Category: Other Stuff

Spending a Sabbath day is a whole different experience with young children. In an effort to maintain some sense of reverence for that sacred day, here are some of the ways that we like to spend our Sundays:

Attend our church meetings (of course)! Even if much of the time is spent walking the halls with a crying baby or curious toddler. (My Sweet Bee had her first week in nursery last Sunday–hooray!)

Connect with family. Since our closest family members live a few states away we don’t have a lot of opportunity to interact with family. So we like to make phone calls, send emails and chat on the web cam.

Watch movies–the Sunday appropriate kind. Anything produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is what’s in our collection.

My husband grew up watching the great BYU produced movies like The Phone Call and Measure of a Man (follow the link to watch it online) and The Award. I’ve sat through a few family dinners listening to quotes from these classics (“A beer can sweats, what about me?” or “Colleen. Hurry!” or “You two lovebirds all made up yet?”). I think they’re great fun! Does anybody else remember these movie greats?

Don’t forget home videos!

Lately we have been uplifted as we watch the Mormon Messages shared on YouTube by the LDS church. The Ant Bug loves to watch this one from President Hinckley–it teaches a great lesson.

Play with folder games, puzzles and lacing cards.

These cute folder games come from Finch Family Games.

After a recent clean-out of our ward Primary storage cupboard I found myself with a stack of gospel photos leftover from incomplete lesson sets. So I used some of them to make puzzles and lacing cards.

Make use of The Friend. The Friend magazine is an excellent resource and can fill many afternoons. The Sunday Stations story printed in the March 2009 edition provided a great pattern for Sunday activities (our stations were more like 7 minutes than 10 minutes, but it worked).

Games can be laminated for longer use.
The magazine is just chock full of stories and activities to keep little minds busy (and likely you as well). If you have multiple children using the magazine you can always print copies of the activities and coloring pages.

Bake cookies. Eat some. Share them. Enough said.

Play pretend Primary. Some Sundays we have multiple sessions of church, since the Ant Bug loves to play pretend Primary. Our pretend Primary includes a large portion of dolls and stuffed animals and much singing. Maybe someday I’ll convince the Ant Bug to be the teacher, but until then I don’t mind another opportunity to teach a gospel lesson.

Worship through music. We sing a lot of Primary songs at the piano. And we enjoy listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a whole assortment of uplifting musicians.

Looking for more ideas? Check out this list of over 100 Sabbath Day Activity Ideas on Sugardoodle.net

Serving Pink Lemonade has a great object lesson for teaching the real meaning behind Easter. This would be great for a Family Home Evening lesson, or for a Sunday afternoon activity to keep the focus on Christ and not candy.

Gather up your plastic Easter eggs and fill each one with one of the following items and scripture reference:

1. The Last Supper — Mark 14:22-24 (Sacrament cup and piece of a saltine cracker)
2. The atonement — Luke 22:40-46 (Picture of praying hands)
3. Thirty pieces of silver– Matthew 26:14-15 (Three dimes)
4. Crown of thorns — Matthew 27:29 (Peat moss twisted and tied together to look like a crown)
5. Scarlet Robe — Matthew 27:28 (Scrap of purple fabric)
6. Wooden cross — John 19:15-17 (Toothpicks tied together to make a mini cross)
7. Vinegar — Matthew 27:34 (Small piece of a sponge soaked in vinigar)
8. Earthquakes — Matthew 27:51-54 (Small rocks)
9. Linen cloth — Matthew 27:59 (Piece of white cloth)
10. Stone — Matthew 27:60 (Round smooth stone)
11. Sweet spices — Mark 16: 1-4 (Potpourri)
12. Empty Tomb — Matthew 28:2-8 (Empty egg)

Check out The Easter Story for visual aids and all the details.

You might like to use the following Gospel Art Kit pictures to help tell the story: #225, 227, 230, 231, 233, and 239.
Kidology has a similar version of this activity that is a little simpler, using six eggs to spell out the word and meaning behind E.A.S.T.E.R. We used this last year for a Family Home Evening lesson and had much success with our then 3-year-old daughter.

Here is our family Scripture of the Week:

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28: 5-6)
Graphic courtesy of Elegant WordArt by Bethany

Lesson 1. If your crock pot ever ends up looking like this, use baking soda and water.

If your BBQ Chicken ends up a little overdone (as in black sauce) you probably shouldn’t waste a lot of muscle power trying to scrub it. Let it soak overnight in soapy water instead. When you wake up in the morning and it still looks the same, you might decide the best solution is to do a Google search on “how to clean burnt crock pot”. Don’t be fooled by the claims of boiling vinegar water in the crock pot for a few hours. Don’t even think about wasting a dryer sheet by letting it soak overnight in the crock pot. Instead, just add water to your crock pot past the burnt line, stir in a few tablespoons of baking soda, and let that solution boil for a few hours. The burnt stuff will float right off, leaving your beloved crock pot good as new and ready to cook up your favorite recipes on low for 6-8 hours as usual.

Lesson 2. It’s a very good idea to never leave anything on the stove (except for a pot).

Hypothetically speaking, you should probably never leave a plastic measuring cup on the stove because you might turn on the wrong burner when you’re making rice for dinner. And you might get busy putting laundry in the washing machine, with two little girls eagerly pulling on your leg so they can help throw the clothes in the machine. And as the water is running in, you might start to wonder what you’re smelling: Could the washer be malfunctioning? Is the rice boiling over?

You might be shocked to discover a smoking something on your stove (the cup is beyond recognition now). While you stare in surprise at the stove and your kitchen fills with smoke, you might start yelling for your husband. You’ll probably come to your senses enough to turn off the stove and herd the children out of the house, while your gallant husband scraps off the stinky mess on the stove.

You might even be lucky enough to have your house smell like burnt plastic for a few days! Don’t hesitate to pull out your arsenal of scented candles to mask the smell, and be glad you live in Florida where you can open your windows and doors really wide in the middle of March.

And just be thankful that nothing more was destroyed and nobody was hurt. 🙂

The Ant Bug loves to help with house work. Wearing her own pair of yellow rubber gloves, she happily cleans the bathrooms with me–using the toilet brush is her favorite part. She likes to set the table, and after dinner she often stands at the sink with me to rinse the dishes. She gets offended if she doesn’t get to wash the tile floor with me. And she and the Sweet Bee joyfully run around screaming like banshees whenever I pull out the vacuum.

“It is a myth that children don’t want to work. Most children, especially young children, love to work and often offer to help. What most children resent and resist is being asked to work alone. “Go clean your room” sounds overwhelming. “Let’s go clean your room” says something quite different. This does not mean that efforts to train children to share in the family work will be easy or will always go smoothly. What it does mean is that we can reject the popular idea that children must be prodded, enticed, or supplied with some external motivation to participate in family chores” (Bahr, see below for citation).

To date, we haven’t sat down with the Ant Bug and given her specific chores for which she is responsible. At four years old, there are definitely age appropriate chores she could do. But I haven’t been exactly sure how to go about the process of starting. A part of me worries that by giving her a list of chores to do, she’ll lose her enthusiasm for working alongside me.

So I’ve been doing some research:

Simple Mom has a great chore chart for preschoolers. Being the compulsive list-maker that I am, a chore chart is a must for me.

Marie at Make and Takes recently tackled the issue of encouraging independence in children. Her comments struck a familiar chord with me, since the Ant Bug also likes to make her own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I thought the following was excellent counsel, taken from Strengthening the Family: Resource Guide for Parents

Give Your Children Responsibilities
Many parents tend to overindulge their children and shield them from the responsibilities they once had to go through—experiences that helped them become capable adults. When parents dole out goods and services for their children while requiring little in return, their children lose the motivation to become self-reliant and responsible. Instead, they tend to become lazy, selfish, and self-indulgent. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve taught: “Those who do too much for their children will soon find they can do nothing with their children.”

Teach your children to work alongside you, starting when they are young and have a natural desire to help. Assign your children routine chores according to their abilities. Family work activities “can become daily rituals of family love and belonging.”

Teach your children to serve others. Elder Derek A. Cuthbert of the Seventy taught, “Wise parents will provide service opportunities in the home for their children from an early age.” Teach them to do their best and to try again if they fail. (p. 34)

So…giving children opportunities to work is a good thing! (Duh). As I formulate my plans for instilling a work ethic in my children, I would love to hear from you. How do you teach your children to work?

Great Further Reading:
Kathleen Slaugh Bahr and others, “The Meaning and Blessings of Family Work,” in Strengthening Our Families: An In-Depth Look at the Proclamation on the Family, ed. David C. Dollahite (Salt Lake City:Bookcraft, 2000), 178.

Nurture Mama has reached a milestone: Today we’re celebrating the 100th post!

I hope you’re enjoying this blog as much as I am. It’s helping me keep my focus on the right priorities in these busy child-rearing years of my life.

Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done. Like any mother, I have my down moments when it is difficult to see past the spaghetti on the the floor, the middle of the night wake-ups, and the “mother hubbard” decor of my living room (wait, make that my entire home).

But for this blog I have chosen to focus on the good moments, and the reasons we mothers do what we do. Because sometimes I need a reminder, and I thought you might need one too.

I hope this blog is helpful and encouraging to you. I’ve enjoyed sharing my mama moments with you, and I love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. Comments are great, or email me at nurturemama2{at}gmail{dot}com

In honor of the 100th post, I wanted to come up with a list of 100 things mothers do. Because we all know that every day mothers are doing hundreds of things, and probably more than just a few of those things at the same time.

But I need your help. I made it to 53 words before my mama-brain tuckered out. So I’ve decided to ask the experts in the trenches–you! Will you help me come up with a list of 100 things that mothers do? Leave a comment with your one-word suggestions in answer to the question: A mothers job is to…

Thanks to wordle for the great image. I’ll post another image once I’ve compiled your responses.

To end with today, here is one of my favorite mama thoughts:

The following are Valentine’s Day tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). But feel free to use these tips year round, not just on Valentine’s Day!

1. Use plenty of positive words with your child. Try to avoid using sarcasm with your child. They often don’t understand it, and if they do, it creates a negative interaction.

2. Respond promptly and lovingly to your child’s physical and emotional needs and banish put-downs from your parenting vocabulary.

3. Make an extra effort to set a good example at home and in public. Use words like “I’m sorry,” “please,” and “thank you.”

4. When your child is angry, argumentative or in a bad mood, give him a hug, cuddle, pat, secret sign or other gesture of affection he favors and then talk with him about it when he’s feeling better.

5. Use non-violent forms of discipline. Parents should institute both rewards and restrictions many years before adolescence to help prevent trouble during the teenage years. Allowing children of any age to constantly break important rules without being disciplined only encourages more rule violations.

6. Make plans to spend time alone with your young child or teen doing something she enjoys.

7. Mark family game nights on your calendar so the entire family can be together. Put a different family member’s name under each date, and have that person choose which game will be played that evening.

8. Owning a pet can make children, especially those with chronic illnesses and disabilities, feel better by stimulating physical activity, enhancing their overall attitude, and offering constant companionship.

9. One of the best ways to familiarize your child with good food choices is to encourage him to cook with you. Let him get involved in the entire process, from planning the menus to shopping for ingredients to the actual food preparation and its serving. It is wonderful when families eat together as much as possible. Good food, good conversations.

10. As your child grows up, she’ll spend most of her time developing and refining a variety of skills and abilities in all areas of her life. You should help her as much as possible by encouraging her and providing the equipment and instruction she needs.

11. Your child’s health depends significantly on the care and guidance you offer during his early years. By taking your child to the doctor regularly for consultations, keeping him safe from accidents, providing a nutritious diet, and encouraging exercise throughout childhood, you help protect and strengthen his body.

12. Help your child foster positive relationships with friends, siblings and members of the community.

13. One of your most important gifts as a parent is to help your child develop self-esteem. Your child needs your steady support and encouragement to discover his strengths. He needs you to believe in him as he learns to believe in himself. Loving him, spending time with him, listening to him and praising his accomplishments are all part of this process.

14. Don’t forget to say, “I love you” to children of all ages!

The following is an excerpt from a great online resource for parents, Real Families, Real Answers. Sponsored by the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, articles on the website are authored by students and faculty in the School of Family Life and are reviewed by a team of content experts and copy editors before publication.

“Love is the first of a three-part formula for parenting: Love, limits, and latitude. Loving children is so important that researchers sometimes call it the “super-factor” of parenting. Good nurturing makes children feel loved and cherished, and researchers have found that without that feeling, there’s little else parents can do to make up for it.

Urie Bronfenbrenner, a renowned expert on child development, says every child needs parents who are crazy about him or her-an “irrational relationship.” Children are wired to “fall in love” with their parents, and they deserve parents who fall in love back.

Beyond the obvious benefits of nurturing love, research shows that loving and nurturing parenting is linked to better child behavior at all ages. Nurturing parents build strong bonds with their children, providing them with a sense of security that helps them grow into confident and loving people.

How can you be a more loving and nurturing parent? Here are some ideas:

Learn your child’s love language. Each person feels love in a different way. A wise parent carefully studies how a child likes to receive love, and then sends love in that way often. Without this care, actions that a parent might think are loving can be perceived as unloving. For example, one mother came home from a long day at work, met her little boy at the front door, ruffled his hair, told him “I love you!” and walked to her room. He followed her and replied, “Mommy, I don’t want you to love me, I want you to play catch with me!”

In another example, a father invited his teenaged son to hunt big game in Montana. The father thought the expedition together would be a great way to spend time with his son and show his love. But what the son really wanted from his father was less dramatic – he just wanted his dad to go with him occasionally to a nearby reservoir and watch the ducks take off.

How can parents learn their child’s love language? One way, according to parent educator Wally Goddard at the University of Arkansas, is simply to notice ways you’ve already shown love that your child asks for more of. One father says his children love their outings with him one at a time. They frequently ask, “When are we going on our one-on-one?” His youngest daughter is emphatic about wanting to go swimming for their time together. By honoring her request, he shows his love for her in one of the ways she can best receive it.

You can also learn about your child’s love language by noticing how she or he shows love, according to Goddard. Children often show love in the way they like to receive it. Or you might try recalling when you felt especially loved by someone and identify what that person did, then treat your child similarly.

You can also take the direct approach-ask your children what you do or say that helps them feel loved. Answers might include hugs, bedtime stories, one-on-one outings, midnight pancakes and conversation, playing a game together, or a special gift.”

For more helpful ideas on loving and nurturing your children, read the rest of the article here.

There are 3 things in my life that I am quite passionate about:

1. My family
2. Strengthening and supporting families (in general)
3. Reading (novels, non-fiction, children’s books, gospel study…)

Now I have a blog for each of my 3 passions! Come and check out my latest project:

And be sure to check in here everyday next week for a special week of