we can do hard things

10 things i have learned while driving.

~ raisingafewawesomehumans ~ Leave a comment

70 miles in a day.

10 – adele, justin timberlake and drake are playing at any given moment on any station. thank goodness for the alt nation sirius radio station.

9 – tutoring while driving ; it’s a real skill set. go ahead, give me a number to round, a problem to estimate, word to define … and if common core gets the best of us, we ask siri.

8 – kids legs touching one another is similar to falling into a portapotty ; at least i am guessing based on the reaction of my wild ones.

note the spaces in between

7 – mcdonalds really does have THEEE best crispest coldest diet dr pepper there is. and for $1.06, its a dose of heavenly goodness. this mama needs her cold one.

6 – benny singing along to his favorite song can stop any complaint, boredom or woe others may have. #handclap it induces a smile one can’t deny.

​5 – for my protection and well cause i love them, i must be prepared with snacks and water at all times. i will have a herd of hangries on my hands if not.4 – this won’t be how i spend my afternoons forever. this isn’t what i will always do. enjoy it. gasp, one day they will be driving themselves to and fro.

3 – an empty water bottle (there’s usually one or two near by) is a pretty good flying vessel to break up two or more know it alls in the back seat.

2 – family sing a longs are therapy. especially as we practice our british accents while singing out chitty chitty bang bang songs.

1 – i love hearing from them. who they sat by at lunch, what made them laugh, how they learned, when friends weren’t true and when friends were truer than true. i love that we have somewhat undivided time together right when school is out. i learn everyday from them, as we drive and drive.

nearly 70 miles every day.

how do you find joy in this season?

 

graduation.

~ raisingafewawesomehumans ~ Leave a comment

a few weeks ago we were lucky enough to attend the graduation services at BYU-I. my younger brother and younger sister graduated. so proud of them. it’s an incredible accomplishment.

sometimes i forget that as everyone around me grows older, i do too. wait, im not in my twenties still?  like being around all these youngsters graduating college. most of us, we aren’t the same age. most of us are in totally different seasons. might as well grab my glasses from sliding down my nose as i smile at them, remembering when.

as i walked throughout the I Center and around campus, i couldn’t help but notice all the young families i saw. dozens of women with children toddling hand in hand, babies closely held in wraps and carriers. binkies attached, backpacks packed with emergency snacks and entertainment. lots of hustling and moving about to find their seats, to find their loved ones on screen. i won’t lie, at first glance i thought to myself “is this worth it? won’t you be in the hall the whole time?”.

then i saw the husbands. the husbands with the babies. because the moms were graduating. i mean it was a sight. incredible.

fast forward a few hours, enjoyed the inspiring hopeful messages, pass the giving of the diplomas and onto the gathering of all the graduates with their friends and family. that is where i witnessed some incredible moments. just little moments in time. celebrating milestones. young couples graduating together, with kids in arms together. moms with their grown children around her, she the graduate.  both my siblings worked, started businesses, met and married their forever love and my sister is pregnant with their first baby ; all while working towards their college graduation goals. AMAZING.

bottom line; i was blown away by the commitment, endurance, accomplishment of these people. of these young moms. i was a young mom once. in survival mode and didn’t even attempt to add school onto my teetering plate. inspiring women. we really are capable of doing hard and difficult tasks. and guess what doing them well too! and these women are raising awesome humans. it was privilege to witness them.