Hope in the Hopoate Family

I had a fun experience at the temple today!  I was surrounded by these women temple workers this morning and was lost in thought. Then returning to my surroundings lol, I realized that one of these ladies smelt really good. Naturally, I became more attentive to the smell of the other sisters and pleasantly noticed that they smelt really nice as well.  I shared this with my mom and we had a good giggle. But then I remembered an experience I had when I was 17. Due to some job changes, I moved in with my grandma and grandpa for a time when I was 17. I will always remember the advice my Grandma Tisina Gerber always gave me in the mornings. "Tayla" - that is phonetically how she says my name every time lol, "Tayla Bayla, don't forget, you have to smell nice . You need to brush your teeth, brush your hair, and always remember to smell good! " My sweet grandma has told me lots of things in my lifetime. I'm grateful I am almost 30 and that she is still around. But h...

      I had a goal to take a self-defense class before I turned 30. Well I was able to find one near me and my amazing cousin Mariah accompanied me. I was super intimidated by the idea when the day came for the class, but since Mariah was coming, I couldn't back out.     We show up to the class and I am so nervous lol. Thankfully, it got a lot better!     First off, they taught us the importance of breathing during a panic situation because most people will stop breathing and lose brain clarity in the process. They had us do these grunts or yells so we could get comfortable using our voice. This was so awkward at first, but I learned to turn off those negative thoughts in my head and remember why I was there.     One of the gentleman teaching the class came and gave us some statistics. I think he could tell we were being a little light-hearted with the teachings. He said that the FBI stated the average altercation lasts 2.5 seconds....

           Newsflash, Malachi and I are amateur parents and we are learning how to do this every single day. On the job training at its finest. We feel  inadequate, but we're trying very hard to be good parents.           Well we realized a little while ago that we didn't do the best job teaching our kids about the Sabbath. We laid it out very  pharisaical. Lots of rules, lots of to-do's. But we were definitely missing the blessings and the delight of the Sabbath.          While trying to figure out how to fix our mistake, we discussed that we needed a tradition of some sort that would help our kids love Sundays and look forward to them. So we decided to start a Sunday Tradition called Sweet Sunday Sweets! It was catchy and sounded fun and doable and sustainable. It's just that on Sundays we get to have a special family dessert after church. I know, so simple, may...

           Truth time.          Having a 20-month old at church for a 1-hour quiet meeting, while having 2 other children who are 3 and 5, is the most challenging thing I have ever done. Hands down. No competition.          Initially because of the obvious. My kids are still learning to be quiet, sit reverently, whisper, etc.           Solution... Bring lots of treats and toys. Yes, but then conflicts arise. You're gonna just let your kids eat a ton of junk food every Sunday? Why are you bringing toys? Then they won't listen to anything. Shouldn't they just learn to hold still and listen?           Next, just give them your phone. Then they'll sit still. But what about all that  screen time? Well and then they are for sure not going to hear anything from the meeting. And not to mention the judgement that that'll bring...  ...

      I've been MIA these last few weeks while I soaked in the holidays. This Christmas was a bit different with our kids being sick, family members being sick, and being really busy with callings at  church. However, we made the most of it and it was still really fun.     Luckily though, I've been able to read a lot while laying around and have finished almost 3 books! Mat Frasers book, HWPO , Teachings of President Gordon B Hinkley's book, and Joanna Gaines book, The Stories we Tell. Just have a couple chapters left in Joanna's book. Nevertheless, all have been really positive, enriching, and so good for my soul. So here are a few highlights from these books.     HWPO: Hard Work Pays Off -The Rubber-band Effect: when you're competing with someone there are a few tricks to help you gain mental advancement over your fellow competitors. One of these tricks is called breaking the rubber-band. Long story short, what this means is that ...

I’m just reflecting on the past week and the things I’ve learned stepping away from tv and social media. I definitely get bored a lot unless I have planned what to do in my downtime. And thus having a plan helps me a lot to use my time wisely.  It’s easy to fall back into tv/sm habits if I’m going through the motions. So using my phone more deliberately helps make the automatic habits less common. And trying to find a new routine so I don’t go straight to the remote during nap time haha. I feel more peaceful and less anxious when I eliminate tv and sm. I do miss tv a little but don’t miss sm. I especially miss tv when I’m folding a lot of laundry haha. I feel more virtuous in my thoughts and actions as I feel less in the world and more physically and mentally apart of my personal day to day life. I feel strong because I’m following the counsel of President Hinkley when he asked women and mothers to write more. I’ve spent a lot of my time journaling since I have more time. I feel li...

 Today marks 12 days until Christmas!! I wanted to give a gift to Christ this year with the 12 days idea. I haven’t done this before, but felt like I had the perfect gift for everyone in my family except for Christ. So starting today and for the next 12 days, I’ll stop watching tv, going onto social media, and eating sugar. The trifecta haha. Those first 2 things distract me on the daily. And the last is something I’ve felt prompted to do for a long time, but typical give in when the going gets tough.  My sweet husband is joining me with the sugar part and I’m glad because it’s so much easier to stay away from sugar if someone doesn’t want any either. Our kids will have their sugar reduced just by osmosis, but they can still enjoy their treats sparingly lol.  Anyway, just wanted to share because our Savior deserves something more from us. He gave his all.  Once we really get to know him, we realize that he wants to make more of us. A God that doesn’t ask anything of ...