gina prescott

Life has been full and vibrant lately and not just because of the new house. I also started rehearsals this week for my first musical since high school and along with that I am helping with a school auction. It feels a little crazy, but it has actually been so good.

It is forcing me to use my time more efficiently and maximize quality connections with the boys. It is not as balanced as I would like it to be, but it is just week one and I suspect after the auction everything will feel much more balanced.

Back to the musical because I am sure you are all SUPER curious. A local theater company is putting on The Little Mermaid and at the last minute I decided auditioning wouldn’t hurt anything. I am in the female ensemble which entails me playing a myriad of roles: sea creature, animal, maid, princess, etc. It has been so fun meeting in the evening and just getting those creative juices flowing again in the company of wonderful people. I forgot what a treasure it is to be part of a production regardless of your role.

I felt a bit of guilt choosing to audition and participate, wondering what kind of sacrifice to my role as mother it would be. I worried that I would feel guilty spending any time away from the boys (a condition that comes when you spend almost 100% of your time with them). I want to be present and connect and in a moment of revelation I realized that I could use this opportunity to make more of the time I do have with them and to utilize free moments at rehearsals to ponder and gain perspective on how to become better. It doesn’t have to be either/or, it can be beneficial for everyone. In that moment I felt a great deal of peace. I am learning that finding that balance of sacrifice and self-care in motherhood is hard work, and an ever-evolving process.

Snapshots (okay these are from last week…but I can’t write a post without pictures):

Max, 4.5 years old

Daniel, 20 months

Have a wonderful weekend!

I broke my shopping ban…well not really, but sorta. The whole point of the ban was to utilize all the money saved towards greater goals. One of those goals was to find a house for our family and one afternoon, with nothing else on the market to look at, this beauty caught our eye.

I expected the process to be much different and the way it all occurred was nothing like I had imagined. I imagined days spent convincing Kyle with all that I had, I imagined be twitter-pated every time I walked inside, I imagined something in a different spot, and ultimately it happened much differently.

I was shocked with how overwhelmed I felt making the decision to purchase a home. It felt so momentous and daunting and especially for this fixer upper we were taking a chance on. But day after day, every time I would doubt and hesitate, Heavenly Father reassured and brought peace.

We got the keys last night and this morning the boys and I took a little trip the house, in the glorious morning sunshine.

My heart sang. As I walked in each room, observing it with fresh eyes, eyes of ownership, I could once again imagine and dream up future memories.

This lady has great bones. She is solid and steady and with some fresh paint and elbow grease, I think it is all going to work out splendidly.

Introducing!

Blue Beauty!

Blue carpet, blue walls, blue trim, blue fireplace…..Oak floors underneath the shabby carpet and a painting party. This room is easy. (There are also two windows on either side of the fireplace that at some point in time someone covered inside…..Why? Why would anyone do that? At some point in time they will be resurrected!)

Upstairs bathroom. Nice low sinks for Daniel to turn on and off…I expect locked doors or high water bills.

Project #1: Main floor bathroom. Check out that wallpaper! Metallic! Pink! Seashell outlines! Also, no shower…This bathroom is going to be gutted, showered, and made super pretty a la cheap Home Depot white subway tiles! I ain’t going down to the basement to shower (where the only shower resides…).

I kinda get the blue in this kitchen, but not the pink. Or the olive green stove. I mean I get they were a thing…but there is a lot going on in this room. Everything functions though, so this one will be on the back burner until finances allow.

My favorite of the wallpapers.

Lilacs in the backyard! And roses! And raspberries! And a white dogwood tree! It’s like my own secret garden.

This backyard needs some manual labor. There are a lot of weeds and poky bushes but it will be conquered! Feel free to join my battalion. So far I have two recruits who just like playing with the water spigot.

A covered patio! (It’s not crooked, my picture is.)

My little Einstein (his hair!) mastering the front steps

Pretty girl.

One of the greatest things about this home is the basement rental unit. The rental will allow us to fix her up and aggressively pay off student loans at the same time.

She wasn’t exactly what we were looking for, but she is exactly what we need.

(More pictures to come)

The morning schedule changes each day. I never know when Max will open his squeaky door or if Daniel will groggily cry out from his bed. I sit on the couch, often forgetting to open the blinds that let precious sunlight in. Some mornings I tuck my feet under me and sit beneath a fuzzy blanket waiting, letting myself become lost in the early morning hum online. Other mornings I continue to lay in bed, never wanting to escape the warm weight of blankets until I hear those first sounds of children waking.

In one moment, as soon as one child wakes, it is as if a light switches on, the morning becomes an erratic flurry of activity. Sometimes we listen to music, sometimes books are read, clothes get put on early or late, food is demanded instantly or soggy bowls of cereal are pushed aside. Toast is requested 3 times or not at all.

Motherhood is much less certain that I thought it would be.

Beyond the fairy tales and picture perfect daydreams, beyond hopes and goals, I find the minute details of motherhood particularly unpredictable.

It drives me a little batty.

I hear so many voices and requests and pleas throughout the day that sometimes it feels as if I cannot distinguish between my own thoughts and my children’s vocal outbursts.

I needed a reset. A couple of days where we left our messy routine and did something completely different. My hope was that novelty would bring about new thoughts and ideas and fortunately it did just that.

Over spring break, I took the two boys on a trip to Seattle with the purpose of getting away from normalcy.  We woke to beautiful sunshine each day–a Seattle spring miracle! We visited animals at the zoo with my brother and played with friends at a playground. We walked, just us, around the arboretum waterfront and got dumplings with a friend for lunch.

It was total bliss.

I found myself filled with an increased joy and love for my children. Fresh perspective allowed me to see how capable and funny Max is and how sweet and adjusting Daniel can be. As we walked along a bridge, Max skipping in front of me towards Marsh Island, a moment of clarity came.

I love motherhood.

It’s responsibility and weight can be exasperating but in that moment, it felt light as air, its divinity remembered beneath the glorious Seattle sun.

I felt capable. I felt renewed purpose. I felt immense hope for the years ahead.

As I have thought about it, I wondered why it hit me with such intensity away from home. Surely, a fresh canvas helped, but is it always so hard to see within our everyday?

Then I remembered.

At the end of each day, we have a set bedtime routine. Pajamas, brushing teeth, scriptures, family prayer, and once finished we play follow the leader into their bedroom where hugs and kisses are given. They know the routine and it feels much less harried. I think of those moments when I hug Daniel and Max and notice within those expressions of love all the frustrations and impatience of the day wash away. My role as a mother, as their mother, lifts my heart and soul. A weight lifts. I see with clarity the fundamental nature of my role as a mother: to love these children with intention. As we exchange “I love you”s, I feel that purpose fulfilled and refreshed and imprinted.

They know a mother’s love and in turn, I understand it better.

It doesn’t always take a trip away to see divinity within our everyday, but it definitely can help.

Spring has sprung and for the first time since I started this no shopping challenge, I really want to shop. Something about the change in weather and all the blooming flowers has me obsessing over cute dresses and easy basics. It is especially hard when the internet inundates you with visions of donning new duds.

I have mentally recited this saying often:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

It has become my mantra as I focus on aligning my choices with my values. Mostly I just chant to myself, “do without, do without,” because more often than not, that is the result. Does it seem sad? Sometimes it does, sometimes you just want a new shirt. But more times than not, I come to peace with this idea of doing without.

There are very few things that we need and when I decided to be realistic with myself about what I really needed, what really was necessary, going without has become easier. Instead I look for inspiration online and shop my closet more, I have gotten much more creative and the challenge to wear something “new” is stimulating and fun. Really!

I borrow. Earlier in the year, some friends wanted to go sledding with us but didn’t have a sled. We had one and I decided that we could just buy another so that everyone would get a turn as much as possible. But of course, that didn’t feel right and how often do you use a sled? It would just sit in the garage for the other 9 months of the year. Then I remembered my mom had this old wooden sled at  her house, so we headed over there and borrowed it for the afternoon. It made the entire experience way more memorable because we found out quickly that you need to wax wooden sleds so that they actually move down the hill. It made for a great sled for the little ones though and because it was older it had a rope so that the adults could just pull around kids like a dogsled. Borrowing is a lot easier than it seems. I used to feel weird about borrowing things, that it was socially proclaiming my frugality. But the more I do it, the more I see how willing people are to share their own belongings and help one another. An added bonus is that it teaches my children to care for the belongings of others and how to resolve things if something gets damaged, like the bike pump I just borrowed and Danny ripped.

Reuse. Kid drawings become wrapping paper. Toys are rotated. Time is taken to mend a sweater. I search storage for something that I was almost resigned to buy again and I find it. What we need is often something we already have, but it takes a mental shift to see it, to search for it, to conjure it up.

Sometimes this effort does take extra time, but in the process I feel myself strengthening the path that aligns with my values of why I am doing this whole thing. To focus on what lasts, and ultimately I see this process teaching my children that we do not have to concede to every whim and desire to buy we feel. That creativity can go a long way and that in the process of it all, we are growing together.

One other note:

Each year I create a team for the March of Dimes to walk in memory of James. I wasn’t sure I was going to do it this year, but in the last minute I decided that it was a tradition worth carrying on. So, next Saturday we will walk for James in Yakima. Anyone who wants to join our team is welcome to do so. You can join online and make it super official, or just show up. All information about the event is in the link below. If you feel inclined to donate in James’ name, that would be wonderful, but ultimately I just want to walk and talk with friends. Thanks for always being so supportive of my family!

The James Effect March of Dimes Team

 

 

I bought a small bouquet of tulips yesterday and they sit in a vase on my table, a cheery assortment of yellow, orange, pink, and red. Buying them is a small act of celebrating Easter this weekend, a way to remind me that this weekend is holy and should be marked as such. These tulips, with their bright disposition, remind me of the joy that Christ offers through His Atonement.

There have been a lot of wonderful links around the web that have helped me focus on the Savior this week and I wanted to share two quick links with you.

What if Their Were No Easter? was such a good read. I appreciated the thoughtful and heartfelt writing immensely.

The video below is so wonderfully done. I love its message of joy in knowing we can see loved ones again.

This week was wonderful. As strange and confusing as the world is sometimes, this time of year with flowers blooming and a focus on the resurrection of Christ remind me of the light and hope that always exist. It just depends on where you focus your attention.

Snapshots from this week.

Max, 4 years

Danny, 18 months

Have a joyous weekend!

For most of my life I knew of Jesus Christ.

In bits and pieces collected from sporadic trips to church and a stint in a private Catholic school, I gathered knowledge about Him. Where He was born, how He died, when He was resurrected. I remember watching a movie about the Parable of the Sower in a religion class. A resolute and majestic looking sower walked along a path, casting seeds on various terrains. Some grew, some didn’t. I remember watching the seeds in the good ground, a rich and dark brown, sprouting up; the lively green stems looking up heavenward. The movie ended, lights flicked on and I went home that day with a resolve to be good ground and a desire to know more about God and Jesus Christ.

That desire lay dormant for a few years, watching those around me professing their beliefs with conviction. They seemed so assured and confident, I wondered how they knew Him.

There were times when I would sing a hymn during mass and I would feel a chill run down my arms, every sense tingling with truth. I loved those moments, when the beauty and words of music would reach deep down into my spirit and remind me there was a constant truth to be discovered. Those moments gave me brief insight into who God was and I grasped on to that feeling; warmth, energy, brightness, and peace filled me and reflected to me.

I came across that feeling again reading the Book of Mormon. It was a casual venture, trying to find secrets hidden within its pages of the contagious joy of a boy I had met. On the cover, its subtitle read, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”

The Book of Mormon tells the story of a family and then various groups of people who desire to follow Jesus Christ and in its culminating moment, Christ visits these people. In the glory of His resurrected body, He comes down to teach, administer, heal, and bless those who desired to know. Initially, this was the moment that spoke truth to me of the Book of Mormon. The chapters that describe this visit brought those same feelings of warmth, energy, brightness, and peace. In those chapters I started to not only know of Him, but to know Him.

In the years since I have become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have turned to the Book of Mormon daily. Each day I read from it seemed brighter, I had a better grasp on my personal circumstances. Hope and joy would infuse everything.

In January, along with a challenge to not shop, I also challenged myself to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days. Roughly, this adds up to 18 pages each day, of scripture, in a tiny font. I knew it was possible but that it would require creativity. So, depending on the day, I would read or listen. I would do a little in the morning, some while washing dishes or folding clothes, and then finish the evening with whatever else was left (sometimes the entire 18 pages). I wasn’t perfect, I didn’t finish in 30 days. It ended up closer to 35 but I didn’t let that deter me. My intention was to become more immersed in the story as a whole rather than picking out each symbolic verse.

As I read and listened something persisted at the forefront of my thoughts from the beginning. I thought about that subtitle again and again. For me, it had always referred to the moment Christ appears in glory. Here He is! I would think, This is another witness of His reality! These people saw Him! 

But throughout my challenge, I started to see the Savior in so many more moments. He wasn’t visible, showing up in spectacular light, blessing each little child individually with His very own hands. But He was there.

As I read about Nephi, I saw the goodness of Christ as He leads and guides those who are willing. As I read about King Benjamin’s people, I saw the joy of Christ as they accepted with gladness. The more I read and listened, the more I saw Him on each page. His goodness, His love, His mercy. It wasn’t just in the words of those speaking of Him, but in the very lives they lived. In the choices they made and in the desire of their hearts.

I saw Him on each page. His purpose and mission clear, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) His grace evident throughout. All along, this book has been helping me to know Him.

I cannot help but express during this Holy week my personal testimony.

I know He loves each and every one of us.

I know He mourns with us and shares joy with us.

I know He desires to help us, that His arms are outstretched always.

I know His Atonement is real and powerful and full of love.

I know He lives and that He offers that same promise to us.

To know Him has become the greatest source of light in my life.