Hereditary Succession

A royal marriage is fun to watch in a pageant/fairy tale/chick flick sort of way. I am excited to see the pomp, flourishes,  and regal touches of William and Kate's wedding. Every little girl has dreamed of being a princess. Before we get too carried away though, here are some quotes from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" on the notion of hereditary succession:

"Male and female are the distinctions of nature, good and bad are distinctions of heaven; but how a race of men came into the world so exalted above the rest, and distinguished like some new species, is worth inquiring into, and whether they are the means of happiness or of misery to mankind."

"For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever, and though himself might deserve some decent degree of honors of his contemporaries, yet his descendants might be far too unworthy to inherit them."

"But it is not so much the absurdity as the evil of hereditary succession which concerns mankind. Did it ensure a race of good and wise men it would have the seal of divine authority, but as it opens a door to the foolish, the wicked, and the improper, it hath in it the nature of oppression. Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."

"...[A] king hath little more to do than to make war and give away places; which in plain terms, is to impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears. A pretty business indeed for a man to be allowed eight hundred thousand sterling for a year, and worshipped into the bargain! Of more  worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived."

Cars 101

My Son: "Why can Ramone [from Disney's "Cars"] move up and down?"
Me: "Because he has hydraulics"
My Son: "What are hydraulics?"
Me: "They are things you can put in your car to make it move."

I realized the lameness and redundancy of my response the second it left my lips, but as my son seemed satisfied (or, more likely, realized he wouldn't be getting an intelligent answer from me), I left it at that.

Easter Weekend

I love Easter. The colors, the food, the celebration of a marvelous and life saving miracle. Easter is right up there with Christmas for me. (Ironically, much of Good Friday was spent convincing my son that his school holiday was not due to Earth Day. I'm not sure where he picked that up).
Each year, I try to accumulate new ideas that will help make our Easter celebration more meaningful and fun. Here are some new ideas I found this year:

• A timeline of Christ's last week on earth. This can be read each day leading up to Easter.
• A Jell-o creation using Easter colors. This is a fun addition to Easter dinnner- assuming you don't forget it after you've made the 30 minute drive to your Grandma's house. Not sure if it's worth postponing a whole dinner to retrieve, but, after two days spent preparing it, we did.
• A cute way to shape dinner rolls (I'm sure it could be used with rolls from scratch)
• A cute way to fold napkins. (This can be done in the car on one's lap, while your mom drives you back to your house to retrieve the Jell-o salad. Having your mom drive will spare you a speeding ticket.)

He Died That We Might Live Again

He died that we might live again,
Lord Jesus, our Redeemer true.
He died on Calv'ry's lonely hill.
His life he gave for me and you.

He rose from the grave on Easter morn,
Our Savior and our King.
He showed his love for all mankind.
For his great love, give thanks and sing.

Rejoice! Rejoice! and sing, sing, sing.


- Thelma McKinnon Anderson

The Children's Hour

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the light is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence;
Yet I know by their merry eyes,
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret,
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine.

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all?

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there I will keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the wall shall crumble to ruin
And moulder in dust away.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

But, It's a Two Way Street

Here is a quote from the same talk by Boyd K. Packer that yesterday's quote came from, that is just as important:

"It was not meant that the woman alone accommodate herself to the priesthood duties of her husband or her sons. She is of course to sustain and support and encourage them."

I stumbled upon this talk, "A Tribute to Women" accidently, but found it quite profound. I think it does an excellent job of explaining men's and women's different roles, how they are of equal importance, and how they work together.

Official Backup

For those who think that women within the church are degraded and subservient, I just don't get where they are coming from. The Brethren have got our back:

"Holders of the priesthood, in turn, must accommodate themselves to the needs and responsibilities of the wife and mother. Her physical and emotional and intellectual and cultural well-being and her spiritual development must stand first among his priesthood duties.
"There is no task, however menial, connected with the care of babies, the nurturing of children, or with the maintenance of the home that is not his equal obligation. The tasks which come with parenthood, which many consider to be below other tasks, are simply above them."
-Elder Boyd K. Packer

Children's Dictionary

Vacation /va-ka-shen/ (noun): Not being required to leave your home for school or work.
Example: "You stay home and take care of the baby, so you're always on vacation."

*The irony of this being that "always being on vacation" means I'm NEVER on vacation!

April 4th

"You are very ambitious and apt to overdo your zeal for success. Do not let disappointments or failures dishearten you. You are resourceful and able to do many things. You are capable of deep love.

- Fortune-Telling Birthday Book