FHE Lesson- Baptism

We try to hold a family home evening every monday night- it's a night designated in our church for families to draw closer together.  I've decided to start sharing fhe ideas on this blog- feel free to steal any ideas you like!  Some are my own, others are borrowed from church magazines and church Family Home Evening manuals.

Family Home Evening usually consists of a prayer, song, lesson, activity, and a treat- (saved for the end- a great way to bribe kids to cooperate!)  Unfortunately, many of these nights don't always go as planned- and turn out something like this!

But every once in a while we get it right.  And this was one of those special nights.  Celeste is turning 8 this week, so she'll be baptized soon!  In our church we believe children are born innocent and have no need for baptism until the age of accountability.  So for FHE, we wanted to make sure she felt prepared and ready for this important step in her life.  We wanted to make sure she understood the covenants she would be making with the Lord.  We started out with a song: "When I am Baptized" and a prayer.  It's so important to emphasize the need to pray for the spirit to be with us.  With all these young crazy kids, we need all the help we can get!

Then Celeste read a couple scriptures about baptism.  We always try to incorporate scriptures in family home evening.  The word of God will touch the hearts of our children more than anything else.  Then we watched this beautiful video on baptism that helped the kids quiet down and bring a spirit of reverence.  Music is also a powerful tool to teach and testify spiritual truth.


For the lesson, I held up 2 pennies, one shiny and new, and one dirty and tarnished.  Each kid got a tarnished penny and I explained that although we come to this life clean and pure, we make mistakes along the way.  But through the blessing of baptism, we can be washed clean of our sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 
Then they each dropped their pennies in this solution- 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and the tarnish disappeared.  The pennies were shiny and new again.  Love object lessons!  It captures kids' attention and helps them understand and remember important principles.
(Oh- one tip- don't spill vinegar on carpet.)

Then Celeste had a chance to answer some possible interview questions about baptism, and then she got to practice what it will be like to be baptized.  Daddy didn't say the actual sacred prayer of course, but they just went through the motions:

And then the mayhem began...

And lastly, for a special baptism tradtion- when the kids turn 8, they get to choose a temple from our temple book- and it gets framed and put up in their rooms.  Celeste chose the St. Louis Missouri Temple. 

And for refreshments, we had pudding- Celeste's choice in honor of her special day coming up. 

But here's a cuter idea I found:

Immersion Cookies!



Just make sure they get fully dunked. ;)

Not So Soccer Mom

 

It seems there has been a lot of talk in recent years about how families are overscheduled- constantly on the run and involved in too many activities.  We've made this mistake. 

Looks a little like this- Jon gets home from work, we give each other a quick peck- or not- sometimes I'm annoyed that he's late and didn't call, lol.  So things are slightly contentious anyway, and since we're late- I'm barking at the kids to hurry and get their stuff and we all scramble out the door and head off in different directions.  Jon takes a couple kids to one activity, and I take the other kids to another, and we both pick up nutritionally void fast food- a sorry excuse for dinner on the way home.  We finally get home past the kids bedtimes and say a quick family prayer and rush to get everyone in bed- and get up to do it all again.  So that might be an extreme example, but it has happened.

But now I refuse to live that way!  I'm all about giving my kids opportunities to grow and develop, but it will not come at the expense of our family happiness.  I understand the pressure parents feel to keep up- to continually keep kids busy with worthy pursuits.  But it comes at a cost.  The rushed madness can take away from the peace and stability of home and family life.   So I guess that means I'm not a cool soccer mom.  But that's ok with me. :)  The way I see it, I have one shot to be a parent of young kids- to teach them truth, and instill values in them, and I'm not going to let social pressures or too many extracurricular activities take away those special moments.

I heard once that it's easy to say "NO" to unnessesary activities and other people's expectations, when you have a burning "YES" inside for something more important.  And to me, that burning YES is for time together.  Alvin Rosenfeld, the author of The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap: said ''Parents rush so much to pay attention to activities that they neglect the relationships. And all the data shows the relationships (with parents and friends) make the difference.''  I like how President Hinckley’s put it in his book “Standing for Something.” even more.  He said, Our lives have become intensely fast paced filled with business and a frantic flitting about that was uncharacteristic of earlier ages.  We pack our lives with so many activities and pursuits that many of us have lost sight of something that is of critical importance to families… time together. 

I'm also a huge advocate of letting kids be kids!  Allowing them space and freedom to enjoy their childhood- letting them run, play, explore, and imagine.  When they're overscheduled, there's little free time for kids to be kids.

I think it's especially important in the formative years to provide that structure kids need.  Family dinner, reading together, bedtime routines, and Sunday worship are important family rituals that provide a wonderful sense of security.  As our kids get older, we may be a little more flexible- and keep them busier... so they'll stay out of trouble.  But for now, we're really kind of possessive of our time together. :)

In an effort to prevent an overscheduled family life, our current policy is to allow each child 1 activity of their choice a year (besides church activities)- starting in kindergarten.  So this year it's t-ball for Benji, piano for Celeste, and ballet for Charity.  We do our best to have dinner together first, and then go together to practices and games as a family to show our support for one another.  As they get older, they might not want all of us on the sidelines cheering them on, lol, but for now it really seems to mean a lot to them. 

So here are a few random pics from Benji's t-ball practice-

Of course, the kids are thrilled to go along to show their support.  Or maybe it's cause we stop for ice cream on the way home.  Yeah, so getting ice cream after each game might not be the healthiest habit- but at least we're together!

The truth about LOVE

I believe the most important thing parents can do for their children is to love each other and maintain a stable and happy relationship.  A strong marriage provides security for children and a model for their own future marriages.  To be totally honest, we've had rough times in our marriage- I won't lie.  We can both be very stubborn strong-willed.  We're continually learning how to better communicate to keep our marriage strong and happy.  It takes serious work.  But these little ones are worth every effort.

Someone once told Stephen Covey he had fallen out of love with his wife. He said, "The feeling we once had just isn't there anymore- our love is dead. I think our marriage may be over. But you know, we have 3 kids... what do you think we should we do?"

Covey responded, "Love her."

The guy said, "But I just told you, the feeling just isn't there anymore. So now what do you suggest?"

Covey repeated, "LOVE her. Love is a verb. Love the feeling is a fruit of love the verb.  Start thinking selflessly- give of yourself, sacrifice for her. Show love."

I think this is such a powerful truth! I know of so many marriages that have been rebuilt by couples choosing to love. Forgiving is a verb. Patience is a verb. We can choose our own response. We can choose to love first- instead of waiting for the other to be loving. We can choose to look for the good in each other. I have not always been good at looking for the good. Jon and I even have a nickname for my feisty side- Nicolette. Lol. But we're both learning that when we wake up each morning and think to ourselves, "What can I do to make my husband's/wife's life easier? What can I do to show him/her love?" It is a much happier way to live than being critical and negative.

Now I should add- I'm not naive enough to think that this is always the solution to every problem or that every marriage can or should survive. I worked as an advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, so I'm well aware that there are situations where marriages have serious problems, and just love and patience will not always solve those problems. There are legitimate reasons for divorce.

But I believe many marriages can be saved if we would choose to be selfless. Love within marriage can be recreated through service, sacrifice, and devotion. We can never go wrong by choosing to love generously, even when we don't feel like it.  Charity never faileth.  That's the truth.

Our Little Wallflower

Most people who meet our Sweet Charity Lynn assume she's quiet, reserved, and shy.


And she can be, until you get to know her.

And then you realize, first impressions can be deceiving...

When she warms up, watch out!  This little girl has SPUNK!  I read a quote once... "It's beauty that captures your attention; personality captures your heart."  Well- this little girl has captured our attention AND our heart.  She is a beautiful girl, with an endearing personality, and I love every facet of it- including her feistiness and super strong will.  She will most definitely be a leader.

She had a nice birthday on July 8th.  It was just a family party this year.  Every even year starting at age 4, the kids are allowed a friend party.  But on the odd years- we have a family party with the usual Hudson birthday traditions, and a family outing.  So Charity chose to go swimming this time.  It was fun to celebrate together- just our family.  Sometimes friend parties can get a little out of hand, so it was nice to just have a simple party together to celebrate the birth of our sweet and spunky girl. 

We love you Charity Lynn.  Happy 5th Birthday!

Europe Part 1

I'm back!  And my trip was amazing!!  A memorable adventure for sure.  It's been a bit of a struggle to get back to reality around here and plunge into our summer routines, but it's so good to be home.  So the trip was amazing... but it didn't go quite as I had planned.  (Does it ever?)

I spent the last couple days before the trip tying up loose ends- making meals for the kids, arranging a schedule for the babysitters, grocery shopping and last minute packing, and thought I was finally all ready to go.  After months of memorizing and preparing for this ONCE in a lifetime experience, it felt so great to finally be ready to fly away.  So the night before I left, I went to pack the last and most essential items...

and noticed my PASSPORT was MISSING!!!!!! 

I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.  I had it carefully tucked away in a drawer for months.  I would even check on it often- just to ensure that wouldn't happen.  So when I noticed it was GONE, I just. about. died. 

Jon and I stayed up most of the night frantically looking for it.  I figured it was somewhere in the office, so I was keeping my cool because I thought we would find it.  But after realizing we were running out of time, we got the kids out of bed at 4am, and asked if anyone had seen it.  That's when Celeste remembered seeing Jakey with it when the kids were coloring in the office.  And I connected the dots and figured out what must have happened.  The passport was on the floor with all the coloring papers while the kids were coloring with papers scattered everywhere.  I asked Jakey to help clean up, and he scooped all the papers- and the passport- and threw them all away.  And of course, the garbage man had already come that week.  So when I realized what had happened, I just lost it. :(  Could not stop crying.  I was just devastated.  It meant all my work memorizing for MONTHS, my excitement, the chance to finally spend some quality time with my family, not to mention the COST was all wasted.  And I assumed there was no way to make the trip happen since it usually takes 2 weeks- minumum- to get a new passport.

But Jon was so sweet.  He just held me while I cried.  And he was determined to find a way to still help make it happen.  So he looked into getting an expedited passport.  And when he found out about the outrageous cost, plus the cost for the change in airfare he said, "It's ok, Sweetie.  I'd gladly pay $1200 to get a couple extra days with you.  Actually... it's a good deal."

I mean, seriously!  He earned brownie points for LIFE just for that one single comment. :)

But after a little research, we found a passport agency in Chicago, so I decided to drive there myself, and there happened to be a flight out on Tuesday afternoon- just 3 days after my original flight!!  So that was such a relief!!  But it was still risky to assume I'd get the passport in time for the flight.  We called the passport agency, and they said we most likely would make it if we got there first thing in the morning.  So we decided to go for it.

On Tuesday morning, I got up at 5:30 and said my goodbyes- hoping all would go well, and drove to Chicago to get my replacement passport and hoping to fly out by 1pm.  After getting lost in this enormous city and parking, I finally made it up the office to the 8th floor of this huge skyskraper, totally out of breath.  But by the time I got there, the line was out the door. :(  But I thought- there is NO way I'm missing this flight too!  Where there's a will, there's a way.  So I just prayed and prayed.  When I finally got near the front and it was almost my turn to submit my paperwork, I overheard the woman in front of me say to the clerk, "My flight leaves at 2pm today, I'll be able to have my passport by then, right?"  To which the clerk rudely and adamantly responded without looking up, "Not a chance Ma'am.  The next batch of passports won't be completed until 2pm.  Next!"

Well- I was supposed to fly out at 1pm!!  My heart completely sank.  But I just kept praying, and asking Heavenly Father to help me make it happen if there was any way.  So I walked up to the counter... and just begged.  I told her the situation- calmly, but pleaded with her from my heart.  The lady paused and actually looked up.  She gave a little smile and said, "We'll do what we can Ma'am.  Just take a number and have a seat."  So I did- but I kept praying.  About 20 minutes later, the clerk came with my completed passport in hand.  I burst into tears, and thanked her profusely.  She had personally made my passport.  I'll be forever grateful to that woman- whoever she is!!

So anyway- my trip got off to a stressful start to say the least!

But I learned a lot.  I know that God works in mysterious ways.  On the airplane to Frankfurt (a 7 hour flight), I was reading the Book of Mormon, and the woman next to me asked me about it.  She told me she had been investigating our church.  She had so many questions, and we talked for hours- and completely connected.  I ended up giving her the Book, and she committed to reading it and praying about it (There's a promise in the book that if you read with real intent, the Lord will manifest the truth of it to you by the power of the Holy Spirit.)  So I don't know if that opportunity was why I missed my original flight, or if it was just wonderful coincidence.  But I DO know that things happen for a reason.  And we are to trust the Lord- and all things will work together for our good.  Not always in our timing, or how we expect or prefer things to happen, but in His way, and in His timing- under His divine guidance and wisdom. The whole experience was a powerful reminder to me of that truth.

Oh- and one other special benefit of missing my flight...

I got to spend June 11th with this cute Birthday Boy!

So that was the start of the trip.  Unfortunately, that was not the end of the troubles and frustrations though.  Let's just say, the drama was not limited to the stage! ;) More on that later.

That's it.

All right.  So I'm a little disappointed in myself for slacking on this blog so much!  I just haven't been making time for it lately.  But I have really strong feelings that I need to make this more of a priority.  So I'm going to do something about it.  I know that there is such power in goal-setting- especially when goals are written down.  So I'm deciding TODAY that I won't let more than 2 days pass without updating this blog.

So there.  Now I'm committed, and I have to follow through.  It might not be something really substantial every time, but it will be something!  And now that I've written it down- it will happen.  I will make it happen. :)

Treasure Box

So school got out this week.  Now that it's summer time, and the kids will be home ALL day, I thought it was time to implement a new positive reinforcement system to help motivate them to get along with each other.  (The first day of summer was pretty rough, haha!  The kids were pretty wired and unruly.) 

So I took them to the store with me today to pick out some special surprises for the treasure box (mostly consumable stuff- like bubbles, chapstick, treats, etc.)  They're SO thrilled about it.  And it really works!  Today was AMAZING.  The kids were SO good, haha!!

When I asked them to do their chores, (I often get complaints or sighs) they said, "YES Mommy, I'll do it right away!"  Aw, love it.  Isn't that music to every mom's ears?!  I've learned the first couple days you have to be very serious about it, and only allow a reward if they're on their best behavior.  That way they know you mean business, and you won't just dole it out at the end of the day no matter what.  And the newness can wear off over time, so you have to make sure the reward is really something that they're excited about!

I think this is so much better than the alternative of constantly criticizing, nagging, and scolding them to behave all summer.  Hopefully this system will make the summer more enjoyable for us all.

Cutest Stowaway

Look what I found in my suitcase tonight!  I'm leaving for Europe in the morning, and he was hoping to come along too. Aw, I'll miss my little sweeties!

Amazing Brothers!

These videos were just posted on Youtube- and I had to share them.  These are my extremely talented brothers.  God has given them both a gift- and they have worked hard to develop their talent, and it inspires me everytime I hear them sing.  They are both voice teachers- helping others develop their talents too.  Love them both!  I'm actually going to have an opportunity THIS weekend to go to Europe and sing with them!!  It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me- so I'm thrilled!  Plus, I've basically been a single mom for the last 5 months- (Jon has been working crazy hours) so I could seriously use a break. 

(Just thinking about it though- I miss Mr. Wonderful and the kids already.)  :(

Anway, so here they are:

Ben as Tony in West Side Story:

Um yeah- he's pretty much amazing!!  His acting is incredible too. I know I'm biased- but I'm not the only one who thinks he's talented. Leonard Bernstein's (the composer of West Side Story) son and daughter were actually in the audience one night! And after the show while we were standing there, his daughter approached him and said that in the last 25 years that she had been touring around the world and watching different West Side Story productions, Ben was the best Tony she had ever seen! Talk about a compliment!

And here's one of Joey and Ben together performing the lead roles in The Secret Garden:

Aren't they great?  I also need to get a video on here of Joey singing Stars from Les Mis.  It's incredible.  I'm so proud of them both!!

(Can you tell?)

Isagenix

                                                                             Before:

After:

I'd like to share something I'm so excited about! I mentioned a little about it in my last post, but here are more details.  So I love being a mother- there is nothing else I would rather do with my life- it is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced.  But it has also been the most exhausting and challenging experience of my life.  After Jarom was born, the stress of motherhood and 5 pregnancies in 6 years had definitely taken a toll on me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I have always been passionate about health and fitness and even became a part-time Turbo Kick instructor after my 4th child was born in hopes that I could help people achieve their health goals.  I don't believe in diets- since they're not an effective long term solution.  My motto for weight loss and good health after each pregnancy was always- "Eat less- move more."  And after each of the first 4 pregnancies, the baby weight fell off quickly as I tried to apply this principle.

But after I had our 5th child, eating less and moving more was simply NOT working.  I could not get the extra weight off despite my best efforts.  10 months went by- and I had lost very little of the extra prego pounds.

  

The change for me came just this last April after watching "Food Inc".  I learned more about how nutritionally bankrupt our food has become, and I wanted to DO something about it.  I was concerned about the state of our health, running on low energy much of the time, dealing with sugar highs and crashes, and feeling overwhelmingly frustrated that I couldn't drop the baby weight.  I believe in the power of prayer, so I poured out my heart in prayer about all these concerns, asked for help... and the next day I stumbled upon a video about Isagenix.  I knew immediately that it was an answer to that prayer.  The fact that it was not a diet, and not a fast- but a total body nutritional cleanse really appealed to me, so I decided to give it a try- plus with a 100% moneyback guarantee, I felt I had nothing to lose.  I knew it was time to make a change and regain control of my unhealthy eating habits. 

I was so excited to start a new lifestyle!  And the results blew me away.  I lost 10 lbs. and 11 inches on the 9 day system, and went on to lose another 11 lbs. and dropped 4 dress sizes.  More importantly, I feel more energy than I have had in years and my cravings are supressed.  It feels so liberating to develop greater self-control over my sugar habit- (and hopefully save money on dental bills).  I rarely crave processed, refined, nutritionally void foods now because my body is finally getting the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it was really hungry for.  I can FEEL the difference.  The visible results are just a bonus. :)  What kept me on track during the cleanse was a clear motive that I kept in mind.  My motive was to have greater health and more energy to better serve my family.  I wanted to be an example of excellent health for my children.  Another critical factor in achieving this goal was the support of a fabulous coach and a network of new Isagenix friends from a support group to keep me accountable and inspired.

So it has clearly been a great blessing in my life.  So much so that I've decided to share it forward and become involved in promoting and teaching people about it.  So I'm now a nutritional cleanse coach- helping others achieve their health goals too.  What I love about this is I can work from home during the kids quiet time- and coach people as they make this healthy lifestyle change.  In this business, we can only succeed by helping others succeed!  What a blessing to have a chance to make an impact in the world and enrich people's lives through sharing this phenomenal product and opportunity.  There are a lot of misconceptions about it, so I'll clear some of those up in a follow-up post soon.  But if anyone wants more info- check out http://www.isagenix.com/ and watch the Isavideos.  And let me know if you have any questions about it.  It could change your life. :)