FHE Jan 31

I have decided to record our Family Home Evenings on this blog.  Partly to share with others any good ideas about FHE, and mostly so I can look back when my kids are rotten teenagers and say, "Hey, at least I tried" :-)

Monday turned out to be a busy one for us.  Casie had a meeting for the new play she is in...(Joseph and the Amazing TCDC...she is Dan's wife...go Casie!)  So we had a late start for FHE.  I was determined to do it though.  I dropped Casie off at home (to start on her home work) and took Ellie and Jack to the store to buy a FHE treat.  I made the mistake of telling Ellie she could choose whatever treat she wanted.  How could I have been so foolish?  Did I not remember who I was talking to?  Needless to say, Ellie was thrilled beyond measure.  She took this job very seriously.   I think she would have fasted and prayed about her decision if there had been time...(and if by fasting I mean she could still eat whatever she wanted)...but she finally wandered over to the bakery.  Once her eyes rested upon the $16 Oreo cake in the glass case, it was love at first sight.  If I hadn't told her she could choose WHATEVER she wanted, I might have guided her toward a cheap pack of cookies...but I didn't want to go back on my word.  Plus, I knew she would remember that experience for a long time.  Sixteen dollars is worth a memory of a time when your Mom was nice right?  So into our cart the Oreo cake went.  And home we went with a VERY excited Ellie. 

FHE consisted of us sitting around the table eating cake and reading a chapter from the BOM.  Afterwards, Mike and I took a few minutes to tell the kids good things we had noticed about them, as well as giving them each an individual challenge to better themselves.

Casie: We told her how proud we were of her for being so responsible.  She always does her homework and does it well.  She gets herself up and out the door in the morning.  We also mentioned that we love how she rarely complains about doing her jobs.  We love how we can ask her for favors and she jumps to them.   Lastly we challenged her to read the New Era every month.  I asked that she spend a little less time on the computer and a little more time doing her Personal Progress.

Annie:  I shared with her that I noticed a nice thing she had done a couple days prior.  We had picked up one of her friends for a play date.  Her friend had brought some pictures she had drawn to show Annie.  Annie gushed and gushed over the drawings her friend had done.  She gave her sincere compliments and told her what a good artist she was.  I told Annie that I could tell her friend was pleased that Annie liked them so much.  I told her that it probably meant a lot to her because she (Annie) was such a good artist.  Mike told Annie she was very caring and thoughtful.  We challenged her to say her personal prayers at night.

Ellie:  I told her that she is a leader.  She has the ability to make friends very quickly.  She is always organizing clubs and planning parties.  We told her that good leaders do good things with their skills.  We told her we were proud of her for inviting one of her friends to church with her because that's what leaders do.  We also complimented her on her happiness.  We are impressed with her happy attitude towards life and told her she was a fun person to be around.  We challenged her to listen to Mom and Dad the first time they ask her to do something, and to be obedient even when no one was looking.  I think our talk had an effect on Ellie. Yesterday she came home and said that one of her friends told her not to be friends with one of the other little girls in the class.  Ellie told her friend that she wanted to be friends with everyone, because she wanted to be a leader.  She also informed me that she and her friend decided that being a leader meant that you were the boss....we'll talk.

Jack: Jack was running around playing with a Balloon at the time of FHE, but we called to him across the room and told him that we loved his sincerity. Whenever he says "sorry" or "thanks" or "I love you", he always does it very sincerely.  That's not something you can teach a child.  We told him that we also loved his silliness and his snuggles.

Max:  I couldn't end FHE without mentioning Max.  I told the girls that I was so proud of Max for the choices he made before he came to our family.  I told them that he was so righteous that Heavenly Father needed him to come home and be a worker on the other side.  I told the girls I was grateful that we all had an example of choosing the right and doing what Heavenly Father wants you to do.  I am grateful for the example Max has been to our family. 

I guess I didn't give Max a challenge.  But I will challenge myself and my family to try and live in a way that will help us feel close to Max.  When I feel the Holy Ghost in our home, I feel close to Max.  When I do the things that bring me closer to my Savior, I feel close to Max.  When I try to be patient and loving with my children, I feel close to Max.  When I read my scriptures and pray, I feel close to Max.  That boy will make a better person of me yet....