Tag: love

Mother’s Day Reflection

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

I always had a sentimental regard for my mother and maternal and paternal grandmother, however not until I became a mother of three vibrant little girls did I fully experience the most incredible sense of joyful sacrifice.  We are all familiar with the act of sacrificing some thing, some situation or something tangible and how it makes me feel bereaved and even slightly depressed.  For me the sacrifices I made to become a mother were true blessings in disguise.  I was raised with education being a key element to success and a rewarding career.  That was my aspiration early in my childhood and I know my parents had sincere intentions.  We rarely talked about dating let alone finding love.  It seemed to be a scary topic to discuss dating with my parents so I never did.  I just remember being told to focus and stay in track, I never even thought to veer off track. So fast forward to college, a unhealthy relationship, then landing a great position before I graduated ASU and then graduating, I found I had achieved my life goals! Suddenly, I had completed my B.S. and was working in corporate America.  So was this it?!  I felt something was missing.

Post Motherhood

Fast forward 2 years later and I meet a timid, soft-spoken, 6’5 handsome fellow that opened up my eyes to what I had been missing.  With all the hustle and bustles of chasing after that college degree and climbing up that ladder of never ending workforce, I hadn’t thought about my role as a wife and mother or whether finding Mr Right-for-me was possible.  Yet it was!  We both knew how central family was on this journey we lived.  We got married and soonafter our first was born.

Motherhood

Her I am now a mother of 3, a family of 5.  Am I telling you being a mother is cakewalk? No. Am I telling you to go out there and get married and have kids?  No.  What I am telling you is that Motherhood changes your WHOLE being.  For me even with those difficult days where you seemed to have done nothing but play with your children, it’s worth it!  It’s worth every second!  Motherhood comes with frustration, impatience and exhaustion.  Just ask any mom, working or stay-at-home (I have done both).  Yet the moments you realize, “What is my purpose in this life?”  This is not a question I can answer for you but for me, I have no question why Motherhood chose me.

Support One Another

In this modern age, we must all let go of the divide between us.  Yes we all are in different situations, but as mother’s we need to realize that supporting one another in this ride is what enables each other to grow and become our best possible self.  Our world needs kindness, we need compassion and great examples for charity. Mothers are the epitome of selflessness. For those who are not mothers, think about how your mother or a motherly figure has shaped your life.  We as women, have endless opportunities to reach out and help someone in need.  May we show appreciation for our mothers, grandmothers and women in our lives.  Christlike love can allow us to love unconditionally and spread positivity and kindness to those who need it.  I have a testimony that motherhood has truly brought out a kind of unconditional love that has no boundaries.  The moment a child says “I love you” is the moment you realize what life is about.  Mothers need to unite and lift each other up.  Many mothers rarely get anytime to themselves.

Here are some ways to help a fellow mother:

  1. Visit with them – Sometimes adult conversation is a great change of pace
  2. Offer to babysit for a few hours
  3. Bring a gift for just mom
  4. Offer to come over and help around the house (chores are never ending)
  5. Be kind and offer compliments

As Mother’s Day is approaching let us remind ourselves all the sacrifices mothers make and appreciate them for all they do for us.

Parenting

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

Harmony at Home
Parenting. It is a calling, a blessing, a challenge at times, an adventure full of uh ohs……  and yet such an enriching lifetime commitment.  Before I begin, I would like to preface, each and every parent has their own parenting styles which may work for them, but not others, so this is by no means the Merriam Webster’s handbook to parenting.  This is my personal account of my journey and character building experiences that I am sharing with you.  My husband and I clearly have different ideas of fun and entertainment (no I will not throw my 6 month old up it the air), however, what we both can effortlessly agree on is one thing, teaching our children compassion and fortitude.  When both parents are on the same page on those core principles, parenting can be so much more constructive. We both strongly feel how vital it is to create a foundation of reverent, kind and dedicated little humans.  Teaching them to be selfless, loving and nurturing can prepare them to build meaningful relationships with others and hopefully with their future spouse.  So how do we do this?

1. Teach them to be kind (there’s too much negativity in the world)

2. Teach them to share

3. Give them a hug (many times a tantrum can be resolved by a tender hug) 

4. Compliment them for doing a good deed 

5. Challenge them to try new things

When I reflect back on my own childhood, I remember being quite the timid one until I hit my early teen years.  These days it seems children have way more available to them. This includes tv, tablets, mobile devices, toys galore yet are these items really teaching our children the right messages?  This brings me to the practice of “minimalizing.”  Would I call myself a minimalist? No, not quite. Who am I kidding, we live in this modest age where there’s the latest and greatest.  So what am I getting at.  Quality time with your children. I can say without a doubt our girls are the happiest when mommy and daddy are doing something fun with them. My oldest is 4, so I don’t quite know how that will go once she starts school but this early children is such a critical stage to do our best to parent cohesively and give them that strong foundation of love and support.

Speaking of toddlers, Parent.com features a great article titled, “3 Ways to Raise a Caring Toddler”

We also love to teach our little ones about our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.  I cannot express how grateful I am to have HIM in my life. He lifts me up when I am down and reminds me why I am needed here on earth.  Parenting in this Modern era comes with many trials and rough patches but don’t be discouraged because you ARE doing your best.  Make it priority to rear your children with love  and affection an active participation. As Elder James E Faust quotes, “In my opinion, the teaching, rearing, and training of children requires more intelligence, intuitive understanding, humility, strength, wisdom, spirituality, perseverance, and hard work than any other challenge we might have in life. This is especially so when moral foundations of honor and decency are eroding around us.”  May we all focus on the cores principles of child rearing and let not the worldly distractions interfere with your role as parents. Take a moment each day to hug and embrace your children and give them your wholehearted, undivided attention.  Remember, they are gifts to us.

Image result for lds parenting quotes

What are some wholesome family activities you do with your family?

Motherhood

~ Modern Living with Donna ~ Leave a comment

MothersMotherhood has been the utmost refining life change I could’ve asked for.  As I reflect back on the moment I became a mother for the first time, I realized that my purpose in this life was ever more essential.  Our eldest daughter, Ella was born on Father’s Day.  Seeing the silent joy as my husband laid eyes on our beautiful daughter gave me such a feeling of overwhelming joy and gratitude.  He reminded me that there is more to this life then climbing up the corporate ladder and chasing after the never ending dream of a extravagant lifestyle.  Becoming a mother, a nurturer, a soother, and a teacher is the most humbling journey I have been honored with.  Each day comes with the unexpected and oh how my patience has been tested and grown.  As my husband and I commenced into parenthood, I ask myself each day, how will I better myself as a mother and wife?  In our household someone is always singing, whether it be a nursing rhyme, a Frozen sing-along, a made-up song =P (I enjoy these very much)  or most of the time an LDS children’s song.  One night both our eldest age 3 and age 4 were were singing “I am a Child of God” and oh how sweet and yet powerful this song is to me.  We are all the Lord’s children and we all have the free agency to choose and listen to our hearts and live a virtuous life.  I have no doubt that my role as a mother is essential for my personal and spiritual growth.  This has enabled me to fine tune my time-management, organizational skills and most importantly my ability to nurture and love unconditionally.  Before becoming a mother, I seemed to have a long to-do list of what’s next.  I love this LDS Living article “Mothering One Moment at a Time” it speaks to me and reminded me that although it’s nice to get to “that point,” I must not get ahead of myself (I tend to do that a lot), I must enjoy and cherish the “now.”   Those “little” moments of playing that game or reading a book to your little seedlings make a WORLD of a difference to them.  May we all learn to enjoy the little moments whenever possible.  May we teach our children to be righteous, virtuous and reverent in all they may do.  Mothering is vital to the future success of their offspring. The family proclamation  says that “successful marriage and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.  I am so proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ I am so glad I decided to start this blog, it has been quite exhilarating and humbling at the same time.

Here are ways  to keep your day GREAT:

  1. Be of good CHEER
  2. Work hard
  3. Go to bed early and wake up early (I am working on the first part :|)
  4. Prepare yourself (write ideas down, make lists,organize your thoughts)
  5. Love & encourage and support one another ❤

I love the scriptures and if you are interested, request a FREE copy HERE.  HE loves us all and wants to know YOU.

What are some ways that help you become a better mother?  If you are not a mother yet, what do you look forward to when becoming a mother?