The Power of Words

*Life, silly life, has been very busy for Courtney lately.  Which means no time for Mr Blog here.  Lucky for you, my poor reader who has been lost without my witty and wonderful posts, I am stuck in front of the computer doing online traffic school. Which I am totally focusing on.  Thank goodness for split computer screens!*

It should come as no big surprise, seeing what a ginormous book nerd I am, that I love quotes.

Love, love, love.

I have this deep-rooted belief in the power of words: to change, to uplift, to aide, to remind.  I now wish to shove this same belief down the rest of my family's throat.

Because I'm the mom and I can, that's why.

I leave little reminders in the house...

Because, really, that is a very good motto to have- is it not?

Some are just for fun (but totally describe our family).

The kids' rooms are full of little reminders...

*you can find the links to where I purchased the prints here and here, but some of them I just typed up myself; it all depended on how creative I felt that day*

The girls have about ten time more of these reminders floating around their room for a very obvious reason: they can read them.  It's not favortism, people.  It's practicality.  Also: I am currently searching for a huge mirror to put on one of the girls's bedroom wall where I shall line it with the beauty quotes.  There's always a plan.

I also am awaiting this lovely to be dropped off.  Her place of honor shall be atop my piano.

Please, please tell me that you know this song.  I just don't think we can be friends any longer if you don't. 

And yes, I'm very well aware that my house looks like a Pinterest Board threw up all over it.  It is what it is.


I hung up this half-finished chalkboard I had stored away in a closet (it is still awaiting the day when Orrin will put the frame on it) on the wall that runs along our kitchen table and family room, so that all in the Merrill household can see the wonderful quote that I have chosen to display for the week.

This week's lovely:

Now, I hate writing on chalkboards.  Hate it.  But I love the look, and when I first began doing this, I would spend hours painstakingly perfecting the board.  It was, after all, artwork that I had hanging on my walls for all to see.

And now?  I'm just happy to get every word spelled right on there.

Now, how do I make sure that my kiddos are actually absorbing these wise words?  Well, I am so glad you asked.  I put a new quote up every Sunday evening (ok, sometimes it's Monday afternoon... sometimes it's Tuesday night).  Over dinner that next night, we discuss the quote: the meaning, how they can apply it to their lives.  It's all very educational, lemme tell you.  We're a bunch of philosophers here in the Merrill Manor.

Now, the real way I get this family to remember the quotes: I pay them in Smarties when they can recite it to me on the next Sunday.  Not only do they get sugared happiness rolled in a plastic wrapper for knowing the current week's quote, they get one for every other quote they can recite.  And for Smarties, even Porter can remember at least 3/4 of the quotes.

Boom!  Mother of the year, people.  Mother of the year.

Now: seriously, I've seen these words take root and bloom in my family's lives.  Piper handed me her pile of school work the other day.  As I was turning through the stack of papers (wondering how many trees were killed to teach her about sentence structure), I came across a test with the words, "Try a little harder, to be a little better" written all fancy in the corner.  When I asked Pip's about it, she just shrugged and said that she had some extra time and that just popped in her head.  And, apparently, she is scrolling these little quotes on her work often enough that her teacher has asked her about it.  I've heard Porter chanting, "Work will win when wishy-washy wishing won't" to himself more than a few times.  And Adison used, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be" as a comeback to a grumpy mom.

Even the hubs told me that on a day when the pressure at work was high, and worry was beginning to weigh down his usual optimistic and cheerful nature, President Hinckley's words, "Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work" popped into his head.  He felt the reassurance that he was doing his best to fulfill his side of the work and that Heavenly Father wasn't slacking in His end.

There.  Proof that not every crazy idea that enters Courtney's mind is a half-baked, silly one!  I'm filling my children's (and the hub's) very souls with ideas of optimism, of hope, of common sense, and of goodness that is so often lacking in their rushed days.  My prayers are full of pleadings that my children will remember who they are, their happiness, their talents, and their morals.  May they feel their parent's unconditional love wrapped around them every minute of every day.  May their hearts stay pure and kind, and their hands busy with good things.  I truly believe that these good words which they feast upon daily are helping them to know and do all of those things.

At the very least it is improving their memories :)