Time Out for Women...my spiritual cup was filled and overfloweth!

 Loved every second of this "EFY for Women" (that's what I call it) conference I attended Friday night-Saturday afternoon.  It was glorious from the moment I jumped in the car with 6 other remarkable daughters of God and Women I look up to until they dropped me off the next day.  Doug was gracious enough to watch the kiddies and the breast pump accompanied me on another getaway.  The presenters were fabulously hilarious and Spiritually uplifting all at the same time.  It was like taking a concentrated dose of God's love.  Here are some of my notes from some of my favorite speakers and singers. 

John Bytheway
“If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full-blown blitz on women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known.” Sister Patricia Holland

Wendy Watson Nelson “Let Your Spirit Take the Lead”: If you want to turn all the daily life challenges into joyous tasks or learn how to handle difficult situations try this: for 5 days pray for the Spirit to be with you (as your constant companion) and do this earnestly in the morning and then again in the middle of a challenging situation (i.e. a child is throwing a fit, you’re upset with your spouse, the house is a wreckage).

Think about “What’s is like to be Married to me?” 

The 5 minutes before your husband leaves and the 5 minutes when he returns home are important to show affection and let them know you love them.  Make them happy moments.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear! Source: Cited in John Bytheway, When Times are Tough, (Deseret Book, 2004), 30.

Sister DeAnne Flynn
 “Hope is the best thing we can give people.”

“Do things appropriate for a Holy day (the Sabbath day).”

“This is what we do in our family”…what you can say when kids complain about going to church, washing dishing, or serving a neighbor. 

Personalize the scriptures.  Want to know how to be a good parent---read about the good “patterns” in the scriptures.  “Patterns” are what lead us to a good outcome…must follow with exactness because chances are you’ll mess it up by cutting corners.  Family Home Evening, Family Scriptures Study, and Family Prayer…can’t cut these corners or our family will suffer. Est. good patterns EARLY with family.  The patterns we set, the children will follow.

Need more strength each day- each morning have a daily devotion (scripture study) and you WILL be Blessed!

Mary Ellen Edmunds
Even when they tell you “you can’t,” believe I the part of you that says, “YOU CAN!”

Dallyn Vail Bayles is a professional actor and singer currently performing around the country in the Broadway tour “Phantom of the Opera.”  He’s been in numerous church films like Hyrum in “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of Restoration.”  His Broadway voice filled the room and the Spirit manifested truth and power as he sang songs that bore testimony of Jesus Christ, God’s Love for us, and Joseph Smith.

Hillary Weeks made us women feel empowered with love from our father in Heaven and to really enjoy the here and now with our kids.  I LOVE the song "If I only have Today" 

If you ever get the chance to attend TOFW...seriously don't let Satan talk you out of it!  GO!  I promise you will be a better mother and wife for it!  It's worth the sacrifices you might have to make.  You'll feel the Lord's love for you, you'll laugh until you'll pee your pants, and you'll realize the sisters in your ward and you have one BIG thing in common: we are all striving to do our best and become the woman the Lord wants us to be!

plus we got this cute bag