prayers for boston

my heart is breaking for those affected by this tragedy today

moments once raised high in triumph

now wracked with terror and fear

lives changed instantaneously

just as i expressed in my post 'watching them closely' in the aftermath of Sandy Hook

my 'mother heart' aches and i just want to hold my loved ones tight

to hear of parents searching for their children amidst the chaos and thinking of the parents of the young boy who has killed brings tears to my eyes

images of those injured and those fleeing in panic places a heaviness in my soul

reminders that there are those who would do us harm

but today let the good of the nation envelop us all in kindness and love and hope 

as we offer aid to those affected by this event

and lift up our voices, kneeling as individuals and families

to pray for those people from Boston and around the world whose hearts and lives have been forever imprinted by this senseless act

retreat bound

yes i am retreat bound

one blessing flowing after another

i have been invited to attend a conference i have been wanting to attend for some time after learning of their organization

it is called the Power of Moms

ooo, don't you just feel it

power

yes, we do have power

but oftentimes we feel captive to all those things that work together to disarm us as mothers

clutter

chaos

contention

shortcomings

overscheduling

this organization provides moms with the tools to empower themselves through deliberate mothering

i am going to set my journal on fire from the friction caused by my pen writing across the page at an alarming rate

i am going to soak it in

and take notes for you and me

i can't wait to tell you what i have learned

i have to admit being 'unplugged' for the most part for a couple of days sounds uncomfortable

but it will do me some absolute good

i'm sure i'll sneak in an instagram photo or two;)

while i'm gone, 

don't forget to head on over to our 'le petit society' double giveaway and enter to win two darling little girls outfits, available sizes 2-7

you can also check out some of my favorite recent and past posts here

or click on through to read my guest post on the children's style blog MINe, 'Ten Tips for Styling the Whole Boy'

and sign up to join my MJ vs MS team as a teammate or virtual walker for the MS Walk in San Diego to support my amazing hubby

sounds like a fun to-do list

here's to retreating

there are stickers in my boots: challenges in child photography

as any mom knows who has tried to take family photos of any kind

getting your kids to cooperate can be beyond frustrating

and can bring out the worst of us

that moment when you are spewing irony with each yelled command

stop moving around and just act natural

can you just cooperate and be happy and smile???!!!!

some days taking photos of my children is easy

they are actually naturals with their posing and of course i consider them naturally beautiful so that helps mom out

with each photo shoot i long for the photography minds of my incredible photographer friends

who can create masterpieces of their children without them even knowing they are being photographed

geniuses i tell you

i am lucky to have quite a few of those friends

some of which have imparted wisdom onto me

one day i will learn how to shoot on manual

that was my goal for last year....and for this year

one day

one day

by this point in our 'le petit society' giveaway photo shoot Felicity is just done

thankfully i am laughing through my anxiety

how can you not chuckle at these glaring stares

at some point she decides to do her own thing

laying on the blanket

playing with her dolly

twirling

and she begins to enjoy it

and so does mom

we pressed on to our second location

second outfit

i can hear her call out in her cute little voice

'thehre ah stickahs in my boots'

her first introduction to fox tails

as she repeatedly raised her knees wide spread bounding toward me with each step

i was chuckling to myself 

as i realized there was no way i could have prepared for this obstacle

stickers in her boots

we found patches of the field that were a little less 'weedy'

and we had to take time-outs to destickify her boots

looking at these photos this morning she added

'i don't want to go thehre any moah

ouchies, ouchies in my feet'

i would LOVE to know some of your favorite tips on getting the cooperation of your children to take photos and any other advice on getting the most out of your photo shoots with your littles

the more i take photos

the more i realize how little i know

and how much there is to learn

which for some reason excites me instead of being overwhelming

and if you haven't enter the 'le petit society' double giveaway yet to win these darlings outfits

be sure to head on over here

‘le petit society’ double giveaway

happy wednesday to you

i am thrilled to be able to offer a chance for two readers of Sweet Dreams are Made of These to win

a darling little girls’ outfits from

the pink candy tee and white ruffled skirt

or

the pink kimono party dress

i found this gem of a children’s shop... where else, but Instagram

i was drawn to the bright colors and playful, comfortable feel of their girls and boys clothes

i love their darling brand icon that is made up of ‘x’ and ‘o’ s signifying hugs and kisses, gestures of love
check out this darling video of le petit society in action

le petit society is a budding business, with its beginning only last April and their first collection launching this past January

it was founded by the ambitious pair, the lovely Robyn & her fiance Dylan, both from Singapore but now living in Hong Kong

yes, Hong Kong, they are in Hong Kong

another reason i was drawn to them

my hubby lived in Hong Kong for two years while serving a mission for our church

to him it is the greatest city in the world and feels like home

we have a chant, a song really, in our family that goes a little something like

‘hong kong is the best place, hong kooonng’

you can watch my silly boys sing and dance to it here

today you have a chance to win

the pink candy tee and white ruffled skirt

or 

the pink kimono party dress

both worn below by my felicity

i was so impressed by the quality of fabrics used in the construction of these pieces

as well as how soft and comfortable they were on my little girl

here are two of my other favorite girl items from their shop:

tea party dress

le bird red backpack

LE PETIT SOCIETY GIVEAWAY

two lucky Sweet Dreams are Made of These readers will win

the PINK CANDY TEE & 
WHITE RUFFLED SKIRT

or

the PINK KIMONO PARTY DRESS

one winner will be drawn from our blog entries

one winner will be drawn from our Instagram entries

this giveaway will close at midnight on Monday April 15th PST

this giveaway will be open to blog readers worldwide

the winner from the blog will be chosen using Rafflecopter 

the winner from Instagram will be chosen using random.org

both will have 48 hours to respond to the winner notification email. after 48 hours another winner will be chosen
sizes 2 - 7 available for the pink candy tee and white ruffled skirt
sizes 2 - 6 available for the kimono party dress

double the chances

double the fun

good luck

good luck

ENTER HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

guest blogging on MINe Style today: 10 tips for styling the whole boy

i am so honored to have been asked to be the very first guest blogger to collaborate with the three fresh faces

behind the darling MINe Style Blog

yet another fabulous find via Instagram 

my article, '10 tips for styling the whole boy' 

is featured on their site today

click on over to weigh in with your own suggestions

with my 3 bustling boys as my muses

i not only provide tips on styling, but also offer suggestions on how to help your son develop his own sense of style confidently

as well as tips on the process of selecting an outfit though guiding your boys in good clothing pairing

particularly after he comes downstairs beaming in an outrageous outfit

to speak or to let be...

that is the question

MINe is a children's style blog chalk full of inspiring images of fashion, decor, and family fun

one look at you'll be captivated and need to come back for more

scouts honor...

well, on the honor of my scouts

here are a few of my favorite features:

***

***

***

lets give MINe a warm Sweet Dreams welcome

head on over with me

and let them know we've come to make new friends

the kind of friends who stand in long lines with you for Sees Candy samples

to simply begin, one branch at a time

***

so very welcome are the days in which i feel filled as a mother
as a woman
as a daughter of God
today was such a day

i was able to listen to the General Conference of my church, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and felt enriched and empowered to carry on and hope on
{read more about my feelings about General Conference in this post}

i approached this conference having written questions in my journal to which i have been most earnestly seeking answers
i received promises that if came seeking, i would receive answers
oh how i wanted answers

one such answer came to my question which i will summarize as
how can i possibly accomplish all that i see laid before my eyes, those things that are left to me alone to do?
if you are new to my story, 
a story not unlike your own i’m sure
one of difficulty embedded with times of stretching that yield tremendous growth
one of change coming at an alarming rate
one of blessings abounding in endless merciful ways
you may wish to check out a few of my past posts explaining details of our particular family journey here, here, and here

my answer came in an unexpected simple story followed by a wave of warmth from a song
the story was told of a husband & wife who, over many years, had gathered fallen branches from their heavily wooded lot and had stacked them in the back
these branches grew into a mountain of wood
at one point they determined that they needed to move the pile to the street for proper disposable
they soon found that this task would be more difficult than they thought
they tried many methods of moving it: pushing, pulling, dragging with wrapped chains, and even a plank underneath to slide it
but the huge pile would not budge
at last a simple, yet profound idea struck them
they would need to carry the pile one branch, one limb, one piece of wood at a time
and over the course of several days they were able to move the pile

as i listened to this basic story
i saw my pile of priorities, responsibilities, and to-dos in my mind
the seemingly insurmountable pile that has been added branch by branch over time in my mind
finally unpacking
decluttering and organizing my home
creating an environment of beauty where i feel like i belong and where others want to be
learning how to cook 
exercising and chiseling away at my grief weight by eating healthily
creating a house of order
cleaning and all that comes with it
supporting my husband
mothering my children
quieting my voice
homeschooling
sewing
blogging
spiritual nourishment
neighborly service
...

with new unexpected branches falling down at my feet from lofty trees in my neck of the woods every day

i’m sure you can easily imagine your own pile of fallen branches in your part of the woods as well

as i listened to this simple solution
i felt this enormous weight lifted from me and my heart began to swell
i have been feeling paralyzed by my indecision of how to chain myself to this pile of to-do's and to-be's  and yank at them all with my whole might til i reach that finish where they will be lifted and carried away
i have been staring at my pile not knowing where to start
which thing to attend to first
being afraid that by choosing one i would neglect the other or all of them
so paralyzed have i remained
but this gave me an answer on how to proceed
the only way to proceed
is to simply begin
just begin
it has been said that the deed is half done once we have made a beginning
we must do what we can no matter how small it seems

and i echo that yes this requires faith
faith in knowing that i will not carry my branches alone
my Savior will take my branches upon him and we will walk together
one step at a time
He will enlarge my capacities and magnify my abilities
He will show me which branches to attend to first, which to save my strength for
which ones i can leave behind
but we must first begin

immediately following this story
the magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir began singing
and a rush of emotion and love immediately filled my heart
i felt the love and presence of my Daddy calling out to my soul 
yes, Briana, you can do this
you can accomplish all that you are called to do
this song was ‘Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel’
a seemingly peculiar title for a song
but it was one of my father’s favorites
rightly so as he was the hardest worker i have ever known
a willing worker
this anthem is a call to action
a call to put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time
glorifying God in praise, in song, and with a cheerful step
to put our might, our faith to action in pressing upon that wheel
those tasks that we are called to do, which will invite molding, progression, and the becoming of our best selves

then work and watch and fight and pray
with all your might and zeal
push ev’ry worthy work along;
put your shoulder to the wheel

put your shoulder to the wheel; push along
do your duty with a heart full of song
we all have work; let no one shirk.
put your shoulder to the wheel

branch by branch
yoked with my Savior
pushing the wheel of faith into action
with a heart full of song
i will begin


i want to hear from you!
what tools and strategies do you use to prioritize your responsibilities and to-dos?

***photo credit to Artemis Russell

what we're all about: hello party-goers from the ultimate blog party

Welcome to Sweet Dreams are Made of These all you party-goers from 5 Minutes for Mom's 2103 Ultimate Blog Party

pleased to meet 'cha

i'm Briana and this is my blog Sweet Dreams are Made of These

above are shown the stars of my blog:

my amazing hubby Mike

moi

our busy crew of 4 

and of course the happenings in our lives that show that sweet dreams are made as all the pieces come together

i see life in a swirl of colors and ideas and do my best to create some sort of order.  to read about what swirling elements make up my family of 6 read here

here i blog about: 

the dish on mommyhood for four young active children {3 busy boys and 1 'baby girl' who has captured us all}- family fun, specializing in mayhem

my creative outlet - the essential part that creativity plays in finding joy in each day 

see my growing list of diy/tutorials here

a little light and truth - the role faith plays in my family's adjustment to my husband's diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and my Daddy's recent passing from cancer 

i've picked a few of my favorite posts as a sampling of the types of things we chat about over here

i hope you'll grab your favorite bunny slippers

and stay awhile

i'd love to hear from you, my new friends

your friend in this journey,

briana

the liebster award and divulging 11 random things about me | walking out the door with grace and snowman pjs | on turning 35 | today is daddy's birthday | dye-ving easter eggs | mr. right and little miss t-shirt tutorial: adventures in freehand cutting and freezer stencils | acceptance is just out of my grasp

slowing down and drinking it in | what to do about cave drawings and spills and tears | in pieces | mr bowlerman & miss charleston - an applique tutorial | back to school photoshoot | marquee love | little pieces and small moments | his labor of love: a thanksgiving offering | pickles gets a haircut | a daddy's girl

my Daddy's passing | Mike's diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis | miracle of a rebuilt heart for baby Abigail | our uninvited guest of unemployment | 14th wedding anniversary | homeschooling Owen | Craft Explosion

Join Team MJ vs MS in the MS Walk 2013

Why am I walking you ask?
For the man that I love.
For the man who exibits daily unyielding strength  - strength of faith, strength of hope, strength of joy admist hardship, and strength to give each day his all no matter what he physically feels like inside.
For the father of my children
For the mate to my soul
For him I walk
Please join with me in showing him the impact his strength has made on you!

My sister-in-law Jani has graciously created Team 'MJ vs MS' for the Saturday April 27th MS Walk at NTC Park in San Diego to provide a way for us to show our love and support for Mike.

It is a 3 mile walk to support the research and education of Multiple Sclerosis.

Last year was our first year participating and our team rocked with our neon orange shirts proclaiming our team name MJ vs MS and expressing our anthem that MJ will conquer MS.  We had great support from family and friends! This is an easy walk, although a few of us broke a sweat, but it is made for physical abilities of all kinds.  The kids brought their scooters and there were others with strollers or even wheelchairs and walkers.  There are cheerleaders all along the path encouraging you along.

It was rather emotional for me, but I felt strengthened to be among so many other people who battle with this same disease within their own families and circle of friends.

It was a powerful experience.

Having my family and friends there by my side, in the absence of Mike, provided me with courage and strength to know that we are not going this alone.

With Team Banner waving high we walked and we walked til we reached that finish line.

I invite you to come join us as a participant on our team and show Mike the impact he has made on your life.
If you are unable to participate by walking perhaps consider sponsoring our team monetarily as a virtual walker;).
Together we can bring awareness and solutions for this crippling disease.

If you are interested, please visit our 
MJ vs MS Team Page to register to walk 
or donate here.

Then please comment or email me to let me know that you will be joining us on the walk and I can give you further details about t-shirts, caravanning, and the potluck lunch back at our home which will help Mike feel apart of our support and effort.

Thank you dear friends for you support as we have journeyed with MS together.

To read more about our family's journey with MS click here or on the label in the sidebar.
Or choose from a few posts over the years listed below {listed from the beginning to present day}

The Long Awaited Diagnosis
Nurses, Needles, and kNowledge
Miracles and Disappointments
Announcement
Update on the Men in my Life
'A Great Witness' by my Husband the Guest Blogger
His Labor of Love: A Thanksgiving Offering
Acceptance is Just Out of My Grasp

Eyan's baptism day

this day was a wonderful reminder of the gratitude i have for my Father in Heaven sending such incredible spirits to our home

this little man brings such peace and love

he teaches me every single day

and in a most loving and kind way

i am humbled often to be called as his teacher, his mother

Eyan was ready in every single way to be baptized

his desire to be a follower of Christ was evident by his shining face

this essential ordinance of Christ's gospel was administered to Eyan by Mike

and we all were able to witness this tender scene

talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost were given by Grandpa Johnson and Grandma Dix

all of the cousins sang at Eyan's request, his favorite song, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me"

i know he thinks about those lyrics

If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously,If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me, would I say the things I say?Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?Would I try to share the gospel? Would I speak more reverentlyIf I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

He is always near me, though I do not see Him thereAnd because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful careSo I'll be the kind of person that I know I'd like to beIf I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me. 

we were very grateful to all of our family members and friends who were able to attend the baptism

Mike's parents traveled a great distance from Southern Utah to be with Eyan on this most important day

following the baptismal service Eyan had chosen for us to come home and eat pancakes and cereal

a cereal and pancake bar was created

my favorite pancake topping being butterscotch chips and buttermilk syrup

what??!

try it, you will not be disappointed

i was so proud of Eyan wanting to help get everything ready earlier in the day, so he created the darling washi tape flags on the straws

an ingenius idea by the queen of parties herself for a large group of people

so much cuter than writing your name on the cup with a sharpie

clean he is

the most pure person in the world at that moment

as we talk about doing our best and repenting when we make a mistake, he will remain pretty close:)

before we began to eat he read to us all why he wanted to be baptized

to follow Jesus

and to be an example to Tate and Felicity

i am so grateful for this spiritual giant within this eight year old body

what event celebrating Eyan could end without a little hockey

uncle bub got right in the mix

i love that about our family

so grateful to be a part