Ezra Taft Benson -

As a watchman on the tower, I feel to warn you that one of the chief means of misleading our youth and destroying the family unit is our educational institutions. President Joseph F. Smith referred to false educational ideas as one of the three threatening dangers among our Church members.

Friday, June 18, 2010

The birds are back


Our Robin came back again this year to lay her eggs. This year there were 5 eggs. 4 hatched. We watched every day looking at the birds grow. The one day I missed looking to see if they were ready to fly away....they all left the nest.

Last year we watched two of them leave the nest and fly across the street.

We hope to see our Robin again next year.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Opportunities make us

25 years + ago I was so excited. I was 14 and was going to my first Youth Conference with our church. I had an amazing experience. Great classes that uplifted me, testimony meeting where I felt the Holy Ghost so strongly. I was glad I made the decision to be baptised. I was scared to go to the dance. I really didn't know anyone. But there was a Bishop there who took this opportunity to teach the young men of the stake how to make the girls feel special. It wasn't a date, or a marriage proposal. It was a simple dance. He had taught his leaders to encourage the youth to be kind to each other. I had a great time that night and met a lot of good friends I would later rely on when decisions in life got tougher as a teen.

Girls camp was also one of the high lights of my youth experience. Being a convert to the church I went to a lot of activities not expecting much. These kids had grown up together and knew each other well. But they were always very warm to everyone. The leaders encouraged kindness at church always. They expected us to be friends. And we were. The leaders weren't our friends. They were just that. LEADERS. They were there to show us the way.

I remember one year fellowshipping a girl who wasn't coming out to church. I met her for the first time one morning when our Laurel class went and woke her up and took her to breakfast. She was a great girl. We kept calling her and inviting her to activities. She finally came out and joined us a few times. We even sat together a few times at school for lunch. She graduated that year and I never saw her again. But that year I learned how to truly fellowship. The leaders encouraged us to really become her friend and care about her. She felt our concern and love for her and it was easier for her to come out and join us at church.

Today in a world where it is funny to call names and tease, I would hope that church would be a place away from all that. A place everyone was accepted and felt the spirit of the Lord. That is what being a Christian means. Acting as Christ would at all times and in all places.

The scriptures read "Thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better".

The writer of Proverbs said, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). I have witnessed in my short life that this includes good and bad behaviors and attitudes.

There is a saying that big gates move on small hinges. Sisters, your example in seemingly small things will make a big difference in the lives of our young people. The way you dress and groom yourselves, the way you talk, the way you pray, the way you testify, the way you live every day will make the difference. This includes which TV shows you watch, which music you prefer, and how you use the Internet. If you love to go to the temple, the young people who value your example will also love to go, and they will learn from you. I would also like to add that what you talk about at activities will get the youths attention and they will seek after those things. Talking about movies you have seen, books you have read, gossip about other people and what is going on in the neighborhood, etc. will be copied by the youth. These are the things they will hold onto.

I have been to great meetings that have left an impression on me 'til this day. I have met people who were such great example to me and have helped my testimony grow. I pray for such people in my children's lives. I pray that when I send them to church I can be confident that what goes on there is uplifting and helping build their testimony. That is what church meetings are for.

Ezra Taft Benson once said in a talk "Do not settle for mediocrity in this great incentive program for the young women of the Church."

The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman, ages 12 to 18, "come unto Christ" (Moroni 10:32) (taken from the Young Women website)

Monday, June 7, 2010

A new Era



Wow! Time has flown by the past 14 years. First steps, first words, first friend, first fight, first day of public school, first day of homeschooling, first dance class, first cheer team, first gymnastics meet, first swim lesson, first swim meet, first time on the computer, first typing lesson, first blog, first time on Facebook, first time learning to clean her room, first babysitting job, and now FIRST PART-TIME JOB.

Shelby got her first part-time job this week. She went in and filled out her first application, had her first interview, and worked her first day and loved it. I wish I had pictures of her face at each step like I did when she was younger and did all those FIRSTS. She is to old to pull out the camera at every step now. I love to document the milestones. The come and go so quickly. I want to be careful to enjoy everyone.

Good luck Shelby. This lifelong love of working hard and doing well will serve you well in life. I'm so proud of her.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

End of school woos



I felt a little blue this last month. Was the school year really over? Now what?! Did I do enough for the kids this year? What should I do with my restless 10 year old son?

Now that Shelby is in High School I have become preoccupied with looking into college requirements. There are all kinds of scholarships out there. You can find a number of scholarships your child's talents fit into. But you have to look. Shelby's school made sure all the students were given the opportunity to do service this year. She earned the Presidential Service Award. That will help with Leadership scholarships. She also ran for class Secretary and won. That will help her as well for Leadership scholarships. If your child has any aspiration to play college sports be aware that the NCAA no longer accepts BYU Independent study classes. If you took core classes before Aug. 1 2010 you are alright.

Fat Cats has a Bowl for Free summer deal for the kids so I signed them up. Our local pool offers a discount on swimming passes if you buy 25 or more. We will have 5 of us going so I figured we will definitely go 5 times, so we'll be getting a pool pass as well. Shelby asked to fit in a trip to the library every week. I'll reward Ricky with a trip to the playground afterwards. A group of homeschoolers will have a "park day" every Wednesday that we will probably make it to.

I thought I didn't want a "schedule" this summer. However, I have found it keeps everyone motivated and keeps the "I'm bored" attitude at bay. So I've put together a morning schedule for the kids and myself so we have everything done so we can play in the afternoon.

Summer here we come!

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