Tag Archives: family

Table Talk

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Dinner time is a great way to let time stand still for a bit and really connect with your family. Yes… that means no phones at the table. I know we are all at different stages in life. Some of us are cutting dinner into bite size pieces for our little ones and others are parents of teenagers with crazy schedules, or are empty nesters and may be sharing a meal with friends. How do we make dinnertime special and fun? It is easy to get lost in the repetition of life and not take advantage of these special everyday moments. BTW – Did you know that most of our fondest memories are centered around the home?

I found this gem of an idea on Joel & Kitty’s Blog here  and thought I would give it a try with my family. My head is filling up with random comments already… I’m thinking about shaving my head bald. I’m starting to itch so bad. Potatoes smell like flowers. Pigs can fly if they want to. I ate so much peanut butter, my mouth wouldn’t open. My life starts today. Only two people are going to heaven (me and___). I stole a cookie from the cookie jar. (Google Random Sayings for help)

It can be tweaked for most age groups and would be a good way to add some fun and socializing to our dinner tables.

Simply tape or use a Post It Note to place comment securely on the bottom of each plate and that is the comment they have to incorporate into dinnertime talk. Keep the notes private. If no one catches it 5 pts. Then for every other comment you catch you win 1pt. The winner of the Table Talk conversation takes home a treat or a round of applause or a family song, sung in their behalf, etc… you get the idea.  Fun! Fun! Meal time may never be the same!

Have a wonderful day…  Brenda

Heaven is Cheering Us On FREE

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Conference Weekend may have passed, but I am remembering the words that have stayed with me… that literally spoke to my soul. I am trying to walk 5 miles each day and try to get at least three of those miles in the morning. Usually I give up by day 2, but this time, I have my Conference Podcasts and my Scriptures on Audio and I have looked forward to MY TIME  for two days now… I am sensing a good habit. This morning I listened to Elder Holland’s talk again and cried as I walked. Crazy huh? When Elder Holland spoke on Sunday Afternoon, I found myself feeling the spirit so strongly. We can do this! We can do hard things. We can be thankful for our blessings. We can help one another on our journey back to our Heavenly Father. I can feel heaven cheering. Please feel free to download this quote for free this week. I hope you enjoy it and place it somewhere in your home to be enjoyed by your family… framed on a wall, taped to a bathroom mirror, child’s room, etc. You can find it here 

Have a wonderful week!  Brenda

Marriage is Ordained of God: A Free Printable for Your February Visiting Teaching

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There were so many beautiful quotes and scriptures regarding marriage and family in this month’s Visiting Teaching message; perfect for this month of love.  I love the 1995 document, The Family:  A Proclamation to the World, that was referenced in the lesson.  It was read from the pulpit only two short weeks after my first child was born, so it had great meaning to me as a new mother at the time, and that meaning has only deepened over the past two decades.  After I read this month’s message, I drew a simple triangle to represent the following analogy given by Elder Bednar.

“The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point in a covenant marriage relationship. … [Imagine that] the Savior is positioned at the apex of [a] triangle, with a woman at the base of one corner and a man at the base of the other corner. Now consider what happens in the relationship between the man and the woman as they individually and steadily ‘come unto Christ’ and strive to be ‘perfected in Him’ (Moroni 10:32). Because of and through the Redeemer, the man and the woman come closer together.”

I began to visualize what Elder Bednar was describing, and suddenly this triangle turned into the safe roof of a home, which serves as a constant protection for the family from the storms of everyday life, but only if we allow Christ to remain at the apex of the rooftop’s triangle.  Marriage and family are both part of Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness for us.  As we teach our sisters this important message, the spirit can only bear witness of it’s truthfulness, and they will become stronger believers and defenders of the family proclamation.

Warm Hugs,

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Click below for the free JPEG printables:

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cookie tags

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Full Page Print

Click here for PDF of cookie tags

Click here for PDF of full page print

For cookie tags:  After printing out; roughly hand cut around the house shape leaving a 1/4″ border of white.  Tie onto a baker’s box of boy and girl gingerbread cookies or a plate of heart shaped sugar cookies.

 

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This guest post was submitted by Aimee Ferre. She grew up in the desert of East Mesa in Arizona, but married a mountain loving Utah boy. She currently lives in Sandy, Utah and is a mom to 3 daughters. She owns a small crafting business where she creates holiday decor and specializes in hand lettering. You can always find her creating new projects or planning gatherings for friends and family. Follow her on Instagram to see what is currently on her desk or find her at aimeeferre.com.

A simple free printable for tracking family goals

January is a giant do-over month. Like most families, we figure out where we dropped the ball last year and set simple goals improving in the moths ahead. All of the sudden things like finishing a personal progress goal, logging miles on the treadmill or just finding the toy room floor seem like they might be do-able.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over years and years of family goal-setting, it’s that if a goal is not planned (and shared) will not succeed. It’s not enough to just think about what we want to accomplish. We need to break it into smaller steps and put the plan on paper. And in our case, we need that paper to be in a spot where the whole family will see it everyday…in other words, the fridge. 🙂

My fridge is never this shiny. I shined it up just for you, blog readers. You're welcome. ;)

A simple printable tracker for family goals

Generally we fill this out during FHE. Everyone shouts out a few big yearly goals and then we help them break them down into 6 or 8 week chunks. We chat about the common reasons we fail and then brainstorm on ways we can fight those temptations before they pop up.

Here's a sample of some simple goals your family might set.

Here’s a sample of some simple goals your family might set.

Every week or two we bring the printable into FHE and check our progress. If you completed your goal before your deadline you get to cross it off and post it on the fridge for all the other family slackers to admire. This mini-victory also generally involves a trip to the gas station for a celebratory slushy. 🙂

Once most of the goals are crossed off, we print a new sheet and start all over. Some goals carry from one sheet to the next but most progress over the course of the year.

It’s not a fancy system, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s totally do-able. Whether you have little kids, teenagers or older kids starting their own families, this printable will help you move forward as a family. It naturally encourages you to support each other and celebrate success together. Best of all, it’s totally free.

You can find the free printable below or click here to download the high-res version or click here for the pdf. The trendy, water-color styled prints can be printed at home or sent to your favorite photo lab (like Costco or Sam’s Club). Enjoy!

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Maria Eckersley

This guest post was submitted by Maria Eckersley. Maria is a stay-at-home mom of six by day and a sleep-deprived graphic designer by night. You can find more of her ideas and printables on her new site MeckMom.com.