Churchy stuff

It's really later than I should be up, but there are a couple of things swimming in my head I wanted to get out.

The scriptures sure are wonderful.  I haven't been great about getting up and reading them.  4-5 mornings a week instead of the 7 I should do. I blame sun not coming up until 7:30. Anyway. On days when I read with purpose I always find something to make me stop and think a little. Days when I don't read with a purpose (that is, on my phone in order to check it off my to-do list) I don't get much of anything. I'm learning that, for me anyway, I have to study the scriptures differently than I read other book. It has to be and event. I spend so much of my time reading thing, on the internet, leaning against the counter while the microwave boils water, whatever, that if I don't make it special, it doesn't register as something different. When I make it something special, then the Lord really is able to speak to me.

One of the things He has been telling me over and over for months and months is that I need to focus on my kids more. It is really hard. Partially because I have things to do. Partially because sometimes the games they play are just boring. But these are my heritage from the Lord and I need to treat them as the sacred trust they are.

So, I turned to technology.

I found an app called Forest. You set a timer and it plants a little graphic seedling. You now have to leave the app open until the timer runs out. If you take your phone away from that window before the timer is done, it kills the tree. Dumb psychology. But it works. I set a timer for 30 minutes with each of my kids. I don't think they know I do it. But then I play with with them. A few days ago I played cars and blocks and legos and puzzles and army men and clean up all in 30 minutes. Part of that time I was just handing my 2 year old blocks so he could stack them.  And he loved having me there.  I played dolls and colored with my 5 year old. And we had a lovely time.  The really amazing part was that when it was time to be done and move on to my next project, they were ok with it. Their little love buckets had been filled and they were willing to play by themselves, or even together, without me for a while.

It's still hard. It will take a while to soften my heart to the point where I look forward to princesses (not everything is about being pretty, Sweetheart!) but it's at least pointing me in the right direction.