MaeLyn's Musings

Clothing packed? check. Sleeping bags? check. Snacks for the trip? check. Someone to watch the cats? check. We are almost ready! Tomorrow morning we plan to leave early, early in the morning, and we will drive to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with Steven's mom. As a result, there will be no regular blogs for the next few days. (I know you are disappointed.) Since I figured out how to post from my phone, you may get a very short message (the length of a text), or an occasional photo, if I feel like it, but there will be no lengthy discourses. I'm on vacation. Have a great Thanksgiving!

In years past, during the month of November, our family has had a poster board on which we have written things for which we are grateful. Usually the Book of Mormon is on that list. Last night as I was laying awake, waiting for sleep, I started contemplating the reasons why I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. 1. The Book of Mormon teaches of Jesus Christ. Nephi said, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." ( 2 Nephi 25:26 ) Hardly a page in the Book of Mormon doesn't contain some reference to Jesus Christ, or something which can teach us about him. The Book of Mormon is full of teachings about who he is, his ministry, his atonement, his love, his tender mercies. Some people may not believe that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) are Christian becau...

Today I got to accompany Peter's class on a field trip to the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum . We arrived after a standard (noisy and bumpy) school bus ride, left our coats in a small room and then enjoyed a pizza lunch. After lunch, we got to explore the museum, which is inside a giant hangar. I shepherded my four assigned boys around, first to look at the many airplanes, and play with a couple flight simulators, and then we got to explore the math midway exhibit, which had a lot of fun activities, that didn't really seem much like math to the kids. Eventually the teachers gathered us all together again to find our coats and load the buses for the return back to the school. It was a lot of fun! Peter and the other kids had a chance to see how Orvil and Wilbur Wright's plane was steered, by leaning one way or the other and pulling up or pushing up on a bar. The progress of the plane was shown on a screen in front, and I observed one boy steer the plane dire...

This is a test to see if I can post blogs from my phone. Oooh - high tech! Happy birthday to Steven today, also to my brother-in-law, Dean.

The quiet atmosphere of my walk to school this morning was punctuated by the futile buzz of tires trying to gain traction on slick, icy roads. I live in a hilly area, and cars of all shapes and sizes had difficulty maneuvering this morning, in the first snowfall of the season that actually stuck to the streets. (The last snow we had was October 18th, but it only stuck to the grass and it melted off by mid morning.) These are the mornings when I am grateful that the boys' school is only 1/2 mile away, grateful that I don't have the car to even tempt me to drive, grateful that I am on foot, and not trying to negotiate icy roads in a 4,000 pound minivan. As it was, I slipped and slid a bit on foot, but the only one at risk was me. As I type this there is a car spinning its wheels on the street just outside our playroom gate, unable to move. I wanted to take a picture of all the cars struggling just to climb the gentle slope outside our house, but the kids were playing with the ...

At Time Out For Women, one of the speakers ( Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt ) spoke about rituals. I've thought about what she said off and on ever since then, but as the holidays are nearing, rituals have been more on my mind. What is a ritual? Google tells me that a ritual is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order." It can also be "a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone." Jennifer Platt referred to a ritual as something we look forward to and prepare for,  something we fully participate in, and  something we remember after.  In our house, Family Home Evenings could be considered a ritual. We look forward to them, reserve a special time for them, and we prepare our parts beforehand (sometimes). During Family Home Evening, we put down the books, log off the computers, avoid answering the phone. This is time for our family, and we try to limi...

In Institute this morning, one of the things we discussed was the importance of keeping records. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that one of King Zedekiah's sons escaped from Jerusalem when Zedekiah's other sons were killed and Zedekiah himself was carried away captive into Babylon in 587BC. This son's name was Mulek. (see Hel 8:21.) Mulek and his people journeyed in the wilderness and were eventually led to the Promised Land (See Omni 1:15-16), arriving in the northern part of the land (See Hel 6:10). His people settled the land, had families, had wars and contentions, and lived their lives for about 300 years before they were discovered by the Nephites. They named their land Zarahemla. (See Mosiah 25:2 and Omni 1:14) When the Mulekites left Jerusalem, it was probably in haste because of the Babylonian attack. As a result, they didn't bring any records with them. Because they had no written records, a couple important things resulted: Their language was corrupted...

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is it that makes living this life worthwhile? There are lots of similar questions, and there are lots of answers. Look up " Meaning of Life " in Wikipedia, and you can read many of these answers: The meaning of Life is... Plato : ..."attaining the highest form of knowledge" Aristotle :... doing the "highest good", or "good for its own sake", or that which brings us happiness Cynicism : ... "living a life of Virtue that agrees with Nature. Happiness depends upon being self-sufficient and master of one's mental attitude." Epicureanism : "in seeking modest pleasures, to attain tranquility and freedom from fear via knowledge, friendship, and virtuous, temperate living" Stoicism : ..."freedom from suffering" through being objective and having "clear judgement" Utilitarianism : "whatever brings the greatest happiness to t...

I just found out that, according to Urban Dictionary , a "maelyn" is someone who can't cook. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Were my parents being prophetic? Was the term coined because of me - or someone like me who has limited cooking skills? Who came up with the term, anyway??? I'm feeling a bit insulted.

My niece shared a link on Facebook a couple days ago to an article that I thought was enlightening. It is entitled, " How to interact with the introverted ". There were several interesting things that the author suggested: Extroverts gain their energy from their surroundings, absorbing "good vibes" from people around them. In other words, they gain energy from being around people. Introverts make their own energy, and instead of gaining it when they are around other people, they give it. (or spend it.) For introverts, energy is a precious, limited resource, and so they are wary of people (like extroverts) who would "steal" their energy by demanding their attention. The author suggests that when interacting with the introverted, people should respect their personal space, don't demand that energy be spent on you - especially when it isn't necessary, don't take silence as an insult, and remember that introverts get lonely too. As an intro...

I woke up with a headache this morning, and I don't really feel well, but I'm trying to keep in the habit of writing every week day, so this is what you get. Steven is still enjoying his job. After that one week of working late almost every day, he hasn't worked late much since then. Now when he's late getting home, it is usually because of traffic, accidents and the like since he has to commute clear across town. One day, shortly after Halloween I asked Google what " Dr Who " is. I'd heard my friend Tabitha mention it, and a girl in our ward showed up at the Trunk-or-Treat as a weeping angel, and I heard that it was a Dr Who thing, and I wondered just what Dr Who was. Anyway, I discovered this British science fiction TV program involving aliens and time travel and big explosions and suspense and I've decided that I really like it. I watched the weeping angel episode, " Blink " first, but since then I've begun watching from season one...

In institute this morning we discussed Jacob 6-Enos. Here are some of the things we discussed. The Allegory of the Olive Tree ( Jacob 5 ) Symbolism (v. where first appears) Tame Olive Tree = the house of Israel (v. 3) Vineyard = the world (v.3) decay = apostasy (v.3) master/Lord of the vineyard = God (either the Father or the Son) (v.4) Pruning and digging = the Lord's work and care for his people (v.4) branches = groups of people (v.4) main top = leadership (v.6) servants = prophets, the Savior, others are perhaps missionaries and members (v.7, 70) wild olive tree = Gentiles (v.7) cast into the fire = judgement (v.7) grafting = spiritual rebirth, (also a means of scattering and gathering Israel) (v.8) root = covenants, source of strength (v.8) fruit = lives and works of men (v.8) loftiness = pride (v.48) Olive trees take at least five years to bear fruit, and live about 500 years. They are the longest living fruit-bearing tree. There are seven sections to...

I taught in Relief Society again this last Sunday. This week's lesson was chapter 22 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, entitled Doing Good to Others . I began by asking the sisters to think about a recent act of service they had done. They didn't need to tell me about it right then, but I wanted them to have something in mind. I told them about an experience I had the day before when I helped a bewildered looking older man find something he needed in a JoAnn store I was shopping at. I mentioned the lift I felt as I walked away. When we serve others, we feel good, and we are blessed. I asked the sisters to list some of the blessings that we receive when we serve others. This list included things like feeling good, peace, fulfilling covenants, friends. I pointed out that while the lesson is on serving others, the point that Lorenzo Snow repeats over and over again is that we receive blessings as we do good to others. I referred to some of the lines from t...

It's ten-o-clock in the morning, or three in the afternoon. Your belly starts vibrating - it will need some food very soon. You search the refrigerator. What's quick and easy to eat? What is the most convenient, most tasty and delicious treat? Strawberries, oranges or peaches, cookies or crackers or chips, toast or raisins or popcorn or veggies cut up, served with dips? Pretend you need to be sneaky, to hide so no one will know. Remove all trace of snacking. Allow no evidence to show. Never open a new package. Never finish something off. Avoid foods that are messy or that make you sneeze, burp or cough. Don't leave any dirty dishes for others to discover. Seal up bags, jars and boxes. Remember to close the cupboard. Clean up any crumbs or messes on floor or chair or table. Don't even think of eating food with someone else's label. Chew your food very quietly - no crunches, munches or slurps. Don't create smelly odors in microwaves, ovens o...

Recently, I have come to a realization about myself. I don't know how general it is, but I have a suspicion that it applies to most of us. This is it: The more likely that someone else can or will take responsibility for something, the less likely that I will - unless I have strong feelings that I can do it better than anyone else, or it is something I naturally enjoy doing. For example: if I am in a class or a meeting, and someone asks for a volunteer for an assignment, the speed at which I raise my hand depends on the size of the group, and the speed of others to raise theirs. If it is a very small group, I am much more quick to volunteer than if there are many. In a larger group, the longer it takes for someone else to volunteer, the more likely I am to volunteer myself. This applies to societies we live in as well. In medieval times, a nobleman would have serfs living on his property, that he took responsibility for. These serfs often didn't have many resources or ed...

In institute this morning, we studied 2 Nephi 31-Jacob 4. Here is some of what I got out of the lesson: "For my soul delighteth in plainness ; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding ; for he speaketh unto men according to their language , unto their understanding ." ( 2 Nephi 31:3) People learn differently. Some (like me) are visual learners, others learn by hearing or doing. The Lord understands this, and speaks to each of us, through his Spirit, in a way that we will understand best. "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ . Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." ( 2 Nephi 32...

My mom and dad, who have been living in Nauvoo, IL for the last six months, and my sister Heidi, who just returned home from a mission in the Philippines, stayed the night with us last night. We loved having them here with us! As usual, the boys were watching for their arrival yesterday afternoon, and dashed out as soon as they saw the car pull up. (Two of them anyway. John was involved in a book.) Also as usual when we have company, the energy level was high for the next several hours. Stuffed animals materialized out of nowhere and started flying across the room. There was wrestling and tickling, laughing and screeching. There was music and conversation. After dinner, we all gathered for Family Home Evening. Everyone joined in the singing as John played We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet on the piano. We listened to Joshua's prayer and my scripture. I think my parents watched in a bit of bemusement as, during Hannah's lesson, my children drew, and then acted out portions of...

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning that made me laugh - not a full out "ha" kind of laugh, but more like a wry smile and a "hmm" kind of laugh. What was the headline? "Pentagon Toils to Build a Bomber on a Budget" (You can watch a video based on the article here.) Anyway, the article talked about the kind of budget cuts the Pentagon is being forced to make these days since their allowance was cut back. Forced to watch their budget, and wary of "a publicity nightmare in the making", a kitchenette with a fold out bed, nice refrigerator and microwave that was proposed for a new long-range strike bomber was nixed (cost: $300,000 - about 3x what my entire home is worth, but only 0.00055% of the budget for  the entire bomber project).  Col. Stevenson is one of a small group of men assigned with the task of guarding against "improvidence and any untested technologies that could lead the grand project... down the path......

Some of you may be aware that my children like jokes and riddles. They not only like to hear them and tell them, but they also like to come up with their own. Here are some of the jokes and riddles that have been floating around our house the last few months. Some of these they made up; others I think came from the cub scoutmaster, laffy taffy wrappers, milk cartons, or other sources. Which is faster, hot or cold? Hot. Anyone can catch a cold! What does a cow say when you throw it into a river? Moo. What happens when you throw a red stone into a blue water? It gets wet. What happens when you throw a yellow stone into blue water? You get a geyser. (Think Yellowstone.) What happens when you throw a chicken out of an airplane? It falls. What does a frog say when you throw it out of an airplane? Croak! What does the duck say when you throw it at a dartboard? Quack. What do you call a duck that's been thrown at a dartboard? A duck. Why di...

Our Halloween was a bit crazy to begin with. John's scoutmaster came over to help him with some scouting requirements, and he was here from 5-6pm. Steven didn't get home from work until 6:30pm, and it was just as we were sitting at the table for dinner that Hannah's friend, who was coming to go trick-or-treating with Hannah, called to say they were on their way over.  So we rushed through dinner (ghost shaped pancakes with blueberry eyes and hash browns), hurried to finish getting the kids in their costumes - we couldn't find Peter's goggles, and put Hannah's hair up, and were ready for trick or treating by 7pm. Hannah went with her friend and her friend's mom, and I took the boys. Steven stayed home in case anyone came to our house looking for treats. (No one did.) As we started out, I reminded the boys of proper trick-or-treating etiquette: Only go to houses with the porch light on. Only ring the doorbell once. Say "Trick or Treat" when they o...