I had a moment of near insanity today. I can keep my cool about many things, with a few exceptions. Today I came face to face with one of them. I was on my way to Costco with Justin, Brynna and Lauryn after I got off of work. We pulled up to a stoplight and in front of us was an itty-bitty, two-door car jam-packed with three adults, a preschooler and a small baby wedged in the middle. All the adults were distracted talking on cell phones and this and that. Justin said "Huh, that looks safe." But then I saw one of the few things that absolutely makes my blood BOIL! All three adults in this itty-bitty car lit up and were smoking mere inches from these poor kids faces. It took everything in me not to lay on the horn, get out, go rip open their door and tear their cancer sticks from their nicotine scented fingers and rip them a new one. How stupid and selfish do you have to be to do that? You can't wait until you get to your destination and away from the kids before you light up and indulge in the destruction of your own health?! I was fuming... and still am actually. With everything we know about how dangerous secondhand smoke is, especially for children, how is it not illegal to smoke in an enclosed space with small children?! Everyone and everything these days has some sort of rights, it seems. Heck, there was an uproar about the mussels downstream in Florida when we were in a drought last year. How humans couldn't get the water because the mussels needed it. Mussels have rights. But kids with idiot parents...apparently they're out of luck.

I find more and more everyday that the shoes of my life overflow with silver dollars. My heart is filled with humility and gratitude for the blessings I have received in my life. For the people who love me and for the circumstances that are put in my path. I will never doubt that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and is mindful of me. I only hope that I can be like those boys and be an instrument in His hands. To help give to others what has been given to me... a knowledge of His perfect love.

I really need to clean my house. My little darlings haven't quite figured out the joy of picking up after themselves and it's a giant struggle to try to get them to do anything. Joy. Imagine if you will, Mount Vesuvius has just blown it's top in my house. Only rather that it being filled with liquid, hot magma (in your best Dr. Evil voice) it was filled with toys and trinkets and has spewed them to the far corners of the house... that's what it looks like. My motivation level is low because I know as soon as I finish one room, that's their cue to come back in and tear it all out again. Sigh. But, it's raining and there is no where to go. So I guess that means I have no excuses not to... even though I really don't want to. But I guess I will. Ugh. Let there be no mistaking, if I should ever acquire mass quantities of money, a housekeeper is totally on my list.

We had no idea how he could have done that so quick! We had only been upstairs a few minutes! The girls decided that with O'Malley's leprechaun magic, all he had to do was point at the cookies and they would turn green! Daddy picked up the cookie O'Malley had been nibbling on and started eating it. Brynna got really nervous and said "Dad, O'Malley was eating that one. Are you going to turn green now?!" Maryn quickly told her that leprechauns in fact do not have any germs and that Daddy would be just fine sharing O'Malley's cookie. Brynna was still a little cautious and wanted to know if O'Malley was still around, would he play any more tricks? She protectively held onto Coco and said "I don't want him to turn my monkey green! I just like him brown!" I explained that I thought O'Malley had left already, and besides he only played nice tricks. I told her that he was probably already on the other end of the rainbow by now. She asked "How?" Maryn then added "Well Brynna, he is magic. So he probably held up his hand and a rainbow shot out that had a little seat on it. So he sat down and buckled up and rode the little seat like, you know, how you ride a roller coaster, all the way to the end of the rainbow!" That satisfied Brynna just fine and they proceeded to eat their green treats. It was a lot of fun and I love hearing some of the things the girls come up with when O'Malley comes a visiting! We hope that all of you also had a very fun and very magical St. Patrick's Day too!

I have had people come to me before with false assumptions that women in our church are somehow considered second to the men since we do not hold the Priesthood. This couldn't be further from the truth. Women and men were created as equals, each with divine and different roles. I love these inspiring words from President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was our living prophet until his passing last year.

“Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

"Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth.”

I am so very thankful to be a woman. I am grateful for my membership in a church that inspires me in my role as a woman. It helps me to be reminded of my purpose for good, of my many abilities and what the Lord would want for me. When I begin to doubt myself, I remember that I am a daughter of God. That I am beautiful and that I have a purpose.... and so do you.

I took this video on a day at the park with my friend Laura and it made me just smile. Why? Because it just defines what I love most about my dear friend. She is fun and casual and so very real. We don't need a fancy-schmancy outing to have a good time. It could be as simple as meatballs at Ikea or a big piece of cardboard at the park. Hanging out with her never fails to bring a smile to my face. My kids consider her more of a mom than me when we are together and her Thatchy knows Miss Sarah will give him the business if he's naughty. She does funny things like how she beats her chest when she feels strongly about things or will throw her gum on the sidewalk inches from a garbage can. She is endlessly giving and I know I could call on her day or night for something and she would bend over backwards to help me out. I've never known her mind not to be in constant motion about something, kind of like a certain someone I know. And all those feelings or thoughts that you think no one else has... Laura does. Well except for dying on vacation and wanting your house to be clean so when people come in to sort your personal effects you aren't embarrassed from the grave... apparently that's just me! ;) She is no drama, all heart. When she hasn't heard from me, she picks up the phone and calls. Because she knows I'm crappy at it and she doesn't hold it against me. I know with her I'm never getting anything sugarcoated. The girl's a straight shooter and I love that about her. She's stubborn like me too and I love myself some tenacity. We were laughing the other day at how we've rubbed off on each other. I am more willing to drop what I'm doing and go off in search of a spontaneous adventure and she's started feeling the thrill of a bargain hunt! Life with a good friend is so much more rewarding and I am so very thankful to have found one in her!

So I'm pretty much REAL TICKED OFF right now. I don't do much for myself, but dang it, I like a good haircut and highlights. Well, given our current situation it doesn't seem right for me to go blow $100 on a haircut and color. But I haven't had my hair done since early December and well I was feeling like an ugly dog. So I thought I'd be a good little woman and do the right unselfish thing and try to go as cheap on my hair as possible and folks THIS IS WHAT I END UP WITH!!!! Does that look like Golden Honey to you?!!! I think not! I THINK NOT!!!!! Unselfishness is totally overrated. I should have gone and gotten a flippin' professional haircut. Luckily it's semi-permanent. So excuse me while I go wash my hair 28 times.

This was directly followed by an ad for the new 'Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie'. Gag me folks. A tatted up Barbie complete with extra tube top and mini skirt isn't exactly what I call an inspiration to girls of all ages. I'm fully aware that Barbie's schtick is that she's always changing to stay with the current trends. But let's be real, I'm not a big fan of current trends. Justin and I were laughing wondering what kind of awful Barbie they would conjure up next, 'Binge Drinking Barbie', 'Campus Slut Barbie', 'Full Body Piercing Barbie', 'I Kissed a Girl Barbie'. C'mon.

I wouldn't let my five year old look a Victoria's Secret catalog for some leisurely reading. But I'm supposed to let her play with this?

I'm stickin' with my Nana on this one. I'm gonna get on my soapbox and insist that we allow our daughters to be little girls! Imagine that! To have a childhood free of obsession over trying to be grown up before their time. Where there is innocence and wonder, and when they daydream and play, it will to be someone who makes a difference far beyond a fashion statement. A teacher, a nurturer, a doctor, a scientist, a musician, or perhaps the one closest to my heart, a mother. Someone who truly deserves to be called 'an inspiration to girls of all ages.'