General Conference Flyer

Last year we started a new General Conference tradition. I designed a flyer, had it printed and we delivered them to 100 of our neighbors (mostly via mailbox). This year I thought I would share a freebie in case anyone else wanted to adopt the tradition too. I have included a square file and a 4 X 6 that has two per print (right click, save and upload to your printer of choice). I'm thinking we will pass ours out for family night the day after Easter. What a great way to bring people unto Christ! Happy flyering!

The Three Pigs: Good, Better, Best

I have mentioned before that one of my goals is to observe my children and their interests and plan learning activities for them according to those interests. If I can tie it back to the gospel it's a bonus! I've been hearing a lot of "huffing and puffing" and "blow your house in" lately. So when I happened upon "The Three Pigs" at the library I had to snag it. 

So here is how this morning's book project went down.

We started with construction paper, a paper lunch bag, marker, some scissors, glue and tape, and a blow-dryer. I drew the wolf's face and then had S cut it out. We glued it to the bag, cut a hole under the snout to put the blow-dryer in and a hole in the back to let the blow-dryer breathe. No real scorched wolf buns here.Voila!

Next, we created our houses out of drinking "straws", sticks from the yard and Lego "bricks." 

S and I adapted the "Wise Man and Foolish Man" song to teach us the "good, better, best" principle:

The GOOD pig built his house out of straw (repeat 3 times)

and the wolf came to blow it down.

Oh the wolf blew around and around and around (repeat 3 times)

And the house out of straw fell down.

The BETTER pig built his house out of sticks (repeat 3 times)

and the wolf came to blow it down.

Oh the wolf blew around and around and around (repeat 3 times)

And the house out of sticks fell down.

The BEST pig built his house out of bricks (repeat 3 times)

and the the wolf came to blow it down.

Oh the wolf blew around and around and around (repeat 3 times)

And the house out of bricks stood still.

"We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families." (Good, Better, Best, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Oct. 2007)

We talked briefly about this principle and applied it to our lives. Here's the example I used:

Good - Play with toys and read books

Better - Sit at the table for dinner with books and toys. 

Best - Come to the table without any distractions, ready to eat and spend quality family time together.

After our houses were built, the wolf went around and knocked at each pig's door. They loved it! S really got into it. "Little pig, little pig let me come in!" "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!" Then the wolf would try to blow down the house. The blow-dryer worked pretty well, although the wolf needed to use his nose a little to knock the rest of the stick house down. My littlest guy (7 months) thought it was hilarious too. Score!

As each pig's house got blown down, we talked about the examples in our lives we can lean on for help when making choices. Just like the good and better pigs leaned on the best pig in the end. It may seem easier at times to not make the best choice, but in the long run it pays off. Strength and safety comes from making the best choices and following Jesus. 

My kids immediately knew the answer to "who does the wolf represent?" "Satan!" We wrapped up our show by reading Helaman 5:12. When we follow the example of Jesus, our rock, we will be able to stand firm against anything Satan blows or throws our way. 

This might just be my favorite learning activity we have done so far. There was something for everyone. Building, singing, cutting, pasting, acting, memorization, counting, and more.

Of course, when Daddy got home we had to put the show on for him too! Add repetition and peer-teaching to the list. Success!

Humility: Thinking Less About Ourselves Not Less of Ourselves

Happy Sunday!

Don't you love Sundays? Sweet, simple Sundays are my favorite! I've been MIA lately, but making it a goal to show my face around here a little more. I got food poisoning a few weeks ago and one good thing that came from it was my desire to be unplugged. I literally had no energy to want to go downstairs and sit at the laptop or even use my Kindle. I did, however, learn a lesson in gratitude. As I've mentioned before, my church recently had our semi-annual General Conference. One of the talks that I loved was from President Uchtdorf entitled "Grateful in Any Circumstances" and it has really stuck with me. I know that being grateful leads to happiness. Why? Because when I am complaining, being pessimistic, etc. there is a tangible difference in my mood. Just ask my husband! :)

I can remember sitting in the bathtub trying to get some relief from the nasty feeling I had all over (but mostly in my stomach) and this talk came to mind. So I started thinking what I could be grateful for that day. "I'm grateful for my Mom being here to take care of me and the kids while the Husby was gone (lifesaver). I'm grateful for my sweet angel babies who let me lay around the house all day and play with them half consciously. I'm thankful I kept that tiny, disgusting meal in for longer than an hour." You know, the good things in life. :) There are always some, even if we feel we have to dig at times.

Anyways...that's not what I want to write about today. I just thought I should explain my absence a little. I may or may not have skipped the other part where I was totally capable, but lacking in motivation. :) The real issue that has been on my mind has something to do with humility.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of humility? I think of love. I've been thinking a lot about what our culture focuses on: the negative. Now, of course, not everything is negative. However, I've noticed that quite often within our relationships we tend to share the negative stories or happenings of our lives instead of the good. It's almost like we are embarrassed to share that we are living a happy life because we don't want others to feel bad or to give the impression that we think we are perfect. I have done this! I noticed that I had a tendency to complain about this or that in my life if there was a pause in conversation or maybe because I thought I'd be able to relate better to someone if I did. It has been a goal of mine for some time to reverse my conversations toward the good. So what in the world does this have to do with humility, right? I'm getting there! :)

In another talk President Uchtdorf gave, he addressed a common misunderstading of humility and its true meaning. He said,

            "Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing  ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves."

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! It makes me think of Ammon in the Book of Mormon who, when accused of boasting, simply said he was not boasting of himself, but of the goodness of God in allowing him to use his God-given abilities to help others. Alma 26: 11. Look it up. It's good!

I think also of my sweet little two-year-old who will genuinely say almost every day, "I'm so good at doing puzzles. I'm so good at..." If only we too could become more like a little child. Not being ashamed to share the talents God has given us in fear of what others will think of us or even better what others will think we think of ourselves. Confused you, yet? 

Since I set my goal to complain less, talk more about good things and be more grateful in my conversations with others I have felt a difference in the way I view life. Sure there is tons of bad stuff going on and I forget my goal occasionally, but the good is like North Carolina pollen in the springtime--it's everywhere! I may cause a few people who don't know me well to think "Man that girl thinks very highly of herself" but you know what, that's not important to me anymore. 

I'd say my main motivation is my children. They watch me and listen to me even when I think they aren't paying attention. If I want them to grow up embracing the talents God has given them, being grateful, and not complaining or focusing on the negative, I too have to act this way. It feels better, too. Bonus!!!

I encourage us all to make a goal to only focus on the positive in our interactions with others this week. Even, well, especially within our families. Let's try harder to let our light shine and not to hide our God-given talents in fear of what others will think or in fear that we are not being "humble." It's those moments that stick with others and encourage them to find the Light. "Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world," said Elder Holland in this last conference. "Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father's purposes," President Uchtdorf went on to say.

Be confident, have a grateful heart, and try your best to use the gifts God has given you to love others. He is smiling ear to ear and so pleased when you do. Nothing feels better than knowing He is pleased with the choices you are making. Sure we're not perfect and He doesn't expect us to be. Line upon line. "Perfect love casteth out all fear." (Moroni 8:16) When we feel accepted by God we need not the acceptance of others. 

Good luck this week. I'd love to hear if you noticed a difference in your life. 

Live to love and love to live!!! 

We Were Made To Be Courageous

Happy Sunday!

Don't you love a quiet, restful Sunday? This Sunday is especially awesome because we have "pajama church" as my friend calls it. Yesterday was such a wonderful and inspiring day and how grateful I am for technology. The conference talks will be up on the web in no time and quotes from each speaker are already finding their way around the internet.

I love patterns and themes. Each conference I look for a common theme. The husband and I were talking tonight and both agreed that the themes were "courage not compromise" and charity. We must be different from the world to make a difference in this world especially as moral standards are being confused and distorted. God's laws never change. As Elder Nelson put it earlier today, "Even if 'everyone is doing it,' wrong is never right." It's not always easy to be courageous, actually oftentimes it is not, but it's worth it EVERY TIME when standing for what's right. I find that having an eternal perspective helps me do as Elder Nelson encouraged: "let my faith show" or shine on! I'll do whatever it takes to return to my Heavenly Father and Savior and live with my sweet family for eternity. It's not enough to "remember who we are." We must "stand up for who we are" with courtesy and compassion as Elder Holland says.

As I was trying to think of a photo to put with this scripture in Deuteronomy that I love the perfect one came to mind. Last Halloween I dressed the kids up as Dorothy and her brave "Tigger." It's what we had and they were so darn cute. My courageous little Tigger boy. Doesn't he just look like he's ready to take on the world one pounce out a time?  (I couldn't resist)

I am one that always has a song in my heart. So, of course, each time I go to write a new post a song that fits just perfectly pops in my head. As I was writing this I was rocking out to Courageous by Casting Crowns. If you have not seen that movie please, oh please, oh please do! When asked if I have a favorite movie I usually have a hard time coming up with one. Not anymore. I love love love this movie. Dad's grab your own box of tissues. It's a movie about fatherhood but is applicable to all of us wherever we are in our life journey. It's done by a Sherwood Baptist Church and they did a fantastic job. It's my goal to seek the good in this world. Good to know there is still some out there.

Check out the trailer below. If you don't see the movie at least watch the music video under the trailer. This movie has changed the way we look at life and has motivated us to be better all around but especially as husband and wife and parents.

We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We will be the generation
That finally breaks the chains
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous
...

We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord, make us courageous

Enjoy!

Courageous Movie Trailer
Courageous by Casting Crowns

General Conference Tradition

I have been trying to come up with traditions that will help my kiddos remember important moments. LDS General Conference is this weekend and it is definitely important to us. Read more about it here. I have this tendency to want to go all out. However, I have found that the stress is just not worth it anymore. I think after the first several late nights of last minute super ideas I came to the realization that simple is best.

Last conference Little Miss Sunshine (S) was 2 and my Twinkly-eyed boy (E) was 6 months. I chose two activities:

1. General Conference Wall (Idea from here). I taped pictures of common gospel topics. Every time the topic was mentioned we got to look inside the sheet protector for a surprise i.e. a page of stickers from the $1 bin at Target. 
2. General Conference Easter eggs (Idea from here). I taped a picture of each of the prophets and apostles faces on a plastic Easter egg and filled each of them with goldfish, pretzels or a few chocolate chips. You could use non-food items too like stickers. Each time one of the prophets spoke we would open their egg.

The best part about both of these was that they took a total of 10 minutes to prepare. My kind of tradition! Kids of all ages love Easter eggs too. Saturday I think we will go for a drive in the Canyon while listening. I'm sure there will be some kind of sweet treat involved on Sunday morning too while we watch Music and the Spoken Word (Watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Live). It starts at 9:30 MDT every Sunday. You don't want to miss it.

I plan to do the same thing this year and possibly have a few coloring pages out for S. S loved the eggs and I was shocked at how well she could dig in the bucket and pick out the right egg. Children are amazing! My kiddos really love and look forward to the music too. I have found that the fewer items to play with the better they are able to focus on each and they actually pay attention to conference too. Crazy, right?  Just remember-Simple Is Best! Tried and tested but I'll save that for a future post.

Lastly, I wanted to share something new I started this year leading up to conference. Several weeks ago I went to the Media Library on lds.org, downloaded all the prophets pictures and printed them at Target. I simply taped them to our kitchen window-I love, love, love that window-and wrote their names above their pictures in window crayons. Every meal time for the past two weeks we have practiced their names. S turns three this Summer. Repetition really works even at two. It's a good way for her to learn their names and learn the organizational structure of the Church. I ask her who is that and she tells me their name or I'll ask her to point to President or Elder so and so. After each one speaks we will write the topic of their talk under their picture. We may just keep it up for another couple months. She knows the First Presidency, President Packer, and Elder Perry. Hey, I'll take it! If she can recognize them in just 2 weeks she'll definitely have them all down by the time she is 18, right? 

Just today I set E up on the window seat and he pointed at a picture, looked at me and then grunted and moved to the next. Hmmm....wonder where he learned that? Children love to learn and it is quite thrilling to see them learn such important things at such a young age. They need all the tools they can get and as early as possible nowadays.

If you are looking for some ideas for General Conference check out my pinterest board here. There are tons of ideas which can be overwhelming. Just pick a few and call it good. Enjoy!

What is LDS General Conference?

***I've had many conversations recently about what I believe. There are many out there that will tell you what they "think" a Mormon or Latter-day Saint believes. There is always some truth mixed in. A good example is the Book of Mormon musical. Although I have not seen it, the reviews I've read have shown that the musical definitely doesn't give a true representation of what a Mormon believes. However, it has piqued an interest in many and encouraged individuals to go to the real sources for answers which I think is great. For this reason, I am going to address one topic each week about what Mormons believe on this blog. I will try my best to answer any and all of your questions. Ask away!  Another great place to find answers to questions is Mormon.org. Check out my profile here. ***

Today I will start with the simple who, what,where, when and why's of General Conference.

Who is invited: The entire world.

What: A gathering of all the members of the church and friends throughout the world.

Where: In Salt Lake City, UT at the Conference Center. It is also broadcast in many languages to homes and church buildings throughout the world.

When: April 5 & 6, 2014 (every 6 months); 10:00 A MST and 2:00 P MST. The women and men organizations also meet separately: Women-the Saturday before (Mar 29); Men-April 5 at 6:00 P MST.

Why: To receive counsel from the living prophets as was done in biblical times.

Watch Live here.

I love the Prophet! He is such a wonderful, kind and Christ-like man. I know he is the Lord's mouthpiece on earth. It is a great privilege to be able to hear from him at least twice a year. He helps lead and guide us as members of Christ's church to do the things that will bring the most happiness. I will write more about the history and role of prophets in another post.

Here's a short one minute video about what to expect at General Conference:

It may sound strange to you that I really look forward to 10 hours of counsel and talks this weekend. However, General Conference is not just any meeting. We are advised to really prepare ourselves before attending. To name a few, we prepare by praying, reading our scriptures and thinking of possible questions we need answered. I can't even tell you how many times my questions have been answered through the inspiring words of the prophets. We use the words of the prophets as living and continuous scripture along with ancient scripture to help us through the trials of life. It's a great blessing to be able to receive counsel that relates directly to our lives. It's truly amazing to talk with others afterward and see which talk helped them the most and answered their prayers. The power of God is real. He loves us and wants to help us make it back to Him. I encourage you to watch some or all. I think you will be amazed at the warmth and peace you will feel. I always leave with a new found hope. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is amazing too. Happy conferencing!

Did you know that you can take a free tour of the Conference Center? It's worth it too. On the roof there's close to 3 acres of grass, hundreds of trees, gardens and spectacular views. Here is a video tour a little boy did for the Church. Our family watched it for our family night (FHE-I'll do a post on that too) this week. We learned that it seats 21,200 people and the organ has 7,667 pipes. You gotta go see it!

images: lds.org

Sweet Like Honey

Hi there!

I was lost in writing a completely different post when my husband came over and said, "You've got to check this out! (see video below)" We have really been into Christian rock music lately. Him especially. He listens to KLOVE every day on his way home from work. There is one particular song that is super catchy right now.

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out
-Words by Hawk Nelson

I am a firm believer that words are important. We have this discussion often. If you were a fly on the wall in my home you would most likely hear me say, "Try that again with your kind words. Kind words get better results. Don't forget to say it with a smile!" I'm sure that will be one of those sayings my children will know by heart. Actually...I think I heard my 2 year old reciting that very same quote to our guinea pigs today. She must be listening. Makes me happy.

I love this scripture in Proverbs and I love honey. Have it on my peanut butter toast every morning. Words are so important in every relationship of our lives. They have the power to heal a broken heart, brighten up someone's day and help others smile which can instantly create feelings of happiness. It goes without saying that unkind words have the opposite effect. May we all try a little harder to use kind words in our interactions with our spouses, children, family, friends, complete strangers and even our enemies. "Love your enemies...and your reward shall be great. (Luke 6:35)" Not only does kindness make others feel good, it can have the same effect on you. I think very few people would say that they have regrets when it comes to saying kind words. I hope your words will be sweet like honey this week and always. Watch your relationships grow as you speak kindly. Good luck!

An Experiment in Words