Nurture Mama – Page 19

10 steps to success in the Lord’s way

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

There is a great article by Elder Richard G. Scott in the February 2014 Ensign, “Living a Life of Peace, Joy, and Purpose”. He shared 10 specific things to lead to success in following the plan of the Lord for your life.

1.Establish principles to guide your life.

2. Don’t make exceptions to your standards.

3. Be loyal.

4. Live so that the Lord can guide you.

5. Serve others.

6. Smile.

7. Don’t complain.

8. Always have a Church assignment.

9. Worship in the temple.

10. Follow the Savior’s example.

“As an exceptional son or daughter of God, you are sorely needed. There is an urgent need for more men and women like you who will stand for principles against the growing pressures to compromise those very principles. Men and women are needed who will act nobly and courageously for what the Lord has defined as right—not for what is politically correct or socially acceptable. We need individuals who have the spiritual, righteous influence that will motivate others to live honorably. We need statesmen with integrity, businessmen who are honest and morally clean, attorneys who defend justice and the legal system, and government officials who preserve principle because it is right. Above all, we need mothers and fathers who will preserve the sanctity and safety of the home and the integrity of the family in which faith in God and obedience to His commandments are taught as the foundation of a productive life.”

“What is our ultimate priority?” (Highlights from Elder Oaks-Oct 2013)

March 15, 2014April 27, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

One theme that seems to always be ever present in my mind is that of priorities. As a wife and a mother, am I really focusing on the things that are of most importance? Am I more concerned about cleaning the house than I am about nurturing my children? I never quite seem to fully answer the question, so I am continuously studying more on this topic (and this blog is my place to record my research and reminders !). So Elder Oaks talk regarding our “ultimate priority” really struck me. He cautions us “We must never dilute our first priority—to have no other gods and to serve no other priorities ahead of God the Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christi.” It appears that Elder Oaks is one who also continues to reflect on priorities, since his Good, Better, Best talk from 2007 is always a source of inspiration to me.

“The question posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?” Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments? (see John 14:15). If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our day.”

“Knowledge of God’s plan for His children gives Latter-day Saints a unique perspective on marriage and family. We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fulness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship. We know that the marriage of a man and a woman is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s plan. Only this marriage will provide the approved setting for mortal birth and to prepare family members for eternal life. We look on marriage and the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a sacred duty of those given the opportunity to do so. We believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.”

“I pray that we will not let the temporary challenges of mortality cause us to forget the great commandments and priorities we have been given by our Creator and our Savior. We must not set our hearts so much on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men (see D&C 121:35) that we stop trying to achieve our eternal destiny. We who know God’s plan for His children—we who have made covenants to participate in it—have a clear responsibility. We must never deviate from our paramount desire, which is to achieve eternal life.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “No Other Gods”. October 2013 General Conference.

Elder Holland’s words on depression (Oct 2013)

March 12, 2014April 27, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

Elder Holland’s talk during the 2013 October General Conference is a talk that offers peace and hope. This is a talk that should be reviewed often for anyone who is dealing with mental illness, and for everyone else to read too! I especially liked the following quotes:

“Patiently enduring some things is part of our mortal education.”

“So how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief Society sisters so movingly last Saturday evening: “That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.”⁴Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel”. October 2013 General Conference.

Image via shan-made

Image via Drab to Fab

A woman’s moral influence in the home is powerful

March 3, 2014March 3, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

“A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children. Where this ideal does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances.”

“In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother’s love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”

“A pernicious philosophy that undermines women’s moral influence is the devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career. Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation. They ridicule what they call “the mommy track” as a career. This is not fair or right. We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage. There is no superior career, and no amount of money, authority, or public acclaim can exceed the ultimate rewards of family. Whatever else a woman may accomplish, her moral influence is no more optimally employed than here.”

“My plea to women and girls today is to protect and cultivate the moral force that is within you. Preserve that innate virtue and the unique gifts you bring with you into the world. Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow. ”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women”. October 2013 General Conference.

Trust in the Lord and align our will with his

February 17, 2014February 17, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

Really loving the Savior means that we want what he wants for us!

“But here is the point—rather than solve the problem Himself, the Lord wants us to develop the faith that will help us rely upon Him in solving our problems and trust Him. Then we can feel His love more constantly, more powerfully, more clearly, and more personally. We become united with Him, and we can become like Him. For us to be like Him is His goal. In fact, it is His glory as well as His work (seeMoses 1:39).”

“Our Savior wants us to really love Him to the point that we want to align our will with His. We can then feel His love and know His glory. Then He can bless us as He wants to. This happened to Nephi the son of Helaman, who reached the stage where the Lord trusted him implicitly and, because of that, was able to bless him with all that he asked (see Helaman 10:4–5).”

Elder Terence M. Vinson, “Drawing Closer to God”. October 2013 General Conference.

Valentine’s and Daily Love

February 15, 2014February 16, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

This year we had some spare time on our hands, so we decided to go the homemade route for our Valentine’s. We looked online, and the girls choose to make their own version of “You color my heart”, from A Mom with a Lesson Plan. We are always well stocked with crayons, and the girls spent a Sunday afternoon drawing their hearts.

Lily added a lot of character to her hearts–each one was different. I love it!

It was my turn to host mommy preschool this week, so of course our lesson was on love and hearts. We counted hearts, lettered hearts, played with heart stickers, read lots of good books about hearts, and ate a chocolate heart. Zach’s valentine’s were a little simpler–he picked out this cute free monster printable.

Anwyn decided to make use of her rainbow loom to make bracelets for her BFFs. We loved this card.

Image and free printable from Here Comes the Sun

Pinterest is sure useful, for a lot of things isn’t it? There were so many cute free printable valentine’s available that I decided to pick my five favorites and give one to my family members each morning the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. Listed below are the five I picked:

Blank love notes by eighteen25

Knock Knock jokes by Teach Mama

B is for Bird Valentines by Vicki Arnold

Be Mine freebie from the Rubber Punkin

10 free printables from The Things I Love

I also used “Valentine, you’re my main squeeze” from Funky Polkadot giraffe, to attach to a special squeeze applesauce snack for lunches.

Lots of fun ideas–hopefully they will help some of you for next year! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hearts on the wall and love in our hearts

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 Nurture Mama 1 Comment

February is such a great month. In our family we try to focus on showing love to each other, and not just on February 14th. Here are some of the ways we are doing that this year.

Hearts on the Wall

Tiffany at Raising Lemons shared a great idea: She and her family are reading one “love” scripture each night. I thought this was a fabulous idea, especially when I remembered how well my family does with holiday scripture study (read more about our December scripture reading). But I also decided to take this one step farther and add in a dinner conversation element (inspired by No Time for Flashcards).

So our heart wall looks like this.

The scripture on the poster at the top is John 3:16. The free printable here is very clever in tying this into the valentine theme.image from Raising Lemons

The front side of each heart shows a scripture (from the list provided at Raising Lemons). The children take turns picking a heart, we look up the scripture and read and discuss it. To encourage our little ones to pay attention, we usually ask them to raise their hand when they hear the word love.

Then we flip the card over and read the LOVE based conversation starter question. Here are the questions I used:

What is one way you showed LOVE to someone today?

What subject would you LOVE to learn more about?

What sport do you LOVE to play or watch?

What famous person would you LOVE to meet?

What is something you would LOVE to learn how to do?

When you grow up, what would you LOVE to be or do?

What animal would you LOVE to have for a pet?

What movie do you LOVE to watch?

What country/state in the world would you LOVE to visit?

What chore in the house would you LOVE to do?

What superpower would you LOVE to have?

What game do you LOVE to play?

What book do you LOVE to read?

What food do you LOVE to eat?

What scripture story/verse do you LOVE to read?

This is a great new tradition that we are all enjoying.

Heart Attack for FHE

Tonight for Family Home Evening we shared the love in our hearts by giving heart attacks! The concept is not new, but I was reminded of it its importance by Shawni at 71toes. We all cut out hearts and wrote “I love __________ because”. The two youngest had mom and dad partners to help with the writing. It was such a special positive evening, and our hearts were full as we shared our love for each other.

Living after the manner of happiness

February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

This year our family has chosen 2 Nephi 5:27 for our family scripture:

“And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness”

I am really excited about this scripture, and the lessons that it will inspire. We have already had a few FHE lessons focusing on this month. As I have been studying the talks from the recent General Conference a few quotes along this theme have stood out to me.

“Heavenly Father has made each of us unique. No two of us have exactly the same experiences. No two families are alike. So it is not surprising that advice about how to choose happiness in family life is hard to give. Yet a loving Heavenly Father has set the same path to happiness for all of His children. Whatever our personal characteristics or whatever will be our experiences, there is but one plan of happiness. That plan is to follow all the commandments of God.” (President Henry B. Eyring, “To My Grandchildren”)

“The Savior’s way of life is good. His way includes chastity before marriage and total fidelity within marriage. The Lord’s way is the only way for us to experience enduring happiness. His way brings sustained comfort to our souls and perennial peace to our homes. And best of all, His way leads us home to Him and our Heavenly Father, to eternal life and exaltation.This is the very essence of God’s work and glory.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Decisions for Eternity“)

“The gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting gospel.” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Key to Spiritual Protection”)

Scripture reading should be a part of a regular routine

January 30, 2014January 30, 2014 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

President Packer offered a prophetic promise–studying the scriptures will bring blessings!

“The scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection. They contain the doctrine and laws and ordinances that will bring each child of God to a testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer.”

“Make scripture reading a part of your regular routine, and the blessings will follow. There is in the scriptures a voice of warning, but there is also great nourishment.”

President Boyd K. Packer, “The Key to Spiritual Protection”. October 2013 General Conference.

More mindful of my health

January 23, 2014January 23, 2014 Nurture Mama 1 Comment

January is traditionally a month of reflections and beginnings. This year I am especially thinking about my health, and the health of my family. Here are some of the areas that I am working on.

Regular Exercise

Participate in a 5K run: I have been running semi-regularly for the last eight months, but usually only 1-2 miles. Another ward in our stake is hosting a Family Fun Run in February, and I am preparing to be a part of it.
Strength training:I have been pinning various strength training ideas for awhile, but haven’t done much more than pin them. Last week I saw a 30 day plank challenge and decided to take the plunge. I am on day 4!

Healthy Eating

More fruits and veggies! I am taking some baby steps for healthier eating for our family. Last year I added spinach and bell peppers to our regular diet–very exciting. I have two extremely picky eaters–my current goal is to get them to at least take a bite of the vegetables at dinner.
I decided to learn a little more about healthy eating and hopefully get some tips by signing up for this Just Cook online course from Stanford Medical School (Thanks for the notice, Amy!) I just started this week (one week late) but it is easy to catch up and you can still sign up if you are interested in this topic. The information is presented in an interesting way, and the health of our children is definitely a topic I am concerned about. Today I made “egg in a hole/toad in a hole” after watching the tutorial, and it was a winner with 2 of my children.

Bring in the Specialists

I have been bothered by allergies since we moved to Florida, but lately it has become quite bothersome and out of control. So I made an appointment with an allergist. It’s time to figure this issue out!