I Am What I Create

Last week I blogged about Paradigms and left off with a promise to blog about the second person who has recently influenced my thoughts about motherhood. I'm sure you've been just waiting on pins and needles for more of my verbose diatribe that is my mind so here you go.

In October, Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk in Women's conference titled Happiness, Your Heritage that you can find here if you didn't hear it. It is a wonderful talk and I urge you to read it. The whole talk was awesome, but the one thing that stuck with me was when he talked about creating things. He talked about our inherent need and ability as humans to create things.

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

He then went on to talk about how some might say to themselves that they aren't good at doing anything, they aren't crafty, good at cooking, etc etc. but it simply isn't true. Everyone can create something. Everything we are doing as a mother is an act of creating. Having children in and of itself is creation. So, I have taken this to heart. I try to look at my daily tasks as tasks of creation rather than tasks of mundane routine. It really has made an impact on me and how I see the things I'm doing each day.

I created (with some help of course) three human beings. Three beautiful, amazing people and their very lives depend on me each day. I am responsible for what they eat, what they do, where they go, and what they learn each day. Although they have their free agency and decide how they feel and what actions they are going to take - I am the one teaching them either by my words or my actions how to act and live in this world. I am helping them fulfill the measure of their creation. Wow. That is a big but wonderful responsibility. One that I can either rejoice in and accept as an honor to fulfill each day, or one that I can wring my hands at and wonder what in the world was I thinking. (I have had both kinds of days and sure there will be many more of each).

I love creating things with my hands - scrapbooking, sewing(although I'm no good at it), paper crafts, baking, decorating, gardening... but this past year with the addition of a third child it has thrown off my ability to balance things I want to do with things I need to do to keep my family running and happy. After Elder Uchtdorf's talk I realized 2 things: First, the things I do for my family each day are acts of creation and there is so much more I can do with them to fulfill both my needs and theirs if I look for those opportunities. I've tried more to involve them in all the little projects I have going on around the house (even though it ends up taking twice as long sometimes) and I try to make the things I do each day - cook dinner, keep up the house etc. be more of an act of creation and love instead of something I just have to do. And second, I do need to make time to pursue my interests in creating as well so that I can be a happier mama. Emma and Jacob have been looking at their baby scrapbooks lately and asking where Ben's is...guilt, guilt, guilt.

So, I am trying in each task I do to look at it as a creation. I don't just make dinner, I create a pallet of flavor and aroma for my family to consume each night. I don't just clean the house, I create a healthy, clean atmosphere to raise my three cherubs in (ha ha). But you get my drift. So, here are a few things I have created lately in my new found world of creativism:

I created these yummy Halloween Cupcakes for Emma's bake sale at school.

I created these fun bunk beds for Jacob and one day for Ben. They used to be Dave's and they were this super ugly brown wood color from the 70's. I spent weeks sanding them, priming them and painting them a deep blue to match their dresser. Then I found these cutest airplane bedspreads online that both Jacob and I love.

Anyway, over the next few months I'll post other things I create...