A List. . . .

. . . . Mostly because I feel the need to record  something but coherent thoughts are not happening in this head.

~Cache called on Sunday and in the conversation he mentioned making a cake something like this to take to his Elder Quorum's potluck.  I can't be quite sure, but I'm guessing there were no repeats with his item. . . .

~We keep plugging away on merit badges for Chandler.  He's got 9 merit badges completed, with 4 in progress.  The biggest Mom-smiles come from Family Life and Personal Management being completed.  Personal Fitness is in progress.  I'll be thrilled to have those under his belt.

~Caleb became an official driver yesterday.  Many moms welcome an extra driver.  I don't know why I'm so hesitant. . . . (Maybe because I really, really just love my kids home with me?)

~I could be wrong, but I suppose there aren't too many people who climb trees in snow boots. . . .  (We can't keep that girl out of the trees whatever the season; now that spring is here she's a top the tree barefooted.)

~A few days after this post about Greta, she decided diapers were annoying and potty trained herself.  Just what I was waiting for!

~Indexing has taken Tom by storm!  Since January he has indexed about 15,000 names.  How does he do it?  He keeps his laptop out and whenever he gets a minute, he is at it.  I love that he is very diligent yet still notices when I am setting the table, emptying the dishwasher etc. and jumps up and helps me.  Often he lets the girls help him type in dates.  They love that too.  He is such a good husband and daddy.

~About a month ago we started something new at our house:  Each night after dinner we set the timer for 15 minutes and everyone pitches in to get the work done.  We get the dishes done, things picked up, laundry folded, sweeping and vacuuming done, garbages emptied etc. (depending on what is most needed that day).  I really thought we'd have a few complaints about it, but everyone seems to prefer attacking the work all together instead of how we've done it in the past.

~I've found that a way to a teenage boy's heart is {often} through his stomach.  Keeping the kitchen flowing with food preferable to the most hungry teen makes life a lot easier for some reason. . . It keeps me extremely busy, but Sister Beck always reminds me it is a powerful way to nurture so I keep at it.  On any given day there is usually some sort of bread(muffins, pretzels, multigrain etc.), a treat/snack to store in the freezer and a large evening meal.   Right now it is one of those most needful things.

~I subscribed to America's Test Kitchen for a free-two-week trial.  During that time, the girls and I watched a lot of videos to get as much out of it as we could. One day while baking up a storm, Greta commented that I was in 'American Fork Kitchen'.  Now Tessa wants me to talk like the hosts while I cook. It is quite laughable.

~A free New Jersey map arrived in my mailbox last week(thanks to freebies offered by the NJ tourism campaign).  It will be hung in the hall across from the world map.  I'm guessing that New Jersey geography will become a little part of our future conversations.  Having a visual reference will be nice.

~If someone asked me if I like to cook, I couldn't honestly say yes.  When discussing this paradox with Tom  a bit ago he pointed out that I'm not scrapbooking, crafting or making cards so cooking has become my creative outlet.  How very right he is.  I get bored so easily with cooking the same things so I'm always trying to find new and fun things to try to keep me going.  In an average week, I try about 5-10 new recipes.  It is quite crazy.  I don't really recommend it, it is just the only thing that makes the task enjoyable for me. I'm thankful for the Internet and the plethora of new recipes to try!

~With conference this weekend we have all picked something yummy we would like to eat.  I'll be busy in the kitchen, but this has become a well-loved tradition.  Tom wants Strawberry Chocolate Nachos; I chose two kinds of Chex mix--a sweet and a salty; Cache wants Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula; Caleb is having Philly Cheese steaks; Chandler has chosen Blueberry Pie; Tessa is having Puffy Oven Pancakes and Greta is having chocolate chips.  Should be quite the spread!

Off to do some dishes and marinate some fish and toast some couscous!

Primary Happenings

Last fall the bishopric member over Primary came to one of our Presidency meetings.  He suggested that we consider a way to get kids to write down their feelings after their lessons in Primary to help them learn the pattern used in the Duty to God and Personal Progress programs, but ultimately to develop a habit that would bless their lives long term.

My first reaction was:  'Theoretically, it's a great idea, but logistically with 100 children, how would we ever manage that in a Primary setting?' I know it was something really we needed to do because ideas for managing it and ways to implement the whole program came quickly into place.

We found a talk by Elder Scott that talked about recording spiritual promptings and the subsequent blessings that we based our project on.  Then the idea was given to us to house the kids' journals in bags labeled by class name and hang them in the hall for a child to pick up at the beginning of Primary, also in the bag would be pencils and glue sticks (so teachers could have copies ready to glue in, especially for younger children who cannot write yet).  We planned a teacher development to train teachers how to use the journals and to explain the purpose behind them, we wrote lesson plans for the teachers to give to introduce the journals to the children and planned a Primary activity where the kids could make their own journal.  Ideas for journal prompts and graphic-organizer activities also came.

For me, at least, it has been a great experience because I've truly felt like an instrument in the Lord's hands accomplishing what He wants for this little flock of children.  Here are a few more details and pictures.

The Primary Activity:

We had 3 stations:

1)  Journal making--with lots of wonderful choices (designed and put together by my fabulous secretary!)

Inside the front covers they glued a page with quotes and journal prompts on it:

“We often leave the most precious personal direction of the Spirit unheard because we do not record and respond to the first promptings that come to us when the Lord chooses to direct us.”

aElder Richard G. Scottb

“When you're trying to learn from the Lord and you feel an impression from the Spirit, it's important to make a note so it will not be forgotten.”

aElder Gene R. Cookb

Don't know what to write?

Here's some ideas to get you started:

bHow can I be like the person in this scripture?

aHow can I apply this principle to me?

bHow does this scripture/teaching make me feel?

aWhat will I do differently after this lesson?

bWhat does this scripture teach me I need to do?

aHow can I improve my life after this lesson?

bI will choose the right by:

a_______ acted on faith. Here is how I will act on faith:

bI will invite the Spirit into my life more by:

aThe song _______ makes me feel good. It prompts me to:

bThe Holy Ghost is teaching me:

This went on the inside of the back cover:

                                        

In 2012:

The Prophet is: Thomas S. Monson

There are 136 operating temples.

There are 14,131,467 members of the church.

There are 52,225 full time missionaries.

My Bishop is: Bishop David Paulson.

My Primary teacher is:___________________

I am _____ years old and in the _______ class.

I like Primary because:

My favorite scripture hero is:

My favorite Primary song is:

I am happiest when:

2)  Stories/Games Station to strengthen the children's resolution to choose the right. (Put on by two wonderful sisters who took the assignment and lightened our load by doing all of the prep work for that!)

3)  Build Your Shield of Faith Activity

A child stood in the center and was given a CTR ring (shield) to try to ward off fiery darts of Satan (nerf darts and paper wads).  After being terribly unsuccessful, the child could answer some choose-the-right questions to upgrade to a larger shield.  Each time the child was able to ward off more of the fiery darts, but in order be completely protected, the child needed a shield to cover them completely.  

CTR Ring as a shield

Small shield

Medium shield

Large shield

  Full coverage!!  (She's in there---you just can't see her!)

We truly hope the kids experienced something that made an impact on them and increased their desire to choose the right all the time.

Then we served pizza and drinks.  It was a fun activity and I think the kids really enjoyed it.

----------------------------

One of the ideas we ran into had suggestions for drawings to put in a scripture journal.  They reminded me of graphic organizers I used as a teacher.   Graphic organizers are ways to record information visually; they make recall easier and help children make connections to what they are learning.  I was so excited about this concept that I developed a few for teachers to use with their lessons.  Here are a few of them with sample information:

This one is a commitment chart.  It can be used for any lesson where you want a child to make a commitment. (The sample is for this lesson.)

This is a cause and effect chart.  It can be used to illustrate a commandment with a promise.  I used this in my sharing time on Sunday in conjunction with President Monson's story  from October 2011 conference about praying to keep his $5 bill safe in his laundered pants.  He promised that if we build a relationship with Heavenly Father, we will be entitled to inspiration and guidance.  Jr. Primary drew pictures; Sr. Primary wrote text (and could add pictures if desired).   Many did such cute jobs.

A Venn Diagram can be used to illustrate similarities and differences.  This one focuses on the similarities; noting differences.  But you could do one to focus on the differences--for example: me with Laman and Lemuel.  Both are/were born of goodly parents, both have/had access to the scriptures but hopefully I am choosing to look to God where they chose to look to themselves.  They have seen an angel, I have felt the Holy Ghost etc. (Find the lesson for this diagram here.)

Get it? One of a million?

If you can't tell, I have a wonderful presidency who are such great advisers and also very willing to work!

(Hopefully now I can get back to keeping up a blog???)

First-Person Faith

I don't think the ward I live in has the corner of all hard things in this world.  But we do have our share. . . .since we moved here nearly 7 years ago, we have had 17 funerals (if we've counted right), many ward members have lost siblings and parents to death, 2 home fires, some unemployment, a lot of sicknesses and cancer, depression. . .  just a name a few.  This morning much of this was weighing heavily on me.  The thought came to me to look up a talk my sister Katie loved.  It is called First-person Faith in God by Elder Ronald J. Hammond given at a BYU-I devotional.  It was just the refresher that I needed.

Here is a snippet:

The scriptures are filled with experiences wherein prophets and disciples struggled to develop first-person faith in God in the face of stifling unknowns. How much easier it would have been had they known, while in the furnace, how things would eventually turn out.

For example, look with me down the long corridor of time. We see Father Abraham21 preparing, as God had commanded, to sacrifice his only begotten son, Isaac – hot tears matching the heat of the fiery trial. Then, as he raises the sacrificial dagger, you and I call to him down through the millennia, “Abraham, O Abraham, don’t worry. It’s all going to be just fine! See, I have the book! I know how this story ends! Abraham, hang in there, don’t give up!” But Abraham, in the thick of developing first-person faith cannot, must not, hear us. It must be just Abraham and God. Then, after the fiery trial of his faith, the miracle occurs, we sigh with relief, and Abraham becomes not only the father of millions, but the father of the faithful as well.

 God is in charge.  His plan is perfect.  Doubt not; fear not; Only believe.