Capture the Moment

Building Family Traditions We never know when a teaching moment will take us by surprise. I just know that you have to be ready to shoot from the hip when it happens!

This summer, while the grandkids were over for the afternoon, I started hearing all sorts of squeals coming from the back yard, and they weren't squeals of delight. I raced out the back door to hear the kids saying, “Snake! Snake!” I am thinking to myself, 'Snake? Here? What kind of snake could of gotten into the yard?' (Brief memories of my own encounter with a 9 ft diamond back rattler in the Arizona desert came to mind. But reason soon shook that thought aside as I didn't think a rattler had made it this far into town.) As I went through the patio door I saw a slither and had to hide my smile. I knew this was something I could manage. The kids were all nestled under the apple tree, still squealing, while grandma quietly overturned a little cat house we have in the back. Quickly surprising everyone, (including myself that I actually was fast enough) I caught the bewildered and fightened young snake.

Now I should probably mention, that many years ago I raised an older son who adored reptiles, especially the slithery, supposedly slimy, snake. I told myself that if he could love them enough to follow through and read evey book in the Cypress (CA.) library, including a hefty book on Zoology, I would master my dislike and fear of reptiles... and I did. Someone had to share his passion with him. So because of him I had touched rather large boas and I found out snakes aren't slimy. I had handled other unique reptiles, including my very favorite, and his, – a Sudan Plated Lizard. That experience is what now came into play and gave me the courage and know-how that I needed.  I was able to sweep up that fearless little snake and hold it so as not to get bit or cause it harm.

Then a light goes on.....Ahh....a teaching moment....

After some major coaxing I was finally able to get the kids to come over and take a closer look.

Head shot of snake.

I started talking calmly to the kids and they settled right down. I then gave a quick lesson about snakes – safe ones, and those that are not, and I even got them to feel comfortable enough to pet it. Marek with snakeMy daughter got a few pictures, and in a few awesome teaching moments, the kids learned about snakes. They also learned that Grandma was way cool and they had a fun adventure to share with mom and dad when they came home. 

Taci with snake.

We released our new friend over by the canal where they watched it wiggle away and learned by 'seeing' how a snake moves. Then we all ran to the computer to learn more about snakes.

Nothing is more satisfying than to see your children (or grand-children) 'on fire' with learning. What better way to experience something exciting than to actually live it. This is what it is all about in teaching our kids; making the classroom come alive, making learning real and fun, and letting their imaginations soar and watching that precious “light come on”. I hope you all have lots of awesome teaching moments this summer.

 

The Six Week Plan

Teaching school every week of the school year can really get overwhelming at times. Do you ever feel like you are trying to eat an elephant all in one bite, or was I the only one?   Occassionally you come to feel like you are “drowning” and not getting much accomplished in any thing you are trying to do.  Do you sometimes feel like you and the kids just need a break from it all?  That all you are doing is existing day to day? So, what can you do?  

After many years of experimenting, and studying how colleges and successful private schools ran, I finally“molded”  a formula that gave our family less pressure and stress and brought with it a couple of added bonuses:  we were more refreshed and organized and we were having fun again.

It's called -  “The Six Week Plan”  

First: I wrote out a simplified outline of the goals I hoped to accomplish for the new school year.  Over the summer I noted what interests the kids seem to have right now,  as well as what “busyness” were part of their daily schedules – cub scouts, mutual, music lessons, sports, etc.  (I also included any of my own that might take priority during the year – holiday preparations, a new baby, canning season, etc.) Most importantly, I asked them what they wanted to learn about this year. I kept all of this in mind as I worked on my outline.

Second: I set up a file box filled with file folders, one for each month. Then behind each month would be 6 folders, each labeled – First Week, Second Week, etc.

I divided our school time into six-week increments (small bites).

We studied the basics every day of the week.  Grammar/English, Math, Reading/Phonics.  As the kids got older the english was divided as well. The mechanics or grammar was a constant learning experience. We would start with spelling words from their lists on Monday, use the words they struggled on during the week in our writing, as well as the new ones we would be learning about in our other studies, and then “tested” them on Fridays.   English would also be divided into so many weeks of poetry, vocabulary building, mythology, literature terms, speech, drama, etc.  Some topics would be 6 weeks, 8 weeks or even 12 weeks while others were only 2 weeks, like the study of Aesop's fables.  I went to the back of whatever math book they were in and divided up their lessons to fit into our schedule.  Typing/Keyboarding can easily be added as the need arises.

Mondays and Fridays have slightly different schedules from the other days of the week. After the weekend the house needed it's “matter re-organized”. So on Mondays, since caring for our home is also a part of our learning, we did our basic subjects listed above (on kind of a shorten bell schedule), then armed the troops and generally conquered our house duties in a short time. After that if there was time we might do some of those lighter subjects like music appreciation, computer study, an extra art lesson, or perhaps a fun PE like activity like Soccer.  This schedule also would allow time for those in charge of Family Night  to get prepared, leaving the rest of us free to take care of the evening chores and meal in a timely fashion so we could start Family Night on time.

On Fridays we might slip in a co-op learning experience once a month, whether with a formal group or by invitation.  We might decide we are learning about a certain thing in science that would be more fun sharing with a group of kids than just us and would call another family to join us. Or we might schedule in a trip to the library, a field trip, nature walk, or a Konos day where I might turn the living room into the rain forest we have been studying about.  The list of possibilites is endless.

THIRD: Now for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday        

                                        SCIENCE * HISTORY * GEOGRAPHY * MUSIC * ART

Now I have tried doing certain subjects on certain days and that was okay but we REALLY enjoyed and learned the most from studying with this approach:

2 weeks Science
1 week Geography
2 weeks History

We often mixed in Music & Art Appreciation/Instruction several times a week and worked in other opportunities in our lessons as I enjoyed teaching these subjects often as Unit Studies. 

Studying these subjects this way allowed us to really get “into” what we were studying.  I found the kids really enjoyed learning this way.  They could do all sorts of fun projects and really explore their interests. 

FOURTH:  What about the 6th Week?  This is YOUR week and a break for your kids' week.
Use the week:

  • To get prepared for the next 6 weeks, make a list of things to get, library books to take out, copies made and time to look over what you will be teaching.  Place all of this into each appropriate week in your files. (The nice thing about this is that you still have your master plan and you know what you will be teaching. IF you should happen to come across some really cool treasure to go with a future study then you already have a place for it and you can just “plop” it into the correct month file and forget about it.
  • To catch up on a much needed cleaning project
  • Catch up on some home improvements or repairs
  • Do your own personal studies
  • Work on a special creative project
  • Relax with a favorite book
  • Work on a favorite hobby
  • Catch up on your mending, ironing or sewing
  • Work on a few extra freezer meals for those really crazy days
     
  • Go to lunch with a friend or even a date with your husband!

For the kids:

  • They can work on their scout or Young Women's projects
  • Their favorite pasttimes they don't always have time to persue like building with Lego's, making puppets and putting on a show or playing hard outside
  • Extra time to practice their music or favorite sports
  • Together activities:  Special field trips, picnics, nature walks, star gazing, making play dough, or building something awesome.  It is amazing what this week will give you!

The rules are simple - they can't sleep all day or play electronics.  I encourage them to read and challenge their imaginations and to get plenty of fresh air and sunshine.  

The 6th week gave us the “down time” we all needed, yet still gave us the feeling we were still “working” on important things.  It was a week “off” of our daily routine and the atmosphere at home was much more relaxed and enjoyable.  Isn't that something we are all after?

So maybe we don't have to eat that elephant all in one bite.  It's okay to jump out of the  daily “rut” and give ourselves a little break.  I promise you will still accomplish all that you need to get done and probably more and that you will look forward to  the school year and enjoy the journey together.   Have fun!

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Starla

The Magic of Back to School Sales

After many years of home schooling our kids, I think the hardest part for them to overcome was the feeling of loss, or perhaps a little bit of emptiness, at the end of the summer. The feeling that they were missing out on some kind of “pre” school magic at the end of July and beginning of August. 


Their friends in the neighborhood, or especially at church, would all be talking excitingly about going with their moms and choosing new outfits, or sharing the excitement of heading off to the stores to buy those cool gadgets and supplies for the new school year. Those were the times that they would maybe feel that slight regret that maybe...just maybe they were missing out on something special. 

Then it hit me -WHY? Why can't my kids get excited about their new supplies, or going with mom and getting something new? We didn't have to get anything extravigant or expensive. It was just the act of going with mom and feeling special and getting to help choose some of their supplies. What better way to get them all geared up and excited for the new school year? Nothing wrong with a good backpack, it has plenty of uses through the school year; day trips in the car, explorations in the backyard, overnighters to grandmas ;) and nature hikes with the family. And when they head to retirement (if there is still life in them) they make great emergency packs to toss in a car. 

Now when the conversations at church turn to “I got to go to lunch with my mom when we went to the mall for our school shopping” they can jump in and say “I did too! We bought a new microscope for our science projects this year, or we each got our own magnifying glass!” 

I also remembered how I use to make the kids a special bus cake on their first day of school so when they came home there was something special waiting for them. I decided I can still go that extra step, even if they are already at home. I can help make them feel equally special and encourage that child-like anticipation and build that “pre” school magic just for them. 

After this learning experience for mom I made it a point in the summer to always take my kids to lunch at least once during the summer for some good one-on-one mom time. Then again, right before school started, as a special celebration to get us off on the right foot. I would also save a few extra dollars so we could stock up on all our school/office and art supplies during the sales, along with a few special items just for them. Sometimes it was just a package of “really cool pencils mom!”. It was all they needed and they felt special – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 

I hope you all get to enjoy a little “pre” school magic this year. Have fun! 

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Starla

We are Proud to be American

I don't know about you, but every 4th of July I am always surprised and disappointed at, how many people, young and old, do NOT show respect to our beloved colors as Old Glory passes by, not to mention, stand when our national anthem plays. What has happened to us? Didn't their mother's teach them?


More and more each year, I think we take for granted the precious freedoms that we enjoy each and every day. Have we forgotten the courage and sacrifices of the many men and women that so willingly gave their lives so we can enjoy liberty? Are we unaware of how few rights other countries have? 

I determined a long time ago as this ‘behavior' was becoming more commonplace, that I wanted to make a difference, to be part of the solution and not the problem. But where to start? Well, "There's no place like home!" Why not? We are each raising future American citizens in our homes. Don't we want them to be the best they can be? Don't we want to raise responsible, law-abiding American citizens? Do they know what it means to be a good citizen? Teach them about our brave God-fearing founding fathers and our inspired Constitution. 

First, we became more diligent about standing with our hands over our hearts with one child holding our little classroom flag and leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance as part of our daily devotionals. We also studied the words to the Pledge and what the colors of the flag stood for, as well as how to take care of our flag. [This goes great with some of the scout requirements.] We played lots of great patriotic music to get us in the mood.

When our children started getting a little older we began a tradition of having a block party every 4th of July. We invited people from the ward and our neighborhood - we've had as few as 12 and as many as 60. We worked hard to put it all together, but the good feeling stuck with us long after the last person left. We spent the weeks before cleaning up the yard just right, sending out invitations, making or buying that ‘special new decoration' for our celebration, planning games, and buying fireworks for the evening show. These simple "tasks" taught our children - service, pride in the work they did, creativity as they designed our invitations and after time, our oldest daughter even took over dad's job of designing our yearly patriotic t-shirts that we wore as a family. 

As for the food - we had an old-fashioned potluck. Everyone brought something to share, their own choice of meat to cook, and chairs or blankets to sit on. We figured if we ended up with 7 bags of chips then we had chips, but we usually did just fine. As a general rule, we provided an ice chest of canned drinks, a thermos of water, the paper goods, and the grill.

After everyone had eaten and visited, we cleared up the food and began the games. Sometimes I asked for help and sometimes we just did them all. This is where we shared a lot of laughter and learned to really come to love our neighbors and friends. We played all sorts of games from "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" to Charades, and one year we even had a living game of Checkers using people for the tokens. It was a hit!

Finally, the long anticipated moment would arrive - darkness! Time to pull out the glow sticks, and set up the fireworks; but first we would all gather around our flag, and together, recite the Pledge of Allegiance. At about this point many of us would have tears in our eyes and I would know people still love their country.

Oh how everyone, young and old, delighted in the fireworks. Our evenings ended on this quiet and peaceful note as we thrilled at the colors and the beautiful designs bathing the night sky; and together we thanked our Heavenly Father for all we have. 

Those of us still at home feel the emptiness on the 4th of July these days as most of the children have grown. We have taken a rest from our yearly tradition. We miss the opportunity to express our patriotism and share our friendship. We have joined in again with the grandchildren, and so the tradition continues.....

Yes, WE ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICAN!

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

- Starla

What To Do In The Summertime

I was thinking about the seasons and remembering the scripture – ‘a time and a season for all things’ and thinking about what the summer months give us. They are a great relief from the gray days of winter and offer us the promise of fresh air and sunshine, tasty fruits and veggies from our gardens, hours to spend playing and working outside refreshing our souls, exercising our muscles, and clearing our thoughts!  Those warm inviting summer days offer us relief from the stress of winter-time routines, provide us precious moments to ponder the beauty of life around us, and entice us outside for many fun-filled days chalk-full of exciting adventures! 

In the cooler part of the day you will find us doing the usual summertime ‘work’:  gardening, yard work, washing the car, taking care of the animals, or fixing up the house; but when the thermometer starts rising that is when you will find us in the shade doing a messy science experiment, cuddled up with a good book on the grass, working on our hobbies, developing our talents or interests, or finishing up the projects that we just don’t have time for during the typical ‘school year’.

I keep an art box stocked at all times for those creative moments. I have also been known to fill a jar with slips of paper of ideas we have brainstormed, and when we have an “I’m bored” moment or “I don’t know what to do”, they can choose a slip from the jar and happily skip off to another activity.  (Some of those activities might include page of math problems, a topic to write a story or poem, do a puzzle, paint a picture like Van Gogh did, a math or science problem to solve, go play with your Legos, go read about a famous scientist or mathematician, or grab your science notebook [and a magnifying glass, colored pencils, bottle of water, a disposable camera, binoculars or whatever] and go observe this 10’ area for an hour and tell me what you see or lets go on a nature walk today.  Make it fun and challenging.)

I also heard of a fun idea of using the Alphabet each week during the summer and studying something that goes with each letter for a week.  For example: A – Study Ants, Airplanes, Aristotle, or Alaska. Let the kids help decide!

One summer we also got together once a month with a few families and did a summer co-op.  That was great fun. We had a water play day one month and became a Knight another time.  

Don’t forget to provide some large cardboard boxes and some cheap poster paints and let the kids imaginations soar from play houses to pirate ship adventures.  These provide weeks of delight until the boxes finally wear out.

We have enjoyed keeping a Nature/Science Journal during the summer for those exciting moments of when wespy something unusual while bird watching or making observations. Or maybe a chance meeting of a perfect specimen of Praying Mantis (which my daughter took a picture of and we later included in a lap book about bugs). These journals provide a great place for your kids to practice their drawing skills and learn how to use colored pencils.

One of our most interesting observation studies was when I had our youngest daughter observe our mint patch for a full week at different times of the day.  It was very interesting to see how much life there was in our little 12-foot mint patch.  There were so many different insects and so many different varieties of bees and wasps.  We had no idea it was so populated.  We just had never taken the time to really look.  It gave her a chance to draw conclusions as to why there was more insect activity at one time of the day than at others.  The best part is that my daughter’s personal observation skills became more detailed as the week drew on and I learned to ask more searching questions. For example, she noticed a butterfly in the area. “She wrote I saw a butterfly.”  Okay, what about the butterfly? What color was it, what kind, and what was it doing?   She also learned to observe the weather and the temperature.  This study, along with the cool insect pictures she had collected, became the kickoff to an interesting unit study later on in the fall on BUGS. She made a really fun lap book to compliment her journal entries.  It ended up being a very interesting and fun project for all of us. 

We have also participated and enjoyed our local college’s summer enrichment classes and the library’s summer reading program.  We are frequent visitors to the library during the summer months and enjoy getting a chance to know other authors.

I also like to use my more carefree summer days to think about and start planning our next school year along with input from the kids.  This is a great time to start gathering supplies and mapping out our activities.

Another summertime favorite is to put a large map on our kitchen table of the United States. (I put the map on top of a tablecloth for a little color and then cover both of them with a plastic vinyl.) Then we travel the country together. We choose a state to study. If there is a special item of interest, or person of history we want to know more about, we might take a short “side-trip” and learn briefly about that.  She likes to keep a little log of places she has “been” and she would like to go in real life if the opportunity presents itself. I have also printed off a blank outline map and had her do some map work, which is also placed in her log. Occasionally, I give her an extra assignment to a state:  write a poem, paint a scenic picture or design a travel brochure. When we were in Georgia I had her list the 300 + uses of the common peanut. We also would find a recipe from that state to try.  It was great fun.

My daughter also made up her own game of putting the capitals on a circle disc, and timing herself as she tried to match all the capitals with their states on the map.  She got pretty fast at it, much faster than mom could do!  This is also a favorite activity for when friends come over.

This summer we are headed down Route 66. It should be fun, come along for the ride!  The summer is yours to explore ---- have a great trip.

You can leave your thoughts, comments or suggestions here on my feedback page. Thanks!

It’s Garden Time

Oh what to do in May?  I have thought all month long about what I wanted to share with you in ‘Building Family Traditions’. What really comes to mind are our gardens!  Yes, our gardens. After all, they are a family affair, aren’t they?  What a wonderful way to teach our children good work habits with a cheerful and thankful heart and appreciation for where things come from as well as the satisfaction of seeing the rewards of our hard work.

Helen Hayes once said, “ All through the long winter, I dream of my garden.  On the first day of spring, I dig with fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirit soars.”

Isn’t that how you feel?  Right after Christmas the first garden catalogs start coming and you almost feel that little childlike excitement grow within you.

“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides” W.E. Johns – The Passing Show

The hunger and need for man to dig in the dirt comes at an early age.  Do you know any 2- year old that isn’t happy playing in the dirt?

Gandhi felt, “To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”

Yes, it is hard work, and sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get help out in the garden but the rewards are so worth it. 

Our Prophets have asked us to have a garden, and what a great opportunity to teach obedience, self-reliance, gratitude and sharing with our neighbors!

Pres. Kimball (April 1976 Conference Report) called upon ‘Latter-day Saints everywhere to produce their own food.’  He understood that some of that might be in containers and pots not just in garden beds, but there are lessons and skills to be learned as well as the simple act of obedience and showing our children that we listen to what the prophet says and then we do it!

What are the rewards?   There are several:

Family Unity – you are teaching your children the rewards of their labor, the gift of work.  Side by side working also allows time for those precious teaching moments, you have their undivided attention, a captive audience, and the chance to let nature be the teacher. The garden’s wide-open spaces and its quiet beauty provide a non-threatening environment for your children to open up to you and to share their hearts.

Self-sufficiency – isn’t it wonderful to be able to go out into your own garden and choose dinner?   A garden helps us also develop confidence that we can take care of ourselves if we need to. We also learn that ‘we reap what we sow’ from a job well done or not. 

Pleasure & Joy – a garden reminds us of a loving Heavenly Father and all that is good and beautiful in the world.  We have been told that, “Men are that they might have joy…” Pres. Monson has told us to, “Enjoy the Journey”.  I believe this is true in all the paths we walk in our lives.

Hanna Rion believed, “The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.”  Isn’t that the truth? It makes you slow down and actually take time to smell the roses, as well as provides a place and the moments for us to receive the answers to questions we have been pondering.  It opens the door to inspiration when we slow down “to listen and to see”.

Health – We KNOW what we have put in our soil and on our plants.  Growing and eating our own fresh vegetables and fruits is healthier.  We also can watch what we do and use to store those goodies for our families.

Reduced Expenses – this one has been argued by many as to the actual costs of raising and working in a garden than just buying off the shelf.  You will have to weigh that yourself.  I also take into account what money cannot buy like the rewards listed here, and then I think –yes, it is worth it.  For our family, I do believe it does save us money through the garden season as well as provides fresh vegetables and fruits all summer long; more than I would normally be able to provide for my family if I had to solely rely on going to the store.  I suppose you could help your kids set up a little road side stand and sell your excess to help offset the costs of the seeds etc.

Opportunities to share –have more than you need? Share or trade with those around you, neighbors and families. 

Therapy – the garden is a great place for reflection, to quietly talk to “Father”, and to vent frustrations as you pull and tug on those nasty weeds.  When you are out in the garden it’s hard to be angry for too long as you gaze around yours and the Lord’s handiwork.

George Bernard Shaw felt, “ The best place to seek God is in a garden.”         

“You can bury a lot of troubles in digging in the dirt.” Unknown

Some of my children’s favorite memories have been out digging in the garden and losing themselves to an adventure among all the green leaves and vines. A garden should be a wonderland to our children – let them be a part of the planning and the planting.  After many years of frustration and feeling like I was fighting a losing battle, I came upon the idea (I didn’t come upon it by myself I am sure) of having each child choose their garden favorites to plant and they would become the caretaker/steward over those vegetables for the whole summer.  They always choose their favorites and were actually excited to watch over their gardens!  We encouraged them to plant flowers as well.  The conditions were:

  1. You had to plant enough for the whole family to eat from and, hopefully, there would be something to put up for the winter as well.
     
  2. You were responsible for your garden space (usually these were divided up into some sort of shape with twine or stakes) If you didn’t take care of your garden the whole family didn’t get to enjoy that food for the year.

We still watered the garden as a whole, but they had to weed their areas (which didn’t seem so overwhelming now that they were smaller) and watch for ripe food.
We all still helped in the major harvesting.  Mom and Dad took care of the bigger stuff and whatever was left over.  The garden was now bite size for every one and not such an impossible mission. They were always so proud to bring in the “fruits of their labors” to share at the dinner table.

A garden also works well for a Young Woman’s project.  Both of our daughters did it one year - one made a ‘Salsa Garden”, and the other pretty much took over the rest of the garden after the two younger ones chose their favorites.  She is the one that came to absolutely love gardening,  came to take great pride in it and worked out there for hours on her own; well past the required 10 hours.

What about the ‘little people’?   We put together a little area that was ‘safe’ for them to dig in, and built a teepee from large limbs that we usually could find around the yard.  Then around the base of the teepee we planted things that would climb up the ‘legs’ like scarlet runners, morning glories, beans, etc and planted some of the smaller and more colorful sunflowers around the sides and back. It was a hit! They loved having a new hiding place or a secret place to read and dig; and my garden was safe from little feet trampling the small seedlings.  Once the plants got bigger it wasn’t usually an issue anymore and the kids played freely in the garden with their cars and G.I. Joes.  

A garden is also a great place to set up an observation site for Science or Nature Study.  We made that a fun experiment one year and our daughter learned a lot about observation skills from watching our front flower bed for a week at different times of the day.  She learned to note more and more things as I would ask her questions about what she observed in that 15 min to 30 minute time span.  This way she learned to be more detailed in her observations and would pay more attention to the little things going on around her. Our daughter now loves to go out into the garden with her camera and shoot all sorts of fun candid shots of bugs, vegetation, and busy little nieces and nephews.  She has caught some fun pictures of insects and kids.

So, as you can see, a garden is a world of it’s own.  It can be a haven for those needing peace or a hideaway from pirates.  The whole idea is that a garden is a mode of expression and beauty, a place of joy.  It gets us outside in the fresh air and sunshine and refreshes our spirits as well. As Abram L. Urban once said, “In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are beautiful.”

Enjoy the Journey!

What Does Easter Mean To You?

Easter time gives me a feeling of renewed hope and a calming sense of peace as we watch nature unfold her awesome mysteries before us.  The earth is coming to life everywhere you look. There are miracles that happen right before our eyes every year – green life pushing up through the earth, birds singing to welcome in spring, life beginning to bud on the trees, and precious baby animals. All these are wonderful reminders that yes, there is a God and He does love us.

I have asked myself several times this month, as well as some of my friends and grown children, what comes to their minds as they remember Easters past?  This is what they came up with:

  • Baby chicks
  • Family gatherings at special dinners
  • Decorating eggs
  • Easter egg hunts
  • Going to Church
  • Remembering the Savior throughout the week
  • New articles of clothing
  • The special way mom always set the table at Easter
  • The Easter egg version of the Easter Story

I was fascinated in the variety of the memories.  It wasn't about those expensive Easter baskets that line the store shelves at this time of year or about all the candy and toys. It was the simple memories that involved others that stuck.

On the Monday prior to Easter we always have a special Family Home Evening on the life of the Savior and Resurrection.  We choose to add during the week special DVD's or videos further highlighting these subjects and keeping our thoughts focused on the Savior.

Decorating the eggs was always a highlight with everyone I spoke with along with the icing on the cake- the Easter egg hunt!  One child said it was just like waking up on Christmas morning!

I have never been a mom that went in for the big basket kind of gifts at Easter.  My focus was on the kitchen table that would greet my children on Easter morning.  It was always set with our best tableware and then I added pretty white candles and pictures and/or the statue we have of Christ.  He always joined us for our Easter meals. 

At their place setting there would be a little bag or small pail of a few goodies or a church-related bookmark/picture and maybe a music CD.  Or they might get bubbles, sidewalk chalk, or small shovels and pails when they were little or kites when they were older.  Whatever it was we kept it simple.

It always is exciting to dress up in that new dress or fresh crisp new white shirt and go to church and see how fresh and clean everybody else looks and feels.  I think it is an experience that goes beyond just looking fresh and clean – I think the children, and even the adults, actually feel it.  We couldn't always afford a new outfit, many times it was just a little necklace for the girls or a new tie for the boys but the clothes were always especially tidy and the hair combed just right.  There is just something special about Easter Sunday.  Look for it – Feel it - this year.

 

How do you welcome in Easter?

Here are a couple of activities you can do on Easter Sunday or for a family home evening around Easter:

Mid-Winter Blues

So what do you do to battle the mid-winter blues? Do you sometimes find you need a good jumpstart to help get your homeschool back in full-swing again? Or maybe it's just that you need something a little different, some small change, to help combat the daily doldrums that can often set in to the infamous "routine rut". So what about grabbing a calendar and taking a random tour through history and literature together? At TeacherVision.com you can print off a 2010 Educator's Calendar. In the month of February alone you can recreate what Robinson Crusoe experienced, read about the Columbia Space Shuttle, discuss why the 15th amendment was written, and celebrate several famous birthdays together.

For the younger kids it's fun to celebrate Ground Hogs Day and experiment with shadows. Did you know on the 23rd of February (1896) the Tootsie Roll made its debut? Find a recipe and make some homemade Tootsie Rolls. Hershey's Chocolate was founded on the 9th in 1894. Check out the Hershey's on-line site.

February is another good month to continue those fun winter experiments and enjoying sports that are unique to that time of the year. It's a great time to teach survival skills, build snow forts and make snow ice cream! We also have the Winter Olympics coming up - what a great opportunity to teach some interesting pieces of history and enjoy supporting our country in physical athletics and good sportsmanship.

Two of our family favorites have been Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day both are on the 14th of February this year.

There are lots of activities on the internet that you can choose from to use to celebrate the coming of the Chinese New Year. We enjoy cooking a Chinese dinner, eating with chopsticks, and finishing off with the traditional fortune cookie. Let the kids go crazy decorating with Chinese lanterns, origami, and making Fish Kites.

The other is Valentine's Day. For the younger people in our life a fun little party of games, goodies, balloons and decorating sugar cookies seems to fill their little 'heart's desires. As the kids got a little older we added a next twist for our family at home. Instead of Valentine's sacks we make specially designed Valentine's boxes. We start the week ahead so that they can be finished by Valentine's Day. 
We have made our boxes replicas of ballet studio's, karate tournaments, a computer, bank, pyramid, etc. Sometimes it's been themed around a book they had just read. At any rate, the sky's the limit and it's always been fun to see each other's creations at the end of the week! The boxes are filled with a couple of goodies, homemade or store-bought cards, coupons or expressions of love/appreciation, or other surprises - like a fun pair of socks, chap stick or shower gel. We don't do too much; the creativity of the boxes is the main focus. Even mom and dad join in the fun.

We also have done secret acts of kindness/service: sometime's we draw names or just 'keep an eye out' for opportunities to do little acts of kindness to each other. When time and strength allow we bake up a few goodies and share with a few people in the neighborhood/ward. Each family member thinks about who they think could use a hug. We have taken around our special bags of brownies, Teddy Bear Hug Bread, homemade heart-shaped soaps, and on occasion our special "dinner date in a bag". That one was fun - one year we knew the new Bishop's wife was having a hard time having her husband gone so much and was really feeling lonely (Their children were already raised and gone). So we checked out the grocery meat counter and found two very inexpensive steaks, threw in a package salad, and 2 baker's and voila` you've got a perfect dinner date for two and they were thrilled! We did it in secret but made sure they knew it was from someone in the ward. The dinner cost us only around $6.

Another year we had 3 of our older children engaged at the same time. As Valentine's crept around, money was an problem to the young couples so we devised a plan. We told the kids to keep that night free and we borrowed card tables from friends and set them quite fancy including candlelight and soft music. The younger 2 were the chef and waitress. Our daughter put up a restaurant sign on the door and created menus and our son served up a wonderful, yet simple meal of Cordon Bleu, green salad, and dessert. We had Sparkling Cider for our drink and pie for dessert. We all dressed up special (yes mom and dad were included). It was a lovely evening and ended with us all enjoying the movie Lady and the Tramp. Our kids still talk about that magical evening! Our future son-in-laws were speechless and very touched about how much work we had gone to make the evening special for them.

February can be as exciting or simple as your time and energy allow. Just have fun and enjoy the journey through the long winter months. Happy February!

Christmas Giving as the Three Wise Men Gave

Several years ago I attended a Relief Society that has changed how I look at Christmas“giving”.  The speaker reminded us of the Three Wise Men who traveled from far off lands to give the Christ child a gift that they had each thought long and hard about before giving.

She expressed her concerns as a mother about how easy it was to get lost in the busyness of Christmas time, the cost of things, and still being able to find and experience the joys and 'spirit' of Christmas. 

Run, run, run.  Rush, rush, rush.  We hurry to this event and that, run to several stores to find something that will jump out at us, race to the sales,  run up those credit cards – most of this without much thought, more of something that has to be done.   It is so easy to get 'caught up' in the sea of well-meaning efforts, tinsel and those blue-light specials!  So what do we do to still cherish the moments, keep reality in check, and nourish believing in miracles?

We follow the example of the Three Wise Men – we give three gifts:

  • One – practical
  • One – fun
  • One – from the heart

Each gift area is wrapped in its own wrapping paper/color.  The wonderful thing about this concept is that you can use it in other gift giving throughout the year and just choose one area to give from.  The speaker said her children have naturally done this in giving to their friends and their siblings.

We focus on one child at a time and really “think” about what we are giving. I have done this myself for several years now, and some of our grown children have followed what has now become tradition.  It isn't as hard as it sounds and it actually makes “giving” easier.  No more worrying about if we were 'even' on how many presents everybody got and how much we spent – it was about the person and their interests and passions.

Practical – The speaker mentioned  one year a college-bound son needed tires for his car. It was both practical and a peace of mind for mom and dad to know he would be safe driving and able to travel home once in a while. This year one of my kids needs a new coat and another needs some things to go with her camera.  It is a practical gift as she is our family “shutterbug” and keeps track of those special moments, takes all the pictures for Young Women's activities, as well as just loves taking pictures!  Another child needs a watch.  Dollars don't matter here – its needs.  Only your budget should dictate your spending.

Fun – This is a 'fun' category. You have to ask yourself what does my child really enjoy?  This gives you an opportunity to find out more about your child and be watchful all year long.

One son loves basketball and his old ones are quite worn.  So guess what he is getting for Christmas this year!  Yes and one that can be played both indoors and outdoors. Then I happened to come across a small gift card to the NBA store and thought how much fun he would have with that (he collects game hats). 

Our daughter is at that age of blossoming from a young girl to a young woman so girly things are in desire this year – so she is getting a boxful of just that 'girly things'.  I say a boxful but they are all little things, (that didn't cost very much), that will help make her feel pretty and they will be tucked inside a wall jewelry box that I bought this summer.  One year a daughter got a few scrapbook supplies as that was what she was into and another got a small box of inexpensive 'office things' - Fun-shaped and colored paper clips & push pins, stapler, fun note cards, sticky notes, stamps, and I even got her her own address labels. She was thrilled. Who would have guessed?

Note: You can choose to have the fun gift from Santa Claus or as we do, since I still want my kids to know that mom and dad still can be fun :)  We just choose something and leave by their stockings from Santa.  This gift is not wrapped.  And yes, we love our stockings best of all and 'Santa' fills them but we also add little surprises to each other's stockings. 

Now from the heart:  This is the most fun and perhaps the most challenging; but that's okay that's what endears the gift even more.  What is the quote?  “Long walk is part of the gift.” The speaker mentioned how she had taken a special necklace her mother (grandma) had wanted to pass down to her daughter – so she put it in a special frame with a special poem. It touched her daughter's heart and will be a gift to treasure forever.

This year I found a small plaque that has the quote from Pres. Monson on it from the Temple dedication that our daughter had a part in.  I know how much that experience has meant to her. 

One year my husband and I created what we called a Legacy Book.  I wanted our kids to know where they came from both in spiritual legacy and in their family name.   I found special pictures and thoughts – the books focused on the priesthood including their line of authority and the girls focused on being a righteous young women and mother including the Relief Society creed.  While I did this my husband worked on some old family pictures and we added some family history sheets (4-generations) along with their patriarchal blessings and a few interesting family stories.  We put it in a nice notebook and gave them to the kids on Christmas Eve.  (Okay part of it was I was so excited to give them our labor of love and another was I didn't want it overshadowed by the other gifts.)   This particular Christmas our kids were older – one back from a mission, 3 in high school, one in junior high, and a young one in elementary.  It was amazing to watch them as they wandered through the pages of their 'legacy' for hours upon hours.  These books are still their prize possessions.   We chose notebooks on purpose so as time goes on we hope to add to their 'legacy' books and they can add to them as their families grow.  This year we are giving 2 children still at home journals with their names on them and inside will be a handwritten testimony of our love for each of them and our love for the gospel.

I was really proud of a son-in-law that really caught the spirit and worked hard and  created  really neat Christmas scenes/snow globes for our daughter. (He had grown up very differently, but had seen how special our “from the heart” gifts were received by our daughter.) This year she has even had mom show her how to make pillowcases for her children as her gift in some of their favorite characters. 

A son has also adopted this gift-giving and made this really special journal for his sweet wife.  He knew she loves taking a journal with her everywhere to write down special quotes and notes from talks.  So he found a lovely one and put in one picture of the Savior  she loves, and he did his own artwork in it of some meaningful dreams they have talked about and left a note of love.  She in turn made a cool memory shadow box of his mission in France. What a wonderful gift of love to give each other!

This kind of Christmas giving has brought me a real sense of peace and direction in our gift-giving process. It doesn't take away from the real Santa Claus (not the commercial one) and the true spirit of giving and believing in miracles.  I will never take that away from our children.  I believe that is part of the Christmas magic.  We have been blessed many times by others through special Christmas magic and having our prayers answered. This is the time to talk about miracles of all kinds, and that they do happen in our modern days. Teach the children to be grateful, to think of others, to notice the “little things” along the way, to laugh and enjoy the journey.

Gift-giving this way allows you to be done early. (I will be done this week and it feels great!)  This leaves you the rest of the month to focus on the Savior, put up the Christmas tree, send out cards, make Christmas goodies to share, make snow forts and snow ice cream, do the 12-days of Christmas to someone who might need a hug, sing Christmas carols and cuddle around the Christmas tree with a cup of hot cocoa and read those special Christmas stories... together.

The whole idea isn't stressing about what you are giving - it's about making family memories and doing it together.  It's about putting the 'magic' back into Christmas and remembering the birth of the Savior.

I hope that your Christmas Season is full of warm hugs and memories.

Merry Christmas!!!