Refining Our Focus (2025)

11/03/2025

If you haven’t had your children in the kitchen to help you in a while, it’s time to bake some bread!

Whether you struggle with wanting to cook/bake with your kids or not, this is a super easy way to include them and it also sparks so much creativity.

Meet “Spotsie” the fish, a scorpion with her baby on her back, a flower and a heart.

I don’t always advertise when I’m baking, but I will (almost 😉) always include my girls when I bake bread because it’s THAT easy. Well, I actually have no choice in this matter, since they always quickly discover what I’m doing and announce to everyone to come and make their own special bread 😅

Also, working on getting this delicious sourdough sandwich loaf recipe on the blog, so stay tuned!

06/09/2024

Do you have a gratitude journal?

I’ve needed a few pick-me-ups lately and noticed mine sitting by my bed. It’s been a few months and I’ve recognized a difference when not keeping up with it. I wrote in it last night, and have a goal to keep it going, again. It didn’t take away every challenge of today, but my mindset was much better and more capable of taking on those challenges with a better attitude and resolve to put in the effort to work through them.

Filling our lives with gratitude is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. If you don’t have a gratitude journal. I highly recommend starting one!

Read more about my experience on my blog post ( #7) titled 7 Ways of Naturally Achieving Overall Wellness at refiningourfocus.com

What are some things that you do to help you focus on being grateful?

25/08/2024

Have you ever looked forward to something and it went completely different than you envisioned?

I, unfortunately, do this to myself very often.

Although I can’t stop the planner in me from naturally taking over, I am finding that often when things aren’t going the way I anticipated, my outlook is the make or break factor in the outcome.

Yesterday was one of those days. I had looked forward to a leadership training with Elder D. Todd Christofferson speaking. We drove approx. 2 hours there and the older 3 went off with Daddy for adventures while my 6 month old came along with me. She’s typically a chill, easy-going baby, so I went in and sat down confidently. Within the first 15 min, she began fussing. Tired and hungry; the perfect combination for a soon-to-be sleeping baby.

I went out into the foyer, leaving my diaper bag on the floor and my phone and notebook/pen on the seat (knowing I was in good company) thinking I’d be back soon with a sleeping baby in my arms.

Well, she did not fall asleep and was still fussy after eating. I didn’t want to be disruptive so I stayed put. There were speakers in the foyer so I could hear, at least, but I was quickly invited into the open room where all of the tech was being managed and was able to watch on the screen in there. Such a kind and thoughtful gesture. I was able to get my baby to sleep without all of the distractions keeping her from relaxing, while still being a part of the training!

A short, but perfectly timed stretch session (a diaper change was in order) was announced. I discretely grabbed my things. The woman next next to me kindly asked if I could use help, which I gratefully declined.

I had a few thoughts I wanted to quickly write down and opened my notebook, but was confused, looking for my mostly blank page to add to, but it was full of notes! The same woman had not wanted me to miss out, so she took notes for me 💜

This may seem small to some. But not for me. Even though I didn’t get to sit in the chapel and get the full experience, I left having had an ever better one. People made simple choices that brightened my day and I wouldn’t go back and change a thing about that experience.

19/08/2024

Wheymonade - yum! If you are looking for a use from your whey after making homemade Greek yogurt, give this a try.

I just tried it out this weekend and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and it didn’t last long. I have more whey to use up and will be purchasing some more lemons today 🍋

Very refreshing, probiotic rich, high in vitamins B-2 and B-12, full of various proteins, high in calcium, and deliciously lemony.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of whey leftover from straining yogurt
5 lemons or citrus fruits, juiced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup organic cane sugar (depending on preference - slightly less than 1/4 cup was perfect for us)
2 1/2 cups filtered water + 1/2 cup for boiling

Directions:

1. Add sugar to a quart-sized jar.
2. Boil water and pour into jar and stir until sugar dissolves.
3. Add citrus juice, whey and remaining water.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Twist lid on tightly and let sit on counter for 2 days.
6. Refrigerate and enjoy!

03/08/2024

“It’s ok, Mommy. I know it’s hard to be a mom sometimes.”

More wise words from my 7 year old.

This girl loves to play piano, and I might be a little biased, but she’s pretty dang good at it!

Her comprehension and memory of the notes, beats, and other aspects of learning music is incredible to me. She quickly learns and even memorizes her weekly songs. She thoroughly enjoys this skill that she is developing!

HOWEVER, when it comes to her theory book work, she will draaaaaag her feet. Something that could easily take her 20 minutes max will take her 1-2 hours and my personality just doesn’t comprehend this mentality (maybe my own mother would read this and laugh, thinking back on moments where she felt the exact same way when I was 7!).

I always ensure she understands, watch her do some without my help and then she knows I’m available if she needs more help as she continues.

Minus bribery, I’ve tried what feels like all of the methods to encourage her to just get it done.

Well, there is one method that did work the other evening and I’m not proud of it. Now, please don’t let your imaginations go crazy on this one. I won’t describe our interactions fully, but I could definitely have been more nurturing and gotten through to her, or even just let it go for the night (that probably would have been the best option), but I just couldn’t let go of the fact that it should have been done and it wasn’t. She did finish it, finally.

While washing her hair, not long afterwards, I told her I was sorry for how I handled the situation and that I should have responded better. To which she replied, “It’s ok, Mommy. I know it’s hard to be a mom sometimes.”

She responded with pure forgiveness and understanding; Something I had not given her.

Right away, that phrase went through my mind, again, with a slight change as I reversed the roles. And now, when I’m feeling impatient with her weaknesses, I hope I will always remember her example and have this mentality in my mind:

“It’s ok, honey. I know it’s hard to be a kid sometimes.”

And focus on how I can approach my child with a greater resolve to be more understanding and forgiving; a resolve to be a nurturing mother.

31/07/2024

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you’re looking for a a better option (healthier) cookie recipe, give this one a try! They are one of our top favorite - and that includes traditional cookie recipes! Link to recipe in bio.

31/07/2024

Today, while passing a lady on my way into the grocery store, she turned and asked, “4 girls?!”

With a small laugh and a smile, I responded simply with a “yes” and was prepared to hear one of the typical responses:

“Wow, you’ve sure got your hands full!”

“Oh, your poor husband.”

“Are you going to try for a boy?”

“Just wait until they’re teenagers!”

Or my favorite (not!) “Someone needs to talk with you about how babies are made.”

But none of those came out! Instead, I was greeted with,

“You are so lucky! Those are 4 beautiful girls!”

What a breath of fresh air her response was for me!

I know that the other responses are said in jest and are not (at least in most cases) meant to be negative and I have never even taken offense to them!

However, it hit me, today, how important the tone we put out there is and how much it affects people, whether they even realize it, or not.

In a world where the divine role of motherhood has been diminished to “just a mom,” those little moments and words of encouragement are extra important.

Let us be sure to be that voice of encouragement and build each other up! We don’t always know when someone might need that lift and it’s always better to venture on the path of positivity.

Comment and share any moments that come to mind when someone lifted you up as a mother.

17/07/2024

“Good thing you asked for help, Mommy!”

I often hear the quote “You can do hard things.” It is 100% true. We CAN do hard things.

However, my 7 year old reminded me, today, that that doesn’t mean we have to always do hard things alone.

My new shelf arrived yesterday and I’ve been itching to get it up since I ordered it. I’ve been working to improve our organization in our homeschool “room.”

As I began putting it together, I saw the “2 people are needed to complete this step” on multiple pages of the directions. I’ve also put together shelves before. Determined to be able to laugh at that suggestion and say, “well, not for me!” I got to work and I did it!

Well…almost. There was 1 corner that I just could not align the hole with the screw! I tried multiple tactics and each one failed. My daughter came over and offered to help me. At first I said there wasn’t anything that she could help me with, before a thought came to my mind. I was able to have her help me turn the shelf (safely) and she used her weight to pull down on the section just enough to where I could align the hole with the screw and easily complete the shelf!

That’s when she told me, “It’s a good thing you asked for help, Mommy!” And then repeated something to me that I say to them often. “Our family is a team and we need to work together.”

I am grateful for my daughter’s reminder that we can do hard things, but sometimes asking for or accepting help is necessary and it brings us together as a team.

15/07/2024

Feeling extra grateful for books today!

Books are the answer to so many of the struggles in life. For me, as a mom, books are my main go-to with regulating my children’s emotions AND my own.

After a big road trip to visit lots of family over the span of 5 weeks, and having Daddy around the entire trip, plus some time before and after our trip (thanks to a generous military paternity leave making that possible!), today we are back to it just being me and the 4 girls. While this is not my first time being alone with them, we have all grown used to him being around all day.

It hasn’t been a bad day by any means. In fact, it’s been really good, overall. But we have had somewhere we’ve needed to be every single day, except for 1 day out of the 8 days we have been home and we’re feeling it.

Books have been our saving grace as tiredness and overwhelm have crept in and gotten the better of us here and there. Zero planning is required and the only “mess” to clean up is taken care of by simply putting our books back on the shelf.

This book we grabbed from the library was perfect for today. It is full of beautiful illustrations and a sweet and calming story.

Feel free to comment and share some of your favorite children’s authors and illustrators.

11/07/2024

Hello again! It’s been a while. We’ve had a crazy year between teaching seminary, having a baby, homeschooling, other responsibilities and, of course, with the most important work - our families!

We have felt the push to get back to work with Refining Our Focus and are really excited!

While we thought we had it all figured out pretty well to get everything started, we’ve realized that we keep feeling a little unsure of what exactly our “niche” is and what our goals are for Refining Our Focus.

Well, true to our ultimate focus on refinement in our lives, we are refining some of our thoughts on how we want to go about sharing on our blog and social media and are going to be working to revamp our website, but our overall message will remain the same.

We feel very strongly that simple living and hard work truly bring the most happiness and draw us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We have been so excited about things we have been feeling, reading, and implementing into our lives. With that, we continue to feel impressed to share, even if it’s only for our benefit, as we record our efforts and successes in changing our lives to align with the belief that life is meant to be full of joy; a joy that brings true peace into our hearts and homes in a world full of chaos.

We also ask for some grace while we continue to navigate the workings of social media and blogging. Neither are our strong suits as we are both typically book-in-hand types of people!

We invite you all to continue to refine your focus along with us!

31/07/2023

Check out our newest blog post. Read about part of Staci's healing journey. She also shares some very exciting news! https://refiningourfocus.com/holistic-healing-in-a-pill-pushing-world/

24/07/2023

Are you feeling exhausted during the day? Struggling to lose weight? Having difficulty focusing? Feeling irritable more often than you’d like? Our bodies speak to us and these could all be signs that our bodies aren’t getting proper sleep at night. Read Nikki’s story and check out her tips for better quality sleep and get back to feeling like YOU!

https://refiningourfocus.com/5-tips-for-better-sleep/

Refining Our Focus

11/03/2025

06/09/2024

25/08/2024

19/08/2024

03/08/2024

31/07/2024

31/07/2024

17/07/2024

15/07/2024

11/07/2024

31/07/2023

24/07/2023

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