Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Favorite articles on Marriage and Parenthood

Here is a list of articles that I would like to continue looking back at. They all have reference to strengthening and building your marriage and parenthood.


By: Robert D. Hales
April 1999 – General Conference

By: Elder Boyd K. Packer 
November 1993 - Ensign 

By: President Spencer W. Kimball 
March 1977 - Ensign 

By: Elder L. Tom Perry 
May 1990 - Ensign 

By: President Spencer W. Kimball 
March 1976 - Ensign 

By: President Ezra Taft Benson 
Fireside for Parents 22 February 1987 

By: Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Devotional given to BYU students 29 January 2002 

By: President Ezra Taft Benson 
June 1981 - Liahona 

By: Mark T. Hales, Counseling Manager LDS Family Services 
August 2010 - Ensign 

By: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 
June 2002 - Ensign 

By: Elder M. Russell Ballard 
November 2005 - Ensign 

By: Elder Robert D. Hales 
May 2010 - Ensign 

By: Janette K. Gibbons 
March 2002 - Ensign 

By: Elder Dallin H. Oaks 
From Pure in Heart pp.73-86 

By: Elder Jeffery R. Holland 
May 1997 - Ensign 

By: Elder L. Tom Perry 
May 2004 - Ensign 

By: Julie B. Beck 
May 2004 - Ensign 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012


The Family

A Proclamation to the World

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.



This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Monday, July 2, 2012

In Sickness and Health

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

A Father Indeed

Special Challenges and Oppurtunites Notes

“Abuse is the physical, emotional, sexual, or spiritual mistreatment of others. It may not only harm the body, but it can deeply affect the mind and spirit, destroying faith and causing confusion, doubt, mistrust, guilt, and fear.”
Ch. 24 pg. 249-250


Brigham Young said, “ Bring up your children in the love and dear of the Lord; study their dispositions and their temperaments, and deal with them accordingly, never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion; teach them to love you rather than to fear you.”
Ch. 24 pg. 252

Brigham Young said, “ If you give way to your angry feelings, it sets on fire the whole course of nature… and you are then apt to set those on fire who are contending with you.”
Ch. 24 pg. 259

“God has commanded us to remain together and keep our marriages strong, even when that means we must partake of some of the bitter fruits of life together.”
Ch. 8 pg.80

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “There is now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us… is not of God.”
Ch. 8 pg. 80

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “ Now I speak to married members, especially to any who may be considering divorce. I strongly urge you and those who advise you to face up to the reality that for most marriage problems, the remedy is not divorce but repentance. Often the cause is not incompatibility but selfishness. The first step is not separation but reformation… Under the law of the Lord, a marriage, like a human life, is a precious living thing. It our bodies are sick, we seek to heal them. We do not give up. While there is any prospect of life, we seek healing again and again. The same should be true of our marriages, and if we seek Him, the Lord will help us and heal us. Latter-day Saint spouses should do all within their power to preserve their marriages.”
Ch. 8 pg. 85



Marriage and Divorce

Saving Your Marriage

Thursday, June 21, 2012

What to do in the summer with your family

75 Things to do with your children

1: Glow sticks in the bathtub.
2: Writing your ABC's with licorice strings.3: Photo shoot. Any mom can have a photo shoot with their children.4: Cloud watching. And it teaches your kids the correct name of the cloud.5: Fossil Digger. They have dino bones at the Dollar Tree. Burry them, and get your paint brushes ready to dust away dirt.6: Sponge Finger painting. Cut and soak up ANY sponge.7: Mini rainbow volcanoes.8: Make a book + illustrations. I folded it and got it ready. They started writing/drawing.
9:Balloon tennis. We got free paint stick stirrers at Walmart and used our 'personality balloons' found below.

10: Ding Dong Ditch w/a gift. Anyone neighbor you choose.
11: Teach diversity with eggs. We're all the same on the inside remember?
12: Teach about the moon phases with Oreos. Then get you each a mug-a-milk ;)
13: Hand shadows and other objects. 14: Plastic sheet cover your homework sheets=dry erase. I have purchased quite a few preschool/kindergarten activity books and I've been scanning the pages so I can print them off anytime I want. This is CHEAPER and more effective. I LOVE it. (quite church, and car drives are easier).15: Puppet show.16: Shave with daddy. With popsicle sticks of course.

17: Play angry birds on the nook.18: Pick any animal day. Pick ANY animal and teach them everything you can find about it. 19: Play hotel. You can play ANY 'pretend' game.
20:  Make Japanese chain cut outs. The kids will be amazed that they're all connected. 21: Create a silly holiday. We made August 20th our annual donut day.
22: Floating raisins.
23: Blow up a balloon with vinegar.
24: Grab your nets and go Creature Catching!
25: Helping cook. Doing grown up things is funner than kid things right? Of course be cautious in age and working around hot stoves and knives.
26: Make pony bead necklaces! And twice we've made fruit loop necklaces to bring and eat during church.27: Water paints are cheap and fun (for adults too).28: Lava floor. Dont touch the floor to survive.
29: Harry marker mirror faces.30: Melted crayon hot rocks.
31: Teach and learn smallest to biggest. Have them organize objects like toys, blocks and talk about sizes. Most kids don't even learn this before school.32: Go camping :)33: Messless Makeup. I took empty makeup containers and pored in fingernail polish. My daughter still thinks it's real, and I dont have to clean up any messes.34: Balloon Characters. Draw a face and then name them. (WARNING: your kids will be crushed if these ones pop, tears MAY BE SHED).35: INDOOR Picnic. Make sure to use a NON favorite blanket ;)36: Play School. Learn while playing? okay.37: Make a band. 38: Write and make letters to family members. use LOTS of stickers.39: Teach you kids about the world.40: Teach your kids about outer space.
41: Exercise.
42: Make an obstacle coarse with crape paper streamers. 43: Act out a story. You dont need great costumes for this. Our bedtime stories come to life with T-shirts and sweaters. (wolf and lil Red below).
44: Make Dino fossils out of play dough and toy dinosaurs. Imprint and then let it dry.
45: Go to a fish hatchery and feed the fish bread :)46: Fly a kite.
47: Make a Japanese Hanging Fish :) A big catch.48: Have a Tea Party. Mini foods and mini cups are a hit with BOYS AND GIRLS.49: Play dress up. See what your kids come up with.
50: Go geocaching.
51: Blow Wish Flowers. (AKA: dead dandelions). Or go Dandelion picking with baskets.52: Make popsicle stick puzzles. Storing a puzzle in a rubber band is brilliant enough I think. (using a photo is fun too)53: Make GIANT bubbles. Poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup, or cut off the bottom of a water bottle. Dip. Blow. 54: Go swimming. 55: Color-Trace Leaves.
56: Hand Print Art. Elephants, flowers, lions, reindeer, turkeys etc... it's endless.
57: Ice cube paint. Freeze water and food color in ice trays. Freeze with a toothpick or popsicle stick. Go outside if it's warm and enjoy some cold painting.
58: Play Mail Man. (with the mail you wrote and decorated earlier)
59: Go on a hike. Or run on a hike...
60: Make homemade lava lamps. 61: Mini Marshmallow construction. Give them toothpicks and you've got a good hour of down time.62: Make mini bun pizzas. This way your kids can decorate their own.63: Paint and Roll Marbles. 64: Make cookies. Let them do everything but work with the oven. Make matching aprons if your ambitious! 65: Potato stamps.
66: Make a pinecone bird feeder. You'll enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer while bird watching.
67: Make and Play Play Dough.

68: Go through a car wash.
69: Have a water sprayer fight! recommended outdoors70: Scavenger Hunt. 71: A picnic. A regular one. Nothing's better than a spot of shaded grass on a hot day.
72: Build a fort! I wanted to post this one for inspiration because my blanket forts weren't picture worthy. My kids LOVE watching movies in a fort tho.
73: Write and send snail mail to loved ones.74: Tear drop volcanoes. Put baking soda on a tray. Fill paper cups with vinegar and food color. Use a dropper to create fizzy foam!75:  Go Dollar Store shopping. Give them each 5 bucks and they're in heaven.




NOTE:
All of these ideas and pictures came from this BLOG there are not my ideas and I do not take credit for them.