Monday 31 January 2011

Family Home Evening - Showing Love Through Words

My Children can alays use a lesson on this topic. I hope it comes of some use to you and your family.

Opening Song: Kindness begins with me
Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

Heavenly Father has given us many wonderful blessings. We can see and hear and use our hands to work and to help others. One of the special blessings Heavenly Father has given us is our power to speak. We can use words to tell others what we need, to share a funny story or to say prayers. But words are very powerful. What kind of words we choose to use is a very important decision.

Some words we say can make other people feel happy. Some words we say can make other people feel sad. Some words we say can invite the Holy Ghost to be with us and other words can send him away.

I want to tell you a story from the Friend Magazine (January 2010) about a little boy who found out how powerful words can be.

Robbie wiped the sweat from his face. The sun beat down on him as he played ball
with other fourth-grade boys.

Seth threw the ball to Robbie. A boy on the other team lunged for it, but missed. Robbie dove for the ball and caught it before it hit the ground. The other boy called Robbie a mean name.

“Don’t let him get away with saying that, Robbie,” Seth said. Robbie ignored the mean name and took his position. Some of the boys snickered. Robbie couldn’t get the word out of his mind. When his team won the game, he didn’t feel like celebrating with his teammates.

That evening, Robbie told Dad what happened. “Why did he call me that word?” Robbie asked.

“Not everyone believes what we do,” Dad said. “Some people think using
words like that makes them seem cool. Words have a lot of power. They can build
people up or tear them down.”

“Seth told me not to let the boy get away with saying what he did,” Robbie said.

“What did you do?” Dad asked.

Robbie looked down. “I ignored him and kept playing,” Robbie said.

Dad hugged Robbie. “You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

Robbie was happy to hear Dad say that. “I guess you’re right,” Robbie said, smiling. “Words do have a lot of power.”

- When Robbie got called a name how did it make him feel?
- How do we make others feel when we call them names?
- What did Robbie do to the boy who called him a name?
- Was that a good decision or a bad decision?
- What will you do if someone ever calls you a mean name?
- How did Robbie's Dad make him feel better using words?

Families are so important. Heavenly Father wants us to always treat our family with love and kindness.

- How will our home feel if we yell at each other and call each other mean names?

- How can we use words to show love for each other?

Activity:

Get a beanbag or small stuffed animal. Have the family sit on the floor in a circle. Starting with a parent, have them say one "happy word" about another member in the circle. This can be a descriptive word that describes that person like sweet, kind, happy, fun, loving, affectionate, smart, musical, etc. Then toss the beanbag to that person. Then it is their turn to choose someone to say a "Happy Word" about and toss the bag to. Continue until every member of the family has had a turn as the tosser and receiver. You can continue as many times as you would like.

Sunday 30 January 2011

Spiritually Speaking - How Familiar

"Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us".

– President Ezra Taft Benson, 'Jesus Christ--Gifts and Expectations', BYU, 10 Dec 1974




Friday 28 January 2011

Valentines Topiary Tree

Here is another Valentines Day craft and tutorial I have been working on recently.

Valentines Day Topiary


What you need:

Small Styrofoam Ball
Medium or Large Styrofoam Ball
Wood Dowel
Ribbon about 2 - 3 yards about 1 inch wide
Sequin Pins
Moss
small metal pail

Cut the ribbon into 2 inch strips. Pin one strip on the very top of the Large Styrofoam Ball.

Fold the sides of a piece of ribbob down so that it makes a triangle and pin this to the styrofoam ball. Starting at the top. Continue this step all the way around the styrofoam ball one row at a time. When you pin each row you will be covering the pins which are showing from the previous row.

The ribbon folded into a triangle on the top

A side view of how I was pinning the ribbon to the styrofoam ball
A top view

Another Top View

At the bottom of the styrofoam ball you will pin a ribbon like you did at the top cut a slit in the ribbon before you pin it down. This is where the wooden dowel will go.



Next, I cut the wooden dowel the length I wanted it and painted it. I choose to paint it black. I then set it aside to dry.



I then took the little red pail and put some Hugs and Kisses on it (X's and O's)



Next I hot glued a small styrofoam ball inside the pail.



I then stuck the wooden dowel into the large styrofoam ball through the slit which I had cut previously.



I then stuck the other end of the dowel into the styrofoam ball which was glued into the small pail. I then put the moss on top of the small styrofoam ball.



Lastly I tied a bow around the dowel. And there you have it. Just like magic I was able to transform a styrofoam ball into something beautiful for my mantle over Valentines.




Wednesday 26 January 2011

Parenting Tips

My husband showed me this a few months back and then my friend on ...and Spiritually Speaking had this on her blog and I came across it there so I thought I would share it with those of you who havent seen it before. Its funny!





Monday 24 January 2011

Family Home Evening - I can be a missionary now

Opening Song: Called to Serve
Opeing Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy




Who are these Men?

What are these Men doing?

Explain that some missionaries wear Sunday clothes and name tags every day. They work full-time finding and teaching others the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But there are other kinds of Missionaries too? Can anyone think of any other kinds of Missionaries?

President David O McKay said "every member a missionary. What do you think that means?

Say the word to I want to be a missionary now:

I can be a missionary now.
I don’t have to wait until I’m grown.
I’ll live each day the best that I know how,
And they’ll see I have a testimony of my own,
A testimony of my very own

What are some ways we can be a missionary now?

Reading Scriptures
Talking to our friends about the church
Setting a good example for others around us.

Tell the following story in your own words:

Sandy was a Primary child who showed that she could be a missionary too. When she was five years old, she invited her best friend, Craig, to go to church with her on Sunday. Craig wanted to go with Sandy and was excited to ask his mother. But Craig’s mother had other plans, and she said no. When Craig asked his mother the next week if he could go to church, she said no again. Because Sandy was a good missionary, she asked Craig a third time to go to church with her family. Craig got up early on Sunday morning and put on his best clothes. Then he woke up his mother and asked if he could go to church with Sandy. When she said no for the third time, Craig started to cry. Craig’s mother decided that if he wanted to go so badly, maybe she should go too. Craig and his mother went to church that day with Sandy and her family. That evening they began learning about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the full-time missionaries, and soon they were baptized.

More than 20 years later, when Craig tells this story, he likes to count all the people who are members of the Church because of five-year-old Sandy, who invited a friend to church. He can count more than 100 people. Craig says, “I don’t know how many others Sandy invited to church. … I do know that I owe her more than I can say”

Bear your testimony of being a good Member Missionary. And the things you do to be a better member missionary.

ACTIVITY:

Cut out the home and the five windows. Glue each window in the window outlines on the gospel-sharing home. With your family, talk about the ideas on the home. Decide together what you can do to be missionaries now. Place the gospel-sharing home where your family can see it.

Here is the house!

Sunday 23 January 2011

Saturday 22 January 2011

Valentine Candles

Here is a very simple craft that anyone can do! Plus it only took me about 15 minutes from start to finish!!

Here is what you need:


One Candle
Ribbon
Tissue Paper
Oh and a Hair Dryer


The first thing I did was print what I wanted
to say on Tissue Paper from the Computer.
As you can see I did it a few times until it was good enough!


Next I cut out a bunch of hearts from the Tissue Paper
of all different sizes


Then I measured a piece of ribbon to tie along the top of the candle


Next is the fun / important step. Place the saying you want against
your candle. Turn your hair drier on a high heat low blow and blow it towards the candle
where the saying is. This will slightly melt the candle and the wet wax
will then make the Tissue Paper stick to the candle. I did this samw step with
all the hearts and the ribbon. You dont have to do it to the ribbon but
it keeps it in place.

And VOILA...... A candle with whatever saying you want on it.

Here is the back with all the hearts



You could do this with any candle and any saying not just Valentines Day. So go ahead... Find your favorite quote and get making that special candle.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!


Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.




Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their.
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behaviour. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel.
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.


Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out.
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?



Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.


Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.



Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.


Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Sunday 16 January 2011

Family Home Evening - Stranger Danger

I got a text from my 7 yr olds school last week warning of a mysterious Red Van in the area and of the need to go over "Stranger Danger" with our children again. What better time then in Family Home Evening.

Opening Song: Love is Spoken here

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Mommy

This FHE will be more of a discussion. Here are a few of the things we are going to discuss:

Who is a Stranger:

Good Strangers: Examples of “good” strangers may include police officers, security guards, teachers, store clerks, etc. These are all examples of people to turn to if when your child needs help.










There are other situations where they might be approached my a Bad Stranger - the park, residential street, etc – those easily identifiable people may not be around.

Your child should know that there really are many more “good” people, than “bad."




On My Child Safety they give a list of items to discuss with your child. Here is the list:

  • Know your name, address, and phone number.
  • Use the buddy system – avoid walking anywhere alone.
  • Trust your instincts – if you feel you are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately.
  • If a stranger approaches you, you do not have to speak to him or her. Never approach a stranger in a motor vehicle. Just keep walking. Do not accept candy or any other items from a stranger. Never walk off with a stranger no matter what he or she tells you.
  • If someone is following you try to remember the license plate of his or her vehicle and immediately tell a trusted adult.
  • If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him or her from pulling you away or dragging you into his or her car. Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, "this is not my dad," or "this is not my mom."
We are going to role play some scenarios as well.



Can you believe this guy is still cool and helping children take a "bite" out of crime? I KNOW (Said like Monica from friends) I couldn't believe it either. Well he has a fantastic Coloring book that talks all about Stranger Danger for Children. It is Brilliant! Here is the link For our Activity we are going to color this book and talk about the pages.

I hope this idea for FHE works for you. Let me know what you think!!




Spiritually Speaking

I have decided to start a Spiritually Speaking Sunday thought. I just wanted something to get me in the mood for Sunday and in the right spirit. I have teamed up with Sarah at .... And Spiritually Speaking and will bring you a thought each Sunday. Sarah posts thoughts daily. I love her site. If you ever need a bit of uplifiting check out her blog. It is lovely!

I would also love your thoughts on the Sunday thought. If it touches you in anyway or if you feel insipired by it please leave a comment. Maybe we can all help to lift each other in some way!

So to start of this new feature one of my favorite Spiritually Speaking Thoughts! ENJOY!




"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.

I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.

I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley


Friday 14 January 2011

Valentine Craft - I Love U

I know it has been ages since I have posted a craft. I am finally starting to get in some sort of routine and finding time to do stuff. And what better time of year than Valentines Day. I love Valentines Day it is the only time of year that we can put up Red and Pink decorations and get away with it. Well without the hubby complaining :) I have done so many crafts this week but I am going to only share one with you today. You will have to check back later for some more Yummy Craft ideas!So here is what I made:



Pretty Huh!! I thought I would do a little tutorial on how I did it. So here we go.

First off what you will need:

Scrapbooking paper (1 sheet)
3 wood blocks I used a 2x4 and cut it into the size I wanted you can make them any size you want
Vinyle Letters or Sticker Letters
Mod Podge
Sand Paper
A paint brush
scissors


To start with I had to kiss my little helper for good Luck. I mean it is my first real craft since she was born and.... OK who am I kidding I just wanted to kiss her because she is so adorable!!


First I cut the scrapbooking paper to fit the wood. I then glued the paper to the wooden blocks





Once the glue was dried I sanded down all the edges so the paper didn't hang over any edges. It also makes the paper not look so straight lined but almost like it is part of the wood rather then made to just cover it.

Next I put the letters on each block. You can use whatever saying you want. I also painted some black hearts in the corners just for a bit of an added touch.



Next I put a layer of Mod Podge over the whole thing to one make sure the letters are sealed on really well and two to give it that shiny finish which I love.



Lastly I took some Raffia which I had lying around, I actually bought it to use at Christmas but never got around to crafting ;) and some pretty pink ribbon I had left over from Siena's birth announcements and made a bow.



Lastly I stacked the blocks and hot glued the bow onto the top. See how simple that was and it is lovely. Perfect for my mantle.



This is just the first of many things to go on my mantle. Just wait until Next week and I show you what else I've made. I cant wait! If you make this I would love to see it. Send me an email or leave a comment with a link to yours.