Finally!

This past month I haven't been writing a whole lot because the "extra" cute, church-based activities haven't been happening (BUT A LOT are coming in July :).  Instead, we've been focusing on the daily habits of personal prayers and scripture study.

Each morning my little ones have a chart they go down checking off their tasks.  The first one on that list is personal prayer.  When everyone is awake, we have family prayer.  They love getting their "checks" when it's accomplished. :)  I love having the  reminders to take time for this sacred occurence. 

Praying as a family gets us all on the same page.  It gives us a chance to ponder, even meditate on how God would want us to act today- kind, caring, loving, giving.  Praying lets us ask together for extra help, comfort and blessings for others.  In otherwords, praying is priceless!

After they are dressed, brushed and have made their beds and put away their dirty clothes we do personal scripture study.  For them that's usually watching a few scripture stories on www.lds.org in the Children's section, or watching an animated Church video.  Lately their favorite is the one where "he gets his leg cut off."  Sigh.  Even though I've reiterated that isn't what happens, I think they have fun saying it!  In other words, they like the one about Joseph Smith, where part of his knee was removed as a child, and he later prays about what church to join.

I have to share a sweet moment last week.  Michael, my 4 year-old, had the chance to give a talk in Primary.  Of course he wanted to share the story of Joseph Smith praying in the grove.  He knew so much of it by himself!  He was able to share how Satan tried to stop him from praying, but he kept praying and then Jesus and God appeared to him.  How many grown-ups would pay millions for the faith and conviction this little boy has?!  The only part I really had to help him with was holding up the pictures he colored and helping remind him he was talking about Joseph, not Nephi, his other favorite Prophet. :)

So, I don't have a cutesy craft or idea to share today.  But I am grateful that we have been more attentive to the essential basics, our personal and family prayer and scripture study.  Last night, for the first time since we've started, we got through family scripture study and prayer without a fight!  YAY!  And the kids even wanted to bear their testimonies!  The next few nights will probably have the usual meltdowns involved with bedtime, but I know we are trying to follow the Lord's counsel, and that will bring more blessings than we can know.

Hang in there!  Enjoy the day!  The Gospel is true!  Love, Eva

Why Do We Even Bother??? Becuz It's ALL WORTH IT! :)

"Why do we even bother?"

I remember sometimes hearing sentiments like this growing up "Why do we even bother going to church when we just fight while we try to get ready?"  With three sisters sharing one small bathroom, getting ready for church wasn't easy.  Confusion and rushing could easily lead to sartastic remarks and bad feelings as we tried to pile into the car and make it to Sacrament meeting on time.  "Why bother...?"  The same feelings existed when we tried having family scripture study or Family Home Evening.  If it took yelling and arguing to get us all in one room, how could we possibly feel the Spirit these activities were supposed to bring?  "Why bother?"

Just now I sat down for a few minutes with my kids to read some stories from The Friend.  My daughter sat beside me ready to listen while my son was jumping off the couch, using a tie as a rodeo whip and making a general mess.  He finally calmed down for a moment while we tried singing "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus."  Getting through one verse took several tries as there were questions about the picture by the lyrics, stories to tell about what happened at school that HAD to be discussed right then, and a question to ask that they couldn't remember, which caused a momentary tear fest.  Soon after that my 5-minutes-earlier-listening, snuggling daughter said "I don't like sitting here reading all day long and just looking at pictures and talking all day."  Ugh.  When is it naptime?!  For ME I mean!

Part of me wanted to be offended, and kind of was, but another part of me knew I needed to practice what I had just sung about.  Because why do we even bother to go to church, study the life and ways of Christ, say prayers or sing hymns aloud and in our hearts?  So at moments like this, when we need it most, we can have His Spirit with us and His love for His children brought to our remembrance.

I put my arm around my daughter and told her quietly:

"What I teach you from this magazine are the most important things you can know.  They are more important than what you learn in school.  They will help you be nice.  And when we sit together and read it is special, important time together.  OK?"

OK, she answered.  That was it.  No melt down, no screaming, no regrets.  We had our quiet moment together.  For one small minute we both felt the Holy Ghost that I had been trying to teach them about.

When I lay awake at night wondering, worrying about my efforts as a parent it doesn't take me long to feel pacified.  Not because I am a perfect parent (I can assure you that's not the case!) but because I know I am teaching my kids to choose the right, be kind and feel the Spirit.  There is nothing more important for them to know, and even at ages 4 and 6 they are learning it.  I will not be there for every big decision in their life.  I know that sometimes, like I have, they will choose poorly.  But I do believe they are learning the tools to help them make things right when they've done wrong, love their fellowman and serve their neighbor.  And because of that, I can sleep peacefully.

Why do we even bother when it is so hard and challenging to choose the right, be at that church meeting or say that family prayer?  Because we've covenanted to.  Because the Lord needs us to.  Because Satan is doing all he can to stop us and but he is not going to.

Next time you are laying awake at night worrying or you find yourself thinking "Why do we even bother?" consider this passage from an amazing book titled "Everyday Battles: Insights For Latter-Day Saint Women" by Bette S. Molgard:

"...Satan is painfully aware of the eternal difference any one of our righteous sisters can make while carrying out her individual mission.  Keep in mind, "Out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33).

Let's take, for example, the problem Satan sees with allowing one righteous mother to raise five children free of his constant distractions.  Her strength and testimony passed on to subsequent generations.  If each of those children had four children, and each of the subsequent generations did the same, look what happens to that small beginning: first generation: 20 children; second: 80 children; third: 320 children; fourth: 1280 children; fifth: 5120 children; sixth 25, 600 children; seventh; 102,400 children; eighth; 409,600 children; ninth: 1,638,400 children; tenth generation: 6,553600 children!  That doesn't count spouses, missionary converts brought into the Church (which also multiply exponentially), and people whose lives they touch in righteously living the gospel...There is no limit to what any Latter-day Saint woman can do as she righteously fills the measure of her creation."

That is why I bother trying and that is why it's all worth it.  I'm grateful my parents "bothered trying" because even if they didn't accomplish all they wanted to as a family they taught me enough to help me gain my own testimony and love sharing it with others.  The Gospel is true!  What you do every day to take care of and love others is amazing and valuable in the eyes of the Lord.  Never belittle or question how crucial your part is in His plan.  Love, Eva

A "Spirit-filled" Puppet Show!

So, I know Halloween is over, but I couldn't resist sharing this FHE we recently had.  I remember my Dad doing this lesson with a glove and how much it made sense to me.  I decided to do it with a puppet...


Do a fun little dance with any puppet you might have.  Explain that here on earth our Spirit gives our body life, just like our hand can make the puppet move.  Then take your hand out of the puppet and let the puppet lay limp.  Explain how when we die our Spirit (or "hand") will leave our bodies, but when we are resurrected we will be united again- make the puppet dance again!

We had a pet pass away this month so it was nice to be able to explain that Foo-Foo's bunny spirit was hopping around in the sky somewhere and that when Jesus comes we will be able to hold him and play with him again.  My daughter said Jesus could play with him now. :)  And when we name our pets my son always names the ones in our pet cemetery because he knows they will be alive again for him to play with when Jesus comes.

I also pointed out that when we are resurrected our bodies will be perfect.  Daddy won't need glasses, I'll be a size 4 (just kidding) and Grandpa's legs will work again.  They liked thinking about that.  Then they liked playing with the puppets.  :) 

I hope you can find some time even just while playing to share this incredible truth.  It has been such a comfort to me to know that we will all be resurrected.  My Father is terminally ill and we can't communicate the way we used to, but I find peace in knowing that we will again someday.  We will waltz and polka again :) and sing together again and all of this is possible through the generous sacrifice of our elder brother, Jesus Christ.  I bear witness of Him in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

P-R-A-Y-E-R!

So, the longer of a gap there is between posts the harder it is for me to write.  I guess I just feel sheepish for missing so many days even when I tried to make it happen.  Of course it's probably silly for me to feel this way, since getting discouraged and learning to overcome it is a big part of this life.  Still, it can be hard to do.  :)  This month we were hit by flu season hard.  Between the flu episodes we had colds and sore throats and it just hasn't let up!  But I guess that's when we need some spirituality in our lives the most, so at least we've done a few things.  Here is one and (hopefully)  I will have a few more posts up this week...

On pg. 6 of the October 2011 issue of The Friend is a cute page entitled P-R-A-Y-E-R.  Click on that title to see it online.  Using PRAYER as an acronym there is a basic explanation of what prayer is and how to say one.  I wrote each letter on a piece of construction paper and then posted the letters all over our living room.  Then my kids took turns finding the next letter and we talked about what it stood for.  This activity was fun, kept their interest and taught something spiritual.  You can't ask for more than that. :)

I want to close my post with a quote from President Uchtdorf''s incredible talk "Forget Me Not" from the recent women's conference:

Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.

In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.

For example, insisting that you have a picture-perfect family home evening each week—even though doing so makes you and everyone around you miserable—may not be the best choice. Instead, ask yourself, “What could we do as a family that would be enjoyable and spiritual and bring us closer together?” That family home evening—though it may be modest in scope and execution—may have far more positive long-term results.

Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey."

Don't forget to be patient with yourself!  This is me talking to myself too. :)   And above all, remember, the Gospel is true!  I hope you have a great day!  Luv, Eva

Snuggle Time

Have you ever had something you really didn't want to lose, so you put it in a "special place" and then ended up not remembering where that "special place" was?  Yeah, I do that a lot.  And this time, it happened to my issue of The Friend. LOL  So it's been a while, but it was easy to catch up on our reading...

My kids and I have been enjoying some snuggle time.  We just grab our issue and curl up and talk about what's in the stories.  I don't read every word because they're young and don't have the longest attention spans. :)  But it's so nice to be making reading this a magazine a regular thing together.  They are remembering the game pages they like (like pg.10) and we do those repeatedly, but I don't mind.  I choose those things that relate to us and they enjoy it and I do too.  This has become one of my favorite parts of the day and of parenting.  This is something I feel no one else can do with them quite like I can and is adding to my personal value as a mother.  Here are some things we've done this month...


-On the inside cover there are kids sharing how they use The Friend.  We are now using their ideas too!  We colored the Bright Ideas picture and put it on the fridge and are trying to use The Friend as part of our daily 20 mins. of reading.
-We followed President Uchtdorf's counsel and are making a desk/study area.
-We read "Honors" and talked about prayer and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  I'm planning on getting a Gospel Standards Poster on their wall ASAP and going it over it with them (this goes along with this week's lessons in Joy School if you are doing that program at home like we are.)
-We talked about temples after looking at pgs. 6,7, and 11.  Then pgs. 12 & 13 gave us the idea of putting
a bulletin board by our desks with a picture of the temple on it.

Most of all, by reading this magazine together I find I'm more effortlessly teaching the gospel  because my own testimony of family is growing.  If you haven't already, try to make The Friend a regular part of your day.  Keep it on their night stand so you look at it before bed.  Pull it out during breakfast.  Or just snuggle on the couch when you need some quiet time and look at it together.  Today we are all sick, but we still managed to curl up in a blanket and read "Program Jitters" on page 9 together.  I talked with my daughter how it's a talent of hers that she doesn't get nervous talking in the microphone.  I personalized the story for her and let her know I'm looking forward to seeing her in the primary program.  So even if my laundry doesn't make it to the dryer and we end up with leftovers for dinner (if I even have leftovers!), I know today was worthwhile.  I know I did something today with my daughter that no one else can replace.  The gospel is true and you ARE needed as a parent!  Keep it up!  Luv, Eva :)

Best of Intentions :)

Things have gone two ways this week.  The first way was wonderful.  We made the warm-fuzzies for FHE after much convincing that it was a "craft."  Apparently my daughter thinks all crafts must involve tape or glue sticks and this one didn't. :)  But really, after we had made two warm-fuzzies and paired up (my son with daddy and my daughter with me) we had so much fun doing a sneaky service.  I really was, well we ALL were, excited-like Christmas!  My daughter and I made the bed and left the warm fuzzy there for my husband and son to find.  My husband and son cleaned the playroom- yes, CLEANED THE PLAYROOM! :)  I have not done something that was that much fun with my family for a while.  And that's not because we don't spend time together, because we do, but we rarely do service.  After doing this activity I am really going to try to do service with my family more!

Since then though, we haven't done a thing. :)  I'm excited about working on these activities starting tomorrow...

WEDNESDAY: "What Can I Learn From The Scriptures?" pg. 7 of the August 2011 Issue of The Friend
For this article I'm planning on cutting out each phrase from Elder Christofferson's talk and attaching it to something that represents the phrase, and then hiding the items.  Since my daughter loves singing primary songs louder and quieter to find things, we will sing to find them.  There may be items that work better for your family and depending on what you have on hand, but this is what I came up with, starting with the phrase at the top of the page and working clockwise.
1) A net to represent that having faith is believing the Lord will always catch us!  When we have faith we know He is there for us every time we fall.
2) A plastic vegetable to represent the Word of Wisdom and the blessings of health that come from it, as found in the scriptures.
3) A copy of our Book of Mormon stories on DVD to show the different ways God has given us to learn about the scriptures.
4) A long piece of paper- could be newspaper or wrapping paper.  I will show that it's easy to rip the edge but if it's folded on it's edge over and over again (like making a paper fan) then it gets thick and is hard to tear.  This is how faith is, fragile at first but stronger with each scripture story we read.
5) A blank piece of paper so they can draw a scene of our family and friends living with God in our premortal life.  I'm excited about letting them use their imaginations to create a visual of something we've only talked about before!

THURSDAY: "A Faithful Finish" pgs. 8-9
For this great story I'm planning on sharing it and talking about not giving up.  My kids are 5 and 3, and at the stage where they want to do things by themselves.  They can see how to do it, but still need practice.  This story is a great testimony of practicing to work towards a goal.  It's also good to recognize that we don't have to be first to do a good job, we just have to do our best.  And of course, some racing of our own in the backyard will be in order.  Maybe I'll even get some little plastic trophies from the dollar store to award after. :)    

FRIDAY: "Taking Care of Me" pg.10
This one's WAY easy!  Just read it and fill 'er out.  Or better yet, let the children check off the boxes!

SATURDAY: "Finding People to Teach" pg. 11
Another easy and quick one- play the game!  If you have older children you could photocopy or print off more pages, then let them cut out circles and make their own gameboards.  Be sure to point out what the missionaries are doing to find people to teach-pray, study the scriptures and share their testimonies!  Make a special effort to have family prayer and scripture study in preparation for the Sabbath.  Since this week is Fast and Testimony Sacrament Meeting, you could even encourage your children to bear their testimonies too!

I hope you can find the time to do at least one of these activities.  And even if you don't, I know the Lord will bless us according to the desires and intents of our hearts.  Some weeks are easier than others.  But they ARE easiest when the Spirit is with us, so do try and that will be enough.  :)  Remember, the gospel is true!

Love Ya'all, Eva