Time to Get Serious About Family Scripture Study

Corey and I have never been great about family scripture study (Let's be honest...we are not great in many areas), BUT I decided that enough was enough.  Our daughter Carlie turns 8 this year and is very excited to be baptized into our church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (aka The Mormons).  But, I am afraid she doesn't really know what that means.....we have not done our jobs as her parents.  I decided that the best way for her to be ready to be baptized was for us to finally get serious about reading the Book of Mormon as a family - DAILY.  I have always had a million excuses; i.e.:  my kids will not listen, they can't read, I hate mornings, we are too busy at night, blah.... blah...blah.

So here is our plan (thank you pinterest and sugardoodle.net)

We are using this reward system: (rewards are great for kids AND parents too!)

Here is the link to this AWESOME document:
http://mymixofsix.blogspot.com/2011/01/bookmark.html

We are also using the Reading Chart below to track our progress towards each of the smaller goals outlined above.

http://c586449.r49.cf2.rackcdn.com/BOM%20Chart%20Full%20Page.pdf

I introduced this at Family Home Evening this past Monday and my kids are so excited.  I have even agreed to getting up a little earlier so we can read every morning.  We have only done this two days in a row, but I already notice a better spirit in my home and my kids are really cute with it.  We have these simplified Book of Mormon books with great pictures for every few verses.  So Corey and Carlie read from the Book of Mormon and I show the pictures to Carlie and Berkeley as we read.  Good thing I inherited these books from my parents ( I loved them as a kid)....Berkeley stares at the pictures the whole time.

Here is what one of the books looks like....anyone remember these from their childhood.  They were written in the 1960's by a BYU professor and illustrated by a guy that was a former Disney illustrator.

So......wish us luck creating this new worthy habit.

"If you don't have time to pray and read your scriptures, you are busier than God ever intended you to be."



Moustache Valentines

My children recieved the most amazing Valentine from our friend Jake this year.  Included in the Valentine were two moustaches.  My adorable kids had a blast taking pictures with their new mustaches.  So pretend to be surprised when you get a similiar Valentine next year!  We are soooo copying our friend next year.

 



Seagulls, Sea Lions, & Smelt...Oh My!!

 We live right along the Cowlitz River in Kelso, Washington.  Every year the smelt come from the Pacific Ocean to the Cowlitz River to spawn.  When the spawn come of course the Seagulls, Sea Lions, and Seals follow.  It was so much fun to watch the thousands of seagulls dive for fish and the sea lions swimming among them.  The kids and I stopped everyday for a week to watch them....what fun adventures along the river!!!  There also is several bald eagles living along the river right now....they are so amazing to observe.  I love that there is so much wildlife right outside my door.  I never got great pictures of the sea lions and seals, but I tried.  I really think I need to invest in a new lens!!

 

 

 

Ridiculously AMAZING Quotes

I just became friends on Facebook with this lady I really admire that is in my new ward (church congregation for all my non-LDS/mormon friends).  I was reading through her quotes on her info page and these two really spoke to my soul.  They are wonderful ones to ponder and try to remember everyday.


If people understood God's love for every single human person and his divine plan for us, then believers would recognize their duty "to unite their efforts with those of all men and women of good will, with the followers of other religions and with non-believers, so that this world of ours may effectively correspond to the divine plan: living as a family under the Creator's watchful eye. -Pope Benedict 


"We want our women to be well educated, for children may not recover from the ignorance of their mothers." - Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball


Such wisdom, I love it.