~*~Life as Me~*~

22 Things for the kids to do with/without parents

My latest article posted over on Modern Molly Mormon is below, i'm posting it here because I think its a pretty good list of stuff for all kids of all ages to have fun with as the summer school holiday looms ahead.

Need some ideas for the summer holidays? Well I've been working on a few that my kids can do when they finish school for the summer in June....so I thought I'd share...

1. Scrapbook ~ I don’t think suggesting this would be a surprise to anyone! Back in the day scrapbooking was just a scrap book that we would stick odd cut outs of our favourite shoes or hairstyles etc. I suggest going back to this time with our kids and encourage them to scrapbook various things through their days to show their highlights. By the time school starts, all those words that have been muttered ‘I am bored’ or ‘I do not get to do anything fun’ will be right there in pictures to show them! Kids of any age will enjoy making their own summer journal, even toddlers.

2. Garden pots ~ Even if you have your own garden area and the kids are happy to help, why not get them some small pots {or larger if you have the space} exclusively for them? Giving them some responsibility is a proven method that most kids thrive for and more often than not, live up to above and beyond. Smaller children love to get dirty so why not give them some tiny pots and either sunflower seeds or pretend flowers?

3. Artist folder ~ Similar to the scrapbook, give the kids their very own folder with sheets of plain paper inside and let them create. This is ideal in the car, waiting at the dentist, in a restaurant on just sat on the sofa. When each page is complete, date it and get them to sign it!

4. Disposable camera ~ I know my 4 year old loves it when he gets to randomly take photos of anything and everything. Naturally, I don’t print many of his photos but I do make up a slide show on the computer for him so he can sit and admire his talent! Kids love all that dodging around like a little pro just to get that perfect shot…minus the head! A disposable is cheap; bump proof and stops arguments between siblings.

5. Bird watching ~ We live in an area that isn’t exactly close to a beach yet we get loads of seagulls and other birds associated with the waters. Having multiple trees in our garden means, we usually have birds around here. Having kids with toy binoculars, laying on a blanket spotting birds, comparing them to a book {use the library for some good ones} will keep them quiet for ages, plus it will work their imaginations and most likely get them chatting about clouds and other things they see!

6. Flower spotting ~ If you are in an area where your kids can just wonder through a field or arboretum garden of some sort, pack them up with a book, magnifying glass and a bottle of water and see what they find. Chances are they will find bugs, creepy crawlies, and other things too.

7. Word games ~ There are loads of different kinds of printables online, my kids love making small words out of larger ones. This is another versatile game that can be done almost anywhere at any time and aids their reading and spelling without them quite realising it!

8. Home theatre ~ many children love to act out, dress up, and emulate a favourite singer, actress or other favourite character. All they need are a few old clothes, a few curtains, and a place to perform!

9. Garden disco ~ especially for the girls, fancy skirts/tops, a pretty hairstyle and some music to dance along to! Invite kids over to join in and the rest just unfolds!

10. Garden party ~ this can be as minimal or extravagant as you like, give the kids a few games (ball games, skipping, water slides etc) some food and maybe an adult or two and they will be entertained all day!

11. Hammer n nails ~ One for the boys (or tomboys out there!) My 4 yr old loves nothing more than to sit with a plank of wood, mini sized hammer and some nails. Obviously, this would need parental supervision but it keeps the boys quiet! For older kids maybe they can make a box, bird feeder, or something equally simple.

12. Sewing box ~ scraps of fabric, needles and thread and anything can happen. Cut out a simple shapes
such as a teddy bear so it only needs the edge sewing and stuffing with off cuts of fabric, cut lots of squares to stitch into a blanket or even a bag. Old clothes are great for this and very inexpensive. Boys enjoy this almost as much as the girls

13. Cook for a family ~ this can be as basic as burgers and fries or if your kids are older a 3 course meal. Letting them plan, shop and prepare a meal will boost their confidence and keep them focused for hours! Moreover, you don’t get to cook either!

14. Camping in the garden ~ Lets face it, all kids like to camp out even if it is only the garden! If you have toddlers go camp out with them! Grab some flashlights, books and nibbles and the kids will have the best night of their life!

15. Kid’s yard sale ~ Hands up if your kids have a load of unused toys, books, games etc? (My 2 hands are up!) let them get in on the act of taking care of their needs and hold a yard sale, with the proceeds they can perhaps use it to learn the first steps in financing or buy a new toy/book/game or even better, save it and watch it grow in their bank!

16. Write your book ~ Every kid has a story to tell, it's not going to be the one we tell about that exact same experience or trip to the supermarket. Give them a book and pen, shoot ideas to what they can write about, use bullet points so they aren’t overwhelmed if they aren’t fans of writing. Make a front page cover, choose a book title and tell them how much YOU want to know what their life story is from their view.

17. Role play banker/shopper/parents i.e. finances/thrift ~ A small table and chair, a few packets/tins from food storage and a few friends and you have a shop. Add some boxes, envelopes and a satchel style bag for a post office. Make pretend money from strips of paper, make a till from a narrow box and you have a bank. The imagination is endless with just a few items here and all the while kids are learning about some important principles! Especially if their bank is empty and they only have limited funds at the food store!

18. Papier-mache ~ Bowls, mountains, plant pots, jewellery holders, pen cups, action man mounds and more. Just a few ideas to get the kids into creative play, recycling old papers/magazines is an added bonus for our Green issues!

19. Service project for neighbour ~ With the nice weather here (at last) get the kids out doing their own service project for a local neighbour or family member. Anything from reading to someone, going to the store, cutting grass, feeding pets or even making them a snack will give the kids are all sense of accomplishment!

20. Learn an instrument ~ This isn’t as hard as it looks, nor does it have to cost much money. Freecycle can offer some good old instruments to good homes, yard sales (trying really hard to get Americanised here!!) and thrift stores. Libraries offer books for beginners, they don’t have to be perfect or even last longer than the summer, but chances are, once they start and see how easy they can pick something up they will want to carry on!

21. Buddy a younger person ~ Does your child know someone who would benefit from having a buddy? Is your child one who would benefit from a buddy? Maybe assigning a buddy to someone will reach out to someone and give something they need most, from confidence, faith in themselves, a hard time at home or anything at all. Great works are done when we have someone to look out for us and the rewards are outstanding for those giving their time and effort to someone too.

22. Body/hand/foot painting ~ Ok so you guys can join in here, I know my kids just love it when we have messy play. Having washable floors makes it easier if the weather is cold but in all the clean up is simple with a hose when outdoors. Just get some plain rolls of wall paper, loads of washable paints and let the fun begin!

If your children are anything like mine then they are going to wanna work through that list throughout the summer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering how long summer is for them! As usual, I would love to hear what anyone does from this list and hope at least one of the ideas gives you a kick start! :)

Lds Quiz

As it says on the title, Lds Quiz, if you wanna play along anyone is welcome. All you have to do is answer the questions, leave a comment to tell me where you answered them and nominate 5 other people to play along!

1. Without looking, how many books are in the Book of Mormon?
2. What is the word of wisdom?
3. Do Latter Day Saints believe in Polygamy?
4. Who wrote the Book of Mormon?
5. What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
6. Name 3 principles Jesus taught
7. Name the prophets in order since Joseph Smith
8. Who are the 12 apostles?
9. What is the 3rd Article of Faith?
10. How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?
11. Quote a scripture giving a promise?
12. Who is Mormon?
13. Who is the current General RS President?
14. In 100 words or less, what is the difference between Christian and Lds?
15. Who appeared to Joseph to counsel him about the brass plates?
16. What is the Mountain Meadow Massacre?
17. Who were the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon?
18. Which of Joseph Smiths brothers did he see in a vision?
19. In the Book of Ruth, who was Ruth's mother in law?
20. When was the Book of Mormon first published?

Dont forget, you have to tell me where you are so I can come along and see your answers!! :)

I'll do my answers when I finished researching and writing them out!!! Well, I didn't say I KNEW them all did i???!!!

~*~Debs~*~

Here and Now

I  don't like playing catch up :( I have worked my butt off for four days now catching up with online stuff, the newsletters I write for some local clubs and more on my book. I dont like this game at all. It's hard, it works the brain too much and it makes me tired!
But slowly i'm getting there, I just have one article to finish for Modern Molly Mormon then I can get this blog up to date....finally.

So to clear my mind now i'm going to post some random photos of two of my kids:

My little man was totally whacko'd after all his fireman service!

My little artist in the training! He was so put out that his new paints were not finger paints but he has 2 sets anyway....how many does he need?!!

He hands me the camera and says 'take some silly photos of me mum' then spends 10 minutes pulling all the faces he can!!

Somewhere behind this camera is a chuckling mum cos all the time he's doing this he's making noises to go with it!! lol

Not long later the little dude took off to his room to watch a dvd....but before the credits rolled....

On another day Kirsten wanted to play about on the stepper....Charley thought it would be a really good idea to make her work for her supper.....

Then he REALLY gave it to her..........

Imagination and Charley are about as combined as cheese and onion, tick and tock, ooh and aahh, him and her, up and down...you get the point here....this trail was leading all the way from his room to the dining room...but then Kirsten went and broke some of it when she stepped over it and her jeans caught it....oh you'd think she'd just killed the dog with what came next!

Last but not least, this is the dude getting impatient for me while i'm making his drink for bed saying 'hurry up else i'll go to sleep here!' When I asked if he'd be comfortable there and if he needed a blanket he jumped up and said 'dont be silly mum I cant really sleep on the kitchen floor!'. I guess I won that one!! :) I'm getting good at this winning lark!! :)

Kirsten had her first day at school today and she loved it! More on that tomorrow along with some of the amateur sewing projects i've done and the rest of the catch up!! Oh and i'm going to see if I can get a good copy of Emma's scan of the baby, its SO clear its unreal! Jay has framed it and has it pride of place on the living room window!!

~*~Debs~*~

Said by a 4 yr old

My check list is coming down, I started with just over 100 items to do, now i'm down to 22, all since just after Christmas all all related to the computer/online etc. I am not going to work out what that adds up to in hours because no doubt it will scare me!! ;) However, the feeling of accomplishment is great! My next on the to do list is to finish up the two pieces I have in draft for Modern Molly Mormon. Have you been over there yet? Huh? What you waiting for?? :P Go check out the girls, they are very inspirational, entertaining, funny, genuine and just wonderful. Oh, am I just bias?? I'm sure i'm allowed so dont worry about it!! :)

This morning I had a fabulous chat with Charley boy while we had our morning cuddle on my bed. Something like this:

Charley: Lets play I spy
Me: Ok, you start
Charley: No, mummies first
Me: Ok, I spy with my little eye, something the colour of....(this is his adaptation of the game by the way).....white
Charley: White huh? (doing the chinny chin chin thing)
Me: Uh huh looking at his serious face looking round the room
Charley: I got it....the ceiling?
Me: Yep, your turn
Charley: I spy with my little eye, something the colour of....at this  point he looks at me and whispers 'say lightshade'

I was too busy giggling because there was only him and me in the room!!!

Once this game had a few rounds he got fed up and decided that it was time for breakfast (well it was 8am!!) so off we went down the stairs, made him his egg sandwich and sat at the dining table with him and read to him from his Friend magazine. I'm reading a short story and every few words he interupts with a question demanding more details. I do try to answer questions as and when they come, regardless of what i'm doing but this last one totally stumped me. He touched my hand and said:

MOM! How can you forget Degor and Digo's breakfast?

WHO THE HECK IS DEGOR AND DIGO????????

Please leave comments if you know, they are definitely NOT from the tv, not in the magazine we were reading, they are not Book of Mormon characters and as far as I can find, not in any of the books we have read lately.

So tell me, WHO ARE THESE ADDITIONS TO MY BREAKFAST TABLE??!!!

Back later

~*~Debs~*~

Family Home Evening ~ What is that?!!

Taken from Lds.org:

Family home evening is a special time set aside each week that brings family members together and strengthens their love for each other, helps them draw closer to Heavenly Father, and encourages them to live righteously.

In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency began a Churchwide effort to strengthen the family. They called on parents in the Church to gather their children once each week for a "Home Evening." Families were to take time to pray and sing together, read the scriptures, teach the gospel to one another, and participate in other activities that would build family unity.

In 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith joined with his counselors in the First Presidency to designate Monday night as the time for family home evening. Since that announcement, the Church has kept Monday evenings free from Church activities so families can have this time together.

Latter-day prophets continue to urge Church members to give highest priority to family home evening. They have promised that our dedication to this program will help protect our families against the evils of our time and will bring us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.

Although family home evening should begin and end with prayer, it is not intended to be a formal class. In a statement regarding family home evening in 1915, the First Presidency said that "formality and stiffness should be studiously avoided, and all the family should participate in the exercises."

Family home evening can be held by every family and in a variety of different ways. Whether you have children in the home or are a family of one, the resources available on this site can help you plan and prepare successful and memorable family home evenings.

As we have set our theme for the year on Love at Home, I thought I would share some of the things that I/we do to actually exercise our efforts to strengthen and uplift our family unit. The one thing we do, as Latter Day Saints, is hold a Family Home Evening each Monday night. Now in reality most Lds families know that this can often be hit and miss, especially as kids grow up and everyone is in different directions. In fact kids of any age are hit and miss with this night but making it fun and less restraining is always the way to go. In the past we have held our FHE's on a different night for a variety of reasons, but though it is not set in stone it is often nice for the kids (and parents) to know the routine of FHE.

The idea for a Family Home Evening is to bring the family together for a short time and talk/teach/learn about principles of the gospel, the Lord life and anything else that is good and essential for good, wholesome living. Strengthening the family is more than just being in touch a few times a day, more than knowing how their day went. Its about really spending some pre-set time together that is focused and planned. The bond, love and friendships that come from such times as this are priceless, trust me, if my kids and I can do it then so can anyone else!

In the past my family and I have done lessons on such things as Food Storage, The Commandments, Free Agency, Christ's Life, Temples, Baptism....to name just a few. We take it in turns to have our own part in making the night fun and full of learning and generally this is how it goes:

Preparation:
* Through the week prepare a lesson, use visuals, talks, short dvd's, act outs etc. Anything to make learning the principle fun and easier (especially for younger children).

* Buy in a few goodies for treats afterwards.

* Assign prayers, hymns, teachers etc, whatever is relevant to how the FHE is going to be offered.

* Plan a fun activity for afterwards.

Programme:
* Sing a hymn

* Opening prayer

* Lesson - this can be given by one/two people or done between everyone. A scripture can be shared, a mini play can be acted out, pictures etc. There are lots of ways to teach and learn a principle. Keeping in mind that the focus throughout is on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, about Their teachings, life essentials that we have been given by revelation and/or something that is personal to your family.

* Have fun with your activity. This can be anything that includes all family members, be it a board game, a walk, an extension of the mini play offered already...in fact its all about just enjoying being together.

* Closing prayer

* Eat! My kids love this part, they get some stuff that I purposely only buy for FHE and they think its great! It's also a great motivator when they want to go off and do other things instead of do FHE!!

Sometimes our FHE's have lasted hours, sometimes they last barely 5 minutes, it really is about where the heart is and making the effort. I admit though that on average ours last around an hour not including the activity which I often extend through to bedtime, inclusively.

Tonight for example, we sang our 2009 family theme hymn, Love at Home. Charley opened with a prayer then we listened to a talk on byu.tv about families being sealed in the temple for time and eternity. Afterwards I back tracked to the Family Proclamation and picked up certain parts of that to read and discuss. Charley done pretty well giving his young age too. We chit chatted about our family, where our weaknesses were, where our strengths were and then set a goal for us all for the next week. We decided that we would each work on 3 things that would increase our roll in our home. Kirsten (hope she doesn't 'get' me for saying this!!) chose to work on her patience when Charley is dominating the tv, walking around after herself so I dont have to and going to bed when I say. Charley is going to work on not snapping at Kirsten when she would like to sing and he's watching tv, he's going to spend more time doing creative things that doesn't include the tv! He's also going to carry on picking up his toys and putting his dirty washing away. Me, I'm going to...what am I going to do? I thought I was perfect? No? Darn it!! Ok, i'm going to moan less when I find I am walking round after Kirsten, I am going to try harder to not win at board games and I'm going to read longer stories to the kids at bedtime. Wish me luck!!

After we finished we played pairs with some cards I got for Charley from Early Learning Centre, where you face all the cards down and turn two over, if they dont match you turn them back upside down and try and remember where and what they are for next time. The person who finds more pairs wins. Charley loves this game and Kirsten and I are getting pretty good too!! We stayed at the dining table for a while, even though we played about 4 games of this! This picture was not taken tonight, it is a few days old but you get the gist, right?!! :)

We talked about all kinds of things relating to our family, our extended family and how we can improve our purpose, the snacks had great timing when they came out to soften the blows to the facts of life that sometimes we just have to accept! Come Charley's bedtime we gathered for our family prayer, this is one that lately I have gotten to say and lasts for quite a while because I have to make sure we thank, ask and set forward our plans, intentions etc and also allow the children to have their say. Charley loves reading and so we picked up the kids version of the Book of Mormon and read about Jesus blessing the children one by one. For the first time Charley realised that Jesus actually knows his name!! Sweet!! Charley hosted his own personal prayer then settled down watching a movie, very happy but very tired. Ten minutes was spent with Kirsten because she was itching to get back on msn with her friends! So we covered some feelings about the time she's been back home with me. It's all good stuff and we are just so blessed.

Result: Three happy people, the spirit was strong in our home and the kids were hugging and laughing again. Me, I just look on with total mummy pride. Job well done!

I am so inspired after a FHE that I have to go read some more on whatever subject we have talked about, so for the next two hours I scoured book after book to feed my desire, ok so I chatted to a couple of friends on yahoo im and skype too but hey, its all good stuff, right?!

~*~Debs~*~