To every woman...

...for every woman is a Mother.

Thank you to all of the wonderful women in my life!

Teaching Charity?

What a beautiful video and what an example Heber J. Grant is to us all. What do you do to teach your children to be more charitable amidst all of the wants, the constant "need" for more or better, and the feelings of greed that sometimes can accompany this season, among other times of the year?

Really, I'd love to hear how you mold the young minds and hearts in your home to think less of what is under the tree and more about others. Please share.

New Videos Created from Friend Magazine Articles

So I was recently sent this short video from Sun Swing Media to review and share with all of you. They are a new company that is creating short videos based off of stories found in the Friend magazine.  The video I watched is called, “The Decision.”  It costs $1 to download and the money goes toward making the next short video called, “ The Do-Gooders.” 

The video is about pornography and is geared toward young children.  It is sad that it has come to the point when talking about pornography can’t be put off until older years but pornography is there and it is there early. 

At first I wondered how young people would respond to the quite simple animations but I knew that the simple yet profound story-line would be perfect for young audiences.  So I tested it on my 4 year old and I think his review is much more significant than mine.  Although I must say that an article I read said it was geared more toward 6-12 year olds.

I started the video for my little boy and he immediately seemed engaged.  Afterward, he instantly asked if he could watch it again.  I played it one more time and then we talked.  I asked him what the video was about and he answered “pornography”.  We talked about what happened and he definitely recognized the good choice that the boys made in the film and how proud all of their parents were of them.  After our short discussion he asked, “Could I watch it again sometime if I want to?”  I said yes and told him that we could maybe watch it for FHE sometime and he said, “We should’ve watched that video last night for FHE.”

So if you can’t tell, my 4 year old seemed to enjoy it quite a bit and he seemed to comprehend the important principles taught in the video. I would recommend the video to anyone with young children.

Here is a small portion of the video:

You can download “The Decision” for $1 HERE.

You can learn more about Sun Swing Media HERE.

You can read the original story in the Friend HERE.
Sun Swing Media even has an FHE lesson plan you can use HERE.

Can You Help Me Discipline? A better way. A teaching way. A new way.

This is last night's post "Calling All Discipline Experts" with a new title.  I guess no one feels like an "expert". ;)  But I really would love some responses.  I feel like this was a powerful talk and a powerful realization when reading this specific line.  I am sure we could all benefit from each other's words.  Please Share!

I just re-read Elder Robbin's talk from Conference again. It was one of my favorites. I am excited because we get to discuss it in Relief Society this Sunday.  And it has given me much to think about.

I hadn't noticed this line when I'd read it before and boy did it shoot out to me this time:

"We will never have a greater opportunity to teach and show Christlike attributes to our children than in the way we discipline them."

Yikes!  I need to work on this.  Often I think I do exactly the opposite.  Sometimes I end up being the one in the wrong. I react too quickly, or too loudly, or just simply overreact. Not good. 

I loved some of the ideas that he gave in the talk about disciplining but I'd love to hear more.  What do you do to make sure you keep your cool in a heated moment?  What types of consequences do you use?  I want to cease the opportunity to teach Christlike attributes rather than give them examples of how NOT to act.  Let the ideas roll.

You "Saved" the Day

I've had a lot on my mind.  Change. Newness. New goals.  BECOMING something better.  Creating.  Desires.  Priorities. Time. 

I've determined it is time to Simplify and to Organize. Some things are going to slip away and some new things may take their places. 

I am one who gets overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious pretty easily and yet I tend to add things to my plate by my own choice.  Good things.  But there are better.

We just got back from a vacation and while we were traveling near a larger city my husband took a wrong turn and we ended up downtown with two tired children (it was bedtime) one of them crying.  I was grumpy, impatient, and frustrated (this was not the first time this has happened ;) I was getting after him and saying things like, "why didn't you just go the way we came?"  On and on.  Contention.  Then just as we were about to get back on the freeway in the right direction my son said, very enthusiastically, "It's okay Mom.  It's good.  We saw flags.  You saved the day!"  He felt the contention and in his 4 year old way brought a smile to my face. I didn't even see any flags but to him that drive, that wrong turn saved the day because of a few simple flags! And I was again reminded that I need to find joy in each moment and strive to be positive.  Later I found out that despite my pessimism and criticisim in that moment that little adventure that led us downtown was one of my husbands favorite moments from the trip.  He enjoys exploring new places.  But there I was and I couldn't see it.  I couldn't see that moment with my family with eyes of joy.

Then today I taught the lesson in Relief Society on families and again was reminded that I need to enjoy and take hold of each moment as a Mother not just get through each day but SAVE each moment and cherish it.  Not just go about my agenda but grasp those small moments in time that truly matter.

And then yet again I came across another reminder in this video. It is too perfect for all of the thoughts I have been having. I think the Lord is trying to teach me:



Let us all cherish the moments that matter most. Let us all try to "Save" and enjoy each day and recognize each moment for what it is. Let us all recognize the things that need to slip from our lives so that we might simplify and have our eyes opened to the joy that those little moments bring.

Summer Reading Plans

Do you have any?  I don't have any specifics figured out but reading to and with my children (and maybe some personal reading) is a definite must this Summer.  And yep, school is out, and summer is rolling (well not officially), the time is now. 

Our library has a Summer Reading Program where kids get prizes for reading 3 hours each week.  I am sure that many libraries do something similar.  I plan on signing up like I did last Summer only maybe being a little more consistent about it. ;) We read but we didn't make it to the library as often has we should have.

With that said, THIS has got my head churning.  For me and my kids.  I love it. The Friend is so "smart" I mean really. Yea, we hold a short family scripture study and yea we hold weekly Family Home Evenings but a simple Gospel reading schedule meant just for little ones.  Perfect.  Yea, there will be If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and Fancy Nancy, and The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar...but the Friend, the Scriptures, the Articles of Faith.  Oh, this will be good.

What are your plans? How do you keep your kids brains fired up and pages turning? 

Family Fun Times: How Do You Do Things At Your House?

So a few weeks back I was perusing through Deseret Book and I came across this book (you can read additional ideas here). I didn't have the urge to buy it but did find it fun to read through a few of the ideas in the store.  I loved reading these great ideas that other families have implemented into their homes to help create stronger bonds, to have fun together, and to teach strong values.  Everyone has traditions, techniques, systems, and ideas for how they do things and I thought it would be fun for us to share some of them here.

Here are a few that the book includes:

THE BROTHER BANK
A Shared Reward Encourages Two Siblings to Get Along

"Whenever my husband or I "catch" one of our boys, Alex, age eight, or Grant, four, doing something nice for the other, such as helping to build a complicated toy, we reward the behavior by giving him a quarter to put in their joint brother bank. They can spend the money any way they want, such as on ice cream or a movie, so long as they agree on the treat. I've shared this idea with many of my friends, and they all tell me it's helped their kids act more kindly toward one another." -- Joni Gaynor, Anaheim Hills, California

SHARE THOUGHTS IN A TALKING CHAIR
Give Kids a Special Place to Express Themselves

"To encourage her children to open up about what's on their minds, Denise Vega of Englewood, Colorado, designated a comfy armchair in the living room as the Talking Chair. It's a place the kids can head to when they need some alone time with Mom or Dad. In the Talking Chair, Zachary, age eight, Jesse, six, and Rayanne, three, discuss whatever they want, with "no judging, no reprimands," says Denise, "just listening and, if necessary, talking to figure things out." The real key: all conversations are private, "with no one listening in."

MAGIC MOMMY DUST
Disperse Fears with a Quick Sprinkle

"In my house, Magic Mommy dust solves all kinds of problems. For instance, whenever one of my kids, Josh, age nine, or Claire, six, has trouble falling asleep at night and is afraid of something -- such as, monsters under the bed. I reach into my pocket for some invisible magic dust -- I sprinkle it around the room, under the bed, and on his or her face while saying, 'Magic Mommy Dust, work your magic!' It soothes their fears immediately. I've even put it in coat pockets before school when one of them has needed a little extra assurance. We all now believe in its power to make everyone feel safe and loved." -- Vicky DeCoster, Papillon, Nebraska

If you have any fun traditions or ideas that you implement in your homes to help create stronger bonds, to have fun together, and/or to teach strong values please share.

Baby Jesus Makes Me Feel Happy

I have had a post on my mind for a while now but know it will take some time to get all of my thoughts out and organized and time has been lacking so I thought it was time that I atleast get something posted and switch gears from Thanksgiving to Christmas. 
The title of this post is one of my favorite lines that comes from a sweet little girl in this Mormon Message. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Scattergories: Acknowledging the Little Things

In a previous post, "What Are You Thankful For?" an anonymous commenter left this fun idea:

"One game that I've played with Primay and Youth Groups is similar to a popular game.

Write every letter of the alphabet on the left hand side of a piece of paper (one piece of paper for wach person). Then set a time limit and have everyone write something they are grateful for that starts with that letter (A = atonement, apples, aunts, etc.).

The goal is to write something that no one else will write. Then when time is up, go around the room and start reading your list (if you have a big group, choose a letter out of a hat and just do those). You get points for each "Unique" answer. It's amazing what kind of answers you get."

What a great idea that would be fun with children, teenagers, and adults this week or even on Thanksgiving Day.  The thing I like about it most is that because you are trying to think of "unique" answers it will help those who are playing to recognize all of the little things that sometimes go unnoticed.

Just yesterday my son and I were throwing a ball back and forth sharing things that we are thankful for.  He said many different things like, my family, my cousins, garbage trucks, my toys.  You know the kinds of things that a 3 year old might say but then he said, "I'm thankful that my Mommy plays games with me." I just about melted my heart and I could tell that he had really thought about it.  Also among the mix I added my gratitude for diapers and he laughed and laughed. I am grateful for diapers.  And I am really grateful for laughter, especially the laughter of children. I think this game of Thanksgiving Scattergories could be a good addition to this special week of remembering all of the little things (and big) that we are so grateful for.

This video is a great reminder of all the wonderful and beautiful things that surround us that sometimes go unnoticed:



Even though I already made a similar list I thought I'd make a quick list from A-Z of things that I am grateful for (feel free to add a comment with your list):

A - Answers
B - Bandaids
C - Cheese
D - Dancing
E - Elevators
F - Fingers
G - Garages (Don't currently have one but will be grateful when we do.)
H - Handsome Husband
I - Insects
J - Joy
K - Kisses
L - Lunch
M - Matches
N - Noise
O - Onions
P - Paper
Q - Quiet
R - Red
S - Sunny Days
T - Tubs
U - Upper Teeth
V - Vegetables
W - Walks
X - Xylophones
Y - Youth
Z - Zippers'

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

Intentionally Keeping Our Families Afloat

I was asked to speak this last Sunday about families. It was such a broad topic that I felt I had so many directions I could go but very quickly came thoughts that stemmed from a previous post that I wrote and a post that Stephanie at DiapersandDivinity wrote. So if you read either of those posts than you will recognize some similarities. The thoughts from both are intertwined and expounded upon.

I was only able to give a small portion of my talk (it was a mission farewell and time was lacking) and so I thought that I'd share my talk here for you all to read. Sorry for the lack of pictures and for the length but I hope you'll read on and enjoy!

First, take a look at this video and notice the paranoia of this Dad. 

Yes, he might seem quite paranoid and over the top but it is very apparent that he had very intentionally decked his kids out in these floaties to "keep them safe".

In contrast a several months back I was talking to a mom who is not currently active in the Church who has a teenage son who had been struggling.  She made this statement to me, "I'm just holding my breath and hoping that everything turns out okay."

Because I had already been thinking about these things I immediately pictured her holding her breath under water trying to keep her son afloat and I realized that they were taking quite a risk. She can only hold her breath for so long and he doesn't have any floaties.

Do we sometimes find our families in this situation? Do we find ourselves treading water or that we constantly need to jump in after a child to rescue them?  Or that we are holding our breath trying to keep them afloat?
Or have we equipped our families with plenty of floating devices so that we can swim right along side each other without too much concern?

On the Mormon.org family page it says, "A loving and happy (and I add a righteous) family doesn’t happen by accident."

Sister Beck adds her voice on this topic by saying, "We have the responsibility and the challenge from the prophet to believe deeply and actively in the family. We will need to do that in order to preserve our families. That means we have to be intentional about everything we do.

 I have come up with 10 Spiritual Floaties that We Must Intentionally Equip Our Families With to Buoy Them High Above the Worldy Waters That Surround Us

1 – Be There – Elder Hales said, "Several years ago I was reading the newspaper when one of my young grandsons snuggled up to me. As I read, I was delighted to hear his sweet voice chattering on in the background. Imagine my surprise when, a few moments later, he pushed himself between me and the paper. Taking my face in his hands and pressing his nose up to mine, he asked, “Grandpa! Are you in there?”

Mother, Father, are you in there? Grandpa, Grandma, are you there? Being there means understanding the hearts of our youth and connecting with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too."

Do you have "newspaper" that you need to put aside to spend more time with your family?  Children and Youth, are you there?  We all need to make an intentional effort to be there with our families.

2 – Meal Time – Elder Hales said, "When we sit down at the dinner table, is our whole family there? I remember as a young man asking permission to play baseball through dinnertime. “Just put my meal in the oven,” I said to my mother. She responded, “Robert, I really want you to take a break, come home, be with the family for dinner, and then you can go out and play baseball until dark.” She taught all of us that where family meals are concerned, it’s not the food but the family interaction that nourishes the soul."

3 – Express Love – Elder Bednar said, "We simply should sincerely and frequently express love. Brethren and sisters, when was the last time you took your eternal companion in your arms and said, “I love you”? Parents, when was the last time you sincerely expressed love to your children? Children, when was the last time you told your parents that you love them?"

4 – Bear Testimony – Elder Bednar said, "Within the walls of our own homes, we can and should bear pure testimony. Brethren and sisters, when was the last time you bore testimony to your eternal companion? Parents, when was the last time you declared your witness to your children about the things you know to be true? And children, when was the last time you shared your testimony with your parents and family?"

5 – FHE - President Faust said, "Regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellow men, and trust in our Father in heaven. It is our promise that great blessings will come to all who conscientiously plan and hold weekly family home evenings.’ If we go forward with our family home evenings, our homes will be enriched and the gates of hell will not prevail against us”

6 – Family Scripture Study – Marion G. Romney said,  "I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness. … "

7 – Family Prayer - President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I submit that a return to the old pattern of prayer, family prayer in the homes of the people, is one of the basic medications that would check the dread disease that is eroding the character of our society. We could not expect a miracle in a day, but in a generation we would have a miracle” (Ensign, Feb 1991, 2).

8 – Church Attendance – President Benson said, "May I now direct your attention to the importance of attending all of your Church meetings. Faithful attendance at Church meetings brings blessings you can receive in no other way. Attend your sacrament meeting every Sunday. Listen carefully to the messages. Pray for the spirit of understanding and testimony."

9 – Temple Attendance - President Boyd K. Packer said, "No work is more of a protection to this church than temple work. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness. Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people” (The Holy Temple, 265).

10 – Teach Values – If we want children who are respectful we must intentionally teach respect.  If we want children who are hard working we must teach them to work.  If we want children who are kind we must teach them to be kind.

If we don’t make an INTENTIONAL DECISION to do these things and then follow through with INTENTIONAL EFFORT then we may never equip our families with the necessary floaties, or we may initially give them the floaties but then fail to continually pump them up.

Satan Uses 4 Traps to Lure Us Into Wordly Waters Without Spiritual Floaties

1. We are at “ease in Zion” and think “All is well” (2 Nephi 28:24-25). We think things like, “We are doing just fine. We go to church. We’ve got the basic techniques down.”
2. We are confused by our worldly wisdom. How will doing the small and simple things even make a difference or make great things come to pass (Alma 37:6-7)? We think things like, “It won’t make a difference if we miss FHE this week or don’t hold family scripture study. Floaties are so small they barely do anything.”
3. We are simply slothful (lazy) or forgetful (Alma 37-41-42). We think things like, “I don’t want to get the kids up for scripture study. Let’s just watch TV instead of FHE. We forgot family prayer AGAIN. Where did I put those “floaties”? I don’t feel like putting them on right now.”
4. We meet opposition – President Hinckley said, "The family is under attack. All across the world families are falling apart." We may think things like, “They are so hard to keep pumped up.  Or our families floaties already have holes in them.”

Satan IS working to lure us out into the worldly waters without our floaties but if we are intentionally equipping our families with them are families will be buoyed high above the worldly waters that surround us and we will be able to swim along side each other and have a loving, happy, righteous, and safe family. But without an intentional decision followed by intentional action or effort then Satan may lure us into one of his traps.

 Sister Beck shares this wonderful story of her very intentional family that was definitely kept afloat:

"My mother was an older single and living and loving life. She was introduced to my father, who was a young bishop and a widower with three children. (They married soon after.) She had had a lot of great experiences. Now all of a sudden she was a mother to three beautiful children.

As she and Daddy were traveling along on their honeymoon, she wanted to talk about how they were going to proceed with this family. What are our goals? What is our family going to be like? How are we going to do things in our family? She started writing the answers and their goals, she said, on a paper sack. It was the only paper she had. As they were talking, they said, “What do we want for our children? Are our children going to be married in the temple? Yes, they are. Okay, if we want our children to be married in the temple, what kinds of things do we have to teach them in our home? Well, we will have to have scripture study.” So they wrote that down.“How about family prayer?” Daddy said. “We already have family prayer. That is our habit.” “How about going to church?” Going to church every week was on the list. They wrote down things such as manners. “Are we going to teach our children to be polite?” That was a challenge for some of us. They made a goal about who was going to serve a mission. They certainly wanted their sons to serve missions and their daughters to serve missions if they had a desire. They made goals about education, university education, and so on. But Dad said, “Well, I’m not going to pay for it.” So Mother said, “Okay, then we’ll teach them to work.” So they wrote “work” after that.

And they began to develop the culture of their family, which was a Latter-day Saint culture.They were preparing their family to make the covenants and receive the ordinances they needed to prepare them for eternal life, and they knew that there were things their family had to do every day. They started out with family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and preparing children. I am so grateful for parents who were intentional about preparing a family.They created a personalized family plan for our family."

I know that if we determine to create a family that is run very intentionally, just as Sister Beck's parents, we will be blessed.  We will be blessed to have a more unified family.  We will be blessed to have a more righteous family.  We will be blessed to be closer to the Lord.  We will prepare our families for eternal life by equipping our families with floaties everyday.

2nd Semi-Annual No TV Week

So 6 months ago we held "NO TV WEEK" at our house and decided to make it a tradition.  There are actually two official no tv weeks on April 19-25 and the other September 19-25.  So officially "NO TV WEEK" is about to end but for us it is just about to begin. We have decided that our week (almost a week) of no tv would be the week just before conference.  So from Sunday-Friday no watching tv. Then the first thing that we'll watch at the close of our television fast will be General Conference on Saturday and Sunday.

During our "1st Semi-Annual No TV Week" I realized many things:

1. Many times when I turned the tv on there was something else that I should've been doing.
2. I used the television as a babysitter way too often.
3. I had my attention divided between the tv, the laundry (or some other task), and my kids rather than just being with them.
4. The TV was my first go to when I was board, tired, or plain lazy.
5. Having minimal external voices filling our home helped to prepare us to hear the word of the Lord at Conference.

Now funny thing is that I just wrote those all in past-tense. Ha!  I am still has lazy and selfish has I was 6 months ago and that, my friends, is why this is a Semi-Annual event and who knows one day it may become a more frequent one.  I definitely need reminders. :)

So please, FEEL FREE TO JOIN US IN OUR

2nd SEMI-ANNUAL NO TV WEEK - September 26 - October 1
(Leave a comment at let us know if you plan to join in the fun,
this may serve as a little extra motivation and accountability in following through.)

And just in case you need even a little more motivation read these quotes from a previous post or click on the following links to read two complete posts:

I challenge us to change this stat within the walls of our homes:
"American children and adolescents (and I'd add some adults) spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV."-- The Kaiser Family Foundation

And far too often those hours spent are in watching programs that are far from uplifting:
“Again I say, leave it alone. Turn it off, walk away from it, burn it, erase it, destroy it. I know it is hard counsel we give when we say movies that are R-rated, and many with PG-13 ratings, are produced by satanic influences. Our standards should not be dictated by the rating system. I repeat, because of what they really represent, these types of movies, music, tapes, etc. serve the purposes of the author of all darkness.”
-Elder H. Burke Peterson

What a bold statement that a lot of the media out there is "produced by satanic influences" and "serve the purposes of the author of all darkness". It is scary to think that we often are allowing satan to be our entertainer. We are allowing him to keep us company, to make us laugh, and to fill our minds with his filth. We must be so careful to not allow the rating system to determine our standards but allow our conscience and our personal standards to do so.  And sometimes Satan is simply striving to make us idle away our time and distract us from what is most important.


TV, Television, the Tube, Flat Screen?
A Little Experiment

And while you're televisions are off you'll have plenty of time to prepare your family for conference.  I will have a Pre-General Conference post coming sometime this weekend. 

Sibling Love

This video made me think of a portion of this scripture: "And ye will not suffer your children that they...fight and quarrel one with another..."

My 3 year old and 10 month old are already pretty good at the whole sibling rivalry thing and I can see that it is only going to get worse.

How do you help your children to get along? What are some things that have brought your children and family closer together? I sure could use a little help in this department.

Are You In There?

Are you in there? Or are you in your own world? Are you focused on the things that you want to do or feel like you should do or do you put YOUR things aside and take interest in YOUR CHILDREN'S wants and needs on a consistent basis? I know I too often am thinking of the next thing I need or want to do while in the midst of "giving my children attention." I need to work on giving them my full and undivided attention and simply forget about my agenda or my list and think about what is important on theirs. I needed this wake up call.

Elder Perry said, "Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer, one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud, one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world."
-"Mothers Teaching Children in the Home," Ensign, May 2010, 30

How do you make sure you spend the time and are "in there" for your children? How do you balance your agenda with the things that are REALLY important?

Q and A: How do you do daily scripture study with young children?

I think we are all looking for new ways to help us hold family scripture study with young ones. Let's get some ideas rolling.

*Thanks for another great question from Mrs. Mordecai over at "Be it Ever so Humble"

Here are a few links to posts I have written in the past. You'll see that our scripture study is an ever changing thing.

Family Scripture Study with Young Children

Family Scripture Study Ideas

Topical Family Scripture Study

Gospel Art Family Scripture Study

New Family Scripture Study Method

"My New Life" - A Beautiful Mother

I hope that I can learn to cherish the moments I have with my children, the wonderful moments I have in this life. I hope that I can push through the hard times and trust in the Lord. What a wonderful example Stephanie Nielson is of this. What a wonderful Mother.



I hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!

Is There an Echo In Here?

"Do I have to?"

"I'll do it later."

"In a minute."

"But I was going to play."

"I don't have time right now."

"After I watch this show."

Silence. "I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."

"I know I said I would, I just forgot."

Sound familiar? Of course, right? Coming from the mouth of your kids, oh uh just kidding, wait second, turn that finger around. Someone in my ward gave a talk and shared phrases like this about children and their responses to our requests and I thought, uh that's us. Not just kids. Anyone. Is there an echo in here?

Do you echo those types of phrases when the Spirit asks something of you?

"We cannot expect the Holy Ghost to keep helping us if we ignore His promptings. Even if the answer is not what we want or if the effort He asks of us seems too great, we must be willing to do as He directs. Otherwise, we risk losing contact with the Holy Ghost and thus His comfort and direction. "

I had a wake up call when I realized my children and I shared those responses. Time to act quickly, to not ignore, to respond as instruments, and to respond cheerfully and willingly.

No more echos. I will do it. I will do it now. I will make time for this because it is important. I did hear that and I won't forget do respond. I will do it now or write it down.

I really shouldn't have made everyone turn their finger around because maybe you are really good at this. Do you have an experience when you listened to a prompting and were blessed? Or even maybe an experience that taught you because you didn't follow through?

Is Your Family Floating?

Paddle, paddle, kick, kick, sink, sink, HELP!!!. Learning to swim can be tough. Do your kids know how to swim? Most of us can answer yes to this question (unless your children are too young). Did they take a class or did you teach them? Either way they had to learn certain techniques somehow to keep their head above water. But even when they finally can venture out and do a little paddling and kicking solo we like to send them on their way with some added protection - wonderful cute little floaties. Not to mention we don't mind when there is a pair of eyes perched up above watching just in case their life guard expertise is in need.

Recently I was talking with a mom who has a struggling teen and her words struck me, "I'm just holding my breath and hoping that everything turns out okay."

Because this post was already in the works I immediately pictured her holding her breath under water trying to keep her son afloat and I realized that they were taking quite a risk. She can only hold her breath for so long and he doesn't have any floaties.

Have you given your kids oodles of floaties...

...spiritual floaties?

They need them. And maybe we as parents should grasp the paranoia of this Dad and plaster our kids with their protective floaties even though our children at times may roll their eyes at us. We can't afford to have their heads sink below the water because they can only hold their breath for so long and eventually will gasp in some of the worldly waters.


But why do some of us not give our kids the floaties and if we did initially why don’t we continually pump them up?

The scriptures give us three reasons:

1. We are at “ease in Zion” and think “All is well” (2 Nephi 28:24-25). We think things like, “We are doing just fine. We go to church. We’ve got the basic techniques down.”

2. We are confused by our worldly wisdom. How will doing the small and simple things even make a difference or make great things come to pass (Alma 37:6-7)? We think things like, “It won’t make a difference if we miss FHE this week or don’t hold family scripture study. Floaties are so small they barely do anything.”

3. We are simply slothful (lazy) or forgetful (Alma 37-41-42). We think things like, “I don’t want to get the kids up for scripture study. Let’s just watch TV instead of FHE. We forgot family prayer AGAIN. Where did I put those “floaties”? I don’t feel like putting them on right now.”

When we choose not to pump up or use our floaties our children begin to sink and we do not progress in our journey. Our families experience afflictions (Alma 37:42) because of our contentment, or our worldly wisdom, or our laziness.

But if we realize the risks in not putting the floaties on and listen to the counsel we’ve been given we can prepare our families so that our heads will not sink even remotely close to the worldly waters.

In General Conference Elder Andersen said, “In our world today, each child, each young man and young woman needs his or her own conversion to the truth. Each needs his or her own light, his or her own “steadfast and immovable” faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, independent of parents, youth leaders, and supportive friends.

Like Elder Andersen said, our children need to have their own foundation, their own testimonies, their own techniques but as they learn they will also need protective floaties and they will continually need air pumped into them to keep their heads high above the worldly waters that may drown them spiritually. They will need the extra protection that comes from doing the Small and Simple things. Because by doing small and simple things great things are brought to pass (Alma 37:6-7).

Here are four small and simple floaties that will buoy our families high above the potential drowning effects of worldly waters (and that promised buoyancy is indeed a great thing that will come to pass):

Family Prayer - President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I submit that a return to the old pattern of prayer, family prayer in the homes of the people, is one of the basic medications that would check the dread disease that is eroding the character of our society. We could not expect a miracle in a day, but in a generation we would have a miracle” (Ensign, Feb 1991, 2).

Scripture Study - President Ezra Taft Benson: “The Book of Mormon will change your life. It will fortify you against the evils of our day. It will bring spirituality into your life that no other book will. It will be the most important book you will read in preparation for a mission and for life. A young [person] who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teachings will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord” (Ensign, May 1986, 43).

Family Home Evening - President James E. Faust:“’Regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellow men, and trust in our Father in heaven. It is our promise that great blessings will come to all who conscientiously plan and hold weekly family home evenings.’ This is as true today as it was almost 30 years ago. If we go forward with our family home evenings, our homes will be enriched, our wards and branches will grow and prosper, our lives will be purified, and the gates of hell will not prevail against us” (Ensign, Jun ‘03, 2–6).

Temple Attendance - President Boyd K. Packer: "No work is more of a protection to this church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness. Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people” (The Holy Temple, 265).

Let us recognize the need for our children to have their own techniques, their own testimonies, but also let us recognize that to keep their testimonies strong and to protect them from the raging waters of the world we must give them spiritual floaties and continually pump them up. We must strive to do the “small and simple” things and if we do we are promised great things.

The Time Has Come and I'm Excited...General Conference April 2010 Is Just Around the Corner

Last Conference was full of wonderful moments like these:

And all of these young people enjoyed the words of Prophets and Apostles:


So how can we help our children and youth to participate more in Conference this time around?

The Church has come out with a General Conference Page which includes activities for children along with many other great resources. Some of the activities would be great to do before conference and some are meant to be used during conference. Yea! I love all of the help we can find online to engage our children in General Conference.

Below are a few more links that have some great ideas and printables:

Melanie Day's General Conference Packets

Sugardoodle General Conference Page

My Past General Conference Posts (Some include links to printables/games)

How do you plan to involve your children in this wonderful spiritual weekend? Let's hear some ideas of how you do things in your home to engage both your little ones and your teens. Let us prepare this week to listen to Prophets and Apostles, to be taught, and to be guided. Yea, Conference!!!

A Fumigated Room and a Late Night Prayer

So the day started with a visit from Grandma and a fun little Aunt. Our little man and his fun Aunt played and played. They had fun together.

Then the night came and a not so good night when it comes to sleep. First he woke up and my husband went to his room and soon after came back to sleep. Then he woke up again and I took a turn. The instance I entered his room I noticed a very strong smell. It was a smell that I did not recognize but as I tried to help our little guy get back to sleep I felt more and more nervous about it. I finally headed back downstairs and stirred my husband to ask him if he noticed the strong smell in his room. He hadn't. I was shocked that he didn't notice anything because it was so incredibly powerful to me. I really didn't want to wake our little boy up and move him out of his room but I felt anxious about keeping him there in that "smell".

So my husband went up for one more trip to his room to see if his nose could get a whiff. While he investigated I prayed that I would know what to do and that I would receive peace about the situation and be able to go back to sleep. He returned again without smelling a thing and I felt torn between a nose that smelled nothing and my nose that smelled a lot. I laid in bed a little longer still feeling anxious and finally I felt strongly that I needed to go back up to his room. And so I did.

I felt like a magnet. I opened his door and caught a huge gust of the smell up my nose and then suddenly I recalled our little guy and his little Auntie playing with some modeling clay, and then in complete darkness I made my way directly to a particular shelf and found his playdough board covered in fume releasing balls of clay. The answer to this prayer came so clearly, a thought followed by such detailed directions to the culprit. It really wasn't directions my body almost seemed to move by itself to find the problem and to bring peace to my heart. Now I don't think that my little boy was in any danger from the fumes coming from that modeling clay but I do know that I was a worried Mom who needed an answer and my prayer was not forgotten.

Beauty and Fulfillment Amidst Warm-ups and Accidents

A few of our recent days went a little something like this:

Day 1

3:30 Accident

3:40 Accident

3:50 Accident

4:50 Accident

6:00 In the Potty

7:00 Accident

Day 2

11:50 In the Potty

1:00 Accident

3:00 Accident

4:15 In the Potty

5:40 In the Potty

7:00 Accident**

And all along this fun clean-up fest of joy our other little one would take a short nap here and another short nap there and in between, grumpiness--cranky, ornery, grumpiness. Lets just say on a normal day I would have curled up, jumped right on in, and joined her, but not this day. On this day I was taught.

After dinner with dishes still undone and a once again grumpy baby I turned the radio and started to dance with her. She began to smile and then her eyes began to roll. She was falling asleep for the fifteenth time that day but I just kept swaying and moving to the music. We ended up in the living room just the two of us. As I rocked and swayed I caught a glimpse of myself in a fuzzy reflection in our tv. Messy pony tail. Warm-ups. T-shirt. And a Baby in my arms. I felt beautiful. I felt fulfilled. Really? Looking like this? On a day of cleaning up puddle after puddle? Yes, even on this day I felt those things very strongly. I was being taught and bouyed up.

In the background I caught a glimpse of the Proclamation hanging on our wall and on top of our tv I noticed the picture of the temple. I felt blessed.

Some might say that "I am just a Mom" and that my life is "mundane" and "ordinary" and sometimes I can feel that way but on this day I found my role "spectucular" and important:

“Occasionally some individuals let the seeming ordinariness of life dampen their spirits. Though actually coping and growing, others lack the quiet, inner-soul satisfaction that can steady them, and are experiencing instead, a lingering sense that there is something more important they should be doing . . .as if what is quietly achieved in righteous individual living or in parenthood are not sufficiently spectacular"(Elder Neal A. Maxwell).

Motherhood should be sufficiently spectacular even in warm-ups, cleaning up puddles.

**Days since are getting much better. More "In the Potty" rather than "Accidents." Yea, Progress!