Ponder The Path of Thy Feet

President Monson's talk "Ponder the Path of Thy Feet" from October 2014 General Conference really touched me.  And as the afternoons have been getting shorter I realized it had been a while since we had gone on a hike together.  And THEN I realized that a family walk on a path through the mountains would be a great opportunity to review these words from our prophet.  

 I wrote out 10 points I wanted to make sure we discussed by quoting and paraphrasing in more simple terms key parts of the talk.  Then I stuck each one in an envelope and hid them along the trail.

 The kids took turns finding and opening their mail from the prophet!

 Sammy got a little too eager!

 Although the focus may have started to shift on finding the envelopes quickly, before others walking the path could mess with them, we did our best as parents to slow things down and focus on really understanding what the paper said.

 Here is what we felt was important our family remember from this talk:

1)Heavenly Father made us and made a way for us to become like Him.
"All of us commenced a wonderful and essential journey when we left the spirit world and entered this often-challenging stage called mortality. The primary purposes of our existence upon the earth are to obtain a body of flesh and bones, to gain experience that could come only through separation from our heavenly parents, and to see if we would keep the commandments." -Pres. Thomas S. Monson
2) He did not send us here alone though.  He gave us tools to help us know how to return to Him.
 "Although we are left to find and follow that path which will lead us back to our Father in Heaven, He did not send us here without direction and guidance. Rather, He has given us the tools we need, and He will assist us as we seek His help and strive to do all in our power to endure to the end and gain eternal life." -Pres. Thomas S. Monson
3) "We have the words of God and of His Son found in the holy scriptures."
4) "We have the counsel and teachings of God's prophets."
5) "We, with Jesus, can walk the path of obedience."
6) "We, like Jesus, can walk the path of service."
7) "Jesus walked the path of prayer."
8) Jesus was merciful, a peacemaker, & brave. (This idea really stuck out to the kids.  The idea of it taking more courage to be humble and turn the other cheek was a little hard for them to wrap their head around.  But I'm so glad we talked about it!  It was a good lesson and trait of the Savior for me to remember too!)
9) He asks us to let our lights shine.
10) Jesus tells us it is much more important to lay up treasures in heaven than on earth.

Learning from Daddy.

  Such a pretty day!  I told the kids that after the last paper was found we had to search for our hidden treat.  First though, I wanted to try taking a family feet picture.

   These were my first two attempts...I love them though!

 And there we are in our favorite footwear and with my youngest on his toes!

And there's the snack!

 I went with powdered doughnuts for a couple reasons.  I wanted something that was convenient, but I also wanted something with some symbolism.  We have been journeying and progressing as a family, which is what we do everyday, in hopes we can be an eternal family someday in heaven.  The white of the sugar represents heaven and the circle shape is never-ending, just like our forever families can be.  Maybe it sounds like a stretch, but the kids loved it.  It was great to find at the end of our path!  And that's because not only were they delicious, but it meant no one else had snatched our treasure!

 Kids being silly... (redundant, I know)

 And asking for seconds...

 As we headed back I made sure hubby took a picture with me in it to show I really was there too! LOL

 The kids wanted to run up and down the paths at top speed.  I wanted to take pictures of their free spirits!

 These little faces are the reminders I look at each day that help me remember I can be better.  I need to practice what I and the prophets preach.  I want to do a better job of pondering the path of my feet and the words I speak to them.

   As we walked back to the car my daughter put her arm behind me and started trying to walk in sync with me, as though we were in a three-legged race together.  I find it ironic, considering the lesson topic.  Am I walking in sync with my Savior?  Am I going where he would go and doing what he would have me do?  Have I chosen to stay close to him, linked and ready to keep up with his pace? 

I sure hope so.  Love, Eva

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

A Personal Story About A Prayer with My 6 Year-old Daughter

Hello Friends!  I feel SO BLESSED to finally have a functioning laptop!  My sweet hubby took some of his things to a pawn shop and traded them so I could have one as a surprise Mother's Day gift.  As a writer and musician hoping to have published media someday, I'm so grateful for my own tool!  I have been making the most of it, taking it with me into the rooms I clean and listening to Conference talks online as I fold laundry and do dishes.

A great talk with some awesome council for parents was "In Tune With The Music of Faith" in this past April's session by Elder Cook.  I loved this story...

I hope we are reading the Book of Mormon with our children regularly. I have discussed this with my own children. They have shared with me two observations. 

First, persistence in reading the scriptures daily as a family is the key. My daughter in a lighthearted way describes their early-morning efforts with mostly teenage children to consistently read the scriptures. She and her husband wake up early in the morning and move through the blurry mist to grasp the iron railing that lines their staircase to where their family gathers to read the word of God. Persistence is the answer, and a sense of humor helps. It requires great effort from every family member every day, but it is worth the effort. Temporary setbacks are overshadowed by persistence.

The second is how our youngest son and his wife are reading the scriptures with their young family. Two out of their four children are not old enough to read. For the five-year-old, they have five finger signals to which he responds in order for him to participate fully in the family scripture reading. The signal for finger 1 is for him to repeat, “And it came to pass” whenever it appears in the Book of Mormon. I have to admit that I love the fact that the phrase appears so often. Incidentally, for the interest of young families, finger signal 2 is “And thus we see”; fingers 3, 4, and 5 are chosen by the parents based on the words contained in the chapter they are reading.

We know that family scripture study and family home evenings are not always perfect. Regardless of the challenges you face, do not become discouraged.

Please understand that having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments are and always will be the defining test of mortality.

The number one reason I keep trying to figure out our family's scripture study rhythm is because I want my kids to know and understand the gospel.  Saying it has helped me would be a gross understatement.  It is WHY I'M STILL HERE!  But I want to remember too that learning persistence and patience while having faith are great qualities to have, and I can develop them through the daily endeavors of having family study and worship.

We've been working hard on developing consistence with our children's personal prayer.  Basically, we want them to know that starting and ending each day by talking with their Heavenly Father can bring them guidance, joy and peace.  Choosing to count your blessings, having someone you can always ask for help, and then being able to trust in Him and leave the decision in His hands is priceless!  I had a great experience with prayer with my daughter the other night.... 

It started out the same as many other nights, with her saying "I'm tired....I don't know what to say."  So we tried something new.  I started the prayer.  Then she thanked Heavenly Father for something.  Then I did.  Then she did and so on.  Then I asked for something, and she did and the pattern continued until she concluded the prayer.  When we lifted our heads she smiled a huge-Sophia-sparkle-eyed-smile.  "I like how I feel!" she said.  I explained to her that was the Holy Ghost.  Again, "It feels so cool!"  It does feel cool. :)  We had a great little chat about the wonderful feeling the Spirit can give us when we make good choices and Heavenly Father communicates His love to us.

The Gospel of Christ is true!  It IS WORTH IT!  No, it isn't always easy but nothing worth having is.  I'm grateful that I get to have this difficult, challenging but also extremely rewarding stewardship of motherhood.  Thanks for reading!  Keep it up!  Love, Eva  

Just One Scripture CAN Make A Difference...

Last week we printed out this coloring page from www.lds.org/friend.  The picture is of a child inviting another child who looks lonely to play a game of basketball.  The caption beneath it reads
"Jesus Christ is the perfect example for me."  Then the following scripture is printed:

For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (John 13:15)

We talked about what was happening in the picture as they colored.  By the end of this activity there was an argument about markers and my son was complaining his hands were tired so he couldn't clean up and ended up throwing a fit...ugh.

But another night, again, we looked at this picture and read the verse as our family scripture study.  Sometimes, actually quite often, one scripture is all we get for family study since we are all frazzled and tired and ready for bedtime (well, at least my hubby and I are.)  Reading just one verse kind of felt like a cop-out but I felt like something was better than nothing...

Imagine my sweet surprise to hear the following when my little boy said prayer last night:

"And if we're playing basketball and somebody is sad please help us let them play with us and be nice to them."

What more could I ask for from a 4 year-old?  Seriously.  Every time I feel like giving up on this whole teaching-my-kids thing, or I'm frustrated or don't feel like my efforts are making any difference, Heavenly Father blesses me an experience to show it IS worth it and my attempts DO matter.  In fact, to that little boy they mattered a lot.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes by our late prophet, President Hinckley:

"...be strong and bold and brave and march forward with gladness in your eye and love in your heart...You are doing the best you can and that best results in good to yourself and to others" (Gordon B. Hinckley, "To The Women of The Church," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 113).

The Gospel IS TRUE!  You ARE doing the BEST YOU CAN and that best DOES result in GOOD to yourself and others!!!    LOVE, Eva

Some More Ideas To Follow Pres. Monson's Counsel...

This next week we've continued our discussion at home on the topics of prayer and President Monsons' counsel on choosing the right ALL the time, now with the help of the Holy Ghost too...

Book of Mormon Scripture Figures helped us realate the story of Abinidi who defiinitely still chose the right even when it was hard!

I loved the story The Best Soccer Player which is about being friends with people who are different or less popular and giving them a chance.  Consider inviting your kids to try being friends with someone they maybe haven't wanted to play with before. 

There is a simplified piano arrangement of I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus.  See if you or your child can practice it this week.  Even if it's not perfect, practicing the song , or even just memorizing the words and thinking of its message will add to the spirit in your home.  We are going to try memorizing it so we can sing it in Sacrament meeting. :) 

There's also a section this month titled Trying To Be Like Jesus.  Children tell what acts of service they are performing to try to be more like the Savior.  Use on of these as an idea for your family's own service project, or think of your own.  I know it might be hard, but that's ok if it is because that's what doing good 100% of the time is like sometimes, but it's worth it!

As we prepare for singing in Sacrament meeting I'm excited to share the story The Two Secrets with my children.  Prayer can and does get us through everything because it is a means of bringing the Spirit to our hearts.  It's the Holy Ghost then that enlightens our understanding, gives us strength and speaks peace to our soul.  The Holy Ghost then becomes a crucial aide in our doing good 100% of the time.

Here are some articles in thie month's Friend magazine that talk about the Holy Ghost:
Feeling The Holy Ghost (be sure to scroll down for the part titled Inviting The Spirit) This section is a lot easier to use out of the printed version because there are pictures that don't look the same online.
Choosing The Light My little boy has been really afraid of the dark since he stopped sharing a room with his big sister.  This story has helped us a lot this month!

Well, that may seem like a LOT but March is 1/2 way over, so I'm trying to be about that far through this month's content.  And kids are SPONGES!  When they are ready and listening they can soak up and understand so much!  So be ready for those moments; you don't want them to pass you by unprepared.

The gospel is true!  Thanks for reading and being YOU!  Happy Teaching! -Eva

Saying Personal Prayers Together...

So it might sound like an oxymoron, but sometimes we have to say personal prayers together, like when we are teaching our little ones the pattern and habit of prayer.  I love sitting there beside my 6 and 4 year-old, hearing what they thank Heavenly Father for...our house...our friends...our dogs...our toys...getting to play a game together today.

And if they remember to ask for anything it's usually to help us share more, not fight, be nice, and have a nice day.  If there's one thing anyone can do to help make this world a better place to me it would be praying daily and approaching life with that prayer in their heart.  It forces us to think about what we have and want really matters most to us.  It reminds us we are children of a Greater Being.  Aren't we lucky we get to teach this to our children?

Remember, the Gospel is true and God hears all prayers, those from behind the steering wheel, at our kitchen sink, beside our beds, and beside our children.  Have a nice evening! -Eva

"Marching" On...Teaching Integrity To Our Kids!

Well, as you might already know our family has had a wild past several months!  With a job change and move mostly out of the way though (the boxes left to unpack can wait!), I am so excited to be able to focus more on spending time with my kids, and teaching them good values.  My forwarded mail is just arriving, and seeing The Friend in my mailbox was a reminder that even with crazy schedules and moves, I have to make time for teaching my kids!

We all learn by repetition, so lately I've been focusing on trying to tell stories with the same theme and then point out those principles whenever there is an opportunity.  The Friend has some great helps this month. Hhere are the 7 I've used so far...


Decide Right Now by President Monson focuses on choosing now, before the situation comes up, what good choices you're going to make.  There's a little worksheet where kids can write if they are going to say "yes" or "no" when faced with tough choices from their friends.  We took the game a step further with some role playing which was super funny.  Watch for that video soon!


That article also talked about being good 100% of the time, so choosing the right "all the time" has been a phrase we've used a lot this week. 

When my daughter wanted to do a craft and saw we had paper plates she insisted on making her trademark lion mask. :)  Since the idea of being good "all the time" was already on our minds it was easy to bring up the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den.  He prayed and did what was right even when it was illegal with the penalty of death!  We watched the short video clip the church was for the story on their website.  I even put it on the desktop so it was easy for the kids to click on it and watch it on their own.  Then we printed out the story and made a booklet for them to read which was super cute!  Michael was excited to have something that was small, important and his.  We even did some more role playing of that story.  I might post that video. LOL

I pulled open my Friend to the story titled What Scared The Barnyard Roosters and the Bright Idea art page illustrating Joshua 1:9.  Now, not only the idea of choosing the right was relevant but also praying for strength.  This cute story about the little boy with the chickens was our bedtime story again tonight, and the kids are learning they can pray if they need help or are scared.

The Coat is another wonderful story that we watched the video of online.  The video is beautiful and really brings home that message of doing good all the time, even when it's hard.

Since that was a lot of doctrine, we did some of the game pages this week too.  Saturday is A Special Day was fun.  I gave my son more things to find after we found the items the page called for.  Then we looked at the Bulletin Board section.  It actually had a part about eating healthy which gave us another opportunity to learn about Daniel and when he refused the king's food and wine.  Once again being good "all the time" came up, are we all seeing the pattern? :)

Finally, I had to share the story Abu Learns Honesty with them because it was right in line with the theme of The Coat, Daniel and the Lion's Den, and President Monson's story.  We need to choose the right "all the time."  And when we don't, well, that's why we have a Savior, so we can repent and make it right.

I know that by being a more dedicated, teaching-oriented parent I learn more.  The short, true stories in The Friend and the scriptures touch my heart every time I read them.  My kids are so used to me "happy crying" because I can't help but feel the Spirit and feel blessed that I have this little window of time to share these principles of faith and hope with my kids, and myself.  And the repetition is working.  We are starting to understand these concepts together.  
March is still early, spring is upon us and it is a time for new beginnings!  I hope you can find some time to share these stories with your little ones.  If you have to, read them on your own and bring them up when the topics come up.  The opportunities will be there if we are prepared and ready because this is the Lord's work.  We are his missionaries in the home and he supports us!  Remember, the gospel is true!  Love, Eva

"Is My Friend Here?!"

No, that's not a quote from my kids.  That's a quote from me, from when my husband brought in the mail on Saturday.  I was seriously starting to go through Friend withdrawals!  It's not like I'm perfect about reading it every day, but another month was starting and I didn't have the easy access to it.  Had I forgot to renew my subscription?  Had the same person who stole my pumpkins stolen my November Friend Magazine?!  If so, that was OK, but I just needed closure!  Oooooh.  It's the General Conference issue.  That's why it was later than usual. I guess that's a good reason.  :)

Before we are completely over with October's issue, if the month got away from you and you didn't do a thing with it, first, YOU ARE STILL WONDERFUL. :)  Life happens and we teach our kids every moment we are with them (that's kind of a scary thought, isn't it/)  What I mean is just because you don't sit down with a handout, song and creative center piece doesn't mean you haven't given a lesson.  But if you do want to do one thing out of October's issue consider turning to page 40...

"Prayer Is Reverent Communication Between God and Me" is such a sweet article.  It's hard to think of something more important that knowing there is God and we can pray to Him.  One night before bed, just so we could quiet down and do some reading, I opened up to this article.  I really felt like I hadn't done anything spiritual with my kids in forever.  This has been a hard year financially, our house is in dire need of repairs, I haven't lost a pound since having my baby 4 months ago, we had had mac and cheez for dinner AGAIN and I wasn't going to be able to solve all my problems in one night!  Darn.  I decided if there was one good thing I could do it was teach my kids one thing out of The Friend.

All we did was look at the pictures on pg. 41 and talk about them.  We talked about how we can pray to Heavenly Father at any of these times and any time.  I told my son if he was scared at school he could say a prayer for comfort.  I told my daughter if she was nervous when she gave her testimony at the microphone she could say a prayer so she could be brave.  She told me she doesn't get scared when she talks in the microphone.  :)  I told them that sometimes I pray when I'm driving, but with my eyes open.  We talked about how just like Grandpa and Grandma like to hear from us on the phone since we live faraway, Heavenly Father likes to hear from us too.  He likes to hear us say thank you and hear what's on our minds and in our hearts.

That's all we did, me, my crazy five year-old and four year-old, my sweet husband, and my four month-old rolly-polly baby, there in my humble living room with stained carpets and mismatched painted walls.  But through that small act of just talking about prayer the feeling in my living room changed.  It felt warmer, safer, and bright.  The Spirit of God was there.  And I honestly felt that even if I died in my sleep that night I would not need to worry about my children because they knew that they could pray to their Heavenly Father and He would answer their prayers.

I have said many prayers this year, thousands.  I know my Heavenly Father has heard everyone and answered them in the best way possible- His way.  I'm not sure what was better that night, the feeling in that room while we talked about prayer or the feeling I had when I walled into my daughter's room to tuck her in and found her kneeling in prayer by her bed.  If that isn't a miracle- a crazy, squirmy five-year old choosing to say a reverent prayer before bed, I don't know what is.  The Gospel is true!  Stick with it!  Love, Eva