques.  These are for insecure women who lack confidence.  And there is no reason for any woman to lack confidence.  There is no woman you cannot learn something from.  Befriend all women. 

5.  Diversity is beautiful. Embrace it!

Accept we are all different.  If we were all the same, what a dreary place this would be.  More often than not, we lash out at women who don’t do things the way we do. It is unacceptable.  We should support each other, regardless of our own beliefs.  If you don’t want to have an Elf on the Shelf, it really is simple, don’t get one.  But, please no more shaming other women, or trying to make them feel bad because they do.  What a powerful thing it would be if we stopped making other women feel bad for doing things that make them happy.  There are women who have no lust for the Priesthood Power.  There are women that do. There are women who choose to work outside of the home and many who would never consider it.  And there are women who believe vaccinations are unhealthy,  and those who swear by them.  Figure out what distresses or angers you so much about such choices. Is it quite possibly envy?  Did perhaps you want to make some of those choices, but they were not options for you?  We don’t need to convert the world to our way.  We need to love our choices. Our desire to correct other women is not coming from a place of strength. It is weakness.  

6.  Compliment other women.

When was the last time you told a beautiful girl she was beautiful? Women rarely compliment other women.  It is unfortunate.  When you see the good in a woman, express it, and do so vocally.  I assure you, your words are very much making the world a friendlier place.  The more good we find in each other, the easier it is for us to let our guards down and support one another.  It takes a very strong woman to compliment other talented, successful, or beautiful women.  But, we are strong women.  We can do this. We are capable. 

7.  It is hurting our daughters.

Our children watch everything we do. They mimic our actions.  If we continually berate other women, or feel threatened by them, our girls notice and will in turn learn the same patterns of behavior.  They pick up on insecurities.  If you hate your body, they will begin to wonder what is wrong with theirs. Don’t do it. As the mother to twin daughters, I am horrified by some of the comments I have heard as early as 6.  If we don’t change our behavior for ourselves, we must at least do it for the sake of our daughters.  They deserve sisterhood and the strength it lends. Let them experience “girl power.”