Family Home Evenings and more....

Why is it Important to Listen to and Follow the Living Prophets?

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:31:00 +0000

I typed this up as an outline of a Sunday YW lesson, but it was also easily adapted to our family's FHE lesson the next night. For both the young women and my children, I found that the process of highlighting and subsequently writing the prophet's words on the wall surrounding a picture of President Monson was a very powerful and memorable illustration. Click here for printable version of all images.
Why is it Important to Listen to and Follow the Living Prophets?
Lesson by Lara Goold

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE PICTURES

Suggested Songs:
"We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," Hymns, page 19
"Latter-day Prophets," Children's Songbook, page 134
"Follow the Prophet," Hymns, page 110

Lesson Purpose: To help the young women to understand what a great blessing it is to have a living prophet on the earth to give us guidance and direction for these latter-days.

Scripture: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7

PREPARATION:
1. print enough copies of the talk, Believe, Obey, and Endure for every YW (or member of your family)
2. gather pens or pencils for every YW, also chalk and tape
3. Print off large picture of President Monson
4. (optional) print off wallet size pictures of President Monson for each of the YW to tape into their notebooks while they take notes

OPENING PRAYER:

ANALOGY OF THE GARDEN MAZE (see this link for printable version of pictures): Imagine you are in a maze that is made up of tall hedges. The bushes are too thick to see through, too tall to see over, and you can't tell whether you are heading towards a dead-end until you are right there. (SHOW PICTURE OF PEOPLE INSIDE THE MAZE) You start off knowing the approximate direction of where the exit is, but quickly lose your bearings and can't do anything more than wander aimlessly until you find the correct path out. Then you notice a little look-out tower. (SHOW PICTURE OF MAZE FROM THE LOOKOUT) You climb the tower and you can regain your bearings again and plot a path to the exit.

Relate being lost in the maze to being lost in the maze of our lives. Talk about how easy it is to get caught up in the "maze of life" and focus only on what is right in front of us.

ASK: What are some of the concerns that are in your maze of life? (you're looking for answers like a hard physics test, getting into college, boys, friends, etc)

WRITE: Have one of the YW come write on the picture of the people inside of the maze, some of the answers received.

TEACH: There is someone we can look to who has been given the keys to be on the look-out for our day and time. They have the perspective of being able to see all the twists and turns in the maze and give us guidance and direction that will help us to the finish line (eternal life).

SHOW PICTURE OF PRESIDENT MONSON and tape to the top of the chalkboard.

DRAW a simple watchtower underneath the picture and explain that God has given him the authority to see.

BELIEVE, OBEY, and ENDURE:
Hand out a pen and copy of the article to each student: Divide the YW into groups and assign each group a page of the article to read and to circle important messages that President Monson has given to the YW for this day and this time.

HAVE EACH PERSON SHARE SOMETHING THEY'VE CIRCLED IN THE ARTICLE: and ask for a volunteer to come make speech bubbles around the prophet and write in the words of the prophet that the YW shared from the article. If the girls have class journals, have them glue in a wallet size picture of President Monson and reproduce this in their notebooks while you go around the room.

Here are some of the things that our girls came up with: Decisions determine destiny, seminary changes lives, they are a daughter of Heavenly Father, pray for guidance, fan the flame of your testimony, choose to obey, there is a way back!

VIDEO: watch this video and discuss.

SHARE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF FOLLOWING THE PROPHET: and the blessings you received. Bear your testimony about what a remarkable blessing it is to live in a day and a time that there is a living prophet.

CLOSING PRAYER:

HANDOUT (printable version below):

Additional Reading Material:
YW Lesson: Why is it Important to Listen to and Follow the Living Prophet?

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Why We Need a Prophet Printable Pictures by Lara Goold

Teaching the Gospel Using Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:51:00 +0000

Today's youth are used to information being presented in short little bursts. Twitter and Facebook have shortened their attention spans to the point that it's difficult for them to concentrate on the same thing for 5 minutes, yet alone the length of the average church lesson. We all know that we learn better when we are engaged in the lesson being taught, but as a teacher sometimes the task of engaging the students is difficult in practice, because engaging the students means that as teachers we need to be better prepared and more engaged ourselves.

In my article 14 Ways to Engage Students in the New Youth Curriculum, I presented some ideas of helping students to use both sides of their brain as they learn. In this article I will present some more ideas from the same teacher training and talk about using questions to help students learn the gospel.

When Jesus Christ taught the people, he taught them with patience and understanding. He sought to know his students enough, that he could teach in a way that connected with them. We've all read the accounts of Christ using parables and real life examples that illustrated what he was teaching far better than an hour long dissertation on the philosophy of it ever could.

Think of when Christ answered the Pharisee's accusations in Luke 5 with the simple question, "Whether [it] is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?" The act of curing the palsied man would have been remarkable enough, but with the question to provoke some deeper thinking, it was all the more a powerful teaching moment. We can harness that same power when we teach. Think of questions that invite thought and allow them to reach their own conclusions about what you are teaching. Those kind of lessons will stick with them much longer than when all the information is spoon fed to them.

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The following are presented as a series of questions, in order from least to most thought provoking. Our teacher encouraged using them in order as a way to build understanding during a lesson.

Different Types of Questions to use during lessons (with examples of how to use them)

1. Search for information
Example: What are the steps of prayer?

2. Analyze for understanding
Example: What things are appropriate to pray for?

3. Invite feelings / testimony
Example: What are your personal experiences with prayer?

4. Encourage application
Example: What will you work on this week to improve your prayers?

Using Time Wisely FHE Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:47:00 +0000

We actually used this as a mini YW lesson to help the girls pass off a choice and accountability value experience, but as I was teaching it I thought that it would make for a great family home evening lesson for older kids and teens as well. A printable version of the handout can be found here.

Opening Prayer:

Opening Song: Hymns #266, "The Time is Far Spent"

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:1, Doctrine and Covenants 60:13, Article of Faith #13

Materials Needed: A clock, the video, and handout (click here to get it in a printable version)

Discussion: Imagine for a second that each and every day, your bank account is credited with $86,400. But at the end of each day the money disappears. What would you do?

You would try to use up every penny of it every day.

Show: Show them a clock and tell them that each and every day they are given exactly 86,400 seconds to use as we choose. We can't save them for another day. Once the seconds are passed, they are gone and it is up to us how we use them.

Discuss: According to studies, the average person spends 35-40 hours in front of a television or computer screen. That is an average of 5-6 hours (=18,000 seconds) per day, which equates to approximately 20% of every day. Think of what we could accomplish if we tried to cut that time down by half or fourth.

Quote:
If you have a twenty-hour-a-week television habit and would repent and convert in into a gospel study habit, in one year you could read the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and the entire Bible. In addition, you could read Jesus the Christ, Gospel Principles, the Relief Society manual, Preach my Gospel, the Miracle of Forgiveness, and this would still leave you time to read the Ensign, New Era, and Friend each month. This is based on your ability to read only ten pages an hour.
paraphrased from Elder William Bradford

Video: Choose This Day (embedded below)

Recite Article of Faith #13 (emphasizing "seeking after praiseworthy pursuits"):
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Discuss: What kinds of things qualify as "praiseworthy"? The answers could be reading scriptures, serving others, developing a talent, being a better friend, sharing the gospel, writing letters to grandparents or missionaries, helping a family member, staying caught up in school, doing family history, etc.

Conclude: Encourage students to try to prioritize their time in such a way that they can use a greater portion of their time each day in more praiseworthy pursuits. Bear your testimony of how you've been blessed as you've tried to use your 86,400 seconds each day more wisely.

Closing Song: Scripture Power

Closing Prayer:

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Divine Nature Week: The Last Envelope

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:15:00 +0000

Okay, okay...I just realized that I promised to post about the final envelope in the Divine Nature Week a long time ago and haven't done it yet.

The final envelope contained two things:
1. this letter
2. Two copies of a picture (shown below) of each YW (printed in matte finish in 4x6 size at Costco). One copy was for them to tape into their journals, the other was to hang up in their room. Enlarged and framed, it would also make for a special gift for a graduating senior or for a birthday gift.

A couple of weeks beforehand I had handed out the following survey to the YW, the leaders, and their parents. Each parent would write 3 sincere compliments about their daughter and each YW and leader would write three sincere compliments about three other YW. So each person had 4 different people (including their parents) who complimented them. I tried to assign people to compliment people that they knew fairly well.

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SURVEY

--> Please write three sincere compliments about each of the people listed and turn into Sister G. before or during YW. Please make sure the compliments are about them or their character (not something superficial like what they’re wearing, etc). Thank you!

Ana:
1.
2.
3.

Rachel:
1.
2.
3.

Kaili:
1.
2.
3.

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Afterward I compiled all of the responses into one long list for each girl. Then in Photoshop Elements, I cropped the background out of their photos, and added the compliments in different fonts.

It ended up turning out very well and the girls really seemed to treasure their photo as a very special keepsake. The whole week ended up being very memorable for me as well as many of the young women. It is my prayer that the young women will reread their letters and admire their photos often, especially as they hit discouraging or difficult times in their lives.

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Baptism Candy Bar Note

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:27:00 +0000

I can't take any credit for this candy bar note whatsoever, but I thought it was so cute when the primary presidency presented it to my daughter at her baptism this past weekend, that I wanted to remember it for the future. They attached everything with rolled up packing tape and used a sharpie to cross off the part of the title of the candy that wasn't applicable to the message. It was a perfect, inexpensive, fun little baptism gift with a great message. It would be perfect for primary presidencies or for anyone looking to give a little something special to someone who is getting baptized!

Dear Ellie SWEETTARTS,
Congratulations! We are so proud of YORK decision today. You know baptism in more than a FUNDIP in the water. It is an EXTRA special covenant between you and Heavenly Father. This promise will bring you so much ~~ALMOND~~ JOY. You also received the gift of the Holy Ghost today. Use it MOUNDS so you can always know how to ~~FRUIT~~ CHEWS the right. It is UP2U to keep your covenant. You shine like a STARBURST!
Love,
The Primary

The Atonement and the Tree of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:10:00 +0000

The Atonement and the Tree of Life

SONGS:
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today," Hymns, page 200
"He is Risen," Hymns, page 199
"He Sent His Son," Children's Songbook, page 34

ATONEMENT SCRIPTURES:
Alma 34:9--the atonement is necessary or we will perish
Alma 34:14-16--mercy can satisfy the demands of justice
2 Nephi 9:26--atonement saves us from hell
Doctrine and Covenants 88:6--Christ can comprehend all things
Mosiah 13:27-32--why we cannot be saved by just keeping the law of Moses
John 3:16-17--God sent Christ to atone for us because He loves us

EASTER FHE LESSON IDEAS:
Christ's Atonement--with the Parable of the Ketchup
Easter Walk with Jesus--go on a family walk and find objects that symbolize Christ's atonement
Symbols of Easter--a fun lesson to help tie the Easter Bunny into the true meaning of Easter
Easter Coloring Book--a simple coloring book about the life of Jesus and His sacrifice for us

OBJECT LESSON IDEA:
Drops of Awesome

QUOTES:
"No mortal can cry out, "He does not understand my plight, for my trials are unique." There is nothing outside the scope of the Savior's experience. As Elder Maxwell observed, "None of us can tell Chrsit anything about depression." As a result of his mortal experience, culminating in the Atonement, the Savior knows, understands, and feels every human condition, every human woe, and every human loss. He can comfort as no other. He can life burdens as no other. He can listen as no other. There is no hurt he cannot soothe, rejection he cannot assuage, loneliness he cannot console. Whatever affliction the world casts at us, he has a remedy of superior healing power." Tad R Callister, Infinite Atonement

"Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of life, from sin and neglect to sorrow and disappointment. But the atonement of Christ can lift us up in beauty from our ashes on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal life. He will thus lift us up, not only at the end of life, but in each day of our lives." Bruce Hafen

"I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us...

The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. Help from the Savior is available for the entire journey of mortality—from bad to good to better and to change our very nature." Elder David A Bednar

“It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.” Bible Dictionary

"There is one who understands, who sympathizes. He was misunderstood, rejected, knew supreme loneliness, was poor and had not a place to lay his head, suffered anguish and conflict of mind. He understands. He can give pardon and bring peace." Marion D. Hanks

VIDEOS ABOUT EASTER AND CHRIST'S ATONEMENT

14 Ways to Engage Students in the New Youth Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:58:00 +0000

I went to a stake leadership training meeting this morning and came out with an entire page of detailed notes about how to engage students in the new youth curriculum. The teacher of the class, Sister Bowen, is my son's early morning seminary teacher and has the chance to use these methods with a group of sleepy high school students every single day. Some of the ideas may be a little better suited to a seminary class, but I think all of them have the potential to really engage the youth (whether it be in a church classroom or during family home evening) and get them to use different parts of their brain as they learn the information in the lessons.   I'm one of those people who really needs to do more than just listen to a lesson in order to really get it to stick, so I wouldn't mind if Sunday School and Relief Society teachers used some of these sometimes too!

One of the concepts that really stuck with me from her lesson is that sometimes as teachers we get too wrapped up in each student "contributing" to the class and forget that "participating" can be done in many different ways. Just as we don't always contribute to a testimony meeting by sharing our testimonies out loud, it doesn't mean that we haven't participated and felt the spirit. It's more important to engage students and help them to actively learn the material, than it is for them to answer all the questions.   Here are some of the ideas she shared with us on how we can do that:

1. One Thing--Instead of asking the youth to retell an entire story or explain a complicated gospel concept, ask everyone to share just one thing about it. This will allow more of the class to be involved and makes it less intimidating to answer.

2. Draw--Don't be afraid to pull out the crayons and markers. Just because they're teenagers, doesn't mean they won't a enjoy a minute to illustrate a scripture story or concept. It won't be fine art, but it will give them the opportunity to use the other side of their brain as they're learning the lesson.

3. Every Third Person--When asking people to read scriptures or whatever, instead of going right around the room, have every third person do it. It's just another way to "spread the love" and make sure that more of the class has an opportunity to participate regardless of where they're sitting in the classroom.

4. Mix it Up--If you find that your class tends to always sit in the same seats and next to the same people, find a way to mix it up. Have everyone write down their favorite song (or whatever), then have them sit alphabetically based on the what they've written down.

5. Quizzes--Occasionally give short (low pressure) quizzes to help make sure they understand the material. To make it even more meaningful, have them take turns writing the quizzes themselves.

6. White Boards--Buy cheap whiteboards and dry-erase markers (at the dollar store or Walmart) for each member of the class. Ask them a question and have them write their answer on the whiteboard and display their answers all at the same time. It gives them an opportunity to think of the answer independently and also introduces a tad bit of healthy competition.

7. Chalkboard--Give them the opportunity to move their bodies and come write something on the chalkboard. They can fill in the blanks of a scripture, write down class feedback, or draw out a chart.

8. New Era--Don't be afraid to use stories and tidbits from the New Era (or Ensign). It's an especially great place to find real life examples of people living the principles of the gospel.

9. Write--Provide paper and allow them to write. It can be as simple as taking notes, copying down charts, or giving them a minute to write down their thoughts.   The act of writing things down will give their brains one more way to process the information, so that hopefully they'll remember it better.

10. Journals--Beyond just providing paper, give them class journals to take notes in, write down their thoughts or experiences, or glue in handouts. You can use a composition notebook or small binder. Either way it's probably best if they keep the journals at church, so they always have them during class.

11. Caveman Speak--To liven things up, have everyone summarize their answers into 5 words or less (caveman speak).

12. Epistles--Have the students write an epistle to someone about a gospel topic that is meaningful to them.

13. Facebook--print off a template of a facebook page and have them create facebook pages for people in church history or from the scriptures. Make sure they include their beliefs, interests, and status updates.

14. Media--Occasionally find ways to connect people in the media with the lesson you're teaching. It can be as an example of someone who's made bad (or good) choices, or someone who's sung a particularly meaningful song, or someone who's done contributed to society in a meaningful way, etc.    Our teacher shared how she brought in a bunch of pictures of Tim Tebow and together they made a list of the scriptures he'd written on his face. They looked up each of the scriptures and then had each class member pick the scripture they would write on their own faces.

YW Divine Nature Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:14:00 +0000

NEW: Click here to see the final day's envelope. (the rest are listed below)

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Based on an idea I saw here, I wanted to make a special activity for the young women in our ward to help them to understand their great worth and divine nature. I decided to link it to the lesson, "Who am I and who can I become?" At the end of the lesson, I distributed a manila envelope to each girl filled with 8 individual envelopes to open on consecutive days. I encouraged them to open them at quiet moments when they could devote a few minutes to reading it and writing in their journal afterward.

Each envelope had a special message inside along with an encouraged action to complement the message....usually writing in their journals. It ended up being a meaningful experience for me to put together, as well as a special activity for the girls. I was really touched by some of the comments I heard from the girls and their parents. I think the younger girls were a little more excited than the older ones, but I figure if it touched even one of their hearts then it was a worthwhile expenditure of my time.

Click here to read what I included in the envelopes for days 1-7 (day 8 will be included in a separate post). I was a little sad that my fun fonts and formatting did not transfer from Word to Google Docs, but you should be able to copy and paste it into your own Word document and make it your own. Please note that a couple of the days include notes that share personal experiences. You'll definitely want to change those up and make them your own. Additionally, I personalized it wherever I could and tried to use their names as much as possible.

Materials Needed (per person):
*8 envelopes
*one pencil
*printed notes (find the link here, noting that you'll have to tweak at least Days 5 & 7 and make them your own)
* a YW divine nature cootie catcher (see below)
*any desired embellishments to beautify the paper and/or envelopes

Here is the YW value cootie catcher included in Day 3's envelope. Simply right click on the image, copy it, then paste it into a Word document and adjust it to the size you desire before printing. Please note that it needs to be square shaped in order to fold properly. See this demo for how to fold a cootie catcher, keeping in mind that you can skip the first three steps of the demo.

And lastly here's a recap of the Personal Progress requirements they can pass off if they do each of the days' activities.

Monday: Individual Worth #3 or Good Works (write-in)
Tuesday: Individual Worth #7
Wednesday: Knowledge #3
Thursday: Individual Worth #1
Friday: Individual Worth #4 or Faith (write-in)

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Day 8 was a little too much include in this post, so I've made another post about it. Find it HERE!

Here's a sneak peek:

Old-Fashioned Christmas Activities (based on Little House books)

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Longtime readers of this blog might remember when I blogged about the summer craft clubs we do each year (read about them here or here).   They've been a very fun part of our summers the last few years and I love the friendships and artistic skills my kids have developed through their participation. This year we decided that the summer just wasn't long enough for such fun things, so we opted to continue the group through the school year, meeting together one Friday night a month. When I hosted this past week, I thought it would be fun to capitalize on the proximity to Christmas as well as my 7-year-old's fascination with the Little House books, so we made it a fun night of old-fashioned Christmas activities. It was a blast and perfect for the age range of girls (7-9 years old). They loved the quotes from the book that I read to accompany each activity. I think that this activity would also be great for similarly aged boys (maybe without the Little House emphasis). :)

All quotes from this book:

Activity: Making heart shaped cookies with sugar sprinkled on top

Prep: Have the gingerbread dough made and refrigerated beforehand, so all that the children need to do is cut out their shapes and sprinkle them with sugar. We made little tinfoil labels and tucked them underneath each cookie, so they could keep track of whose was whose.

Quote: (page 34) "And the stockings weren't empty yet! Mary and Laura reached in and pulled out two small packages. Inside each package was a little heart-shaped cake. The tops of the little cakes were sprinkled with white sugar. The sparkling grains looked like tiny drifts of snow."

Activity: Stitching together stockings

Materials: Embroidery floss, chenille needles (thick but still pointy enough to get through the felt), felt.

Prep: Have the stockings cut out in advance, thread the needles and knot the threads (and maybe even make the first couple of stitches for them), so they can each get started sewing right away.

Quote: (Page 48)--this quote doesn't really talk about making their own stockings, but it does talk about hanging them up. I figured that it was safe to assume that their stockings were most likely homemade.

"Aren't you girls going to hang your stockings?" Pa asked.

"But I thought Santa Claus was going to bring us horses," Laura said.

"Maybe he will," said Pa.   "But little girls always hang up their stockings on Christmas Eve, don't they?"

Activity: Apples studded with whole cloves

Materials: plenty of whole cloves (found in the spice section) and apples (or oranges)--we actually used clementines when we did the activity, since they were on sale for a great price that week.

Prep: None

Quote: (page 15) "Aunt Eliza had brought Ma a large red apple stuck full of cloves. How good it smelled!"

Treat: Peppermint sticks (I found them at Walmart and at the drugstore)

Quote: (page 34) "They plunged their hands into the stockings again. Out came two long sticks of candy. It was peppermint candy, striped red and white. They looked and looked at the beautiful candy. Laura licked her stick, just one lick. But Mary was not so greedy. She didn't even take one lick."

Handmade Wooden Nativity Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:33:00 +0000

This post is a little different than my standard fare here at The Golden Seven, but it's something that I'm excited about sharing with you, so I hope you'll bear with me. A couple of years ago I went to an Enrichment meeting where people shared their ideas for inexpensive handmade Christmas gifts. I don't remember much else that was discussed that night, except for this idea from my friend, Becca Tippets. She had had a relative serve a mission in Finland who had brought them home a nativity set. She looked at it one day and decided that she wanted to try to recreate it herself. Armed only with the idea of her own nativity she went to the craft store and figured out how to do it from scratch. Although I'm not sure I ever would have thought to make my own in the first place, Becca's creativity proved to be as amazing as everything else about her and her version not only turned out beautifully, but she had also typed up detailed instructions of how to make it and shared it with the rest of us. That Christmas season, my sister and I (mostly my sister) made several handmade Finnish nativity sets for gifts for family members.

This year I decided to make one more set and take more detailed pictures along the way, so that I could create this step-by-step tutorial and share it here with you. The directions are still mostly Becca's with some slight modifications and tricks added that we learned along the way.

Keep in mind, that this can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. We made the full version, but you could make only the Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus for a very simple and inexpensive version. Or leave out one or more of the animals. We used a wooden clementine box as the stable, which didn't add any cost at all, but you could also use fabric draped over stacks of books! Enjoy!

Click here for PRINTABLE VERSION ( the text with only the basic pictures).

Directions by Becca Tippets
Pictures and adaptations by Lara Goold

SHOPPING LIST (shop in the wood aisle of a craft store)

Materials Needed	Which figure it belongs to	Amount (type of packaging)	cost
Small wooden goose eggs (about 3-inches tall)	Bodies of people and animals	10	2.29 per egg (x10)
1 ¼ inch doll heads	Heads of people, angel	7 (come in value packs of 9)	3.99 per bag
5/8 inch round wooden beads	Hands of Joseph, shepherd, and 1 wiseman; feet of angel	5 (come in value packs of 7)	1.69 per bag
3/8 in round wooden beads	Head piece for angel and Mary and tops of crown for wisemen, ears for one animal	25 (come in value packs of 71)	3.49 per bag
2 inch doll head	Body of angel	1	1.99 per head
Pullet eggs	Heads of animals	3 (come in pack of 3)	1.19 per pack
Robin egg half (or a very small oval paper mache box)	Manger	1 (comes in pack of 2)	1.19 per pack
Assorted wooden bowls or 1-inch wooden wheels	Crown piece for wisemen	3 biggest (come in pack of 9)	1.19 per pack
Acorn dowel cap (1-1/8-inch)	Present for wiseman	1 (come in pack of 2)	1.29 per pack
Boy game piece	Jesus	1 (comes in pack of 3)	1.29 per pack
¾ inch block	Present for wiseman	1 (comes in pack of 6)	1.29 per pack
Wooden ring (in the jewelry section) or a dark wooden letter “O” 1-1/2 inches	Hat for Joseph and shepherd	2 big rings (comes in assorted pack in jewelry)	3.99 per pack
Shell rings (in jewelry section) or light colored letter “O”	Horns for sheep	2 broken in half (comes in pack of 5 in jewelry)	3.99 per pack
.47 cm or 3/16-inch wooden dowel	Attach heads and arms to body	1	.29
3 pieces of floral wire 6-7 inches long	Staff for Joseph, Shepherd, and 1 wiseman		1.99
Yellow, purple, red, blue, white, brown, green paint	To color bodies		.69 each color
Clear finish spray paint (optional)	I used flat, but I think gloss would look better

wooden clementine box (for stable)
Total cost: $56.77 (not including tools needed)

TOOLS NEEDED:
1. drill
2. 7/32 drill bit
3. hack saw
4. wood glue
5. hot glue gun
6. wire clippers
7. sander and sand paper

DIRECTIONS:

Joseph (green)

1. Using 7/32 drill bit

a. Drill hole in top of goose egg (to place head)

b. Drill hole 1.5 inches down on the side (for arm)

c. Widen the hole (with the drill) in 1 ¼ inch doll head

d. Drill hole in 5/8 inch bead perpendicular to preexisting holes

2. Paint whole egg (green)

3. Cut 2 pieces of dowel about 1-inch long

4. Put a dab of wood glue in all the holes

5. Assemble head and body using dowel to connect the two

6. Put the hand on using a dowel

7. Cut a piece of wire and bend into candy cane shape to make a staff, put through hand hole

8. Hot glue wooden donut ring (or dark colored wooden "O") to Joseph’s head

Mary (light blue)

1. Using 7/32 drill bit

a. Drill hole in top of goose egg (to place head)

b. Widen the hole (with the drill) in 1 ¼ inch doll head

2. Paint egg (light blue)

3. Cut 1 piece of dowel about 1-inch long

4. Put a dab of wood glue in all the holes

5. Assemble head and body using dowel to connect the two

6. String 10 of the 3/8 round beads into crown shape and glue onto head using hot glue

See pictures for Joseph for steps 1-5 (omitting drilling the second hole for a hand)

Wisemen (red, purple, yellow)

1. Using Saw

a. Cut bottom .5 inches off of each egg (3 times)

2. Using 7/32 drill bit

a. Drill hole .5 inches down from top of goose egg (3 times) (to place the bowed heads)

b. Drill hole 1.5-2 inches down on the side of one goose egg (for a hand)

c. Widen the hole (with the drill) in 1 ¼ inch doll head

d. Drill hole in 5/8 inch bead perpendicular to preexisting holes

3. Paint each wiseman a different color (red, purple, yellow)

4. Assemble each body and head with a 1- inch dowel

5. Assemble hand on one body

6. Glue acorn cap on belly of handless wiseman using hot glue (as a gift)

7. Glue cube on body of belly of other handless wiseman using hot glue (as another gift) or drill a hole in body and cube and attach with wooden dowel

Angel (white)

1. Using 7/32 drill bit

a. Drill hole in round top of 2 inch doll head (to place head)

b. Widen the hole (with the drill) in 1 ¼ inch doll head

3. Paint large doll head and the two 5/8 inch beads white

4. Using wood glue and a 1-inch piece of the dowel assemble head and body

5. Cut (two) 2.5 inch strings and thread them through the 5/8 inch beads, then glue them to the bottom back side of the body so that the legs swing down.

6. Paint 10 of the 3/8 beads white

7. Thread the 10 beads together and hot glue onto angel’s head (for halo)

I did not take any more pictures of the angel process, but suffice it to say it is similar to the rest of them, except for gluing the legs onto the bottom.

Shepherd (brown)

1. Using 7/32 drill bit

a. Drill hole in top of goose egg (to place head)

b. Drill hole 1.5 inches down on the side (for arm)

c. Widen the hole (with the drill) in 1 ¼ inch doll head

d. Drill hole in 5/8 inch bead perpendicular to preexisting holes

2. Paint whole egg (brown)

3. Cut 2 pieces of dowel about 1 inch long

4. Put a dab of wood glue in all the holes

5. Assemble head and body using dowel to connect the two

6. Put the hand on using a dowel

7. Cut a piece of wire and bend into candycane shape to make a staff, put through hand hole

8. Glue small piece of material (about 3-1/2 x 2-1/4-inch) to Shepherd’s head

9. Glue wooden donut ring (or dark colored wooden "O") on top of material on shepherd’s head

Jesus (dark blue)
1. Sand bottom of Robin’s egg so it lays flat on table 2. Hot glue gun raffia on for straw 3. Paint cylinder part of boy game piece (leave head plain) --dark blue 4. Hot glue gun boy game piece on top of straw
Animals (sheep--white, cow--brown)
1. Sand long side of egg so that when egg is lying down it can be stable, not rolling (3 times) (we found this MUCH easier to do with an electric sander) 2. Using 7/32 drill bit a. drill hole a little to the top of the egg center (3 times) (for the heads) b. drill hole in pullet egg towards the wide end of the egg on the side (3 times) (to connect the head) 3. paint two animals white (heads and body) 4. paint one animal brownish yellow (head and body) 5. assemble heads and body using 1-inch pieces of dowel and wood glue 6. break shell donut rings into thirds and use two pieces for horns (you’ll need 4 pieces altogether) on the white sheep hot gluing them into place 7. use two of the 3/16 beads for the ears of the brownish animal (paint them the same color as the animal)

*SHOPPING NOTES:
I shopped in the wood aisles at Michael's and AC Moore craft stores. Almost all of the items were "Lara" brand (cool name, but nothing to do with me). The selection and prices between the two stores was similar, but there were a few items that were at one store and not the other, so I do recommend trying two craft stores if they are available. You can also try looking online. We easily found everything on the list two years ago when we made these the first time, but this year (2012) we had trouble finding a couple of items. I adjusted the directions accordingly and listed substitute suggestions (some of which we used), but please note that in future years (or at your craft stores) that you may need to find substitute items for things that are unavailable. Use the pictures as a basis for your creativity.

GLUING NOTES:
Use wood glue for everything internal (in a hole) and hot glue for everything external (gluing on hats, halos, gifts, etc)

PAINTING NOTES:
After painting several different versions, I decided I liked it better when the wood grain would show through the paint slightly. I usually used one coat of acrylic paint and/or sanded it lightly to give it a bit of a distressed look.

A CLOSER LOOK:
Here is a closer look at some of the items we used, so that you can see what they look like:

wooden goose eggs for most of the bodies (need 10)

1-1/4-inch doll heads for most of the figures' heads

1-1/8-inch acorn dowel cap (for wise man's gift)

2-inch doll head for body of angel

wooden wheel (on left) vs wooden bowl (not available this year)
for wise man's hats
figures in this post are shown with the wooden wheel as the hat

boy game pieces for baby Jesus

3/4-inch square block for wise man gift

for the sheep's horns (or use a light colored wooden "O")

for Joseph's and shepherd's head piece
this was one that we had a hard time finding this time around and couldn't
find a substitute item we liked as well. The "O" was okay, but did not fit
on the heads as nicely.
If you can't find them at the store, try finding them at Amazon

Christmas Picture Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:36:00 +0000

We have a family tradition of reading a Christmas book together every night in December. It's taken me 17-years of parenting to collect enough books to read a different one for each of the 24 nights leading up to Christmas Eve and yet I'm still always on the look-out for new ones! I consider it our advent calendar of sorts (without an actual calendar). I've gone through our pile and picked the ones that I feel have the best messages, either because of the character traits it reinforces or because it helps us to remember Christ. Here is a review of those books (in no particular order). I'd love to hear what some of your favorite Christmas books are.

Christmas Oranges--Little orphan children who have nothing band together to share their beloved Christmas oranges with a fellow orphan who has had theirs taken away as punishment. The artwork is beautiful and the message profound and my kids love it. It's a classic among Christmas stories and we love to give it as a gift at Christmas time, along with some oranges (or chocolate oranges).

A Christmas Dress For Ellen--Written by Thomas S. Monson, this book is about a very poor family who has recently moved to an isolated farm in Canada. Their crops have failed them and they face a destitute Christmas lacking in the very basics in life, yet alone anything exciting for the children. The oldest child, Ellen, is cynical and discouraged. In a moment of desperation, the mother writes a note to her sister telling of their dire circumstances. The sister rallies her community together and they tie quilts, sew clothes, and collect money to send to the family. It arrives to the post office late on Christmas Eve and though the postmaster wants to go home and spend the holiday with his family, he drives the boxes through a raging snowstorm to their isolated home. The joy that it brings to the destitute family, and Ellen in particular is heartwarming and the way the community rallied together to help someone they didn't even know, reminded me of the countless of selfless people who have rushed to the aid of those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The Tale of Three Trees--the touching tale of three trees' dreams to grow up to greatness--one to be a mighty ship, another to hold great treasure, and the other to stay tall and strong and point towards God. Over time, the one that wanted to hold great treasure was disappointed to be made into a feedbox for animals, but then one day a baby is laid there and it knows that it has held the greatest treasure in the world. The tree that was to be a mighty ship was made into a humble fishing boat who witnessed Jesus calming the stormy sea and he knows that he has carried the mightiest king of all. Lastly, the tree that wanted to stay tall and strong is made into a cross and it knows that it will always point to God.

The Crippled Lamb--Josh, a little lamb with a bad leg, always feels left out. Abigail is a kind-hearted cow who has befriended Josh and reassures him that God has a special place for those that feel left out. When the shepherds take the rest of the sheep to a faraway meadow and leave Josh behind, he is especially sad. Then later that night he was awakened by the sounds of a tiny baby that was there in the stable with him. It is the baby Jesus and Josh quickly goes to His side to help keep Him warm. Josh is comforted and knows that this opportunity to welcome the Savior of the world was a special gift to him.

I Believe in Santa Claus--The words are simple, the artwork beautiful, but the way this book ties the secular with the religious is moving and powerful. The first part of the book goes through listing (with beautiful pictures) simple facts about Santa Claus, then later in the book relates the characteristics of Santa Claus with characteristics of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We love this book, but I'm sad to say that it's out of print. I highly recommend searching for a used copy.

The First Night--a very short book (perfect for toddlers or preschoolers) recapping the first Christmas night. Artwork and text are simple, but lovely. (Note: The book on Amazon looks different from my version, but I confirmed that it's the same author and illustrator)

The Nativity: Six Glorious Pop-Up Scenes--simple and beautiful, this pop-up book was one of the first Christmas books we ever owned. Although some of the pieces don't work anymore, this is still one of the kids' favorite books.

Legend of the Candy Cane--this one is a favorite of ours (can you tell from the well worn cover?) It goes through the story of a candy store owner introducing a town to candy canes, then teaching them the symbolic meaning in the shape and color and how they are meant to help people remember Christ's atonement. We love to give this book, with some candy canes, as a gift to friends.

The Gift of the Magi--this classic tale of a husband and wife who sell their most beloved possessions for the other's Christmas present is beautifully retold in this picture book version. The language is a little lofty (even I had to look up a few words) and it's a little on the long side for reading in one sitting, but still it's one of my kids' favorite Christmas books.

Christmas Day in the Morning--this very sweet tale is of a teenage boy that for Christmas, despite their meager circumstances, desperately wanted to give something meaningful to his father. Though he didn't love getting up early in the morning to help on the farm, on Christmas morning he awakened before his father, so he could surprise him by milking the cows. His father was touched and it ended up being a memorable experience for both of them. It's very beautifully retold and I'm not doing it justice with my review.

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect--This story is about Small Pine who, while still a young tree, promised to be one of the most beautiful trees in the forest. Then one cold night, a frightened animal comes to seek shelter in her branches. At first she hesitates, not wanting to mar her perfectly spaced branches and needles, then finally her heart is touched and she lowers her branches and gives shelter to the animal. Time after time, she provides shelter, rest, and food for the winter weary animals. This year when the Queen comes to choose her Christmas tree (the greatest honor for a tree of the forest), she passes by all of the perfect trees who have closed their proud branches to the animals of the forest and she chooses droopy, uneven Small Pine, for the good queen had recognized the love of Christ expressed in her imperfect branches.

Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey--This story is about a grumpy woodcarver who is commissioned by a widow and her young son to carve a nativity set. Through the story, the widow and son learn of the tragedies that have hardened the woodcarver's heart, but through patience, love, and innocent conversations with the child about how the nativity set should be, his heart is finally healed. The story is a little long for one sitting, but it is a sweet love story interwoven with beautiful references to the gentleness and love of Jesus Christ.

Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle--This is a sweet story about a young girl who recognizes the loneliness of an elderly neighbor at Christmas time and finds a way to add some joy and love (and the family's Christmas Jar) into his life.

Legend of the Christmas Stocking--This story is of a young boy who works hard to help earn money for his family while his father is away, but with the small percentage he keeps for himself he saves up for a coveted model ship. Just before Christmas and his father still hasn't returned, he sadly realizes that his family will not have much for Christmas unless he contributes the money he has been saving for the ship. Still he is stubborn about keeping it for himself, until at church he learns of the legend of the Christmas stocking, which touches his heart and he decides to share the money with his family. On Christmas morning his father returns and brings the model ship as a gift.

Silent Night, Holy Night. --a moving story about soldiers in World War 2 who stopped fighting on Christmas night and even enjoyed in some Christmas camaraderie with their enemies, which culminated in them singing, "Silent Night" together in their own languages. Someone read this aloud at our ward Christmas party and had a cellist join in with playing, "Silent Night" during the ending of the book. It was very cool.

Room for a Little One--a very simple, short tale of an assortment of humble animals who are drawn to a stable for warmth, then get to welcome the Savior into the world. Sweet story, lovely artwork.

An Angel Came to Nazareth--this book is a pretty simple recounting of the first Christmas night in rhyming style, but I am in love with the gorgeous artwork in here. Look at that detail. (Just noticed that it's out-of-print as well, but used copies are available at a reasonable price)

Berenstain Bears and The Joy of Giving--I bought this book to help remind my kids about being unselfish and thinking of others during Christmas, but it caught me off-guard when I discovered a much deeper religious element as well. They use the familiar Berenstain Bear characters, Brother and Sister Bear, who learn through their participation in a Nativity reenactment what Christmas is really all about.

Click here to see some of my other Christmas posts.

Don't forget to tell me some of your favorite books!

12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas for Families

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 04:32:00 +0000

One of our family's favorite Christmas traditions is surprising a friend or neighbor with 12-days of Christmas fun!   We've been doing it now for several years and my kids won't let us go through a Christmas season anymore without doing it. When a friend recently mentioned wanting to start the tradition in her family and not really knowing where to begin, I thought I would compile some of the things we've learned over the last few years and share it with all of you.

Choosing your recipient.   We take this step pretty seriously and have each member of the family give their input a couple of weeks beforehand. We then pray about the names and decide who will be the recipient. We don't choose who we think is the neediest, but usually someone who is new or we feel could use a little pick-me-up or TLC. After a family has been chosen, we try to do a little reconnaissance to make sure they're going to be in town through Christmas Eve.   This would also be fun to do for your own family.

Planning. After we decide who we're going to surprise, we sit down in a family meeting and plan each day's gifts out , marking it on the calendar what we're going to do. It's helpful if the parents have done a little pre-planning and have some ideas to suggest, as well as having a budget in mind. After you've decided what you want to do, I highly recommend purchasing everything in advance, so that you're not stuck at 7:00pm on some crazy night right before Christmas with nothing to give.

Notes. We usually write silly little poems to go with each night, but it isn't necessary at all. Each delivery could simply have a note that reads, "On the seventh night of Christmas, the elf brought to you seven...." or you could print off these cute printable tags that I found.

Packaging: We package everything up in cheap gift bags or inexpensive baskets (from the dollar store), but you could wrap everything up in wrapping paper too.

Delivery. After all that prep work is when it's time for the real fun to begin! We usually begin delivering on December 13, so that we'll finish up on Christmas Eve. Our kids really enjoy leaving the gift on the doorstep, ringing the doorbell, and running to our car which I've parked just out of sight. But you could also do blocked phone calls (by dialing *67 before the phone number) with the message that their package has been delivered. My kids enjoy the running too much and would throw a fit if we ever tried that though! We do try to vary the times of our deliveries, to minimize the chance of being caught, but my older kids have gotten brazen and will sometimes hide in the bushes to watch them open the door.

Finishing up. To reveal yourself or not? We usually opt not to, because that's our personality, but it's up to the individual family whether you want them to know who you are or not.

It never fails to be a great experience for our family and we love imagining their excitement and anticipation each night for our deliveries.

So what do you give each night?

I've compiled two versions of ideas...a deluxe version and a more economical version. Both lists would be best suited for families with children. You could mix and match between the two lists or add in any of your own ideas. One thing to keep in mind, is that the lists are very flexible and you could move items around depending on how many people they have in their family or how many of a certain item you can easily find.

Deluxe Version Approximate Cost: ~$125
(note: most of these items {except the movies and books} would likely be found at lower prices in a store. I've just linked them here for convenience, but have made the total price based on the lower store prices)

1-a fun Christmas movie (perhaps A Charlie Brown Christmas or Elf )
2-children's Christmas picture books (board books are cheaper--we like this one or this one)
3-things for dinner (a soup mix, bread, and a bottle of sparkling cider)
4-different kinds of hot chocolate mixes + marshmallows
5-blossomed poinsettia plant (this is an easy one to move around to a different day)
6-pairs of fuzzy Christmas socks (or however many people they have in their family)--check the dollar store
7- Christmas ornaments (I like this set: 7-Piece Christmas Nativity Ornament Set)
8-sheets of Christmas Stickers
9-Christmas Cookie Cutters (+ a roll of sugar cookie dough + frosting + sprinkles)
10-oranges + Christmas Orange story (printed from here or this gorgeous book version)
11-a goody plate with 11 treats
12-candy canes + the beautiful children's book, The Legend of the Candy Cane: The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy (the board book is cheaper)

Less Expensive Version Approximate cost: ~$50

1-chocolate orange (to share) + printed Christmas Orange story
2-Christmas coloring books (and a box of crayons)
3-things for dinner (a soup mix, bread, and a bottle of sparkling cider)
4-different kinds of hot chocolate mixes + marshmallows
5-blossomed poinsettia plant
6-Christmas cookie cutters + sugar cookie dough + frosting (you can usually find a cheap set of cookie cutters at the craft store)
7-homemade ornaments (or inexpensive 7-piece Nativity set from the Dollar Store)
8-Candy bar note with 8 different candy bars (use hot glue or clear packing tape to attach to a cardboard or poster board) See this post or this post or this post for some fun ideas for writing the note
9-muffins for a yummy breakfast (along with 9 funny Christmas jokes to tell at breakfast)
10-oranges (with a reminder about Christmas orange story from 1st day)
11-a goody plate with 11 treats
12-a cd you've burned with your 12 favorite Christmas songs

HAVE FUN!!!!

How to Make a YW Value Color Layered Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Ellen, one of our YW advisers, recently taught the young women how to make a rainbow layered cake with the layers in the YW value colors. I loved how it turned out and since then have been asked by a couple of other people, who had seen the pictures of it, if I could post the instructions on how to make it. I think it would make a perfect dessert for a Young Women in Excellence or other special YW night. I recreated it for my son's birthday (not divulging to the boys that the colors were the YW value colors) to make sure that I got the instructions correct and to get pictures of each step. I was surprised at how easy it was to make it myself and loved to see the boys reaction to the cake, which was every bit as animated as the young women's had been. Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

CAKE (the ingredients listed are if you are using a Duncan Hines white cake mix. If using another brand, prepare as directed on that box.)
2 boxes white cake mix
6 egg whites
2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
food coloring (you'll need at least the primary colors)
at least one 9-inch round cake pan and parchment paper

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1 cup butter
8 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1+ Tbs. milk (until good frosting consistency has been reached)

Directions:
CAKE: Mix together the cake as directed on box. Divide the batter evenly among seven small bowls (if you're using a double Duncan Hines cake mix it should be about a heaping cup of batter in each bowl). Dye each bowl of batter your desired color.

You will have to be liberal with the food coloring in order to get it bright enough. Read the box of food coloring to get an idea of amounts. For the gold I added some extra yellow to the orange.

Here are the YW value colors:

FAITH--white (frosting)
DIVINE NATURE--blue
INDIVIDUAL WORTH--red
KNOWLEDGE--green
CHOICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY--orange
GOOD WORKS--yellow
INTEGRITY--purple
VIRTUE--gold

After each bowl of batter is mixed well and dyed to your desired color, add to a greased 9-inch circle baking pan with parchment paper lining just the bottom. Spread batter evenly to the edges and pound pan on counter top to get rid of any air bubbles that may remain.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-minutes.

Repeat for each layer.

Allow each layer to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. After layers are cool, wrap in plastic wrap and place on a flat surface in a freezer. It's okay to stack them.

This picture does not reflect the correct final order of colors

Allow to freeze for 1 hour or more, then place the color of layer you want on the bottom onto a cake platter. For the YW value cake, I placed them in reverse order (gold on the bottom, then purple, yellow, orange, green, red, then blue on top. The frosting is the white.)

FOR FROSTING: Mix all ingredients together, adding a tablespoon of milk at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Frost each layer liberally to the edge of the round and place the next layer on top until you've reached the top layer.

Frost tops and sides of cake.

If you have time, do a light layer of frosting over the whole cake, then place in the freezer for 1-2 hours, then refrost with a pretty layer of icing.

If you don't have time to do a second coating, just frost it the best you can.

To serve, cut into slices and wait for the oohs and aahs!

Enjoy!

Missionary Trivia Game and Letter Writing Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:49:00 +0000

I created this letter writing activity and missionary trivia game for a YM/YW combined activity about missionaries. It turned out well and I think the youth genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to show support to the missionaries in this way. There were some very sweet notes written and I know that the missionaries will be thrilled with their shower of letters. I'm thinking we might try to do something similar a couple of times a year.

This activity could also be easily adapted into a FHE lesson.

Opening prayer:

Opening song: "Called to Serve" and/or "I Hope they Call Me on a Mission"

Welcome/Brief intro to the night:

Trivia Game (see game below): I had the trivia questions printed onto two sheets of paper and had the YW president and YM president take turns reading off the questions. Each correct answer was rewarded with a small piece of candy. We were pretty liberal with the candy and would reward them for close answers (especially for the ones with very specific numbers for answers). We had a large group (about 40-50 youth) and I felt like the candy throwing was a good way to keep their attention.

Short Discussion: We talked briefly about showing support for missionaries and about the great work they do. We had intended to also have a convert give a 2-minute spiel about how grateful they were for the missionaries who had found them, but we ran out of time.

Letter Writing: (see pictures below) After the trivia game was complete, we talked briefly about supporting the missionaries, then wrote letters to those that were serving from our ward. We have 9 missionaries currently serving from our ward, so we placed the long tables around the edge of the room, had a picture of each missionary hanging on the wall, then a large envelope with each missionary's name sitting on the table in front of the picture. I distributed 4 quarter sheets of paper and a pen to each youth and asked that they write letters to 4 of the 9 missionaries.

Missionary ID game: (see picture below) I had ward members send me pictures of themselves as missionaries. I printed off the pictures and put their name, their mission, and the years they served ON THE BACK, then hung them up on a wall. It was great fun trying to identify the old pictures and perfect as a filler for those who finished early.

Tie Tying (I had this planned as a filler activity, but didn't end up having time for it): We'd divide into teams and have the girls (with only the boys' verbal instructions) tie a necktie. Whichever team could do it the fastest would win.

This was what we hung up on the walls around the room. The pictures of the missionaries, with a "What can I write?" sheet (see below) in between each one.

Here you can see how we set up the tables in front of their pictures. Large envelopes with each missionary's name were on the table in front of their pictures, so that the youth could place their letters in there as soon as they were done.

I collected old missionary pictures from ward members and had them hung up on the wall. It was great fun trying to identify who was who, before looking on the back where I'd labeled them with the name, mission, and years served.

A glimpse at the letters for one of the missionaries:

***********************************
Here is the printable version of the missionary trivia game:
LDS Missionary Trivia Game

**********************************************

I knew that some of the youth would think that they had nothing to write in their letters, so I hung up the following list of ideas by each table.

What can I write to the missionaries?

Your favorite scripture

A recent missionary experience you’ve had

What you’ve been doing in school lately

How your sports’ season has gone

Ask about their mission

Spiritual insights you’ve had during seminary/Sunday lessons

Ask about who they’re teaching

Talk about current events—baseball playoffs, presidential debate (without getting political)

Share an appropriate joke

Something fun that you’ve done lately

A funny antic that your younger sibling or pet has done

BE POSITIVE!!!!!!

***************************

ADVANCE PREPARATION

Find out the answers to the personalized questions in the Missionary Trivia Game.

Ask missionary parents for pictures of their missionaries and their current addresses.

Ask ward members for pictures of themselves as missionaries.

Have sheets of paper cut into quarters. I figured the smaller size would seem less intimidating to fill than entire sheets of paper.

Gather enough pens for everyone.

Optional: Print off some missionary clipart and provide scissors and glue for decorating the letters, for those who feel so inclined.

**************

Printable Apostle Tabs for General Conference Journals

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:31:00 +0000

I saw the idea for tabbed General Conference journals in several different places online. I liked the idea and wanted to make them with our young women and for our family, but was disappointed not to find any printable versions of the apostle tabs that I'd seen. So I made them myself and thought I'd share them here for all of you! My favorite part of these tabs is that I made them so they are perfect sized to be cut out with a 1.25-inch square punch! Easy peasy!

Here are the tabs followed by directions on how to use them! The YW loved them! Happy Conference weekend!

LDS Apostle Tabs for General Conference Journals

Preparing the tabs:

Print tabs onto white cardstock.

Punch tabs out with a 1.25-inch square punch ( or the with scissors).

Laminate, if desired.

I started off just using regular Scotch tape as shown in the picture, but ended up preferring the invisible gift wrap tape instead.

Attaching the tabs:
Use a piece of clear tape across the entire tab and attach it to the notebook as shown--with only the name sticking over the edge of the paper.

Leave a page or two between each tab (you may want to count the number of pages you're working with, so you know how many) and stagger the placement of the tab, so it is just below the one before it. Five tabs fit perfectly down the side of the 5x7-inch notebooks that we used.

I recommend placing the tabs in some kind of order (either seniority or alphabetical). Here is seniority order: Monson, Eyring, Uchtdorf, Packer, Perry, Nelson, Oaks, Ballard, Scott, Hales, Holland, Bednar, Cook, Christofferson, Andersen

A few more notes:

Notebooks:
For our family we used 5x7-inch notebooks, which came from the dollar bin at Michael's. For the young women, we used some extra personal progress journals that we had in our closet. They were almost identically sized, which made it easier to use the same size of everything.

Decorating:
We used an assortment of scrapbook paper, glue sticks, and mod podge to decorate the covers.

How to make it into a YW value project (we put this inside the back cover):
Click here for downloadable, printable version (print at 60% to fit inside of 5x7-inch journal)

"Making the Most of General Conference" printable (we put this inside the front cover):
Click here for downloadable version
( I used Kristy Maguire's version)--print at 65% to fit inside of 5x7-inch journal

Happy Conference weekend!

Enjoy!

Staying Morally Clean FHE Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:57:00 +0000

I'm trying to publish my lessons without using Scribd. What do you think? I've included the link to a printable version of the lesson to make printing it a little easier. You'll have to right click on the pictures and copy and paste them into a word processing document before printing. Please let me know if you prefer this method or publishing them ready-to-go on Scribd. Click here for my entire FHE lesson index.

Staying Morally Pure
click here for printable version ( mini versions of the pictures are included and the videos are removed)
Lesson by Lara Goold

Suggested Songs:
"True to the Faith," Hymns, page 254
"I Will Follow God's Plan," Children's Songbook, page 164
"Choose the Right," Hymns, page 239

Lesson Purpose: To help family members understand that the effort it takes to stay morally clean is well worth the great rewards that will await them.

Scripture: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Article of Faith #13
PREPARATION:
1. Gather items for the object lesson. You'll need a food item that they like, but is not very exciting to them (like a saltine cracker or a plain biscuit) and some kind of treat that they will really enjoy (ice cream sundaes would fit with the lesson perfectly)
2. Print off the Mormonad pictured below (or recreate it in real life)
3. Print off picture of human cell (below)
4. Find the two videos mentioned in the lesson and have them opened, loaded and ready to show your family.
5. Prayerfully study: Today's Family: Protect the Power to Create Life

OPENING PRAYER:

OBJECT LESSON:   Offer your family a simple treat that they would like, but not be very excited about (a saltine cracker, a plain biscuit, a slice of bread, etc). Hand it to them, let them hold it through the lesson, and tell them that they are welcome to eat that treat now. But if they are willing to wait until the end of the lesson, then they won't be able to have the first treat but instead can have another more appealing treat (like an ice cream sundae). Don't make a big deal about it...just make sure they understand that if they eat the treat now that they won't be able to have the one at the end of the lesson.

LESSON:
Banging on the piano: If you have a piano in your house, have someone briefly sit down and play it loudly and poorly. If you don't have a piano, then ask your family to imagine what it sounds like when an untrained person (like a baby or toddler) plays.

Then show this video:

Talk about how amazing the performance was and how much you enjoyed it.

Point out that although it was the same instrument, that there were some pretty big differences between the two performances.   Have them elaborate what was the difference between the two (it's all about playing the right notes, in the right order, with the right timing).

RELATE: Relate this concept to physical intimacy. When done at the right time and right place and right order (as part of a loving marital relationship), then it is beautiful and sacred. If played out of order and without the right timing, it turns ugly. If you feel inspired, you can further elaborate on what the ugliness of physical intimacy out of wedlock entails (hurt feelings, possible STD's, possible baby being born without the privilege of coming into a stable, loving family, skewed sense of what a healthy commitment is, damaged self-esteem, jealousy, desensitization to the spirit, etc.)

SHOW this MORMONAD (or recreate it with a real ice cream sundae and a real bug):

right click on picture, then copy and paste it into a word processing document
where you will be able to adjust it to the desired size before printing.

Ask them if they would like to eat the sundae. Play it up and emphasize that it's a really big sundae and there's only a tiny bit defiled by the bug and the possible poison that might be on their bodies.

DISCUSS: about how easy the decision is to make when it has to do with the food we put in our bodies, but how easily Satan would have us believe that playing with sacred things (dressing immodestly, viewing pornography, too much physical contact before marriage, etc) is fine if you don't "go all the way". Emphasize how important it is to steer clear of "bugs" in our life that might be sneaking their way into our conduct and how worth it, it is to wait for the right time and the right place, so we can have the whole beautifully delicious ice cream sundae without the corruption of "spiritual bugs"!

SHOW PICTURE OF HUMAN CELL:

right click on picture, then copy and paste it into a word processing document
where you will be able to adjust it to the desired size before printing.

Ask your family if they know what it the picture is of. They will probably guess a cell of some sort, so ask them to guess what kind of cell.

When they guess or you tell them that they are human cells, talk about how amazing it is that our bodies are made up of so many tiny particles.

DISCUSS: Just how our bodies are made up of millions of tiny cells, that our lives are made up of all the small and large decisions we make on a day-to-day basis. The music we listen to, the people we spend our time with, the movies we watch, the way we treat our siblings, etc are the core of what makes us into the person that we are.

RELATE: If we have a goal of a temple marriage, then we should be making all of the small, seemingly insignificant decisions we face each day, reflect that goal.

CONCLUDING VIDEO and TREATS: Watch this video while you eat the long-awaited ice cream sundae (or whatever treat you have prepared).

TESTIMONY: Bear your testimony of the importance of staying morally clean and pure. If inspired, share some of your personal feelings.

CLOSING PRAYER:

REFRESHMENTS: ice cream sundaes

Display for the week:

download full size image here

Additional Reading Material:

YW Manual #1, Lesson 32: Personal Purity through Self Discipline

Article from lds.org: Protect the Power to Create Life

lds.org article on Chastity

lds.org/youth article: Personal Purity

Display of 13th Article of Faith: Mormonshare

For the Strength of Youth: Sexual Purity

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YW Back-to School Survival Kit with Scriptures and Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:53:00 +0000

Being a part of a brand new YW presidency, we felt like we needed to pay visits to all of the girls in their homes. As part of that, I thought it would make the initial few moments a little less awkward if we presented them with a small gift during our visit. When researching what would be a meaningful and cheap gift, I came across the idea for a back-to-school survival kit. I found a very cute printable version of a kit over at Apples 4 Bookworms , which I used for the cards (except for two which I designed myself). I bought all of the supplies for about $30 and was about to start putting them all together, but decided that it still needed a little something more. In the end I decided that I wanted them to pack a little more of a spiritual punch, so I decided to add scriptures and quotes to the back of each card. Here is a glimpse at how they turned out, along with the quotes/scriptures that I used:

"Remember your great worth!" (100 Grand candy bar)

"Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!" Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

______________________________________________________

Stick to your principles even when things get hard! (a stick of gum)

"When you keep the commandments and follow the Savior’s example, it’s like holding up a light. Your good example helps others to find their way in a darkening world. It takes courage to do what you know to be right even when it is hard, very hard. But you will never lose your courage unless you choose to." Sister Ardeth G. Kapp

______________________________________________________

Your Young Women Leaders Love You! (Hershey Hugs or Kisses)

______________________________________________________

Be a m&m member missionary! (pack of M & M's)

"The most effective way to share the gospel is to live it. When we live like disciples of Christ should live, when we aren’t just good but happy to be good, others will be drawn to us because we are “distinct and different—in happy ways,” as President Kimball prophesied (“The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 104). Happy about the way we’ve chosen to live, happy because we’re not constantly reshaping ourselves in the world’s image, happy because we have “the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost” (1 Ne. 13:37), happy to stand tall so that we will stand out....No woman is more persuasive, no woman has greater influence for good, no woman is a more vibrant instrument in the hands of the Lord than a woman of God who is thrilled to be who she is. I like to think of us as the Lord’s secret weapon.” Sister Sheri Dew

______________________________________________________

It's important to laugh! (Snickers or Laffy Taffy)

"...a good sense of humor is a useful quality to have. It will often help you to keep your sanity when life gets too serious or too difficult. If you remember to be honest, considerate, and kind in what you say to or about others, you’ll be on your way to developing a “good” sense of humor. And that’s something everyone can enjoy." Chris Crowe, Ensign, May 1986

______________________________________________________

Prayer can be a LIFESAVER when you need help! (lifesavers)

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." Alma 37:37

______________________________________________________

Be a SMARTIE and study hard! (smarties)

"Secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge can complement each other. Because God created the earth and the things that inhabit it, studying geology, physics and biology teaches us more about the greatness of our Creator. Authors and poets can write with heavenly inspiration, so reading their work can give us insight into the nature of our souls and what it means to be human. Sometimes listening to a piece of music can help us feel God's love. Both secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge benefit from dialogue. Both require observation, work, and practice. So although we sometimes think of secular and spiritual as opposites or even as contradictory, a true knowledge of God and the world He created shows us that understanding one helps to understand the other." mormon.org/learning

______________________________________________________

You are writing the story of your life...What does your story tell? (a pen)

"My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.” Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

______________________________________________________

Remember the cleansing principle of REPENTANCE! (Individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipe)

"If any has stumbled in his journey, there is a way back. The process is called repentance. Our Savior died to provide you and me that blessed gift. Though the path is difficult, the promise is real: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). President Thomas S. Monson

"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord, remember them no more." Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

______________________________________________________

The decisions you make will affect you NOW & LATER! (Now & Later candies were hard to find. I eventually found them at a drug store, but you can also order them here or here)

"Young people, you live in tumultuous times. You have choices to make—choices with eternal consequences. But you are not left unaided in your decisions, however small or however large they may be....Precious young people, make every decision you contemplate pass this test: What does it do to me? What does it do for me? And let your code of conduct emphasize not “What will others think?” but rather “What will I think of myself?” Be influenced by that still, small voice." President Thomas S. Monson

______________________________________________________

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes....be forgiving (to yourself and to others)! (eraser)

"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s wonderful that you have strengths. And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses. God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself. ...many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself." Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

______________________________________________________

PICTURE OF THE SAVIOR (I had ordered some from the LDS distribution center, however they did not arrive in time, so I used packs like this and this and this and this (packs of 3x4-inch prints) from Deseret Book that I happened to have in the house)

"Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him. Seek to comprehend the significance of these doctrines.

Cherish your esteemed place in the sight of God. He needs you. This Church needs you. The world needs you." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

______________________________________________________

SHOPPING LIST
(drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens tend to have the best selection and prices for candy)

erasers (and pencils if desired)

Now and Later candies (They were hard to find around here, but eventually I found them at a family-owned (non-chain) drugstore. You can also order them here)

Individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipes (at a drugstore near the first aid supplies, a box costs $2-$5 depending on brand)

Pens

Smarties

Lifesavers

Snickers or Laffy Taffy

Snack size bags of M & M's

Hershey Hugs or Kisses

Snack size 100 Grand bars

Cute lunchbags (Target had 40 colored lunchbags in red or blue for $1)

OTHER MATERIALS

cardstock--colored or white

hot glue gun with glue or tape (to attach the candy)

glue sticks (to glue the quotes on the back)

binder clips, paper clips, or staples (to hold the bag shut)

magnet tape (for the back of the picture of Christ)

YW Manual 1, Lesson 29--Second Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:30:00 +0000

As I've recently been called to be the YW president in our ward, I thought I'd use this blog to share some of the lessons and ideas that we use along the way. This lesson could easily be adapted to a family home evening as well. Be sure to check out the resource list at the bottom of the lesson.

Objective:
Each young woman will recognize the responsibilities her generation has to prepare for the Second Coming.

Preparation:
1. Hide a paper crown under one of the seats or in the room
2. Gather items from the spiritual 72-hour kit (flashlight, roadmap, first aid kit, wipes, water, food, cash, radio) and tape the scriptures onto them. (see below)
3. Find a picture of a young girl (someone from your family preferably) dressed up as a princess
4. Print off quotes so that they can be read
5. Make hand-outs for them to take home

Introductory activity: Hide paper crown underneath a seat, then have the person find it be the queen for the day. They get to pick the people who give the prayers, choose songs, hand out items, etc.
Talk briefly about modern kings and queens and how they don’t do much today.

Briefly mention (or have them mention) some righteous and wicked kings through history.
Righteous (Benjamin, Mosiah, Limhi, Lamoni, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, Hezekiah)
Wicked (Noah, Coriantumr, Laman)

Summarize Mosiah 29:13, 16-17, 21, 26--when King Mosiah talks about how the ideal form of government is a righteous king, but because the evil that a wicked king perpetuates is so great and they're so difficult to overthrow without a lot of bloodshed, that it's better to be ruled by the people.

What are the characteristics of a righteous king?

Show picture Savior at the Second Coming and discuss how he is “the King of Kings”, which means that we are a royal generation.

Explain that the generation the YW are a part of has been called a royal generation because the valiant among them will help prepare the world for the 2^nd coming.

Read QUOTE #1:

“My dear friends, you are a royal generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you…If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here.” Elder H. Burke Peterson

Show picture of a young girl as a princess. Talk about how most of us come to this earth with an innate sense of our divinity.

…then we seem to forget.

Royal generation? What does it mean? Who is our king?   What is a generation?
Kate Middleton
what would you do if she accepted an invitation to come to lunch at your house? Would you wait until the last minute to prepare? Would you put out paper plates and hot dogs? Would you leave your dirty dishes in the sink?

Of course not…you’d be honored and do your best to use your manners, clean your house, and prepare a delicious meal served on your finest table settings.

Imagine how honored we’d be with Kate Middleton allowing us to serve her lunch. Think of the great honor it is to be among the royal generation to usher in the King of Kings.

Except we don’t know when he is coming.

What are some of the signs that we’ll see before His coming (don't focus on the signs, keep it positive)?

Signs: restoration of the gospel, priesthood, gospel preached throughout the world, destruction of wicked, book of mormon .

Share experience about someone being scared of the second coming.

Ask: Do we need to be scared?
Read Dallin H Oaks Quote:
“We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. But with faith in God, we trust the blessings He has promised those who keep His commandments. We have faith in the future, and we are preparing for that future. To borrow a metaphor from the familiar world of athletic competitions, we do not know when this game will end, and we do not know the final score, but we do know that when the game finally ends, our team wins. We will continue to go forward “till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

Christ is our King of Kings and when we live like we believe it, there is No Need to Fear!

WE just need to be prepared.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 —if we are prepared, we shall not fear.

What do we usually think of when we think of being prepared?
Food storage, 72-hour kits, batteries, etc.

Show 72-hour kit and go through item by item and compare to spiritual preparation.    (see below for items and scriptures to have prepared)

D & C 87:8
Discuss its meaning
Talk about Holy Places
What it is. What it isn’t.

Simply put, you are a royal generation and have been held back for thousands of years to come forth in this day. You are the leaders of tomorrow and as we’ve been promised, you are strong enough to withstand any temptation before you. You are the daughter of a King.

************************

Here is the front of the handout, you can download it here (I added a text box that said, "You are a royal generation."):

the back:

A royal treat: Greek Yogurt Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting with Princess Cupcake Picks

********************************

CUT OUT THE FOLLOWING STRIPS AND TAPE THEM TO THE CORRESPONDING ITEMS IN YOUR 72-HOUR KIT AND THEN PLACE THEM IN A BACKPACK (source: That Good Part):

Water – Jesus Christ
- “Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. … But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” – John 4:10, 14
Flashlight – The Light of Christ
- “12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” – John 8:12
Radio – The Gift of the Holy Ghost
- “3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. 4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
  5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.”- 3 Nephi 11:3-5
Map – The Scriptures
- “3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” – 2 Nephi 32:3“
First Aid Kit – Faith

“22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” – Matthew 9:22

Wipes (sanitary/antibacterial wipes) – Repentance

“86 Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes.” – Doctrine and Covenants 88:86

Swiss-Army Knife or multi-purpose tool – Spiritual Gifts

“8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given; 9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.” – Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-9

Cash – Knowledge

” 19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” – Doctrine and Covenants 130:19

Clothes – Priesthood

“17 Which priesthood continueth in the church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or end of years. 18 And the Lord confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations, which priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the priesthood which is after the holiest order of God.
19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.” – Doctrine and Covenants 84:17-22

**********************************

Resources:

YW Manual 1, Lesson 29

"Preparation for the Second Coming" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks (mentions a spiritual 72-hour kit)

"Preparing the World for the Second Coming" by Elder Neil L. Andersen

"Preparing for the Second Coming FHE Lesson" (with visuals for Spencer W. Kimball's quote about drop-by-drop spiritual preparation)

"A Royal Generation" by Elder Dean Larson

handout by Storytime Handouts

Spiritual 72-hour kit idea from That Good Part

Princess Cupcake Picks (from Amazon)

Greek Yogurt Cupcakes with amazing Strawberry Frosting

Picture download of Savior at the Second Coming

simplifying

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

When, recently, I raised my hand and shared some of the following ideas in a time management class at Women's Conference, I was surprised at the huge response there was to some of the ideas I shared..... After the class a working single mother told me of her struggles of making sure that she had enough time with her kids in the evenings. Another told me about how she worried that her grandchildren were being so overwhelmed with evening activities that she was concerned for their family's well being. In short, I got comment after comment about how overwhelmed their families were with trying to do it all and how intrigued they were with our balanced and simplified approach of helping our kids TO BE instead of TO DO (I love that general conference talk).

*********
A few years ago we were overwhelmed and running a million miles an hour almost every day of the week. It was to the point where we were eating dinner later and later in the evening (often fast food), our scripture study was suffering, and we were all exhausted. And the weekends were even worse. Saturdays were spent trying to cram all of our yard work, attending the temple together, doing our chores, and the kids' activities all into one single day. In addition to dreading Saturdays with every fiber of my being, I would often end the weekend far more stressed at what hadn't gotten done that what actually had.

Somewhere in that stressed out/ zombie period of my life, I realized that there was one big common factor in all this overscheduling....our kids' participation in community sports. With five kids, it was taking over our lives. Not only were the practices right smack in the middle of dinner hour scattered all over town during rush hour, but the Saturday games at variable times and places through the day were the main culprit for our weekend craziness as well.

Finally, I asked myself what it was all for.

Yes, I wanted my kids to BE fit. But, seriously, who the heck grows up to play soccer or tee-ball as a way to stay fit as an adult anyway?

Yes, I wanted my kids to learn to BE a good sportsman. But was getting yet another trophy to clutter up the shelf with after every single season, no matter the team's skills, really the sportsman message I wanted them to learn?

Yes, I wanted my kids to have experiences that challenged them and helped them to grow. But, was it worth it at the expense of having a stressed out family that barely spent any time together?

No, no, and NO.

And with that resounding NO in our heads, we simply asked ourselves, what do most adults do to stay fit?

With the answer to that question...walking, running, riding bikes, rollerblading, going to the gym, and playing tennis...we started simplifying.    It has been a gradual transition, but over time we have moved away from enrolling our kids in community sports very often and have instead sought out opportunities for them that we feel will be far more valuable in helping them to develop into fit, strong, and confident adults than several seasons of soccer participation ever could.

How has it gone?

Two words: LIFE CHANGING!

Emma and Adam take group tennis lessons...at the same time, at a nearby park, with an experienced teacher.    Two kids at once.....AWESOME!

Emma and Adam also participate in the school's after-school track program. Not only is it totally free, but it's super fun, excellent exercise, and it's also a great social experience for them running with their friends.   Of course, I also love that I only have to drive one way and since it's at the school, it's very close to home. Once again, I like the two-for-one aspect of it and I love that this is also a bonding experience for them.

Ellie participates in our ward soccer league. It's light-hearted, fun, extremely inexpensive ($10 per season vs $100+ for the community leagues) and it's at the same time, same place every Saturday morning. The varying game schedules of most community sports has always been the biggest stressor in our weekend planning. This will be Ellie's last year of being able to participate, but I figure that he will follow in Emma's footsteps and be a coach's assistant in the future (another valuable experience in an of itself). Two for one again.

We are far more flexible with our high schoolers' participation in sports and allow them to choose whatever sport that interests them. Spencer has participated in football, winter track, and lacrosse. Cami is participating in cross country, track, and lacrosse. Once again, since it's an after school sport it's only one way of driving and it's easier to find carpools.

Of course, we're still busy, so what made all this life-changing for us?

In short, it is because we have reclaimed the dinner hour, we now spend far less of our evenings in the car, AND our Saturdays are manageable again. All that and the kids are still having fun and are gaining fitness and social skills that will benefit them their whole lives. Oh yeah and their mommy is a whole heck of a lot less stressed in the evenings....and that's got to count for at least double the points. :)

We eat together, we talk together, we bond.   I believe with all my heart that although it's simple, a real family dinner eaten together is powerful and irreplaceable.   And guess what we do after dinner? The kids jump on the trampoline together, or play a game, or we go on a walk to the local park.    More exercise, more time together, more bonding.

I love it.

And I also love what it's done to our Saturdays. Our Saturdays are often still jam-packed, but they're a whole lot more flexible than they used to be and a lot more of our Saturdays are spent together as a family than they once were.

Since I'm fully aware of the fact that there are people out there who find our stepping back from enrolling the kids in community sports to be almost heretical, I just have to put it out there that I have no philosophical opposition to kids participating in community sports. My kids have participated in the past and will probably participate again in the future. I do think, however, that our society places far too high a value on it and that when that participation is getting in the way of family peace and togetherness, that there are less disruptive ways to accomplish the same goals.

It's been exactly what our family needed to help us focus on the things that matter most.

**************

"...we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.”

Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world. That is why “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, … that [we] may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins.” In the complexity, confusion, and rush of modern living, this is the “more excellent way.”^"

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Family Home Evening FAQ's

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I've recently had a few people ask me some questions about Family Home Evenings and so I've created this FAQ blogpost as a way to put those answers all into one place.    If you still have questions after reading this, please feel free to ask away (in the comments or via email) and I will do my best to answer them as well.

What is Family Home Evening?
Family Home Evenings are a special time set aside each week for spending time together as a family, learning the gospel together, and strengthening relationships with one another.

Where did the concept of Family Home Evenings originate?
In 1915 the First Presidency of the church first urged members to set aside one night a week (ideally Monday) for "Home Evenings". Members were encouraged to sing, read the scriptures, and learn the gospel together. (for more detail you can read here)

What is the purpose of a weekly Family Home Evening?
As mentioned above, the main purpose of Family Home Evenings are to sit down as a family on a weekly basis and discuss gospel principles and how they apply to our lives. This time not only gives families an opportunity to reconnect amidst the crazy schedules we all seem to have, but also gives parents a chance to give spiritual tools and encouragement to children on how to keep their lives grounded on what is most important.    The best family home evenings are those that mix the gospel lessons with an element of fun and connectedness as a family.

What is the average Family Home Evening like?
I imagine that each family would answer this question a little differently. Here's a glimpse at an average FHE at our house:
We always start ours with a round of songs, each person in the family choosing which song they'd like to sing. Some of us are more musical than others, but we all sing along--off-key notes notwithstanding. After singing time is done we have a family prayer and a lesson. The lesson is usually either about a gospel principle or a positive character trait we're trying to foster. Our lessons average about 10-15 minutes in length, but could be anywhere from 5-30 minutes long, depending on who's teaching, what the topic is, and how much the kids are paying attention. We finish up with a prayer, then if it's not too late, eat a treat together and/or play a game (sometimes related to the lesson topic, sometimes just for fun).

What is your best tip for a successful Family Home Evening?
I think the main thing is to just do it. It's way too easy in this busy society to find excuses not to do it, but our families, more than ever, need the instruction and connectedness that family home evenings bring. Make the commitment and and make it work for your family. If Mondays don't work, switch it to Sunday night. If nighttime is too much for your kids, do it in the afternoon instead.

If you are interested in reading more of my tips on how to have a successful FHE, see this post.

What are the best resources for gospel lessons?
Not to toot my own horn, but I think that this blog is a pretty darn excellent resource for ready-to-go FHE lessons and even if cutting and laminating aren't your thing, the lesson plans also contain great object lesson ideas and ideas for how to relate gospel concepts to real life. I also love Friend magazines, the scriptures, old FHE lesson manuals, sacrament meeting talks, primary sharing times, and answering questions that the kids have asked.

What if I'm not LDS, but am interested in implementing the concept into my own family?
Anyone who is committed to putting aside the activities and distractions of life for one night a week and gathering their family together for some fun and connectedness, can enjoy the blessings of Family Home Evenings as well. Religion aside, individuals working to strengthening their own families will not only bless their families, but also society as a whole.

What blessings has your family received from holding regular Family Home Evenings?
While I've always felt that Family Home Evenings are a powerful bonding tool for tying families together, we have witnessed those blessings in an up close and very meaningful way over the last several months. When Spencer, my sixteen-year-old son, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia earlier this year, one of the greatest challenges we faced was feeling ripped apart as a family. With one of us always at the hospital with Spencer (his treatment was almost entirely in-patient) and the other of us at home caring for the rest of the family, we literally had no time all together as a family.   That was when we decided that we needed the blessings of Family Home Evenings more than ever. Each and every Sunday night we would tote our entire family and our Sunday dinner, up to Spencer's room. We would eat dinner anywhere we could find a spot--on the window sill, the bed, the chair, etc, and afterward have a short Family Home Evening. Those moments of togetherness during those difficult days were healing to our souls and gave us the courage we needed to go forward with faith and unity as we faced the lonely days ahead.

10 Commandments for Helping a Friend Going through a Hard Time

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Sun, 27 May 2012 11:51:00 +0000

This is written from the perspective of someone who has a critically ill child, but I believe that most of what is written could be easily adapted to a person going through any kind of trial.

1-Thou shalt look ahead and mark your calendars for ways to keep supporting them in their trial. The later months in facing a trial can feel a lot lonelier than at the beginning.  Pick a date (ex. the 25th of every month) and make that your date to send a card, visit, bring a gift, etc.

2-Thou shalt listen. They may want to relive moments, talk incessantly about their trial, reminisce about better times, or just chat about the weather. I used the blog as a way to get a lot of this stuff off my chest, but even still there were a few friends that got their ears talked off by my ramblings.

3-Thou shalt be sincere. Be careful not to shower them with blanket reassurances and tell them that you know everything is going to be okay. While it may seem like a nice thing to say, those kind of hollow reassurances are empty.   They may very well have faith that everything will eventually be okay, but in the meantime no one really knows what "okay" means and a lot of crappy not-okay things may happen between now and the eventual okay.   Additionally, please don't say you understand what they're going through if you don't.

4-Thou shalt be patient and not expect a timely response (or a response at all) to emails, phone calls, or cards, especially right at first. Be patient and allow them time to adjust to their new situation.

5-Thou shalt not be judgmental. Everyone deals with stressful situations in their own way and the last thing someone needs who's going through a difficult trial, is someone telling them they're going about it incorrectly.   Some may be weepy and fearful, others may want to talk about it endlessly, others may be numb, and still others may be angry.    People deal differently and it's not anyone else's place to judge how they're dealing. Of course, if you feel that there is true cause for concern in their behavior, then by all means take the necessary steps to help them. But for most situations, accept that that's the way they're dealing and find ways to support them.    Additionally, telling someone that they're being heroic or super strong, while well-meaning can also be discouraging. When someone is faced with a difficult situation, however well it may seem like they're dealing, they definitely still have their moments of weakness and are not setting out to be a hero.

6-Thou shalt not say "let me know what I can do to help" and expect them to call you. Offer them specific and practical ways you can help them and tell them when you're available to do it. Some practical ideas would be bringing them a meal (fresh or frozen for future use), a gift card to a favorite restaurant, mowing their lawn, babysitting their kids, offering rides, picking up items for them at the store, cleaning their house (or chipping in for a housecleaner), dropping off non-hospital food, etc.    Simple comfort items are also appreciated...an email with a favorite quote, a plate of goodies or homemade bread, a favorite music cd, a gift certificate for a massage, etc

7-Thou shalt not forget other family members who may need a little extra TLC during the trial as well. You can invite kids over for playdates or outings and bring siblings small gifts to let them know that they are not forgotten. You can invite the adults out for lunch dates, or for their favorite activities (golf, shopping, fishing, taking a walk), or just lend a listening ear.

8-Thou shalt remember that each person's trial is uniquely theirs. Be cautious quoting them stats (good or bad), or telling them stories about people who didn't make it, or even people that did make it.   You'd be shocked at how often we hear someone casually throw out, "Oh my mom died of leukemia," as a conversation starter. We are fully aware that people die from what they have and we don't need to hear your horror stories (unless we ask you specifically). Conversely, telling us rosy stories of other people's easy, side-effect-free triumphs over leukemia (almost always talking about the more common, less aggressive type of childhood leukemia than Spencer has) is also discouraging.   Each person's disease or trial is uniquely theirs and stats for that individual are 100% vs 0%. Treatment works or it doesn't. (note: it's okay to pass along the contact info for someone who's been through a similar trial just in case they ever want to talk, but don't force the connection. I did eventually want to connect with other parents of kids with AML, but it was something I sought out on my own when I was ready).

9-Thou shalt not let the idea of perfection get in the way of reaching out. Sure, in an ideal world you'd prefer to find the perfectly beautiful card or to bake a fancy cake or to compile a cute gift basket, but life is life and it's far better to not let the moment slip by. It can be as simple as sending a quick email saying that you're thinking of them, or chatting with them on the phone, or dropping by for a quick visit and a hug, or just commenting on their blog. :)

and last but not least....

10-Thou shalt be positive and encouraging. We never grow weary of people telling us that you're praying for us. Or that we've been on their minds. Or that they think Spencer is awesome.   Or that they like my haircut.   We thrive on just knowing that you care.

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"Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."   Matthew 25:40

Trials Make Us Stronger FHE Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:22:00 +0000

It's been a while since I posted a lesson here, but I wanted to take this opportunity to check in and share this new lesson that is very applicable to our lives right now. I don't know how many of you check in on my family blog, but on January 10th our oldest son (16) was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia (AML) and he has spent almost every day since then in the hospital undergoing heavy duty chemo. To say that it's been a challenging year so far would be an understatement and I hope you'll understand why I am often unable to respond to my emails right now. He is currently in his third round of chemo and so far is responding well to treatment, but with as aggressive as it is, we potentially still have a long road in front of us. We have felt God's love and support through this trial and this family home evening lesson was very meaningful to us. We especially enjoyed the visualization of the paper airplane object lesson.

TRIALS MAKE US STRONGER
Lesson by Donna Cummings, Digitized by Lara Goold

Suggested Songs:
"Dare to Do Right," Children's songbook, page 158
"Quickly I'll Obey," Children's Songbook, page 197
"Seek the Lord Early," Children's Songbook, page 108

Lesson Purpose: To help family members realize the importance of opposition and adversity in our lives.

PREPARATION:
1. Prepare word strips with the following words: Day, Night, Freedom, Captivity, Dark, Light, Little, Big, Up, Down, Create, Destroy, Mother, Father, Righteousness, Wickedness, Sister, Brother, Sorrow, Joy, True, False
2. Gather paper for paper airplanes. You may also want to practice folding a few paper airplanes prior to the start of FHE. (for object lesson). Here's a website with some cool airplane patterns.
3. Prayerfully study 2 Nephi 2:11-30
4. Prayerfully study Doctrine and Covenants 122

OPENING PRAYER:

LESSON: Display the word strips randomly on the floor or table. Have family members take turns finding pairs of opposites.

After the activity, read 2 Nephi 2:11 and share with your family the thoughts and feelings you had as you studied the verses previously. Be sure to point out the fact that opposition was present even in the beginning (verse 15). Explain that in order for us to have free agency, both good and evil has to exist (verse 16). Discuss verses 22-25 to help your family understand that opposition is essential in order for Heavenly Father's plan to be fulfilled. Conclude the discussion by reading verse 27 and emphasizing the fact that we are free to choose for ourselves between good (liberty) and evil (captivity).

Show this picture of Joseph Smith.
(click to make larger and print or right click to copy and paste into a word document, so you can change the size)

Discuss: Opposition can also make us stronger.and relate the story of Joseph Smith found in D&C 122. Explain that according to the Lord, every trial he endured was for his own good and gave him experience. God was always with him and will remain with him forever.

The trials we face in our lives may be different than Joseph Smith's, but they are for our own good and give us experience. God will likewise, be with us as we seek him.

OBJECT LESSON: To demonstrate how trials can actually make us stronger, hold up a flat piece of paper and try to make if "fly" through the air. Point out how poorly the paper flies. Now begin folding and creasing the paper into an airplane. Explain as you fold the paper that each crease represents a trial (mention possible {or current} trials as you fold). With each fold (trial) the paper becomes strong until eventually it can fly through the air gracefully. Our lives are very similar. Just like the folds make the paper stronger, trials make us stronger. Some of our trials may seem at the time, but Heavenly Father is always mindful of us. Each trial that we endure brings greater strength and experience into our lives.

ACTIVITY: Pass out paper to everyone and have fun making paper airplanes. Have a contest to see whose plane flies the farthest, fastest, highest, etc.

CLOSING PRAYER:

REFRESHMENTS: Reese's Rice Krispy Treats formed into airplane shapes.

Lara's Christmas Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Just thought you might be interested in my Christmas Book Review. (complete with photos and links).
Check it out!

Best Family Games

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Recently our family was having a grumpy day. Some kids were pouting. Others were being snippity with each other. And even my husband and I were starting to fall in with the negativity. The saddest part about it, was that it was Sunday, a day when those feelings should be far away.

A walk outside took the edge off, as did some dinner and dessert. But we still had a long ways to go to get in the right frame of mind again.

So after dinner we pulled out a new game my daughter had gotten for her birthday (Pit).

Look how excited my family is...

(In case you're not familiar with my humor, the excited comment was sarcastic)

Playing games has been an important bonding experience in our family over the years and so it shouldn't have surprised me that it didn't take long before the negativity had dissipated and everyone was laughing again. It may sound weird, but I felt like that spontaneous game night helped bring the spirit back into our home.

I've been thinking about that night and how playing board games truly is a part of our collective family memories and so I decided to write up a post sharing some of our favorite games and a few tips for making game nights a successful experience.

Tip #1--Keep it light-hearted. We are all pretty competitive in our family, so it's easy for us to start getting cutthroat. The kids will take their cues from the parents, but we've noticed that when we keep our frustration in check, they do better as well. Additionally, we have found that a little self-deprecating humor is a good tension diffuser.

Tip #2--Focus on the positive. Complement good moves and even positive attitude. In the Pit game above, one of my daughters was having the worst luck, never winning a single round. We made it a point to complement her positivity and held her up as an example of being a good sport. That example helped us in a lot of future games..."Remember when Cami had negative one-hundred and forty points and still had fun and kept a smile on her face?..."

Tip #3--Be sensitive to building frustration and try to nip it in the bud. In our family, a little silliness goes a long way in diffusing these situations. We'll start bragging about the bad hands we've had and reminisce about the time we lost the game in grand style and in general just keep reminding everyone that we all win some and we all lose some.   If worse comes to worse, end the game night early (without blaming anyone) before bad feelings erupt. Better to have a mostly positive, albeit short game night, than one that turns into tears and fighting.

Tip #4--Involve young children even if they're too young to actually play. Young children love to feel a part of the family dynamics, so we try to include them whenever we can. Make young children the button pushers, bell ringers, dice throwers, card distributors, game piece movers...whatever they can do to feel a part of the game without actually playing.   Often we'll let the little one(s) choose which "team" they want to be on, then have them do all of the "work" except the strategy.   Usually they'll lose interest after a while and I think that just being in the room with a family that's having fun will make it a good experience for them.

Tip #5--Mix things up. My family often gets in the mode of playing the same game over and over again, but I find it helpful to make sure we mix things up with our game choices.    It seems like after a while of playing the same game, one person starts to feel like they always lose or that so and so doesn't do it right, etc. When we change games, it gives other kids a chance to win and to play on their strengths.

And here is a list of our favorite family games, where {almost} everyone in the family can play:

Ticket To Ride
The purpose of this game is to collect colored track cards and build train tracks from destination to destination. It's great for basic geography skills and it's a pretty easy game to learn. And my kids love the fact that they have an equal chance of winning as an adult. Ages 8-Adult.

Pit
This classic game takes 2 minutes to learn and was one the whole family loved. It's pretty lively and definitely more fun with more people (3-8 players). Beware, it can get loud.

UNO Attack!
It's the same as Uno, except when you need to draw a card, you press a button and the machine spits cards out at you....sometimes 1 or 2 and sometimes 7 or 8. The only problem with this game is that my kids enjoy pressing the button so much, that they never want to win, which can make the game very long. :)

Rummikub
This one takes some simple strategy skills, but I've found that kids can pick this one up pretty quickly. I usually end up helping the younger ones when they get stuck, but it is a fun one for kids and adults (2-4 players).

Rollick
This lively game is great for big groups. A variation on charades, the whole team acts the clues out while one person guesses. Much laughter and silliness ensues whenever we play this game.

Blokus Classics Game
I'm not usually that good at games that involve good spatial skills, but this is one I can occasionally win, although I do get beaten by my 9-year-old pretty regularly. The box brags about all the awards its won and that it promotes good brain activity...so it's a game that makes you smarter while you're having fun.

We also enjoy playing Scrabble, Boggle, Chess, and Settlers of Catan, but find they're mostly for the older kids or adults.

************
What about you? Does your family enjoy playing games? What are some of your favorites?

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Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Lara) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:35:00 +0000

"Parenting toddlers is a handful, but parenting teenagers is a heartful."

I heard this quote in a relief society lesson right when I was muddling my way through piles of poopy diapers, tantrums, and one of those let's-see-how-many-messes-I-can-make-in-one-day phases. It seemed nearly impossible that any future aspect of parenting could be any more draining than those exhausting days, but despite my doubts, the quote has stuck with me through all these years.

Now, several years later I find myself at the beginning edge of my parenting teen years and I am starting to understand that quote firsthand!   My teenagers are good kids, but I'm finding this whole gaining independence phase of life as completely and totally exhausting...physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Somehow, any crazy antic they did as young children didn't seem nearly so important or life altering as the decisions they're facing now.

I wonder every day which battles are worth fighting. Some are easy, like shaggy hair, messy rooms, or wearing funky (but modest) clothes.    No problem (mostly).    But what about the things that might matter? Things like texting a lot.   Or annoying their siblings constantly. Or being totally lazy about doing their chores. Or other normal things that teenagers do, like spending more time with friends and less time at home. Inside I know this is normal, but still I can't really breathe easily until everyone's safe at home every night. And even when we all are, it just seems that with all the electronic media, that our home simply isn't quite the safe haven that it was when I was a kid. We have strong filters on our internet, computers in public places, parental controls on our televisions, picture texting disabled on the cell phones, but I worry that despite our efforts, that the garbage is still there....on their friends' facebook walls, in their text messages. And scariest of all to me, what about when they're at their friends' houses? We've discovered, that even in the church, most parents simply do not feel as strongly as we do about internet safety.

Short of locking everyone away in a dark room without access to the outside, I feel like we're at the stage of parenting our teens that we just have to keep on keeping with scripture study, family home evenings, and keeping an open line of communication with them, then just trust and pray that our efforts to teach and lead them over the course of their lives have been enough. Enough for them to be able to shun the evil before them. Enough to be able to recognize and seek after the peaceful feelings that the spirit brings. Enough so that one day we will be able to say that, "in due time we can report to our Heavenly Father in His celestial home that we are all there - father, mother, sister, brother. . . . Each chair is filled. We are all back home."     (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, page 493.)

That would be enough for me.