Category Archives: humor

Good Dirty Family Fun

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Mormons believe in having fun. We are officially encouraged to find ways to spend time together ”participating in wholesome recreational activities” that will strengthen the family bond, and build unity. These activities can be a planned part of our Monday Family Home Evening, or completely impromptu. Over the past 21 years some of our favorite family activities have included things like hiking, having a picnic, playing frisbee, board game tournaments, making [and eating] cookies, swimming, miniature golfing, walking the dog….etc. etc. etc. Now that our children are nearly grown, we’ve been a little stuck on the “dinner-and-a-movie” activity, and were overdue for something new. So, last Saturday June 4th  our family added something to our list that I’m pretty sure still qualifies as a “wholesome activity”, but definitely not ”clean entertainment”…per se! Continue reading →

What’s In YOUR Purse?

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MoSop's Purse

It’s been such a great day! The April 2011 LDS General Conference is in full swing, with enough inspirational music and messages to uplift and motivate the soul for months to come. I can hardly wait for tomorrow! But, it’s nice to have a night to reflect on everything we have heard already.

President Thomas S. Monson announced three new temples, which are planned for Fort Collins, Colo.; Meridian, Idaho; and Winnipeg, Canada. The Church is also commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Welfare Program. There are MANY great quotes and powerful ideas scribbled in my notebook that I’m anxious to share. . . but, I simply can’t resist spotlighting apostle Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk about “INCREDIBLE WOMEN”, specifically, his Parable of a Purse – which I thought was irresistible blog material. :) Continue reading →

A Grand Trio For Mio

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[PARENTS MAGAZINE, GIRL WITH CAT]

Image by George Eastman House via Flickr

This month marks the third blogiversary of my MormonSoprano “experiment”! It is hard to believe that 3 whole years have flown by of my life, let alone of my “Blogger” status!

Three is such a wonderful number. So much symbolism and significance! Continue reading →

Dear Washing Machine

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First, we would like to express how much you mean to us. You have been a very important part of our family for the past year. We have admired and relied upon your amazing skills, which have made such a difference to our quality of life. I apologize personally if I have not expressed my gratitude enough for all that you do. You are truly invaluable to our family.

I understand that you feel a vacation would be nice, however doing so right now is bad timing. I freely admit that I have procrastinated using your services, and therefore currently require you to work overtime. However, considering that I gave you an extended rest prior to today, I think that your current workload is reasonable. You may also be assured that based upon my habits, more R&R is imminent.

We request that you please resume your SPIN CYCLE effective immediately. This will be greatly appreciated. Forcing us to wring out each item at the completion of the wash cycle is unreasonable. It has proved highly stressful, and is causing great disruption to our lives. We remind you of this [liberally paraphrased] scriptural promise:

” Glory, honour, and peace, to every [washing machine] that worketh good”  Romans 2:10 

As such a valued team member, we simply cannot afford to lose you. We do not desire to frequent the laundromat, nor invest in a specialist to analyze your work habits. We certainly would grieve if forced to find a replacement.

We thank you in advance for considering our situation, and choosing to lengthen your stride in this time of need. We look forward to enjoying a long and bright future in our partnership together. Thank you for helping us fulfill the Lord’s command, to:

“Let all things be done in cleanliness before me” D&C 42:41

Sincerely Yours,

MoSop & family

Welcome All Online Angels!

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Nearly a century and a half ago, LDS President Brigham Young gave a prophetic command to the membership of the church, with a promise:

Pres. Young

“There is a great work for the Saints to do…progress, and improve upon, and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds….and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations.”

(Brigham Young, Deseret News, Aug. 8, 1860, 177, as quoted by Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

This ’call to cultivate’ is still in effect, and can certainly be likened to our modern circumstances and 21st Century creative work. That also means the promise is still  in effect: angel visitors.

I personally like the image of of our departed loved ones taking a little down-time from preaching the gospel beyond the veil to surf the net. [do you think they use MAC or PC?] Imagine angels online, checking in on our virtual activity…Hundreds of heavenly beings lurking through cyberspace, bookmarking their favorite sites, and hopefully, delighting in our online offerings! Do you think perhaps they’re even allowed to help us out a little? Maybe they attempt to whisper some heavenly inspiration into our ears as we sit down at our desktop, ‘boot up’, and ponder post subjects. Who knows? Certainly anything is possible in the Realms of Glory. So, I decided there’s no harm in sending a message:

Dear Online Angels,

You are officially invited to visit my humble blog, www.MormonSoprano.com. I extend a warm welcome to each of you. Please enter my world wide garden! Pull up a …er, cloud, and rest your wings. I’ve been cultivating this little spot of earth for awhile. I hope you will find joy, and delight, in my offering. Comments and/or inspiration is always appreciated! – Best wishes always, MoSop

P.S. Please feel free to sing along!

What To Celebrate Now? Get Creative With Flagpoles

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Celebrating Jan 2nd

Well, here we are. January 2nd. For the past month I have posted [nearly] every day. Naturally, the built-in theme for the first 3 weeks of December focused on the joy and anticipation of Christmas, and then the last week we spent some time saying goodbye to the old year, writing resolutions, and generally welcoming in the New Year.

OK. Now what?

Birthday? Nope. Celebrated in December. [didn't write a post, because frankly there's nothing significant or exciting attached to age 43, other than the fact it's nice to get to be alive another year, but I'd rather not declare my age to the world ... which, of course, I guess I just did .... ]

Anniversary? Nope. Once again, in December. This year WAS a very significant one – our 20th, to be exact. I didn’t officially dedicate a post to it because I had this completely fantastic idea that I couldn’t pull off in time, and so, like the paralyzed perfectionist I often am, I didn’t commemorate it formally on the blog at all. [sorry sweetheart].

At times like these, a blogger must either get really creative, or just start conducting random Google searches, until she stumbles upon a site dedicated to BIZARRE AND UNIQUE HOLIDAYS, where one can learn that on every January 2nd it’s time to celebrate:

Run-Up-The-Flag-And-See-If-Anyone-Salute’s DAY!

Yes, you heard me! I’m not making this up. Today’s “holiday” actually has nothing to do with a Flag, or a Flagpole, or even Saluting, for that matter. The whole thing is ”Just an expression of speech“. It means to suggest an idea to see what people think, or to see if they even notice. From the website I quote:

Run it Up the Flagpole to See if Anyone Salutes Day is set aside to allow people to do just that. Be creative today.  Use this day to try and test new ideas and concepts.  Don’t limit the ideas to business applications. In your personal life, try out a new dress or clothing style, perhaps a different haircut. Or, maybe buy a new houseflag and run it up the flagpole to see if anyone salutes…or even notices…

So there you go. Today is your big chance to share a UNIQUE IDEA, and then watch to see if anyone notices.

Got any ideas? Do tell!

I promise to notice.

Resolution Time and Einstein

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It’s time for “making the list” and “checking it twice”. And, no, we’re not talking about the big guy in the red suit [that was LAST week, try to keep up]. I’m talking about YOUR list. Or, more accurately, YOURS, MINE and OURS. The infamous ”New Year Resolutions List“. And, if you’re like me, you’re quietly pulling out last year’s list and quickly dusting it off….”Voila! All done!”

Ever feel you need a little helpful advice? Perhaps Albert Einstein has the answer:

Einstein

“The definition of insanity

is doing the same thing over and over again

 and expecting different results.”

- Albert Einstein

I chuckled when I came across Einstein’s quip. Then, I thought about it a little longer. OK. How many insane people do you know? By that, I don’t mean the people-who-aren’t-taking-their-medication kind of insane. Rather, these are all the people you know, who, by Einstein’s definition are constantly complaining about problems and frustrations, but they never actually change their behavior. Instead, they continue to do the same things over and over again [or NOT do something, over and over again], just expecting things to magically improve.

Einstein’s quote is nothing short of brilliant. [but, of course it is! This is Einstein we're talking about]. What makes it double brilliant is that it works well in reverse [in essence]:

“Expecting the same results when doing the same things over and over again, is the hallmark of a sound mind!”

Or, perhaps we could break it down into these two “take-aways”:

“Bad Habits Create Bad Results”

“Good Habits Create Good Results”

Therefore, I have decided Einstein’s astute observation makes the perfect motivational quote for my refrigerator as I re-vamp my “2009 2010-New-Year-Resolutions-List”! It applies so well to just about everything:

1. Expect to lose some weight and become more physically fit by working out routinely? = genius!

2. Expect to gain a deeper relationship with God by setting aside daily devotional time? = genius!

3. Expect to have a closer relationship with my spouse by increasing the frequency of our “date night’s”? = genius!

4. Expect to have less financial stress by putting aside a little money into a savings account each pay day? = genius!

Now it’s your turn! Ready for a good ‘ole ”self-eval”? Are your actions taking you closer toward or father away from your goal? What reasonable adjustments could you make to create a positive change / improvement (i.e. this is something you can MAINTAIN doing over and over on a regular basis)?

Think of this as a chance to “custom design” your year. Ponder the things you do or don’t do over and over again, and fill in the blanks. Just remember, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it!

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

And, if all else fails, keep a good sense of humor!

A Blogging Toddler

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2nd birthdayThis month ‘Mormon Soprano’ turned 2 years old! It’s hard to believe our little baby has grown into a full-fledged toddler. It seems like just yesterday she was too small for search engine recognition. Now, her posts often make the top ten on a Google Search, and other bloggers ping and track-back. She has even been recognized by professional news feeds, including a spotlight in the Mormon Times.

As many of you have experienced, every day with a two-year-old is definitely a new adventure! According to “experts”, here is some advice for raising the toddler blog:

“As your blog continues to grow, you will notice new and exciting abilities that develop.” - Bloggerting Magazine

childs_eyesThis is definitely true. When baby Mo was born, she didn’t know the difference between a bar code  and an HTML code! Slowly but surely she learned how to create an account, upload, insert, save, edit and post. There was first-time-parental panic when the site went down, and we endured the painstaking process of healing and rebuilding with another server. But, the satisfaction of watching an idea develop on the screen, and the opportunity to experience spiritual, as well as intellectual growth made it all worthwhile. We enjoyed the thrill of success when a photo or quote would finally attach, and celebrated when her stat tracker finally got in synch.

“Speech development is very exciting for parents as they watch their blog become social beings that can interact with others.” – Early Blog Development, PENNultimate State

mom-and-happy-babyWho could ever forget the excitement of receiving that very first comment? The social aspect of raising a blog has been amazing. Baby Mo’s Stat Tracker shows that since her birth she has received visits from every continent on the globe. Currently she has made over 150 faithful subscribing friends located in the USA, Canada, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia!

“Speech at this age is becoming clearer and the blog begins to form sentences.” – Better Blog Care

child_abcAlthough it is a little embarrasing, it is also entertaining to read posts from her early days. There has definitely been some maturation.  We still have a long way to go. One can only hope that Mo’s mastery of syntax and clarity will continue to improve.

“Two-year-olds like to be independent! Favorite words are “Mine” and “No” and “I do it!” A great deal of time is spent exploring, pushing, pulling and touching.” - Dr. Blogjay Goodpost

toddler_poutingYes, I admit. Baby Mo has had her share of extreme emotions as she has explored her life and the world around her. She is very possessive of her family, she refuses to allow mean spirited comments, she enjoys her independence and she is never shy to express what’s on her mind!

Much of parenting a 2-year-old involves the principle of “foreseeing the evil” and avoiding it (Proverbs 22:3). – Blog Guidepost

no_evil

Just like Joey’s Parable, it is critical for Mo to understand that we can choose our actions, but we cannot choose the consequences. Mo is learning to choose her words and subjects wisely. It takes patience and effort to blog responsibly.

Two-year-olds want to do as much as they can and more. They get upset when they find they don’t have the skills to do things, or the words to say what they want. Some bloggers call this period the terrible twos. But when you take the time to learn about and understand blogs this age, you’ll see that they are really the terrific twos! – Early Blog Gazette

learning to tie shoesMo has recently discovered Movie Maker and she has her own MoSop YouTube channel. She loves experimenting with images and music. However, she still gets frustrated that she does not know enough yet, and the end product does not turn out as she imagined. But, with practice, the learning curve will get easier to navigate, and the quality should improve. We anticipate there will be many more media creations in her future. Additionally, she is picking up more HTML words and phrases. She is even thinking of attending  ‘computer kindergarten’ classes. There are always new and exciting things to learn and discover. When she was born, Twitter didn’t even exist! Now, she not only Tweets, but is also learning to cellular text post, and has fun connecting on her Facebook . Baby Mo is living in an exciting digital world. Her future will involve continual change, improvement, and limitless possibilities.

takes a villageA big THANK YOU to everyone who has visited and supported Mormon Soprano through her formative development! Your friendship is priceless, and your comments are always treasured. There are exciting things in store for Toddler Mo! However, her growth and continued survival cannot happen without your help.  Because, as we all know, “it takes a village to raise a blog“.

Halleluja Chorus! Performed Creatively

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Here is a very clever and funny version of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. These “monks” have found a creative way around their vow of silence. (Kudos for all the practice hours this took to pull off!) - MoSop

more about “Hallelujia Chorus! By Les Freres de S…“, posted with vodpod

When A Motherboard Dies

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Please join with me in a moment of silence for my Motherboard.

I sent her in last week for some basic upgrades, including a snazzy new hard drive with lots of “Gigs” and “Bytes”, so MoSop could save even more photos, and become a speedier blogging queen. The family was also tired of receiving continual “exception errors” and “low memory” warnings every time they logged in.

But unfortunately, there were complications. Continue reading →