Okay so I realize I’m a little behind (since this post should have happened on Friday!).  I have had a crazy 3 weeks and completely spaced my post – so sorry!   Anyway I wanted to leave a fun idea for you since we have had President’s Day this month.  My little boy was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th) so every year we spend a little time talking about him.  I came across a fun activity you can do with your kids.  It is called Penny Puzzle. 

Can you find the following things on the front side of a Lincoln penny?  Be careful, some are tricky.  The first answer is given.

1. Flowers – tulips (two lips)

2. Fruit

3. Part of a river

4. Country

5. Small animal

6. A drink that is against the word of wisdom

7. Yourself

Good luck!  You may want to give a little history on Abraham Lincoln as you do this activity.  He was a man worth learning about.

Here’s a great way to have your Webelo pass off a cub scout requirement and get a great tradition idea in as well.  When my oldest was 10 he had to make something USEFUL from wood.  We came up with the idea of making wooden hearts with wire in the top for some love note holders for our Valentine’s Day Dinner.  (I know that they look VERY homemade, but that too brings up those great memories of watching him make these by himself.  I wouldn’t change a thing about it.)  You and/or your spouse can write a letter to each of your children expressing why you love them and what qualities they have that you really enjoy.  Put them in your card holder and place them on the table at dinner time.  Then, before or after dinner, everyone can open theirs and read it aloud or to themselves while sitting at the table.  It’s a great way to spend Valentine’s Dinner with your family and bring some extra bit of love to your children.  You can even express a desire for your children to do the same for you and your spouse so that everyone can have a little something to read.

Another fun idea is to have a bucket with their names on it.  Walmart has some cute red tin ones on sale right now.  We have ours high up so no one can get in them until Valentine’s Day.  On that day they get to retrieve them down and look inside for a special Valentine’s Day treat.  This could be anything from socks, candy, gift card, coupon for a night out, etc.  Make it match what they would think would be cool.  In these times of spending thrifty, give everyone a bottle of bubbles and you can have a bubble war with the family!  Everyone will be laughing by the end and you will have created a fun and simple, yet memorable, event that they will remember for a long time.  Sometimes the cheapest ideas make the greatest memories!

CHALLENGE: Try it and see.  I would love to see your comments on what you put in your child’s bucket that didn’t cost a lot of money but was something that created a great memory.  I will be looking after Valentine’s Day to see who rises up to the challenge.  Remember part of the challenge is to come back and share your ideas with me and everyone else who reads our blog!

Okay so it’s not rocket science but when I found these I was heaven just looking at them.  I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries. I never think to make them but I sure love it when I get to eat them!    This is the perfect Valentine treat!  It is somewhat healthy (after all it does incorporate fruit right?) and it has a very important ingredient – CHOCOLATE!  You can serve them as an after school snack, give them to your sweetheart or send them as a surprise in your child’s lunch box along with a love note from mom.  If you aren’t into strawberries turn it into a fondue night and have fun with pretzels, pineapple, shortbread cookies (there goes the healthy part), and anything else you love covered in chocolate.  I found this recipe on the Food Network and it is delicious!

Ingredients

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

February is a great time to teach your children about love.  There are many aspects of love that you can address.  Being in primary, I have been focused on the love our Savior has for us and how we show love to Him.  I thought this month would be a great time to focus on love and service.  Here is an outline to introduce this theme for the month.  You may want to adjust it based on the ages of your children.  However, I have noticed that if I break things up a bit (have an activity, a story, a game, etc.) it really holds their attention.  The kids in primary love stories taught from pictures and it really helps if it is told in your own words.

Opening Prayer

Opening Song:  Love One Another p. 136 in the Children’s Songbook

Scripture:  Matthew 25:34-40  (Read this scripture and then ask your family “what does this scripture teach us about love?” and “what does this scripture teach us about how the Savior wants us to show love?”  We should show love by serving and we should serve like we are serving our Savior.

Story: 

Years ago, a young woman moved to a small town to be a school teacher.  One of her students was having a difficult time in class.  She could not read.  Her family did not enough money to take her into the city for an examination to find out if she could be helped.  The young teacher thought the problem might be that the girl could not see well.  With her own money she took the girl to have an eye exam.  She needed glasses.  With new glasses a whole new world opened up to the girl.  For the first time in her life she could see clearly the words on the chalkboard and in books.  The teacher didn’t make very much money, but the little she had, she shared with her young student and completely changed her life.  In doing so, she was also blessed.

• Ask:  How might the teacher have been blessed by helping her student?
• Ask:  How have you been blessed by helping someone?

Teaching from the Scriptures:

Ask:  Who is our perfect example of love and service? (Read John 3: 16-17)

We are His desciples.  He has given us this commandment:  (Read John 13:34)

Depending on the attention span of your family share some stories from the Savior’s ministry that shows his love for others (I like to use the Gospel Art Kit pictures because they are real pictures – not a cartoon- and they tell the stories straight from the scriptures):

Jesus healing the blind (GAK 213  John 9:1-17, 35-38)

Jesus blessing Jairus’s Daughter (GAK 215 Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25)

Christ and the Children (GAK 216  Matthew 19: 13-15)

Jesus Raising Lazarus from the Dead (GAK 222 John 11:1-45)

Jesus Washing the Apostles Feet (GAK 226 John 13:4-15) – This is one of my favorites because it shows that the Savior was not above serving in any way.  It was usually the servants that washed the feet but the Savior showed his love for his apostles by washing their feet.

Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (GAK 227) and The Crucifixion (GAK 230) – Here is where he showed the greatest love.  He loved each one of us so much that he gave his life for us so that we could return to our Father in Heaven.

Activity:

Prepare hearts cut out of construction paper.  Have each family member think of a way that they can serve or show love to someone they know.  Write each idea down on a heart and then post them on your fridge or somewhere visible in your house.  As these services are performed this month, take them down.  This activity will go the whole month until each service has been performed.  Throughout the month take the opportunity to talk about each one and how they felt when they did their service.

Children love to serve.  You can also use a service bee (or any stuffed animal you may have) and do service for each other in your home.  When the service is done the stuffed animal is left where it was done (i.e., if they make their sister’s bed, they leave it on the bed).  When the person that the service was done for finds the stuffed animal, it is now their turn to perform a service.  This is a great chance to teach love and service in the home.  Sometimes that is the most difficult for kids (and grown ups) to learn!  

Quote:

“Tremendous happiness and peace of mind are the results of loving service to others.  Nobody can live fully and happily who lives only unto himself.”

President Hinckley

Closing Prayer

Treats

Since today is an organizing tip.  I wanted to share one of my favorites with you.  I LOVE our Holiday Organizer.  Not only does it come with fantastic pages to help you organize your holidays better, there is a place for everything you have related to your holidays.  Not including your decorations of course.  But there is a place to help you organize your decorations as well in our Holiday Organizer.  I am talking about all those Bingo games, Tom the Turkeys, Halloween Scavenger Hunts, Valentine’s Love Notes, St. Patrick’s day Neighborhood Lucky Leprechaun game, and the list goes on with our products.  Then if you have additional stuff besides that, you have a lot to keep track of.  I found a way to utilize our Holiday Organizer even better by keeping everything together.  Doesn’t that sound familiar?  After dividing my organizer into two binders, January through June and July through December, I have taken ordinary photo holders, page protectors and page pockets and turned them into my storage of holiday ideas and games.  I then placed each of my holiday games and ideas in front of the cooresponding month folder for that particular holiday.  It’s the perfect way to keep everything organized and keep it handy in one place.  I love being able to go to that month and see all my fun games and ideas without having to search endlessly for where I put them last.  Even they can get lost or even forgotten in a tote full of decorations.  To give you a better idea, I took some pictures of how I put mine together.  However, make it work for you and your personality.  Feel free to comment about what has worked for you or you are always welcome to ask questions in the comment section and we will answer them for you.