Someday before I die

I'm sure we've all heard the term "bucket list". I never thought about doing one before, until I heard about someone creating one to enter a vacation giveaway. So I thought, "why not, I'll enter. And even if I don't win the vacation I'll at least have my bucket list created." So here are 15 things I'd like to do, in no particular order.

1. Go to Europe
2. Train for/run a half marathon
3. Attend a Hollywood movie premiere
4. Go on a cruise
5. Take a road trip and visit all the national monuments (Mt. Rushmore, Washington Monument, etc.)
6. Write an article for a church magazine
7. Go on an African safari
8. Get a graduate degree
9. Go to a taping of a TV show (Dancing with the Stars is at the top of my list)
10. Learn how to sew or quilt
11. Take a vacation by train
12. Go to pro-football or pro-baseball game
13. Take a cake decorating class
14. Re-learn the guitar (and stick with it this time!)
15. Sleep on a houseboat

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

Mommy Musings: What will you choose?

I have made a discovery since becoming a mother: I have a very short fuse. I tend to get irritated/frustrated/angry quite easily the majority of the time, especially when dealing with my family, and often it's the little things that will set me off. I know that most mothers probably struggle with patience, but some days it seems like my patience got lost in the mail somewhere along the way over the past 6 years. I'm working on not comparing myself with other mothers, especially since hearing President Uchtdorf say that "God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect...God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not." I realize we all have flaws, and there is no perfect mother out there. I'm also trying to work on something that my husband keeps trying to remind me of. The way that I deal with stressful situations, whether it be parenting, a church calling, housecleaning, etc., is my choice. For example: recently we've been having some behavior issues with Will. Each time he acts out or does something wrong, I have a choice. I can either get angry, wonder "Why me?", and make it an even worse situation. Or I can try to calmly deal with the problem, treat Will with love and kindness, and keep the spirit of contention out of our home. On the wall of our bedroom I put up a question for myself. It says "What mood will you choose to be in today?" Admittedly I look at that question very infrequently these days, but when I do look at it I am reminded that I am the one who chooses how I'm going to go about my day and deal with whatever life throws at me.