Bizzert

Emma and I went with her class to tour the California mission in Oceanside. It was a beautiful day to learn some history and be with my cute girl! It is the largest of the missions, and we  enjoyed this area where there was a laundry and water system.

Recently, we decided to take another look at some of the TV shows we were watching. I realized that there were shows on our TV that didn’t set a good example for our kids on how they should interact with family and friends. So many shows are filled with sarcasm and witty one-liners, and don’t model what I consider acceptable interactions. As our oldest heads into the middle school years, I find myself becoming more and more conservative about what I allow into our home. (I can feel myself becoming a frumpy stick-in-the mud, but I’d rather be too frumpy than too lenient.)  I set our DVR to tape some different shows, and have two favorites:

19 Kids and Counting

I love the Duggars. I will put on an episode of this show to give myself motivation when I’m feeling overwhelmed or just want to cheer up. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are wonderful parents. At first I wondered how they could possibly be available to so many children, but I am now just in awe of them. Their family is morally strong and they truly love each other. They do their bible study, and try their best to follow it’s teachings. Their children know how to work, and understand it’s value.  The parents have positive attitudes and it extends to each of their children. I know that we are only seeing a glimpse of their real life, but I love watching their family. This season is a bit different as they have shown some of the struggles they deal with as their 19th baby was born very early and is spending months in the NICU. Every family has ups and downs and I find watching their journey an inspiration for how I parent my little -in comparison- family.

The Cosby Show

This is a classic from the 80’s that I still find relevant today. I really like the earlier seasons where the Huxtable kids are closer to the ages of my kids. I know they’re not a real family, but they do portray a happy, healthy one. There are lessons taught on stealing, cheating, judging others, following rules etc., but they are also really fun. One of the first episodes I watched with the kids was where the family sings and dances to “Night Time is the Right Time” and all of my kids were laughing so hard they rolled on the floor. I remember watching this show as a kid, and found some of the other shows from that time too, but they were just not as good as this one. I have seriously thought about going without cable altogether, but as long as I can find shows like these and avoid the junk, I think we’ll keep it. For now anyway.

Swimming lessons for all four kids!

They passed!

Emma took an acting class, and had a great time in the 70s.

First Day of School!

Emma starts 4th Grade

Hunter’s in here somewhere. He was so fast I missed the picture of our 6th grader.

Hannah’s first day of kindergarten required lots of curls.

Sabrina also started a co-op preschool called, “Princess Academy.”

Also this month was a family reunion:

Rob taught this lesson, and it was the best one I’ve ever seen on repentance. First he told a story about a child that was invited to a super delicious dinner by his mom and dad. (Rob is a great story teller, but I’ll do my best to convey the gist of it here.) When he came to dinner his mom said, “if you want to have dinner, you need to wash your hands.” The boy said, “I don’t want to wash my hands. They’re not that dirty.” The mom told him that even if they are a little dirty, he still needs to wash them. She said, “Please wash them. I have this dinner ready for you, and I will be sad to see you miss out on your favorite dinner.”

…So, what would you do if this happened to you?

Our Heavenly Father has promised us a joyful life with Him if we will just repent when we make a mistake. Some things will take more time to resolve than others, but in the end the reward will be worth the effort.

Then we went through each scripture on these visual aids to show the steps of repentance. We all took turns reading the scriptures out loud and then discussing what they mean.

Recognize our sins Alma 42: 29
Feel sorrow for our sins Doctrine & Covenants 20:37
Forsake our sins D&C 58:43
Confess our sins D&C 61:2
Make restitution Ezekiel 33: 15-16
Forgive others 3 Nephi 13:14-15
Continue to keep the commandments D&C 1:32

I think the lesson itself is good, but what really made it great was the spirit of love that we felt as we discussed how much our Heavenly Father wants to give us blessings. But to get those blessings, he asks us to be clean.

It seems like a pretty sweet deal to me!

First, I am loving this new Toyota Sienna. Very cool, except for the fake wood on the dash. Never been a fan of that…

Next, a commercial that strives to change the stigma of personal injury law:

This is the lesson I used for our latest lesson using  My Gospel Standards. The theme this week was “I Will Choose the Right.”

I found this lesson after a google search and it worked out great. It is called “Making Good Choices: Stairways and Superheroes.” There are several visual printouts that were very helpful in giving the kids an idea of how our choices can lead us upwards toward Good, or downwards towards Evil. I used two little Lego guys (one who made good choices, and one who made bad choices) to show how they moved up or down based on their choices.

Here’s a sample from the lesson:

… Show a picture of stairs going up and stairs going down. (See Visual Aid 1 for an example –
could be a poster or whiteboard – you will add onto it during the lesson as shown by the visual
aids).
Talk about how superheroes didn’t just start out by being at the top of the stairs or
supervillians at the bottom of the stairs, but they made small choices every day that led them
eventually up the stairs or down the stairs. (A good example of this is Anakin from the Star
Wars movies who became Darth Vader.)
We, too, have choices every day that either lead up, toward our Father in Heaven, or down,
away from Him.
Adding On – Name the Steps
Next comes a fun part. Giving names to each of the stairs. Ask the children, “What are
choices that we make that would make us go up a step?” (list them as shown in the example)
“What are choices that we make that would make us go down a step?” (See Visual Aid 2.)
Adding On – Repentance …

We also played the optional game at the end of the lesson on our own stairway. The kids started in the middle and had to work their way up based on the choices they drew from some choices I wrote on some index cards. (I used 75% good choices so that the kids would eventually make it to the top and not be discouraged.) After the game we had some ice cream. It was a fun lesson and the kids were all interested an engaged the whole time!

Sabrina: Don’t you wish you could be me mommy?
Amy: Sometimes. I think it’s so fun to be three.
Sabrina: It’s fun to be a mom too, because it’s your decisions.
Amy: You like to make decisions?
Sabrina: ‘Cause I like to make some decisions. It’s fun to be a little girl, and a mom.

This past year brought our family many fun experiences and memories, but there were also so many changes, ups & downs, and unexpected blows. I have always known that I had a relatively easy life, and was never very driven to study scriptures regularly or insist on daily family prayer. But I recently had an experience that I cannot share which hit me right in the gut, out of nowhere, and I now realize how much I need my Heavenly Father.  As I prepared for a new start this year I became even more determined to hold Family Home Evenings every week. Because I have children entering the “tweens” now I’m realizing how quickly they really do grow up. And it is so important to me that they have a solid foundation and moral compass to guide them through the teen years. I love the teen years. I know those with teenagers may think, “that’s because you haven’t gotten there yet.” But even in my studies of human development I found this phase the most fascinating. They truly are formative years when kids start to figure out the kind of adults they want to be, and start to make important life choices. So, in anticipation of that, I am determined to provide my children with a clear understanding of what our family values are, and why they are vital to our happiness and success.

For 2010 I have decided to use the Primary’s My Gospel Standards as my guide. I ordered a poster from the church website and have it hanging on the wall in our family room. Every week we will focus on a new standard. Here they are:

I will follow Heavenly Father’s plan for me.
I will remember my baptismal covenant and listen to the Holy Ghost.
I will choose the right. I know I can repent when I make a mistake.
I will be honest with Heavenly Father, others, and myself.
I will use the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reverently. I will not swear or use crude words.
I will do those things on the Sabbath that will help me feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I will honor my parents and do my part to strengthen my family.
I will keep my mind and body sacred and pure, and I will not partake of things that are harmful to me.
I will dress modestly to show respect for Heavenly Father and myself.
I will only read and watch things that are pleasing to Heavenly Father.
I will only listen to music that is pleasing to Heavenly Father.
I will seek good friends and treat others kindly.
I will live now to be worthy to go to the temple and do my part to have an eternal family.

I Am a Child of God
I know Heavenly Father loves me, and I love Him.
I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.
I am trying to remember and follow Jesus Christ.

Once I get through these, I plan to move on to the For the Strength of Youth Booklet. The church has just launched a new website dedicated just to the youth and I am super excited about it! Especially now that Hunter will be turning 12 this summer and officially entering the youth program.

I’ll do my best to post the lessons we do and let you know how they go.

Hunter started performances for Pageant of the Masters.

We dressed up in our patriotic best and went to the local Fourth of July bike parade.

Emma rode in the parade and the rest of us watched and waved.

At home, the girls put on an American Girl parade of their own.

Here are the girls outside the movie theater after we went to one of the free family summer movies.

Hunter and Emma both continued reading the Harry Potter series. By the end of the summer, Emma finished them all.

Sabrina had her very first dance class.

Hannah was able to be in the same class, and loved every minute of it.

They also spent some time in tap shoes and were so graceful.

We spent a week at Hero Camp. This year’s theme was “Feel the Joy.” The day I helped with was a Christmas theme and I put together the fireplaces for the lesson rooms.

Hannah’s class learned a fun sheep song complete with puppets.

There were lots of activities and crafts to go along with the themes each day. Emma and her friends were serious about this cookie decorating one.

On the last day each class performed a song. Hunter’s class song included sign language, which was really neat.

We went to the circus and saw these women blown out of cannons.

And our Daddy had a birthday!

May 2009:

There is a long story behind this new television. Since this is the Reader’s Digest version, I’ll just leave it at this: Bought an old CRT TV at an auction for $180.00; Found out there was a class action lawsuit associated with it; Got this beautiful plasma TV at no extra cost to us. Best deal ever!

Hunter designed and made his last pinewood derby car- a Lego racer.

Check out the helmet and the Webelos logo on the top. Impressive!

Celebrated for Hunter’s birthday at Disneyland/California Adventure. This was when they drained the lake to build a new Fantasmic-like show.

Everyone loves the teacups… Except Mommy. I hate them.

June 2009:

Hunter became a candidate for student body office…

and ran a fun, clean campaign. (He won too!)

Hunter in his birthday-boy crown

Me and Hannah- We just loved going to Ruby’s Diner

Rob, Emma, and Sabrina- When we would go to Ruby’s we would always check in next door at the Barnes & Noble too. We love both milkshakes and books!

Hannah starred in her first how-to video.

Hunter left behind Cub Scouts and was welcomed into Boy Scouts.

I spent a week at Girls Camp (Here’s me with the other leaders). We were supposed to pick a source of light to go along with the theme, and the girls chose Lava Lamps. Groovy!