Mynnette's Musings: Sharing What We Love

The Parable of Doctor Who

 

                If there was a prize for best show of all time, I feel that Doctor Who would win!  I love the show.  I love the premise, I love the characters, I love it!  I would also love it if everyone I knew loved it as much as I do and would watch it as much as I do.  It is so awesome!  There is not one person that I think I WOULDN'T share it with!  There are so many things you can learn from watching it.  I feel that it is the on of the most wonderful shows ever and I talk about it to others.  I also like to hope that I am becoming like the Doctor—he’ll always help someone in need if they are good or wanting good.  He’s always there!  Doctor Who has become part of my life!

                This is the way the gospel should be!  It should be something we want to share, something that becomes our life!  It should be what we talk about all the time and want to share with our friends.  It should be what we crave to study in our free time!  How wonderful it would be if we were as unafraid to share the gospel as we are to share our favorite TV show!  How awesome to let the gospel become such a big part of your life that the study of it makes you excited to get up in the morning!

                I hope that as we strive to live the gospel more fully, that we will be so into the gospel that we can’t help but share it with everyone!

Related scriptures: Matthew 6:13 & 22, Mosiah 2:21, Helaman 10:4, Ether 12:13, D&C 4:2, D&C 11:3, D&C 58:27, D&C 123:13.

Simply Sunday #12

Teaching Tykes: The Pitfall of Rewarding Sad Choices and How to Fix the Problem

So, I was released on Sunday from being a primary teacher.  BUT, I'll still be posting gospel teaching tips each Tuesday that I can get around to it and you may see lesson helps every now and then since my DH was not released.  This week, though, we'll just talk about some gospel teaching tips as we have Stake Conference and my DH doesn't have to teach on Sunday.

Before I start, though, I want you to know that I still want to hear from you!!!  If you're having issues and want some advice, I am more than willing to try and help you out if you're at your wits end!  Just email me and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can!  Hope to hear from you soon!!!

Think this is wishful thinking?  It doesn't have to be!

 Ooookay, so that said, I want to talk about a pet peeve of mine--when people reward sad choices in others.  It's a pitfall.  It will make bad behavior worse.  It ruins trust you may have had with other class members and creates a chaotic atmosphere.  In conclusion, it is extremely counter productive.

If you'd like an example, then I will give you one.  Let's say that you have a child in your class that will not sit in their chair and continually gets up and tries to run out of the room.  This is neither appropriate nor safe.  What do you do?  You could just allow the child to leave the room and do whatever it is they want to.  Doing this shows the child that they are in control and don't have to follow the rules.  You could even take it one step further and allow them to participate in something fun that technically you should have chosen another child who was behaving appropriately to do.  This tells the other children in your class that sad choices are what gets them attention and that this is the behavior you'll reward.  End result to these inappropriate responses?  Extremely dysfunctional class times with inappropriate behavior from all the children present.  You've taught the kids that you are not in control and that they can do whatever they want to and that you will reward sad choices.  Counter productive to what you should be teaching them.  I'm not saying to never choose that child to participate.  I'm saying that they will have to give you a large amount of time behaving appropriately before you will reward their behavior.  This is part of teaching children the repentance process as well.

So, what should you do instead?  The appropriate response would be to continually instruct the child to sit in their chair and help them to it if needed.  If there is a rule that you have to act nicely to be called on to participate, this child should not be chosen.  If they throw a fit, remind them that if they want to be chosen to participate, they need to make happy choices.  The result?  The child who was behaving inappropriately understands that there are rules and boundaries in your class.  They will push the limits a few more times but you need to be consistent.  They will see that no matter what, there is structure in your class and that they can count on it to be a safe environment.  The other students who behave appropriately will be rewarded accordingly and will continue to act in a safe and orderly manner. 

Okay, have I made myself clear? ;)  What happens when you reward sad choices?  MORE sad choices.  What happens when you have expectations and reward happy choices?  MORE happy choices and an orderly classroom. 

Where did I learn this?  From the scriptures--"Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." 2 Nephi 1:20.  The Lord rewards us when we make good/happy choices.  He does not reward poor/sad choices.  Period.  No exceptions.  No excuses.  We CAN do it.  So can the children in our class--but we have to have expectations before this can happen.  YOU can do it!  I hope you take the time to think about this and how you can utilize it in your homes/callings/lives.  I know that you will be happier if you do!  See you again soon! :)

Mynnette's Musings: De-Cluttering Our Minds

The Parable of the Cluttered Room

                I sometimes have a problem with letting my clutter get too out of hand.  This usually happens in our bedroom because I’m rarely in it—just to sleep and sometimes read.  There are sometimes piles of clothes precariously stacked on top of night tables, books piled up in an unnerving manner and bags of things thrown into inconvenient corners.  This causes me a lot of stress sometimes because I worry about hurting myself in the middle of the night when I can’t see what’s in front of me.  I also worry that perhaps I’ll knock down a pile while maneuvering around.  It causes me a lot of grief until I finally clean the mess.  Then I can finally sleep without worrying about hurting myself in the middle of the night!

                This is like our mind.  If we let anything into it, thrown carelessly about, we can’t think clearly or maneuver through our daily lives with peace because something will pop into our heads at the most inopportune time.  If we let things pile up and don’t take the time to weed our thoughts or replace them with neat stacks of good thoughts, our stress will continue to increase!  We should take time each and every day to put worthy thoughts into our heads and throw away the piles of magazines from 20 years ago that we don’t want and shouldn’t read anyway!  We will be happier if we do so!

                I know that as we go through life, we should be very careful about what we watch, listen to and participate in.  It is easy to clean a room—but hard to clean out a precious mind that is so susceptible to unworthy images.

Related scriptures:  Psalms 94:11, Psalms 119:113, Proverbs 12:5, Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 8:7, 1 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 8:12, Ephesians 4:17, 1 Peter 4:1, 2 Nephi 9:39, 2 Nephi 25:29, Mosiah 2:9, D&C 8:2, D&C 11:13, D&C 67:10, D&C 84:85.

Simply Sunday #11

Things on Thursday: Word Art Wednesday Digi Print

This week the ladies over at Word Art Wednesday have the sweetest freebie WORD art for you to have and use!!!  It really made my day when I read it.  And then I made a digi print with it! :)

Here it is~

This is so true!!!  Each time we greet someone, our attitude is shown by our facial expression.  If you are frowning, the person is automatically on their guard.  If your face is neutral, the person has no clue what to expect!  But if you smile, you are sharing the light that God has given you! :)  So smile more!!!

As always, this one is free for ya--just make sure to check out my Disclaimers & Policies! :)

Linking to: Word Art Wednesday.

Welcoming Womanhood: Back to School Lunch Links!

Since this is "back to school" week here in Kansas (BOO), I decided to link up to some of my favorite back to school lunch ideas!  Click on the link above each picture in order to see the fabulous idea at it's original home!  Hope these ideas help you out!!!

Super Fun Sandwiches

from spoonful.com

Wholesome, Easy Recipes Your Kids Will Love 

from Real Food for Healthy Kids on Epicurious

 

 Budget Friendly Lunch Ideas

from foodformyfamily.com 


 Tons of Recipes Kids Will LOVE
at about.com



Creating Versatile Lunches Kids Actually EAT
from about.com

Teaching Tykes: I Will Obey the Law

Wow.  I am so not ready for this week!  We just got back and I go back to work tomorrow, so this will be another short post--sorry!

Tip for teaching the gospel in the home this week: Understand how your children learn.  Each person on this earth is unique and therefore learns in a different way from others.  This is why the church has so many materials available for our use.  Take time to pray about each of your children so that you can understand how they individually learn so that you can teach them as individuals and be more effective.  This applies to our Primary children as well.  Our Father in Heaven knows each of His children perfectly and so He should be the very first person we talk to about any issues or concerns we have.  After we talk to Him, we may need to talk to the child's earthly parents as well, but I know that as I've prayed about my Primary children that I've come to understand how to help each one as individuals and we have a much happier class because of it!  Find the perfect answers from the perfect parent of all mankind.

Okay, this week's lesson is Primary 2: Lesson 31: I Will Obey the Law.  Notice how there's NO QUESTION in that title?  I found that interesting. Find the lesson helps HERE.

How I'd teach this lesson:

*I will take plastic farm animals that I have and let each child choose one, name it, and place it on the table.  I will encircle the animals with the plastic fence that came with the animal set when the time comes.

*I will let the children choose the laws that are in the lesson from a bag and we can discuss how they keep us safe.

*I will use the rules card from the helps to explain the rules and then display them so the children remember how to play the "Obeying the Law" game.

*For "just in case we have time" I will prepare Enrichment Activities 2 &3.

Hope this helps--have a restful Sabbath everyone! :)

Mynnette's Musings: Keeping our Spiritual Battery Charged

The Parable of the Cell Phone

                Cell phones are wonderful inventions!  People can get a hold of you any time of day or night!  You can be in contact with other people any time and be more effective in making your contacts.  There are some things that can hinder this productiveness, though.  You can be in an area that doesn’t have a good cell signal and have dropped and/or missed calls.  You can also have your phone shut off because you don’t want to be bothered.  The most irritating thing, in my opinion, that can hinder your productiveness is that your battery can lose all of its power and render your cell phone useless.  Another sad thing that can happen is that due to financial trouble, you can’t pay your bill and your phone is shut off.

                So it is in our lives with the Holy Ghost and prayer.  We can be in direct contact 24/7 with our Father in Heaven when we are in tune with the Spirit and pray constantly.  We will get all our calls and messages and become more effective in living and teaching the gospel. 

If we choose to do things that drive the Spirit away, such as watch a not so good movie or participate in unworthy activities, our signal is not as strong as it could be.  You will miss the calls from Heavenly Father that could prove vital to your well being or your very life!  You could have been having a wonderful day where you felt the Spirit and were in tune, but by doing one bad thing, your call is dropped.

 If we become angry at God and turn from Him, it is like shutting our phone off.  We may think we are punishing the one we do not wish to communicate with, but it cuts us off from more than just one person when we do this.  We miss all our calls and all our messages and we are spiritually shut off.

The saddest thing that can happen is that we just let our battery die or our spirit gets disconnected from the Holy Ghost.  This happens when we consciously or unconsciously forget to charge our spirit so that we can be in tune with the Holy Ghost.  This happens when we forget to pray, read our scriptures and do the other good things that we know we need to do.  Sometimes we may be “too busy” or else have other things to do that we think are more important.  This is not so!  The battery is our spirit and what keeps us going!

I hope and pray that as we go about our daily lives, that we remember to continually charge our battery, keep our phone on and stay in a good signal receiving area so that we can learn the things that will make us happy in this life and in our eternal lives after our probation is complete.

Related scriptures: 2 Kings 2:9, Psalms 51:11, Roman 8:9, Galatians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Jude 1:19, Mosiah 2:36, Alma 34:38, Helaman 4:24, John 14:26, Moroni 8:26, D&C 31:11, D&C 42:17, Moses 6:61.

Simply Sunday #10

Welcoming Womanhood: Taco Soup

I thought I'd share a quick, easy, and OH SO GOOD recipe this week!  I love finding new recipes, and when my sister-in-law made this for a family dinner, I KNEW I would make it again and again!  We eat it about 2-3 times a month as it is a family favorite!  I've modified her version, though, so I'm giving you MY version! ;)

Taco Soup

 

 Ingredients:

5 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes (keep liquid)

1 can corn

1 can black beans (drained & cleaned)

1 can kidney beans (drained & cleaned)

1/4-1 lb. cooked ground hamburger (we use less because of the beans)

OR

1-3 cups shredded chicken

1 packet taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients (MAKE SURE HAMBURGER IS COOKED AND DRAINED FIRST) into a large pot, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips!

TIP: Make a double batch and freeze for easy lunches, another family meal, or to take for compassionate service purposes! :)

Teaching Tykes: Obedience

My teaching the gospel in the home tip for this week is to create an atmosphere where the Spirit can be present.  Do this by keeping your surroundings clean, viewing and listening to uplifting media, and having pictures of the Savior, the temple, and other church media in your home.   I have found that a lot of gospel teaching moments can happen when a child asks about pictures that are up in the home.  Try having a frame in a special family area that you can change pictures from the Gospel Art Kit out easily in order to encourage gospel learning.

This will be quite quick as I am on "vacation" for a family wedding. ;)  This week's lesson will be Primary 2: Lesson 30: I Can Be Obedient.  Find my lesson helps HERE.

Short and sweet--how do we teach children obedience?  By obeying God.  Think about that this week as you prepare your lesson.

How I would teach the lesson:

*I would play a game about things Heavenly Father has asked us to do by having the children choose a picture from a bag.  The pictures are in the lesson helps. :)

*I would have the children color their own "I Can Obey" badges--found in the lesson helps.

*I would prepare Enrichment Activities 2, 3, and 5.

Sorry so short--hope to be back more fully next week! ;)  Have a wonderful day!!!

Mynnette's Musings: Dirty Dishes

The Parable of the Dirty Dishes

 

                My husband and I were so very excited to move into our first home!  It was everything we could wish for, except one thing I was really not happy about.  There wasn’t a dishwasher!  All of our dishes would have to be cleaned by hand.  We were determined never to have dirty dishes in the sink for longer than a day.  We did quite well the first few days, but soon work, church callings, basically life took over and we let the dishes go for a day.  About 3 days past, and I found myself standing in front of a giant mound of dishes. Dishes don’t just disappear—they’re always there to be dealt with. I was so upset!  I had such good intentions!  And they were all for naught, because I had failed.

                As I started to wash all the dishes, I became impatient and cleaned quickly instead of thoroughly.  I ended up having to go back and rewash some dishes that did not get fully clean.  It took many hours to finish the job and I was exhausted by the end of my experience.  We did eventually have enough money to buy a portable dish washer and I cannot tell you how happy I was to be rid of the dishes quicker and more efficiently!

                This is how repentance is.  Sin is always there.  There is no way to get away from it.  If we repent each day of the little things we do, our pile doesn’t become too large to clean!  If we take care of each mistake as it occurs, we will have less to worry about.  If we let ourselves go and wait, thinking we have time to do the dishes later, our pile becomes overwhelming and we feel like we can’t repent.  We will try to repent half-heartedly and end up costing ourselves more grief and pain than if we had repented fully in the first place.  And best of all, if we continue to seek to make the Savior’s Atonement part of our life, He becomes our dishwasher and makes it easier for us to become clean again!

                I pray that we will turn our hearts to the Lord and continually repent each day so that we may stand blameless in the last day and come before our Father and our Savior with clean hands a pure heart!

Related scriptures: Joshua 24:15, Psalms 119:60, Proverbs 3:28, Isaiah 22:13, Matthew 24:44, Mark 13:36, Luke 12:47, Luke 21:24, Alma 5:29-31, Alma 13:27, Helaman 13:29-38, 3 Nephi 8:24, D&C 6:3, D&C 33:17, D&C 64:25, D&C 88:83.

Simply Sunday #9

Family, Friends, & Fellowship: Family Home Evening Organization

 

Tell me if this scene brings up some memories.  You have the most AMAZING idea for family home evening!  You are trying to do better at having family home evening each Monday night as it hasn't been something your family has done regularly and you want to do better.  You know that the lesson you have prepared will be needed by your family and that it will be fun for all involved.  You've actually spent hours preparing and you can't wait--this will be the best family home evening ever and it will definitely increase the unity in your home!  You make dinner.  Everyone comes to the table, eats quickly, and expect to go about their business.  You tell your husband that you have something prepared this week for family home evening.  He tries to gather the children into the living room and the grumbling begins.  Tommy has homework.  Melissa wanted to call her friend to talk about their shopping trip coming up later that week.  Brad wanted to finish up his game on the Wii.  Nobody is happy.  Your husband, meaning well, loudly states, "Mom has prepared this for us, and we are going to listen!"  It doesn't go well.  You feel that you have failed.  You end early because you cannot handle the bickering and contention any longer.  You go to your bedroom and cry a prayer to your Father in Heaven.

Oookay.  Anyone?  You don't have to raise your hand, although I am flattered if you did! ;)  So, what do you think went wrong here?  You were prepared!  But it all went horribly wrong... I've got some tips that might help you to handle this craziness as well as help your family enjoy time together in a more peaceful setting!  I hope that some of these tips help you in your quest for family unity!

1. Start early.  What do I mean by this?  I mean that if you are a newlywed, start having family home evening each Monday NOW.  There are guidelines for what a family home evening entail found HERE.  It applies to all family types.  My DH and I have no children of our own, but we strive to have a regular family home evening because we know the importance of it in our lives and in the lives of children that may yet bless our home.  Another way that "start early" could be that you need to have family home evening with your children starting from when they are first born.  Your children can at least be present.  Even newborns know when they feel the Spirit and all family members need to be included in this important family time.  Also, start family home evening early on in the evening!  7:00pm may be okay for a family that contains just a couple, but it may be too late to start when you have young children who need sleep or have school early in the morning.  Remember this counsel from President Gordon B. Hinckley, "What is the great strength of [this] Church? … It is the emphasis which we place on families. … Keep your families close together..."

2. Be consistent.  Don't give up, friends!  Make sure that family home evening happens EVERY SINGLE WEEK.  It can be something as quick as, let's discuss what is going on this week so that we're all on the same page, read scriptures, say prayers, go to bed.  It can be more involved.  But make sure that family home evening is something EXPECTED by all family members.  Handbook 2 tells us, "Latter-day prophets have counseled parents to hold a weekly family home evening to teach their children the gospel, bear testimony of its truthfulness, and strengthen family unity." (emphasis added by me)  President Gordon B. Hinckley has also told us, "[The Lord] expects us to have family home evening—one night a week to gather our children together and teach them the gospel. Isaiah said, ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ That is the commandment: ‘All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ And the blessing: ‘And great,’ he said, ‘shall be the peace of thy children’ [Isa. 54:13]."

3. Work together.  Don't do it all yourself!  You have a spouse and possibly children that can help you with the responsibilities of family home evening.  If you need to, create a chart or other means to assign tasks for family home evening.  If you don't  need this because you have the most willing family ever, then make sure that your husband is the one taking the lead.  He is the Priesthood head in your home and it is his responsibility to gather and conduct family home evening.  Handbook 2 states, "Family home evening is sacred, private family time under the direction of the parents."  If your husband is unable/unwilling/delegates this task to you, take it on with a happy and willing attitude!  But, there is absolutely no reason why you should have to do it all yourself!  Elder Claudio R. M. Costa has said, "Family home evening is a very special time for us to strengthen ourselves and each family member. It is important to include the whole family in assignments for family home evening. A child could share the Primary lesson that he or she had last Sunday. Family home evening strengthened the faith and testimony of my own family."  Everyone can help!

4. Have a good attitude.  Attitude is everything.  I feel that I am always pushing that here on this blog, but it is such a vital part of everything we do!  If you show that you are excited to have family home evening and try to keep this good attitude up each and every week despite any interruptions (aka the bad mood of a teenager, the horrible day you've endured, your husband coming home tired, etc.).  President James E. Faust has said, "Unity in the Church will always be a reflection of the unity in our homes."  Unity comes from the attitudes we portray in our every day lives.  What does your attitude about family home evening tell your family about the unity you wish for in your home?  What does your attitude about your home life in general say to Father in Heaven and how does this effect your ward, stake, etc.? 

5. Have fun!  Take time to have fun with your family!  The most memorable family home evenings that I remember from my childhood and youth included some type of fun.  The most memorable one is when we had Family Olympics.  My poor mother was so sick of little tasks that are needed to make a house run being left undone.  Things like putting new toilet paper on the holder, putting clean clothes away, loading the dishwasher after eating.  So, she had us do "Family Olympics" where she timed us on these tasks.  I got the gold medal in all of the events!  BUT--not only did it teach us how little time it takes to do these tasks, it was FUN! :)  So remember to have fun with your family.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks has given us a good guideline to follow if we are unsure if what we have planned is an appropriate way to have fun together as a family.  He said, "Good choices are especially important in our family life. For example, how do family members spend their free time together? Time together is necessary but not sufficient. Priorities should govern us in the precious time we give to our family relationships. Compare the impact of time spent merely in the same room as spectators for television viewing with the significance of time spent communicating with one another individually and as a family."

So, there you have it, friends!  I hope that some of these tips help you in your weekly quest to have family home evening.  I personally know that as we strive to do this, it will be easier, it will be more enjoyable, it will strengthen our families and bring unity to our homes.  Have a fabulous weekend, a restful Sabbath, and an amazing family home evening on Monday!  Blessings and have a fabulous day! :)

Things on Thursday: Canvas and Inspiration

Before we start, I need to tell everyone that follows this blog either via Blogger, another blog reader, or on Facebook that I will be gone for the next week and a half for a family wedding.  SO, if you follow via Facebook, please just check back here as I DO have some post scheduled but cannot promise I'll have it posted to FB!  Things on Thursday may possibly be taking a back seat for a bit--I'm really sad about it, but can't really see a way around it!

With that said, let's start our post!  I've been dabbling in something a little bit different for me--paint.  I've been inspired by Wendy Swenne, one of the sweet girls over at Word Art Wednesday to start doing some more with other types of media! :)  So, I've created a canvas.  Not sure exactly what I'll do with it, but I wanted to show you all!

Here it is~

I think it looks pretty cool!  I used acrylic paints, glitter glue, found objects, and homemade glimmer mist to construct this canvas.  And I have added bits as I go along and look at it each time I pass.  Not sure if that's how to do it, but I see little things I'd like to add here and there!  Maybe a fun quote for it?  We'll see what goes on it after I get back from the wedding!!!

Okay, so now onto my Word Art Wednesday entry!  It's a fabulous verse this week and it really made me thing.  I'll show you my print, first.

Here is it~

This verse really goes along with the purpose of my segment each Friday called "Family, Friends, & Fellowship."  I want to focus on how to truly create unity.  I feel that many people think this means we all agree on everything and it's all good.  This isn't how life it!  I personally feel that unity comes from the principles taught in this verse.  Peace.  Being able to agree that you as adults can disagree about things.  Different perspective on things help ALL learn!  And just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't make you WRONG.  It means that they are right for them.  And you are right for you!  Learn the art of being able to agree to disagree.  Also, gratitude.  When you are grateful for the things that people around you do to serve you, you will find that peace is easier to find.  Stay tuned more tomorrow on more ways to create unity in your home and with others!

Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate it when you come to visit and I hope that you have found your visit inspiring and uplifting!  I hope you come again--blessings and have a wonderful day!

Linking this post to: Word Art Wednesday, Titus 2sdays, Women Living Well.

Welcoming Womanhood: The Need for Homemaking

 

Welcome to another week of Welcoming Womanhood!  Today I'd like to focus a little bit on homemaking.  I've become aware recently that more and more women are using the excuse of  "too busy" to neglect their duties at home pertaining to homemaking.  This is not good.  It took me about 3 years of marriage to get into my homemaking groove, but I will never go back.  In order to feel the Spirit in our homes, we must create a place for the Spirit to be comfortable.  We must use the temple as a guide.  

Here's what the Lord has to say on the matter of homemaking,  "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God..." Doctrine & Covenants 109:8

If we are striving to become like our Father in Heaven, shouldn't our homes mirror His?  Some of you may be wondering exactly what  homemaking includes.  Well, we are so fortunate to have Church leaders who have expouned on this very thing!  Let's read what Sis. Julie B. Beck has to say on the matter.  


"Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house." 

Sisters, how can we accomplish this work if we are too focused on things outside the house?  How will our houses be clean if we allow other pursuits to take our attention away from them?  YES.  We need to be away from our homes at times.  YES. Children do need a few hobbies to be able to cultivate talents.  But when these things take precedence over the home, there is a problem

"NO SUCCESS can compensate for failure in the home." President David O. McKay

I sometimes hear people speaking of work with disgust and extreme loathing.  This saddens me!  What can be more fulfilling, more satisfying, more spiritually necessary than having a house of order?  It is not the accolades of the world that will give us a feeling of self worth, it is good old fashioned HARD WORK.  When you do your best to do the things the Lord has asked you to do, that is when you will feel your best and feel of the love of our Father in Heaven.  

Moving on, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.  You are the example for the children and other adults in your home.  If you love work, your children will love work and will be willing to help you.  Your children will be more willing to help around the house and your burdens will be lightened.  There are always age appropriate tasks for children to do.  It starts as a baby.  Show them how to put their toys away!  When they are able to put things into baskets, have them help you but the toys in the basket and over the top praise them! (You know how to do that, right?  Clapping, cheering, etc.)  If you start young, the pattern and habit is already in place when they get older!

Sister Flora Benson (wife of President Ezra Taft Benson) counseled the women of the church to, “Radiate a spirit of contentment and joy with homemaking. You teach by example your attitude toward homemaking. Your attitude will say to your daughters, ‘I am only a housewife.’ Or it will convey, ‘Homemaking is the highest, most noble profession to which a woman might aspire.’”

One last thought on your example, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

One word of caution--please make sure that the tasks you give to your children are age appropriate.  While a 9 year old may be able to cook and bake, it may not be the best for your child.  How mature are they?  A three year old can clean up toys, etc., but probably shouldn't be cleaning a bathroom.  A five year old, however, could scrub the sink after your put chemicals in it if you are watching him/her closely and reiterate the need to wash hands after the task is complete.  Make sure the tasks are age appropriate. :)

 So, let's recap, shall we?  We are to pattern our lives (and therefore our homes) after our Father in Heaven.  We need to keep clean, tidy, organized spaces.  If you don't know how to do this--LEARN!  Don't expect your visiting teachers or other sisters in the ward to come and clean your house during LIFE--this should be reserved for times of extreme trial and hardship.  Girls, life isn't easy--but our Heavenly Father doesn't ask us to do impossible things.  He knows we can do it!  Teach your children when they are young to help you in the home, and your burden and theirs will be lightened!


I hope that some of what I've said has helped you to have a firmer resolve to create homes that are havens from the chaos and clutter from the world.  It is not just about your family--it's also about YOU!  YOU will feel better as you magnify your most important calling--wife and mother.  Have a wonderful day! :)