Tree of Life Mothering

Last week was an action-packed meaningful week at our home. It started out with a bang with an extra stake conference. We had one in January and will have one in May, for the obligatory two a year.

For some reason we got an extra one with a visiting general authority, Elder Tad Callister, in February. Whoever said Mormons are predictable didn’t live in my stake. My two year old contentedly fell asleep on my lap without any request for nursing or fussing. As I thought about this I realized how long it’s been since we’ve nursed at church and been to the mother’s lounge at church. The last time was the stake conference in January, although sometimes I do nurse sitting right there in the meeting. He’s growing up! 

Elder Callister talked about how to preserve and strengthen the family. 1. Teach your children to pray. 2. Teach them to love the scriptures, 3. Connect with your children. Then he talked about pornography. He said it doesn’t work to use a strong defense, because satan is very good at what he does, he’s been doing it for 6000 years. We have to take a strong offense.

We went to the zoo on Leap Day. I had to follow through with my promise to take the younger kids since they got the bean jar full. Every time we get the bean jar full we go on an outing. They get beans in the jar for doing their chores quickly and without being reminded. (The bean jar is one of the Ingredients of a leadership education. See the book Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning by Oliver and Rachel DeMille.) The weather was overcast and cold and definitely not a picture perfect zoo day, but it was the last free zoo day of the school year and I had promised them we would go. I had just listened to Diann Jeppson in the Family Builder course speak about how important it is to follow through with our promises to our kids in the Family Builder course so I braved it! I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather and would live in Phoenix if I could. But we all bundled up and off we went. It wasn’t that bad. No rain or snow, just chilly.

We were happy to be rewarded with a proud display by one of the peacocks.

Coincidentally, the next day we read in the Friend magazine the story of a little girl at the same zoo who bravely spoke about the LDS Church as the “true faith” to a visitor from the east and invited him to get baptized. The story is here http://www.lds.org/friend/2012/03/a-brave-little-mormon-girl?lang=eng

Last week I read this fun book to the kids that I saw on Mary Ann Johnson’s web site, called the Pink Refrigerator. I love the concept the book shares, that sometimes all someone needs to start exploring is just a suggestion that comes from a special place.  A suggestion or inspiration can lead to lifelong exploring. The book made it seem so easy, just put a note or materials that you want your child to use in the closet and they will take off! I wish that were true for my kids in our homesschooling. Most times it seems like it takes more than suggesting to get them going. I have one child who seems to resist many of my suggestions that I get for the closet. I got him a book about Battles in History and he is resisting it as if it were a book about toddlers in tiaras and high fashion. I guess that his interest in war was a passing spark. Or maybe if I made the suggestion more special somehow, like maybe have a note in the closet that leads him on a treasure hunt to find the book. Hmmm, now he is into kung fu, so I got him a book about that at the library today.

I also got the newest book by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, called A Love that Multiplies, and am eagerly devouring it,

even though I am supposed to be reading my book for the Zion Finishing School, called Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill.

It looks meaty and a candidate for what Glenn Beck calls bonnet movies. I have heard great things about it from a good friend and my sister so I am tackling it. I kept meaning to listen to it on librivox before now but I never got past the first chapter after Christmas. Crunch time! Our discussion is next week! 

Speaking of Glenn Beck, he came to my town last Friday to stump for Chris Stewart, author of The Seven Miracles that Saved America. Stewart is running for Congress. I requested tickets but then realized that I was already booked with my Family Builder class. Kirk Duncan says to never change your dates, so I resisted the urge to postpone. I went to the Family Builder class and my dh and son went and heard Glenn Beck. My son reported the following of what he said:

“OK, all you evangelicals,” (the event was held at a Christian academy) “put your fingers in your ears while I say the following (la da da da dah) …OK, Read the Book of Mormon, then read the news, then go back and study the Book of Mormon. OK, evangelicals, you can unplug your ears now.”  It’s true. It’s so comforting to know that all of the bad stuff going on now, including political corruption, was prophesied by prophets long ago (See Ether 8 in the Book of Mormon). We can take comfort and trust in a God who knew what the bad guys would be doing a long time ago and will speak to our prophet and to each of us in our hearts to know what to do. (Like vote for Ron Paul!)

That night my mother-in-law came to visit us for the weekend and be here to witness my son get his ordination to become a teacher. This is the same mother-in-law who went to Kirk Duncan’s Master of Influence with me. She is the granddaughter of the baby in the movie 17 Miracles (not the real baby, but the character, Levi Mathers Savage, played by the baby). So Levi Savage Jr., the star of the movie and the baby’s father, is her great-grandfather. She is full of family history stories. She married a man who was the son of a woman whose father, Jesse Nathaniel Smith, was Joseph Smith’s first cousin. She knows stories on that side too. It is always fun when Grandma comes to hear her stories. It occurred to me that she should be a professional storyteller. I’ve been wondering what was her reason in coming to Master of Influence, now I know.

That night my dh and I went to the temple. The Bountiful temple was closed and the Ogden temple is being reconstructed. So we went to the Salt Lake temple. I have never done an endowment session there before. It was so beautiful! I was thinking about how nice it would be to have another temple closer to us (that shows how spoiled I am). Then the  next day after church my 10 year old son said that his Primary teacher, who works for the LDS church, said that in the upcoming General Conference the Church will announce another temple for Davis county. He said he overheard his teacher say where it will be. The teacher made my son promise not to divulge the location. I don’t know if this true, we will see. So now I am thinking everyday of places in Layton or Kaysville or Syracuse where the temple will be. If it’s true, you heard it first here! 

The exercise in the video above, the T-tapp Torso Twist, is part of the T-tapp Total Workout. I’ve been doing the T-tapp total workout 6 days a week for a week and a half now. It really makes me work up a sweat! I feel my body getting into shape! I can now fit into my pants that I couldn’t fit into at Christmas time. I’ve lost an inch from my waist. Nice! I haven’t done any dieting, just eaten to satisfaction (not overeating), including fats and a few sweets. 

I really like the exercises because they don’t involve any equipment other than my DVD player and TV. They make me breathe hard, and I don’t have to be outside pounding the pavement by jogging. They give me a great feeling of well-being. I feel invigorated and totally ready to take on the day. I am looking forward to losing more inches, especially as I finish the boot camp and then maybe move on to the Hit the Floor workout.  

One 300 lb. lady who did T-tapp lost 18 inches in the first month, and now she is a size 8! She had MS but put it into remission with T-tapp. Her story is here http://howheatherlost100.com/

If you haven’t already signed up for my giveaway of the T-tapp Total Workout DVD, go here http://treeoflifemothering.ning.com/profiles/blogs/lose-2-sizes-in-4-weeks-t-tapp-total-workout-dvd-giveaway-1 and sign up in the comments box. The winner will be announced on Tuesday March 20, around 2 PM MT, so if you don’t win, you can head over to http://t-tapp.com and take advantage of Deep Discount Tuesday, where you get 

I was so thrilled to hear that the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding has been nominated to be the Best Baby Shower Gift at about.com. If you agree, go here to vote for it. http://links.causes.com/s/clBjdT. I myself have given this book as a gift many times. It’s great to hear that others think it’s a great gift too.

The book pictured is the latest edition, completely revised, published in 2010. The older editions were written by the Founders of La Leche League, some of whom were old enough to be my grandma. I miss the grandmotherly wisdom from the older editions, particularly about how to fit breastfeeding into homemaking and caring for a family, but I don’t miss the dated pictures, including frumpy looking old-fashioned nightgowns from the 70s. This newer edition has a girlfriend communication style. I love the new features in this newest edition, such as all the Internet links, the concise “Tear- sheet Toolkits,” and the easy mnemonic of the three keeps. Keep the milk flowing, keep the baby fed, and keep the baby close.  I like that it says that breastfeeding is not just best, but the normal thing to do, and that artificial feeding is risky and can lead to lower IQ. We can credit one of the authors, Diane Weissinger, an IBCLC and LLL Leader, with that. She wrote an article years ago called “Watch Your Language” that was printed in the Journal of Human Lactation.http://ebookbrowse.com/watch-your-language-by-diane-wiessinger-doc-d156821274.Diane is one of the coauthors of the book and has a delightfully informative breastfeeding web site here http://normalfed.com

I have a lot more info about the book to share, but that will have to wait for another day, for now, go vote for it please, and next time you are invited to a baby shower, give the book as a gift. It will last longer and benefit the mother more than a cute outfit that is quickly outgrown by the baby. Give the gift of education and help the mom give the best gift she can give her baby that nobody else can, her own milk!

I just got word from Diann Jeppson that the TJEd Forum will involve a cultural literacy bee on Friday May 4 in SLC, UT. The first place winner will get $150 in cash plus a package for his/her attending the forum the following year. All ages can participate. Go here to learn more http://www.cvent.com/events/salt-lake-city-2012-thomas-jefferson-education-family-forum/custom-36-8ccbac84ea4f4a5689a9edc89929e9d7.aspx and start studying! 

This set of articles, called “Lost Educational Principles” by Audrey Rindlisbacher is amazing. I highly recommend it, especially if you are in a book club or pursuing an education.  When you read these articles, you will learn the following:

• How to distinguish between opinions and principles
• Why principles are so important
• how to distinguish between application of principles and principles
• How to lead a book discussion that gets to principles
• why a core book, or a standard of truth, is so important
• why classics are so important
• how to study the classics, specific study skills and ways to mark a book so that the classics will get “through” you
• how to get a great education by simply reading classics
• that the meaning of words is slowly changing. Two examples: “education” and “happiness.” In the 1828 Webster Dictionary “education” is defined as relating to developing morals. You probably won’t find that in a contemporary dictionary. In the 1828 Dictionary “happiness” is defined as the enjoyment of something good and wholesome, whereas now dictionaries define happiness as pleasure.

I give this product 5 out of 5 stars! If you are a mom who wishes you could go “start over” on your education by reading classics instead of textbooks, this is the place to start. I highly suggest you go over to http://tenboominstitute.com/leaders/ and order this packet. This is a “must-have” for a great, Godly education. Especially if you are involved in a book club, you will want this set of readings.

It will totally open your eyes and make you wonder what principles are involved in all areas of life and what you can do to change your life to live according to these principles.

You can enter the chance to win a free copy. To enter, put your name below in the comment box. Then go to Facebook (if you have an account) and “Like” Tree of Life Mothering and Ten Boom Institute. Winner will be announced on Friday March 16.

As Latter-day Saint moms, no one needs to tell us that babies are intelligent. We know that babies are smart! Their spirits are eons old, and they come to earth, “not in entire forgetfullness” as Wordsworth penned in these immortal words that are probably the most often quoted lines (that aren’t scripture) in General Conference:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

I am excited about this new documentary that shows how smart babies are and how they eagerly want to connect with us by using body language and vocalizations. Starting at birth, a human being’s number one job is to connect. Our LDS religion confirms the value of connectedness by providing us with sacred ordinances that allow this parent-child connectedness to last forever.

Today through March 1, you can watch this documentary, The Connected Baby, as a live streaming event here, http://mothering.com/all-things-mothering/mothering/the-connected-baby-a-film-conversation-an-exclusive-streaming-event

Watch it and tell me what you think! I am going to watch/listen today while I put groceries away.

I was excited to find this book years ago. I wanted my own copy so much I begged my husband to give it to me for Christmas in 2002. It’s based on two true stories: the story of the Book of Mormon coming forth through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the story of a man named Jack West who was going to Stanford University law school and was assigned to do a practice trial. He chose to put the “Book of Mormon on trial” to practice his attorney skills. Imagine my surprise to find out a few months after listening to Jack West’s story on tape that his granddaughter is one of my close girlfriends! I had known her for years and she kept this treasured family story hidden. It makes me wonder what other stories are hiding in my friends. You can read the story of Jack West here http://bookofmormontrial.com/jack-west.html

Here is an excerpt from Jack’s story:

This case lasted for almost three weeks. At the conclusion of the case, and upon the concluding arguments by both the combined prosecution ( the rest of the class ) and the defense ( me ), the judge rendered his decision in favor of the defense. He said to the prosecution, “ You have not even established a toehold, much less a foothold in breaking down the marvelous evidence for the authenticity of the ‘ Stick of Joseph ‘ ( or the Book of Mormon ), much less given any evidence that would show it to be a fraudulent work ! ” Then the judge called me into his office and said, “ Jack, where in the world did you get the evidence you presented in this mock trial ? ” I grinned at him and said, “ You remember at the onset of the trial I told all of you that I did not take credit for one particle of this evidence. Most of it has been available to the world for over a hundred years. It just needed to be uncovered and organized. And I told you then, as I tell you now, that I believe with all of my heart that God Himself prepared that evidence and the Witnesses.” The judge responded saying, “ I want to tell you something. In all my years in law, I don ‘t think I have ever heard a case more nearly perfect than this one. When you started out, I wouldn ‘t have given you a plugged nickel for your chances of proving that book to be true through the absolute legal process in a court of law.”

My dear friends, do not sell the Book of Mormon short ! The Book of Mormon gives strength and support to the Bible. Its testimony is vital to the understanding and acceptance of the Bible as the literal and spiritual Word of God without confusion or misinterpretation of its teachings. From an address given at Brigham Young University. First Printing June 24, 1954.

This book is a delight to read on Sunday afternoons or homeschool mornings or at bedtime, or really anytime, with your kids. It has comic book drawings by J. Milton Rich and exaggerated characters who are confounded at every turn when they try to disprove the Book of Mormon. We’ve been reading it during some of our homeschool mornings. It fascinates me to know that all of the three witnesses and the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon never denied their testimonies of seeing the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated from. You can order the book at bookofmormonontrial.com

Remember to register before tomorrow, February 24 at midnight so you can get the early bird discount for the 2012 Tree of Life Mothering Conference on Sat. March 10th, from 8 AM to 6 PM in Orem, UT.

What will you learn? Awesome information so you can better teach and inspire your family towards freedom in many areas of your life: mothering, education, gardening, health, marriage, self-government, politics, and cooking.

You will save:

$10 if you register by Friday Feb. 24 midnight

$20 if you register by tomorrow midnight, with a group of 10 people

$30 if you register by tomorrow midnight, with a group of 20 people

To register, go here and scroll to the bottom of the page

http://treeoflifemothering.ning.com/page/mom-s-conference

Here is our line-up of speakers:

The following speakers will be there (to see more info on the speakers and topics click here):

Karen Kindrick Cox of courageousbeings.com, about how to fire your child’s love of learning and heroic living by understanding how the brain works 

Audrey Rindlisbacher,  mom and founder of http://tenboominstitute.com, on America’s Second Great Experiment:  Can a Vicious People Govern Itself? or
Vice, Liberty and the Hand that Rocks the Cradle

Caleb Warnock gardener, and author, on Pioneer Skills and Self-Sufficiency

 panel of moms who have experienced pain-free labor and childbirth (without drugs)

Diann Jeppson on the Seasons of Learning

Aneladee Milne on Moms as Heroes and Mentors

Kim Simmerman Help for the Whole Foods Challenged

Claudia Sudweeks on Why Family History is Not Just for Grandmas

Leah Shingleton on The Womanly Art of Wifing

Dr. Russell Anderson, LDS D.O., on the importance of natural family planning (NFP) for the LDS couple

Colette Child, NFP (Creighton Method) instructor

Speakers may change due to unforeseen circumstances, but we make every effort to make sure top quality speakers and information will be there.

My friend has two tickets for Youth for Freedom for sale. Youth for Freedom is a youth conference held every summer, based on leadership education. My three oldest kids have gone and loved it. If you missed out on the early bird deal, this is a great buy! I attended the parent conference they had the first day last year and got to hear three amazing speakers: Jim Rhoades, Aneladee Milne, and Kirk Duncan. It was truly magical!

Here’s what my friend says:

“I am selling 2 tickets to the Youth for Freedom seminar for July 19th – July 21st.  The current price is $377 per ticket but I only paid $299 each.  The seminar will be held at Clear Creek Family Ranch just outside of the East Gates of Zions National Park and just north of Kanab,  UT (they have a great little thrift shop with some awesome books). This would have been our 4th year. My kids have loved it. But we can no longer make it to this session.

By entering this giveaway contest, you can win a T-tapp Total Workout DVD! This DVD set is valued around $80, and it includes 4 DVDs. It teaches you step by step how to do the T-tapp Total Workout, which is taught in the book whose image cover is pictured above. Teresa Tapp is the lady on the cover. She’s the inventor of T-tapp. She has studied exercise physiology. These exercises are the most efficient way to lose inches because they tighten the muscles by using compound, comprehensive muscle movement, which most exercises don’t do.

Trust me, you will want to get the DVDs instead of just the book. It’s too hard to figure out how to do the exercises from a book. The T-tapp Total Workout will allow you to lose 2 sizes in 4 weeks if you do it faithfully as it teaches, and then more if you keep working.

There is hope! You don’t have to go your whole life thinking that you are destined to be overweight because you like food too much and hate to exercise. With these exercises you don’t have to go outside in the snow or rain or buy any expensive equipment (assuming you already have a DVD player and TV or computer). These exercises feel good even though they challenge you. They make you work up a sweat without any bouncing or jumping. They are great for anyone who has spinal injuries, and they can be done in the comfort of your home. One mom of 12 children who was size 22 did T-tapp faithfully and went down to a size 4 and has kept that size the past 2 years or so! The above book has so many motivating before and after pictures of real people.

Here’s the video of Charlotte, the mom of 12 who had great success. She lost 130 inches, 114 pounds, and 11 sizes in 19 months! I know it says differently at the beginning of the video, but if you keep watching, towards the end it says that she lost even more! Wowzers!

Like she says in the video, “If I can do it, you can too!…It works if you work it!”

This is what the DVD set cover looks like. 

To enter the contest,”Like” Tree of Life Mothering and “T-tapp” on Facebook, and comment below as to why you want to win the DVD set. The winner will be picked at random and announced on Tuesday March 20, 2012.

If you can afford to buy it right away, go to http://t-tapp.com and order it over there. If not, enter the contest and hopefully you will be the lucky winner!