Search Results for: blog a beautiful family home evening

Preserving Memories

Yesterday evening I spent some time in the room where I keep the canning. Until recently, this was known as the rec room. It still is, by those not in the know. For me, this room has been transformed from a room dedicated to toys and random assortments of stuff into a room of pride and beauty. This is where I go to stare at my canning. I could say that I love canning, but I would not be telling the truth. I find canning to be an arduous process. It is sticky. It is wet. It is hot. No, … Continue reading →

First Christmas Together

So I met my future husband for the first time in September and the in-laws did not seem like they were big fans of mine. Maybe I was wrong but after the good-byes at the airport when I headed home to Massachusetts I was not really feeling the love from my future in-laws. When I talked to my fiancee about the incident at the airport he thought that his parents were just being protective, but he still had the image of how I was going to be best of friends with his family. He still pictured his sister (who is … Continue reading →

Children Teach Us to Appreciate

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Yesterday, for family home evening, we decided to talk about the earth, and how it was created. This is a simple topic for our 4 year old. I asked her what she knew about the earth. She said, that she knew that it, “turns, and circles around the sun, and that half of it is in the daytime, and half is in the night time” I was amazed at how much she already knew. I then asked her, “Do you know who created the earth?” She said, “Jesus”. Children do not take things for granted. Every day is a new … Continue reading →

Making the Transition

I used to be the parent of a preschooler. That was last year. This year, I am now officially the parent of something else – A School Aged Child. I’m not so sure about this breed of little human. The expectations seem enormous, both on parent and child. Where we live, preschool is a fairly lah-dee-dah sort of endeavor, unless you really want to focus on academics, in which case there are preschools that will do that. We chose a play-based preschool that was easy to get to, with a beautiful building and playground and wonderful teachers whom we will … Continue reading →

For the Strength of Youth Series: Gratitude

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This section of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is one of the shortest, but oh what a difference it makes in your life! Many of us have heard President Monson talk about an “attitude of gratitude” and how it will make our lives seem happier and more bountiful. This section of the pamphlet also has a parable attached to teach the principle. The parable of the ten lepers (found in Luke 17:12-19) illustrates this standard beautifully. In this parable, Christ encounters ten lepers, who beg him to heal them. He takes mercy on them, and sends them to … Continue reading →

Mothers Day, a Celebration or a Trial?

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Mothers Day can be lovely or it can be a time of pain. For those with good relationships, it’s a chance to get together and celebrate. For those estranged from family or whose mother has died or they live a distance away, it can be a time of misery and loneliness. Yesterday, Mothers Day here, for me was a lovely family day. Our daughter and her husband were unable to come down to us. That’s the way it is when your daughter is married to someone in ministry and Mothers Day falls on a Sunday. Sunday for them is a … Continue reading →

Goop Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Just what you need – more mess! However, gooey, goopy crafts serve your toddler wonderfully. They help him develop eye-hand coordination and large and small motor skills. Learning through play is a great way to help your baby, toddler, or preschooler develop these skills. Cornstarch and water is the simplest of goop. It’s also nontoxic, unless there are corn allergies in your family. Start with a bowl of cornstarch. Add water and mix slowly. The recipe is about 1 cup cornstarch to ½ a cup water. This makes a non-Newtonian fluid, which of course is something that you will tell … Continue reading →

Barack and Michelle Obama Visit England

The Obamas have landed – in England that is. Our first family visited their Royal family and Barack gave the Queen quite a gift – a loaded iPod. That’s right; our hip president gave the 82 year old British monarch an iPod, but not just any iPod. He loaded it with videos of her 2007 visit to the U.S. and Broadway songs. There were 40 show songs on iPod including tunes from “West Side Story,” “My Fair Lady,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” and “Oklahoma.” Barack also gave the Queen a songbook for “The King and I,” signed by … Continue reading →

Marriage Christmas Traditions

Mick had his turn of looking after me, now it’s my turn to look after him. On Sunday night we went to carols at the beach. Despite the heat of the day and the fact it’s summer here in Australia, that evening turned quite cold and windy. Next thing, Mick’s come down with all the snuffles, aches and pains of flu symptoms. He’s an easy patient to look after though. He’s spent the last few days on medicine and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I wish I could sleep like that when I’m sick, but I never can. Thankfully I’m now armed … Continue reading →

The Miracles of General Conference

Wasn’t last week’s general conference wonderful? I love the spirit it always brings into our home and appreciate the things we learn. One of our high councilmen made the comment last month that general conference gives us our marching orders for the next six months. If we’ll carefully listen and do what we’re told in the conference talks, we’ll enjoy tremendous blessings and spiritual growth. I saw evidence of some of this spiritual growth in a very unexpected way. My nine-year-old son is a skeptic. Anything you say to him, you have to prove. Unlike my daughter, who has limitless … Continue reading →