1 Nephi 2

1 Nephi 2

Supplies:

Notebook

Book of Mormon
Walking Shoes (optional)

Activity:

After reading chapter 2. Ask the children to image that their parents just announced they would be leaving their home in 2 days. How would you feel? How do you think Nephi and his brothers felt? Tell everyone they can take 3 things with them. What would they be? Write in their journal what things they would take and why. Would a copy of the scriptures be on anyone's list? If you don't include the scriptures how will you continue to learn about God? 

Random thoughts that might pertain:

Have everyone gather their item that they would take and go for a walk. Are the items they choose to take useful? If on a weekend maybe you could camp out. You can make this as in-depth as you choose to take it.

1 Nephi 1

1 Nephi 1:1

Supplies:
Notebook/Sketchbook for each family member
Book of Mormon for each family member

Activity:
Have each family member make a book of remembrance just like Nephi did. In the first entry list some things your parents have taught you. Then give a little history of your parents; where they work; what they like; what they believe; Just as Nephi wrote about his father.

Random thoughts that might pertain:
I envision this being a notebook, sketchbook, or even 3 ring binder of papers. Each person in the family will need one. Each person in the family should also have a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon you can get FREE copies here https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

My procrastination has lasted long enough

Its time I just do it. I've been procrastinating this for a long time, but it's time. I started writing this activity guide 10 years ago. I have big plans for it to be published and sit on the shelves of Deseret Book but sometimes seeing the big picture can keep us from moving forward. So...I'm just going to put it out there, unedited, with the supplies or printables. Not at all how I imagined but I think by doing this it will be done. So here goes...

After reading each and every chapter of the Book of Mormon I came up with ways to teach, what I felt, was the purpose or the truths of that chapter to children. When I started this my oldest daughter was 3 years old and most of the activities were geared towards very young children. Now that oldest daughter is 13 and I teach differently. Maybe you'll read these posts and they will change and adapt with your family as mine has.

If I started this activity guide again right now I could probably come up with completely different truths and how to teach them, and that's exactly why I love this book, God is always teaching us from it. Every time I read it I get something different out of it. Maybe different is too strong of a word, the truths are always the same but I feel like what I'm supposed to learn about that truth maybe changes a bit because I need to hear something a else each time.

Broken cat heads and wishing for value

About 3 months ago a friend organized a really fun activity where we sewed and created the cutest sock kittens. I know my kids liked them, they slept with them at night and they were so stinkin' cute how could they not? Yet, when it came time to clean their rooms today I realized the kittens had to go.

This was a hard decision.

Why though really? One kitties head was safety pinned on because we ran out of time to finish the cat and it ended up on of our list of projects that will just have to be finished later. So why so difficult?

Maybe because it was unfinished...maybe because of who I made it with...maybe because I was the only one that felt sad about getting rid of the kitty.

Lately I've been wrestling with the thought and the scary conclusion that my kids don't value their things.

My mom is an avid yard saler and she's good at it, so every few weeks we are given great new things that she finds. A lot of it has to get thrown out just so I can keep some sort of semblance of tidiness in our house.

So do my kids not value things because my mom attends yard sales and they know new things are always coming in?

While I would love that to be the answer (because that's easy to pinpoint) I don't feel that's the whole story. How do I instill this sense of "value for things" in my children?

My only solution, thus far, has been the mantra of Less is More. If they have less things and really think about what to acquire will that help?

I guess for the meantime I'll continue to throw away sock kitten heads and silently mourn.

Yep! 3 years has passed

I told myself that when I blogged again I wouldn't apologize for all the time passed, the moments lost the words forgotten. Don't mistake this for an apology because it's not, it's just a...Oh! That's where I left off sort of heading.
If blame be needed for my absence to this blog it resides solely on CHATBOOKS. Yep that wonderful little company that has transformed my life and made me a better mother, journaler, scrapbooker, etc. is to blame.
I got a smartphone for Christmas 2013, set up an instagram account immediately, linked it to my life-changing-app Chatbooks and haven't looked back, till today.
Why now, you may be asking yourself? Well because I miss lengthy, over-analyzed thought processes that drive me to my computer and can only be written. I miss typing. I miss seeing that I'm more then just the places we go and the events we attend. I miss writing about the hard days and my crazy ideas and pouring my heart and part of my soul into a journal.

Come unto Him

“If we notice that planning for parties and scrambling for presents begin to detract from the peaceable message of Jesus Christ and distance us from the gospel He preached, let us take a step back, slow down a little, and reconsider what matters most.” —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency

Silent treatment

Jaya can ignore everyone and everything when she has a good book. I actually waited to tell her I had it because I wanted to have her attention this morning. This is what she's looked like since 11:00am.