Tagged again! Mommy Tag.

Mommy Tag. I was tagged by Mandy and it was a bit of fun answering these questions.

Typical time of wake up: 7:00am because my kids have restrained themselves to be quiet untli then. Then I laze around in bed trying to convince myself to get up. I usually drag my butt out of bed finally by 7:30am - almost always.

How many times have you been a new mom: Some might say you are only a new mom once - then just an experienced mom. But as we all know - each child is so unique, I've definitely been a new mom 4 times.

How old were you when you became a mom: I was 21 years old. I thought I was soooooo mature and more than ready. I guess I've done alright, but I think I've gotten better with age ;)

Favorite Kids show: Do I have to like any of them? Okay, well I really like "Arthur" - it makes me laugh, and it's funny for the kids. Of course I have to say that my favorite was Mr. Dress-Up, but he's not on anymore. I'd be worried if he was, since he died a few years back.

Least Favorite Kids show: 4 squared. No child should be subjected to grown men in tight tights moving around in awkward ways.

Favorite chore: Are we supposed to LIKE chores? They are called CHORES. It's a tie - 1. is laundry. There is something really satisfying to me to see piles of dirty clothes become clean and disappear into drawers and closets. Makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

2. Making the bed. There isn't much that can take an entire room from messy to clean faster than making the bed. It's like magic! And I love my bed spread and pillows. They make me happy.

Least favorite chore: It would be cleaning up the kitched after a big meal - IF my husband wasn't so sweet as to do it for me 9 times out of ten. Out of the chores I have to do, I don't like scrubbing the shower. It's so awkward.

Meal you cook most often: I don't cook any meal more often than another because I go with a 4 week menu system. I have organized my month into 4 weeks - each week having specific meals for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner on each day. It's so nice for grocery shopping, and there is never the problem of "What am I going to make tonight?". It also means that I get to rotate through all of my favorite recipes - as well as the kids. They may not love what's for dinner tonight, but they know their favorite meal is coming up!

Kids favorite meal: This varies for each of them, but generally speaking they love anything with noodles or ham. They also love salmon. I don't know. They are pretty good eaters all around (they have no choice but to eat what's in front of them - do that or go hungry). Because of that philosophy, they have learned to love a wide variety of foods and flavors. Don't worry - I don't torture my children. I make sure to have a variety of side dishes in each meal, and I only give them a little of the stuff they aren't huge fans of.

5 things that make you smile when you are being a mom:

1. When I see something "click" in my child's eyes that I have taught them.

2. When I hear my children playing and laughing together. I LOVE this! There is not much better.

3. When I see one child helping/comforting another. My girls have their moments of fighting and arguing, but for the most part they are very compassionate, and VERY protective of each other. I love seeing that relationship and the tenderness that shows through when they help each other.

4. When I see/hear my chlid say something that I remember saying as a child. I can't help but smile when I see the connection between us. It's overwhelming sometimes.

5. When I've managed to keep my cool and handle a tense situation with grace. You know - when you have those "good mommy" moments.

Favorite thing your husband does with your kids: *sigh* everything. He is an amazing father. The KIDS favorite thing would be how he plays with them - he can be a little goofy. You know it's true when on the first Sunday my husband taught in Primary, my daughter introduced him as her "crazy" dad.

My favorite thing he does, though, is brush their teeth, help say their prayers, and tuck them into bed at night. He is so tender with them, and that ritual is something that they will remember all their lives.

Last time you went out with no kids: I went out on Friday (3 days ago) to get my hair cut.

If you could take your kids anywhere where would it be: To the Celestial Kingdom! Okay, not right this minute - I'd like to have them around a while longer... Let me think, I guess it would be on a Church History Tour - so they could see all the places we tell them about, like Kirtland, Nauvoo, Carthage, Jackson County, Palmyra, the Sacred Grove. I want these places to live in their hearts and minds as reality.

Favorite pastime/activity with kids: I love our Family Home Evenings. I love playing with them, teaching them, having fun together. It's something we all look forward to every week.

1 thing you said you would never do when you were a mom: Place blame unfairly. I felt unfairly blamed for things when I was a kid. I vowed I would find out all the facts, then dish out the discipline where neccessary. Now that I'm a mom, I can see how it's difficult to make the time to stop everything to find out the truth - and even then it's not always possible to find out what really happened. It's not so black and white.

If you had an afternoon to yourself what would you do? It's silly, but I would probably clean the house top to bottom. You see, I enjoy cleaning - I just hate being interrupted while doing it. If I had an entire afternoon to get my house cleaned top to bottom I would LOVE it! I also would probably get some scrapbooking done, or maybe read a good book.

1 thing you do that your mom did & now you do: Make dumpling soup from scratch. (okay, I do a lot of things my mom did - but this is something that makes me feel like I'm passing on a tradition that still warms me to the soul)

Favorite quality of your own mom: Her devotion. She sacrificed a lot to be a mom, and an involved mom. She worked hours and hours to make costumes for dance recitals, treats for school, helping with science projects. I remember that she would be sitting at the back of the gymnasium for every assembly we had. She was always there when I left for school, and when I came home - she was just always there, and I could count on it. I want to be as devoted to my children.

Favorite kids book: I have so many, so I'll give you my favorite 2 right now. For smaller children, I love "The Kissing Hand"
For older kids I love the "Junie B. Jones" books. They are HILARIOUS. She captures a child PERFECTLY when she writes. Love these.

Scariest or most heartbreaking moment as a mom: When we lost our daughter in Wal-Mart for about 15 minutes. It's was the scariest thing I've ever experience. All sorts of terrible thoughts ran through my head. I NEVER want to experience that again.

Most joyful moment as a mom: Can I pick just one? One of them was when my 6 year old stood up in front of the entire Stake and sang a solo for the Christmas Carol Festival. I was so happy with her, and amazed at the courage she showed.

Last time your child told you they love you: This morning.

I tag: BB, Juliette, and Andrea